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intoanotherworld23 · 3 months

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Forbidden Fruit

Summary: Working for the Millers as their children’s babysitter has been the best job you’ve had, but the only problem is your massive crush on Joel.

Pairing: Reader x Joel Miller

Word Count: 2.3k+ words

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Warnings: nothing major just some kissing, making out, sexual tension, cheating, infidelity, thoughts of sex, mention of female masturbation, age gap

A/N: Let me know what you guys think so far comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated. If you wish to be tagged for this please let me know and I’ll be sure to add you! Thanks so much everyone! XOXO

Hall Of Hunks

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

It was wrong. All of it. Every single second. Every single thought. Always bowing your head in shame every time you so much as even pictured him shirtless.

Feeling your eyes tearing up in embarrassment as you felt more pathetic each time you touched yourself to the thought of him touching you or kissing you. Your feelings were never meant to become this strong. It was only a crush.

Obsessing over him more every time you looked at him. Suddenly feeling shy as soon as he entered into the room. Every smile or kind word thrown your way you were head over heels. Silently praying to yourself that maybe those words would turn into something more one day.

Wondering to their bedroom laying on his side so you could smell his scent on the pillow. Inhaling his musky and sandalwood cologne that lingered in the fabrics. Picturing what it would be like to wake up beside him every morning. Imaging him kissing all over your face and pulling your body closer to his.

He was married for crying out loud, and you babysat his kids. Plus he was older than you and was all together out of your league. It was just a temporary crush, and one day you'd forget about him and never seen this man ever again in your life. Chances are he doesn't even give you second glances each time you show up, and early might you add.

His wife surely was suspicious by now or could at least tell how just in love with this man you were. She was gorgeous and probably had men falling to their knees over her. She had to know all about what it was like to crush hard over someone, and could see the obvious signs.

If she did know she hasn't said anything or even hinted that she knew. Instead she gave you warm smiles and plain compliments.

Their kids loved you or couldn't wait for the days you would come over. Constantly bugging them to have you over just so they could play with you. In fact his wife felt at times envious over her own kids adoring you. You knew what she was thinking, but never once did she ever show it on her face. She hid it behind a polite smile.

You paid more attention to her kids than she ever did. In fact one night they confessed they wished you were their mom instead of her. At first it warmed your heart at the thought of being the mother of his kids.

Then just as quickly you pushed that thought down, and told them never to say that ever again. In fear of what the mother would say.

Scrolling through your phone as the seconds ticked by. Having already put the kids to bed now you just waited for the happy couple to show up so you could leave and head back to your pathetic excuse of an apartment.

Hearing the roar of an engine outside the house indicating they were back, and a little early too. Usually they were out well past midnight, and it wasn't even ten yet. This was really odd, and you scrunched your face in confusion. Gathering your things slowly as you possibly could not ready to leave yet.

Standing up only to hear the door open aggressively, and a red faced Joel walk through the door. Judging by the silence and rigid body language something happened tonight.

He loosened his day like he had a long day at the office. His wife not far behind him as he pushed past him neither one of them looking at you or each other.

Watching as she practically sprinted upstairs with her makeup smeared down her cheeks, and heading towards the kids room. Something clearly happened and you didn't want to press especially since it really wasn't your business.

"Hi you guys are home early."

"My whore of a wife is taking the kids to her parents house for a couple nights."

That certainly wasn't the sort of response you expected from him as you stood there in place unsure of what to say. His words being said loud enough in the hopes she heard. Watching as he slammed the door shut grumbling to the kitchen pouring himself a glass of scotch downing it in one shot.

As much as you wanted to run over to him and comfort him it wasn't your place. Rocking back and forth on your heels feeling awkward at what you should say or do at this point.

Hearing shuffling upstairs as drawers were being opened and closed. The kids were crying out breaking your heart at the sound.

"Mr. Miller? Is everything all right?"

Before he could respond his wife descended down the stairs with a couple bags and her kids trucking behind her.

"Say good night to your daddy kids."

Watching as they ran right into his arms hugging them tightly like it was the last time he might ever see them.

Unable to hear what he was saying to them as he kissed them on the cheeks, and patted their heads in comfort hating to seek them like this. He wanted them to stay with him instead, but right now he really wanted to be alone, and he didn't want to accidentally take his anger out on them.

"I love you both so much."

Was the last thing he could say to them before she grabbed them and shoved them out the door. You hadn't moved from your spot the whole time. You don't even think you blinked once since they first came through the door.

This is the last thing you expected to happen when they came home. In fact this was probably the last time you'd have to babysit for them. Which means you'd probably never see Joel again.

It was selfish of you to think like that especially since something very serious happened between the couple.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he turned to face you this time.

"It's okay Mr. Miller."

"No it's not okay. None of this is okay." His fingers combing back his hair all in distress.

"Mr. Miller this is really none of my business."

"Please stay for just a few minutes."

"Okay." Hesitating on your answer unsure if you should involve yourself in what clearly was a personal matter.

"The whole night was going so perfectly. We were having a good time and things couldn't have been going better."

Walking over to you then shuffling his feet to the couch throwing himself down his shoulders shrugged down. A look of disbelief across his face, and he tried to find the right words to say or explain what happened.

"Then she told me that she was having an affair with a man she worked with. That she was happier with him than she was with me."

You could tell he was heart broken over the whole thing. Feeling like his whole world was crashing down around him. All he wanted to do was just cry, and drink until he was numb. Just wanting to feel something other than heartbreak and pain.

Staring deep into your eyes not realizing how beautiful you actually were. Baffled that he never took notice of you before.

How soft your skin looked, and how luscious your lips were shaped. Everything about you looked perfect, and suddenly his spirits were feeling lighter.

Watching his eyes drifting from your lips to between your eyes. Something was happening between you two, but you didn't exactly know what was going on.

It was like Joel was contemplating what he wanted to do. Trying to decided if you'd indulge him or smack him across the face, and never speak to him again.

"Mr. Miller?"

"Call me Joel." He whispered as he started to lean forward.

"Please don't hit me for doing this."

Wasting no time in pressing his lips against yours. Once he felt you start to relax he moved his lips against yours. Turning his head to the side as a hand came up and caressed the side of your face.

Feeling your lips tingle as you cocked your head towards the opposite side. Your entire body felt like it was floating in the air. From Joel's lips pressed against to his hands touching your face. Both of you knew it was wrong, but neither one of you cared.

Either one of you cared about was each other. It had been too long since you or him felt like this. Something that both of you missed, and needed in your life.

It was like a heat wave rushed across your body, and you could feel this immense pressure between your legs. No doubt there would be a wet spot there. Joel would discover it soon enough.

His body pushing you back so your head was resting on the arm rest, and you moved both of your legs onto the couch. Joel hovering above you as he kept his lips on yours.

Making out with him on the couch his hands moved down to your hips. Grinding his body down on top of yours feeling his erection poking between your legs. His pants were incredibly tight, and he wanted to get out of his clothes soon as possible.

"Is this okay?" Hands gripping the top of your pants ready to pull them down.

"Absolutely."

Smirking as he quickly pulled them down your legs dropping them to the floor. Licking his lips when he took notice of the lace panties you were wearing.

"You sure you want this?" Nodding your head eagerly as you grabbed his face and gave him a hard kiss.

"Please I want this."

"God you drive me crazy baby."

Hands reaching up so Joel could lift your shirt over your head. Laying there in nothing but your matching bra and panties. You were like a gift wrapped in a bow under his gaze. He couldn't wait to open you up.

Your hands covering yourself up feeling self conscious under his hungry gaze. It was like you were under a bright light being watched. Joel shaking his head at what you were doing.

"Don't cover yourself up sweetheart." Moving your hands out of the way. "You're so gorgeous."

His hands were warm against your skin. His touch was like a magnetic pull, and you couldn't help but be tugged in. It was a long time coming of frustration and tension. Both of you needed this more than you realized.

Before anything else could happen his phone went off making both of you jump. Leaning his head forward onto your chest with a loud groan. Sighing heavily at what would have happened if the phone didn't go off.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Snarling as he got up and walked over to where his laid his phone down. Leaning up as you watched him answer the phone his tone clearly not happy.

"What?"

There was some muffled voice on the other end of the phone. Rubbing his hand down his face in frustration. This was the last thing that he needed to deal with.

Hearing him start to argue with whoever was on the other end. If only this person knew what they had just interrupted. He might not have answered it, but it could have been an important call.

"Can't you get someone else to come in?"

Joel was a very well known doctor, and was brilliant and good at what he did. People from different parts of the world came to see him. His hours could range at any time even in the middle of the night.

"Jesus christ I'll come in." Ending the call as he set his phone down.

There were tears pricking in the corner of yours eyes. The sexual frustration was almost at an unbearable level. You were like a pot of water that was about to boil over, and any moment you would blow.

"Hospital?"

"Yeah." Bowing his head as he shuffled his feet over to you. "I'm so sorry."

"No it's okay I've gotta get back home anyway."

Feeling incredibly awkward and uncomfortable as you sat there half naked. Joel was ashamed if he would glance at your body again. Trying to find something else to look at. The reality of what you two almost just did hitting him.

"Look," standing in front of you now when you were completely dressed,"what just happened can’t happen again."

"I know."

"Not that I didn't want to cause believe me I want to so bad." Hands softly grabbing your arms as he looked deep into your eyes.

"It's just that-."

"The wife." Interrupting him already knowing what he was going to say.

Maybe he was using her as an excuse to not sleep with you. Not wanting to give into his carnal desires that were clawing at the cage. It was confusing for both of you neither one of you had done this before.

He thought about just jerking himself off until the feeling washed away. Hoping that maybe the lust would go away, and that this wouldn't happen again.

"Am I fired?" Blurting out before you could stop yourself.

"Probably not." Shrugging his shoulders as he responded. "Depends on the wife, well soon to be ex wife."

Which was true cause if you knew any better, she would try to fight for full custody. Since he was working all the time, and wouldn't have that much time with the kids. His kids were his life, and he couldn't lose them.

"Well I'm always available if you need me."

"I know thank you Y/N."

Grabbing your hands in his as he smiled warmly at you. Deep down he was hoping that he didn't make you so he could keep seeing you, and maybe continue what you two were doing. He wanted it so much more than what you realized.

Dropping his hands from yours as you grabbed your things, and took a quick note of the time. It was getting really late, and right now you needed to lay down and clear your head.

"Good night Mr. Miller."

"Joel." Giving you that friendly reminder as you just smiled at him.

"Joel." Repeating his name like liquid honey dripping from your mouth.

"Good night."

#Joel Miller #Joel Miller smut #Joel Miller x reader #Joel Miller imagines #Joel Miller fic #Joel Miller fanfiction #Joel Miller series #Pedro pascal #Pedro pascal smut #Pedro pascal x reader #Pedro pascal imagines #Pedro pascal fic #Pedro pascal fanfiction #Pedro pascal series

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norrisleclercf1 · 8 months

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Letter 2

Pairing: Lando Norris x Reader x Charles Leclerc

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Angst, just plain Angst

Words: 677

A/N: Yes yes this part is short but it's supposed to be this way as it mainly just focused on Nico's letter

Our Boy Series Masterlist / Previous: Broken Hearts and Duct Tape / Next: Memories of Old and New

"Ducky, don't be alarmed at the empty apartment. I'm coming back,"

I swear I am. I know you're looking at the apartment and thinking I've freaked out and left. I swear I haven't. 3 days ago, you told me the most incredible news anyone could ever hear from the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Not once did I think about having children, but with you? I cried. You are the first person I've ever truly loved. Who cares what people will say? I'm going to protect you, Ducky, and our unborn baby. Whenever I think about us having a baby, I cry all over again. I'm sure you're scared, I would be too, but really I can't wait.

I keep picturing a little baby with my eyes and your gorgeous hair, their little laugh. When they say their first word, everything. I'm sure you don't care about all this, but I've returned to Germany. There's something I need there: a ring. A specific ring I want you to have. My stuff is gone because I've bought us a house.

A pretty house boarding the line of Monaco and France. Lavender is everywhere. It's just like you told me that night. Walking the streets of that little Greek town under the stars, we talked of our future. I want to win the title, and you want nothing more than to have your dream home. Well, Ducky, I got us that dream home.

On the back are the directions. Movers are coming tomorrow for your stuff, but forget it all. I'm here waiting, painting the nursery. I picked a soft blue, not that boyish blue, but that blue that reminds me of a cloudless sky. It's perfect, you'll love it. I even have little stincles to paint ducks on the wall.

Ducky, I love you so much. I've retired from racing to focus on our family and build on it in the future. Fuck, I have to call your Dad and ask his permission to marry you. He doesn't like me very much, probably the age gap. I don't blame him. I'd react the same way with our little one. Oh, I forgot the house has a little nook for you. Where you can read and watch the lavender fields.

We have our problems, Ducky, but we can work through them. We always do. So please, grab your stuff and join me here at home. We can talk more when you get here. I love you.

God, I love you so much, Ducky.

Nico

"He called her Ducky," Elijah whispers, looking up to see his Dad with tears in his eyes. Elijah turns to his Pa, Charles, staring out into the garden, but the slight sniffles also let them know he was crying. "Charlie," Lando reaches out for Charles, who turns face crumbling. "He loved her. He loved her so much." Charles didn't understand why he was crying.

Maybe it was because if Nico had reached out or Y/n read the letter, he wouldn't have had this life. Or it could be he was crying in relief because he was the one honored to raise Elijah and love you. He didn't know. "I have to make a call," Charles stands, ruffling Elijah's hair and kissing the crown. His hand slips out of Lando's, who moves to pull his little boy into his arms.

"Is Pa okay?" Lando hums, fingers untangling those blonde locks as he watches Charles hold the phone to his ear. "No, Ducky. He's not okay. But, he will be." Lando refused to lie to his children. It's the one thing he wouldn't do. "Dad?" "Yeah?" Taking a deep breath, Elijah folds the letter back up. "We need to tell Mama what the letter said." Lando hates the anger that flares up but shuts it down quickly.

"I know," Charles comes back into the room, flinging himself into the chair and rubbing his face hard. "They're on their way," "Who is?" Lando asks, sitting up, and Elijah leans in more. "Nico,"

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Taglist: @thomaslefteyebrow @a-stray-soul @formulas-bitch @mickslover @myescapefromthislife @glow-ish @kittyfluffypaws28 @ryntro @copper-boom @allabouthappiness @jaydaaasworld @christianpulisic10 @lyraleclerc @daddyslittlevillain @dreamerrosie @driveswiftly13 @harrysdimple05 @sueesstuff @why4anne @nataliambc @cwiphswmwasohmm @buckybarnessweetheart @makingmyway-downtown @elijahslover @kapsylia @zeusmyster

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schrodinger-swriter · 2 months

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Lucifer x Reader

We all know Lucifer would feel awkward about dating Reader because like, what would he do if Lillith reappeared? He'd definitely feel like he'd be in a position to have to choose if that ever happened and that probably would keep him up at night.

I don't know about you but I'd tell him that if Lillith is as great as he says she is and we got on, then I'd just have to date them both.

Lucifer, the Reader, and Lilith

Apologies for the loose and vague title but I could not come up with a shortened idea that didn't look very very clunky.. but the prompt explains what it's meant to be pretty well! This one may be a little shorter, entirely because Lilith doesn't actually have an active part in this as a character, just mentioned.. I still want to hold off actually writing stuff for her until we get more info on her character!

I hope you enjoy Anon! C:

It's something Lucifer thought about a lot, even before he had met you. He never truly stopped loving Lilith, if that's a problem for you then that's an entirely different can of worms for you to tackle... and to tackle in a different post.

He'd feel... a lot. On one hand he was finally moving on and healing, he was finally starting to let himself love again after... everything. Yes we don't exactly know what happened between him and his past lover, but it was definitely enough to throw the man into a deep depression as well as tearing a rift through the family. That sort of hurt doesn't just come from a simple betrayal, nor does it go away over night. It's... complicated. On the other hand he's happy to know that she's still alive and well, and those old feelings try to claw their way back up. It's not fair, to him or to anyone else that Lilith got to leave and come right back. For what, exactly?

It effects his mood a lot and he starts to shut you out, he doesn't mean to hurt you but his mind is just too loud for him to bare. I don't think that there would be a poly relationship between the three of you, at least that is assuming if my thoughts and theories of Lilith being a... not good person or caring partner/parent are true, and if this post ends up being disproven as more of the show is released then I will eat my words.

Lucifer has two hands but he wants them both to be held by you, feeling that he would fall apart without him during this hard time.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin imagine #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin x reader #hazbin x you #lucifer x reader #lucifer morningstar x reader #lucifer morningstar imagine #lucifer imagine #lucifer x you

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jacks347 · 29 days

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I feel like hurting people so let's talk about Redacted characters fatal flaws.

David - Obligation

I was originally going to say David's flaw was loyalty but I thought that was too surface level so I dug a little deeper and found something a bit more important. David carries a heavy weight of obligation on his shoulders. He runs the pack and the security company because it's what his dad would've wanted, he works to keep the pack going because people depend on him, he only met Angel cause Caelum made him. Everything in his life is because of feels obligated to keep said things going. He didn't want to be in this situation, he doesn't want to have to work as hard as he does but he knows he has to in order to maintain everything his father left him. David takes on so much because he thinks he has to and that kind of weight will crush him eventually. He's pulling himself in so many directions, something has to give. To put it in his own words, one of these times when he throws himself at the wall it won't be the thing that breaks.

Asher - Optimism

Asher, you sweet sweet bean, your joy will be the thing that destroys you. Asher has the Polites problem (see, I know Greek characters) in where his optimism is the thing that drives the group into a far more dangerous situation. Asher's hopeful belief that they could get through the Inversion almost got him killed. He is the sunshine character, he's the one that everyone expects to be happy, he holds the morale of the pack on his shoulders and that kind of pressure would be enough to make anyone crack. How long will it be until the happy-go-lucky attitude snaps under the weight?

Milo - Dedication

It's easy to say Milo is loyal to a fault. It's hard to say he has a gravely misplaced sense of dedication. Milo feels he has something to prove, he always has. Prove to himself and the rest of the pack that he's useful, he has a place, he has a purpose in this pack. Milo has dedicated his life to proving his worth and that dedication to a harmful cause will be the thing that kills him. Hell, it already almost did. If another event like the Inversion happens, he might not make it out.

Sam - Independence

Sam is an interesting case because his need to be independent won't kill him physically as much as it will mentally. He has worked so hard to make sure other people's actions don't define him that he instinctively isolates himself. He keeps everyone at arm's length so that if and when they do something that hurts the people around them, he won't be caught in the blast radius. But that changes when he meets Darlin, someone who also keeps people at arm's length and doesn't let anyone get close. There's an argument to be made in how Sam seems himself in Darlin and that's why he felt so inclined to help them (beyond just hating Quinn) but not the point I'm making. Sam runs from problems before they can affect him and when the pack dies, he'll be stuck in a problem he can't run from. Sam may not die after the pack is gone but he will fade into the background. Sam will be lost in time, clinging to memories of a time that he let people in as those too eventually fade into the aether of history.

Vincent - Naivety

I heavily considered giving Vincent independence as his fatal flaw too cause it very well could be but we don't do doubles in this house and there is a far more deadly flaw in him and that's his naivety. Vincent is blind to his situation, he doesn't understand most of it because he's been shielded from it. He lacks understanding of what it really means to be a vampire, let alone one in such a well known house. And it's in that where we see his mistake with Lovely. Vincent turned Lovely without fully understanding his own place and therefore doesn't understand the responsibilities he's putting onto Lovely by bringing them into it. It's the blind leading the blind. This lack of real understanding I think will be what tears him apart.

Porter - Peace

Now, this one is hard to explain. How is peace a fatal flaw? Rather simply, actually. You find peace in a situation that you choose not to change. Porter is William's guard dog because he doesn't feel like he deserves to be anything more. He does as asked because he thinks it's all he good for. He had made his peace with the fact that he believes he's not worth anything more than the blood he can spill. Which is wrong and flawed. And it's in that peace in the situation he doesn't believe he deserves to change that will get him killed. If he doesn't convince himself he's worth more than this, it'll be the thing that does him in.

Gavin - Humanity

Gavin's sense of humanity may not necessarily kill him but it will cause an untold amount of pain. Gavin has distanced himself so far from the world of demons in order to choose his own path and be who he is that he's forgotten this world isn't his. Elegy owes him nothing and it'll give him as much. It's the immortal lover problem, he will survive long after Freelancer and the others are gone and it will break him. I've mentioned before that Gavin and Porter are two sides of the same character but what's interesting is how their stories seem to be going in opposite directions until they eventually switch places. When Gavin loses the people that give him a sense of humanity, he will fall to what he believes he has to be in order to survive while Porter is learning that he can be more than what's expected of him and will hold that sense of pride I believe long after Treasure is gone.

Escaped, you're next. Prepare.

#honestly this was a lot of fun #twas a good thought experiment #because it forces you to look at the entirety of a character's story #look at the big picture #more to come #pinky promise #asmr roleplay #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redacted david #redacted asher #redacted milo #redacted sam #redacted vincent #redacted porter #redacted gavin #redacted shaw pack #redacted solaire clan #redacted damn crew

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months

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AITA for reporting my shitty college roommate to the FWS and her teacher, and possibly getting her suspended/expelled/jailed/fined?

CW for brief dead animal mention

For context: I live in the USA and all native species of birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to kill, harm, etc. native bird species and/or possess parts of them including molted feathers, bones, nests, etc.

Also: The FWS is the Fish and Wildlife Service and is a government agency that deals with animal and plant conservation and habitat protection.

Anyways, I (F25) live in a dorm room with two other people, Ally (F26) and Sammy (F28) (not their real names obviously). Sammy is a nice roommate, she's very considerate and kind, and we get along really well.

Ally, on the other hand, is a nightmare.

Very self absorbed, rich parents, "white witch" privileged white girl type, treats Sammy and I like maids instead of roommates.

Ally and I are both art students, I'm pursuing 3D animation and she's doing... Something. I have no idea. Sculpting?

I do digital modeling and animation so I can just do that in my room on my PC, but she needs a specific area to do her sculptures, which is fine!

Except that she does NOT clean up after herself. Leaves material all over the place, there's bits of clay stuck to fucking everything, and she does it right in the living room.

She's also burnt sage INSIDE THE APARTMENT despite Sammy having asthma. She did not warn us beforehand, we found out when we walked in and Sammy started coughing and wheezing and we had to go back outside. She was 100% aware of Sammy's asthma because she saw her use her inhaler once and asked about it.

She then asked if she "could try it" which... Girl what. "Can I try it?" Has now become an inside joke between Sammy and I about her inhaler.

Coming from a rich family, I can tell she's never faced any consequences for her actions. Ever. She thinks she's untouchable and that mommy and daddy will pay for everything and make all her problems go away.

Sammy and I come from families who are not ungodly rich, and that's resulted in her treating us like live-in maids. She does none of the chores, none of the housework, absolutely nothing. Constantly inviting her friends over to peruse her "art gallery". Regularly keeps Sammy and I up at night with her music and friends.

We rent an apartment near our college, and we don't live in the dorms so we don't have anyone to complain to besides our landlord, who's an incredibly sweet elderly woman that we're all hesitant about bothering.

Except for Ally, who's prepared to bother her about everything, including but not limited to: Apartment being too hot. Apartment being too cold. A weird smell. Noise from the street. Neighbors dog barking. Front door being creaky.

We basically went "Haha hey Ally don't worry you're SO busy lol we'll talk to her for you okay!" just so she doesn't bother the poor lady.

We're mostly just afraid that if we kick out Ally, her parents will tear that woman apart. Sammy and I are both unconfrontational anyways and don't want to bother anyone.

Ally is working on her latest sculpture for finals (basically the big report due at the end of a semester). It actually looked pretty cool, but something about it was... Off.

Oh yeah, it's absolutely covered in native bird feathers and a nest. A real one, not one of those fake ones you can buy at a craft store.

She came home one day after going out with her friends for HOURS, and she had two big bags full of stuff. I asked what she was up to and her response was sort of "It's a secret teehee, it's for my art piece ;)" so I was just like haha okay.

So, it turns out her and her friends went out into the woods and spent HOURS picking up molted feathers (all of them are very witchy do-no-harm types so there's no way any of them killed live birds. Ally refuses to even kill bugs, I have to catch them and let them out). She also mentioned her friends parents have tons of bird feeders at their house, which means LOTS of molted feathers.

Also, instead of cleaning them in her bathroom sink she washed them off in the kitchen sink, meaning we couldn't do dishes for a few hours. So that was cool.

I actually collect and clean animal bones in my free time, so I'm very familiar with the laws. I know which species in my state are protected, which species I can possess with a permit, etc. I also know that the MBTA is a thing that exists.

I've met her art teacher before, and I know that the woman's not stupid. She will DEFINITELY notice that the sculpture is covered in blue jay, cardinal, grackle, etc. feathers.

I was going to keep my mouth shut and just let Ally dig her own grave, but I did mention it to her through text. I said "Hey, I love your sculpture but I just wanna let you know that using those feathers is actually illegal, since they're from native species of birds. My parents own chickens and ducks and I can get you a lot of really cool feathers for your project if you want! Sorry for the bad news but I just don't want you to get in trouble :("

She messaged back and said "Um, thanks but I don't want feathers from gross barnyard animals, Mother Gaia gifted me these beautiful feathers. Besides, I actually have money to take care of my problems."

What the fuck.

I didn't know what else to do besides message back "Oh! Okay!"

Those "gross barnyard animals" she mentioned include breeds like dominiques, copper marans, both gold and silver sebrights, Yokohama, and a few cayuga ducks, all of which have absolutely gorgeous feathers. I was also going to surprise her with some peafowl feathers because my parents' friend owns them.

So here's where the AITA part comes in.

I was furious with her constant classism, treating Sammy and I like shit, and blatantly disregarding laws (especially ones literally put in place to protect "Mother Gaia's" creatures) just because her parents have money.

So after she went to bed I went out into the living room, took pictures of her sculpture, and then not only sent the pictures to her art teacher but the FWS. I let the game warden know I also emailed her teacher and vice versa. I also sent screenshots of our conversation where I told her about the law, so they had proof she was 100% aware of it but ignored it anyways.

I let Sammy know, and her response was "That's a thing? Well, her teacher would have reported her anyways I guess."

A few days later, we get a knock on the door. It's a game warden. I let him inside, went to my room, and proceeded to listen to Ally doing her "I'm a poor innocent victim how could you do this to me!" crying. I mostly just felt bad for the poor game warden for having to deal with her.

The only thing I could hear from the other room was her wailing like a banshee and him going "Ma'am, please calm down. Are you alright ma'am? Ma'am..."

A few days later Sammy and I came back from the store to see all of Ally's stuff gone. All of her clay, supplies, clothes, etc. were gone and her room was totally empty except for her bed frame (which came with the house).

I have no idea what happened. I'm sure she wasn't allowed to turn in a sculpture covered in illegal feathers for her final, so Idk if she was suspended/expelled or if she just had a tantrum and moved out?

On one hand it was really fucking nice seeing her face consequences for her actions, but the other part of me feels bad about possibly getting her suspended/expelled/fined/jailed over feathers and a nest.

The EPA website states that punishment for MBTA violations for misdemeanor offences (which I believe she committed since I don't think she planned on selling anything, and I know she didn't kill any of the birds) can range from up to $5,000 in fines to no more than six months in jail.

So, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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mikachacha · 6 months

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𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚘𝚘 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕 (𝙱𝚊𝚍𝚊 𝙻𝚎𝚎 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛) 𝙿𝚝. 8

Synopsis: an audio of your argument with Bada was leaked out, Bada is receiving bad press and affecting team Bebe's overall performance and you decided to step in.

Warnings: this is just an emotional piece. some cursing but i swear this is gonna be a happy ending.

(A/N: We're on the last part of this series. Thank you everyone for supporting this story from the start until now. Love y'all and again, thank you so much for the support.)

Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

It's been days since that emotional encounter with Bada and the audio of your conversation with her somehow got leaked to the internet. Many people had criticized Bada, even throwing hate at the team members as well but then there were people criticizing you as well. Mean comments have flocked your social media that some of your friends have stepped in to defend you but you know what could get you and team Bebe out of this situation. As much as you would like to just let Bada get dragged through the mud from all this, it didn't sit well with you that her team is getting bullied by people who don't know what happened just because they're on the same time. It wasn't fair. It's yours and Bada's problem, not theirs. They were out of it.

"Yeni, I'm planning something. For my own peace and for team Bebe to not get involved in mine and Bada's mess.. It's unfair, they're suffering because we were stupid back then. It doesn't sit right with me." you told Yeni. You're not her girlfriend yet but you wanted to be transparent with everything. You don't want to blind side her about your plans especially when it involves Bada.

"Do what you have to do, alright? I'm just gonna be here for you. Do what you think is right." Yeni says and gave you a hug to comfort you. You sighed and hugged her back before giving Bada a call and telling her about your plan. She was a bit hesitant at first but her team's reputation is at stake her. She could lose everything but her team, her friends doesn't deserve that. If someone has to suffer, it should be her.

You met Bada at her apartment. It was the very same apartment that you used to live in with her. You sat on the couch and set up your camera as you waited for Bada to settle down. You wanted to do a live on insta so both of you can come clean regarding about your past. To put an end to the unnecessary rumors and criticism especially towards Bada's team because they're really just casualties from your mess.

"So uhm hello everyone. It's me, Y/N and Bada's here with me. We wanted to address the audio that's now circulating the internet that caused quite a stir among fans and haters alike.." you started and you glanced at Bada who looks like she in the verge of crying.

"Yeah.. To be clear, what happened between me and Y/N is from three years ago. I met her while I was in the states. We became friends as we met on a dance studio and because we were both koreans, we bonded. We've known each other for more than a year before I asked her to be my girlfriend when she graduated from uni. The problems started when I came back here, with her in tow." Bada narrates and you held back a sniffle as you remembered all too well what happened after that. You held her hand in a comforting way as she excused herself for a bit since she couldn't prevent her tears from falling.

"So uhh.. I told her that we needed to pretend that we're just friends because my parents didn't knew at that time that I'm lesbian. I didn't know how to come out to them at that time so I forced my girlfriend to lie to save my own ass. It just kept getting worse, I was abusive. I was toxic. God knows how much I regretted those times of my life, those times in our relationship. I didn't treat her well. I took her for granted, took her love for granted. Whenever she would try to leave, I'd come up with ways to make her come back to me. I wanted her to stay with me but I really didn't make much efforts to make her stay. All I did was continue destroying our relationship, hurt her and make her suffer." Bada confessed and looked at you, her eyes reflected guilt and sadness.

"I know, I had a lot of chance to leave her and to never look back but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I was so in love with her. I thought things would change, things would get better between us if I stayed but sadly, it didn't. So I finally left. It wasn't easy, there were times that I thought about going back and beg her to take me back. I was angry with myself, angry at her and angry at everything because of what happened. But now, as we sat together inside the apartment we once called home together, there were some things that I realized. That I've been angry for too long, that even if I said that I've forgiven her and forgiven myself from that incident, I still haven't. That's why that audio came to be. But believe me, the rest of team Bebe is out of this. They didn't know anything so please, we are begging you to stop harassing them and calling them enabler because they aren't. Please leave them out of this.." you begged and soon, you ended the live feed. You turned to Bada and she pulled you in for a hug. Both of you just stayed like that for quite some time before you pulled away.

You cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away, you gave her a smile as you rested your forehead against hers. This'll be the last time you're gonna be like this with Bada. You wanted to be finally be able to step forward, have a new beginning with Yeni.

"We may have failed in this lifetime but if given the chance to meet you in the next one, I wouldn't think twice about loving you again. But right now, we both need to move on and let go. For both our sakes.. I love you but it's time that we really finish this. Goodbye, Bada.. It may not have been great but I genuinely loved you." you told her and she hugged you tight, just sobbing in your arms. When she calmed down a bit, she gave you a kiss on the forehead and tried her best to give you a smile.

"If given a chance that I meet you again in my next life, I would treat you better and love you right. It may not have been perfect but I loved you, Y/N. Thank you for loving me so unconditionally despite everything I did to you. Thank you for making me feel the realest love I've ever known." she says and you nodded. You gave her hand a gentle squeeze as you willed yourself to not cry anymore.

"I forgive you, Bada. I forgive you and myself for everything that happened. I hope that we both find peace and happiness even if it's not with each other." was your words before you finally left that apartment. It was bittersweet yet you know it was for the best.

After that live video, things went a bit better for team Bebe and people soon forgot about the issue. You continued to work as Jam Republic's translator and you started dating Yeni as you finally felt like you're ready for this fresh start and it was the best decision you've made. She treated you like the most important person in the world and made sure to give you everything you never experienced with Bada.

Meanwhile, Bada sold the apartment you once shared with her as she also wanted to move on. To let go of the guilt and the memories of you and her. She heard you were dating Yeni and she felt a pang of hurt at the news but she really hopes that Yeni won't make the same mistakes as she did. That hopefully you finally found your happiness in Yeni's love because you deserve all the good things in life.

———;

@lil-elliesgf @efyyylee @hwm1hyun @mikaleialt @bunnywonyo @badaswifey @mrs-grim-reaper @b1ackbunny @wifey-badalee

#bada lee #swf2 #bada lee x reader #swf2 x reader #bada x reader #lee bada #bada lee imagine #bada fanfic #yeni cho

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miasmaghoul · 5 months

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you have so got me thinking about best to worst ghouls in so many different situations now (that riding one was soooooo good)

how about your best to worst ghoul takes on fingering? 😏 (thank you and happy new year!)

OUGH FINGERING MY BELOVED yes absolutely let's go

once again, best to worst below the cut!

Dew - he prides himself on his skill and efficiency. if he's with someone who can easily orgasm more than once (Rain, Cumulus, Aurora, Aeon) then he will absolutely make them cum on his fingers before he fucks them. he knows everyone's most sensitive spots, and every ghoul (plus a couple Papas and, on occasion, Sister Imperator) is guilty of dragging him into a closet at one point or another specifically so he can show off those skills.

Aether - is it cheating to use quintessence to find weak spots? Aether doesn't think so, and no one has complained so far. he lets the magick trickle from his fingers, just a whisper of static, and suddenly they're moaning and writing and grabbing for whatever part of him they can reach. at this point he doesn't NEED the magickal assistance, but the others love the feel of it alongside those thick fingers so he keeps it up.

Cirrus - precision is the name of the game for her. it's a power thing, of course, and Cirrus delights in getting all the big, strong ghouls face down ass up and whimpering while she abuses every secret soft spot they have. like Dew, will make the others cum on her fingers first and foremost, but unlike Dew she does it to EVERYONE. if they can't cum again for a while that's not her problem. they'll take whatever she gives anyway, even if they leak a few overstimulated tears along the way.

Swiss - it's one of his favorite things to do. insists on eye contact while he touches them inside, needs to see every twitch of their brow and to watch their cheeks flush. he wants to see the pleasure he causes plain as day, wants them noisy and squirming while they fall apart because of him. he can get a little too intense sometimes, though, and a few of the others have trouble finishing under his scrutiny.

Cumulus - her fingers are skilled and delicate, but also short. she knows exactly what buttons to push, make no mistake, but it can be challenging for her to really work them like that. pianist's hands are lovely to have, but her fingers only have so much reach. if she's fingering anyone, it's paired with oral so she can be sure they feel good.

Mountain - long, callused fingers and unmatched rhythm speak of good things, but Mountain likes to be really, really slow about it. indulgent. he's not in a rush to make anyone cum, not as a rule, and he'll spend as long as he likes with just one finger inside until they can't stand it anymore and demand another. he'll give it to them, of course, but the languid pace remains the same.

Rain - long, elegant fingers lend themselves well to the task, but Rain will not give anyone more than two of them. he can make them cum like that, of course, but he doesn't usually put in specific effort to that end. much prefers to make them cum on his cock so he gets something out of it too. call him greedy if you want, he'll agree. he prefers having his fingers sucked on anyway.

Sunshine - she has quick fingers, but mostly uses them to stretch her partners. her goal is usually to stick her dick in them asap, and she doesn't really have the patience to do much more than prep with them. but she won't say no if someone wants to make out and shoves her hand down their pants, as long as they return the favor.

Aeon - he's learning, but it's not his favorite thing to do in all honesty. he has this Thing about keeping his hands and fingers protected (Dew and Rain had the same issue when they were new), so sticking them in places doesn't appeal to him all that much. at least not yet. Dew keeps telling him that'll change, but in the meantime Aeon prefers keeping his fingers visible.

Aurora - she's just so little, is the thing. her fingers are short and skinny and her forearms get sore quick. besides, she prefers to receive than give anyway. the less work she has to do, the better. at least until she's cum a couple times, then she's a bit more willing to give it a go. still, though, she'd rather use other parts of her body to bring pleasure.

#miasma's work #the band ghost headcanons #nameless ghoul headcanons #dewdrop ghoul #aether ghoul #aeon ghoul #phantom ghoul #swiss ghoul #rain ghoul #mountain ghoul #cumulus ghoulette #cirrus ghoulette #sunshine ghoulette #aurora ghoulette

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justanotherhh · 2 months

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fuckit hypersexual asexual Angel Dust let's go

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust discovering that he's never connected the desire to have sex with specific sexual attraction to an individual person

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who's always known he had a preference for men, but hasn't realised that this preference is related to wanting romance and a relationship, and is disconnected from any sexual attraction he (doesn't) feel

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who realises he hasn't slept with a man he's been sexually attracted to... ever, and having to re-evaluate how he relates to his own body and to sex, and to other peoples' bodies

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who sees a connection between himself and Alastor that is -- wanting sex with no one and wanting sex with everyone can carry similar connotations of specific (lack of) attraction

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who forms a strange kind of bond with Alastor, because of how Alastor is able to set up boundaries and because he has his own fraught relationships with men

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who still has sex, because sex in and of itself was never the problem for him, but it's harder to manage the dissociation he's come to associate with sex

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust where potentially a part of his asexuality is specifically related to trauma

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who figured casual sex is fine, and getting paid for casual sex is fine, because he's good at this, and hey, if it's done right then it also feels good

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who's become more and more disconnected from what he does want, and from it having to feel good, because of the way the sex has crossed from being something he could control into what it's become with Valentino

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who likes sex for the physicality of it, but (re)-learning what sort of intimacy he also wants once he reconnects with his own body (and potentially that intimacy needs to be apart from sex, maybe just for awhile, maybe forever)

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who likes to be good for others and likes to be praised and likes to feel like he's done well, and that being manipulated by Valentino into consistently crossing more boundaries, and how to potentially explore that through kink that isn't necessarily sex-as-end-goal

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who's surprisingly naive about relationships and has had his desire to be wanted by someone easily twisted, and so needs to learn (maybe for the first time) what he wants out of a real relationship

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who's gotten used to thinking that being considered desirable is the same (or close enough) to being loved the way he actually wants

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who wants affection and who wants sex and is used to taking what he can get within those two spaces

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust still being sexually promiscuous after getting into a decent relationship, because he enjoys sex, but it's not the thing that draws him to his romantic partner (although they possibly also have sex, but also maybe not)

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust who may never untangle all the parts of his relationship to sex that are related to want, to attraction, to trauma, to simply performing the role expected of him, but who finds comfort in the idea that there is a solid boundary created by the word asexual that he can feel safe behind

Hypersexual asexual Angel Dust and Alastor friendship, where Alastor uses his tentacles to tear apart some guy that's bothering Angel, Angel shoots some guy that's bothering Alastor and it really brings them closer -- ace4ace solidarity

(Angel vs Vox, Alastor vs Valentino twist)

#angel dust #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel meta #alastor #aroace alastor #ace angel #my meta

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fuxuannie · 11 months

Note

cure my sadness from ur fic with miles morales x filo reader, make it happy this time:(

↳ pairing : miles morales x (filo) g-neutral reader

↳ synopsis : the universe where it worked out.

↳ authors note : I made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement, and I don’t expect to be forgiven. I’m simply here to apologize. (/j) HI EVERYONE!! the life you all deserved to have in that one filo miles fic :)

"Gago! Wag mo ako i-kiss!" You say inbetween laughs, trying to push Miles away as his lips are coated with chocolate all while he laughs at your misery.

Today was a really special day for the both of you, specifically marking the second year of you two dating and you couldn't have been happier. Miles was an amazing boyfriend, and within those two years you both learned a lot about each other. He was able to reveal his identity to you, (which of course caused a lot of worry and problems, however easily solved within a lot of talking and conversations) his past adventures and much more.

And although your life isn't as daring as his, it's always fun to be able to hangout with your boyfriend and have him learn a little bit of your language so you two could communicate better.

You even got to meet Gwen, and was able to know the history between Miles and her from the past. Though with reassurance from her that she's long moved on from him, and so has he with her.

Now you're both here in your apartment, trying to bake a cake for your anniversary when someone gets distracted."

"What? My love doesn't want to kiss me?" He'll tease, finally getting a kiss onto your cheek as you let out an exaggerated gasp. "Hmph. Sorry na ganito talaga nadiscover mo yung truth." You play along, wiping off the chocolate as Miles goes quiet.

"Wait, I was kidding-" You stammered, your hands immediately leaving his chest. But it's far too late when you see the smirk on his face, you don't even realize how you've fallen into a trap until a hand grabs your wrists and holds them together.

"Wait..!-"

You can't even get another word out until you feel the familiar sensation of kisses all over your face, "Miles!" You exclaimed, but your pleas go into deaf ears as he continues to kiss you with giggles drowning out your voice.

After a few seconds of just kissing, he finally pulls away and he has the most cocky and proud smirk he's ever worn on that pretty face of his.

"You happy?" You pout, trying to hide your own amusement as it's easy for him to to see right through you. "Very."

"Now can we start to actually bake?"

Miles chuckles while nodding, letting go of you as he had to grab a bag of flour and you had to wipe off the chocolate on your face.

You don't even take your eyes off him for a minute when you hear something tear and an 'Oops' from Miles.

While turning around you're greeted with the sight of flour on the counter, on his feet and all over his face. You're about to laugh until you hear; "Don't. Not. A. Word."

That alone makes you burst into laughter, pointing at his flour filled apron as you're well aware he has to clean up the mess.

"You know what- come here!"

"Noooo! Don't hug me when you're literally a mess! Take a shower!"

You'd never imagine a life without Miles in it, he brings so much light in your days and there seems to be nothing in this world that could tear you two apart.

And against your better judgement, you pause and turn to see how far he was from you.

He's already caught up, arms wide open to grab you into his (flour filled and) loving embrace.

"I love youu~"

And despite the two messes he's managed to make of you, you softly reply;

"I love you too."

#˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ bailu's candy stash #miles morales imagines #miles morales x you #miles x reader #miles morales x reader #spiderverse x reader #atsv imagines #atsv x reader #spiderman x reader

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bluegalaxygirl · 6 months

Note

Hello. Could you do a zosan hc where the reader has fear of abandonment and therefore avoids all and any forms of intimacy? Thanks in advance

This may not be exactly what you wanted but i hope you like it and i deiced to make it a story instead of a headcannon. I also just want to let everyone know that all the series that i'm doing will be on hiatus until i can get round to doing them, theres a lot going on this week alone (Two funerals and a hospital appointment) so i haven't been able to do too much. I'll still do requests though. Thank you all for the love and support <3

Zoro X Sanji X Reader, non-established relationship, reader is GN, Poly relationship

Warning: Abusive past, angst and Bad language.

Everyone leaves eventually, its only a matter of time. It doesn't matter if they promise forever or say how much they love you, it won't last, they'll either get board or tired of you. That's how its always been, it started with your mother, after she had you she decided to do something else, so she left, One by one your siblings left too never looking back, they said they where sorry but that doesn't make up for them leaving you alone. Some went on to collage and others just left because of Dad's anger problems, you understood why he was upset, you were upset too. Even though your farther was an angry man and sometimes took that anger out on you, you clung to him since he was the only person left in your life but everyone leaves and soon he did too. You worked hard and made friend's but the small town you lived in didn't create enough opportunists, so they left too, they said they would write but soon the letters faded away. You didn't mean to Join the straw hats, it just happened, Luffy saw the way you kicked out a bunch of men from the shop you were working at and asked you to join his crew. You said no, the fear of being abandoned again stopped you form doing a lot of things, you stopped making friend's and focused on your job. The pirate captain was head strong though and most of his crew seemed happy to have you, something about them and their stories made you agree.

It took a lot of getting used too and it took you a while to open up and trust again, it even led to you falling in love with two of the crew, Zoro and Sanji were your close friends and even though they argued and fought each other you knew they liked each other's company. There where a few times when you wanted to confess only for something to get in the way or the fear of abandonment hitting you hard. When the two boys got together you were so happy for them but a part of you broke, knowing the two people who you loved more than anything would never be yours was hurting but you still couldn't help but be around them. You couldn't help but think back to your farther and how this feels so much like the old days. When Zoro and Sanji told you how they both felt about you it brought you so much joy and yet the only word that left your mouth was "No", the fear of abandonment taking over again, you loved them with all of your heart but you were so scared of them leaving you, having friend's leave you was hard but having those you love more than anything would tear you apart. They respected what you said and you three stayed friend's but as the fear got worse you started to withdraw slowly, hoping to distance yourself from the crew.

You couldn't help yourself, sitting in the closet on the floor all you could do was cry, your heart and lungs hurt feeling like you couldn't breathe. Only one thought ran through your head, maybe you should leave before they abandon you. The door to the closet opens while you try to stifle your panting and little groans of pain as Nami steps in looking you over with wide concerned eyes "Oh Y/N, I heard you crying from down the hall.. What's wrong?" The navigator rushes over to kneel in front of your placing her hands on your red tear stained cheeks, you try your best to explain between gasps for breath and sniffs. How the people around you leave, how you love Zoro and Sanji so much that it hurts, you want to be with them but you can't help but think about them leaving you. "I'm just gonna go" You finally finished now looking up at Nami who's crying slightly with a shocked face "w-what? N-no you can't leave us" The navigator speaks pulling you into a hug which you stiffen at "I know its hard, things haven't been easy lately, but we'll never leave you, not willingly" Pulling away the navigator panics seeing your expressionless face "Everyone leaves in the end. Some by chose and some are forced" The words you speak break her heart so in a last ditch effort she makes you an offer "Give me a week, I'll prove to you that we won't leave you and if your still not convinced then... I'll give you 10,000 for a boat and stop Luffy from going after you" The offer was too good to pass up, you knew if you left Luffy would be mad, you didn't care too much about the money though.

After agreeing Nami set to work, she tried everything she could think of but after 5 days your mind still wasn't changed, so she went to Sanji and Zoro and told them everything. The two were thrilled that you felt the same but heart broken over your reasons for not confessing and wanting to leave, Nami kept all of this hidden very well so Luffy didn't catch wind of it, but she couldn't do it alone anymore. The two agreed to help and the perfect opportunity came that afternoon when they stopped off on and island full of trees and waterfalls, there wasn't a village, and they knew you would get off the ship to do some foraging. Stepping off the ship with your basket in hand you scanned the beach before looking into the tree line spotting a natural path that would be good to follow "Y/N, wait up" Sanji yells with a smile running off the ship and dragging Zoro along "We'll come with you" The cook stops next to you holding into Zoro's belt "It's ok, i'm fine on my own" You sigh starting to walk only for the two to follow "it's been ages since we've all spent time together.. Come on" Zoro pats your back hearing you groan but give in walking down the path into the forest with the two behind you. They tried to make conversation with you but you'd only give them one word answers or a hum in response while picking berries and herbs that you knew were ok. "What's been eating at you lately?" The swordsman snaps earning a glare from Sanji not wanting to say anything outright in case you shut down completely, they only had two more days to convince you to stay.

Stopping in your tracks you look over at the river next to you bending down to pick some herbs and put them in the basket "tired" You lie standing back up and grabbing your basket "Bull" Zoro growls, his tone of voice made you stop and turn to look at the two "Nami told you i'm leaving, didn't she?" You ask realizing what's going on, it didn't exactly surprise you that she would get the two involved to stop you from leaving but it somehow warmed your heart knowing she cared. Sanji sighs and nods his head letting go of Zoro to walk closer to you "She told us more than that" The cook place a hand on your cheek, it was warm and soft and you so desperately wanted to lean into it but you couldn't instead you took his hand off your cheek and placed it back at his side "What i said was part of mental breakdown." You try to lie your way out of this not wanting them to say they love you or beg you to stay but a part of you did want that "So your not gonna leave?" Zoro asks stepping closer crossing his arms over his chest. "That parts still true" you state turning and walking down the path heading to the waterfall to see what's there. "We know your lying" Zoro yells after you as Sanji grabs the swordsman's hand following you down the path but you don't answer just trying to ignore them for as long as you can. Stopping by the edge of the river near the waterfall you bend down to pick up more berries and place them in your basket.

Soon catching up with you the two try their best to convince you to say "I heard it all before" You state trying to focus on what to pick form bushes and flowers before standing back up "We love you Y/n, and we know you love us back, please just give us a chance even if-" Sanji begs only for you to cut him off by turning to face him, your face now very close to the cooks, your eyes lock with his as you speak "That has nothing to do with this" Your heart aches at hearing those words, its something you didn't hear too often growing up and hearing it come form someone you truly love makes you feel right but again that fear is back and you have to make it stop. "So you do love us" Zoro states with a smile placing his hand on your cheek finally getting a break through, your eyes widen in realization as Sanji smiles taking your hand in his "Please, don't leave us. I-I will do what ever it takes to convince you to stay. I-i promise i won't leave you" You had hope as Sanji spoke until he said those last words making you push the two away and stepping back "Promises don't mean anything... everyone leaves, I won't be abandoned again" You keep stepping back until you feel comfortable with the distance between you and them, Zoro sighs pinching the bride of his nose "So, what? You gonna spend the rest of your life alone? You think thats better than actually being with people who care?" The swordsman steps closer making you step back a little only stopping when you reach the edge of the river.

Sanji walks closer grabbing Zoro's arm trying to calm the green haired down "I know you care... i not say you don't but it doesn't matter" You're trying to get them to understand maybe then things will be easier, looking at the two you sigh with a heavy feeling in your chest "It doesn't matter if you love someone with all of your heart, it doesn't matter if you do everything you can to please them or make them like you. They'll just leave when they feel like it, they'll leave and never look back, even if they promised you a thousand times" You tear up but try and stop them from falling, your kind and giving, you have so much love to give so why does everyone leave? Your thoughts are interrupted by strong arms around you, the two boys pulling you into a hug your head in between there's as they hold you. "We won't promise then" Zoro rubs your back to try and comfort you "We're never going to leave you and i know the crew will feel the same" Sanji looks over at Zoro with his head on your shoulder both giving each other a nod, pulling away Zoro cups your face forcing you to look up at him as Sanji holds your hands in his holding them close to his chest "We're telling you... We won't ever leave you." The swordsman's eye shows he telling the truth and it feels like a weight has been listed off your shoulders, for once you actually believe someone when they tell you that.

Sanji brings your hands to his lips giving your knuckles a kiss "Please love... we want you around even if we just stay friends" The cook breaks the long silence, you had no idea what to say or do but the word friend's made your chest hurt, you really do love them but you know it will take time for your mind and body to fully except it "I- i, I'll stay" You manage to get out soon seeing the big bright smile on Sanji's face before he pulls you in for a tight hug, you can feel him relax in your arms as your wrap them around him. Zoro lets out a sigh of relief before placing his forehead against yours while wrapping his arms around you and Sanji to keep you three close. The three of you stayed there for a while enjoying the feeling and silence other than flowing water around you, until the swordsman places a kiss on your forehead, you don't know why but you craved more. Physical affection isn't always something you let happen, over the years you've become used to hugs but kisses were very different. Looking up at the green haired man your eyes begged for more, it felt nice and you wanted more even though before you couldn't stand stuff like that, Zoro seemed to get the message though placing another kiss on your forehead but letting it last a lot longer. You closed your eyes and leaned into it your chest starting to hurt less as your body relaxes. Sanji pulls back a little while rubbing your back seeing your relaxed figure lean into the swordsman, it made the cook smile leaning over and placing a kiss on your cheek.

You stiffened a little at his touch but soon relaxed when the cook did it again and again. Zoro removes his lips and hands from you watching you lean into Sanji a little more "Feel better?" Zoro asks getting you to open your eyes and look at him, the cook pulls away moving some hair out of your face with a small smile as you nod "I'm still scared you'll leave me but... i believe you" You wipe your cheeks and eyes taking a deep breath to calm yourself down "Come on lets head back, I'll make some tea" Sanji takes the basket off you and puts an arm around your shoulders as the three of you walk back down the path. You reach out and grab Zoro's sleeve pulling him along, the swordsman lets out a small laugh before taking your hand and holding it "We don't know much about what's going through your head so i was thinking you could tell us" Zoro squeezes your hand a little as you look up at him "It'll help us understand" Sanji speaks up rubbing your shoulder but you only shrug not sure what telling them will accomplish but maybe getting it off your chest will help.

Back on the ship you sat with Zoro, Sanji and Nami in the aquarium bar, the relief on Nami's face when you told her you would stay shocked you. The navigator hugged you tighter than ever before and you froze not knowing what to do, it also didn't help when she refused to let go of you when you sat down, she clung to your arm sitting next to you. With some encouragement you told the three what your life was like and what's going through your head, most of it was just you rambling but the three listened to you and Nami started to loosen her grip to help you feel less uncomfortable. "I understand why you feel that way now" Nami looks down at her drink, she knows what its like to be alone but it was her chose to do that, she had to, to protect her family and love ones but you. You were just straight up abandoned "Your right, promises don't mean shit, especially when you have shit family" Zoro growls hating how the people around you at such a young age had no care for you, Sanji sighs and rubs the swordsman's arm while leaning close to him "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but we won't leave you none of us will." You smile at the cooks words feeling more confident that they mean it. "I'm guessing the whole confessing thing is what made things worse, right?" Zoro asks calming down a little now feeling more concerned than angry, you nod and look down at your hands "It's not your fault, i'm just not used to all this. I can deal with the hugs and stuff but... getting too close means that when they do leave it hurts more" You sigh feeling Nami rub your arm before standing.

The navigator looks you over before placing a hand on your shoulder "I'm happy to help in any way i can but i think this is a conversation for the three of you" Nami looks over at the two boys then back to you giving you a small smile before leaving. You knew she was right, maybe you should have been open about it form the start but you had no idea how they would react. Sanji and Zoro move to sit next to you the swordsman placing his arm over the back of the booth behind you while Sanji leaned into the green haired man "You don't have to do anything you don't want too but if you'll let us, I'd like to show you what love actually is" The blonde gives you a light smile, his eyes kind as he reaches a hand over and holds it out to you hoping you'll take it. Looking down at his hand you don't know what to do, the fear is still there but the kindness and love they are showing you is starting to force that fear away "You won't be mad if i don't want something?" You ask looking at the two who nod "Of course not, we'll take it slow and in the end if you don't want us three to be together then, we'll still be friends" Zoro's small smile makes you smile back reaching over and placing your hand in Sanji's.

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korkorali · 8 months

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Oooooohhhh are we talking about Bradford telling Della about the Spear of Selene? I think we're talking about Bradford telling Della about the Spear of Selene!

Okay okay this is something I have Ideas™️about- specifically why he told her, and why she believed him.

The answer (as I have so humbly decided is obviously the abject truth) is the same for both: Because he'd been manipulating her for years.

He was trying to be the Emperor Palpatine to her Anakin Skywalker.

Why? Simple: The Papyrus of Truth.

Think about it- it doesn't make sense to immediately go 'oh, only Scrooge McDuck's heir can find the Papyrus? Welp, time to steal some of his DNA and make a kid!' That's supervillain territory, and Bradford isn't a supervillain! (He's just a bit of a scumbag, but that's not a supervillain so it's obviously fine.)

So picture this: he finds out about the wish Scrooge made on the Papyrus, that only his heir could find it, and his thought patterns line up with Scrooge's:

He thinks "Alright, then it has to be one of those rugrats."

The question is, which one? Della, or Donald?

And honestly, when they're both kids- it's not really that much of a question, is it?

Is it Donald, the angry coward who loves to hole up in his room and write songs about eating the rich and basically doing everything that Scrooge hates?

Or is it Della, the adventurous and energetic ball of high-octane excitement and adrenaline, unable to sit still for a single moment, who acts like Scrooge McDuck, who likes all the same things as Scrooge McDuck, who is pretty much every single thing that Bradford Buzzard hates about Scrooge McDuck, all rolled up into a bratty child?

(Nevermind the fact that she isn't actually like that, not entirely. Nevermind the fact that she's doing all that because she feels she has to be useful, to be likeable, and that means mirroring Scrooge McDuck because if he likes himself so much then he must like seeing himself in her.)

Obviously it's Della. It has to be.

Which means, in order for him to get the Papyrus, he needed to get his claws into Della.

Which shouldn't have been hard- you can't tell me that Scrooge wouldn't do the same thing with Donald and Della that he did with Louie. He'd take them to the Money Bin (after all, it's like a second home for him), then head into his office and tell them not to disturb him.

And that'd leave Della in the perfect position for Bradford to begin to wheedle his ways past her defenses.

(Of course, multiple problems arise, not the least of which is she's a child and Bradford undoubtedly hates children. But moreso it's that she's genre-savvy, and also (and we love her for it, but) kind of dumb. It's a very frustrating mix that leads to her very nearly calling him out on what he's doing a lot.

But also, despite all that- she's still a kid.

And despite how much she thinks she knows, he's still better.)

It'd take a while, and I don't think he ever really manages it, but he still gets her to trust him.

Eventually, of course, he learns that Della isn't the 'heir of Scrooge McDuck.'

(Not sure how this happens, but it obviously does- I'm sure that lots of the Adventure Trio's adventures in the earlier days were spent searching for that missing Papyrus, but for some reason they stopped. The whole thing threatened to tear Donald and Della apart, or something.)

And that makes all the work he spent on her useless. All the time spent manipulating her, and trying (and -mostly- failing) to get her to be something he wanted, to push her to break up her family, all for naught.

Or- maybe not.

Because Scrooge keeps a secret. He makes her a spaceship. An untested, unreliable, terrible spaceship that literally runs on money.

It's horrible.

It's a waste.

It's perfect.

All the work doesn't have to be for naught. All Bradford has to do is let Della come to him one day, when she's at the Money Bin (probably because she and Donald and Scrooge were going shopping for baby toys, and she kept trying to get these really dangerous and deadly-looking ones, and ultimately got sent to the Money Bin as a bit of a 'time out'), let her rant and burn herself out to him about how frustrating Donald and Scrooge are being, how unfair they are (how scared she is, how much she just wishes they'd let her actually handle some stuff, how bad they make her feel for still wanting to adventure at a time like this, how much it feels like all either of them care about anymore are the kids and not her), how much it blows to be stuck like this.

And all Bradford has to do is offer up some half-hearted consolement, assure her that (while Donald is definitely being too overprotective) that of course Scrooge still cares about her, is still thinking about her, is still thinking about her, after all he's making her the-

And then cut himself off, like he said too much. That's aaaaallll that's needed to peak Della's interest, after all. And as soon as that's peaked- it's over.

All he has to do is hem and haw back and forth, say 'oh but he made me promise never to say anything' and 'I could get in trouble' and so on and so forth. Make it seem like he didn't want to say anything. Make Della feel like she earned the information, that he didn't plan this from the start.

And when she finally gets the information about the Spear out of him, and her eyes light up like stars and she darts off to go see if he was telling the truth, he can be confident that she'll never remember that he was the one who told her about it. All she'd be able to think about is 'I figured it out.' Because she had, after all. She'd figured it out, all her, he definitely hadn't pointed her in that direction at all.

He got to get rid of a liability and break the family, all in one fell swoop.

#ducktales #dt17 #della duck #bradford buzzard #honestly I hem and haw over the idea that like #he sabotaged the spear #planting a bomb in it or something #or more specifically having black heron plant said bomb #so he can still pretend to himself that he's not evil #but the storm came out of nowhere and stopped the sabotage from actually working #from killing her #just because I like the idea of the storm that took della away from her family #also potentially saving her life #and her hating it for that

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khayalli · 19 days

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The gentle rap-tap-tap on the window startles you from the late night daze you'd been in. Blinking, rubbing your eye's, you try to clear the fog and blue light you're still lost in as you look up from the computer, having not realised just how much the dark has now enveloped your room save for the light from your computer.

"Donnie?" you ask.

He's standing outside the window, wearing only his purple hoodie. Immediately concerned by how little he's wearing and how freezing cokd it is tonight, you hurry kver from your computer to open the window. You shudder as the brittle cold sweeps in like an old friend. But then again, so does Donnie.

Pulling you into the thick of his hoodie, your face is pressed firm into the thread where the ice has settled deep deep into the cotton, like tiny frost particles, so small that your naked eye cannot see them, but so real that they summon goosbumps as they bite and melt against your skin.

"Mm, you're warm," he murmurs. His voice is low in his chest as it rumbles, like a campfire burning late before it slowly dies, snuffed out by the cool dead of the night.

"And you're freezing," you say, swiftly pushing him back to get a better look at his face.

His eyes are heavy with the weight of something he's spent far too long mulling over in a jail of his own making. A cell of himself. He does this sometimes. Forget's that he has people he can go to, people he can depend on who can help solve his problems with him instead of ruminating through the data all on his own and yet still somehow managing to come to the wrong conclusion.

The 'logical' conclusion, in his words.

"Donnie, what's wrong?" you ask. You frown at the feeling of his cold hands as they interlock with your own. You were already think about how cold it was, here in the apartment, and yet, by comparison, you're as warm as a flue.

"It happened again," he says, voice going croaky as it crumbles like chalk. His lips curve downwards and his eyes become wet with the memory of something he's already had to live over and over and over again. A reoccuring nightmare, one of a world where there's only pain and never joy; only darkness but never light; only him, and not...

"...Would you like to try and sleep here tonight?" you ask softly, seeing him slowly come back from reliving that pain somewhere deep deep behind those dark and beautiful eyes of his.

He nods, quiet and slow as he blinks back the tears and tries to maintain that cool composure he likes to wear like a shield. You wonder if he knows you've already worked out just how soft that shield really is.

"Let's get you out of this," you say, pulling his hoodie up over his head. "And into a warm bed."

Taking his hand, you toss the cold garment over onto the chair where you’d been sitting and working late, and guide Donnie towards the bed. You pull back the covers to crawl in first, and Donnie is quick to follow. He snuggles into the space between your legs as he rests his head on your chest and wraps his arms around your waist to breathe you in and feel you close.

"You're like a hot water bottle," he mumbles against your pajamas.

You consider making a joke about how cold he is, but seeing the way his eyes fall closed as he let's himself relax against you, you resort to drawing lines over the back of his soft shell instead. You feel him tense, feel him squeeze you a little tighter, and then he chokes.

"...I couldn't save him—"

"Hey, hey, hey," you coo as you wrap your hands around his head. You run your thumb against rhe underside of his cheek to try and soothe him as he shakes. "You did, though. You did save Leo. Remember? Mikey got him out!"

"But he's not the same." He trembles like a leaf lost in a tempest in your arms. "He can't sleep. He just... disappears sometimes and doesn't tell me where or why he goes. Sometimes he gets this look in his eyes like he’s not even here anymore, like he's... he's..."

"...Like he’s still trapped in that dimension?"

He sniffles. "...Yeah..."

"Donnie," you say, wiping away a stray tear as it rolls over the fabric of his mask. "Your brothers are here. All of them. I'm sure you went and checked on them before you came to me, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Leo... he might not be the same Leo as before. He just needs more time. To heal."

He looks up at you with eyes like that of a dog that looks to the moon. Loyal, loving, and hanging on every word.

"He'll come back to you. He will. You don't have to do it alone. You have your brothers. And you have me. We can help him together."

#OH MY GOD??????#well now i need to draw devastated donnie #or leo #HMMMMMMMMMMMMM #hmmmmmmmmmm hurt comfort hmmmmmmm #fic recs #faves #THANK YOU ALSO?!!?!?#my initial reactions were wondering if you got lost but im taking my wins where i get them #MINE NOW BAYBEEE

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c-nstantine · 2 years

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Can I request the Bruce’s reaction to black batmom struggling with her hair upset about how her braids came out and told Bruce out of frustration “but I don’t wanna be black,I wanna be white/Latina” then leaves the house for a couple hours knowing batlids heard it from outside hers and Bruce’s room? And this shocks them because batmom is so confident?

Also I love your work!

@chassidychanel Thank you so much for requesting this. I really enjoyed writing it!

Word Count:0.6k

"I think you look great, sweetheart," Bruce said trying to reassure his wife. He had rarely seen her so distraught over her looks.

"Oh. 'Cause my parts are crooked, I'm running out of hair, the edge control is turning white, and my arms burn," Y/N practically whined. She was trying to do her own hair which normally didn't have these problems.

"This is all fixable," Bruce said placing a hand on her shoulder. Y/N cut her eye to him and he retracted his hand.

"Not by the Gala tonight. My hair can't look like this," Y/N said gesturing to herself in the mirror. Her eyes were turning puffy out of frustration and she was pretty sure there were at least three stress pimples on her forehead.

"I'm sure it's going to turn out great," Bruce said as stood next to his wife in their shared bathroom. There were various strands of braiding hair, at least three different types of gel, and four different rattail combs laid on top of their counter space. Bruce would offer to help but he didn't know the first thing about doing her hair. That he didn't try to learn while they were dating or even after they were married, he was just so heavy-handed that Y/N refused to let him help.

"Bruce, you don't get it. If I look bad, those rich white people will use it as an excuse to say 'Look at the ghetto black girl Bruce married,' or 'He could've gotten someone better' and maybe they're right," Y/N's voice was choked back a little by tears.

"What are you talking about?" Bruce noticed how distressed his wife was.

"I wouldn't have to go through this if I was white. You wouldn't have the validity of our marriage questioned every time we go out together. I wouldn't have to worry about being seen as inferior because of the hair that grows out of my head." Y/N cried into Bruce's shoulder. She was fairly sure there was a good bit of snot on his Yves Saint Laurent suit jacket.

"It's going to be okay, baby," He said as he rubbed her back in small and soothing circles.

"And that's what I heard mom say to Bruce," Dick said to his siblings that he rounded up.

"Really? That doesn't sound like her," Tim was concerned for his adoptive mother. She was the one who always made him feel confident in any decision that he made. So to see her so distraught felt wrong.

"I mean it kinda makes sense. Think about it, Mama Wayne has had to deal with years of shit just because she's married Bruce and that's outside of the Batman stuff," Duke realized. He even noticed the various magazines that would attempt to tear Y/N apart.

"So, how do we help her?" Cass asked looking between her older brothers. Y/N was the last person who deserved to feel this way in Cass's opinion.

"I have an idea," Jason smirked.

- "Ma, we cleared your schedule," Jason said as he opened the library's door. Y/N was reading one of her favorite novels and looked at her son with confusion.

"What are talking about?" Y/N asked as she noticed all of her kids filing into the library. Lastly, Alfred and Bruce came in with a projector and a cart full of snacks.

"We're gonna have a movie night," Damian said as he claimed his spot next to Y/N. He practically kicked Bruce out of the way but felt no shame nor regret about it.

"Thank you, kiddos," Y/N's eyes brimmed with tears of joy. She kissed the head of each of her children.

#bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x black!reader #bruce wayne x black reader #x black reader #black!reader #x black!reader #bruce wayne #black!batmom #batmom #batfam #bruce wayne x black!batmom #c-nstantine

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suzannahnatters · 1 year

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Trope Talk #2: Breaking Their Heart To Save Them

OK let's talk about a trope I DON'T like.

As I've started watching a lot more Asian dramas this year, my patience with this trope - already occasionally featured in Western media - has approached rock bottom. You'll know this romance trope when you see it, usually around the start of the third act. The main couple will have overcome every obstacle - but suddenly everything will be too much. Some external factor is forcing them apart, and this time one of them becomes convinced the two of them should break up. But how to convince the other party of this?

Easy! Tell them a bunch of lies. Pretend you never even loved them in the first place. Break their heart because it's the best way to save them. Satine does it to Christian in MOULIN ROUGE. Both leads do it in LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL. Gorya does it to Thyme in F4 THAILAND. (That last one very nearly got me to ragequit with just two episodes left to go.)

So, let's discuss why this trope doesn't work for me, as well as some ways it might be justified, subverted, or deconstructed.

I think the main reason the trope doesn't work for me is that most of the time it feels quite cruel, especially when it acts as the third act breakup. Breaking someone's heart to save them is supposed to occur as a gesture of love and care for another person, but it's pretty messed-up to deliberately wound someone, someone you claim to care for. Let's look at two examples that didn't work for me.

CRASH LANDING ON YOU has a male lead who is always scolding the heroine for her decisions, especially when those decisions lead her to sacrifice herself for him. When she wakes up in hospital after taking a bullet for him, instead of saying thank you like a normal person, he scolds her to the point of tears. Because he's constantly treating her like a child and making decisions on her behalf, it makes perfect sense when he decides to break up with her by telling her he never loved her. The characterisation is consistent and believable; the problem is that this sort of character is a huge red flag, and the show never stops depicting the hero's paternalistic behaviour as a totally normal and romantic thing, actually! This is a great example for what this trope represents even at its most internally consistent - a character making a huge decision without their partner's input, taking away the say that should rightfully be theirs, and never being called to account for it.

Take F4: THAILAND as an example of this trope that doesn't make ANY sense at all. Our two leads kept me fully charmed throughout most of the show, but it all fell apart for me in the final three episodes. Gorya is a wonderful female lead whose strong sense of self-respect, dignity, and tenacity has driven her to challenge Thyme's bullying and inspire him to become a better person. These traits have empowered her to defy his mother's systematic destruction of her family's finances and those of everyone she loves. When Thyme's mother offers Gorya money to break up with Thyme, she scorns the offer. However, when Thyme's mother tells him that she is dying and that she needs to use what little time she has left to consolidate Thyme's leadership of the family empire, Gorya chooses to break Thyme's heart to ensure that he can become CEO after his mother's death. This is pitched as worthwhile because of the good things Thyme could do as a powerful capitalist who puts people, not money, first. Gorya knows that after everything she and Thyme have been through, he's absolutely devoted to her, and that hurting him badly enough to part the two of them will involve returning him to the old, villainous, bullying Thyme. Thyme's mother even encourages her to do just that - because it's only the villainous Thyme who CAN consolidate his control of the family empire. It made no sense to me that Gorya would fall in with this program. Why would this person hurt someone she loves, bringing back the villain she reformed, so that he can keep control of the riches she spurned? I didn't believe it for a moment. It felt like gratuitous cruelty, totally out of character, and militated against the story's themes.

I always find myself asking the same questions when I see this trope: why couldn't the characters have an honest conversation about this? Why couldn't they face this challenge together? Why wouldn't they do literally everything within their power to avoid systematically destroying their loved one's self esteem? Taking a relationship out the back and shooting it just seems like an incredibly disproportionate response to 99% of the scenarios that give rise to this trope.

Still, like all tropes that are used poorly, this one can be deconstructed, played with, or even justified. Let's look at some examples of this trope that work a little better than most.

Look for ways to soften the trope

The more love and trust there is between the characters, the less credible it is that one of them would choose to withold information from the other, lie to them, and break their heart. In the YA space opera romance THESE BROKEN STARS, at their very first interaction the female lead mocks and antagonises the male lead specifically because young men who show romantic interest in her tend to meet with unfortunate "accidents" and she wants to spare him that fate. Since the two of them are strangers, there's less trust to be broken, and by the same token, it takes the female lead less effort (and cruelty) to destroy his interest in her.

Similarly, think about the somewhat similar situation in PRIDE & PREJUDICE where a third party, Mr Darcy, breaks up Mr Bingley and Jane Bennet because he thinks it would be better for Bingley not to ally himself with the embarrassing Bennet family. This is not an example of this trope, but it's a very similar one - two people in love are cruelly broken up because somebody decided they knew best. While Elizabeth at first believes Mr Darcy's actions to be unforgiveable, she quickly learns of an extenuating circumstance: Mr Darcy had no idea that Jane was seriously attached to Mr Bingley and would not have done what he did if he had known.

2. Make sure there are realistic consequences

I don't think it's IMPOSSIBLE for a couple to end up together after a use of this trope, but as in PRIDE & PREJUDICE, in addition to extenuating circumstances, there would ideally be a whole character arc in which the person at fault proves that they are going to stop trying to make decisions for their partner.

I also loved the deconstruction of the trope in ANOTHER MISS OH. In this show the heroine's fiancé, facing financial ruin and prison, tells her just days before their wedding that he doesn't love her anymore and is disgusted by the way she eats. When he gets out of prison early, he's extremely miffed to find that his ex is now dating the very bloke responsible for him being in jail in the first place. He tells the female lead that he just wanted to spare her the pain and disgrace of his prison sentence, and she very properly calls him out on it. He intentionally humiliated her and left her with lasting wounds and insecurities, and although her new boyfriend isn't perfect either, at least he never did THAT to her.

Although this is a deconstruction I think we can still learn from it. After all, this trope is always depicted as a mistake on somebody's part; the important thing is to make the consequences believable.

3. Make sure it's believable for the characters to act in this way

When this trope is played straight, as a major third act breakup between avowed lovers, I almost never find it truly believable. But the story that comes closest is MOULIN ROUGE. Our heroine Satine has always seen herself as the older, worldly wise, cynical one in the relationship. She doesn't believe in the power of love the way her love interest, Christian, does. And she's spent her whole life prioritising money and survival. So, when Satine finds out that her would-be lover, a powerful duke, wants Christian dead, it's credible that THIS sort of person would decide to break up with Christian and tell him she's choosing the Duke and financial security over love.

There are also additional reasons why this works, and all of them are deeply rooted in characterisation.

For one thing, this isn't Satine's first choice. She originally plans to run away with Christian. It's only once she learns that she's dying of consumption that she decides to break up with him instead. We SEE that Satine would rather fight for her love - and we understand why she comes to despair of it.

For another, staying true to Christian won't save him heartbreak because he's going to lose her anyway. On the other hand, if she breaks Christian's heart, she will save him from the Duke and also give the Moulin Rouge's prostitutes a chance at becoming actresses and real artists. We can understand that the price of putting love first is so high, with such little return, that Satine would choose to act this way.

Finally, because Satine's character has already been established as so mercenary, she doesn't actually NEED to work hard to convince Christian that she has chosen the Duke. In fact, one of the things that sets MOULIN ROUGE apart from other examples of this trope is that, from memory, Satine doesn't even lie to Christian. She doesn't try to convince him that their love has been a complete sham - she just informs him that she's decided to give the Duke what he wants. Christian believes it because it's exactly the sort of thing the Satine he first met would have done.

Compare this to the example in F4: THAILAND. In that show, breaking up with Thyme doesn't fit with Gorya's character. She doesn't try to find any alternatives. Thyme finds it so hard to believe her when she says she wants to break up with him, that she has to seriously hurt him in order to make him believe it. And as a member of the audience I wanted to know why exactly it would be so terrible - in a show that is explicitly about the evils of wealth - for Thyme to abandon his family empire.

4. Connect it directly with the themes

The cdrama LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL contains a rendition of this trope that actually works WITH, rather than against, the themes of the story. LBFAD avoids the often sexist and paternalistic overtones of this trope by having both leads at different times break each other's hearts to save them. Best of all, it uses the trope as an expression of the main thematic conflict of the story. This campy fantasy romance dares to ask whether the greater good is more important than personal love and happiness. When each lead character chooses to break the heart of the other, they do so implicitly because they have bought into the lie that they must set aside personal love for the greater good. Their whole character arc and happy ending hinges upon their ability to see that the only way to sacrifice for the greater good, is to learn love and compassion on a personal level. As such, even though it still stretched credibility that two such devoted leads would treat each other so badly, the story used the trope wisely, not to manufacture melodrama but to discuss its central themes.

5. BONUS: Restore agency to the dumped party One of the annoying things about this trope is specifically that it involves one character choosing to deprive the other of agency in their own romance. So, one of the most fun ways to play this trope is by restoring agency to the dumpee.

This happens in the cdrama TILL THE END OF THE MOON. At first, the way this trope was played in this story really annoyed me. The God of War, Ming Ye, has unexpectedly fallen in love with his at-first unwanted bride, Sang Jiu. Now, however, he's about to go off and fight a battle in which he expects to give his life. Rather than let Sang Jiu know about this, he hands her a bill of divorce and tells her he never had any feelings for her. Sang Jiu has been in love with him from the shell, and this breaks her heart. It seemed completely gratuitous to me - why would Ming Ye divorce someone he's about to widow in any case? If he wants to send her to safety, why can't he just ask her to go home for a visit to her beloved family until the danger blows over? However, I was FASCINATED by Sang Jiu's response to this ultimatum: she puts on her wedding dress, marches into Ming Ye's room, and demands her conjugal rights before she leaves. Although there were definitely things about this scene which I, ah, found problematic and would have done differently, it was a terrific thing to see the female lead seize back agency in this situation. I also appreciated how it foreshadowed later problems in the subplot, in which the male lead's inability to communicate and the female lead's tendency to take things into her own hands dooms them both.

Similarly, in one of my books, a character is forced to break up with another in public, which she does, very coldly. But he takes the first opportunity to get her alone, throw himself at her feet and swear that even if she doesn't want to be his partner anymore, she will still have his undying devotion and lifelong service. It was huge fun to defy the common expectations of the trope in this way!

In summary, I do think that this trope can work, but it does need to be fully supported by the story. It should not be overdone; there must be consequences; it must be in character; there must be high enough stakes to make the pain inflicted seem worthwhile; and it must be in keeping with the themes rather than militating against them.

#trope talk #writing advice #writing #romance tropes #lbfad #tteotm #f4 thailand #love between fairy and devil #till the end of the moon #moulin rouge #pride and prejudice #crash landing on you #cloy #another miss oh

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