#[ I really gotta find my fancy tags again ]

[ancientandforevcr]

@twiicetheheart

DAWSON’S CREEK | Castaways (6.15)

[perpetuallydaydreaming]

you don’t really like me, you just think you do.

when james’ feelings did a 180, you find it hard to take him seriously.

warnings: no warnings, not proof read (bc lazy)

tags: fluff & angst, 5.9k wc, getting together, jamie being the best suitor, charlie (not weasely) is also here

when people asks you how it changed, you always say it was sudden.

suddenly, james was everywhere you look. suddenly, james was tripping and falling over you. suddenly, james fancied you.

as sudden as it was, it didn’t shock you as one would’ve expected. you always knew him to be as inconsistent in his school work, so you figured he would be inconsistent towards his feelings as well. what shocked you though, was that he liked you of all people.

all interactions with james had strictly consisted of school related-topics. you were in different houses and different social circles. so when he pulls you aside one morning in-between classes. you had expected one of two things; showing him how to do a bandaging charm, again or him asking you for a copy of your essays.

and it was to your absolute horror, that he proved how wrong you are.

“i like you and i hope you like me too.”

when people asks james how it changed, he always says it was gradual.

gradually, you became something he had looked forward seeing every morning. gradually, you had become a pivotal part of his day, every interaction cherished and replayed in his mind late at night. gradually, he had started falling for you.

as gradual as it was, it came as a complete shock for him. he had only viewed you as a friend, and even that was pushing it. you two barely talked to each other and when you did, it was always about school. you two were always paired up for some reason, and in his mind it became akin to fate. you started to occupy the large space that was once occupied by his lilypad and now replaced by you, your soft smile and the contradicting cynic replies.

and with fate working beside him to get you two as close as possible, james thought you figured the same. you were always so patient wth him, always ready to help him out. but your kindness sometimes came with snarky responses that he found oh so charming and witty. so when he excused you to talk, he had expected a successful attempt in snagging a date with you. even going as far as preparing a bouquet for you, he arranged himself.

and it was to his absolute horror, that you proved how wrong he is.

“um, no.”

and so became the norm. james had made it his life’s mission to actively pursue you. you gotta admit though, if he wanted something. he really goes all out.

it started with a daily routine with you every morning. james would wake up early and wait for you by the main floor near the grand staircase. his back against the rough stones, arms and ankles crossed, a boyish smile on his face the moment he would see you. he would beam a smile, cheeks denting, eyes shinning, and walk to you, offering a pleasant greeting of good morning, gorgeous. my, don’t you look ravishing this morning, grabbing your books and tote to carry for you. the first time he attempted this, you fought hard to deny his services. your hands like claws as you hold your things to your person. though he had hardly blinked then, maybe even looked a bit amused, even going as far as looking excited. the weirdo.

but it had been weeks now and frankly, you had grown tired of fighting with him every morning. especially, when he would always win in the end anyway. so now, you just let him do whatever he wanted. not like you have anything to complain about, your bag has always been pretty heavy.

he would flirt with you. constantly. shower you with compliments about things you hardly even think about sometimes. he had sung praises about your eyebrows the other day, and you had no choice but to bluster through it, to mask your flaming cheeks from embarrassment. but he’s not just all talk either, lately he’s worked up the courage to try to hold your hand — or something close to it. he would slowly walk closer to you, his pink lips going on and on asking you and complimenting you, telling jokes, a diversion—you realize. he would blindly extend his fingers, pinkies first, and when you would feel that first touch to your hand, your heart would do an awful jump. your skin would feel a little bit smaller, your brain blaring alarms, his pinky finger touched your hand, repeat it with increasing traitorous glee. this one, you haven’t stopped fighting. as each time you feel his hand touch yours, you would always create some distance between the two of you, no matter how crowded the corridor is, not that it hardly mattered to him, he looked like he’s won something each time he was successful.

today was no different. before the stairwell could even move, you can already see his dark messy hair waiting for you at one of the floors.

“i say, loverboy’s plenty persistent, hm?” charlie hummed, leaning over the railway, his pale eyes clear with amusement.

you scoff, fingers twitchy on the handle as you see him look up and glow into a smile as he locked eyes with you, “like a rash.” tearing your gaze from james potter down below to look ahead, “that would eventually go away.”

he raises an eyebrow at that, lips quirking into a smirk “really now? he’s been waiting for you every morning for the past months, i think this rash is here to stay. ”

you forced a tight lipped smile, “all in due time, i’m sure.”

clenching your hands when the stairs settle in, you walk down, gently meeting his bright honey eyes.

once you were close enough, he grinned, “good morning my sweet,” pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning against. like some infuriating roguish model. you like to think he practices ways on how he would look leaning against the stone wall. something he would drag his friends into helping him decide which one looked best, no doubt. you almost smile at the thought but stopped yourself when he says, “don’t you look as beautiful as ever.” he hummed.

his robes in his hands, his tie crisp and perfect, his white button-up wrinkle-free. his hair looking like something he’d desperately describe as artfully tousled but could only be ever perceived as messy. his cool bravado contrasting his rosy cheeks and ears. your heart doing that awful thing again.

“well, that’s my cue. see you both later.” charlie waved and you looked, giving him a nod goodbye.

you sighed through your nose, “potter.”

“try not to sound too happy now.” he teased. he let out his palms for you to place your tote and books, and like yesterday and the day before, you give it to him without complaint. “thanks,” you muttered, keeping in a snort of laughter as you see him wear your pink floral tote on his shoulders unabashedly.

“so, are you ready for your ancient runes test today?” he asks, once you two started walking to the great hall.

“how did you—?”

he shrugged, tousling his hair and looking down on you with a proud smile. “i know everything about you, darling.” (and that he does. albeit he had to beg and bribe his way for your friends to start sharing basic information about you. what your classes are, favourite colours, what you like, dislike —because merlin forbid you actually share things about yourself. all without you knowing of course. wouldn’t want you to think of him as weird.)

you gave the weirdo a suspicious stare before shaking your head, “i think i’m ready. i mean, i studied everything i could. i revised three books for it and even did flashcards.”

“well i bet my hair, you’re gonna do just great.” he grinned, softly nudging your shoulder. “you always have.”

rolling your eyes, “thank you, although i don’t really need you hair.”

“well, just tell me which limb you want and i’ll give it to you.” spreading his arms apart, your bag sliding on his arms with his movement. grinning wide and wiggling his eyebrows. leaning into your face.

your face screwing up into a grimace, and pushing his face away with your knuckles, “the same goes for any anatomy or anything you offer me, i’m afraid.”

the persistent blighter just grinned, looking all too proud of himself for whatever reason.

you were about to turn towards the library, but he grabbed your arm and clicked his tongue, “eat breakfast first,” his fingers firmly wrapped around your inner elbow, denting the soft skin there.

“i have to study,” you say firmly, hoping your voice won’t crack.

“you studied enough, now let’s go.” a little tug from him and you were compliant. something he had looked pleasantly surprised by, if the denting cheeks were any indication.

once he felt you weren’t fighting him from pulling you to the great hall, he let you go. warm big hands leaving your arms.

he started talking about his plans, letting you know when he’s available and when he’s busy. asking about yours in turn — and like always sharing nothing. not that he’s deterred. it’s near the hall’s entrance when you feel his gaze at the side of your face, “—after practice though, i’m going to be fairly free the rest of the night.” that familiar lilt in his voice.

breathing in deep, knowing what’s coming next. “so i was thinking, that maybe we could meet up near the lake - have an afternoon picnic.” you turn to look at him and see him rub the back of his neck. the action causing his biceps to bulge out, pulling the fabric taut against his skin. a treacherous thought passing in your mind.

breathing in slowly, you close your eyes to refocus on his face. warm hazel eyes pleading, hopeful, still just like that first time.

“no thank you,” entering the hall just as james opens the door for you.

he frowns, no, pouts. “why not?”

“i just don’t want to.” you walked to your usual seat in the ravenclaw table and james following behind you closely.

“i guess, that’s fair.”

james still in his head, muttering about cancelling with the elves, as he went to unconsciously grab your hand to guide you into your seat. you flushed at the new action, but nonetheless take a seat anyway. he slowly let your bag slip away from his shoulders place it neatly to your side.

“i’ll walk you to the library after you eat, so wait for me, okay?” he smiled gently down at you like you haven’t just rejected him. giving your friends a few nods of acknowledgments before sitting with his friends already there waiting for him.

you hear a few teasing oohs from your friends causing you to get out of your stupor and shoot glares at them. “don’t even.”

it was no public secret that james had been determined to ask you out on a date for the past months. and each time he did, his plans only becoming more elaborate than the last.

the first time he had asked, it was in the corridor in-between classes. people scattering to get where they needed to be. you were no different until a large bouquet with large and colourful flowers arranged messily in wrinkly cellophane and tight ribbons. you remembered his face then, noting how red and shy he looked. he had been stammering and restarting his spiel to you. you saw your friend gesturing for you to hurry, but oddly enough. you stayed rooted to the spot, curious for what’s to come.

“i like you and i hope you like me too!” he might as well be screaming, as the people around you two stopped and stared. the hall now deathly silent, awaiting your response. you flushed at the attention, and grabbed james by the elbow. walking swiftly to the more secluded area at the end of the hall.

once you two were alone, you see those hopeful eyes of his and his nervous smile. his face was still laughably red and the flowers still upright, tightly clutched in his hands.

“um no,” standing up straighter, “i don’t know what transpired for you to do this but, no.”

you can practically see him deflate then, the flowers lowering from his chest to his side. “no?”

“no.”

“i thought—“ he gulped, stepping towards you. but you raise a hand stopping him. clearing your throat before uttering,

“potter, what about evans?”

he tilted his head, hair flopping in his eyes, and a frown on his pink lips. “what about her?”

you scoff a humourless laugh, hands wildly waving in front you. your bag slipping but continued to say,

“what about her? potter, you’ve liked her since—well since, forever and now you want me to believe you like me now?”

“yes.” he nodded, eyebrows scrunching now. looking frustrated like it was obvious.

you laugh in disbelief, muttering lowly, “how fickle.”

“fickle?”

you freeze, shamed he heard you. waving your hands nonchalantly, an easy smile on your face, “you know frequently changes, inconsistent.”

“i know what fickle means, i’m not an idiot.”

you sputter a short laugh at his indignant tone, “what? are you mad at me now?”

huffing through his nose and pouting, “i’m not mad at you, i’m mad at the situation—“

“fickle! you just confessed looking all shy and now you’re glaring—“

“i am not glaring.”

“fickle!” you laugh, pointing at his scrunched up face. his face now red for a different reason.

“i’m not!” he groans, “i really like you and i want to date you.”

reaching up to place a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the way he tensed up and gotten even redder, “no, you don’t. these feelings will eventually pass. trust me.”

james hadn’t replied then, and just as you were about to leave, he thrusted the flowers in your face once again.

“no, potter—“

shaking his head, “no, these are for you. regardless of your answer.” showing you a small dimpled smile, compelling you to take them without anymore argument. the cellophane rustling in your hand. the flowers looking like they’ve been randomly arranged, like someone just chose the biggest and eye catching flowers and bundled it together.

you try not to imagine james picking the flowers himself and getting pink ribbons to tie it all together. tongue poking at his cheek in concentration as he struggles to arrange the flowers like the professionals. it wasn’t an image you saw before, but found yourself easily picturing it nonetheless.

“thank you...”

and you thought that was the end of it. he’ll start to ignore you now because you bruised his pride. maybe even go back to talking to lily evans again.

you try not to think of the swirling disappointment in your stomach, nor the twinge of something else mixed in.

but when you got down from the ravenclaw tower, the next day. off to start your day in the library. there he was, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

james potter was waiting for you, a radiant smile etching on his face once he saw you.

since then, you had been subjected to various ways james had planned to asked you out. ranging from spelling out your name with an invite in the sky to literally riding a white horse during class and asking if he could whisk you away. all had been met with either an indifferent stares or a horrified wide-eyed gape. after two weeks of feeling complete dread and embarrassment, to the possibilities james potter has in store for you. he suddenly stopped. retiring fireworks and floating parchment of invitations, to normal folded ones inserted in your books. no longer charming his voice so it could be heard all over school to hear him declare his affections, but instead softly asking you in private instead.

it was obvious you had taken a liking to the quieter, more discreet versions rather than the former.

because the first time he did, james had gathered a lock of your hair between his fingers and tucked them behind your ear, whispered low and slow and so close to your ear, as he uttered:

“go on a date with me,”

you were blushing up a storm, then. face warm to the touch and eyes averting frantically to every corner in the library except his eyes. frustratingly aware of his fingers still touching your ear.

he had looked at you then, shock written all over his face before a shy grin took over his face. rubbing his hand over his mouth and tugging the corner of his mouth to stop himself from grinning at your reaction.

he had also been rejected that time but he decided your reaction was reward enough.

you look at your watch and saw you had around an hour left to read up on your other subjects before your first lesson starts.

taking the last few bites of breakfast before james, who had noticed the time as well, had walked over and was already grabbing the things you pulled out of your tote, placing it neatly inside. plopping to the seat beside you.

“you ready to go, pretty?” he quipped.

quickly nodding as you hastily clean your section of the table and said your goodbyes to your friends. pointedly ignoring the wiggling eyebrows and teasing hoots of pretty.

james had offered a hand to help you stand up but you ignored it and stood on your own.

“did you eat a lot?” leaning to have a good look at your face.

you nodded, “a bit. they had scrambled eggs, so i had a full plate.”

james nodding, a happy smile on his face. “good, good.” turning to look in front of him and opening the heavy doors for you all the while adjusting your tote on his shoulders. “listen, there was a schedule change for pitch practice so i’ll be a bit busy starting tomorrow. i’m sorry, sweets.”

“okay.”

he hummed, thoughtful. “i’ll try to still be around and walk you to your classes in between breaks—we’ll see how that goes. try not to miss me too much, yeah?” a teasing smile on his lips.

you rolled your eyes, oblivious to the days ahead.

“oh,” charlie said, leaning over to the railing.

“what?” following his gaze and looking over to the glaringly, strangely vacant spot. “oh,”

now staring at you with a teasing glint in his eye. “i see mr. loverboy’s not in today.” the smirk on his face making you roll your eyes.

“managed to finally scare him off, did ‘ya?” he supplies.

“if only,” crossing your arms, “he said he’ll be busy with quidditch practice.”

when the stairs settled in, charlie turned to you. “it’s certainly nice to know he has other hobbies other than bothering you.”

“bothering me?” adjusting the strap of your tote on your shoulder.

he quirked an eyebrow, an inquisitive look on his face “he doesn’t bother you anymore?”

“nonsense, you know he does.”

“interesting,”

you look at him with a frown, hating the teasing, the all knowing tone he always uses when you missed something. “what?”

“nothing!” you gave him an exasperated stare and raised your eyebrow, raising his hand in the air and chuckled, “i just noticed you getting a bit soft on ‘im, that’s all.” tapping his chin, “you don’t look that bothered to me, is what i’m saying. and you never say so anymore.”

your face warmed. is that what it looked like to others? is that potter thinks? that you’re going soft on him now? you scoff, tightening your hold on your bag and adjusting the sliding strap. “do i really have to announce it every time i’m pissy with him?”

he’s humming, a certain skip in his step that makes you want to trip him, “no, but i can tell you’re at least tolerating him now. friends, maybe?”

“tolerating does not equate friendship, sorry to say.” you know, it isn’t. being with james doesn’t feel at all like how it is with charlie.

“an assistant then?” mirth clear in his eyes as he said that. charlie the pale mutt having way too much fun with this.

pursing your lips in an annoyed frown, “i’d like to think he doesn’t qualify enough to be my assistant.” adjusting the slipping strap of your bag.

he laughs, grabbing your tote off your shoulder, and sliding it to his. “you’re not even used to holding your bag anymore, since he always carry it for you.”

“so?”

“so,” looking pointedly at you, as he counts on his fingers, “he’s not a friend, he doesn’t qualify to be your assistant… what is he then?”

you blinked, the question wasn’t anything new. if anything it was a question you started hearing quite frequently, after james potter’s many attempts to woo you. the questions before, however, carried a chaffing tone meant to tease or pull a reaction. but now, with charlie peering curiously at you, and the many weeks you’ve talked with james. the question now carry a different tone.

but still you remain nonchalant, regardless of the warming cheeks and ears. you huffed,

“a pet.”

it was on the same day after one of your classes when you saw him waiting for you. he was still wearing his practice kit and gloves. it looked as if he had rushed over here, with his hair windswept all the more messier than usual. his hazel eyes more alert, brighter—something you find always happens after he plays.

he looked up when he saw the swarm of students leaving the room, eyes immediately meeting yours and the familiar smile that goes with it. his cheeks tinted pink, maybe from the cold wind gushing outside or, dare i say it, seeing you. you ignore the spreading warmth in your stomach, your skin shrinking and your judas heart thudding like a fluttering hummingbird.

the smile he shot your way, was a soft little smile. something you learned he did if he was sorry about something.

“hello, sweets.” he said once close enough. he had reached out then, grabbing your things out of your arms and you giving it to him out of habit. “did you have a good morning?”

your voice seemed to be unresponsive as you just nodded. still raking over his face and figure. like it was your first time seeing him, an urge to reach out. as if you didn’t see him yesterday.

“sorry, i wasn’t there to greet you in the morning.” rubbing the back of his neck. “the team wanted an early practice.”

“oh, i barely noticed.” you lied.

a lie he seems to have caught on himself, if the bashful smile on his face is anything to go by. his cheeks with pretty divots— an urge to dig your thumbs in there greater than ever. no, you think. clenching your hands tight to your sides. fucking charlie with his absurd ideas.

when the last student left the hall, the two of you were left in silence. him staring sparkles at you and you desperately avoiding it.

clearing your throat, you started to walk in the direction of your next class.

“anyway it’s fine, you’re captain now. so more responsibilities is inevitable, i say.”

he slipped your bag into his shoulders and started rearranging your books in his arms. “you know i made captain?”

“you told me, didn’t you?” you frown. you could have sworn he did. it was the day he had drawn hearts all over the margin of your notes, writing both yours and his initials in a heart. the sopping sap.

he stood up straighter, eyes widening in wonder. “you remembered,”

“is that so surprising?” clicking your tongue, slightly offended he thinks you would disregard the things he says. you had manners.

he immediately shook his head, a bright smile took over his face that you had no choice but to look away.

“i’m more surprised you actually have the time to even walk me to class.”

he shakes his head, “i’ll always make time for you!” he exclaimed, slightly bumping your shoulder. “did you think i’d let you go on a day without seeing my face at least once?”

“ah yes, because seeing you is such a gift, no?” you said, you’re voice void of emotions. but he continues undeterred.

“and because i’m so generous, i’ll try to meet you like this tomorrow too.” he beamed, puffing his chest.

a clear image enters your brain. you think of james rushing from the practice grounds to the classrooms in the higher floors. imagine him barely having anytime to rest or even drink water if he were to walk you to your classes and go back to the pitch in time. imagine himself slump against the stone wall in front of the door, steadying his breathing so he wouldn’t look tired or worn, putting on his usual, irritably handsome smile. you imagine him having to rush back, making him even more tired than he has to be. imagine him not performing his best.

the image vivid in your head because he would most likely do just that. and that fact didn’t sit well with you for some reason, “what for? won’t that be an inconvenience to you?”

“it’s not an inconvenience.” he says lightly.

“but isn’t the practice field far from here?” you frowned. it was at two flights of stairs, and a long walk to the covered bridge to the school grounds to the quidditch pitch. it had to be at least a 15 minute walk

his smile slowly started to leave his face as if sensing something wrong. “not that far—” turning to look at you.

you raise an eyebrow, as if scolding, “didn’t you rush over here?”

he shook his head, curls strands flopping over his eyes, “only a little bit—“

“potter, you don’t have rush over here for that.”

“but how can i walk you to your next class if i don’t hurry?”

“that’s what i’m saying,” rolling your eyes, “you don’t have to walk me to class, we can just focus on our own thing for a while—“

now a small frown on his face, “but i want to.”

“and i’m telling you, i don’t need you to. you can focus on your training more rather than rush to walk me in-between classes.” waving off as if it was nothing. you didn’t want him giving up precious break time for something menial like walking you to class.

he stops walking, eyes now filled with frustration. you groan inwardly, plenty sure you won’t be able to reach your class in time. “i just want to spend a little bit of time with you, is that so bad?”

you laugh awkwardly, “this is barely spending time with each other. it’s just a walk to class—”

“so what? you’re saying no to walking with me now?”

you groan out a laugh, pushing your hair out of your face. the idea of it creating an unpleasant twist in your stomach. “that’s not what i’m saying,” softly rubbing your temples, already feeling the migraine forming over the escalating topic.

“then what?”

“spending a little time apart is better, i don’t need you doing all of this for me. carrying my stuff and walking me to class, or waiting for me in the morning. i don’t need any of it. so apologizing or trying to make up for it is unnecessary.”

he laughs in disbelief, “unnecessary?” he parrots, “why can’t you just let me do things for you? why do you always have to fight with me about everything?”

“i don’t want you to!” you exclaimed.

he is being difficult. you were just saying this for his sake. he was the one who said he needed to practice more and now that you tell him to focus on that, he goes off on you.

“i know, but i want to do these things for you because i like you! this is what people do when they like somebody, y/n. they do stuff for them without being asked to.”

rolling your eyes, just ready to end the conversation as you spew the things in your brain mindlessly. “oh seven hells! you don’t like me! you just think you do!”

he took a step forward eyes blazing in irritation, “and you just know that for sure, yeah?”

“yes, potter. i know this for sure.”

he scoffs out a disbelieving laugh, “why is it so hard for you to take my feelings seriously?”

you took a step back, not expecting his question. “what?”

“did someone hurt you before?”

“no-“

“lie to you? trick you?”

”no, what—?”

“then i don’t understand,” staring at you, eyebrows scrunched and hazel eyes blazed with sadness. “is there something wrong with me—?”

you were about to reach out to him, apologize. or clarify. or anything just to make him stop looking like that.

“why can’t the person i’m interested in, like me back?”

you stop, an ugly green emotion engulfing your chest. of course, you thought. your next class be damned. as you face contorts into a sneer as you spat out the words,

“so that’s what this is about?” you scoff, “years of rejection from evans, you turn to the easiest target you can get, so you can feel good about yourself?”

anger taking over his face, “what—?”

“just admit it, you’re pursuing me because you’re frustrated she didn’t reciprocate your feelings.”

“—you think i see you as someone easy? you think i would actually do that to you?”

you straightened your posture, “you can’t be mad at me for simply laying down the facts.” completely disregarding the fact you’ve implied you’d be a willing participant to his wooing if he weren’t so fickle.

adjusting the strap of your bag on his shoulder, mumbling, “i can’t believe this.” and now in a louder voice. “and what are your facts, then?”

“you claimed to love evans, fact.” he scoffs, but you continue. “she rejects you, fact. you start to realize there are other girls in our year and then you see little ole me, fact. you start to build unto this idea of starting something with me because for whatever reason your brain seems to think it’s a good idea, fact.”

shaking his head, “even if that were all true, i like you now.”

“and how long until that changes too?” you counter, looking straight at him. angry tears building in your eyes.

“what? it’s not going to change. ” he stepped forward, and you step back.

“you have been nothing in life but be inconsistent.”

his face twists into a frown. “that’s not true,”

“oh really?” you nodded, your voice getting louder in the quiet halls, “you were the best student during our first year but then you stopped trying. you were on your way to becoming a prefect until you decided you didn’t want to anymore. you were going to turn down becoming captain if it weren’t for black threatening to quit unless you accepted. i mean, really james potter,”

a bitter laugh came tumbling out of your mouth, “you’ve been in love with this girl ever since you were eleven, and now you aren’t.” you breathed, “how will i know you won’t stop liking me too?”

looking into his eyes, waiting for an answer that doesn’t come, you grabbed your bag and books from him and walked away.

“that’s what i thought.”

you didn’t see james after that. not in the morning after and not in-between classes. you thought it was because of quidditch practice again. but when the week ended and still no sign of him, you felt something heavy drop in your chest.

you labelled it as guilt (though charlie have insisted it to be something else—something else he refuses to tell).

guilty you raised your voice and basically criticized him for doing something nice for you. started overthinking you might’ve struck a nerve you shouldn’t’ve, considering you weren’t really friends to begin with. charlie did always say you were a bit loose with your choice of your words. you were the type to offend somebody even without meaning to, he says.

now, it has been days since you last spoke to james and things hasn’t felt right since.

your tote bag keeps slipping off of your shoulder. your books seems heavier now and harder to hold. now, the eggs served at breakfast were never scrambled— always a shitty sunny side up. you can’t concentrate in class. you keep looking for a tall head of curly hair, everywhere you go and you keep feeling the inevitable disappointment when it isn’t the person you were looking for.

it was getting harder and harder keeping your usual composed demeanor. and if charlie noticed anything different with you, he didn’t say anything. until now that is,

“okay this whole thing is getting pathetic.” he sighed. plopping down next to you in the ravenclaw common room.

you look at him, frown seemingly placed permanently on your face nowadays. “i’m sorry?”

he nodded, “yeah, you should be sorry. because you let a good bloke like potter go.” you sat up, “and all because of your refusal to accept that he might actually like you.”

you roll your eyes grumbling, “you don’t know anything,”

“i know you like him,” he huffs, “and for some reason you refuse to admit it.”

you took a deep breath, the glare you had on, softening as you look away.

you didn’t bother correcting him because, well, he was right. you had been dancing around your feelings for so long, you were sure the mask of indifference had already slipped off without your knowledge. you slumped, a whispered sigh as you muttered, “why would i even bother? i know he’ll change his mind.”

charlie had looked taken aback, clearly he expected more fight from you. you huff, you weren’t so emotionally inept that you would continue to deny it any longer. considering how long you’ve been denying yourself of the truth. maybe just a smidge of denial still, but seeing how that rather blown up in your face, it was time to face the music.

and after a while he said, “did he tell you that?”

fiddling with your hands, you say scoffing, “did he tell me he’ll eventually leave me? no,”

“are you clairvoyant then?”

you huff a short laugh, “you know, i think that’s rubbish.”

he offered a smile, “then how do you know he’ll change his mind?”

you sigh, shrugging your shoulders, “i don’t know,”

“and you’ll never know unless you get up and tell him you like him.”

“but what if he changes his mind?” looking at your friend properly now, “what if he suddenly decides he doesn’t like me anymore. hell, he probably doesn’t anymore.”

he shook his head, “he hasn’t. he won’t.”

“but what if?” you whine.

rolling his eyes, “on the off chance that he does, then at least you can say you tried. that for a short while you were happy.“ patting your back, “and isn’t that better?”

you scoff, looking away. “no, that’s definitely worse.”

it was a two days after you and charlie had a talk. and it was during these two days that you and your friends discussed ways on how to make up with james.

you’d think a group of ravenclaws could come up with clever ways to solve your problems. but when one of your friends suggested painting a mural for their honour, and another telling you to pretend like you passed out in front of him—made you realize your friends were as hopeless as you are.

but it turns out, you didn’t really have to.

you were on your way to the ravenclaw tower, when it happened.

you saw james walking towards you. strides large and with purpose. you can practically see his eyes blaze with determination.

you were never big on confrontation, especially when you’re the one being confronted. so you did what anyone would have done, turn and speed walk the other way.

you were about to turn the corner of the hall, out of his sight when you hear him call out to you.

“y/n please,”

you stop, the desperation in his voice echoing in the halls. you hear his footsteps behind, speeding its pace. before slowly turning around to face him.

“james i-“

he shook his head, breathless as he says, “you know i’m a bit cross with you.”

you nod, “yes. you should be, i-“

“you didn’t let me respond to you that day.”

“what?”

his lips pursed, “when you asked me, if i’ll stop liking you.”

you shook your head, embarrassed. “no, you don’t have to-“

“i don’t know if i’ll stop. all i know is, i like you y/n. and i’m not going to say it’s always been you because i did like her.” he looked at you, eyes clear and sure as ever,

“i liked her when i didn’t even know what liking someone meant. and when i did, i realized it wasn’t the like i thought i had for her. i admired her, sure, but what i felt for her is not even comparable to what i feel for you now. you make me want to become a better man. you make me want to make something of myself. you keep me grounded but you also make me feel like i could fly. you’re the most amazing person, i know and it’s frustrating to think you don’t see yourself the same way i see you.

“and i know you like me too, you can try and pretend all you want but i can tell. because you always listen to me even when you pretend not to. you always have a small smile on your face whenever i come see you in the morning. and then you act as if you don’t care. you always refuse my gifts at first but i know all the things i’ve given you is still in your room. i know you turned the first bouquet into bookmarks. you like me as much as i like you and i know part of the reason why you won’t acknowledge it is because you’re scared. and i can’t exactly blame you because of that. but i’m willing to prove to you that you have nothing to be afraid of. i’ll study harder in school, i’ll take up more responsibility, i’ll prove to you, i can see things through. if you could just give me a chance because you make me want to try, dammit.”

he took a couple of steps forward until he was right in front of you. reaching for your hand and softly engulfing yours with his. never realizing how big it is compared to yours. when you didn’t pull away, he looked at you in the eyes, adjusting his grip so it was intertwined and softly breathing out the words,

“every time i look at you, i feel like my heart is about to jump out of my damned chest. i like you, y/n. i like so much i already wrote to my parents about you.“

he looked at you so softly then, eyes wide in hope.

what do you say to that? james potter the most charming boy in school, your crush ever since you were a first year, likes you. you bit your lip, fighting the growing smile on your face and failing as you utter back,

“all good things i hope.”

he gives a dimpled grin back, “the best, truthful things.”

you cleared your throat, “well, james potter,” tightening your grip on his hand, your meeting that meeting hazel.

“i like you, and i hope you like me back.” you whisper, ignoring the hummingbird in your chest, the alarms in your heads and the tightening skin.

he bit his lip and pulled you flush against him. arms now wrapped around your waist. “no,” he breathed out a laugh, grabbing your cheek before leaning in and slotting his lips with yours into a giddy kiss.

your thumbs slipping into the pretty divots in his cheeks, as soft and smooth as you’ve always imagined them to be.

[rindough]

that first anon again: oh my god losing my religion by r.e.m. for boothill. this man is SO full of teenage angst, sitting in the corner of one of those old timey country bars all veiled in shadow looking at the person he has feelings for laughing and dancing in the crowd, completely mesmerised as he rests his chin on a hand with a focused expression, mouth slightly open, and absent-mindedly traces the rim of his glass with a finger from the other, almost without realising. You ain't slick, dude. Go talk to them.

God, I am so fucking normal about him.

OH YA i forgot to reply to a question from ur prev ask, sure! u can give me indie songs as well heheeee, and ngl i wasnt expecting this song but its one of my fav songs to vibe to!!!!

OKOK I GOT THE IDEA AND I FIND IT CUTE buttt i kinda put a twist to it if thats okay!

--;

so lets say you're a regular at this diner in town, you had your fair amount of visits here with your friends, your family, even alone. boothill has seen it all, but god at each time he tries to strike up a conversation with you, it either comes off awkward or him just flying off his seat from trying to 'smoothly' whoosh onto the stool.

he doesn't know what made him this... intrigued by your presence, why is it that everytime the door bell chimes, he glances by the door to see if it was you, the way your voice echo in the quiet diner, the way you spun around after you got your order and straight out the door you walked. he wants to know why and how has he suddenly had the balls to walk up to you, and just start some small talk.

unfortunately on his side, it got to the point where it only ends in 'hi's or 'i see's. he thought he could do it, he thought he could whoosh his way in n perhaps whoosh his way out out this diner with u tagging along. but look at where he is now, it's not that you don't get along, but with the way he looks into your eyes and stutter whatever he wants to say, fumbling over words and fall into silence while you wait, while you search his eyes, his body languages. Waiting for something more, as the man himself got you to become a nervous mess too.

but overtime, he gradually became standoffish, he no longer sits beside you at most of your visits, he doesn't look high up above the diner booth to check if its you (he observes from the window instead 🙄), he just waves, he just stands up to go at your presence, he just-

he no longer visits the diner.

in fear and perhaps shame, he and his cyborg body, you would prefer someone much more... human, right? what does it take for a cyborg like him to woo someone he fancies?

it's impossible, he thought. at this point, he'll just give up and not think about the thing people call, the thing he once dreamt of having, love. he'll just give up the act and focus on some... commission he has or whatever...

but does he really though?

"dude, since day 1, are you still gonna mess this right up?"

the voice behind him pulls him out of his trance, the spunk haired man stays put in his seat, the fold of his index rubbing his bottom lips while a thumb rests on his his sharp jawline. choosing to ignore the blond waiter by his side. the waiter throws his tablecloth aside.

"hello?" he snaps his fingers at him, earning a 'tsk' from the man.

"whaddaya want? can't ya see i'm busy?"

"busy doing what? staring at them from this corner of the bar? i know that look of yours, i saw what happened last time-"

"and what? what makes you think i stand a chance with them, best believe 'm gonna look after them from far away. they don't needa see me here, they don't gotta see me at all."

the waiter groans, as if the man in front of him is being blind or feigning ignorance to escape falling in love, to just... dwell in his insecurities. "bro, look at the way they look at you!"

boothill stays put, eyes blinking at your swaying form, your head shaking side to side at the music. the way you jump, throw your hands up, his mouth falls slightly ajar at the way you move. his throat runs a little dry at the way beauty could exist in many forms and at anytime, and this was one of the many times he had found beauty in you. he had found himself longing for you.

it's agonizing honestly.

both on your end and on his.

you're here swaying to the music from the speakers, mingling with other youngsters in your town, hoping that when you turn around to start talking, it'd be the one you've been looking for this whole time, the one whose clumsy way of flirting leaves you wanting more and more. the night was young and there's ample time for him to visit the diner, but... would he?

for him, he wishes he was the only one under your spotlight, the one making you laugh, oh how he loves the way your lips curl into a smile, the way your eyes twinkle.

if he was out there in the crowd with you, best believe he'll twirl and dip you down on the dancefloor and make you have the best night and dance of your whole life.

he turns his head sideways, looking at the blond. "what's with the way they look at me?"

then he turns back to observe you. maybe, just maybe, you would turn around at a certain degree and meet his yearning gaze. wondering if he can make you feel his presences by drilling holes into your skull.

"..." at this point he's defeated, he can't be bothered to explain all these lovey-dovey pre-dating crush nonsense to this sulking cowboy.

"y'kno mister, they've been looking for you every time when you're not around the diner. do i gotta explain more? do i gotta explain the 'where's boothill? have you seen him? has he visited today?'" he mocks, "ya wanna know what happened when i told them no every single time? they just left the diner- not ordering anything!"

the spunk haired man hums, now no longer focused on you, but instead, his back facing the crowd as he stares into the prepared drink before him, finger circling the rim of the glass as the complaints of the waiter goes unheard.

if what the man was saying is true, then... but... why? what made him special enough for you to promptly ask for him at every visit. and he bet it was every visit, since he's not even in the diner every day for months. so, why did he have to leave?

was it the fear of judgement?

was it fear of rejection?

or was it the fear of losing you?

so-

"so?" the waiter quirks an eyebrow, "what do you plan to do with that information-"

he can't back down now, the aftertaste of soulglad lingers the back of his mouth, he's walking, walking towards the crowd, thank god your back was facing him... otherwise he wouldn't be doing what he was doing now, otherwise he'd instantly run away again. and he does not plan to let you search for him again.

"hey." he whispers, smiling gently at the way you suck in your breath at the sight of him.

he never thought he'd feel his heart melt much more than before the moment your soft lips mellow into a smile, the twinkle of your eyes refreshing his past, yet brief memories with you.

"hi."

--;

©  2024 rindough, do not repost or plagiarize.

[bilbosmom-belladonna]

I wrote this for @steddiesongfics' July challenge!

Also on AO3.

Make Me Weak

Length: 1000 words | Rating: T (for language) | CW: Infidelity, Eddie Munson/OFC | Tags: Future Fic, Rock Star Eddie Munson, Established Relationship, Eddie POV

The song is Lips of an Angel by Hinder (no one ever said it had to be a good song) and the included lyric is "Honey, why you calling me so late?"

Eddie stumbled in the front door laughing, his arm tight around Ally’s waist as she leaned on him, giggling.

“Okay, okay,” she gasped out, “you were right. Next time we’ll get a town car.”

Eddie grinned as they took off their jackets. “I told you.” He pulled her close to him, leaning down for a kiss that became filthy fast. He trailed kisses down her throat as she squirmed in his arms. “I believe I was promised something very fancy under this dress,” he muttered against her skin.

Ally hummed low. “Yup,” she agreed, “it’s a special occasion.”

Eddie lifted up his head to answer when the phone rang.

“Ugh, who’s calling at this hour?” Ally grumbled as Eddie let go of her to pick up the receiver.

“Hello?” he said, a little impatiently.

“Hey man, I need to borrow you for a minute,” Steve said on the other end.

Eddie frowned. “Can it wait? Not a good time,” he said, watching as Ally took off her heels and headed toward the bedroom.

“Nope, gotta be right now,” Steve replied firmly.

“Shit, okay, give me a second,” Eddie said. He pressed the hold button. “Gotta take this,” he called down the hallway. “I’m gonna be in my office. Five minutes, I promise!”

“It better be!” Ally called back. “Or I’ll get started without you!”

Eddie laughed and took the cordless phone with him into his office. He shut the door and—hesitating for just a second—locked it too. He transferred the call to his second line and sat down at his desk.

“Honey, why are you calling me so late?” he asked Steve.

“Like you weren’t awake,” Steve grumbled. He sounded a little off. “Come over.”

Eddie sighed. “I can’t,” he replied. “It’s our anniversary.”

“Oh, an anniversary?” Steve asked sarcastically. “This one made it a whole year, huh? That hasn’t happened in a while.”

Eddie didn’t answer, just rubbed his eyes tiredly. He fiddled with the three Grammy statues on the shelf above his desk, pushing them into a straighter line.

“What about our anniversary, huh?” Steve went on. He was slurring his words a little. “Twelve years! Beat that, Anna.”

Twelve years was a hell of a lot longer than any of Eddie’s other relationships had lasted. Maybe relationship wasn’t even the right word—they had started fucking sometime during the band’s first Midwest tour in 1988 and never really stopped.

“Our anniversary is next month,” Eddie said quietly. “I’m taking you to the Bahamas, remember?” He sighed again. “Are you drunk, baby?”

“So what if I am?” Steve said belligerently. “You’re not here, I can be drunk if I wanna.”

Eddie sat back in his chair. He was three years sober, his best stint to date; Steve had always been supportive, especially after Eddie had fallen off stage a few years ago. He didn’t drink when Eddie was with him, especially when they were out on tour. It made for quieter nights after the shows ended but they were getting into their 30s now anyway, partying hard had lost some of its appeal. And they could make a night-in pretty fun, just the two of them.

The nice thing about fucking your manager, Eddie had always thought, was that he could get them adjoining rooms when he booked the hotels

“I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight, sweetheart,” Eddie said into the phone. “But I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can find time to get a hotel next week.”

“Oh, sure,” Steve sniped, “go back to your girlfriend, asshole.”

“Last I checked,” Eddie said, a little annoyed, “you had a girlfriend too.”

“Ha!” Steve cried. “Check again, dickhead,” he slurred.

Well, that explained it. “You and Michelle broke up?” Eddie asked.

“Fuckin’—yeah,” Steve grumbled. Eddie could hear glass clinking in the background. “We had a big fight after I got home last month and it never really ended.” He sighed, crackling through the phone line. “She was sick of me traveling so much.”

“You could have brought her on tour,” Eddie offered reluctantly.

“Fuck that,” Steve snapped back. “When the fuck would I ever see you if she was there?”

There was some rustling, then a clatter and Steve cursed distantly, far away from the phone. Eddie leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed his free hand over the back of his head.

“Baby,” he said. More clattering on the other end. “Baby?”

“—eah, I’m here,” Steve finally said.

“I gotta go, honey,” Eddie said gently.

Steve made a pathetic noise. “I miss you,” he whined. “I hate being home.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Eddie said. “I miss you too.”

“I love you,” Steve said. He sniffled a little.

Eddie closed his eyes. “I love you too, baby.” And he did. For all the ups and downs of the last twelve years, the fame and the travel, the girlfriends and the fights, the awards and the secrets, loving Steve had never been hard.

It was just never simple.

“Get some sleep, honey,” Eddie said softly. “Drink some water. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Steve hummed and mumbled something, then there was a click and the dial tone. Eddie hung up the phone, stood up, and took a long, slow breath. He left his office and headed toward the bedroom.

“Sorry about that, gorgeous,” he said loudly as he approached. “Steve had some questions about tour dates.”

“That man works too hard,” Ally called from the bathroom. “You should send him on vacation.”

“That’s a great idea, babe,” Eddie said as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “But I don’t want to talk about Steve right now.”

“Mmm, me either,” Ally said as she exited the bathroom. She was wearing lingerie, a lacy red and black number that had Eddie’s fingers itching to get his hands all over her. “Happy anniversary,” Ally said, looping her arms around his neck and stepping in close.

Eddie smiled. “Happy anniversary,” he replied as he leaned down to kiss her.

[coffeexafterxmidnight]

welcome home - what went bump in the night

cw: puppet gore, whump, hurt/comfort, ask to tag

You sat, drifting off at your kitchen table, when something banged on your door. 

It'd been an awfully quiet morning in Home. You'd opened the windows, letting in a cool breeze scented with flowers trace over your cheeks. You sat with your hands around your mug of something nice and hot, your eyes falling closed…

Bang, bang, bang.

You almost fell out of your chair. Your gaze jerked in the direction of your front door. 

Bang, bang, bang.

Eddie called your name from outside. Sally did, too.

Something about their tones chilled your blood.

When you threw open the door, you found, as you'd heard, Eddie and Sally. Eddie gripped his hat in both hands, eyes wider than you'd ever seen. Sally shook from head to toe, her fists clenched and held close to her chest.

"What happened?" You asked.

They spoke at the same time, out of sync.

"It's Wally!"

Your stomach dropped. You grabbed your shoes.

"Take me to him!"

They raced ahead of you, faster than you'd ever seen them run. You almost tripped over your own feet trying to keep up. You were the only human in Home, and definitely not anything like an authority figure in your eyes. But the residents came to you when they needed help.

Wally must need help.

At the edge of the woods all the residents gathered. Sally and Barnaby sat on the ground. Frank stood, one arm wrapped around himself, the other mimicking the motion of biting his nails. Howdy cried into his hands.

They all looked at you as you stopped, and you looked back. You looked between them, confusion pushed back in your panic.

It wasn't until you saw the white fluffy stuffing on the ground you understood.

He's dead, you thought, irrationally. He's dead and there's nothing I can do to save him. We're going to have to bury him outside his Home… have a little funeral… I'll have to be the reverend…

You took a breath. Snap out of it, you told yourself. They all need you. Wally needs you.

You forced yourself to walk forward to look at your little friend.

It was worse than you could've thought.

He was still alive, the trembling gave that away. Curled up as best he could into a ball, it was hard to tell what injuries he had. But the cuts - lacerations - went deep, deep into his body. On his face in particular, you could see the edge of what could've been wood inside him. His ear stayed on thanks to three little strings. Blue hair tumbled down over his shoulders, fallen from his fancy hairstyle in a way you'd never seen before.

You called his name. His eyes opened. Without moving an inch, he looked at you through his hair. He didn’t stop trembling. You reached down, brushed the hair from his face. Wally closed his eyes as your fingers skimmed over his fuzzy skin. The trembling eased.

Julie called your name. You looked up at your friends, all collected together, all pressed tight together.

“What do we do?” Frank cried.

You looked back down at Wally, your dear, dear friend Wally. He looked so small like this, so fragile. Your friends weren’t children, not really, but they weren’t teenagers and they weren’t really adults either. They were their own things. And that meant they could be hurt in their own special ways.

“All of you go to the post office,” you said. “I’m gonna take Wally back to my house and fix him up, best I can. And then.” You surprised yourself with what came out of your mouth. “I’m gonna find what hurt him, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Your friends gaped. Wally squirmed, mumbling something you couldn’t understand.

“What if it hurts you too?!” Howdy said.

Your gaze went down to Wally again, into his open, frightened eyes. He shook his head. You set your jaw.

“I’m more afraid of my friends being hurt,” you said, “Than I am of that.”

Ignoring the way the others stared at you, you spoke directly to Wally.

“I gotta pick you up,” you whispered. “I’m gonna take you to my home, and I’ll patch you up there.”

Wally whimpered. He nodded his head. Something inside you broke, and your hands began to shake. 

If there was one thing you remembered after everything finished, it was how brave he was. Shaking in your arms, his fingers clutching your shirt, face hidden in your neck. He felt so much smaller than he acted, so much smaller than his proud statement of being twelve apples tall. You led the group back into town, one hand supporting your friend, the other holding a tree branch you’d found on the ground. No one said anything. Especially not Wally.

And every step of the way, you watched Wally’s Home. The windows were closed and drawn. The whole place seemed asleep. You would’ve thought… if anyone would’ve been worried about Wally, if anyone knew something was wrong, his Home would’ve been the first one.

You weren’t sure you were ready to think of the implications of that.

Once everyone was safe inside the post office, you turned towards your house.

“Wally,” you mumbled. “I know you probably wanna go Home, but I got a sewing kit at my place and I can fix you up. I have five fingers, remember? I’m good at that stuff.”

Normally that would get a laugh out of Wally. This time, he just rubbed his face in your neck and shivered.

You looked at the house in the center of town again, and frowned.

In your house, you laid Wally down on the kitchen table. Now you could see it better, how his face stretched with pain. Now you could see it better, all the awful, awful places he’d been hurt. It wasn’t just his ear that was hanging on by a few threads. His right arm, too. You swallowed hard. Much as you wanted to cry, you wouldn’t. Not yet. Wally needed you.

Your sewing kit was on the shelf where you left it. You’d learned a lot about sewing after coming here. No big stores to buy new clothes, so you patched up what you had, and made your own, until you were as colorful as everyone else.

You hoped it’d be enough.

As you set things up, you talked to Wally, explaining what you were doing, and why. You would have wanted to know, too, if you’d been so hurt. (If you’d been so hurt, your brain whispered, you’d be dead right now.) You threaded the needle in his favorite color, promising that no one will see the stitching when you’re done. You pulled away the damaged fabric of his jacket, pushed aside the strings of his hair. He didn’t speak, didn’t say a word, just watched.

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to feel this,” you said, forcing your hands not to tremble as you hovered over his arm. “I hope it doesn’t hurt.”

Wally said nothing. You took a breath, did the first stitch. 

Five stitches in, he said your name. You looked up at his face. He looked back at you, into your eyes.

He said your name again, and asked, “What’s ‘hurt’?”

Your throat tightened up. You took a shaking breath, wiped the wet in your eyes off on your sleeve. Opening your mouth to answer him, you found the words weren’t coming. And in the way he closed his eyes and laid his head to the side, you knew he understood why.

Stitch, stitch, stitch. You reattached his arm. Stitch, stitch, stitch. You reattached his ear. Stitch, stitch, stitch, you sewed up his face. Stitch and stitch and stitch again, you found the cuts and fixed them up, best you could, best you knew. Even his little fingers had been shredded, the tips of them, the knuckles, as if he’d fought back against whatever had attacked him. The thought of that filled you with pained pride. 

Oh Wally, whatever happened to you?

With a final snip of your scissors and a teeny knot, you finished up your sewing. Good as new? No. No one would ever be ‘good as new’ after whatever happened to him. But at least, you hoped the pain was gone.

“Can you move?” You asked.

Wally blinked. A second later, he pushed himself up off the table. He moved his arm, touched his ear, swung his legs, and stretched out his hands. He closed his eyes again.

Before he could speak, you said, “Here, I’ll fix your jacket. Seems like it shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll have you back with everyone when you’re ready to see them. I know they’d all like to see you’re okay.”

He opened his eyes. Swung his legs. Shrugged his shoulders and pulled off his jacket, handing it over to you. You took it, examined it closely. Yes, that wouldn’t take long at all. 

But it’d be just long enough.

As you sewed, you thought your words over carefully.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Wally stopped moving.

You didn’t look up from your task. 

“I’m not going to make you,” you said. “I just want you to know that I’m somewhere safe to go to, if you ever need help.” Wally didn’t answer.

“I’m not gonna judge you for whatever happened,” you said. “I know it wasn’t your fault.” Wally said nothing.

“Nothing like that could’ve been your fault.”

Wally said nothing.

“But I meant it when I said that I’m more scared of you guys getting hurt than anything that could happen to me.”

Wally sobbed.

You looked up from his jacket. Wally’s hands covered his face, he rocked back and forth. Between his fingers, he looked at you. Little drops of liquid dripped between his fuzzy fingers. Your stomach dropped.

You didn’t know Wally could cry.

“I’m sorry-” Wally said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare all of you. I was trying to protect - protect you-”

“Wally-” you started.

He reached for you, and you reached back. You wrapped your arms around your friend and held him close, held him tight, held him safe as he cried. And you cried too, quietly, into his long blue hair.

You didn’t push him for any more answers. You would let him cry until he didn’t need to anymore. Wasn’t a big surprise to you, when he fell asleep, his arms locked around your neck. You held him close and wiped your eyes. 

Alright, you told yourself. Sleepover time. The whole neighborhood would be invited. Everyone would get to hang out with Wally. You’d make pizza together and drink soda and play games and everything would be okay.

And you. You were going to get to the bottom of this. Even if it killed you.

[htchnr]

♰ souled out on you ༻ SAM AXE.*ೃ˚

✮ꜜmasterlist. ✮ꜜbuy me a coffee!

content warning stripclub ⋆ heavy flirting and kissing ⋆ Sam is SO whipped ⋆ Sam calls reader 'momma' once ⋆ reader is slightly younger than Sam ⋆ probably out of character Michael ⋆ not beta'd ⋆ if i missed anything, lmk!

pairing stripper/sugar mommy!reader x Sam.

summary Michael's always been kinda curious about what you look like, Sam never shutting up about you and always heading off to see you mid work. so when Sam forgets something at your place, Michael tags along to finally find out. wordcount 1,3k.

authors note was thirsting over Sam with @morrrrow last night and he gave me the idea of stripper/sugar mommy!reader and whipped Sam 😩🫠🤭 so i hope y'all enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it 😁😁

© 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐇𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐑. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!

the club was hot, the air smelling of sweat and booze. the music loud, but not unpleasant to Sam's ears. after all, he was very used to this club.

his dark eyes watch the figure before him up on the stage, those irresistible hips flowing back and forth as they got closer to the stage floor. he could never take his eyes off your hips.

the song slows to an end, your body slowing to a halt at the foot of the stage in front of him. the song ends and you slide forward, hips in the air and your chest pressed to the stage as your face is inches from his, " if you wanna see me before my next set sugar, you gotta be quick. " you whisper, your tone low and seductive.

Sam grins, that wicked, gorgeous grin, before winking. " you already know it baby, see you in the back. "

the sound backstage is muffled, the melody and the vocals getting mushed together the further he walks. he takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he stop in front of a door — the door to the VIP lounge you've always got access to. he let's out the breath, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

his eyes land on you, sitting comfortably on the large, round bed. " well hello, handsome, " you grin, that enrapturing grin he fell for. " fancy seein' you 'round here, " you push up from the bed, walking towards him with open arms.

he returns your grin, his large hands finding purchase on your hips as you throw your arms around him. " hello to you too, gorgeous, " he sighs into the firm and passionate kiss. Michael always teased him for how head over heels he is for you, but Sam can't help it when your kisses wrap him around your finger. hell, even one look would have him on his knees, doing anything you'd ask.

he reluctantly pulls away from the kiss, large warm hands stroking up and down your bare back. " when are you off today? " he presses a kiss to your cheek. " cause i, " another one to the other cheek. " missed you, " one to your jaw. " so, so very much, " one final one to your lips as he pulls you closer.

you smile, those damn gorgeous eyes looking up into his. " when do you want me off? " your lips stretch into that devious grin, your neatly manicured finger tracing his cheekbone.

he groans dramatically, head tilting back. your grin widens, leaning in to press openmouthed kisses to his throat. which in turn has his hands gripping at your hips in desperation. yeah, he really was head over heels.

you pull away, hand coming up to hold his cheek, gently moving his face to face yours. " let me finish my next set, get paid and i'll be all yours for today baby, " his huge hands trailing down to grip your hips again.

he leans into your touch, those sweet brown eyes pouting back at your pleased look. you laugh, pressing your lips to his in a desperate kiss, your hips pressing into his. he groans, leaning in feverishly to chase your lips.

you pull back, somehow snaking out of his firm and desperate grip, leaving him high and dry as you slowly sway your hips as you walk back to the door. " don't have any fun without me, sugar, " his brows furrowing in a plea at your wicked grin and wink.

he groans, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed, head leaning against his palm in defeat. " yes, momma, " he grunts and huffs, those pretty brown puppy eyes not leaving your figure until you've left the room and closed the door.

he drops back onto the bed with deep and shaky breath, anything you say, he'll do.

✮ꜜ : ❛

the house is quiet as Sam reluctantly walks Michael through the door. he's kicking himself for not having grabbed all the stuff he needed before leaving this morning. as much as he always takes pride in being ladies man, and wanting 'lovin' from any gorgeous lady, he really believes he's found 'the one' here with you.

so he'd do anything to avoid bringing work into your gorgeous and large home. hell, anywhere near you for that matter.

Michael laughs at Sam's uptight figure, patting him on the back. " hey, this way i'll meet that lady of yours you won't shut up about, see who's got you all tied down. "

Sam loudly shushes him, turning around with a frown and a serious look. " you're not meeting her, cause you're not waking her! keep your voice down and don't touch anything! " he whisper yells. Michael merely snickers to himself as they continue.

Sam sighs, pulling open a drawer in the kitchen to sift through for his things. " she had long night last night, " he turns around with that stupid grin, " if you catch my drift, hehe. "

Michael rolls his eyes, " just grab your stuff and let's get going then, "

Sam waves behind him to get Michael to shut it, and in the process knocking the stapler out of the drawer and sending it clattering down onto the hardwood floor. Sam shoots up, eyes wide and a grimace on his thin lips. Michael nearly laughed at the sight, if it wasn't for the voice that called out from down the hall.

" Sam, honey? that better be you, " and Sam looks like a child that was caught stealing candy from the jar on the top shelf.

" goddamnit, " he huffs to himself, " yeah it's me baby, just forgot a few things! " he calls out, quickly returning to the drawer as he mutters curses at himself.

Michael watches the sight with an amused look, glancing at his watch to keep track of when they should leave.

soft footsteps echo through the hall, a long yawn following. " what'd you forget? maybe i can help look-" you start, arms still stretched above you as you walk into the large kitchen to find Sam, and someone else standing by him. you squint your eyes at Michael, before shaking your head and moving over to Sam.

Michael takes in your figure, round hips, smooth waist, and nothing but small underwear and a sheer robe covering you. in your fairness, you weren't expecting guests.

Sam looks up from the drawer as your hands wrap around his waist, " i'm so, sorry for waking you, " he brows furrow and his head tilts, that puppy dog 'please forgive me' look on his face.

you shake your head, slender hand coming up to hold his face as you press a kiss to his lips. " all is always forgiven, handsome, " you grin, and his face lights up again. you turn against him, pressed against his side. " wanna introduce me to your, friend? " you hesitate the last word, still squinting at Michael.

Sam jumps into motion, large hand settling on your hip as he faces Michael. " this uh, is Mike, " he gestures towards him, Michael offers a small wave in the way of a wiggle of his fingers. " he's a friend and a colleague, " Sam continues.

you nod along, turning towards the large glass cupboard with glasses. you pull a glass from the shelf, moving over to the sink with fluid movements. Michael can see looks wise why Sam adored you. you filled the glass with water, taking sips as you lean against the counter and watch the two men.

" well, i'll leave you two handsome men to it, " you lean back against Sam, resting your head on his shoulder as you press a kiss to his cheek, your hand rubbing a few circles against his chest before making your way back to the hall you came from. " oh and uh, Mike was it? " your turn to him with a stunning smile, and a look that could only mean business.

Michael nods, " yes ma'am? " turning to you to show you he's fully listening.

you smile wider as you tilt your head, " next time dear, take your shoes off before you enter my home, don't want any dirt tracking around here, now would we? " and he can see a gentle threat in your eyes. now Michael understands why Sam adores you.

he nods, hands up in defence. " won't happen again, promise. " he returns a small smile.

you nod, pleased with his response. you turn around, swaying your hips as you make your way back down the hall. " be safe Sam! come back on time tonight, please? " your voice calls out through the home.

Sam lets out an 'ah ha!' pulling out the stack of papers he was looking for. he turns to call out to the hall, " i promise baby! " before turning to Michael, smacking the papers against his shoulder. " let's leave her be and scram Mike, " dropping the papers into Michael's hands.

he laughs, following close behind Sam. noticing that when Sam pauses by the door, he's putting his shoes on again. " you really are wrapped around her finger Sam, " he chuckles, slapping him on the back as they step through the front door, Sam closing it behind him and locking it.

" well, once you've laid your head on two thousand thread count sheets, you never want to go back to the couch again, " Sam laughs, pulling his sunglasses from the top of his head. " plus, how could i ever say no to her? you saw her, "

Michael laughs, " yeah i saw her, " he puts his sunglasses on as well. " and i get it. "

authors note (im)patiently waiting for Sam Axe or Ash Williams requests 🫣👀

also i'm so in love with how '🙇🏻 yes mommy' Sam turned out in this fic cause HHNNNNGGGGGGGGGG i'm living for it and i'm offended at the literal complete lack of Sam x reader/you/oc fics there are 😔😤 like come on y'all, NO ONE has written anything??????? that feels ridiculous 😭💔

[crimsonkenjii-writes]

okay after that tag game I can’t help but think about my faves as cats. I need to ramble now.

Giyuu: cute all black cat. Hair on the longish side, but surprisingly easy to care for. He’s an overall chill cat. Maybe a little too chill. Sometimes you really wander what’s going on in his head, he’s been staring at that same spot on the wall for a hour now. Not amused much by toys. Will go crazy for crinkly ones but gets of them quite easily and just paws at it gently instead of flinging it across the room and chasing after it like he was moments ago. Occasionally gets him stuck in places he can’t get himself out of. He was just curious. And now regrets it. Seems almost humanly embarrassed whenever you gotta help him out. He loves sitting on your lap and chest. He’ll knead your chest too. Always wants to be near you and see what you’re doing. He will follow you into the bathroom. NO closed doors in this household. He’ll press his nose against the door and meow so loud and sad until you open it up. His meow quickly turning cute and innocent.

Aki: Little brat tbh LMAO. All black short hair cat. He’s a petty ass cat. He will knock your water off your table if you fed him two minutes late. Loves cuddles though, so clingy. Has a real nice loud and deep purr. Looovvesss scritches on the chin, he does the whole eye squint and pushing his head out to get more. He’ll knead on you too. He don’t care, he wanna use your thigh, even if you didn’t cut his claws yet. He’s finally being affectionate, you gotta smile through the pain. He only wants attention once HE demands it. He’s the cuddliest thing when he approaches you first. But you see him sitting all cute in his tower and want to come up and pet him?? WHACK. He likes to sleep in bed with you every night though. And he INSISTS on sharing your pillow. If it snows where you live, he likes to watch the snowflakes through the window. He’ll walk around in the snow if you put him out there but he’s doing the whole one step *shake foot* one step *shake foot* and that’s about all he’ll do. He’s (slowly) walking back into the house. Jumps on your shoulder and watches you cook.

Kento: one of them fancy spotted ones. I’ll look up the specifies later. Idk what kinds of temperaments those kinds of cats would have. But this is Kento energy now so it don’t matter bc I said so. He’s the most easy going cat anybody would ever own. He’s why the stereotype of cats being “fully independent pets” came from. Barely vocal, he’s a very quiet cat. He’ll only speak once it’s getting close to his feeding time. You always feed him at 6pm?? He’s meowing politely and sitting patiently at his bowl at exactly 5:50 to remind you it’s almost time to feed him and to not be late. Just about as affectionate as Aki. He needs his alone time, and will come to you when he’s craving cuddles again. Has a real deep purr, low and sometimes you either gotta feel him or lean in close to hear his purrs. He always smells so good, he doesn’t really get stinky. He will clean himself after you kiss him lolol. He likes sitting on your lap. He’s also ALWAYS curious about what your cookin. He never wants to eat any of the food you give him to sniff, he simply just wants to sniff and watch lolol.

Shouta: such a sassy cat. Definitely a stray you randomly just came home with one day with no preparation whatsoever. Very very recluses cat. Doesn’t like hugs, doesn’t like being held. Doesn’t like being groomed bc it goes into being man handled. Such a soft little baby once he starts to warm up to you though (which definitely takes a while). Softly nudges your arm with his face, looking at you with big sad eyes bc he wants pets lolol. He never sits on top of you either, he’ll always be touching but never on top. When he does, it’s RARE!!! Maybe once a year. And it will be your chest when you’re sleeping lolol. Snooziest cat, he doesn’t like toys, he almost looks like he finds them ridiculous. Old man in a cats body. WILL make himself comfy. Bought him a bed? Nah, your blanket and pillows are better.

[nerdieforpedro]

WIP Wednesday Game

Tagged by @wannab-urs @frenchiereading @megamindsecretlair @pedroshotwifey

Thank you all tagging me 🥰 You all know I always have ideas, the problem is usually follow through. 😂 and completion.

Step one: Post snippets of the fics you're working on (can be a summary if there's no snippet)

Step two: put them in a poll and let people vote on which one you should work on, then prioritize the one with the most votes.

Step three: Ask me about my WIPs! I've got lots of lore to share + more snippets, etc.

My March Spring Prompts! I’m really enjoying doing them this month. I’ve been trying to include as many different Pedro and Oscar characters as possible with some connecting drabbles. 🥰

A sample of part two of "The Lake between Us" (Thank you all for enjoying part one, I didn't quite expect such a response for it. Should I make a tag list for it? 🤔) Ezra AU x plus size OFC - name in future parts:

Things were tenuous at first but they worked out she’s to call him ‘Uncle’ or Mr. Ezra. It worked better in social situations and she became his little ‘Birdie.’ Scaling down the jobs he took on to mitigate risk was a challenge and were worth less but he had to live not only for himself now. The pair moved around some before he enrolled her in school in Louisiana but ensured that he taught her when she came home in the evenings and on the weekends. The child hated the extra lesions, but it enabled her to be leagues ahead of her peers as far as studies went. Ezra was determined not to suffer another fool and would do what he could so that Cee wouldn’t follow in her father’s steps of idiocy. The results of his care, diligence and support was realized at both her high school graduation which he had never imagined attending anyone’s graduation except his own and to travel with his charge to see the college she’d chosen.

Nuestras canciones (Our Songs) Santiago Garcia x Amalia (plus size OFC) @reallyrallyauthor liked my Santiago spring prompt for today so I felt motivated to finally write another part to this mini-series:

Santiago saw a woman by herself lost in the music, the glow from her skin from perspiration. He didn’t see a reason why he shouldn’t make his way over to her so he did, but he waited until she opened her eyes again and was surprised by him. She laughed and apologized where he told her there was no reason to. Holding his hands out, she peered down and slid her fingers along his palms. The last song died down and the next started, it was slower, sensual, intimate. Garcia interlocked his fingers with hers as they moved back and forth, step by step. His eyes met hers, pulling one of her hands toward him and placing it on his shoulder. His palm found a place on her hip as his lips skimmed her forearm up to her shoulder, pulling her closer. They didn’t say anything as they moved in sync. Once the music ended this time, they stepped outside so they could hear each other speak. By the time they finally exchanged phone numbers, the club was emptying out and Amalia looked toward her friends as did Santiago. The pair had spoken about the dancing, club, food, drinks, if they were single, music and a few bad jokes. Well, between the both of them, quite a few bad jokes. 

My third WIP is one that I choose to blame @mysterious-moonstruck-musings since she fancies herself a sweet Dieter. So I gotta deliver because this is what she wants apparently. 🤭 I have vibes and two paragraphs at this point. Basically, you meet Dieter through one of his PA (because he's got 4 or 5 personal assistants who keeps track?) and he finds drawn to you? Was it crocs? Was it pizza? Was it a two am dance party to Paramore and Linkin Park? Maybe it was all of them or something else entirely? I'll work it out.

My last WIP is one I've been kicking around for a bit. It's a WIP I have with Marcus Pike. I've been dabbling him after a shooting or passing his firearm recertification exam and having PTSD (because I haven't tortured a Pedro character recently 👀) This one is also vibes, still working it out. I started mentioning therapy in my March prompts and it snowballed into this WIP.

This is what I have this week. Poor Javi G's outline still isn't vibing with me. I am going to figure it out though. 😭

Let me know if you have any questions about any of them. 🤗

NPT: @maggiemayhemnj @magpiepills @morallyinept @inept-the-magnificent @covetyou @chronically-ghosted @for-a-longlongtime @legendary-pink-dot @gemmahale @schnarfer @romanarose @perotovar @soft-girl-musings @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @tinytinymenace @alltheglitterandtheroar @drawingdroid @yourcoolauntie @trulybetty @hannibals-favourite-meal @thefrogdalorian @gasolinerainbowpuddles

[nobodysdaydreams]

Okay, now they REALLY gotta drop the Jacobi duck-related lore 🦆 (and I need to stop holding out hope Blessie will return 😔💔)

(Or my reaction to Wolf359’s Mission Mishap Episodes).

Welcome back dear readers! My schedule has been busy lately, but the Mission Mishap episodes were mercifully short, so I’ve been listening to a few episodes per week and have gathered my reactions here for you all to enjoy.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom

Also tagging @lovelyladylavie because I promised I’d tag you way back on this post and forgot (I’m so sorry!) but my reactions are all under the tag so you should be able to find them!

Mission Mishaps: A Little Night Music

"Not fully reading your contract before you sign it...not understanding your job responsibilities, and wanting commander off your back" I love Doug's sponsorships and the dramatic irony 😂 *Cue The Fine Print playing in the background...*

I guess the only actor they could get was Doug. Nice of him to fill us in on what Minkowski and Hera are saying though.

OH MY GOSH.

HIS VOICE.

DR. DR. PROFESSOR DR. PROFESSOR F. EIFFEL 😂

It's so fancy. Mannnyyyy PhDs. Very impressive, Doug.

I'm so happy we got more radio show Doug. I need to hear him do a radio show where all his personalities talk to each other. Being the special guest on the show is Cutter's punishment for all eternity. The Dear Listeners make 5 copies of Doug so he can be all the characters.

"The feeling you'll die miserably..." yikes, broke character for a second there Doug.

"Ah yes...the way the piano notes dance around the...other piano notes...absolutely fantastic piece for when you want to start your day with the paino-y energy" Well said Doug.

Oh boy. Cowboy music. Is this the return of Badass McAwesome? Do I dare to hope?

Ah, well, better luck next time.

His poor toe. I hate when that happens too, Doug.

The...mind eraser?

Don't like how that sounds. Especially after the threats in "Change of Mind".

Better not be foreshadowing.

"This song is a mutant, it's superpower is being catchy. It never leaves."

Okay, THAT better not be foreshadowing.

"Afraid of the plant monster?" I wish we could be, Doug. I wish we could be. 😔🪴

"Worried you'll never get back to Earth to see you're family?" Oh, Doug. 💔

"Bosses you're pretty sure are kind of evil" Kind of is generous Doug.

Yeah...yeah Doug that got very dark there for a bit.

Moral boosting? Oh dear. MUTE 😂 AFTER TWO MINUTES 😂

I love Doug. Poor fellow. I enjoyed the broadcast Doug. They don't appreciate your talents.

Mission Mishaps: The Space You’re In

I love the title’s double meaning.

More of Doug dodging his work I see. A common theme.

“Please stop going off on tangents” I guess Cutter and Pryce didn’t send them up with any ADHD meds. “I’m here for work 😊” Nice cover, Doug. 👍🏻 nailed it.

“I’m gonna get that thing that I forgot”. You do that Doug.

How did I know Doug was gonna break something? 🤣

Specimen incubation period??? BLESSIE????

How dare they tease us with Blessie lore?

Good question Doug. Why IS there a harpoon?

Doug literally has no where to hide. 🤣

Oh right. Space. Why do I see that backfiring?

PFFTTT—- Did she just call him a lizard? 🦎

“It’s beautiful” -> “I hate space” poor Doug. I’m sensing a pattern 🤣

Mission Mishaps: You Want, I Solve Ah Doug stealing coffee from Minkowski. Once again, I sense a pattern.

Wait. A puppy? 🥰🐕‍🦺🐾

“The mean lady who runs this place” really Doug? You did just steal her coffee.

2 tails? Well, twice the wagging, I see that as a win. 🥰

Follow him Doug!

IS ZACH VALENTI DOING THE VOICE OF THE DOG?

AS SMEGOL AND GOLLUM FROM LORD OF THE RINGS?

AND IS DOUG HALLUCINATING FROM THE COFFEE???

The dogs are multiplying? David Bowie is here? Okay Doug is hallucinating for sure.

Ah hello Hilbert.

Why is he treating the manual like it’s the ring? 🤣

Well. That was weird.

Oh, Hilbert. All to get Doug to bond with the manual.

And yet something tells me he still won’t read it. It does sound like he might be cuddling with it at night and killing anyone who tries to take it from him though. Mildly concerning. Mission Mishaps: The Veldt Oh my gosh. The episode description. Eiffel goes into the greenhouse… y’all. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, but…

IS THIS BLESSIE CONTENT???? 🪴

I’m so excited guys. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, I know I shouldn’t, but I need Blessie back!

So Doug is doing his chores again. I sense a pattern.

He does a great Australian accent. Again, I need the aliens to clone Doug just so he can have a show where his different personalities talk to each other. Hm. Oxygen chamber has a lot of passwords. And a lot of weird ways to enter passwords. Which is nice for protecting the air, but not so great when you, you know, desperately need air and only have a few seconds to enter the password.

The binary forms of color? This is so extreme not to mention boring. Not one sign of Blessie. I’ve been bamboozled. And WHY is there a timer? This is so weird.

THAT’S IT?

Well I’m upset. We went to the greenhouse and didn’t see leaf or stem of Blessie. 💔

I’m not giving up hope. If not in the show then in fanfic that plant is coming back.

Mission Mishaps: Lights Out

Another entry from dear Doug. I wonder if Minkowski and Hilbert are gonna have him do something he doesn’t want to and then hijinks ensues and Doug messes something up?

HP Lovecraft, Call of Kuthulu? Oh me too Doug stuff is hard to pronounce.

Doug does a good creepy narrator voice. It’s funny to think of Hera listening to all this. It reminds me of those people on Lovelace’s crew reading stories together.

“Property of Dr….”

DOCTOR WHO? (A good show, but I’m literally asking the question).

Is it that girl on Lovelace’s crew who liked to read? (I’m sorry it’s hard to keep track of their names).

Ah yes, and the star is acting up. As is Doug’s imagination. I’m sure this couldn’t possibly go wrong.

Hilbert. What sample? What escaped?

I’m not getting my hopes up this time. You teased me with Blessie once. I’m not falling for it again. I’ve been burned before.

It just sounds like a little mouse. 🐁

…I hope it’s not one of the spiders… I’m now beginning to realize Doug’s fears…

“It’s small and scurrying”

Is it a mouse?

Doug, it’s probably just a mouse. “It’s staring at me.” Well it’s probably scared too, Doug.

Doug, you better not have killed that poor little mouse.

You killed the maintenance drone Doug? Well that was a wild ride. At first I thought they weren’t gonna go the “Doug messes up a thing Hilbert and Minkowski are doing” route but they always surprise me with their ability to bring it back there. Not that I’m complaining, I’m loving these stories. Mission Mishaps: Cold Turkey More Doug! Wow. 553 days. That’s… that’s a lot.

Thanksgiving? Is this the same Thanksgiving from Hera’s memory? 🦃

Banned from the kitchen? Oh poor, Doug. Was Hilbert not available? I guess he’s Russian so he doesn’t celebrate it. But he can probably cook.

Doug is just like me fr. Don’t ask my partner what happened when I tried to make him food. All you need to know was that I tried my best, and it’s the thought that counts.

Doug is gonna burn this Turkey. I know the actress was probably busy and these are “extra” episodes, but Hera please come online and help him.

Oh gross. Cans of spam? Disgusting.

Right, maybe Hilbert can do something. But on the other hand, Hilbert and Eiffel can make each other worse. And what was that about psychoactive properties? What was Hilbert exposed to?

“Can I give indifference? I have plenty of that.” Yes, Hilbert, you made that very clear.

“Oh well if I have to “come on”.” “Really!” “No.” Hilbert is lowkey hilarious 🤣 “I like pecan pie…maybe thanksgiving is not so terrible.” 🥧

I love how Hilbert sounds like he’s plotting something ominous even when he’s just talking about pie. 🤣

But seriously, why was he in Texas? He never answered that.

“The best way to keep him away from the kitchen was to put you in charge” oh poor Doug. She was right though.

Aw, this is sweet. I like how it connects to what we saw in Hera’s memories too.

Mission Mishaps: No Complaints Aw man, SI-5? What happened to Doug?

First they take Blessie from me then they force me to spent time with his killers.

Well gang, I guess it’s time for the adventures of Whiskey Man and Duck Boy.

Wow. Sitting in a car and brooding in the rain. An action packed adventure if I’ve ever heard one.

Oh wait, are they stalking Maxwell? They said she was from a small town.

“Did you stalk me?” Yes, he did Jacobi. Kepler was acting so creepy at that bar, I’m sorry. What even was that?

“I really hate you sometimes sir. ✨You’re the worst✨” oh Duck Boy you have no idea.

THE DUCK THING? OH NO PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE DUCK THING.

What video. WHAT VIDEO.

Please tell us why Jacobi is brooding and PLEASE tell us about the duck video.

Jacobi taught him questions only? Wow he really does love to dig his own grave.

Kepler is not your friend Jacobi. If you think he is, you… gosh you really need to meet somebody. Anybody.

All this complaining… Jacobi really is the evil version of Doug sometimes…

What was on Jacobi’s mind? What did Rachel think was on his mind? Oh, his one year recruitment.

Nothing good ever comes out of a mysterious duffel bag. Why does he have all those fireworks?

When your evil boss takes you on a fake stake out and gives you some fireworks to blow up because he knows you crave destruction: 💣🎆🥰🎇🧨😍

I like that they play fireworks sounds as they roll the credits. It’s a nice touch. Mission Mishaps: Happy Holidays Already down to the last one. Time flies when you’re having fun. Oh more SI-5. Hopefully a little less Whiskey Boy, a little more Duck related lore.

Oh no such luck. :(

Geez, Kepler really does love flexing every single bit of power that he has, doesn’t he? Just get to the point already! Why couldn’t he have been the one to go instead of Maxwell?

“Oh no! Not a binary fault in the quartical… um… that’s bad!” Duck Boy stop being funny I don’t want to like you.

Not Kepler’s slow claps… I swear this man is infatuated with the idea of being a super villain.

What are they afraid of?

…

A holiday party?

the evil space corporation has a HOLIDAY PARTY?

For what holiday? Cutter and Pryce clearly hate holidays. They’ve ordered people killed on nearly every holiday we’ve seen! … actually maybe that’s their way of making the holidays their own… and it makes me wonder who they want to kill at this party. Jacobi and Maxwell have a right to be concerned about this.

“We don’t ask questions. We trust that we were given orders for a reason.” THAT ONLY WORKS IF YOU ARE WORKING FOR TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE. And committing or endorsing murder takes you off the trustworthy list.

The idea of Cutter and Pryce celebrating Christmas disgusts me. Like, physically I have a hard time stomaching it. Christmas is about joy, and love, and goodwill toward mankind. Cutter and his crazy science gf have no place involving themselves in that. Not unless they show some serious remorse and do some serious penance and jail time.

SECRET SANTA EXCHANGE?

What kind of horrifying messed up gifts do people get each other? I hope Jacobi gets a pet duck.

… Maxwell’s mom died? “We all know you don’t talk to your mom” “…my mom just died?” “No Jacobi.” STOP BEING FUNNY.

Compare this to the holiday stuff that happens with the Hephaestus… this has such a creepy undertone. Especially when you imagine the events happening at the same time.

Well, that’s all for the Mission Mishaps. Sorry it took me so long guys, but I love and appreciate your patience. Excited to finish the rest of the series and hopefully I’ll have more for you soon!

[breezypunk]

Wip Wednesday/Wip whenever

just cos I am actually doin' some stuff and I felt like sharing : )

been finding my energy to make new photostories, it's a passion of mine and I just love doing it so much, so I've been coming up with ideas for future photostories, but here is a sneak peak of a more smaller one I recently made. I've been loving going back in time to the beginning of vaughn and goro's relationship, and even before they were a couple. So I definitely want to make more VP of them from '77 since my current timeline for them is 2083. (Almost 6 years of them putting up with each other's shenanigans, how do they do it)?!

I also am learning how to make custom poses! As of right now I'm learning via replacer method, I gotta start somewhere, and it's been really fun making poses, and of course I'm gonna start with masc poses cos vaughn ;p I'm thinking smokers pack to start with, since he chain smokes xD

Here's the very first one I made:

I had to be fancy with it haha. I don't know when a full pack will be ready, and I don't even know if I wanna release a replacer, I am planning on getting used to replacers first and than move on to axl poses so they are compatible with nibbles replacer, and than potentially make amm poses, but I loathe amm posing, and I use photomode poses religiously, so only time will tell.

I also wanna get back into writing and I did write a little thing, and I am super hard on myself when it comes to fic, I get very scared to share and end of nuking it like I did a few days ago and I regret it, so I will post it again in a few days. I am trying to become more confident in my art and I just wanna share it with the world.

So this is just a couple little things I'm doing, I also already know which mod I'll be working on soon, so that'll be coming as well :3 So yeah! If you see this, feel free to post about your wips, even tag me if you want <3

[miasmaghoul]

Miasmaaaaa darling, do you have any recommendations on fics for a fellow enjoyer of ghouls?

Loves and kisses,

An enamored anon too shy to send from main

No need to hide, sweetheart. I only bite upon request. 💜

But yes, I have many recs! Mostly smut, but I see nothing wrong with that. Though please do keep in mind that I am into what could probably be called "the weird shit." There's all kinds of pairings (mostly ghouls) and content here. Of course, it goes without saying that you should ALWAYS check tags before reading anything. Below the cut because I can't make anything short!

@st-danger - Literally everything Saint has ever written is 10000/10. Their fics have given me at least four new kinks so far and countless orgasms, and no I am not shy about admitting that (you're welcome Saint). You can't miss with any of their work, but if I had to cherry pick I'd give you Metamorphose, Pinned Wings, Uphold with a Righteous Hand and the entire forcedfem series that starts with Let Your Eyes Delight in My Ways. But I mean it when I say you can't go wrong with a Saint piece.

@anotherghoul666 - Another person responsible for giving me new kinks and orgasms (thank you, Hukka). Their works are immersive, filled with world building and character study. Recommend everything, once again, but cherry picking This Could All Be Yours, Make My Blood Rush (Slow Down), Drought or Euphoria and A Loosened Heart (Corrodes the Shield). No smut in that last one, but some incredible hurt/comfort.

@streamghoul - Stream is insane and unhinged and incredibly talented. I cannot WAIT to get to know them better because D A M N. Recommend Floodwaters of Phlegethon, let no one lust for martyrdom, Whiplash and Epiphany (that one is Copia/Mary Goore).

@iamthecomet - Comet is rad and sweet as candy and you should read her entire ficlet collection right now because hhhhhh. Also Step by Errant Step, Bend My Desire and Astraphobia! And of course Born Under a Troubled Sign because who am I if not a member of the Unholy Trinity?

@kroas-adtam - Gotta complete the Trinity! I don't really have to tell you to read Death of Peace of Mind, do I? Also Water is Wet because spite is delicious.

@waywardsamaritan - They're pretty new here, but they're AMAZING. I read their first fic ever (!!), when i get my hands on you, and I still REFUSE to believe it was their first. It's SO good. All of their stuff is incredible, but it's a power trip sent me to another dimension.

@feralghxuls - They have some of the most unique ghoul headcanons I've come across, and they're great reads. Highly recommend Unholy is the Lust in Your Eyes, To the Hunter from the Prey, You'd Never Want It To Be Over and Devoured by Shadows.

@ratballet - They get a special shoutout because paper armor (Copia/Dew) was the first Ghost fic I ever read and what eventually led me to dive headfirst into fandom again! Also a huge fan of new sensations, sweet temptations, sweeter if you stay and aftershow.

The same place I learned to give in and Thunder only happens when it's raining by @ohvegeta - Incredibly good, special pieces of writing, these. Love them both very much.

There Is Beauty In The Way of Things by @ghostinthewires - Not smut, but it's gorgeous and everyone should read it.

Unholy Trinity by @forlorn-crows - Crow I know we only really talk about Mountain but I am SICK over this big boy sandwich fyi.

Butterfly Garden by @youhaveahomeinmyheart - Eli also writes some great smut, but like...I can't NOT recommend the only fic that has ever almost made me cry.

The Shining and The Light by @mibo-nin - This one gets regular re-reads for a reason.

Obviously by @shelterforananimal - Bro. BRO. Soft and sweet and SO hot.

Weekend Warriors by LifeasanNPC - This person only wrote a single piece of Ghost fic and I honestly think it may be one of the best out there. Full stop.

There ya go, an incomplete but extended list of recs! Hope you can find something to suit your fancy!

[squishmittenficfan]

Thanks so much for the tag, @lilolilyr! This is a really interesting one 😀

I just wish I knew how to do the fancy little title links to everything I’m talking about…

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

A tiny amount in comparison to many, but I’m proud of my 32 works! Considering I’ve had a couple of huge gaps in writing and posting, I’m happy I even got past thirty!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

233,653

93.7k in 2018

91.2k in 2019

0 in 2020 Yup, one of those writing gaps was massive!

23.2k in 2021

22.5k in 2022

2834 in 2023 I had to drag those words out as @lilolilyr knows too well, with all my whinging!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Berena. I can’t imagine finding the voice inside my head for any other 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Fight For - 968

You gotta rub me the right way! - 625

Murder on the streets of Holby - 611

Running Away (together) - 470

There’s The Rub - 233

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely yes. When my stupid brain wanted nothing to do with fic in 2020, one of the things I felt bad about was all the unanswered comments. I like to acknowledge anyone who has taken the time to not only read what I’ve written, but also been kind enough to comment. I know it gets said a lot, but even an emoji left on a chapter or one shot genuinely makes my day! I used to get horribly hung up on comments and kudos, and would get a bit upset if something I posted didn’t get much attention. After my break in posting I became far more chilled about it. I primarily write things that I want to read, so as long as I’m happy with a fic, that’s all that matters. Comments and kudos are just icing on the AO3 cake.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don’t do unresolved angst! The closest I’ve come is ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow’ because it was for Berena Appreciation Week 2018, and the prompt was angst. It was my take on Serena, in Nairobi, receiving the call from Hanssen, asking her to return to Holby. In my mind, we knew it didn’t spell the end of her relationship with Bernie, so the sad and mildly angsty ending didn’t count.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Everything? 😆

Seriously though, probably ‘Running Away (together)’ because it ended up being the start of the series that saw Serena and Bernie getting married and properly settling down together.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

I think I had one fic get a couple of 💩 comments, but that was when there was a period where there was a contingent of Serena haters who just had to make themselves known. If I recall correctly, I basically replied telling them to fuck off (in the hope they’d used a legit email address and would see my responses!) then deleted the comments…

9. Do you write smut?

I have done. I find it very, very difficult though, and essentially used my first venture into smut as a template for the second and third. It does NOT come easily (ahem!)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. Again, I can’t imagine feeling like I could ‘hear’ any other characters well enough.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of. I can’t imagine anything I’ve written would be a big enough target for anyone to bother.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Berena, obvs!

I’m also reading a LOT of Rizzles these days.

Way, way back in the mists of time, I read a lot of Bad Girls. Also some Willow/Tara and 7/Janeway.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

My desert island fic - ‘Bernie Wolfe-Born Survivor’ I desperately want it written, but can’t imagine my brain cooperating, sadly. It would need to be a multi-chapter, and I struggled hard enough to squeeze 2834 words out of my brain this year!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, I think. My ladies do love to talk! Quite a few people also seem to comment on the humour in my fics, so that as well I guess.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut.

Plus just writing anything at all these days. 😕

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Erm… as in including lines in a different language to the main body of the story? It can be frustrating, but if you’re on AO3 and using Chrome (yes, yes I know!) you can just highlight the text and get it translated easily enough. Not so much on FFnet of course…

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Posted - Berena are my one and only, my OTP…

However, I did dip my toe, many years ago, into trying to write a Bad Girls fic. I didn’t get far at all before it stalled. It only took me nearly twenty years to try again!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I honestly like everything I’ve written. I wouldn’t have posted it otherwise!

I think I’m most proud of good old Dead Ed (aka Murder on the streets of Holby) though. As well as being my longest, it also has the most complex storyline and took a fair amount of planning out. From someone who very much winged most things up until that point, it was a bit daunting. Plus the worry that people might find the reveal of the murderer disappointing was a bit stressful, I must admit!

Blanks to copy:

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 3. What fandoms do you write for? 4. What are your top five fics by kudos? 5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? 6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 8. Do you get hate on fic? 9. Do you write smut? 10. Do you write crossovers? 11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? 15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t? 16. What are your writing strengths? 17. What are your writing weaknesses? 18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 19. First fandom you wrote for? 20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I’m not going to tag anyone, but I do recommend anyone who writes and has the time, to do it… it’s fun looking at the stats and thinking about all things fic related!

Thanks again for the tag, @lilolilyr, I really did enjoy this 😁

[siskiyn]

so yeah a couple weeks ago i started playing neopets again after 13+? years. i'm over here making a discount dnd party with names like these. i kinda like it though..... my oc brain is stirring after a long, long time. like i want them to be a crew. the found family trope incarnate. ride-or-die. i have no idea what colors i want these babies to be but i'm MOTIVATED. there are so many new paint brush / colors to consider too, i am actually having a blast over here making goals to reach & learning stuff i never ever bothered with in the past.

(please join me)

ONTO THE PETS + OC BRAINSTORMING

MALFEEN thinking wraith for Malfeen, first. he's becoming my battledome pet! something badass and/or eternal looking. that's all really. eventide zafara could be ok too with some customization. he look a little too unimposing with those eyes. something about wraith though OOH i want one.

VHAMPIRR Vhampirr has GOT to change species and color, grundos gotta be the UGLIEST mfers out in neopia i'm sorry. Vhamp's gonna be the leader because i rescued him from the pound first and ngl it was exciting. teenaged sisk never found anything good while pound surfing. now i don't even know how many painted pets i've seen in there. the satisfaction is astronomical.

anyways i don't wanna be too derivative with a name like Vhampirr but then again cringe is dead, he could be some cool undead mfer. i'm thinking darigan? (once a darigan fan always a darigan fan.) there are many good species options something about darigan xweetok makes me wanna punch it (lovingly). he looks like he'd make fun of you and be camp as hell. he looks like he gets a new piecing every time he's depressed because he finds it quite bracing and rejuvenating, actually.

OAXUN Oaxun is the only pet i made from scratch, in homage to an old pet from an old account (rip). the rest are pound finds. at first i was thinking making her into a little baby eyrie. babygirl of the party who everyone dotes on, receives the chaotic parenting of the whole gang. but man i love eyries a lot & with a name like Oaxun i feel like a material color like maractite, water or relic would be soo fitting. i'm less and less attached to baby the longer i think on it tbh.

GRIMSVONTE literally just adopted this dude tonight. idk if i'll keep him but i think royalboy or something fancy like that would match the name. he could be that escort mission tag-along that you absolutely suffer through. Grimsvonte hahaha... royalboy gelert got me fucked up with the bowl cut hair. it's giving trust fund kid, Grimsvonte the 3rd... it's giving "mother father i'm off on a harrowing adventure don't look for me". idk it could be comedy gold!!

not many of the royals appeal to me although royalboy peophin is kinda hot? Hot Middle-aged Grimsvonte?? no i'm not accepting comments. just think about it.

& that's it!!! well i have a baby kougra pound rescue but *covers his ears* i don't really like him or his ugly ass name. i think i'm overly attached to baby neopets due to Nostalgia only. they're relatively cheap to get too. i don't know! can you feel the vibe of this group so far? the vision?? if i do get a baby neopet it'll prolly be a more thoughtful addition. maybe one of the above will magically turn into a single parent. like, say... baby peophin for daddy Grimsvonte? (i know you agree. you agree with me right. look at them together.)

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @cat-esper!

Find the Word Tag

My words are home, bright, age, and creep

Your words are curl, tap, sock, clean

I'll pull from my current wip, MG3 :)

.

Avymere woke in the dark hour before dawn. It was a hard-earned habit of theirs, one cultivated by years of early meetings and busy schedules. They stared up at the cloth peak of the tent they shared with Elsind, already appalled by the desert's stifling heat. In that hazy space between reality and dreaming, they could almost imagine a vaulted canopy of silk and stucco in place of the rough burlap. Maybe one of the maids had overdone it with the furnace. Maybe they were still home in the Spearsong palace where they belonged.

.

"This place is somethin' else," Astra whispered. "I didn't know banks were this fancy!"

Mashal cocked his head, a realization ticking into place. "You've never been in a bank, have you?"

"Nope," the witch answered. She heaved a sigh, her bright eyes growing dull. "Every coin in my name is stuffed under the floorboards a' my vardo, all stuck up in Skysheer."

Involuntary, the man gave a wince. "That's... Gods, I thought you might’ve had some of it saved in Nakaow. I'm so sorry."

Astra shrugged. "Eggs, baskets, all that. I reckon if'n we win this fight, I can hike my ass back up there and hope it's all where I left it. If not, Avymere should be back on the throne by that time, and I ain't humble enough to not ask for a reward for gettin' 'em there. It'll all work out."

.

Avymere raised an eyebrow. "I would say not reacting to any sound took no small skill of your own. How old are you, changeling?"

"I- Huh?" Elsind cocked his head, confused. "I'm twenty, I think."

That was another unfortunate truth of knowing nothing of your own kind. Elsind had no idea how long he was supposed to live. Elves stopped aging around twenty-five and only started once more when they got to their three-hundreds, from where they aged very slowly until about five-hundred. Would he age like that too? Twenty was really too young to tell.

The Duchon nodded at their answer. "I will be one hundred and fifty-three this fall. Perhaps your accents could use a little tweaking from time to time, but remember that I've been doing this for over a century longer than you. When you consider how closely matched we are, that speaks much more highly of you than me."

.

"We've got a deal, so I don't gotta play polite 'round you no more." Astra stormed up to the Montane patriarch and jabbed a finger into his chest, not caring that she only just came up to the man's chin. "If you ever say some creepy shit like that again, I'm gonna set your desk on fire. I can't get outta this contract and neither can you, but that doesn't mean I can't make your life real fuckin' difficult. Don't ever talk to Mashal or me like that unless you're ready to piss on your favorite important papers when they go up in flames, ya feel me? We are your business partners. Treat us like it."

.

I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @mechanicalwings @melodicwriter @calicowrites and anyone else who wants in :)

[thebookworm0001]

What’s in a Computer 101

Motherboard - everything plugs into this. It makes sure every part talks nicely to each other.

CPU - brain of the computer. Roughly, bigger numbers = more brainpower

GPU - makes the pictures happen. Again, bigger numbers roughly equal more picture power.

RAM - short term memory. More of this means more things can happen at once. This is what gets eat by your open google chrome tags and makes things slower.

Storage - long term memory. Where you store all your downloaded but unplayed steam games.

PSU - UNLIMITED POWER. Nah but this is your battery and what makes sure all the pieces can turn on. Make sure it’s big enough and do not under any circumstances cheap out on this if buying separately. A cheap psu will explode.

Cooling - power=heat. More power means more cooling. There’s a ton of options.

Case - what everything goes into. Size matters. Make sure it’s big enough.

Motherboard - This determines the kind of cpu you can purchase because they fit into the board differently. They have different stuff going on depending on how much you want to spend. Basic boards will do what you want, but they may look busier and be lacking things you want (like a million usb connections or internal Wi-Fi).

They come in different sizes. Micro-ITX is itty bitty. Surprisingly, this does not mean cheaper. Then it’s mini-ATX. Both mini and micro will be lacking the extra PCIE slots that let you plug in things like multiple graphics cards or a Wi-Fi board if your motherboard doesn’t have that capability built-in. ATX is your standard size motherboard. Then it’s E-ATX. You can have More Stuff on this one. It’s big.

Pick a motherboard that has the functionality you want on it. You gotta make that choice based on your budget and on the other parts we’ll talk about in a minute.

You don’t really get to pick this for a laptop though.

CPU - There are two companies that make computer brains: Intel and AMD. They are in a constant fight to be the company with the most powerful brain. Their number schemes are weird. Intel is i3-, i5-, i7-, and i9- followed by some very large number. The general rule is the bigger the number, the more it can handle. AMD has the 3000,5000, and 7000 series. Again, bigger number, better performance. Bigger number also means more money. AMD had better cost/performance ratios when I built my stuff, but unless you’re aiming for the top tier of performance, the difference honestly isn’t that noticeable between companies.

GPU -On a pc, this will be your most expensive component. Again, bigger numbers = better performance = more money. There are two companies for graphic processing units: AMD and NVIDIA. NVIDIA has the RTX line or cards. The most recent is their 4000 series (4060,4070,4080,4090) and AMD’s 7000 series (7600 and 7000) Radeon cards are their competition. Again, unless you are aiming for The Best, you will not necessarily notice a difference and there ain’t no god damn reason to buy the 4090 or 7900 unless you have $2k USD burning a hole in your pocket.

The NVIDIA 3000 series and AMD 6000 series will be cheaper and work just fine. All of NVIDIA’s cards since the 3000 series have raytracing which is a fancy lighting thing big games use right now. It’s pretty and you do actually notice the difference. AMD’s lower tier cards don’t. I believe NVIDIA is sorta winning the performance fight right now but like I said. Unless you are going for ultra/elite settings on everything with 4k resolution… you’re not noticing a difference at medium/high at 1080p between any given company. You can also find older, used cards for cheaper that work just fine. Be careful that they weren’t used for mining though. They tend to be busted.

RAM - You want as much of this as you can get. 8 GB is not enough if you want to have more than one tab open in google chrome. 16 is the bare minimum for gaming. Pretty much anything new is gonna require 16GB of ram. Some people are starting to say 32 is now the thing you should aim for. Considering how cheap ram is right now, it’s probably worth it just as games get more demanding. This is less true for laptops because everything is more expensive in a laptop.

This also has to be compatible with your cpu so if you buy parts individually, you gotta do some digging on the CPU’s support list via your motherboard support site with the ram’s serial numbers to make sure it’ll work. This is not a concern with prebuilt machines like laptops or prebuilt pcs.

They also have different speeds if you want to make things go faster but that’s more advanced than I’m getting into here

Storage - There are three types of storage right now: hard drives, SSDs and M.2 SSDS. Hard drives are slower and physical. They’re cheap, good for massive storage. Not good for putting your operating system (windows, Linux, etc.) on if you want it to move quickly. SSDs - faster than hard drives, digital storage, and more expensive than hard drives. M.2 - looks like a stick of gum. Plugs into your motherboard directly (no wires), super fast. The most expensive. Laptops run off M.2s for space reasons. This makes more storage more expensive. You will need a lot of storage if you are running modern AAA games. They’re chunky now. 1000 GB makes 1 TB - most AAA games live in the land of 150 GB at least now.

PSU - power supply. Your graphics card is gonna determine this the most. But the more powerful your machine, the more power you need. This is the place you never, ever, ever cheap out. A bad power supply can blow up. Literally. Best case scenario with that is the computer you just bought is dead. Laptops don’t let you pick this. Instead you get averages of battery life. More battery life means less time plugged into a wall.

Cooling - how to keep your computer from dying from the heat. This will depend a Lot on your person preferences but also on the power of machine. Power=heat. The more powerful your machine, the more cooling you need. Entry level CPUs come with coolers. The more mid-tier and high-tier tell you to buy your own. You have two routes: air and water cooling. Air uses metal pipes and fans. Noctua is the brand everyone swears by and it’s the brand I bought when I upgraded my machine. They’re pricey, but they really are fantastic. They will also send you pieces later down the road if you upgrade your machine to a new cpu with different dimension so their cooler can still fit. Their site also has a bunch of graphs and charts and stuff to help you pick which of their coolers is best for your machine. Water cooling uses a bunch of tubes filled with water to pick up the heat and carry it to a big metal thing (radiator) that you attach fans to to blow out the hot air. It’s quieter than an air cooler, and you can do all this crazy custom stuff with it. Or you can buy an AIO (all-in-one) that just needs to be attached to your case and a fan. People fight about whether air or water cooling is better. All I know is that I don’t risk spilling water on my electronics with one. So that’s the route I go.

Laptops have their own thing going. They’ve got air cooling with little fans inside the case. More powerful laptops sometimes allow you to external coolers to help offset the heat. I would suggest these. Don’t fry your laptop.

Case - where you put everything. Laptops give you very little choice here and they all basically have the same shape. Gaming laptops are gonna have a certain Aesthetic that I can only describe as red/rainbow and Pointy. They tend to be a bit aggressive in their appearance. This is true for most gamer things and it’s hard to get around.

PC cases are mostly the same shape (rectangle) but have more variety in color and layout. That’s all personal preference though. but they’ve got stuff you gotta pay attention to. Namely their size. You gotta fit all your stuff inside it. Tiny cases will not fit an ATX motherboard. A giant case will fit everything but may also be bigger than you’d like. Basically, you gotta look at the dimensions of your other parts (the gpu and cooler mostly) and compare it to the case dimensions so everything fits. Prebuilt pcs take care of this for you.

My current rig

Motherboard: Aorus b450 pro Wi-Fi

CPU: Ryzen 7 5800X

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060ti

RAM: 16 GB

Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 1 TB SSD (2 of these, actually)

PSU: Corsair 650w

Cooling: Noctua NH-D15s (and a bunch of cheap upHere fans for my case)

Case: a Montech something-or-another that’s cheap and not made anymore from what I can tell

My rig can play Jedi:Survivor on high settings with ray tracing on at 1080p with no real issues. I want to do some upgrades, but that’s me chasing those insane top of the line rigs. I dont need to do that by any means. I can play any game that comes out in the next few years just fine.

@drakonovisny

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup :)

I am so sleepy. also photo of my fancy phone case I was so excited about under the cut.

on [flap] @macro-microcosm​ said: HAPPY KIRBY FLAP HAPPY KIRBY FLAP HAPPY KIRBY FLAP- so glad I'm not the only one who thinks he does this. and I relate, things aren't great but at least there are cute things to be a comfort

he is my little projection orb, therefore he must flail his little nubs around in excitement as I do. (also I hope things have improved for you, I’ve still got another 2 1/2 weeks to wait but hopefully the news will be good -n- )

this is how the phone case turned out btw! it’s by CandyDulceDeco on [etsy] or at candydulcedeco.com, they were very patient with working out all the little details and everything :> (that little post in the top corner is for a little loop to put phone charms on, I repurposed a bracelet with rainbow gummy bears as a little phone strap sometime after taking this photo)

on [meds] @plushslug​ said: I have MCAS too. Sucks hard. Keep fighting the good fight out there and may your symptoms be manageable 🫡

same to you *salute emoji I can’t find rn* (love your icon btw)

on [milk] @graycoin​ said: Ah shit, that sounds rough. You can Get Through It, but I am sorry you gotta. :/

thanks, I appreciate both the vote of confidence and the sympathy -n- (and in your other comment as well. thank you in general to the folks leaving supportive comments even though I don’t post them all, I really do appreciate it.)

I also appreciate everyone who rushed to give baby his choccy milk or demanded he get it, with special mention to @justawanderingfan​ who went so far as to [add] the glass (and the resulting smile) themself :)

on [keyblade] @angeryspeedo​ said: look at him. he is just a little guy...

every time someone tags my kirb as “just a little guy” or “a bean” or something like this I become more powerful :) (I even made a post on my personal blog when I first saw this tag that it means I Win At Art. there are many ways to win at art and I win often. drawing something that makes me laugh, drawing something my wife thinks is pretty, drawing something, drawing something that makes a stranger add a funny tag, etc. these are all Art Victories of equal value. I think this is a good way to think of creative hobbies.)

also on [keyblade] @joekingv1 said: *wonders who was baby's favorite character*

I think of the playable characters in birth by sleep, ventus would be their favorite. (both because kirby probably relates to him most and because his combat is most amenable to just mashing regular attack and dodge the whole time (which is mostly what I did lol)) out of all of kingdom hearts I do think they’d vibe with sora. my dirtboys.

on [crochet] @duerme07​ said: this -feels- crochet in a way that few other images have conveyed

thanks! it’s because I hate making small gauge amigurumi and have bad eyesight so this is exactly what I looked like for approximately 3 hours immediately following this drawing :)

on [blanket] @ceylonsilvergirl​ said: life has its ups and downs, is never just one or the other. stick it out through the difficult times And I will find comfy blanket time again

comfy blanket time can be anytime. even or especially during the hard times. (I hope you’ve got a break coming down the line too.)

on [valentimes] @wishiwould​ said: I sent this to all my family and sent the creator money on ko-fi bc delightful

extremely sweet of you, thank you so much! I always love finding valentines like this to send to my wife so I’m so glad I could make something similar for someone else lol (yes I did send this drawing to my wife and my partner for valentines day :v )

on [vacant] @sagessmoke​ said: he's a static image right, when i scrolled onto him he blinked and i need to know if im okay

yep, he’s a static image. when you’re seeing stuff directly from me, I always tag any moving image with “gif” even if it’s a small amount of animation. (my eyes play tricks on me sometimes too.)

anonymous asked: Do you like META KNIGHTTTT METAKNIGHHHHHYYYTTT

yeah he’s pretty neat! significantly more Shapes required to draw him than a kirborb tho lol