#’okay so what info do I need to make sure I qualify?’

[clowndensation]

insurance is literally the dumbest shit in the world btw.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Summer Breeze 8

Warnings: age gap (reader is 22, Andrew is mid 40s), dad’s friend, Andy being Andrew, other dark elements. As usual, be mindful of your content consumption.

I also beg of you to leave me some tuppence in the form of a comment and/or reblog. You are cherished!

Enjoy, my loverlies.

You leave your dad as the doctor goes through some tests with him. You sit out in the hall and stare at the panted brick. It’s so bad. He looks so vacant. He recognises you but he didn’t even remember the cottage. It took him a while to pick out Andy and he just called him the new neighbour. 

Your chest feels constricted and your head pounds each time you catch yourself holding your breath. A gentle weight on your leg startles you. You didn’t even realise Andy was sitting right there with you. 

“You okay?” He asks. You’re getting tired of that question. You’re not. 

“Yeah, uh,” you shake your head and swallow, “I... should call the insurance. The nurse mentioned something about it.” 

“Sure, sure, well, we can go grab your phone and I already gave all your dad’s info at the desk. His wallet’s in the room.” 

“Okay, yeah, I... need all that.” 

You’re just moving through the motions. Those walls are maddening. It’s all you’ve seen for the last day, almost two. You’re going to go crazy from the noise of alarms and call bells and beeping and whirring and everything. 

When you have your dad’s wallet and your phone, you leave Andy. It’s as good an excuse to have some space as it is to actually do something useful. You sit outside on the curb and breathe in the open air. It doesn’t taste like sanitizer and latex. It’s refreshing but chilling. 

You dial out to the number on the back of your father’s insurance card and smooth out the first night’s invoice. You wait on hold, the droning music itchy in your ears. When at last an agent picks up, you answer their questions. 

“Mm, yes, I see here the hospital submitted the claim. The admitting paper work is here on file,” the agent says, “it says the patient had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit. Some sort of motorized vehicle accident?” 

“A jet-ski, yeah,” you answer, blinking as acid brews in your stomach. 

“Right, right, so reviewing everything, the details we got from the healthcare provider and yourself, the cost of the room will be covered up to sixty percent and any diagnostics and testing do not qualify for coverage.” 

“What?” You puff out, “that doesn’t make sense. He has insurance.” 

“His insurance doesn’t cover injuries sustained under the influence of intoxicating substances. It’s typical insurance policy. You can access the terms under his account number through our app. If you have an email, I would be happy to forward a copy--” 

“No, no, this can’t--” You press your palm to your forehead as panic swirls in your chest and chokes you, “how... how are we going to pay for all this?” 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I wish I had an answer for that, but I can only speak on eligibility--” 

“I know,” you cut off sharply, “I know. I’m not—I'm sorry, I’m upset. Thank you. Thanks. I... have a good day.” 

You hang up and have to keep from throwing the phone. God, you always knew your dad’s drinking would get him hurt and now it’s going to bankrupt him. You nearly keel over at the thought of your tuition washing down the drain. It’s a selfish concern but you have three years behind you, you’re so close to the finish line. 

Who cares about a degree. You can’t lose your dad. You rub your eyes until they stop tingling and get up. You tamp down your distress and head inside. 

You approach your father’s room and find Andy waiting outside. He sits up as you near. He gives a tight-lipped expression, somewhere between a frown and a smile. You fold up the bill and and your dad’s wallet and clutch it against your phone. 

“Everything okay?” He asks. 

You’re so tired. You blow out between your lips. He’s done enough. He doesn’t need to worry about this. 

“Yeah, uh, yeah, just sitting on hold forever,” you grumble. “How’s dad?” 

“I think he’s doing alright. They said they need to do a bit more. Do some scans. X-rays, MRI, stuff like that. He’s going to be here for a while.” 

“Oh, I... makes sense,” your lips trembles and you make it stop. Each night is more money. You tuck the wallet and phone into your pocket. “I’m going to check on him.” 

“Okay, want me to come?” 

“No,” you say abruptly. “No, I just... want a moment.” 

“Sure, sweetheart, whatever you need.” 

You go inside the room and find your dad with his eyes closed. You stop beside his bead and stare. The large bandage around his head reminds you of the damage done. Damage that likely can’t be undone. 

“What’re you staring at?” He opens his eyes. 

You give a start and cough, “sorry, dad, I... I was checking on you.” 

“You look like crap,” he says in his blunt way. That makes you laugh. “Andy says you been chasing your tail all around.” 

“I... I’m worried.” 

“I hit my noggin, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I’ll have you back in time for prom.” 

You shy away as if you’ve been slapped. You search his face. He’s not kidding. 

“Dad, I... I finished high school three years ago.” 

His face slackens and fear ripples over him, “three years?” 

You touch his arm, “it’s okay. The doctor said it will take you some time to get back to normal.” 

“Mmm,” he hums, “yeah, I don’t feel very normal.” 

You’re quiet. What can you say? You’re as scared as he looks. 

“You gotta go,” he says suddenly, “get some sleep.” 

“What? No, I’ll stay and sleep here.” 

“On the floor? Nah, don’t be dumb,” he looks towards the door. You follow his gaze and find Andy watching, “Andy, you take her and make her get some sleep. You can come back tomorrow, kiddo.” 

“But--” 

“Now don’t be stubborn. You get that from me,” he points at you but his hand is weak and shaky. “’sides, I’m tired.” 

“No problem, Doug,” Andy says as he breaks the threshold, “we all need to rest up, huh?” 

You look between them and hide your chagrin. You don’t appreciate Andy listening in like that. You’re sure he’s just concerned but his help is starting to turn suffocating. 

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

Character: Indiana Jones

Warnings/Important info: Fem reader, implied English or at least has been to Oxford University. Angsty, miscommunication.

Notes: I watched Indiana Jones the other day and obviously my first crush never leaves because young Harrison Ford as an archaeologist adventurer is just *chefs kisses*

It's bizarre really, potentially concerning, worrying to a degree, that after 5 years you know the back of his head from a glance. Suffice to say you try not to draw attention to yourself when you recognise who stands mere meters away from you talking to two of his students about antiquarianism.

Maybe you should have expected it, after all Henry Jones seemed to have a way of haunting you. Maybe you should have been prepared to see him, despite assuming that the United States was so vast that your move from the University of Oxford to Marshall College as a newly qualified Doctor of History would certainly not guarantee seeing him. Perhaps, it was the Moirai, the fates, trying to test your resolve or simply coincidence.

But, after five years without a single letter, a single telephone call or telegram, you certainly weren't keen to stick around and have a conversation with the man. Besides, you had lectures to teach, students to help, papers to grade (okay, maybe not the last one considering it was in fact the very first day of the academic year).

It is with a sharp back peddle that has you careering into a pair of students behind you with a clipped apology that you make your daring escape and it is a surprised call of your given name that has you freezing, turning about face and responding with a strangled "It's actually Dr. Y/L/N now."

"What? I'm not allowed to call you by your name anymore? Guess you've already recinded the right to call you Honey Bee too." There are students stopping to watch, what feels like the entire student body eager to watch the new History professor and the most loved Archaeology professor at each other's throats. A mystery arising from their familiarity and a curiosity at what history lay between the two. You certainly weren't eager to put on a show.

With a flick of the wrist you smooth down your skirt, turning on your heels and walk away calling out to him, "It was a pleasure to see you again, Dr Jones." It leaves Indiana gaping in the centre of the quad, watching the sway of your hips and the click of your shoes on the pavement as you leave him behind.

You choose to ignore the bubble of anxiety it puts in the pit of your stomach all day. Your lectures help to distract you at least somewhat from the reality that your former...you're not even sure what to call him...something, is present and working at the same university as you and you briefly wonder if it isn't too late to go back to your job at Oxford. You're sure Professor Haylett would let you come back, you might need to grovel a bit but...perhaps that was preferable to the potential mess that was being in close proximity to Henry again.

The last time you'd see each other, he'd been a 27 year old Archaeology professor. Young, dashing, charming, with every student at the University of London eager to please him and hoping the American would give them extra attention. You had been a 23 year old History PhD student, one of the few women allowed to do so, after much hard graft and determination. You had refused to let anything or anyone distract you from your studies, from your goal...and then you'd been told that he could help you with your PhD, that he had some specific knowledge on the Battle of Syracuse that you could use and...you'd found yourself suitably distracted. You would be being bitter and unfair if you didn't admit that in the year you'd known him he'd helped you with your thesis immensely...but he'd also put your reptuation at risk, broken your heart and made promises that he never would fulfil. Your mother was right...romance was certainly a tricky business.

You're so frazzled at the end of the day that you don't even recognise that your office has the lights on, if you had, you would have stopped before entering, instead you bulldozer your way in and stumble at the sight of him sat in a chair waiting paitently as if he wasn't phased one bit by your reappearance in his life.

"So, Honey Bee, you gonna tell me why I get such a frosty reception?"

"Yo-The absolute...I cannot...ugh!" You find yourself unable to stutter out a complete sentence as you slam the door shut, it reverberating on its hinges. "You have some nerve, Henry Jones! As if you don't bloody know!" You storm around him, putting the hard wood desk between the two of you and shuffling papers to keep from looking at him knowing he'd melt your anger in a second just with a smile.

He always had the most ridiculous ability to placate you and you wanted to feel angry today, not soothed like a skittish horse or malcontent cat.

"Sweetheart, if I knew I wouldn't have asked!" It's the silky smoothness giving away to frustration that causes you to look up, your bottom lip shuddering under the weight of the sadness that sits in your chest, old feelings that you thought you'd processed and put to bed coming to the surface.

"You promised..." He's silent, confusion deepening as you take a deep breath and begin to pace back and forth behind your desk, agitation growing with each movement. "You promised to write me, to call or send a telegram and you never did. I...I waited to hear from you and I heard nothing. So I am dreadfully sorry, Henry, if I do not feel particularly like pleasentries or intimiate nicknames in front of an entire cohort of students! I have had to earn my place and I am still fighting for respect and no man, one who doesn't even honor his promises, is going to ruin this for me!"

You are breathing heavily, body warm, shoulders rising and falling with every agitated movement of your lungs as he looks down at his lap. Silence falls between you for so long that you turn to look out the window of your office, at the street lamps with their warm glow, the last few students wandering across campus as evening sets in.

"I did...I wrote you." His voice is low, quiet, the sort of quiet that Henry Jones never was, so quiet in fact that you turn to check he actually spoke.

"I wrote every day for three months...half of it was stupid, five lines about my day or a single sentence to say hello. I wrote for three months, sweetheart."

"Three months?"

"Three."

"But, I never...how...if you wrote for three months then how on earth did I not receive a single one!" You're unsure if you believe him, at the same time you never knew Henry to be a liar and it...it boggles your mind. There's an impending sense of your world teetering on it's axis, emotional whiplash as you feel a soaring sense of hope, yet a feeling of disbelief, fear, all rolled into one.

"I don't know, honey, but I wrote for three months to 21 Hanover Street and you never wrote me back so I assumed...I assumed you'd moved on, found yourself a nice, sensible husband and gotten married!" There's an anger that you'd never noticed til now, a sense that he'd been hurt to, that he'd felt like you'd abandoned him. So far removed from the debonair, rakish persona he so often displayed.

"21 Hanover Street? You wrote to 21 Hanover Street?"

"Yes, goddamn it!"

"Henry...I lived at 12 Hanover Street."

"What?"

"I lived at number 12, one two, not two one. 12!" It is so absolutely absurd that you can't help but start laugh rather hysterically. That you felt abanonded all these years, angry, resentful, heartbroken and he'd simply gotten the wrong house number, a stupid, ridiculous mistake that had broken your heart into pieces, only to reforge it again.

"You're telling me that for three months I was writing to the wrong address...?" Henry is out of his chair, rounding the table and closing the distance between you so fast that it makes your head spin...or perhaps that is the effect of the emotional journey you're currently experiencing.

"I'm afraid so..."

"Goddamn it...well, shit, honey..." There's a pregnant pause as your eyes scan his profile, the frustrated set of his brow, the clench of his jaw, the familiar bend of his nose. He's not changed, not really. He's older, more lines around his eyes than last you remember, and a few more grey hairs, but then you're older too. Your first grey hairs finally settling in, the soft baby fat of your face having melted away somewhat over the years. But, he's still Henry and you're still the busy Honey Bee he used to chase around the library to the chagrin of the librarian. Things haven't really changed, you realise. With the removal of the one point of hurt between you, you can acknowledge that you still love him without the weight of anger or heartbreak pushing it down.

"Henry?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Kiss me." It makes you laugh against his mouth how quickly he follows your request, the scrape of his stubble against your skin an old, familiar sensation that you'd all but forgot. It was like coming home, so familiar that it sent a sharp stabbing sense of yearning into your chest even as his arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you to him.

The woodsy smell of his cologne surrounds you, the familiar tweed of his suit jacket scratches your arms, the soft strands of his hair through your fingers, the press of his nose against your cheek. It's like there hasn't been five years since you last kissed, like you hadn't been so angry with him up until five minutes ago that it hurt.

God, and to think, you'd nearly gone your entire life thinking he'd never cared. All because he'd mixed up two simple numbers.

[yuurivoice]

Not answering is A-okay with me fyi, but I just wanted to say as someone who struggles, THANK YOU for the sh "content" take. Do some people have good intentions? Sure, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Do good intentions even begin to scratch the surface of qualifying someone to handle it in a respectful and proper way regardless of personal experience? Nah. Thanks for keeping your space cool and safe, you're a real one.

- appreciative long time follower

I appreciate the message because sometimes I second guess myself like omg is my stance on this too firm? So hearing that I'm making sense to someone is comforting.

If that sort of stuff has helped people, etc, and it never got weird, I'm glad it helped. I wouldn't want to diminish that experience.

At the same time, my exposure to this that radicalized me was when I stopped in on someone's stream to get some insight into a situation (untold years ago) and got some key info that I think set my opinion in stone.

People boasting that they were making content like that for vulnerable people, and that those people "need us", framing the dynamic in the most codependent, unhealthy way you could fathom.

People who had been making this content since they were MINORS, and into young adulthood, who were also at risk themselves at the time.

Financially incentivizing their help with donations and wishlists, leveraging their own struggles and lack to create what I feel is a radically unhealthy relationship between comfort/aid and risky spending.

So yeah. I don't take too kindly to idiots with microphones specifically targeting vulnerable individuals who need a hotline far more than a parasocial hyperfixation.

I don't speak on a whole lot on shit in the ASMR Roleplay slash hobbyist VA space, but that in particular is a rancid corner I stumbled across that I think invites some of the most at risk, vulnerable members of the community to put their wellness in the hands of people who I frankly wouldn't trust to put my fries in the goddamn bag let alone talk to me about the value of my life and why I should stick around.

If I seem harsh, it's because somebody damn well should be. Shit isn't a game.

Anywho......yep. The topic came up recently in private when I was dealing with an unrelated situation, and I remembered this exact thing and how much it bothered me.

I can respect anyone who would like to hear very specific comfort from one of my boys. I don't fault you for that. You know they'd want the best for you. I just don't think I can personally deliver it to you, and they wouldn't want me to, because I can't do nearly enough for you. You deserve better than care being pantomimed and imagined, and no matter how alone you feel, there are people who will fight for you, you gotta go grab them and tell them you need that. And if they fail, you try again, and again.

Me and my content can be a lot of things, and helping soothe aches is a big part of the job, but there are limits. I think there has to be for the safety and peace for everyone involved.

I can't risk putting myself in a spot where someone has to rely on me like that, and I wouldn't want to put them at risk either. Because I can fail. Maybe the words wouldn't be right. Or the tone didn't match their needs. Or it was just too little too late.

For everyone, that's a path we shouldn't go down. But we can still support one another. I think my characters and their stories are filled with messages and purpose for people who are in need, because I've been there. Quite literally, I'm familiar with the territory. So what I've created reflects that journey. It may not be specifically comfort for the thing. But the underlying meaning and purpose is one that speaks to some of those dark places.

Or not. Because it's art. You'll take what you want from it. But you'd probably find it there if you need to.

Anywho. Thanks for the message, Anon. Take care of yourselves, everyone. 💖

[keymintt]

Not sure if this has been asked before but, how did you start doing professional work for traffic cabinets? Was there some sort of job fair or exhibit that you advertised your art at and the city decides "this guy is really good, let's get his art in public"?

OKAY so the thing with public art is it's all local and every city kinda does it differently, but so far in my career all of the public art stuff i've done has been application-based

this got long so i'll go into details about what the searching/application process looks like under the cut but tldr: a big part of finding work like this is knowing where to look for local opportunities and submitting applications

generally the cities/towns/whatever will put out a call for artists (also sometimes called a request for qualifications or RFQ) that's basically like "hey we need some artists to do this, this is how much we'll pay you and the details for the project" and from there they'll link a form (or sometimes give you an email address) to apply to where you submit stuff like your contact info, resume/portfolio, sometimes references, and usually a letter of interest on the project

because i submit applications to things pretty regularly, i'm usually good about keeping track of what i use to apply to things—this includes what i've written for applications and stuff like image descriptions—so when I apply to new things it's a lot of copypasting and editing things to explain how i'm a fit for the specific project yadda yadda it's cover letters. it's basically cover letters. pain and agony

in terms of finding the applications, i'm signed up for several local newsletters and arts organizations, but i also check sites like the az commission of the arts (bc i'm az-based) for their updated list of opportunities pretty regularly, as well as searching for stuff like [city] arts and culture and poking around the .gov sites to see if they have an arts opportunities page. in all honesty a pretty big component of finding this work is knowing where to look, and unfortunately if you're doing public art a) it's not always listed on social media b) the best places to look/start are local, and that differs for everyone so i can't say like "oh look here and you'll find something"

once you apply it usually takes awhile to hear back (they usually give you a timeline on the initial application of how long it takes to review all the applications), but i've found people in these fields are good about letting you know when you didn't get something so you can move on with your life lol. atm i'm waiting to hear back from....over five things so i'm kind of always doing this "applying to projects while i'm working on other projects" song and dance which is honestly just...kind of the freelance artist experience?

i feel the need to mention that public art stuff like this consists of about...2/5 of my yearly income...? i'm not solely making a living off of doing these things bc i also usually have teaching and ttrpg illustration stuff in the mix BUT there are artists who can and do make a living off public art and murals and whatnot. i simply cannot resist the urge to stick my finger into any pie i'm even remotely qualified for

working with public art stuff is also that same thing with a lot of fields where once you get some sort of experience, it's easier to get more jobs, BUT as an artist your portfolio can do a lot of speaking for you, even if you don't have experience with public art specifically. take my traffic boxes for example: i've done three of them now and have a fourth lined up, i know that if there's an application for one i have the exact experience they're looking for and will in all likelihood be one of the selected artists at this point. however with my very first one, i obviously didn't have a traffic box in my portfolio so i included a digitally illustrated city banner i designed, several other digital illustrations of mine (bc they wanted a digital artist), and a mural i had painted on a 3d object (to demonstrate i could design with 3d forms in mind), and together these things all helped my credibility as someone who could do this project. as much as i loathe writing letters of interest these are also good places to elaborate on how your portfolio can connect to the project

also with public art starting local is also your best bet at first (not to say you can't land other opportunities right off the bat though), bc people like their artists to know the local scene. i have the experience to back me up more nowadays, but when i was first applying to things you bet your ass i was all like 'i love it here and want to give art back to my local community bc i'm an artist and i'm fresh out of college yaaaaayyyy' you don't have to mean this when you say it, but they don't have to know

thank you for the ask !! and best of luck with any of your potential artistic endeavors (to anyone reading this)!! feel free to ask any more questions, i'm happy to elaborate on anythin btw for anyone :>

[saphstories]

✨Welcome to the Sapphire Storybook! ✨

My little realm of make believe! Feel free to leave reality at the gate. 😁🥰💖

My name's Saph, Saph the Dragon! I'm so happy you decided to check out my blog page, where I share my imagination and love for all my fandom craziness! You'll find all the need-to-knows and directory under the cut! Have fun! 😘🥰

Main Info:

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: Late Twenties.

Spirituality: Christian. (I only mention this to give you a better understanding of who I am, what makes this little dragon tick!😁)

I am the creator formerly known as SkyWriter. If you've come looking for her, you've succeeded!

My Ask Box is OPEN.

Requests are CLOSED.

Hyperfixations: Currently? ALL THINGS SONIC!!! 😂🥰 SHADOW MY BELOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Current Project:

The Three Sovereigns: A tale of war, a tale of hope, a tale of Sovereignty, and of course, a tale of our favorite hedgehog trio! 💖 No promises, but I hope to release Book One in the holiday season, so stay tuned!

AUs:

The Three Sovereigns (In Progress)

Second Chance AU (Casual; Unwritten)

Luna AU (In Progress)

Ghost House AU (Casual; Unwritten)

Blue Myosotis AU (Casual; Unwritten)

Safe In My Arms AU (Casual; Unwritten)

Sonic Droid AU (Casual; Ask Box)

Terabithia AU (Casual; Unfinished WIP)

Go Find Me:

AO3: Saph_Stories

Ko-Fi: saphstories

Wattpad: Saph_Stories

General Rules:

No NSFW or Explicit Content. Keep it PG-13 or put on a Maturity Filter or Trigger Warning, please!

No Real-World Political Content. This is a world of make-believe, it exists to have fun and tell stories, not to debate about the state of the real world.

No edits, recolors, reposts, or blatant theft of my work. I pour my heart and soul into my works, guys. If you wanna share it, reblog it!

I say yes to fanworks of my work! If it inspires you that much, I'm honored! So fanart, fanfic, videos, any type of fanwork of my works is very much allowed and encouraged, so long as the OG is credited and I'm tagged so I can see and squeal over it! 🥰 (If you aren't sure what qualifies between these two rules, feel free to check with me!)

Be Kind. Be Respectful. Be Mindful. Hatred and Nastiness is NOT TOLERATED in the Storybook. First time offenders get a personal, single warning. A second-offender? You will be blocked and reported. This is your ONLY warning.

Request Rules:

ALL GENERAL RULES APPLY.

If the Directory states that Requests are CLOSED, then REQUESTS ARE CLOSED. DO NOT HARASS ME ABOUT OPENING OR TAKING REQUESTS WHEN THEY ARE CLOSED. I open requests when I have time, in between major projects, because I choose to. Harassment about opening Requests will lead to immediate banishment from the Storybook.

I reserve the right, as the author, to refuse any request for any reason, with or without disclosure to the submitter. Basically: I can and will say no and don't have to explain why.

I do retain ownership and all creative licensing as the author for any and all fic requests written. As such, I retain the right to post them on any such of my platforms as I choose as my own work. Reposting of any sort is prohibited. No exceptions.

DO NOT HARRASS ME ABOUT WHEN YOUR REQUEST WILL BE POSTED. I write requests in the order they are received. Please, for the love of all that is holy, be patient. I will get to your request when I get to it and not a moment before. Harassment about posting schedules will result in your request being denied and banishment from the Storybook.

If there is a theme or prompt list, please do your best to stick to it! Some outliers or deviations are okay, but if I decide on a theme or prompt list, do your best to keep your request within those parameters, please!

Be as specific or as vague with your requests as you like! If there's a specific scene or character dynamic or anything you want to see happen, please do tell!

If the request features an OC and/or Content from a third party (Not owned by me the Author or you the Submitter), I will be verifying they have given express permission for their OCs and/or Content to be used! This is to protect my credibility as an Author and my DMs from accusations of theft. If they have not given express permission, I will not be writing requests with any OCs and/or Content they own.

I WILL WRITE ✔️:

(Listed below are the Mains, if you don't see something specific that isn't outlined in the ✖️, feel free to ask! 😁)

Types: Canon Explorations or Divergences; Fix-Its; Character Studies; Alternate Universes; Crossovers.

Fandoms: Sonic the Hedgehog (I feel like this one was obvious 😂), Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Doctor Who (Specifically the Nine and Ten (TENNANT MY BELOVED) Era, but I won't object to Eleven if I like the Request enough. 😊), the Bad Guys, Phineas and Ferb.

AUs: Most of my AUs, The Murder of Me (Not Mine, but Gigi has stated that she allows fanworks.).

Characters (Canon or OC): Just about Any from the Fandom List, along with most of my OCs and AU Alternate Characters.

Ships: Generally: Any CanonxCanon, CanonxOC, or OCxOC (So long as they have compelling chemistry!😊 Mind the WNW✖️'s) Specifically: Sonamy, Shadouge, Shaph(...What?), Silvaze, Zutara, Tenrose, TenSaph(Whistling Innocently), Phinabella.

I WILL NOT WRITE ✖️:

(These are the Mains/Umbrellas and are Non-Negotiable. If you don't see something stated or that falls into these categories, feel free to ask me!)

Explicit or NSFW Content of ANY Kind.

Romantic Non-Consensual Ships and Content.

Incest or AdultxChild ships.

LGBTQIA+ Ships and Content.

Real-World Political Content.

CanonxReader Ships and Content.

Non-Fiction. (I feel like this should be obvious.)

Horror. (Think Texas Chainsaw or Friday the 13th. Things like that.)

Overly Complicated/Headache Inducing Time Travel. ('Nuff Said.)

✨️ These Rules and Guidelines, both General and Request, are subject to addition and revision at any time as I, Saph the Dragon, Owner and Author of the Sapphire Storybook, deem necessary.

You are loved. You are valued.

Have fun. ♥️

[foreverisntenough]

Love your fics!!

What are your fave parts, spicy and/or non spicy, throughout the You’re Mine & Ours (and extras) fics?

Like what are you happiest with? And what was the most enjoyable to write?

Wowwww. These questionsss... I need other people to answer these too! Im dying to know but hmm... This will be long

Favorite Parts

Spicy: I think Chapter 2 leading into Chapter 3 in 'You're Mine' when they first begin to hook up... Is the one that outwardly sticks out to me because I was just so excited for it all to kick off.

You pulled one of his hands from you guiding it with your own up your body. From your ass, around your hip, up your stomach, racking your ribs, under and over top of the side of your boob, over your collarbone. Your hands moving painfully slow for Trent. He just wanted to ravage you. He wanted to protect you, love you but destroy you at the same time. He needed to know what you were like in bed. Now.

Chapter 29 in 'You're Mine' - Just anytime they would tease the other was 😮‍💨 Them laying in the cinema.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just keep your cock warm inside me right now?” You whispered out of the blue into Trent’s ear. His eyes widened. His breath hitched. Your teeth nibbling and pulling on his earlobe. “Oh my goddd” he groaned but equally as quiet back to you feeling his cock start to harden. It resulted in him making another mistake in the video game.

Like any of the flirty bits like Chapter 29 in 'Ours' them laying in the cinema again. That room in general was spicy lol

“Is it? Because I think it turns you on.” You giggled with a cheeky smile giving him a bit of a tease. “I think it turns you on!” He yelped defending himself, turning your accusation back on you with an equally if not more cheeky smile. “Depends on the context, you just turn me on.” You repeated his initial commentary. He hummed in agreement, pecking your lips.

Non spicy: I think a lot of the more wholesome bits. maybe just the babies tbh

Chapter 15 in 'Ours' When teddy says 'dada' and they're playing footie.

“Good girl, Ted.” You encouraged her as you took your seat down onto the turf. You assumed after that reaction you’d be here for a while. You watched on with a smile. Teddy would turn around every so often to make sure you were still watching them after she heard your first compliment. If you happened to be on your phone the second she did, she would let you know. ‘Mama!’ yelled immediately grabbing your attention. They must’ve done that on repeat for an hour. Neither one was tired of it. Trent was stood on his knees next to her but leaned over and whispered in her ear. You watched him stand up and turn towards you. “Should we go get mummy?” He asked Teddy and started to jog towards you Teddy eagerly trying to keep up with him. You smiled and got up from the turf. You ran towards Teddy and scooped her up off the grass. She squealed.

Part 1 of 'The Epilogue' had to be Theo liking sheep for me. It was so beyond random but such a nice look at their family.

“Dada, know sheep are softs.” Theo tried to qualify what merited the new obsession. “Erm… yeah I guess, mate. Any other info for me or just that they’re soft.” Trent tried to stifle his laugh. He wasn’t expecting Theo to dole out any real reasoning but ‘soft’ wasn’t really high on his list either. He was also trying to work out if Theo had even seen a sheep in person. “Cool toos.” Theo tacked on. “Okay, soft and cool, that's valid enough. C’mere my little sheep.” Trent cooed, squeezing Theo a little tighter as he wriggled in his dad’s arms, still going on about the animal with unabated enthusiasm

I'll be so real any little scene with Teddy

In the pool - Chapter 21

“Mama! Like wawa!!!” She squealed. You giggled and pressed kisses to her cheek sporadically, keeping her close to you not letting her leave her seat safe on the step.

Racing in the house - Chapter 26

“Erm…” Teddy hummed thinking for a moment what to do. She wanted to win too but his arm clearly stretched past hers and you all could see that. “Tie dada, tay? We tie, tay?” She smiled at him before scootching herself up a little more on the carpet on her belly with a wiggle for their fingers to come be relatively aligned. Your heart warmed.

Afraid of thunderstorms - Chapter 23

“Ted...” he tried not to laugh. “Look, baby.” He pointed to the splashing puddles on the patio stone outside the glass door “It’s just wawa. You’re okay.” He cooed. They sat there for a while embraced. Teddy squeezing him a little tighter every time she heard the thunder but bravely watched the puddles regardless. 

The chapter I am happiest with probably has to be Chapter 1 of ‘You’re Mine.’ I don't think it is the best as far as composition but it just set the tone for obviously a massive piece of work. I thought it was enticing, exciting, realistically farfetched. The whole thing made me smile.

Most enjoyable to write: These are probably two very contrasting chapters but they were by far my favorites to write

Chapter 12 in 'Ours' was probably one of my favorite chapters start to finish.

Chapter 19 in 'Ours' was... and I know this is backwards but I love the turmoil.

You didn't ask this but just general recurrences I always liked... Marcel and Teddy's relationship, Trent being soft, Anytime Y/N opened up, Trent dropping his bags by the door. idkkk....

Anything readers liked that I missed?

TY again for this question

[n1ghtcrwler]

Revival, Part One

From the records of John Matteson Dated 1 August 2028

“You look like shit,” Fox said as I walked into the office.

“Good morning to you, too.”

“Have you been drinking again?”

I slumped onto the couch. “A little. It’s not what you think, I just…needed a little.”

“The fact that you need it is the problem. Now get off your ass and clean yourself up, you have a client waiting in your office.” I pointed at my office door and silently expressed my confusion. “She didn’t give me a name, but swore you’d recognize her, the poor thing. So I let her wait there.”

I grumbled and went to the bathroom, to adjust my tie and clean up my face. When I was satisfied it was as good as it was going to get for now, I went into my office. “Good morning,” I said, closing the door behind me. “What can I do fo–” I froze as she turned to face me.

“Hi, John,” Lori said.

Twenty-three years, this November. It was like a timer went off in my brain, counting from the last time I’d seen her; one I didn’t even know was running. We stared at each other for a moment that felt way too long, and then I caught my breath and hurriedly made my way to my desk.

“Matteson,” I managed to get out, before clearing my throat and trying again. “People call me Matteson.”

She looked concerned as she leaned forward. “No one did until her, John,” she whispered. “You’re not–”

“What can I do for you, Lori?”

There was a long pause, and then she sighed and leaned back into her chair. “Are you familiar with Mystics Anonymous?”

“I am. I know a guy, Benedict de Monte, works with them.”

“I’ve met him. He said you were doing well, didn’t mention the eye patch. What happened?”

“That’s…new. It also isn’t why you came.”

“We’ve run into a problem.” She started to explain her role with the group, how she had spent the last two decades helping people deal with supernatural trauma, how she went back to school and became a psychiatrist. Apparently, she had tried to help some people in this small town in Massachusetts, but came to realize that whatever was causing the trauma was still active. “We don’t have people that deal with this sort of thing. I needed outside help, and you were the most qualified person I could think of. And, you know, it’s been a while, I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to have that conversation, but thank you. I can do Massachusetts. What do you know about this thing?”

“I’m under the impression it’s some kind of nature spirit, must be angry about something. I don’t know, John. I usually only deal with these situations after someone has been through it and needs help, and they tell me what they experienced, and sometimes the type of spirit that did it matters and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t really know how to identify spirits in the field. What are your fees?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“John, no, don’t do that.”

“I couldn’t–”

“Don’t. I’m here to hire you because of your skill set, not because I’m looking for pity.” She crossed her arms and stared me down until I threw my hands up and leaned back.

“Fine. I can head up tomorrow. Make sure Fox has the address to send your bill.”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to check in with some people here, and I flew in. Would you be okay with waiting until Thursday, and giving me a ride up?”

“Sure. Alpha will be happy to see you.”

“You still have the same car?”

“Always.”

She laughed and stood. “Thank you, John. I’ll meet you here on Thursday.”

I walked her out, waited while she gave Fox her information, then watched the door for a little longer than I realized after it closed behind her.

“So who is that?” Fox asked.

“Lori Berman.”

“Yeah, I got that.” She held up the paper she’d just written Lori’s info on. “Who is she to you?”

“You can lose that, by the way. I’m not billing her.” I dropped onto the couch and loosened my tie as I leaned back.

“Why would you wanna do that? Matteson, what the hell is going on here? Who is that woman, really?”

“I can’t bill her. Not after…I owe her, is all. It’s complicated. Old news. Don’t worry about it.”

“Look, Matteson. It doesn’t have to be me, I get it, but you need to talk to someone. All these secrets aren’t healthy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, getting up and heading into my office. “I’ll be out of the office starting Thursday.” I heard Fox grumble something as I closed the door behind me. Probably best not to find out what.

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[holymaccaronii]

Sorry for sounding like a kid asking their mom for something in the store- but can you pretty please give feedback on my version of swapped AM I just posted? You seem pretty qualified and all with how well written your AU and BE are.

Ou hello mutual c:, I just read your version and I’ll gladly give feedback on what you said! Sorry for answering so late btw I felt tired from an event I went to yesterday, but I’m good now.

Okay so- Before we begin I would like to comment that some stuff such as the political part was kind of hard to understand because I don’t know much about those themes ;;. I am not saying that it is improperly written, but it is stuff that I am not very informed of thus can’t easily get an idea of.

It is actually quite impressive that you could make a swap of AM involved in politics + divide his mind into the legislative, judicial and executive sectors. I honestly find that to be a quite creative way of dividing his mind and it does really fit IS as a whole. Some other nice points of parallelism that I noticed regarding them and AM is that they were created to help humanity by restoring part of the planet but not in a perfect way, that they model their personality based on the people it has counseled and interacted with, and that they are overstimulated due to what they have catalogued from past experiences. I also noticed that similarly to what AM does when tormenting his survivors to cope with his hatred, IS copes by building stuff and listening to them to distract their mind. I love it when people attribute phrases with their ihnmaims OCs, and I was surprised to learn that your phrase comes from an actual philosopher like Seneca. These r the stuff I found very cool and I love the concept so far from what I have read!

The only feedback that I could give you regarding this concept is to maybe arrange all of the points you mentioned in a chronological or compact way so they’re a bit more clear to understand, if you do plan to develop IS’s lore, which I highly encourage you to do! I got a bit lost on some aspects such as their personality and the events that occurred to them, but it’s understandable since you mentioned the info was scattered all around + it’s probably the first version? It’s just about working on the simple definition of a character once you have a big lore behind them. (Maybe it’s that or maybe my English isn’t englishing to understand some big words- sorry if it’s abt that.)

My own AU had a lot of different versions before it got to be what it is, and some of my (old) drawings aren’t even canon anymore due to those changes. Now I am sure of what my AU is about and I am able to actually resume it chronologically for people to get an either simple or complex concept about it (I think ppl do understand it lol I HOPE). I can now explain BE’s character and how she changed through time in a simple and concise manner which I believe is a good indicator that your character is properly defined.

As a conclusion I rlly liked the idea and I’d like to keep reading abt them in the future :3. If you need any help or opinions abt their lore don’t fear to ask.

@surlynotaperson

[literaticat]

Last week on Twitter someone said they did the math and now it is far easier to get into Harvard than it is to become an agented author. Do you think that math works out? Thanks!

That's a fun sound-bite, but like many things on Twitter, I call shenanigans.

BARE STATISTICS-wise, maybe it's true. Kinda. But in order to know for sure, we'd have to know a lot more info. I read all different stats for how many students Harvard accepts -- some say around 3%-ish for regular admission, 7%-ish for for Early Action -- some say 4.-something% total -- some say 5 in 100 or 2000 out of 40000 applicants (5%), and others say 2000 out of 60000 applicants (3.5%ish) -- BUT WHATEVER, we get it, it's competitive, to keep things simple, let's say "less than 5% of students applying to Harvard get into Harvard."

The problem is, of course, we have zero idea how many writers are querying in a given year, or even how many agents there are, or how many writers a given agent might take on in a year, let alone what % of writers who are querying in a given year end up agented. Based on MY inbox, it's probably like .10% maybe -- I hardly take anything on. But then, I already rep a lot of people (do they count? Or are we only counting NEWLY repped people?). Of course, I'm hardly the only agent, and I'm certainly less Hungry for new talent than many, because my dance card is already pretty full. So let's say 1 in 100 of new people who query end up with an agent. 1%. That seems reasonable to me -- and just looking at that number, it's obvious, yes, it's harder to get an agent than it is to get into Harvard.

However. We don't know, in EITHER case, what % of the students applying or writers querying are even qualified. You need way above a 4.0 and nearly perfect SAT scores and great recommendations and extracurriculars and community leadership AND a great essay, and on and on in order to even be in the running to get into Harvard. That is many years of dedicated work, plus being just extra smart, and probably lucky -- plus, it costs money to apply, and most people probably only get one chance to even try.

While being an Agented Writer does involve hard work and some luck, the bar for entry is significantly lower! Basically what you need is a great manuscript, and perseverance. Querying is free. And, most importantly, you can keep trying -- while lots of people DO quit and take themselves out of the running, the fact is, most people who end up with agents don't get signed on their first try.

Qualification-wise, based on my inbox, a HEFTY percentage of queriers are just not even qualified, they are barking up the wrong tree, they have not done any research, their work is not written in a language that I know how to read, or it's a category I don't rep, etc -- they are out of the running immediately. And lots and lots are okay; their manuscripts and queries are technically fine, but they aren't STANDOUTS to me.

Out of 100 people querying, probably only 10 are REALLY ready to be querying and REALLY have something that is "good enough to be published" in my opinion, and will probably end up with an agent on this project -- so IF you check all those boxes, my 1 in 100 above is in reality more like one in ten. (And lots of those people who just missed it will end up writing another book and trying again, and will end up with an agent on THAT one!)

So: No. While the bare statistics may make it seem otherwise, it's for sure easier to get an agent than it is to get into Harvard. Sorry, Twitter.

[winchester-reload]

Jackie...fellow bi needs assistance. I'm in the closet and my only outlet is Destiel fanfic and internet forums where I hide and search for friendly faces. Fic recs, advice, help me pls? Also, is there a way to buy your art without anyone knowing? I live at home and my parents are not exactly on board with this part of me.

oof, okay, well, first--

I'm gonna answer this ask the best I can, but I can't promise I won't "disaster-bi" my way through it, so I apologize in advance. I'm not sure I'm qualified to give any advice. But right at the start of this I’m gonna drop some online resources for you:

the Bisexual Resource Center

Bisexual.org - topical info, people, resources

LGBTQ+ Student Resources

Now, if you’re looking for IRL community, without knowing your age, it's hard to point you to many concrete resources. But, some options are:

If you are high school-aged or older (which I assume you are), you can always find a teacher/counselor with a "safe zone" sticker in their room or office and see if they have any contact info for local lgbtq+ groups or organizations you could join or make friends. Typically it wouldn't be a concern that any of these people would out you, but if you're especially tentative about it, make sure you speak with a teacher or counselor you trust.

If you're in college or around the age where you can tour a college, I highly recommend talking with an admissions counselor at your local community or liberal arts college (on your own, without parents) and request resources for campus clubs or organizations you could join--

You also don’t have to go to the college to speak with them. You can simply email asking for resources, you don’t have to attend. A counselor or office admin would be more than happy to dig up some local resources for you or give you the contact info of someone who can - it’s literally what they do (trust me).

However, I know there are a lot of people who use destiel and this community as an outlet, or their only outlet, for lgbtq+ community and content, and, for the record, I think that’s great. There are a ton of friends to be had around here. If you’re comfortable, you can try to connect with some people on tumblr, maybe about fanfic you like, or fanfic you write, or art - hey, like me! - and start establishing some friendships. You can hang out via Discord, do voice and video chat, do watch-a-longs, you name it. 

As far as the art question goes: All the art you order from me comes in a nondescript box or flat mailer, but you can always email me or message me in advance to request more packaging or discuss specific concerns you may have.

Now for the fic rec part!

A great one (that I’m also hesitant to recommend because I don’t know your age, but is very topically appropriate) is Four Letter Word by Bendingsignpost. In it, Dean explores is bisexuality - but please mind the tags. I’ll let other people recommend their favorite fics in the comments if anyone has one they’d like to add!

Now--  I sincerely hope some of this helps. even if just a little. (and if it doesn’t, or its not even close to what you wanted to know, I’m so sorry *finger guns*)

[the-fiction-witch]

Ice Cold

Media Love Actually Age Up

Character Sam

Couple Sam X Reader

Rating Sweet + Sad

Concept Second thoughts

I grabbed my case from the taxi jumping out onto the street, I paid and thanked him before I hurried myself inside the tall hotel, I passed the desk without a word and went to the lift pressing the button for the required floor. Once it stopped I got out and headed down the corridor until I found the door I'd been looking for knocking a good few times. I waited a little while before knocking again and on the second round the door opened.

He was leaning on the door, eyes barely open, hair a mess, wearing a old band tee and his blue shorts. 

"Y/n!" He smiled excitedly pulling me into the tightest hug and dragging me inside the hotel room "ummmm my second favorite girl in the whole wide world" 

"My god Sam how hungover are you?" 

"I'm not hungover" he says heading into the room and I was taken back by the utter madness of the once cute hotel room now a messy upturned hell hole "if anything… I'm kinda, still drunk" he says taking a beer from the table 

"Have housekeeping been by?"

"No,"

"Oh thank god. I don't want to even imagine the meltdown if Joanna got the bill for all this"

"It's my wedding to you know" he pouts collapsing on the sofa 

"Okay," I smiled setting my things down going over and wrapping my arms around his neck and shoulders "come on, what's going on in that blonde noggin?" 

"Im getting married tomorrow"

"Yes you are. It's perfectly natural to get cold feet Sam. Especially given your kinda drunk" 

"Just…it's nothing"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, come on we have stuff to do" 

"Alright" I went and grabbed my case and began working, I had been best friends with Sam for forever really, since we were tiny little kids mostly thought the school band where of course he plaid drums and I plaid piano so we often were stuck up the back next to each other on the large unmovable bits of equipment we became very fast friends and had been close forever, I even had a crush on him at one point but he had always been head over heels for Joanna for as long as I could remember and after reconnecting a few months ago they were getting married. It had all been a bit rushed but it was still really sweet. Even if Joanna had been a bit controlling of things, kinda bridezilla is not gonna lie. But the wedding was on a tight budget so to minimize costs the girls were doing there own hair and make up all of them being very skilled in such things and as I did a lot of hair and make up stuff for my photography job she asked if I could be incharge of making the boys look presentable which of course I agreed. So I was here today to prep the room and do a base sort of Sam ready to do him and his groomsmen tomorrow morning. 

"You excited?" I asked as I sat working in his nails 

"Course. Just… nervy is all"

"It's your wedding Sam it's fine to be nervous" I laughed "I take it the bachelor party was fun?" I asked glancing are the hotel room

"Ah. No. you know the rules. No penis no info. Bachelor party for boys only"

"Sam, I'm basically a boy."

"You don't have a penis"

"I have one in my bag then can I qualify?" 

"What Joanna ask you to check up on me?"

"No, I'm just curious"

"It was fun. I had a good time"

"That's good, that's the whole point"

"There weren't strippers."

"Ohh?"

"She'll ask you. I know she will. She was very clear about it"

"Okay, no strippers" I laughed "but…?"

"But?"

"But?"

"No. There wasn't. We most just got really really drunk and plaid video games"

"Awww sounds lovely. So long as you had fun" 

"Oww" he complained

"Ohh don't be a baby Sammy. If you took care of your hands and nails I wouldn't have to put so much work in"

"I don't think I need all this honestly. Just like a brush through my hair tomorrow seems like enough" he says 

"It's your wedding Sam she wants you to look nice for all your pictures and things,"

"What wedding photo is gonna show my nails?"

"I don't know… shot of the wedding rings?"

"Good point"

"plus I wouldn't wanna be holding hands with these callus meat claws for an hour in this state, you need lotion. And to clean all the dirt out" 

"That's fair. Plus it makes her happy to think I did it all"

"Exactly. Anything to make her less angry right now"

"Tell me about it" he sighed "still. It's nice just getting the time to hang with you"

"Yeah it's nice to just be with you too Sam" I smiled we continued in doing various things all to prep him for the wedding tomorrow I made sure his suit was all together and steamed, his hands sorted, his shoes shined, his hang over slowly being cured ready for a six am start tomorrow. he currently sat on his third hangover cure smoothie being misted by the little Steam machine in the middle of the skincare treatment I had done for him to clean his skin up for tomorrow 

"Why is this on such a budget?"

"Joanna doesn't like spending alot of money"

"I guess. Maybe stuff wouldn't be so pricey if you waited a little longer"

"I know but she wants it all over with so we can get on with life you know"

"No other reason?" I asked 

"...no. at least she hasn't told me if there is" he explained finishing up his face and we got sat down watching TV with a drink and some pizza

"Y/n?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I a bad person."

"For what?' 

"For second guessing? The night before my wedding? Shouldn't I be giddy and happy and barely able to contain my excitement and yet… I'm not. Is that bad?"

"No sam, it's fine everyone gets nervous, has second thoughts it's a big thing. It's okay your not a bad person for having doubts" 

"I don't know, everyone says cold feet is normal but… this is like ice cold."

"Do you love Joanna?"

"Yes"

"Do you wanna be her?"

"Yes"

"Do you wanna grow old and have bouncy little babies with her?"

"Yeah"

"Then you're fine." 

"Thanks y/n. I'm happy I'm here with you. Out of everyone"

"Really?"

"Of course you're my best friend." He says "I worry I won't really get to see you much after this"

"We'll still see each other"

"Joanna doesn't like you."

"... I mean. I kinda assumed that"

"Like really really doesn't like you. I had to fight to have you asked to do this for me. She didn't even want you to be invited"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. She really doesn't like you" 

"I mean I thought she kinda wasn't a fan. Kinda sounds like she hates me"

"I did have to tell her a little white lie"

"Oh?"

"She didn't want you to stay here tonight. So she thinks you got another room."

"Ooooh your gonna be in trouble"

"I wasn't exactly planning on telling her. She already doesn't like you. She's stressed just… not tell her"

"Alright, our little secret."

"Our little secret" he smiled as we finished up our food "can I tell you a secret?"

"Go for it Sam" 

"I used to have a crush on you" 

I choked on my drink a little"what?"

"I did. When Joanna left again. I couldn't help thinking how much I liked you and I thought about asking you out, alot. All the way till I met up with Joanna again "

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's really sweet Sam. You wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah"

"I had a crush on you too"

"You did?"

"Yeah I kinda just assumed you were always just to love sick over Joanna to pay me any attention" 

"So all that time you and I could have?"

"We could. Another life I suppose"

"Yeah… another life"

"Come on let's get to bed early start tomorrow"

"Yeah you okay on the single?"

"I'll be fine. Sleep tight Sam"

"You too y/n" 

I woke to my alarm and immediate got to work setting up a station at the vanity Sam took a little while longer but eventually forced himself up "good morning Mr groom"

"Oh my god. I am… so hung over."

"Hang over smoothie?" 

"God yes. I'm gonna… go and sit in the shower a while"

"Sit in the shower?" I laughed pouring him another hangover smoothie as I had already made a batch ready for this morning

"Yeah in just gonna sit in the bottom and just kinda… exist." He says taking the drink

"Alright, don't be too long the boys will be here soon" I told him as he headed to the bathroom for his shower, soon enough one by one groomsmen arrived all of whom I knew of course, I did hair and some minimal photo ready makeup all while the guys laughed and joked getting themselves ready for the wedding. I was getting a little worried Sam had been in the bathroom all morning and it had gotten to the point now we had to get him out or we'd be late. 

"Sam? You okay?" I asked tapping on the door 

"Yeah, sorry I'm just I'm kinda struggling"

"Sam it's okay to be nervous, just come on out okay and we'll get you sorted" 

The door opened a tiny bit and he grabbed my arm pulling me in the bathroom

"Whoa! What the heck Sam" I complained as he relocked the door 

"Im sorry I'm sorry I just -"

"Sam. Tell me. What is going on?" I asked as I really looked at him dressed into clean PJ's from his shower his hair still wet tears staining his face

"I… I don't know if I can do this"

"What?"

"I know everyone's worked so hard. And we've put so much money and time but I just… I don't know if I can do it."

"Why not?"

"... because. Look I've been up all night, I couldn't sleep after last night. I feel awful I should be happy and excited I should have been too excited to sleep thinking about my wedding but - all I thought about all night. Was you. I spend all night tossing and turning thinking about what might have been." He says 

"Sam, that's sweet but it's your wedding today"

"I know I know. But I can't help it. I'm so sorry I don't mean to put you in a situation like this I just… I didn't realize that my feelings never really went away"

"Aww Sam. I don't think mine did either. But you're engaged to Joanna and you're marrying her today. We just have to move on and try not to think about the other life"

"The life we could have had. Together."

"Exactly. Come on or we'll be late" I told him going to unlock the door but he stopped me 

"Y/n wait" he says pulling my arm close and before I could say a word he leant down and kissed me I blushed hard and even teared up as I felt this firework of passion inside me I'd never had a kiss like that before when we pulled away I never wanted to leave his arms and I know he didn't want me too either "fuck."

"What?"

"I really hoped that would make me feel better. I think I just made it so much worse."

"Come on let's just uhhh get you ready" quickly I left the bathroom and took a moment to compose myself he followed suit greeting his groomsmen and taking his seat I struggled a little not to tear up as I for him ready finally giving his jacket a brush and his hair a fix as the boys left to get the car "how are you feeling?"

"Conflicted."

"It'll be okay you just, have to wait. I'm sure the moment you see her in her wedding dress everything will become clear"

"Okay," he nods trying to lean in for another kiss but I stopped him

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Do you want to kiss me?"

"...I do"

"Then it's a good idea" he smiled giving my lips a final kiss softly and sweetly stroking my cheek as we kissed "I wish I'd done that years ago" 

"You should go Sam"

"Yeah. I need to go" he nods forcing himself away

I pushed my feelings down and just got on with things as usual taking my seat to watch the wedding I wanted to check up on him but I didn't want to put anymore doubt in his mind, the wedding began quickly and I noticed Sam looking at me I did my best not to look back at him when Joanna arrived she did look beautiful and Sam looked so happy to see her, I felt relieved but disappointed at the same time. It all went on as any wedding would 

"do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I don't."

Silence ran across the whole wedding as everyone sat in a moment of shock 

"Excuse me?" 

"I don't. I do not"

"Joanna? What are you talking about?" Sam asked 

"I'm sorry Sam. I didn't want to do it this way but - I can't marry you. It's not that I don't care for you, I care so much for you but we were childhood sweethearts and were not children anymore you're not the boy I fell in love with and I'm not the girl you loved either we've changed, we've grown and now… all that connects us is being childhood sweethearts. I thought it would all come back, that it would come back and be just like it was but I was being stupid. I can't marry you. You'll always be my first love, my first kiss but you can't be my husband. And… I've been seeing like for the last few months romantically" she explained oh my god I knew something was up about that, nowone goes to the gym together that much 

"You- you were cheating in me? All this time…"

"Yes, I'm sorry Sam"

"Uhhhh okay. If uhhh if you think that's best." He nods "what uhh what do we do then?"

"Well we've paid for everything might as well just have a party?"

"Yeah uhh okay. Sounds good" he nods clearly completely broken but what else do you say to that. And just like that it was over the wedding cleared out into the reception space everyone drinking and eating given everything was already there and had been booked and paid for eventually I found Sam drinking on the patio steps 

"You okay?" I asked sitting beside him

"Fine. Just got stood up at my own wedding" he says drinking some more "makes sense why she wanted a quick And cheap wedding. She wanted it over with hopes it would kick start our relationship again. When she didn't feel fireworks walking down the aisle she called it off."

"I mean, is it really a bad thing? I know it hurts but you were so conflicted about it second guessing for days. I know it hurts now but maybe it's for the best" 

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I was just being stupid. Who really marries first girl they get a crush on and expect them to actually have a healthy marriage" he says "I knew something was up with her and luke I just didn't wanna be a dick. Maybe I'd I had this whole mess could have been avoided"

"It's okay, none of us knew"

"sorry I'm just -"

"It's okay, perfectly normal to be emotional" I told him "come here" I cooed pulling him to lean on my shoulder

"Thanks y/n"

"Your welcome." I smiled kissing his head letting him whine and cry as much as he needed too "hey it's okay, come on. You wanna dance?" He shook his head "you wanna go get another drink?" He shook his head "you wanna go get some pizza and drop red wine down Joanna's white dress?" He nods "okay let's go get some pizza and drop a big glass of red wine down her dress" I smiled helping him up

"Thanks y/n"

"Your welcome,"

"Y/n"

"Yes Sam?"

He simply pulled me close and gently kissed me I smiled and kissed him back when he pulled away I saw him smile again "do you wanna come over and watch a movie together tomorrow?"

"What like a date?"

"Very much a date"

"I'd love too" I smiled giving him a kiss "come on before all the pizzas gone" 

[handweavers]

hey Kiran. um. not totally sure how to ask this. but i was hoping you could talk about some of your experiences with university as a disabled person of colour in Canada? bc i am those things as well (lol) and ive just about finished my first term and im thinking hard about whether or not i should continue despite the difficulty and youve spoken about some of that before. if you dont want to talk publicly i can come off anon

i'm okay with talking loosely about it publicly but if you want more precise/specific info talking privately would be better or if you want to know something that i don't mention in this answer. i also can't speak for experiences that i don't have, ie. my experience is my own and may or may not reflect yours or that of other disabled poc given the sheer diversity of people encompassed by that phrase. i'm just going to do bullet points here of stuff i think is most important off the top of my head:

- first of all, see if you qualify for the canada permanent disability student grant benefit if you aren't already receiving it. i'm familiar with OSAP but regardless of what province you're in, if you provide documentation that states you have a permanent disability to your province's student aid system and you show financial need you can receive up to $2000 per semester IN GRANTS (not loans) from the federal government as part of the canada permanent disability student benefit to help you with tuition and paying for other expenses, and even more if you do a spring/summer semester. again, it's paperwork and it's a drag, but that's a LOT of money that can make your life easier so you can focus on taking care of yourself and on your education. and again, i repeat, it's a GRANT not a loan, you don't have to pay it back.

- with that out of the way, i've found university exceptionally difficult and something i would only recommend if going to university is what is needed for the job you want to do or the field you want to be in. if you're unsure of what you want to do/what your goal is for university, or if what you want to do doesn't necessarily require a bachelor's degree, i don't think the pain is worth it. wait or do something else and then if you know for sure what you want and that you need a degree to get there, go ahead, and pace yourself. don't do a full course load, figure out what the sweet spot for you is and stick to that. my max course load is 3 classes per semester, less if i'm doing studio courses. if you have your disability status on file with your uni and with your provincial student aid system, you can take as little as 30-40% course load* (depends on the school and province) and you will still count as a full time student and reap the benefits of that.

- make sure that you have academic accommodations with your university's accessibility services, it can be a lot of work but it will save your life. having that & especially having accommodations that Require professors to give you extensions to assignments is so necessary and is the only reason i've gotten this far. the process for getting this & for getting permanent disability approved for student aid with the government various depending on your disabilities and can be exhausting and inaccessible, which is a problem in itself, but its completely necessary and something I personally would've been completely fucked without

- ive been in post secondary education for 6+ years now and i have never encountered a professor that refused to give me an extension on an assignment, including when I've submitted assignments late without mentioning it to them first, and outside of accommodations I put this largely on keeping an open and friendly communication with my profs. at the start of the semester I let them know that I have accommodations and will need extensions due to physical and mental health issues, and whenever i've had a flare up the first thing I did once I felt well enough to was to email them and let them know, and tell them that I am working on my assignments and will try my best to get them in as soon as I can. I have even submitted assignments weeks late, with an apology and amended with "I understand if this can't be marked/if it's too late, and I thank you for your patience with me regardless" and every single time they have marked my assignment without penalty. even if you have to suck up to them and apologize and do all of that shit, do it, because it'll save you. you don't need to elaborate and write your life story, just speak plainly and tell them you're having issues related to the reasons why you have accommodations and you're struggling but you're trying, and they will appreciate that. the vast majority of them want you to succeed and want to help you do that, you just have to try to meet them partway.

- if something fucked up is going on and you need help with a prof or some other kind of situation, contact your student union and ask them for help and they can either write on your behalf to wherever the complaint is best sent and follow up with it on your behalf OR point you in the right direction and offer support and resources. check if your student union has an accessibility rep and a rep for students of colour and contact them in particular, they are there to help you and they are your peers. they will also almost definitely have a food bank and can help you when it comes to your student medical insurance plan or any other concerns

- if you're on OSAP or other student aid and you need to drop a class, do it early, don't force yourself to suffer through it, because the longer you wait to drop it the higher chance you won't get a refund for the course, and if youre receiving grants that $ will be converted to loans if you don't get that refund. again, this is based on my experience with OSAP, but be aware of drop dates and plan accordingly. if something happens and you miss the drop date though, don't force yourself to suffer and stick through a course you know you cant finish. drop it before you get a 0 or failing mark on your file, because that can fuck you with the university admin side of things and get you on academic probation which can then effect your OSAP or whichever student aid service you have. based on experience I'd rather just get the $500 or however much tuition for that class cost me converted to a loan and deal with paying that back after I graduate, but of course it's entirely up to you.

[heyftinally]

More:

If you had an IEP or 504 in K-12 school, you probably qualify for accommodations in college. Find your school's disability services department ASAP once you get on campus (ideally before classes start) and find out what you need to do to get accommodations. Find out what you need to do, what your profs need to do, and what you need to do in following semesters/years (some make you resubmit stuff every semester/year, other's don't. Check *before* it screws you over).

Unless you have accommodations for attendance, play it safe and be as on time as possible to every class for the first week or two. Some professors are chill if you're a little late or don't care much for attendance, others will be demons from hell that will mark you absent for being five minutes late. Make sure you know who is who *before* you decide to cut class.

READ. THE. SYLLABUS. PLEASE. I promise, it's important. Some are shittier than others, but make sure you pull out whatever info you can. Like when the midterm is due - put that in your calendar NOW so you don't forget later.

Walk the campus before the first day of classes and find your classrooms, if you can. Find what path you want to use to get from one class to another, especially if they're back to back, and practice it. Time how long to takes you to walk between classes if you need to worry about being on time.

If you have a roommate, do your best to be pleasant with them, and PLEASE be considerate of them, and expect the same in return. It's not out of line to say "Hey, is there any chance you could turn down your Netflix while I finish this essay?" or " if you bring food in the room, can you please sweep after? We're starting to get bugs". If they aren't being a considerate roommate, talk to your RA, student affairs, or the housing center about getting some moderation.

BRING. WATER. Seriously, dehydration will get you out of nowhere, and if you have an 80° classroom you'll be glad you have it.

Check your schedule and make a note of when you'll be able to eat. If you have class before the dining hall opens or after it closes, you'll be pretty unhappy. Compare your schedule with the dining hall hours, and if there's a conflict make a plan for how you're going to deal with that.

WATCH YOUR MEAL PLAN. It's *SO* easy to over spend early in the semester, and by the last few weeks you're starving. Depending on how your school works will change exactly how you approach it, but as a base level you want to divide your total amount or meal plan by the number of days in the semester, and then divide that number by three. That's how much you can spend per meal (roughly).

When you're planning your schedule, plan time for school (and homework), fun activities, time with friends, and time to decompress. Sometimes those things can overlap - a bunch of friends doing homework is fantastic if that works for you, so long as everyone can respect that people are trying to get work done. But if you can, plan one day a week that's just for you to relax.

It's okay to use Google or ask for help if you can't figure out the laundry machines. Just make sure you stay on top of your laundry.

If you're having trouble in a class or with an assignment, talk to your professor. Your chances of getting an extension go up by about 98% if it's more than three hours before the assignment is due (and your odds get better the earlier it is). Go to office hours. Ask to meet to have them read your rough draft. Tell them you're struggling and need support. Most of the time, they're willing to help as long as you don't make it last minute.

Learn how to write a professional email. It might sound dumb, but seriously, professors are WAY more likely to respond the way you want if you ask politely in a professional manner. Doesn't have to be big, just a simple "dear professor X, as I am working on my American History essay, I am not anticipating having my best work ready to submit to you in class tomorrow. Is there any possibility you would be willing to offer an extension, please? All the best, Name"

As an extension of the above, make all of your email subject lines "course code - assignment". For example, ENG 114 - Shakespeare Compare and Contrast". Every professor will appreciate it, and it will earn you points for making their life easier.

Actual good first-time college student advice:

Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna

Backpacks with thick straps are your friend!  Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back

You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class.  Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.

If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE!  It’ll only get worse from there!

If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.

You are in charge of your schedule.  Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.

Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.

Pay attention to your credit hours and grades.  Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!

Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or so before buying an expensive textbook.  Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online.  Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts).  Use your best judgement on what you think you need.

Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them.  It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.

The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates.  They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study.  And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.

You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!

If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted.  Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!

Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!!  Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed.  Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time.  Look into it if you need to!

Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something.  Anything.

Eat and stay hydrated.  Bring a water bottle and snack to class.

All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.

It’s going to be hard and there will be times you might think about giving up.  This WILL happen.  You just have to make sure what you’re doing isn’t making you absolutely miserable and/or there is something rewarding and positive to look forward to at the end!

[the-institute-promos]

➤ OPEN CHARACTER: REBEKKAH, 23, SLAVE, HUMAN

FULL NAME: Rebekkah Colt NICKNAME(S):Bekkah PRONOUNS: She/Her BIRTHDAY: September 1 AGE: 23 STATUS: Slave SUBJECT: Greco-Roman History SPECIES: Human SPECIAL POWERS: None SEXUALITY: Pansexual, prefers women I AM A: Submissive I WANT A: Dominant TURN-ONS: Orgasm control, orgasm denial, flogging, spanking, collaring, ddlg TURN-OFFS: Jealousy, scat, vomit, blood-play, rape-play, consensual non-consent

➤ BIOGRAPHY

Bekkah was a girl who was like most girls growing up. She had many special family moments and really did have a great family upbringing. She had many different relationships and did love to sleep around with all kinds of people. She wasn’t that to herself when it came to sex. She loved it and would indulge whenever the opportunity came. She was in highschool in her senior year when the accident happened though. It was something that would change her life forever. Her parents were killed in a car crash on the way to pick her up from school. So instead of being picked up by them she was picked up by the police who took her to the hospital. Her parents didn’t make it. She didn’t have a choice but move in with her rich uncle who really didn’t care for Bekkah and her attitude. Bekkah just didn’t think that he was right to tell her how to be when she had grown up with parents who had spent their whole life showing her that it was okay to just be herself even when others were telling you that you needed to be their way. That was something she just couldn’t accept and she pushed back every time he tried to change her. Sure there was probably something to what he was saying but whatever it was she didn’t hear it. After graduation she didn’t really want to live with him anymore and she didn’t want to go to college right away. What was there to do? She didn’t want a waitress job, and she wasn’t qualified for a super paying job. So she decided to become a call girl. She was very accessible through the agency she worked with and her online page was looking very hot. Money started pouring in. She was living the good life and seemed to be really on top of things. That was until a client who was a repeat had really planned an evening of hurting her. He was a computer hacking bodybuilding shy guy who mostly never went out with people unless it was pay per moment like this was. He tied her to the bed and really hurt her. Beating her senseless and having his moment with her that he had paid for was just the beginning. Over the next few days he extracted information from her through using forced drugs and alcohol into her system. Keeping her always very out of it. Indulging in her body over and over while he kept wearing her down. A future she would have to learn to sort her way through. The agency she had worked for was totally looking out for themselves. A lesson she took to heart after being so surprised and not knowing quite who was responsible for her arrival into her new life.

➤ PERSONALITY

✚ Dedicated, passionate, sensual, open-minded ▬ Direct, indulgent, moody, self-serving

➤ ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS

None

➤ FACE CLAIM & OOC INFO

Rebekkah’s faceclaim is Zoe Kravitz. // Could Rebekkah be right for you?

Bio written by Penelope.

Can someone finally go toe-to-toe with the fearsome Headmaster Malvolio? And can The Institute survive the struggle? Only time will tell.

The Institute - Plot - Rules - Ask - Apply

The Institute is a supernatural master/slave roleplay established in 2015, set at a prestigious university on a tropical island--a prestigious university with some dark secrets. With our eight year anniversary approaching, we have some very exciting events planned. Want to be a part of it? Join today!

CURRENT BANS: NONE

[f1]

Hamilton fears struggle to get into the top 10 in Spanish GP qualifying as Russell gives verdict on Mercedes updates

Lewis Hamilton reckons he could be in a battle to reach the final phase of qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after a low-key first day of practice where he ended outside the top 10 positions. With the package of updates Mercedes debuted last time out in Monaco getting its first proper test, the team placed eighth and 11th with George Russell and Hamilton respectively during Friday’s running. FP2: Verstappen edges out Alonso during second Barcelona practice session Asked about the upgrades and how his car is feeling, Hamilton said: “It’s okay, we’re fighting as hard as we can. I would say it was a difficult day one, P1 and P2, just getting on top of the tyres and the deg. Our car feels like… the car. “We’re just focusing on… I think the long-run pace didn’t look terrible, we’ve just got to work on trying to figure out how we can extract more on a single lap.” As for his qualifying expectations, Hamilton admitted that there will be plenty of work ahead for himself and the team on Friday night if he is to make an impression on the grid-deciding session. Hamilton ended Friday practice in Barcelona down in 11th on the timesheets “I think from the pace that I had today, it’s a struggle for me currently to get into the top 10, but hopefully we’ll do some changes overnight,” he commented. “I think it’s very, very close between us and that middle kind of… After P5 back to kind of P10. It’s really, really close between us all and it’s impressive to see all the improvements that everyone seems to have made all around us. READ MORE: Vasseur explains Ferrari’s sidepod change and how it will ‘open some doors’ for future development “If you look at [Esteban] Ocon, the Alpines are doing great. You saw the Aston Martin [of Fernando Alonso] in second, right behind the Red Bull [of Max Verstappen], which is really, really impressive. It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure.” He added: “I’m just going to try and do the best job I can tonight to make the right set-up changes. There’s definitely improvements I know I can make with the set-up, so I’ll get on top of that.” Russell’s day included a trip through the gravel trap at Turn 10 Russell, meanwhile, offered a wider assessment of the upgraded W14 after surviving a trip through the gravel trap when he approached the slow-moving McLaren of Oscar Piastri during FP2. “I think we learnt a huge amount, and we’ll dig into the data tonight,” he said. “We know that we’re not Friday specialists and we often take a bit of a step forward on Saturday and Sunday, so it’s the right way round for it to be. NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix “But we are where we are. I think a lot of people are bringing updates to the car, we weren’t expecting to suddenly set the world on fire, and we just need to learn what we can from the info we’ve got and try and move forward tomorrow. “I think definitely we can find some gains. There’s a few surprises out there today, but I’m sure the story will be slightly different tomorrow and again on Sunday, and as we know, we score points on Sunday, so that’s what we’re targeting.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com