#Adding that one cause I love this so much

[ladylokianna]

The nearness of you

The main blame for this one-shot lies entirely to Queen Gorgo and her line "your lips can finish what your fingers have started".

Pairing: Aemond x fem!reader (i'm not used to use the first person p.o.v. mainly because in English i usually mess everything up by trying to fit verb tenses together so i hope everything is comprehensible). 

Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Fluff but a little smut towards the end, nothing too explicit 'cause i'm not good at writing it. Fairly ooc Aemond, obviously. But, as I've already said, I really like a softer Aemond, and I like the idea that, with the right person, he would totally show his feelings (after a lot of convincing, of course, as we all know how lacking in affection and love our guy is, and it would take him quite a while before he would let himself go).   

Beta reader: my sister, but like me, she's too obsessed with Aemond and i'm afraid she is not entirely objective. Whatever. Enjoy.

***

Wrapping yourself in your heavy velvet dressing gown, you quickly went back to bed after adding a couple of wooden logs to brighten the fire in the huge fireplace, watching Aemond sleeping peacefully in the dim glow provided by the candles and the burning fire.

He lies prone, his arms folded under the pillow and one leg slightly bent towards the middle of the mattress. His slender body, chiselled by years of training, is relaxed, his features softened.

Despite the fact that the two of you have been married for a long time and that you know every single millimetre of his body, shyness sometimes leads you to blush in front of him, as if you still were the inexperienced young maiden of your wedding night.

You stretch out a hand, at first caressing gently his scarred cheek with the knuckles, paying attention to not hurt his wounded eye, then stroking his head with caring touches, enjoying the sensation of the silky strands between your fingers. He is so distant from the unflattering portrait that your aunt made of him as soon as the news of your betrothal was spreaded through the realm, who depicted Aemond as a "monster ready to feed you to his dragon at his first bad day".

A bit introvert, with a closed-off and apparently unfriendly character, maybe sometimes grumpy but definitely not a monster, Aemond is always caring and gentle with you and the few people he trust and love. Otherwise, you had learnt that his usual demeanour is just a façade, that the real Aemond is the one hanging with you in the library, flying with Vhagar or laying in your marital bed. But all is fine as it is, you surely don't want to change or fix him in any way: after all, what's wrong with him to fix? You love him as he is, and people needs to be loved as they are, not as the world would like them to be.

You move your hand down slowly along his shoulders, feeling under your fingertips the scratches you remember leaving him with the nails during the night, marks that you could find again on his shoulder blades and down his muscular back, on his narrow, jerky hips, marks that goes alongside with older ones earned during his strict sword training. If you close your eyes, you can easily recall the sensation of his muscles moving beneath your touch and the heat of his skin against yours, his hands ceaselessly travelling on your body and his weight as he hold you firmly still against the mattress with the absolute need to feel you trembling beneath him, to hear you screaming his name on each deep and precise thrust of his hips.

Your gaze follows the trail of your nails even further, on the roundness of Aemond's buttocks, on which you suddenly no longer have the courage to stretch your hand, despite the fact that only few hours earlier you had grasped them with all your strength to pull him as closer as possible to your core so he could sink deeper into your walls.

"We'll end up keeping the whole fortress awake... i can stop if it's too much, mh?" he'd chuckled out of the blue, teasing you a little after a loud cry escaped your mouth.

"Don't you dare." was your response, hissed in his ear and making him laugh heartily. "My word, Aemond, if you stop now, i'll make you pay for it."

"Oh, would you? I'm almost tempted to stop right now just to see how you will make me pay for my disobedience."

Shooking your head, with your hand still steady right above the dimples at the bottom of his back, you furtively check if Aemond is still asleep, surrendering to the urge to repeat the same gestures of that night: taking a deep breath, your hand lingered on the smooth skin of his bare ass, savouring that feeling for a while before squeezing it gently.

"Your lips can finish what your fingers have started."

You gasp surprised, blushing like you're again that little girl caught stealing the pastries set to cool in the kitchens of your father's castle, noticing the smirk painted on Aemond's lips and his wonderful eye pointed at you, clearly amused and flattered by your attentions.

"I thought... Gods... i thought you were asleep... how long have you been awake?"

"Hm...a while. Let's say since i felt your fingers on my face." he hummed, noticing your reddened cheeks. "How come that we're married for a long time yet you still blush over me? Oh, look at you... don't be shy, darling. You know you can touch whatever you want, whenever you want."

Blushing was the least of it, since a glance from him was often enough to set you on fire.

"Keep going though, i was enjoying it."

Yeah, of course he was. "What a little rascal you are."

With a wide smile Aemond turns on his back, offering his whole being to your gaze, to your will.

"Come darling, come to me." whispers, stretching his arms towards you and guidind you on top.

His skin felt so familiar and warm it hurt your heart. Moving a little, you adjust yourself on his pelvis before running your hands over him again, and again, and again, until suddenly you can feel his yearning running through his veins like a fire, bringing his blood to the boiling point, flushing his skin: you can sense it by the way his manhood is already leaking against you. With his breathing more strained, Aemond pulls himself up to sit, his muscles tensed at every single touch on his body, letting you taking him again as his hands flattened against your spine, drawing you as closer as possible.

"Don't be shy, you can do what you want to me. I'm yours."

[shouyuus]

for reasons unknown even to myself I'm having a lot of thoughts about popstar!reader x vi like. idk IDK imagine vi gets pulled into being security to one of ur concerts and she's rly never been one for pop music but hey a job is a job and this beats slamming ppl in the interrogation room for info (although she does also love that) but like. JUST. she's so startled by how pretty you are on stage how you literally have this glow about you and yeah like she's heard OF you ur piltovers darling ur face plastered on every single ad from endorsing everything from shipping companies to like idk skincare but she's never paid much attention to that till she's standing in front of the pit, right under the stage where you're prancing around in this darling little magenta number the exact color of her hair with glitter on ur cheeks and later she's SHOCKED to see you in one of her normal watering holes in zaun cause??? what r you DOING here you look so out of place and she can tell you're a lil uncomfy but you're just wide eyed and curious and laughing at something someone is saying, and before she knows it she's pushing thru to get closer to you, overhears someone asking you if you've ever been underside before, to which you give some flirty cryptic answer but vi catches the pause in your voice that tells her there's more to the story.

when she finally managed to wedge herself into the slip of space that's opened up next to you at the bar she's figured out that one of your groupies was the one who dragged u down here w the promise of a good time, but she's off making out w some rando and you're trying ur best to not stick out too much, and she's about to shoot her shot when someone jostles you so you're toppling into her and she catches you so naturally catches a whiff of your rosewater perfume, barely has time to register how soft you are in her arms before your pulling back trying to apologize but ur palms are splayed against her sternum and one of her hands has somehow ended up on the bend of your hip and she truly cannot help but notice how your breath hitches as your eyes meet for the first time, so she tries not to look too smitten, pulls a signature smirk and says --

"hey princess, aren't you a little far from home?"

shed expected you to blush and stutter or try to pull away, but what she DOESNT expect is for you to smile right back, sweet and without a HINT of uncertainty --

"if i tell you im lost... will you take me to yours?"

[nuria-schnee]

Dead Boy Detectives - Fic Rec List (Part 1)

I've been wanting to do a rec list for a while, and now I have found a bit of time to do so. I've read A LOT of DBD fics in the past months, so I'm gonna split this rec list so this doesn't get insanely long. Also, check the tags of the fic because I'm just adding a few for length's sake.

Anyway, let's dive in! ❤️

Run your fingers through my soul by Hse11z5 (@thenyoumaykissthebride)

| T | 3k | Tags: Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Feelings Realization, Miscommunication, Idiots in Love, Fluff |

“Charles-” Edwin started, his voice catching over his friend’s name. “Just let me… Can I go first, please?” Charles begged, his hands still caught up with Edwin’s. Edwin nodded and swallowed the words he wanted to let escape. “Okay. Don’t be mad. But there’s no case.” Edwin scowled and opened his mouth. Charles winced. “I said don’t be mad! Now, I had to bring you here because there’s something really important I’ve been needing to tell you for a while now and it’s that-” Charles stopped. His hands fell to his side because he no longer had Edwin’s hands to hold. One second Edwin was there and then the next he just… wasn’t. Charles looked around madly, trying to work out what had happened, what kind of magic could have caused him to just disappear in a puff of smoke. That was when he saw the small orb bobbing behind the board games. aka The One Where Charles Fucks Up His Love Confession So Badly Edwin Orbs Out.

Notes: This was the cutest thing ever. I loved it so much, I swear.

and at once i knew i was not magnificent by aletterinthenameofsanity (@aletterinthenameofsanity)

| T | 3k | Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator |

The problem with being Charles Rowland- or, rather, the truth of being Charles Rowland- is that he is not somebody that people kiss because they truly want to. Or rather, because they truly want him. When he was alive, it was because girls wanted the other guys on the team and he was a decent second option. It was because girls wanted to try out kissing and he did too and why not figure out their problems together? And now that he's dead, it's more of the same, isn't it? Crystal kisses him to try to feel something. And Edwin kisses him because their mouths are close together, and Edwin has just helped Charles through his crisis about his father and Brad and Hunter, and emotions are high, and, well- It makes sense that Edwin kisses Charles right now, doesn't it? It makes sense that Edwin is testing something out, and Charles is the person he trusts to test things out with. (Edwin kisses Charles at the end of Dead Dragons. Charles thinks that Edwin is doing it for practice. Edwin will just have to correct him, won't he?)

Notes: This broke my heart in a million pieces, but it was very worth it. This fic is absolutely brilliant.

the great snogging debacle of '95 by thatgayprince (@prince-simon)

| M | 26k | Tags: First Kiss, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, Disguise, Gender Fuckery, Near Sex Experience, Charles Rowland Has ADHD (DCU), Bisexual Charles Rowland (DCU), Internalized Homophobia, Canon Compliant, Pre-Canon, Post-Canon, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse |

London, 1995 – Charles Rowland gets ambushed at a house party. He doesn’t think about it for the next 30 years.

Notes: Look, I'll be forever screaming about this one. It was amazing from the first word to the last. I think it rewired my brain, because I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards.

i’ll be waiting for twenty years (praying for redemption) by aletterinthenameofsanity (@aletterinthenameofsanity)

| E | 4k | Tags: Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Canon, First Kiss, First Time, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Religious Imagery & Symbolism |

The kindest thing that anyone has ever done for Charles was guide him to death. The cruelest thing that anyone has ever done is tell Charles that they would rather Charles have left with Death in that attic than stuck around. Charles has spent the last thirty years being haunted by the same ghost, of course. What an irony that Charles only started being haunted after he died. (What an irony that Charles only realized he was in love after that same ghost proved that Charles still had a heart in his dead chest, because that heart had broken the moment that Edwin had turned on his heel and left a shattered Charles in the place they once called a home.) And yet, Charles cannot stop wishing for Edwin to just turn around. For Edwin to just turn around and smile and laugh as he did in that attic. For Edwin to smile at him, for Edwin to accept him back, for Edwin to love him. (Edwin and Charles go their separate ways in 1990 and spend the next thirty years pining for each other. Don't worry, they'll figure things out eventually.)

Notes: The way this broke my heart and put it back together, I swear- Absolutely amazing. It's angsty and it hurts, but I have no regrets. I wanted to give it a thousand kudos (please, AO3, let me).

so I try to talk refined by shadowquill17 (@shadowquill17)

| E | 6k | Tags: POV Charles Rowland (DCU), Self-Esteem Issues, Internalized racism, Jealousy, Oblivious Charles Rowland (DCU), Misunderstandings |

Edwin tells Charles about the Cat King taking his appearance and Charles, after he's done being angry, thinks about it some more and comes to the conclusion that the only reason that could happen and Edwin could still be more flustered by the Cat King when he didn't look like Charles... is that Edwin doesn't find Charles attractive. He has no idea why it feels so painful.

Notes: This made me feel INSANE in the best of ways. I re-read it often and enjoy it as much as the first time. Thank you, @shadowquill17, for this amazing fic.

That Story Ends Tragically by Alexander_Writes (@neitherthehoneynorthebee)

| M | 12k | Tags: Ep 7 canon divergence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Pre-Canon Scenes, Violence, Internalized Homophobia, Trauma, Love Confessions, First Kiss |

"Can you explain this?" Charles begged. "Charles, don't leave," said the boy behind them. Edwin glared, but forcefully smoothed his expression when he looked back at Charles. "Hell is ... perceptive. It likes to snare souls. What is ..." He swallowed, throat moving with it. "What is the thing that you are most scared of, right now?" "Losing you." Or, what if Charles got lost trying to find Edwin in Hell?

Notes: MY GOD THE BRILLIANCE OF THIS. This was so well written it had me on the edge of my seat from start to end. The angst and the resolution of it were incredible.

Turnabout's Fair Play by LikeMmmCookies (@likemmmcookies)

| E | 7k | Tags: Edwin learns to flirt, Charles is down so bad, Edwin wears SHORTS, Charles walks into a door about it, Cute and silly, Cheesy flirting |

Edwin learns how to flirt.

Notes: This one had me giggling and kicking my feet because it was so amazing. It was such a fun and sweet read that I just had to include it in this list.

A gentleman by Superfriki

| Not Rated | 2k | Tags: First Kiss, Getting Together, Courting Rituals, Fluff, Love Confessions, Charles being a simp, Niko and Charles being friends |

“Niko, I can’t walk into the office with a flower bouquet and ask Edwin to let me court him. He would shit himself and run the other way” He looked at the girl, worry etched into his brow. “Don’t worry, you can do some things before that. Maybe you could start by getting him a gift or being a gentleman with him” “Oi! I’m always a gentleman with him” - Or Charles tries to woo Edwin in the Edwardian way.

Notes: ABSOLUTE FLUFF. The love. The courting. Everything about is a 10/10.

The Case of Richard Rowland by RB (BlueflowersandWings) (@writerofstuff)

| M | 31k | Tags: Post-Canon, Case Fic, Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Getting Together, Romantic Tension, Mutual Pining |

"Right on time, Charles," Edwin calls as he phases in through their office door. "It seems that we have a new client. We were just about to—" Charles freezes. "As I was saying," Charles' father coughs, sat across from Edwin with his back to the door, "my name is Richard Rowland, and I believe I have been murdered." — Or: Charles' father dies on a Sunday. On Monday, he arrives at the doorstep of the Dead Boy Detective Agency.

Notes: One of my all-time faves, honestly. This one hit me in the feelings with such force and shook me so fundamentally I had to stare at the wall for a bit after reading some scenes. It's angsty, but it's brilliantly written. Thank you @writerofstuff for this masterpiece.

a part of me that will never be mine by tragedy_machine (@tragedy-machine)

| E | 22k | Tags: Mutual Pining, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Unreliable Narrator, Oblivious Edwin Paine, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, First Kiss, First Time, Love Confessions |

Edwin tells Charles he loves him in Hell, but when Charles quickly responds with his own breathless 'I love you', Edwin assumes his friend meant it platonically, so he gives up halfway through his confession, leaving out the crucial 'I'm in love with you' part. Dejected, he decides to keep his feelings a secret. Meanwhile, Charles has been in love with his best mate for years, so when they unexpectedly exchange 'I love yous' on the staircase of Hell, Charles happily assumes that they've just started dating and are just going at a really slow pace. Needless to say, they're not really on the same page. --- OR: because of a misunderstanding during the confession in Hell, Charles thinks they're dating now, while Edwin believes his love will stay unrequited forever

Notes: This fic has my whole heart, I swear. It's one of my faves ever, and the sensation of receiving the email when it was updated was unparalleled. A true jewel. Thank you @tragedy-machine

pinch me (I don't want this to be a dream) by shadowquill17 (@shadowquill17)

| E | 15k | Tags: Accidental Mind Reading, Light Angst, Oblivious Charles Rowland (DCU), Misunderstandings, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Getting Together|

Charles has never met a magical object he didn’t want to use. He might have gotten cursed a couple times over the years, but he also found some great stuff that way, and it keeps his afterlife exciting, you know? So when he and Edwin find something called “Desire’s Pince-Nez”, spelled glasses that make you see someone’s desires if you look into their eyes, Charles doesn’t really think twice before trying them on.

Notes: This one killed me and revived me with every line. I cannot express properly how much I loved it, but it's one of the fics I re-read most often, so I guess that says something. Seriously, it's amazing,.

[milykins]

Ask for requests and ye shall receive! I'm not good at writing requests so bear with me lol. It's a silly Raph x reader scenario I've had in my head for a minute. It's the dead of winter and reader is going to the lair absolutely freezing 'cause its snowing out. Once reader gets there, they see Raph working out and looking very warm...it'd be a real shame it someone with freezing hands where to try to steal that body warmth >:3

Thank you for the ask! It was a fun prompt. I hope this is what you had in mind!

Raph×Reader

No warnings - rated E for everyone

Special thanks to @sophiacloud28 for beta reading this!

Cold Hands

Your fingers were numb. You couldn’t feel your face either. You haven’t for about fifteen minutes since you made the stupid decision to walk home from work. Miserably forcing your way through the snow, you were unsure if you still had feet or two large blocks of ice. You hated being cold, especially this cold. Mustering the effort you kept going, huffing out clouds of vapour. Only a few more minutes to the manhole cover.

With shaking fingers you hooked the metal tool for lifting it into the holes. “C’mon…” it seemed to take longer this time, adding to your frustration.

You slipped in before it was fully open. You could care less about the ping Donnie would get from leaving it ajar. It’s far too cold and your concern for hypothermia was outweighing everything.

You needed warmth and you had your sights set on your favourite bruiser.

The lair was surprisingly quiet. Good. There was only one person you wanted to see after that lovely walk.

Shaking the remaining snow from your coat, you threw it haphazardly on the nearest chair. Exposing your poor feet to the sudden warmth brought forth a gasp of discomfort. Your toes and fingers tingled like fire as your warmed blood worked through the frozen appendages.

The set temperature of the lair was not enough to really help you feel normal again. You needed him.

You located Raphael in the weight room. He appeared to be part-way through his workout, standing and facing away from you. He was grunting softly to himself, clearly associated with power-lifting a couple of massive weights. Despite how cold you were still, it was hard not to appreciate him for a moment. The way his muscles bunched and tensed. The rivulets of sweat from his efforts.

He'd once told how much weight he could curl and the amount was staggering. Around five hundred pounds effortlessly on a good day. The man certainly took his workouts seriously, that was for sure.

Watching how hot he looked, literally and figuratively, a devilish thought entered your mind. You shouldn’t, oh, but you were going to. This was perfect, and you knew he wouldn’t hear you.

Excitement building, you slowly approached, hands at the ready, craving that body heat only he could give. Without warning, you yanked his mask tails to get him right where you wanted him, placing those freezing hands of yours right where his neck met his carapace.

The sound that came out of Raph was nothing short of hilarious. It was a cross between a gasp and a cry, with in an expletive added in for good measure.

“Aaagh! The FUCK?!”

You firmly held your freezing hands in place while the dumbbells slipped from his, hitting the floor with a couple of two separate loud thumps. Thankfully, it was protected by a thick, rubber mat, or they would’ve left a couple of dents.

He turned his head sharply to look at you, eyes narrowing considerably that you’d interrupted his workout like this.

Smiling innocently, you just shrugged. “I… I was cold… and you looked so hot.”

Always a sucker for praise his bunched shoulders dropped and the hint of a smile was forming. You knew he couldn’t be too mad at you.

Removing his wireless headphones, he hung them on a spare hook and turned, taking your smaller hands in his massive ones. The warmth of them drawing a small sigh of relief from you.

“Cold, eh?” Looking at you finally, he noticed your still-flushed cheeks and echoes of melted snow in your eyelashes and hair.

“Baby, did you walk?” His expression quickly changed to one of concern. “Why didn’t ya Uber it?”

You gave him a half-hearted shrug with the decency to look a little ashamed. “The weather was too bad… I would’ve been waiting an hour, so I decided to bite the bullet and walk.”

Releasing one of your hands, he brushed his knuckles across your cheek, still able to feel to lingering chill. “Ya shoulda waited… this type of weather isn’t great for me. It’ll basically cause me to slow down and sleep. You, on the other hand, could lose a finger or somethin’.”

Eyes fluttering closed a moment, you leaned closer. You craved the heat radiating from his body. “I’m sorry…”

“I’m gonna rack these, hold on.” He turned, hefting those huge dumbbells onto a custom-made rack. “Half a workout it is. I gotta get you warmed up.”

You begin to protest. You hadn’t meant to interrupt him this much. “B-but, Raph, you don’t have to-.“

He silenced you with a kiss and slid his arms under your back and legs to draw you right up against his solid form. “I need a shower anyway.”

And that was that. He was already taking long strides to the bathroom. You shivered in excitement that had nothing to do with how cold you’d been. He was heading to the one with the huge walk-in shower that you adored. Unsurprisingly, you couldn’t find a single reason to argue with him.

“I guess a shower doesn’t sound so bad… as long as I have you to keep me company…” You wrapped your arms around him pulling yourself up just enough to squish your cold cheek against his warm one.

Raph shivered a little before moving on. “Oh, that’s something you never gotta worry about sweetheart… warming you up is my specialty. Plus, those ice picks you called hands were absolutely criminal.” You couldn’t help but laugh softly at that teasing smirk of his.

“So, I can’t steal your body heat when I’m cold?” You were really playing it up, sticking your bottom lip out and giving him those ‘eyes’.

He kissed your pout and chuckled low in his throat. “Maybe not when I’m doin’ curls, alright? Yer lucky I didn’t drop those damn weights on your feet.”

Laughing more, you nodded. “Deal, now undress me and get me in that shower.”

He growled softly as he brought you in. Closing and locking the door behind himself he was fully intent on a making good on that promise.

Things had never been hotter between the two of you.

End

Until the next ask! This is the first of three!

Taglist

@danceingfae @thelaundrybitch @iridescentflamingo @redsrooftopprincess @ninnosaurus

@the-cauldron-witch @thepinkpanther83 @avery73 @adebauchedsloth @sophiacloud28

@definitely-canon @scholastic-dragon @truffle-reblogs @fyreball66 @yorshie

Please ask if you'd like me to add you to the taglist

[sanemistar]

THE ONE I WANT

contents ★ dan heng x fem!reader, established relationship, fluff, marriage proposal, 0.8k+ wc. requested for my milestone event. synopsis ★ in which your longtime boyfriend surprises you by a sudden marriage proposal.

event m.list ★ hsr m.list

it was a memorable day that you were about to remember for the rest of your life, everything about it was so special to you. the weather was perfect that day in xianzhou luofu, sunny with a hint of cool, fresh breeze. you and your boyfriend were walking around the shops, trying out different foods and having a good time together just the two of you.

it wasn’t like you never spent any alone time with him for the past five years you’d been together for, but occasions like that were quite rare. because most of the time the rest of the astral express members were present, so by default you two would spend time your together with them. not that you had any issues with that, you’d gotten used to them and became friends with everyone.

so you were very happy doing simple, mundane things with dan heng and being able to spend some quality time with your beloved boyfriend, on a romantic date with just the two of you alone for the first time in a while. being with him had always been something you could never get tired of, you would spend an eternity with him if you could.

you weren’t really aware of how much time had passed by until you saw the sun beginning to fade away in the horizon, signaling the end of the day and your date. on one hand, you were standing there with your eyes being glued onto the beautiful sunset. watching the sky being painted in a mix of red, orange and purple shades. you were struck by the ethereal beauty of the scene in front of you, it was magical.

on the other hand, there was dan heng whom the only thing he seemed to focus on was you. his gaze was solely fixated on your beautiful face, watching your sparkly eyes twinkle as your lips parted slightly at the scenery in fascination.

to him, you’re far more beautiful than any sunset; more than anything in the world actually.

“looks like it’s time to go home, thanks for the lovely day.” you spoke softly as you tore your gaze away from the sky and looked at your boyfriend, only to find his deep teal eyes staring back at you. he held your hand gently, eyes caught in a deep gaze.

you then felt something cool against the skin of your finger, which had caused you to jolt momentarily before your eyes tore away from dan heng’s to look down on your finger, only to be left in complete shock and surprise. your jaw almost fell in awe seeing the diamond ring placed on your ring finger.

“i’ve been thinking about this, about us and our future together, for the longest time and,” he spoke softly, hands still gripping yours. the image of you and him had been living in his head for as long as ever. you waiting for him at home, cooking his favorite meals for him every day. the thought of having a domestic life with you made him feel all giddy and warm inside.

“i think it’s about time that we take the next step in our relationship and get married. because you’re the only one i want, i want to be with you forever.” he proceeded. leaning so close that your noses slightly brushed against each other.

“if i have to choose one person to spend the rest of my life with,” he paused for less than a second before adding. “it has to be you.” you felt a few tears fall from your eyes. which of course, were tears of joy. dan heng quickly let go of one hand and gently wiped them away as he began kissing the spots on your cheeks where the tears fell on.

and it was the same for you as well, it had to be dan heng. he whom your heart desired, the man whom you were ready to be with until you were both old and gray. you never wanted to imagine a world without him, you simply couldn’t even dare to bring your mind to.

“will you marry me?” and it was the fastest, easiest ‘yes’ you’d ever answered to a question in your life. he grabbed your hand gently, placing it close to his lips as he pressed a loving kiss on the back of your hand.

this time it was your turn to let go of his hand. you wrapped your arms around his neck and threw yourself into his arms as he lifted you up and swirled you around. none of you paid attention to the loud cheering sounds surrounding you, because at that moment it felt as if it was just you and him in the world.

you were more than excited to live the future you had always been dreaming about with dan heng by your side, always and forever.

𝜗𝜚 taglist: @itoshivy @unriding

[norastarfall]

One piece au I like to call: THEYRE ALL ART STUDENTS ONE way or another

Rorono zoro is an upcoming puppet master trained by an old school puppet master Dracule Mihawk. Can hold a rod in his mouth while performing Ventriloquism and throwing his voice, so his puppet performances look more expressive.

Luffy LOVES sculpting- he can do everything that involves hands cause he’s hot so much energy, but he’s best known for for his lifelike sculptures of loved ones or political statues that mock the subject. His fans think he’s a genius but he just has a good set of morals and no filter

Nami makes mini lifelike dioramas of places she’s been too, or hopes to visit one day. She makes most of her living by taking commissions by DnD nerds or museums. It’s how she met Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp actually.

Usopp is a writer and creative director. He specializes in scripts and novels but if you are making a student film with a cheap budget but need this scene to be heartbreaking. He’s your guy to call. He’s also the president of his colleges dnd club. Which Luffy and Zoro are members of.

Sanji at heart is a culinary student, but after meeting Luffy, Zoro, nami, and Usopp at a restaurant he was part timing at (Baratie). He’s on the fence on adding a minor then fully convinced by zeff to add a minor of Art.

He’s incredibly good at drawing and paints murals for the baratie but felt guilty straying away from helping zeff and indulging in his hobbies. Until he finds out Zoro gave up being a dojo master with his father to pursue his goal of teaching children self confidence, equality, and empathy through puppets. He can’t lie- he’s as much moved as he is flabbergasted.

[taesancult]

hihi!!! I am the anonie that req for the "7 minute in heaven with bnd", it took me a while to remember that I send a req to u 😭😭😭 but i just wanted to say that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW U WROTE IT, LIKE I AM ACTUALLY OBSESSED 😭😭😭😭 and i think that def from now on I will start coming on here more often for ur stories!!!!!! can we please get a dom! sungho though?😍😍😍

hi cutie patootie, that req actually caused my writing to receive a lot of love i cannot even lie so thank you for requesting it!! and thank you so much for your love <3 i’ll look forward to seeing you in my inbox <3

THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING YEPPI!!! i never get reqs for him or riwoo :(( so it always makes me so happy when someone asks about either of them!

smut under the cut. mdni.

i’ve said it before and i will say it again! he is such a pleasure dom. i could see him so clearly being an acts of service boy, which translates in bed. he’s really persistent on getting things right, a perfectionist if you will, which makes him an amazing partner. he’ll always put your pleasure above his own, and always make you verbally confirm that you finished even if you can barely speak from being so fucked out.

he would be propped up beside you, slightly leaning over you with his right arm underneath your neck. your hands gripping onto his shirt as his left hand works wonders on your body. the whole positioning was so romantic; his body being so close to yours as he pleases you. he would be fully clothed, while you were completely naked; adding to his dominating energy. his fingers would ease into your soaked pussy, going at the perfect pace. he makes sure to study you whenever you had sex. your facial expressions, your whimpers and cries, your body language. he wanted to be sure that everything he does makes his pretty little girl feel good.

he would pay attention to your clit, swirling his middle finger around it, electrifying you. your back arched and your breath was stolen from you. “do you like that?” he whispered with a small smirk as he continued his movements. “l-love it, you’re so good at this.” you whimpered as his finger made its way to your entrance, gliding in and out of your wet cunt. “my beautiful girl.” you winced. he always praised you in moments like this and it was so dizzying. your grip on his shirt would get tighter as he entered another finger; easily gliding the two of them in and out at what he knew to be your preferred pace. your whines became more high pitched and your eyes were tightly shut as he continued, which only meant one thing for him. “be a good girl, and cum on my fingers for me.” he would demand, but kindly like he didn’t want to be too authoritative, just the perfect amount.

UGHHHH he’s just such a good caretaker in bed like he’ll give you whatever you want as long as you ask nicely <3

[fallen--starlight]

hi tumblr user if-you-soul i need to preface this by saying i was actually discussing the god awful mischaracterization this fandom inflicts on HMS with my besties & opened tumblr to look for your reblog of that soul fanart saying "YOU fell for the character's facade that was meant to be dismantled by the viewer!" & got hit w this & it MADE MY DAY. i fucking love this album to death & im a soul fictionkin so these things drive me up a fucking wall

cccc is pretty straightforward while also being purposefully vague & left up to interpretation in many areas but soooo many people take interpretation to twisting the narrative until its no longer what it was & it makes me ask myself did we listen to same tracks here?? where are yall getting these things from???? this got rly fucking long so im adding a cut here voilá

when people talk abt the mischaracterization in the fandom its usually focused on heart & mind so im INSANELY glad to see someone talk abt the soul shit. cause what kinda crack are people on?? he never threatens to harm h&m except for at the end of TSE where he is... having a mental breakdown? have people forgotten what it's like to have a breakdown??? you say shit you dont mean bc you're splitting at the seams & falling apart. there is no point in the entire album where soul is portrayed as manipulative/entitled/evil/violent/abusive/erratic, which are descriptions a surprisingly large amt of ppl seem to subscribe to? HE'S A VICTIM !!!! & im so glad you said it! i too have been in a kind of middleman position to parties fighting with each other & its insanely detrimental to one's mental health & had me at an incredibly low point so yeah TSE feels deeply personal to me & soul's character in general (waves in soul kin again LMAO), drives me bonkers how ppl describe him.

mind WISHES he was unfeeling. heart calling him an automaton freak doesnt mean he doesnt feel! it means that he just PUSHES AWAY & REPRESSES EMOTION, or at least tries to. like one has to really emphasize that everything between the heart acoustic & the soul eclectic has mind clearly displaying rage & bitterness & all kinds of emotions. even the end of TME says "maybe my existence might be by design, a simple fact that he'll refuse to see" like bro says its a maybe & then immediately claims its a fact yall are falling for his facade so hardcore its not even funny atp. the way people treat heart is borderline gross, he is NOT an uwu baby innocent boy that doesnt know anything & ppl infantilize him so much idek why. heart represents emotion- ALL emotions. & you're right! emotions are so fucking draining & exhausting at times, especially if you're mentally ill! all this weird portrayal of evil mind & innocent heart is so ?? can i quote TSE with neither is wrong yet neither is right. all 3 of them are neither good nor evil. they're people. they're human. the album really emphasizes this a lot.

the juno incident & RoE in general is made to be a much bigger deal by the fandom that it really is. applies to more than one thing in cccc but RoE takes the cake tbh. & yeah! whole is an entirely fanon thing lololol like im pretty fucking sure even chonny jash has said this someway or another. what we call whole is literally just...chonny. i think ppl took dream's "when harmonia shines, atlas beholds her" & RAN. & honestly i like whole hcs but this brings me to another thing: i really feel like cccc fans come up with so many hcs & interpretations for the album that they forget what the canon is in favor of their fanon. there's so much shock gore & gore in general for lowkey no reason in here </3 its so much & for what. fanon is awesome like everyone should be free to do whatever but i do wish ppl would Remember Canon a bit more & separate their hcs from it more. along with the gore. where are yall getting all this insane amount of gore & violence from. i feel like any violence alluded to in the album is more metaphorical than it is physical bc emotions can be felt violently. internal violence. the album is abt the never ending cycle of mental illness getting better & then getting bad again & so forth as a natural part of life & accepting yourself in those moments.

tl;dr u r so correct & i couldnt agree more & you've voiced the way i've felt abt this fandom for ages we lost the fucking plot & kept running anyways lets pause & find it again thank you so much for sharing ur yapsesh with us

Mischaracterization in the CCCC fandom: a yapsesh (alternative title: Erm... What the Gore is Going On?)

Hi. Woaw. I'm actually making that post I talked about.

So. One thing I've noticed in the CCCC fandom is this weird fixation on gore, torture, violence, etc. Usually a level of graphic content that makes your average horror flick look... pretty tame!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy horror! I even think a horror story based around psychological conflict similar to CCCC could work well!

But is it just me, or has this fandom COMPLETELY lost track of what the characters are like in the source material?

Like. Let's be real. Nowhere in the album does Soul do gruesome surgeries on Mind, nowhere does Mind go ripping people to shreds like Doomguy, et cetera. The closest thing we have to an implication of violence is what most of us call the "Juno incident"- as even "tines stabbed through eyes" is clearly a metaphor with the next line: "that the sides have condemned."

Im gonna talk ab the characters themselves under the cut

I feel the biggest victim of this mischaracterization is Soul. In the album he's... kind of a victim, really. He toughs out being dismissed and fought over and pushed aside and outright dehumanized for so, so long. Are we seriously just... going to characterize him based solely on his lowest point in TSE? Spring and a Storm and Mucka Blucka are also songs where he's present- along with his presence in Just Apathy that the fandom seems to outright deny to keep their characterization of him as some violent, abusive monster. (Which, again, is quite literally never alluded to! He's honestly kind of a victim, if anything!)

Ohhkay. Next topic. Mind. Oh boy I have thoughts on how people characterize Mind.

He's not emotionless. If you believe this, you've fallen for his stoic facade. All of his songs are just. So full of so much rage. Maybe even a little bit of grief and sadness and fear, masked by said rage. He isn't some emotionless robot- (Heart calls him an automaton as an insult, but that's another rant.) and honestly it feels like such a disservice to such an interesting character with so much unexplored depth to portray him as such.

Heart. Oh boy. Where do I start. Heart what did they do to you.

Heart is the emotional side, yes, but that isn't just some... smol innocent uwu baby who cries all the time. Emotions aren't small and cute and timid. They're INTENSE and PASSIONATE and EXHAUSTING. Strong emotions leave you so, so drained, good OR bad. This is so much more interesting than portraying him as some "uwu hai dere!!" type of character. Which is nowhere in the album.

Whole is hardly even a character. Soul worshipping and praying to whole is fanon.

This fandom's weird obsession with creating shock gore and one-upping each other in a violence competition has spiraled pretty far out of control, and it's honestly crazy. How do you go from an album about internal conflict to violence that would make even the cast of Resident Evil cringe? Brah.

Final notes uhhh. Soul is a victim who got pushed to his limit, not an evil heartless abuser. Mind is angry and unstable and hurt, not some emotionless robot. Heart is the entire emotional spectrum, not some innocent baby. Ok i . I think that's all. Have a good one

[cheerfullycatholic]

So I'm currently a pro-choice Christian, but I'm starting to lean towards pro-life recently? But I'm worried about the implication of banning abortions.

I'm worried about how abortions don't stop our even slow down when illegal, the same amount of them happen just dangerously.

I'm worried about miscarriages and how they're sometimes treated as a murder case in abortion illegal places.

I'm worried about doctors refusing to give life saving abortions to those who need it in face of persecution.

I'm worried about young children who can't give birth safely being forced to.

I'm split about the 1 baby vs 100 fertilized eggs question, where if the 100 fertilized eggs were really as sentient as a baby why would we save the baby every time instead of the 100 fertilized eggs.

I think it's best to give out birth control and sex education and make it easier to be a parent and I don't think abortion is what you should run to automatically, but idk. I got suggested your blog to help, what do you think?

Hi! I think your concerns are important and I'd love to talk about them (I'll number them all so nothing gets jumbled up) (my answers are below the cut because they're long)

1. Firstly, it's been reported many times that abortion rates do fall when made illegal or hard to get, while birth rates rise. Illegal abortions are much more dangerous, but I do not believe that is a good enough reason to allow abortion, because no matter what someone dies, which isn't good in any situation. More help for pregnant women and their babies is essential no matter the circumstances, but especially after abortion is made illegal so that women don't have to feel like they have no other choice but to have a dangerous back alley procedure. And to me at least, it doesn't feel right to say "abortions will happen anyway so we might as well keep them legal so they'll happen safely" because what else could that apply to? Murder? Driving drunk? Doing drugs? They'll happen anyway, after all

2 and 3. In America at least (where I'm from), there is no law that has made miscarriage illegal. One that caused a lot of ruckus was the Texas Heartbeat Law. People claimed that the law would criminalize miscarriage care and would lead to a bunch of investigations, but they rarely happen, and if they do, it's usually either because the police have reason to believe illegal activities were involved in the death of the baby (like illicit drug use or the baby being left to die or killed after being born alive) or because authorities don't actually know their own laws. There was one case where authorities got their own laws wrong in Texas, but the case was dismissed quickly. And just from everything that I've read so far, it seems to me that any legal action taken against someone for procuring an abortion would be taken against the abortion providers themselves, not the women getting the abortions

And this is what the heartbeat law states this, which mentions "life saving" abortions (emphasis added);

“Abortion” means the act of using or prescribing an instrument, a drug, a medicine, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to cause the death of an unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant. The term does not include birth control devices or oral contraceptives. An act is not an abortion if the act is done with the intent to: (A) save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child; (B) remove a dead, unborn child whose death was caused by spontaneous abortion; or (C) remove an ectopic pregnancy.

"Spontaneous abortion" being a miscarriage. So at least in Texas and the other states with similar heartbeat laws, any doctor who refuses to treat women for fear of being prosecuted is wrong and should lose their jobs for medical malpractice

4. For any high risk pregnancy but especially for cases which involve young girls, there are steps in place to keep them safe which include increased monitoring, bed rest, certain medications, and early delivery. Young girls in the past have been able to give birth prematurely safely and without ending the lives of their children, but sometimes delivering their babies before viability is necessary and their babies die, but this is different than abortion and is not illegal. Again, if a doctor refuses to do an early delivery in order to try and save their patients, they are guilty of medical malpractice

5. I hate that thought experiment because the goal of everyone who asks it is to try and get you to say a born baby is more valuable than embryos and it's dumb. Whoever you choose to save in this made up scenario does not determine who is more valuable. All human life is valuable, choosing to save a born baby over a preborn baby doesn't diminish the value of the preborn baby, it just means you made a choice to save the born one. Which arguably (inarguably?) saving the born baby makes more sense because what are we supposed to do with the 100 frozen embryos after we get them out? They'll start to thaw and die pretty quickly if they haven't already from the fire in the ivf building

All around we can definitely do better in making sure women don't feel like their only choice is abortion like so many do (Silent No More has a ton of stories from women who felt like they had no choice or were forced into getting an abortion if you want to read them). I think our focus should be on addressing why women get abortions and doing our best to remedy their problems instead of killing their children. That's why I really like Let Them Live, an organization that raises money through community supported fundraisers for women who ask for their help. They have so many cool stories of women who accepted their help and are so glad that they chose life. If we really came together as a community that offered life affirming love and care, no one would have to be killed, and I think that's something that God would like, too. He did say after all that He hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-19). I can't think of anyone more innocent that little babies

(The first two links lead to Secular Pro Life, who have a lot of good resources and studies)

I really hope I was able to address your worries well enough (I'm still a bit sick so apologies if I didn't make much sense). If I forgot or missed anything or if you have questions please let me know, and if anyone has anything else they'd like to add (kindly, leaving your stinkiness at the door. Refer to my blog's title quote if you're confused), please feel free to!

[loulovingho]

can I hear MORE about the relationship between Deacon and Rocker 🥺

This is my love language, of course you can!

Because I was just thinking about how Deacon is temporarily reassigned to 50-David to help out and that makes Rocker his commanding officer. This should cause friction between them (especially because it was going to be Deacon’s job if he hadn’t backed out), but it doesn’t, it just turns Deacon tf on! Like he’s never been so horny in his life. Rocker gives him an order and Deacon says, “Yes, Sir.” And Rocker manages to play it cool until that point, but then he looks at Deacon with those dark, lust-filled eyes and they both know what they’re doing tonight.

And while Rocker might be called Sir when they’re in the field, he’s the one moaning it to Deacon when he’s told to get on his knees as soon as they get into Rocker’s apartment. There’s the added bonus that, for right now, it’s against regulations for them to be in a romantic relationship. But there’s so much about this relationship that’s wrong. Deacon’s still married, he’s got 4 kids at home to take care of, Rocker isn’t his in the first place. Neither of them give a damn about that right now though because this feels good and it feels right.

[cookedupinthelabm8]

I wanted to add to this that, although I do think that Mother Miranda adding these three black roses to the design of her overall presentation could potentially have something to do with the Dimitrescu sisters, I also want to point out a few details I personally find very important—so much so that they shouldn't be dismissed from the picture. Mother Miranda takes her title as Mother in the same way religions such as Catholicism take the title Father as a spiritual guide. Like them, she curates her physical appearance to maintain a very carefully crafted image that embodies what she represents to the eyes of the villagers she protects and rules over. Taking the title away, Miranda is a grieving mother. Miranda is a woman that never got closure for the death of her Eva. She's broken under that mask of perfection and every carefully chosen detail she allows her body to shift into. She doesn't even make herself look like she did before Eva passed—going as far as to have attempted suicide before the Megamycete found her and gave her its "gift" (Cadou, which literally means gift) and prevented her from achieving death. With this in mind, let us return to the flowers. Black roses are a potent symbol in art, literature, and culture, carrying multiple meanings depending on context. Their allure lies in their enigmatic nature, often associated with deep emotional, mystical, or philosophical ideas. Black roses often symbolize the end of a significant chapter, usually marked by the finality of death and the mourning of those who have lost what they love most. Black roses can also embody a sense of tragedy, a tragic form of love and a non-traditional, unconventional kind of beauty. Yet, they can also embody a mystery, secrecy, insidiousness and allude to a metaphor that the person wearing them isn't as they seem, signaling the individual to be hard to understand or predict. The very aspect of black roses symbolize the unattainable as well, that which you may desire but perhaps can never have. Black roses can also mean a kind of defiance against oppression—and though this initially may clash with the idea of Mother Miranda, remember that she didn't start her cult by killing the people of the village, but by protecting them from the indifference of the outside world and the lethality of the Spanish flu. Black roses can symbolize a rejection of societal norms, as well. They carry the symbolic nature of embracing one's individuality, especially if this individuality is your own darkness and potential for malice—often related to the occult and supernatural practices, that which you fear and don't yet know. They may also symbolize a sense of hopelessness, of acknowledging the futility of your cause, the inevitable doom of what you wished to accomplish—in this case, it could be how she feels with her attempts to bring back her daughter, especially if we remember her very last words when Ethan shoots her down being her dead daughter's name (and how bad she started tweaking the moment she realized the girl she was holding was Rosemary and not Eva.) Black roses can also signify a striking and timeless grace. Their stark beauty can point to refinement, elegance and an appreciation for that which is rare or extraordinary. (Might explain why Alcina wears one, as well.) Finally, the dark blooms can also work to tell you a subconscious law of what Miranda's philosophy on life and death is, or a close approximate: beauty and decay. And, despite the lost cause motif they can hold, they may also show a certain type of stubbornness, an undying hope that, perhaps if she keeps trying, she may one day see her daughter again. In conclusion, although I do think it'd be very sweet if they were meant to symbolize her hand in making the Dimitrescu daughters, the symbolism behind the black roses is versatile and evocative. It's meant to embody the beauty of contradictions and the complexity of human emotions (among other things.)

Do yall know those flowers on Mother Miranda’s collar? These?

I used to believe these to be a decoration she added to finish her whole outfit, but now that am thinking further I believe the roses to represent something else.

Ok, obviously we all know the Dimitrescu daughters and the fact that Alcina has black flowers on her dress to represent her daughters. These flowers.

And now that I’m thinking about it I do believe these flowers to represent Miranda’s making or ownership of the daughters? I wouldn’t say ownership but that’s the best word I can think of right now.

Basically what I’m saying is that Miranda represents the four lords from the crests on her outfit, and she also represents creating the daughters by the three roses on her neck. It honestly makes sense since Miranda doesn’t have any other reason to have a three-black rose necklace like Alcina besides trying to represent the three daughters through these flowers.

This probably isnt new news to anyone but I thought it would be nice to bring up. Now am trying to figure out which one copied the other with the flower theme for the daughters. Lady Dimitrescu or Mother Miranda? Funny either way honestly.

[sunnybunnyy2]

My Ex-boyfriends New Girl

prologue

chapter summary: the events that force your hand in your revenge scheme come to light as you find out the man who you have loved for the past three years isn't the man you needed him to be. 

word count: 4.1k

pairings: Rafe Cameron x ex!fem!reader, Sofia x fem!reader

warnings: angst, cheating, toxic relationship, asshole Rafe, swearing, not much Sofia :/ and probably bad writing.

authors note: hi!! This is the prologue to my new Sofia fic series. Tumblr has not been doing my girl justice so I decided to take matters into my own hands and write for her. I deeply apologize for any typos or any mistakes (mostly if I confuse second person and third because I am not used to writing in second). Please reach out of you want to be added to the taglist!!

series masterlist next chapter

"Wow...I can't believe you did all of this..." you said as you admired the beautifully set table in front of you. It was littered with plucked red roses and lit-up orange candles. It was perfect- well at least nearly perfect. As much as you appreciated the gesture, you couldn't help but be saddened that the only flower on the table was the one you couldn't stand. 

You felt as though they were overused and cliche, but it wasn't necessarily the flowers that downed your mood but the mere fact that you had told him countless times how much you loathed them and yet, once again he had stuffed them in your face.

It was as though he never heard a single word that came out of your mouth. It was okay, you supposed as at least he put the effort in, in the first place. 

"Of course, I would, baby. It's our three year, I would be stupid if I didn't." Rafe stated with a small smile, that was all he was willing to offer after the events of his father's death. You could tell it was weighing him down but you couldn't do more than you already were. 

You were skipping your classes, sleeping over every night, had arranged the funeral with him and been by his side every step of the way. You were exhausted but you knew he was going through the worst time of his life and was going through worse than you. That's what you kept telling yourself, that he needed comfort more than you did. That had calmed you down for the time being but it had been months and you knew that you were gonna snap one day soon, leading you to truly hope that it was when Rafe was in a good headspace but with the way life was going, you didn't know when that would be. 

"Well, the stupid part is kind of debatable." You shrugged as you stabbed a piece of carrot with your fork. 

"Hey!" Rafe laughed softly as he kicked your leg under the table, his hand reaching for his glass of scotch. 

"I mean it though... thank you for doing all of this."

You said as you looked at him, your eyes full of love for the man you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. He simply nods as he pours himself another drink, but you can tell from the light coat of pink on his cheeks that he is blushing. "I love you." You finished as you reached your hand over to hold the one that had a grasp on the bottle while he was still pouring a flood of alcohol into his glass. The action stopped him in his tracks as you lowered his hand and he let go of the half-full bottle. 

"I love you too, baby." He muttered the phrase as he looked into your eyes causing yours to water as you pulled away to fix the napkin on your lap and then began to eat the slightly burnt food your boyfriend had prepared.

-Six days later- 

From: Sister-in-law✨

Hey

Sent 4:34 pm

It's Sarah. I changed my number a few weeks ago I'm not sure if you have it or not.

Sent 4:34 pm

I just wanted to let you know that I broke into Tannyhill like an hour ago to get a few of my things and heard a girl in Rafe's room. 

Sent 4:36 pm

It didn't sound like you and if I'm wrong then I'm sorry but I don't think I am. 

Sent 4:37 pm

You stared at the messages in front of you as your eyes continued to read over them just like they had for the last five minutes. You couldn't seem to tear them away. 

You had known Sarah for the last three years, even before she went all pogue and left the only life she had ever known. And though you were confused about why she did at first- when Ward's toxic actions had come to light, you had driven your overly priced car over to the shack John B called home and simply hugged the girl. She had cried in your arms because she knew that even though you loved her brother, you had believed her and loved her too. 

Even when you had sat on the kook side of the courthouse the day John B was arrested, your sympathetic gaze was enough to let her know that you weren't sure what to do and chose to stick by the only life you had ever known, and she couldn't fault you for that. She would have done the same if it was just another Pogue, but it wasn't. It was the man she loved and she knew that you loved Rafe and needed to do what was right for your relationship.

You had called her later that night to give her any information that you might have known about what Rafe and Ward were planning which ultimately led to John B getting out... she would never forget what you did. 

You were her sister more than Rafe was her brother and that wasn't going to change just because you were doing what it took to keep the man you loved safe, just like she was. 

A tear dropped from your eye and landed on the blue messages causing some of the words to blur as you hastily pulled yourself out of your bedroom and ran to your car.

You couldn't even remember the ride over as you hurried up the stairs of Tannyhill. You did know one thing though, Sarah wouldn't have lied to you and even when you hoped Rafe hadn’t lied to you earlier that morning when he assured you that you could head back to your family home- It made sense to you. He sent you home so he could finally get alone time with his side piece. 

You whipped his door open and simply nodded to yourself when your boyfriend quickly pulled away from the blue-eyed redhead to meet your eyes before quickly rolling off the bed and pulling on his shorts when he finally processed who was standing in the doorway. You ran down the stairs of the biggest home on the island and the place that you had called your second home for the last three years.

You could hear the sound of the girl calling for him and the sound of him practically flying down the stairs behind you in hopes of catching you before you made it to your car and the probability of you running him over became more likely than you hearing him out.

He was faster than you thought as his large hand wrapped around your forearm, stopping you in your tracks. You whip around with your hand raised as you prepare to smack him across the face but he catches your arm with his other hand before he harshly shoves you backward. Tears run down your cheeks as you head down his too-long driveway and it certainly doesn't help that you decided to park right at the gate and run to his home. 

"Baby, just stop-" He started his voice thick as he ran after you, but he was cut off before he could speak further.

"Don't call me that! You can't just baby me and I'll somehow find it in myself to forgive you. It's not happening. Have a nice life with Merida." You shot back, your tone quickly turned from heartbroken to mocking as the second stage of grief took over.

"Look... after my dad, I just..." He bowed his head after he had finally found an excuse you may actually fall for as all the kind actions you had done for him after his father died flashed through his mind, a chill ran through him as guilt began to run through him as the extent of his choices had begun to settle in. He chose getting in the pants of a random girl over his girlfriend who had stood by him after all the bad he had done. A part of him hoped that you would do that this time- bend your morals to keep him by your side. 

"Jesus Christ! Don't you dare use his death as an excuse!" You shutter out a breath as you refuse to fall for his guilt-tripping. You knew that you act crazy when experiencing grief, you had experienced it yourself when you had lost your mother a few years back. You went through the stages of grief alone as your father travelled in hopes of returning and being a better father to you but instead of him becoming a better father, his running off completely ruined your relationship. You were all alone for months with no one by your side, until you met Rafe six months after the death of your mother. And though he didn't help you through it directly, his presence had filled some of the hole in your heart and had given you something else to focus on. 

You had been through the loss of your mother who died of stomach cancer, the loss of your cousin who was murdered and the loss of your younger sister who had perished in a car accident when you were twelve. You had known more about loss than anyone you had been close with and knew firsthand how grief could affect you- especially when you lose a parent- but Rafe had, had your support and love through it all. You had been by his side through it all even though he and his dad weren't close, even though your boyfriend had hired a hitman on his own father only to cheat on his girlfriend and blame it on his father when he had been dead for four and a half months. 

"Look," You continued as you brought your weakened arms up to your hips as you scrutinized him dead in his eye. "I'm sorry about your dad. I really am- but newsflash the guys dead! And he has been for months- and for months, I've been bending over backwards to help you get through it just for you... to prove to me that I made a mistake. That I wasted not just months of my life helping you but years of my life loving you." You saw the range of emotions that flashed over his face as he attempted to process your words. It started with tears at the mention of his father, but his sadness flashed to anger as you began to mention all you had done for him and looked as though he was about to interrupt you but you just kept going, until it flashed to something darker.

"I told you when we started out that I had three deal breakers. Disrespect of any kind, lying and cheating- and so far you've managed to cross them all off, didn't you? Should I start yelling bingo?" You let out an angry laugh that resembles a heartbroken one as you turn around and head to your car.

"If you take one more step, I will make sure you regret it." His words came out like they were natural like you were one of the people he despised most. As if you hadn’t been the most important person to him for the last three years. It was jarring how different his voice was when he wasn’t telling you he loved you. 

You stop in your tracks as a chill runs down your spine, there is something in his tone... an edge it has that sends a warning through you. You know what he's done and what he's capable of. And as much as it hurt you to think this, you could count every time he had ever scared on one hand but right now, this wasn't just fear creeping through you- it was terror. 

He didn't have anything to lose anymore. His mother had been gone since he was thirteen, Sarah had chosen her true family over her blood family, Rose had taken Wheezie just days after Ward's body was found and had run for the hills without even taking a second thought about the grief her stepchildren were going through while holding on to the remaining gold and lastly, the one person he loved more than this his siblings and more than you- his father- was gone and he was never coming back. 

He was no longer enrolled in college anymore and even if he was, he never went to his classes and definitely wouldn't now. He didn't have a job other than his half-assed company he was so hellbent on making. A large part of you felt sorry for him; he was going through a lot and didn't have anyone by his side, but an even larger part of you felt more bad for yourself. You loved him blindly, stuck with him after he took someone's life, stayed with him after he tried to kill his sister twice, stayed with him through his cocaine addiction, stayed with him after the death of his father and after his youngest sister was taken from him. You would have willingly been his home had he not shown you time and time again that he would stray for something else that caught his attention. First it it was the coke, then the gold, then his father's approval and now some random girl. You would have been crazed to even consider staying with him this time and to be frank, it didn't even cross your mind. 

"Is that a threat, Rafe? You gonna kill me like you killed Peterkin?" You asked sharply.

"Nah...you'll just have to wait and see. You're gonna regret ever leaving his driveway." A small, creepy smile spread across his face and it was that damn smile that showed you that you were right to be done with him. He had finally lost it. 

"Yeah, I don't think I will. Nothing you do to me would be worse than staying with you." And with those words you took that one step, the one that would seal your fate as you took those final steps to your sleek car before you pulled yourself in and slammed the door. Through the windshield window, you could see Rafe still standing there with his arms crossed as if he was expecting you to hop out of your car and run to him but he was clearly mistaken as you shifted your car gear and stepped on the gas like your life depended on it and in your defence, you were as you hurtled out of Tannyhill without looking back.

And though it was reckless you pulled out your phone as you slowed down on the gas when you considered yourself a safe distance away from your crazed ex boyfriend. With your phone in your hand, you opened up Sarah's contact and your eyes locked on her earlier messages. The same messages that seemed to blow up your three-year relationship. 

Hey

Sent 4:34 pm

It's Sarah. I changed my number a few weeks ago I'm not sure if you have it or not.

Sent 4:34 pm

I just wanted to let you know that I broke into Tannyhill like an hour ago to get a few of my things and heard a girl in Rafe's room. 

Sent 4:36 pm

It didn't sound like you and if I'm wrong then I'm sorry but I don't think I am. 

Sent 4:37 pm

You changed contact to: Sista from another mista ✨

To: Sista from another mista ✨

Thank you for telling me. It wasn't me. It was some rando Rafe was screwing.

Sent 5:59 pm

Me and your brother are done

Sent 5:59 pm

I am so sorry that I didn't leave him sooner, I was stupid but I'm not anymore. 

Sent 6:00 pm

I love you :/

Sent 6:02 pm

And a few minutes later you were in some fast food restaurant parking lot eating way too much food while slurping down a large milkshake as you accepted that multiple years of your life were wasted when Sarah finally responded. 

From: Sista from another mista✨

Omg Y/N, I'm so so so sorry

Read 6:16 pm

As much as I thought he loved you, he can never put anyone above himself and I'm sorry if you're not in the mood to shit talk him but you deserve better

Read 6:17 pm

You always have and it hurts that you're just realizing it now. 

Read 6:17 pm

No matter what you will always be my sister. I may love you even more now that you had the guts to leave him. 

Read 6:18 pm

To: Sister-in-law✨

It's fine. I was dumb asf, I guess I needed him to screw someone else to realize. 

Read 6:18 pm

Rafe is chaos and I guess I am too. 

Read 6:18 pm

Nothing has to change between you and me. I could even stop by more without Rafe on my ass. 

Read 6:18 pm

From: Sister-in-law✨

Yes!! That's such an upside and don't beat yourself up over it. You are not chaos. Rafe is. At least you left, my mom never did.

Read 6:19 pm

You could feel the hurt through the message. She loved her mom but she had never left her father even though he was a less-than-stellar husband. You had done what her mother didn't. 

I'm ALWAYS here if you need to talk, no judgment. 

Read 6:20 pm

I love you💗 always

Read 6:20 pm

To: Sister-in-law✨

I love you too Sare<3

Hearted 6:21 pm

The next day your life was flipped upside down after you received a call from Yale University to personally notify you that you had been expelled for unlawful drug use after Rafe had anonymously sent a video to your university of you doing coke for the first time two years ago after he had talked you into it and you hadn’t done it since as you didn't like how it made you feel. He even went as far as getting someone to plant a small amount of coke in your car resulting in you getting arrested in a ditch after being pulled over. After that, your father gave you an ultimatum. He speaks to Topper's grandfather who is a respected judge- and gets him to let you off the hook if you go to a rehab centre or you get charged for carrying drugs in your car and get up to a year in prison. And no matter how much you tried to convince him that you didn't do cocaine and that it was only that one time, he didn't even want to hear you out.

And as much as you didn't want to go to rehab, you knew that it was better than prison. 

Though you knew Rafe would want to get revenge on you for breaking it off with him, you never would have expected him to partake in such a deliberate and evil takedown for experiencing the consequences of his selfish actions. It was insane to think that you had spent years of your life with a man who you thought would do anything for you, he had looked at you like you hung the moon and the stars yet he had disrespected you and humiliated you beyond belief for some random girl? You had never seen her before so you could only assume she was a Pogue which you highly doubted from the way he spoke about lower-class people, so that could only mean that she was a tourist. He had thrown your whole relationship away for some girl who was gonna leave a few days later but he felt the need to single-handedly ruin your life for having a problem with it? 

You had kicked yourself every day you spent in the hellhole that was rehab, the doctors looked down upon you like you were the bane of their existence, it was exhausting constantly being judged for being an addict when you weren't even one, to begin with. Hell, the place made you want to do drugs. You couldn't quite understand why a place that was supposed to help you overcome addiction would do so little good with the amount of money that goes into funding them. 

Your stay at the rehab centre was only two months but it took you seven months to return to OBX as you were sent to go live with your aunt, Mae, in New York. And in those five months, you stewed as you put a plan into action to wreak havoc upon the man who ruined your life.

Now, eight months after the fall of the most talked about couple on the island- you were sitting in the country club sipping a pina colada that a pretty bartender made while wearing a beautiful floral dress. 

The booming sound of your ex-boyfriend's laugh brought you out of your head as you slowly turned your neck to look over at the approaching man, and thankfully he was by the other side of the bar which caused a smile to curl up your lips slightly as your plan seemed to set into motion, however- your smile dropped as he leaned down to kiss the pretty bartender who made your drink just a few minutes prior shocking you to your core. 

You had heard from Sarah that Rafe was dating some poor girl from the cut but you hadn't expected it to be the girl you had just made small talk with a few minutes ago, and you certainly hadn't expected her to be...her.

From your conversation, you could tell that she was a very sweet girl who was just trying to change the financial situation that she had been born into and you admired that deeply. In said conversation, you had learned that she was twenty-two making you two the same age and that she was born in Mexico City but moved to the cut when she was very young. 

You also couldn't ignore the fact that she was beautiful and if you were going to be serious, you were pretty jealous and not because Rafe had moved on- but because he was dating one of the most beautiful girls you had ever seen while you were tucked away in a facility or stuck in the presence of your annoying cousins.

You tuck a piece of hair behind your ear as you listen to their conversation.

"Hey, baby." He used to call me that. "I missed you this morning." So their sleeping over? You picked apart every word of their conversation, you couldn't even help yourself.

"I know," she laughed, "I'm sorry, again. I had to cover Gaby's shift."

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." He laughed causing her to grin before she slapped his chest. "I gotta go, Toppers waiting. I just wanted to say hi and put our drinks in. I'll take-" He began to list what he wanted before the shorter girl shook her head as if she had already memorized his order, and she had.

"I know... Topper want the usual?" She asked as she began to tap on the device behind the bar to type in his drink order.

"Yeah, thanks." She nods in response, her eyes fixated on the task at hand. "Love you." He smiles as he backs away, his eyes still focused on his girlfriend. 

He used to say that to me all the time, you thought. 

Those words grab her attention as she looks up with a smile so wide you guessed that it hurt but it suited her quite nicely. "Love you." After that; he turned away and headed to his table and Sofia turned back to the monitor in front of her. Then, as if she sensed your eyes on her she pulled hers away from the screen and looked over at you. She smiled at you and if it wasn't so sweet you would have guessed that she was rubbing it in your face. 

"Would you like another?" She asked as she pointed to your nearly empty drink, you nodded gently and she turned around to work on your drink, deciding that her boyfriends and his best friends could wait. 

A wide smile fills the space of the small one that had covered your face just a minute ago as you mentally changed your whole plan of taking Rafe down for a crime he didn't commit after deciding that you had a better one in mind. One that he wouldn't never see coming and it all involved your ex-boyfriend's new girl and man- it was going to feel good.

[bubblesandducky]

Gushing over how Arcane does boobs in a purely artistic (and autistic) way

So I noticed something because I was doing what I often do, and look at gifs of boob physics in arcane (leave me alone I’m simply a woman with needs) But I noticed that it looked like Vi was wearing a bra in season 2.

To a normal person it isn’t anything they’d even think anything of BUT I’m built different (autism). I was thinking about how she binds her chest with bandages during her pitfighter era, and wondered if when she was in Stillwater she would’ve ever been given a bra. So I thought back and was pretty sure that in season 1 her chest was modeled in a way that seemed like it was just braless or with light bandaging. I went back to check and I was RIGHT.

What is so COOL about it, is that when modeling season 1 vs season 2 Vi, the modelers put in so much thought and detail that they considered not only the layers under her clothes, but what she realistically had ACCESS TO.

In season 2, they added the structure of a bra under those same clothes because she most likely now has access to being fitted and getting a bra. Especially since she eventually receives an enforcer uniform (I imagine they have a dress code)

There’s also a model quality jump between seasons but I don’t think that’s the reason for her new chest. Because they also did a similar thing with Caitlyn in season 1.

Since I am the way I am I’ve always noticed how much more prominent her boobs are in her uniform, but now that I’m looking back, there’s a lot more to it

It’s obvious with her tank top, and I think most high quality animations would take the time to differentiate between bra and tank top. The most interesting thing to me is when she changes into the purple outfit that Vi takes from some random woman.

The shirt isn’t her exact size, so she probably had to ditch her bra, and it looks like she probably did! Her boobs are still somewhat supported in this shirt but in a DIFFERENT WAY. They are now supported by the constraint of the smaller shirt, and the corset below which causes them to have a more “spilling over” shape to them.

This is one of the many reasons that I’m so blown away but the talent and thought put into this show at every single level. It shows that not only do the modelers put so much thought into the clothing they model, but that they also consider the story when doing so. It’s so wonderful to see a show where each creative team is so dedicated to making something beautiful in their own respective roles. I LOVE COLLABORATIVE ART!!!!

[nyx-knacks-writes]

Be More Careful, Okay?

Based off of @princeloww's idea of Alec and Campbell being uncle and nephew. I think Alec is a tad out of character here, but I saw this prompt by @prompt-dealer and had an image of Campbell being chased by an angry Alec, and I couldn't resist. No spoilers for either Broadchurch or Takin' Over the Asylum, and none for princeloww's The Never-Ending Sky, either. This is just my little idea of something that could occur if Campbell were to end up in Alec's care. I take zero credit for the idea of Campbell and Alec living together and zero credit for the prompt.

“I’m too young to die!”

“Young ain’t got nothin’ to do with it!”

Alec chased Campbell around the house, literally around the outside of the house, yelling obscenities and threatening—well, Campbell didn’t exactly know what he was threatening, but chances were high that it wasn’t good. Nature of a threat, after all.

Truth be told, Alec also didn’t know what he was threatening. He’d figure that out later. However, he did know that Campbell was in deep trouble. Trouble so deep that he wasn’t exactly sure how to punish the boy. Especially given that Campbell wasn’t even his son. So round and round they went, both yelling and trying not to slip on wet grass that would surely yank their feet out from under them at the first opportunity, causing an impromptu meeting with the cold, wet, muddy ground. 

The first offense had been the shirts. Campbell had had good intentions, really. He’d come home early from school on Monday, seen that the bathroom laundry hamper was full, and decided he’d do a load of washing to help his uncle. What a lovely nephew he was, right? Right? Wrong. Despite his best efforts to sort the colored clothing from the whites and the darks, he’d missed a pair of socks. A pair of red socks. A pair of brand-new red socks the exact color of a freshly washed fire engine gleaming in the summer sun. The shirts had come out pink. Oops. When Alec finally got to see the result of his nephew’s good intentions, he’d simply sighed and shaken his head. No sense in getting mad. He could probably do with some new shirts anyway. He’d donate the pink ones to a charity shop in town. Yeah, yeah, “real men wear pink” and all that, but what was he supposed to do? Like it or not, pink was still very much thought of as a feminine color. He could only imagine the abuse he’d suffer at the hands of his coworkers if he came in wearing a pink shirt. Big, bad DI Hardy in pink? Unthinkable. So he’d donated the old shirts, added a shopping trip to his weekend plans, and obtained the new white shirts that he preferred. A little hit to the wallet, but ultimately, no lasting harm done.

The second offense had been the soup. After the Sandbrook case had finally been solved and closed, Miller had insisted Alec start taking better care of himself and get a hobby. So what did he choose but learning to cook, which would satisfy both her demands? Ever the efficient one, wasn’t he? However, some dishes required a couple of extra hands for the sake of timing, so he would recruit Daisy and/or Campbell, depending on the day and on who was around, to help him out in the kitchen. On Tuesday, he’d needed both of them. It was going to be pumpkin soup for dinner that night, since it had been so cold and rainy, and Alec had asked Campbell to add the cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the pot while he began pureeing vegetables a few cups at a time and Daisy helped him to avoid overloading the food processor. Four teaspoons of nutmeg would do it. However, when Alec caught sight of the little container of nutmeg on the counter after putting the soup back onto the stove to simmer, there was no teaspoon in sight. Instead, there was a tablespoon with a suspicious coating of brown powder sitting only an inch or so away.

“Campbell,” he’d asked slowly, “how much nutmeg did ye put in the soup?”

“Four tablespoons,” Campbell answered, looking up from the knife he was washing. “Why?”

Alec cursed, cut the gas, and put the soup pot on the stove’s back burner.

“Nutmeg is poisonous in high quantities,” he said. “The recipe called for four teaspoons, not tablespoons. If we eat that, we’ll end up in hospital.” He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair, debating on chastising Campbell versus just letting it go. ‘Try to read it a bit more carefully next time, aye?” he eventually said as Campbell made a point to look anywhere else but at his uncle’s eyes. “Anyone have suggestions for dinner tonight? Looks like we’ll be doing takeaway.”

The next day, Campbell really did wind up in the hospital. Not for ignoring his uncle’s warning about the soup, but instead for a skateboard accident. It had been something of an impulse buy on Campbell’s part, and while he was getting to be rather good when it was dry, he’d not yet practiced when it was wet. He’d missed the bus to school in the morning, pondered what to do, and instead of calling a friend or his uncle or even Ellie Miller, he’d decided that the best possible way to rectify this problem was to attempt to skateboard to school and ask to leave the board in the office until the end of the day. He’d load up his backpack, throw on a rain jacket, hop on the board, and sail off into the morning light, perfectly balanced and confident that as long as he was careful, nothing would go wrong. 

What actually happened was that he rolled out with all his things, made it about halfway to the building, hydroplaned on a small hill, and ate dirt. Great. One ambulance ride, a thorough wound-washing, a chunk of chin and six stitches later, he was sitting in a hospital bed as Alec chewed him out for being irresponsible and not just calling for help or walking to school instead of getting on a set of wheels that had not been properly tested for mildly inclement weather. Not that he could be too hard on the boy. His intentions (get to school without inconveniencing anyone) had been good, and the fall, given its consequences, had really been punishment enough for poor Campbell. He looked like he’d expected a bowl of cherries and gotten a cherry bomb instead: a little confused and a lot regretful. Like he was contemplating the choices in his life that had brought him to this moment. 

Thursday had been blessedly normal. No blood, no pink shirts, no ruined meals. Normal ride to school, normal day, normal ride home. He didn’t even have homework for once in his school career! Maybe he was in the clear! Maybe his little bad-luck streak was over!

And then on Friday he inadvertently dyed his uncle’s hair a bright teal. What he wanted to do was put a teal streak in his own hair. It had been something he’d been thinking about for a while, and after having such a rough week, he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to try. He’d spent the afternoon in and out of the bathroom, making sure he was doing it right and not dying the whole house at the same time, and it had come out beautifully! Not a drop anywhere but in his hair, nice clean stripe, absolutely gorgeous. His one mistake? Leaving the bottle in the shower. When he’d gone to rinse out the excess dye, he’d taken the bottle into the shower with him to check the instructions for how to properly care for the freshly dyed hair. When he was all set, he’d left it there. And what did his poor, unsuspecting uncle do when he went to wash his hair later that night? He grabbed the dye bottle instead of the shampoo. And what did he see when his hair finally dried? Bright teal. Everywhere. All over his head. No missing it. Thus leading to the lovely game of ring-around-the-house. It was a little childish, yeah, but Campbell hadn’t been sure what his uncle was going to do with him when the newly teal-headed man had stormed into the living room with murder in his eyes. The options had been limited, so Campbell chose to run. 

Uncle and nephew made the oval at least four times over, pushing Alec’s pacemaker to the limit, before Alec finally stopped seeing red and had the bright idea to simply wait for Campbell to come back around again. He snagged at his nephew’s hood when the opportunity presented itself and pulled the boy against his chest. 

“Campbell, I . . . why?” Alec asked helplessly, wind going out of his sails. “I know ye’ve had a tough time adjusting here, but why?”

“I didnae mean to!” Campbell squawked. “I left the dye in the shower by accident, I swear!”

“I know ye didnae mean to, I’m asking ye why ye haven’t been more careful! Two out of the last five days ye’ve injured or nearly killed yerself, an’ I just want to know why!”

Alec stopped for a moment, released a breath, and let it go. 

“Look, I know ye’re not happy to be here. I know nothing’s the same and ye’re not even with yer mum and da anymore. I’m worried about ye. Please, just . . . I need ye to be more careful. That’s all. That’s why I’m upset. Now please, let’s stop these Looney Tunes shenanigans an’ go back inside. It’s too cold an’ wet to be out at this time of night.”

Campbell stopped to consider that for a moment, and Alec realized what he’d said. However, the apology wasn’t halfway out of his mouth before Campbell cracked a grin.

“But I am a looney.” 

“Campbell—”

“How can ye expect me no’ to engage in Looney Tunes shenanigans when I am, in fact, a looney?”

“Campbell—”

“In fact, you ought to be thankful that I don’t engage in more Looney Tunes shenanigans just to spite ye! In fact—!”

“Campbell!”

The boy in question stopped talking, but his grin didn’t fade even a little.

“Yes?”

“Inside. Please.”

And so, the pair trooped to the door in silence, neither sure what to say to the other until Campbell paused with his hand on the doorknob.

“I’ll be more careful,” he promised. “I didnae mean to worry ye, really. I’ve just had an unlucky couple of days. I’m fine.”

“Really fine?”

“Aye, really fine.”

“And ye know ye can ask fer help any time?”

“Aye.”

“And—”

“Yes, yes, come on, let’s go inside! I haven’t eaten since lunch, an’ dinner won’t cook itself. What are we makin’ tonight?”

[kyeree]

i love ur room headcanons soo dearly and also ???? solbin apartment hcs ????? i am eyes-ing them sooo hard 👀👀👀

I was going to post these earlier but I spiraled thinking about their relationship and I'm constantly adding to it

ANYWAY

Why hello there young man! You want to be a wizard? No problem! Welcome to the launchpad academy! And guess what? Tuition free! Resources free! It's all free! Would you like to enroll? Great!

technically not free, by enrolling in the Mothership Launchpad Academy you are agreeing to work off the cost of your education post graduation in a position of employment at MotherShip

Congratulations on graduating! Here's your dead end job you agreed to! And here's your (temporarily) free accommodation!! How generous of us!

Your apartment is in a prime location! Close to the Mothership just in case we need you to cover shifts and so there's less of a chance you'll pass out in the street when we work the maximum legal amount of hours out of you

Now keep in mind that there are a lot of people working for Mothership and we want to keep as many of you as close as we can but you got one of our bigger apartments at a whopping 15m2!!

Why I'd say this apartment is so compact if some idiot tried to draw it they couldn't because everything is so overlapping :')

The bed is on a platform hung from the ceiling. Not a lot of headspace up there. Albins balding is caused by half stress, half whacking his head on the ceiling.

There's a little extra shelving up there and glow in the dark stickers hung to the ceiling.

He uses a stepped wardrobe to climb up to the bed

Oh no...there's just one bed

As much as I ship em Caldwell says Sol sleeps in the bathtub :( so that's canon

but I'm in charge now and I say on those cold winter nights he crawls in bed with Albin (hey if you don't ship it they work different hours they can snooze in bed at different times)

At the bottom of the stepped wardrobe there is just enough space for a desk that faces a window. The one Sol frequently jumps out of to go to work and who can blame him when you're on the hundredth and something floor; that's a lot of stairs and a busy elevator

Tiny bathroom by the entrance that somehow fits a tub in. Sink and toilet that's hidden behind the door when it opens.

The bathroom has a bunch of plants. Mostly plants that like damp climates because Sol sleeps in there and also likes it damp

Sol sometimes sleeps submerged in the water adding a few natural aromatics to the bath to help him sleep; like lavender. He learned the hard way he cannot add a bath bomb or bath salts.

Alternatively he sometimes sleeps in the tub with damp towels lining the bottom and as a blanket.

Sharing a wall with the bathroom is the kitchen. Tiny fridge under the counter. Two ring hob. Tiny oven and sink with some shelves above. Tiny everything.

And just in front the kitchen and beside that desk mentioned earlier there's a small kitchen booth.

And that's all the space they have!

Sol is so used to living in small places. First the shared dorm, tiny apartment then the tiny duck.

With the bed hanging from the ceiling Calder has to really crouch to fit in

Slightly crowded with magical artifacts that turned out to be junk from the fabricated adventures and the comics of their glory days.

Some they managed to sell to places like TGI Skydays for some extra gold. Because when some rent is being taken out of your wage you need extra cash sometimes for things like food

Sol's knitted a cozy for almost everything. Tea cozy, mug cozy, bowl cozy, even a toilet paper cozy

Sol has also knitted their Halloween costumes. They rarely get trick or treaters in the building but they always have a bowl of candy ready. Sol also likes to sit by the window and watch trick or treaters on the street and try to snipe candy from whoever answers the door to give out candy.

Sol has knitted so many holiday sweaters and Albin is too tired to care or refuse wearing them to work.

Albin does the shopping when coming home from his shift before the shops close and Sol cooks. He cooks just before Albin gets home and saves his portion for later. Albin then heats Sols food up before he heads out to his shift and before Sol comes home.

Albin also comes home with things he's stolen from the office. Enchanted stock, office supplies and mage hand is great for getting snacks out the vending machine.

Fortunately they don't have noisy neighbours because everyone is so tired when they get home to their apartments. But there's always drama happening. During the brief time Sol and Albin share at the apartment before one leaves for work they're sharing tea. What's the drama in Albins office. Who they saw leaving whose apartment when they headed out. The people arguing so loud Sol's team was called in due to the disturbance.

Albin secretly has frog merch. A keychain, a clip for his messenger bag. Just as a reminder of his best pal

Sol has a singular star keychain for Albin, cause it matches his cape and hat, and labels Albins lunches with star stickers.

These two nerds, mainly Sol, definitely scrapbook together. They've got one for all their glory days at the academy and one that only has two pages filled when they first moved in and were still excited. They'll fill it one day!

This is also how they determine who's stuff is who's. Frog mug is Sol's. Star mug is Albins. Towel with a embroidered frog. Star slippers. Frog lunchbox. Star coathook.

But it's pointless in the end when they just use each other's stuff. Maybe they just miss each other and want to use their mug and/or are too lazy to wash up their dirty mug in the sink. Who knows!

Sol has put up pictures on the wall of places he wants to go, adventures he wants to have. They have a jar of change their savings up to have a trip on their one rare day off

Sol is hopeful things will still change for the better. So hopeful that he buys things for the S-class apartment they don't have. But we'll have it some day and this pinball machine is on sale now!!!

The pinball machine is now their dining table. There are books under the front legs to level it out

Sol seems like a natural at making friends unlike Albin who's more aware of the growing rift between them from the lack of time they've spent together. Once they went on adventures everyday and had the same class schedule and now they only see each other for half an hour between shifts and on the rare days off

Albin knows Sol does a lot for him and he tries his best to find out what he can about the knights on his break to give Sol a headstart at a chance of promotion

I like to think they leave little things for each other on days they miss these 30 minutes between shifts. A note. A snack. A prank even.

Sharing a space with someone you barely see is lonely. Even seeing a mess left behind is something of a comforting reminder of their presence eases the loneliness.

They both know how much it means to leave something for the other. Because they're not alone. Never have been.

[clumsybriar]

Keegan Russ X GN! Reader - Merry Christmas Baby

Keegan Russ X GN! Reader - Merry Christmas Baby

Notes: This is my first Gender Neutral Reader fanfic so please let me know If you see any mess ups where the reader has a gender. I don't even think I used (y/n) in this either. I did reread this multiple times but I don't always catch anything and I want to make sure it's available for everyone so don't be afraid to reach out if there is a mistake. This is just pure Christmas Fluff!

Word Count: 1,357

Warnings: None! Just a short little fluffy Christmas one-shot and more Holiday one-shots to come cause I love the holidays!

It was a crisp winter night, Christmas eve to be exact. It was the kind of night where snowflakes hung delicately in the air, each one gliding down to kiss the ground creating a white coating. The streets were lined with twinkling lights, and the smell of pine and cinnamon drifted from every corner. The world felt at peace, quiet, almost like it was holding its breath for something magical to happen.

Kids rushed around giggling and laughing as parents begged them to slow down but with a smile on their face. Friends handed each other gifts because it was the last time they would see each other before the holidays. You glanced around smiling, feeling the joy in the atmosphere around you. You walked out of the coffee shop seeing your partner arrive on the scene on the dot like he always did.

As you opened the door, Keegan stood there, framed by the soft glow of the street light, looking effortlessly handsome in the winter night. His dark hair, a little tousled by the cold wind, had a rugged charm that made your heart skip. He wore a thick woolen scarf loosely around his neck, its deep burgundy color contrasting nicely with the dark jacket he had on. The snowflakes caught in his hair and on the shoulders of his coat, adding an almost cinematic touch to his already striking appearance.

His sharp jawline was dusted with a few days’ worth of stubble, giving him a casual, but undeniably handsome look. His eyes—bright blue but warm—seemed to gleam as they met yours, filled with a mix of affection and a hint of mischief, as if he knew exactly how much he made your heart race with just a look. His broad shoulders and the easy confidence in his stance made it clear that, despite the chill in the air, he was perfectly at home in this moment, standing in front of you, his presence a perfect match for the quiet magic of the winter night.

Everything about him seemed to glow against the backdrop of the snowy scene, and for a brief moment, you almost forgot about the holiday decorations, the warmth of your home needing Christmas’ subtle touch—because the sight of Keegan on this perfect Christmas Eve felt like its own kind of gift.

“How was the work party?” You asked, bringing the hot chocolate to your lips. 

“Ah, you know baby,” he paused, shrugging his shoulders as his warm embrace greeted you. You couldn’t help but nuzzle into his comforting embrace. “Boring without you.” 

“I could only imagine,” you began to laugh. “There was no one to cause mischief with.” Your eyes softly stared into his. 

As you walked further away from the busy streets the sound of children's laughter and friendly chatter died down. You gently held your hot chocolate enjoying the warmth of Keegan beside you. 

“You abandoned me,” he teased. 

You let out a bark of a laugh as you glanced up at keegan with a smile. “I would have gone,” you said. “But you know Cali needed a sitter and my sister called me.” You lifted the warm cup to your lips smelling the rich coco. “Cali missed Uncle Keegan, she couldn’t understand where her favorite Uncle was.” 

“I missed Cali too,” Keegan smiled down at you as he tucked closer to you passing other couples on the sidewalk. 

“It’s nice knowing I'm the favorite uncle and we aren’t even married yet.” Keegan smirked proudly. “I worked hard for that title, none of you will ever beat me.” he said proudly. “Not even Christian, he can buy all the gifts he wants—”

“—but nothing beats the mischief Uncle Keegan brings along.” You finished in a monotone voice and then laughed softly. “You're so cocky.” 

“You love me,” he gave you an eskimo kiss, making you chuckle. 

“I do, I do.” you confirmed.

The night air was crisp, but not too cold. The streets were quiet, save for the soft crunch of snow beneath your boots and the occasional distant laughter of people gathered around warm windows. Keegan walked beside you, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, a relaxed smile on his face as he turned every now and then to glance at you.

“You know,” he said, breaking the comfortable silence, “I think this might be my favorite part of Christmas—just… being able to walk around with you, no pressure, no rush. Just us, taking our time.”

You smiled, looking up at him. “I think you’re right. There’s something about the holidays that makes everything feel a little more magical. Even just walking down the street, it feels like the world’s a little slower. A little warmer.” You hummed looking around as you got closer to the shopping district. “Could just be the Christmas lights,” you snorted shrugging. “But I don’t care. It’s magical.”

Keegan’s eyes softened as he looked ahead, nodding. “Exactly. And with you, everything just seems… better. You make everything better.” 

You couldn’t help the smile that tugged at your lips. “I’d love to say the same about you…” you teased. 

“Hey,” he laughed softly. “Troublemaker.”

“My bad, my bad.” you snickered. “No…you make everything better,” you nodded.

As you both walked on, chatting about everything and nothing, you approached a small park decorated with a few lights, and as you passed under a little archway strung with greenery and twinkling lights, something unexpected caught your eye.

Above you, hanging casually from the arch, was a sprig of mistletoe—perfectly placed, just waiting for the moment.

You looked up, then glanced over at Keegan, who had already spotted it. His expression shifted to something playful, that familiar twinkle in his eye as he raised an eyebrow at you.

“Well,” he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “I guess we’ve got no choice but to follow tradition.”

You could feel your heart pick up its pace, the air between you thickening with the kind of electricity that only a moment like this could create. You were standing right under it, after all.

“Guess not,” you replied, your voice quieter now, teasing, but with a hint of nervous excitement. Your eyes met his, a silent agreement passing between you. “Who are we to deny traditions?”

Keegan stepped closer, the playful smirk still on his face, but now his gaze was softer, more intense. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while now,” he murmured, voice low as he smirked at his own joke.

Before you could reply, Keegan was gently cupping your face, his thumb brushing over your cheek, his touch sending a wave of warmth through you. The world seemed to fade around you, leaving just the two of you standing under the mistletoe, the quiet hum of the night filling the space between you.

And then, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, he leaned in.

The kiss was gentle at first—soft, lingering—as if the two of you were savoring the moment, the magic of the holidays, and the sweetness of the shared connection between you. It wasn’t rushed, but it was everything you’d been feeling in the quiet moments leading up to this—everything you hadn’t been able to say, conveyed in the warmth of his lips on yours.

When you pulled away, your forehead resting against his, the world felt a little brighter. A little warmer.

Keegan chuckled softly, his breath mingling with yours. “Merry Christmas, baby.” He whispered, his voice hushed but filled with so much meaning.

“Merry Christmas,” you replied, smiling against his lips. The snow falling softly around you, the night air crisp, but your hearts full just as they are intended to be on Christmas Eve. “Now come on, we have a nice warm house to get decorated as Cali asked for Christmas day.” 

“Cause the current decorations are just not good enough for that spoiled little girl.” Keegan smiled. 

“I blame you for that.” you kissed him softly again. “Mmmm…”

“Mmmm,” he nodded in agreement. “Merry Christmas, baby.” he whispered again, kissing you one last time. 

“Yeah, Merry Christmas, Sergeant Russ.”