#I am GOING to finish this book darn it!

[crayonurchin]

Does scrolling on my phone for hours give me little hits of dopamine?

Yes.

Does FINALLY finishing another chapter of my book after months of writers block give me the most wonderful low level but blissful high of delayed gratification?

Yeees

[stagefoureddiediaz]

To all those complaining and saying that red white and royal blue is a terrible adapation of the book, go read Artemis fowl then watch the movie and then tell me rwrb is a bad adapation because y’all clearly don’t know what a great book to bad movie pipeline looks like!!!

[volfoss]

I love u movies....

[ohnoitstbskyen]

PINNED POST, FAQ, INFORMATION

Hi, I'm TBSkyen. I make videos on YouTube sometimes. This is my main tumblr blog, the "brand" blog as it were, where I maintain my Social Media Presence™ on this site.

I use the ironic ™ to signal my personal discomfort with the work of being a minor media personality even while I still do that work and make a living off it.

I have a sideblog called @tbposting, mostly for shitposts and reblogs, and in my opinion I have pretty darn good taste in reblogs, so you can follow that if you want. It's also where I'll do random personal posting, microblogging, etc.

This main blog is primarily for 1) answering asks, and 2) posting my Original Content™, usually my main channel videos, as well as the occasional longer essay or critique. Sometimes I'll reblog an interesting or useful thing, or boost a friend's work, but I try to keep the spam to a minimum.

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About Me

I am a thirtysomething content creator whose primary expertise is character design.

I have a bachelor's degree in English, never finished my master's, did most of a bachelor's degree in history, and that's it. These are my academic qualifications, no more and no less.

My professional experience is primarily being a freelancer and self-employed creator. I spent the better part of a decade working as a commission artist, running webcomics, drawing fanart, and the occasional animation work and not safe for work commissions, and I have at this point a decade of experience and self-study in the subjects I cover. I have also done online community management for, god help me, almost twenty years, so that's a part of my skillset I'll never escape.

I do not have any particular professional creative industry experience, although given what I hear from my professional friends, sometimes that seems like a blessing.

Please maintain a critical distance when engaging with my work. I am a critic. My work is very rarely meant to be taken as authoritative or didactic, and when it is, I will make it clear in my writing. Just because I speak with confidence doesn't mean I am trying to assert objective truth.

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TAGS (to follow, or filter)

#tbanswers is the tag for every single ask I answer on this blog

#tb reblog is the tag for reblogs

#tb essay is for the occasional longer essay or critical writing

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#tb recommends is for the occasional recommendation of a video essay or other creator

Yes, I know the spaces are inconsistent. It's not on purpose, I just typed them in haphazardly when I started using them and it's stuck.

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FAQ (before you ask)

Q: Will you ever do a video about ____ ? A: The answer to this question is almost universally "maybe someday, if I have time, and if I feel I have anything worthwhile to say." And the more realistic answer is "no, because I already have far too much on my plate and I have burned myself out too many times." In general, please don't ask me this question, I will most likely not answer it because I have given the same answer a thousand times, but I still feel guilty about not answering them.

Q: Will you continue your series of videos about ____ ? A: Yes! I will continue the let's plays I started, I will finish the Boss Designs series, I will do another What's the Deal With, I will do more shorts about the subjects I've got going on. The main obstacle is, again, my tendency to overload myself.

Q: Do you have a PO box? Can I send you something? A: Not yet, but I'm looking into it. It may be a while before I get it set up.

Q: Do you have merchandise? A: A little bit, yes, at tbskyen.redbubble.com.

Q: What's your opinion on [game/movie/comic/book/etc]? A: I struggle to answer very open, broad questions like this. Most things I have opinions about, I have multiple opinions, and different ones depending on the perspective and specific element in question. I'm much more likely to answer specific, bounded questions.

Q: Can I send you fanart? A: PLEASE. Askbox, tag me on bluesky, send it to my email! I love seeing every piece of it!

Q: Why do you never appear on camera? A: A forest witch cursed me to look not quite but ALMOST like Paul Giamatti in all photos and videos ever taken of me, and his laywers sent me a cease-and-desist.

Q: Are you gay/straight/bi/other? A: The decision I've made for myself, at least for this period of my life, is that privacy is precious, and once given up can never be reclaimed on the internet. I am open about being aromantic (not asexual), because it's a sometimes invisible and underdiscussed identity, and I know it would have helped me a lot to see someone speak about it when I was younger.

The rest of it is for me to know, and for you to speculate about, although preferably somewhere I can't see it. I accept that this is a part of being a Personality, but it still feels weird, y'know?

Q: Is it weird if I find your voice kinda hot? A: I've put a lot of work into developing this voice and making it nice to listen to, so that's not weird at all and I find it quite complimentary, thank you.

I generally don't mind people doing flirty/thirsty posting about or at me, just so long as we all understand that 1) you should never give a stranger like me information which could be used to harm you. Nicer-seeming YouTubers than me have turned out to be monsters.

And 2) it will never go beyond playful online flirtiness. I like to fluster my live chat, I'll flirt back in an ask or a post maybe, but I am not flirting with you, or inviting any kind of closer intimacy with you, the person I responded to.

Think of me like a comedian doing crowd-work at a show - you can chat to me in the bar after the show, but when I asked you what you do for work I wasn't looking for a personal connection, I was doing my work as an entertainer. Please no sending me nudes, or propositions, or confession letters in my email inbox. We are strangers, and I am always performing a persona in public.

[signedkoko]

Signed with Love - Helluva Cast

What is this? - A valentines gift to my lovely readers! Its valentines/love letters from your favourites 🖤

Characters - Blitzo | Fizzarolli | Loona | Millie | Moxxie | Stolas | Striker | Verosika | Wally Wackford

Series Parts Hazbin Cast - Here! Overlords & Sins - Here!

Dear, Hey, Whats up

Oh what the hell, just be my valentine, we both know its about time I just fuckin ask.

I can't promise anything lavish, but what I do have is a kitchen and a comfortable couch. Maybe you can try showing me how to bake and we can eat what we make while watching some shitty romcoms.

Whatever makes you happy,

Oh come on, you know who wrote this.

Heeellloooooo!

I know you are usually the one to ask, but this year I wanted to change things up a little! Be my valentine?

While we could go somewhere crowded and wait forever for food, I thought maybe this year we could stay home, order a bunch of takeout, and spend time together?

And of course, I love you,

"Froggie"

Don't freak out,

I swear this isn't a ransom note, I just wasn't sure how else to ask you to be my valentine.

You know how we both wanted to go to the lovesick festival but ti was sold out? Well, don't ask how but I got tickets. Now we can go watch idiots get drunk and pass out in front of their girlfriends, and enjoy a bunch of our fav bands.

Outfit theme: Hot as fuck?

X Loona

Hi sweetie!

I know technically it's your turn for valentines this year, but I know you've been busy and I wanted to surprise you!

My parents called and told me they need someone to house sit while they are away for the week, so we could enjoy valentines on the ranch and I can show you my home! Especially the food and festivals I always tell you about.

Happy Valentines ❣

Millie

Hi dear ❣

Maybe it's getting old by now, but for yet another year I would love to have you as my valentine.

I don't know where I'd be without you, you make my hellish work at least a tad bit bearable and inspire me every day. I've already had to erase several rambles, so I'll save the rest of the sweet talk for the date. Just be ready in formal attire for 6, because we have a show to catch!

I'm sure you'll look amazing ❣

— Moxx

To the sweetest one I know,

I've been inspired by the books I've been reading to handwrite a letter to you, so you have something to keep for memory sake.

To have you by my side for another valentines is a dream come true, last year you pulled together such an amazing evening that I can only hope to outdo tonight. I would like to take you to see the stars, I know you've always asked and I believe it is about time.

Thank you for being mine,

Prince Stolas

Howdy darlin'

While originally I wasn't going to be home on time, I made sure to finish up this mission early so I can be there with ya for valentines. I'd call, but I know you swoon for romantic gestures, dontcha?

I'll handle all the details of our outing, just relax and don't worry your pretty head about a darn thing.

Can't wait to get home and see you again,

Who else?

Miss me?

I had to head out for a gig early, so sorry I couldn't catch you at the door before I left! I hope this note will suffice in the mean time.

Since I can't bring you, I have a limo headed to pick you up around five, that should give you time to get ready for the concert! Your pass is with the driver, and you've got front row seats, kay? I better see you cheering for me ❣

Happy valentines day,

Mayday 💋

Greetings, I say I say,

It's not everyday sheepish imps such as myself get such a heavenly opportunity to court a sweet thing like yourself!

For you, and you only my dear, I will spend such a lucritive holiday with my one and only. Should you accept, I am pleased to inform you that we have been invited to Ozzie's! Isn't he the kindest?

x x x x x x x

W. WACKFORD

Authors Note - Okay be honest with me WHO ARE WE ACCEPTING A LETTER FROM?? I gotta know,,, This is the last of the valentines series, I hope you all enjoyed!

[rosedere]

Truth or Dare (Yan! Ace Trappola x Fem! Reader x Yan! Deuce Spade)

CW: Implied baby trapping, Somnophilia, implied blackmail, implied non con, non con, Threats of violence.

ーーー

“Okay, Truth or dare!” You were still in your makeshift cheer outfit, not bothering to change into your regular clothes as you came down the steps to where your two friends were currently, feeling their eyes immediately read you like a book up and down before they both looked back towards where their attention was before you came down.

“Nah, Not with this ratio— I ain't tryna make out with Deuce” Ace made a blegh sound after finishing his sentence before going back to scrolling on his Magicam feed on his phone.

You only quirked a smile as you lay on your side on the worn couch under the ramshackle window beside Deuce who was nervously looking away towards the window.

“Really? Darn, I thought maybe someone would dare me to take my top off” you teased with your tongue sticking out flaunting your chest in Ace's direction.

“I'm not dumb (name) You're probably just trying to get some gossip out of us or something” Ace frowned, sitting on the broken armchair across from you and Deuce, now holding the deck of cards he had been idly messing with during the walk back from the basketball game leaving his phone on top of the table.

It was late at night, late enough for Riddle to immediately blow up if he saw Deuce and Ace here instead of back in the dorms. But that hadn’t discouraged them both before In the past.

“Well fine I guess me and Deuce here can play~” You laid your bare leg on top of Deuce's bare knee letting your tight skirt ride up slightly, he was also in his uniform although for a different reason having gotten off from practice after the Basketball game had ended.

“Truth or dare Deuce” You innocently flicked your eyes up at the slim young man, the fluster growing on his face as he looked over at Ace.

Ace only stayed occupied with his deck of cards playing with his cards.

“I— uh” Deuce scratched the back of his neck, “D-dare” he panicked.

You only sat yourself up, looking back at Deuce.

“I dare you to kiss me in front of Ace” you smirked.

He was taken aback as he scooted back as far as he could against the worn sofa arm.

“F—for real?” he looked at you, his eyes as wide as saucers, he once again looked back at Ace before looking back at you who was patiently waiting only a few inches away from him.

You sighed, folding your knees under you in a crisscross as you sat on the couch.

“I guess I am as stinky as Ace says…” You batted your eyelashes before holding your arms out in a shrug.

“No! I can…” Deuce scooted closer to you, “I just uh… don't know how to..” 

Ace burst out into laughter from the armchair beside the two of you.

You only innocently looked back at Deuce preparing your lips for the most likely awkward collision against them.

Deuce took a deep breath in before he began to quietly crawl back to where you sat on top of the dingy sofa cushion. 

Surprisingly, his lips only hovered over your glossy tinted ones.

“W-woah, not today juicy” Ace interrupted, now he was right next to both of you, almost close to kissing each other.

Ace pushed Deuce back causing a loud impact to occur as he fell on the unstable wooden floors of ramshackle.

“Deuce are you okay?” You asked, leaving your seat to the now visibly annoyed Deuce who was rubbing his sore leg from the rough impact.

Only when you were going to kneel beside Deuce, his Technicolor eyes flickered up with a silent fury at Ace who was now smugly sitting on the couch pretending what he just did moments ago did not happen, did you feel yourself be shoved aside before you heard the yelling, only seeing a flash of violet purple and dark black and silver dash past you before you gasped at Deuce now chasing Ace around the worn foyer of Ramshackle.

You weren't sure what to do; only watching Ace dart around the rundown room with an angry Deuce right on his heels as he tried to catch him.

You yelled for them to come back for them to only be ignored, and your worst fear was confirmed when Ace decided to cut upstairs above you hearing his stocky quick steps hit the stripped wooden stairs with of course the still furious Deuce only 3 steps behind him, hearing the thumping of footsteps now above you as you stood in the foyer.

Sighing to yourself, your anxious mind was racing even further knowing you would have now probably a broken floorboard upstairs and possibly a very stuck Deuce or Ace (most likely Deuce unfortunately) screaming for help from you and the ghosts.

But at least it bought you time.

Unfortunately, you were not lucky enough to grab Deuce's phone from him before the chase. But thankfully you didn't have to do much to retrieve Ace's hastily discarded phone lying face up on top of the small sitting table next to the couch. Grabbing the phone you quickly tried to bypass the face ID only to be greeted with the four-digit passcode entry.

You typed in the four digits.

“Swipe to Open”

You frowned. Weirdo used your name…

Swiping into his messages you saw the thread you were looking for, your finger hovered over it but somehow your clumsy finger hit another comment thread. 

It was Deuce.

You were gonna click the back button before you saw a message that piqued your curiosity.

Deuce: Leave (Name) alone or I'll tell her you sent those messages 

You scrolled down to read more;

Ace: You wouldn't 

Deuce: oh I would— I’ll tell her tonight after track meet Leona didn't ask for those pictures.

Ace: oh like you're so innocent— I know you were the one that slept with her that night. 

Ace: plus it's pretty obvious she's on to you; Grim told me (name) left Triens class early because she was throwing up. 

Your jaw was unhinged at this point. You remembered that night; you had gone to bed a bit earlier than usual, Grim assuring you he was gonna be downstairs eating his 300th can of tuna for the day before going to bed.

The sleep was deep, only vividly remembering Grim crawling into his side of the bed beside you.

Or so you had thought.

You thought it was just a weird stress dream; feeling someone grabbing and pawing at your neck and breasts under your thin nightshirt.

Your stomach dropped.

Originally, you wanted to catch Ace pretending to be Leona for whatever weird reason sneaking into your DM’s.

To only find something worse.

You looked down at your stomach. It didn't look different or anything, but it was undeniable what was probably occurring inside of you.

“Deuce ”

You dropped Ace's phone on the sofa.

Marching up the stairs with furious steps you rounded the corner to see Ace now trying to go up to the third-floor staircase, Deuce was blocking him on top of the stairs however causing them to be at a standoff at the base of the upper level.

You only callously stomped towards Deuce. You saw his eyes immediately light up, 

Until he saw the fist you were making as you punched him square in the chest.

The impact caused a rough oof to escape his lips as he collapsed to his knees onto the wooden stairs behind him, Ace only laughed as he pointed at the now-pained Deuce on top of the stairs.

“Shut up” you now glared down below you at Ace.

Sensing the vibe in the room changing he only Backed away slowly away.

Facing Deuce, however, his face was written with dread as he looked up at you.

“I read all of your messages; Get out” you pointed down the stairs, he only hesitated before you kicked his ankle hard with your white cheer shoe.

“Get out” you yelled louder, about to kick him once again before he got up with a startled posture.

“(Name) it's not true whatever Ace said— it was him that got your Nudes” Deuce shakily exclaimed, reaching to put his shaking hand on your shoulder like he sometimes did before you cruelly shoved him away.

“You were the one in my room that night Deuce” You screamed unable to contain your anger.

“I gave you the key to the guest room because I trusted you and then you—” You finally began to start sniffling as you felt the tears prickling your eyes.

“Did you even use protection?” 

“W-what no (Name)” Deuce sputtered in surprise, “Okay I did come to see you, I just miss you so much and I touched your hair and m-maybe gave you a small kiss on your cheek but that's it! I promise I'd never hurt you” He smiled in a nervous smile.

As much as you'd like to believe otherwise; you unfortunately knew your memories were correct.

He was lying to you.

You only began to cry as you ran back down the stairs away from Deuce. You could hear him approaching but instead of taking the stairs quickly exited your bedroom, closed the door, and put your lone chair up against the handle.

Now the sound resounding in the room was your tears and the pounding against your bedroom door.

But of course, this blunder of a night didn't end.

Instead of what should be your empty bedroom was Ace.

He stood casually in front of you, sheepishly smiling in front of you.

“And you…” 

You only glared at Ace who was still casually standing in front of you.

“Fine— I admit it, you wouldn't give me a chance because I wasn't Leona” Ace shrugged “I never told you to send pics but you did anyway” He chuckled to himself.

Your eye only twitched in response to his cruel comment. 

“So what about it anyway? You're just going to cry and then talk to me Next month” Ace sighed.

“ Y ou'll live and still be chasing Leona or Deuce and forget about me ” 

“No–” you blurted

“I will never talk to both of you again— I don't care if I don't have any friends here I want you to never talk to me again until I can get back home” You turned around not facing Ace as you opened the door, if he was still talking it was beyond you.

Lifting the chair from your door handle you unexpectedly lurched forward.

Another punch was felt on your back and sides.

You didn't realize it until he was on top of you that you realized Ace was beating on you. You fought for a little bit as you began to claw his cheek and shoulders but to no avail only getting beaten.

“Stop– get off of me” You yelled hoping Deuce would maybe hear your cries.

Ace only began to hit you harder before grabbing your neck, his hands rough around your delicate skin.

“If you scream I'll do it (name)” Ace said clasping his thumb around the sensitive part of your neck.

You could only stare back with fright in your eyes as you watched him with pleading eyes.

“Promise me you won't leave me” Ace gave you a warning squeeze around your throat.

“do it and I won't hesitate” He maniacally said, He let his hands linger there for a moment before he let go of your pulsating neck.

He stood up looking down at your scared figure below him. 

“Hey Deuce— Let's go home” He called towards the door, “(Name) is really tired but she said we can come hang out tomorrow, whenever we want” Ace changed his tone, so sugary and delighted.

“Isn't that right (name)?”

You only looked up and shook your head before scooting away from the door.

Ace opened the door gingerly moving the chair away near you before he gazed back at you.

“Goodnight (name)” Ace smiled, humming as he and a scared Deuce walked back down the hallway.

-

Requested by a Guest on A03 🩷 sorry no cute banner this story I couldn’t find one 😭

[eatmeandbirthmeagain]

Aaah open requests! Yay! I loved the fic about the peacocks interrupting Baldwin and I NEED more light-hearted reader x KOH's Baldwin. Could you pretty please do reader "arguing" with Baldwin over something silly where he ends up teasing her into giving in to what he wants? Basically them behaving like two lovesick teenagers instead of king and queen. Thank you!

♤ All In Good Fun - King Baldwin x Reader ♤

♤ Crack Fic ♤

A/N: Hello Anon! I'm so glad you enjoyed that fic! I agree, I need to do more lighthearted stories and hopefully this one turned out how you wanted it to! As always, this is based on the film Kingdom Of Heaven, not the real historical figures. Enjoy!

PS: I used the same scenario from the “Those Darn Birds” fic, just maybe like a week later from when it was set :)

The union of Baldwin’s cousin and her, now husband, had proceeded as planned.

The king did his best to not speak to his new cousin in law and avoided him at all costs to prevent an uncomfortable and insulting interaction.

Y/n stayed beside Baldwin all day, as the king and queen should, so other than a brief awkward congratulations to the newly married couple, there was no other issue.

Still though, Baldwin was not enjoying the event at all. For the entire day, all he could think about was retiring to the royal chambers and getting away from the chaos.

Finally, evening arrived and the guests went to their rooms to prepare for dinner. 

--------------------

“Oh thank the lord that is over!” Baldwin sighed as soon as the door was closed.

Y/n chuckled, “it's not over yet my love, we still have dinner”.

This earnt a heavy sigh from her husband as he removed his mask and veil, sitting his tired body down on the couch.

“Must I go darling? I am sure my presence will not be missed. I barely spoke all day?” he protested.

Y/n laughed again as she sat down at the vanity to fix her makeup.

“You're the king sweetheart! You're the single most important man in the kingdom! You must attend!”.

This earnt another tired groan from Baldwin, “you could just tell them I was too sick to attenddd?” he asked, raising his one good eyebrow.

“Are you suggesting we lie to our own friends and family about your wellbeing?” the queen gasped sarcastically, turning dramatically to look at him.

Baldwin grinned at her reaction.

“Maybe I am! As you say, I am the king after all. I can do what I please” he added in a sarcastically upper class voice, standing to approach his wife.

Y/n laughed again, turning back to the mirror as Baldwin wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head.

“Is that so? Well I guess you must stay then if you are soo tireddd” y/n teased.

“Well are you going to attend?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, I must attend. Besides, I need to tell the guests that you ‘were so exhausted’ and that you ‘couldn't possibly even stand up any longer’”. 

The king’s smile widened.

“Thank you my loveee” Baldwin said, kissing her head before going to get changed into a nightgown while y/n continued to ready herself for dinner.

She finished getting ready just as Baldwin was snuggling underneath the bed covers with a book in his hands.

Y/n smiled and rolled her eyes as he looked up at her with a cheesy grin.

“Well, you sure look comfortable” y/n teased again, standing from her seat.

“Yes I certainly am, but I would be much more comfortable with you in here thoughhh” he teased back.

The queen bent down to kiss her husband on the forehead.

“Well I shall be back in about an hour, would you like me to bring you some food your highness” she curtsied dramatically causing Baldwin to chuckle.

“Yes pleaseee, you look beautiful by the wayyy” he replied, the goofy grin on his face widening.

“You're lucky that you're sweet” y/n replied, turning to leave.

“I love you!” Baldwin called out.

“I love you too!” y/n called back, slipping out of the room with a small smile on her face.

[hunnitastic]

🌸~Kisses and Confessions~🌸

||art by @/partycoffin ||

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Wally Darling x GN!Reader

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

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||Work is also available on my ao3 account ||

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Third person p.o.v

It was a lovely day in the neighborhood. You were sitting outside playing julies complicated hop scotch game while frank stood by reading a hook. Right now you were shockingly winning even though you couldn't understand a lick of the rules she came up with. "Gosh darn it! How am I losing to you so quickly?" Julie complained as she stomped her foot in anger. Frank looked over and scoffed. "Julie if (y/n) is so confused by your rules and yet still manage to win at this game then don't you think maybe you ought to change the rules and make it more playable?" He spoke keeping his eyes peeled to his book. With you hands placed proudly on your hips you let out a victory laugh. "Hahaha! Well, looks I win Julie! You owe me that cake now!" You beamed in joy.

Julie threw her hands up in defeat. "Arg! Alright fine you win!" She cried out loud and playfully slapped your arm. You let out a chuckle and patted her back. "Hey frank how long did it take for us to finish the game?" You asked looking over at the other who was very well invested in his book. "Approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes." You blinked in awe. "Wow it felt way longer then that!" Julie nodded in agreement.

As the 2 of you cleaned up the sidewalk and proceeded to doodle with colored chalk you looked up and saw wally strolling down the sidewalk, hands rested behind his pockets. "Hi wally! Wanna join me and Julie for some chalk art?" You asked as you waved your arm. Wally stopped looking down at your little drawings. He held back a chuckle seeing a doodle of frank looking like an angry monster. "Those look really good. I particularly like this one of frank looking mad." Wally hummed as he pointed at the drawing. "EXCUSE ME?!?" Frank yelled as he scrambled to look at the drawing. "I do not look like that! Julie!" Frank yelled some more. "How did you know I was the one who drew it?!" "Because (y/n) doesn't draw me like that!" Frank and Julie argued as you and wally watched them bicker back and forth.

"So you up for some drawing?" You asked holding up some chalk. "It seems fun but I'm afraid I might have to pass." You cocked your head to the side. "I'm on my way to howdys shop to grab a few things." "Oh! Sorry to keep you waiting then! Go on and head to the shop, oh and tell howdy I need some more glitter glue please? Julie used up all of mine for Sally's last play" you spoke with a pout.

Wally softly chuckled and nodded his head. "I'll be sure to let him know." He hummed getting ready to head off. "I'll see you later then (y/n)." Before you could wave goodbye you watched with wide eyes as wally lifted his hand, pressed it against his lips and sweetly blowing you a kiss with a wink. Your face flushed a bright red and your heart skipped a beat as you watched your neighbor walk away.

Since...when did he know how to blow a kiss? You don't ever recall barnaby ever teaching wally how to blow a kiss. And barnaby usually teaches wally a whole bunch of things. Perhaps you'd have to ask barnaby yourself.

"Me? Teaching wally how to blow kisses? Nope sorry little bud but I never taught him how to do that." Barnaby hummed looking down at uou as you walked beside him. Holding a hotdogs in his hand. "Really? So...you mean he learned how to blow kisses all by himself?" You asked slightly surprised by this fact. "I guess it is kind of shocking isn't it? Little wally learning how to do something without my help this time! My buddys growing up" Barnaby spoke as he faked a sob causing you to chuckle. "Might as well start getting used to it. Once wally learns something new he'll be doing that non-stop for days." You blinked slightly confused. Who would blow kisses every single day?

That sounds absolutely ridiculous!

.

.

.

Oh wow barnaby was actually right. As each day passed wally would continue to blow kisses to every neighbor he ran into. He'd blow a kiss at Eddie as he passed by delivering his mail, He'd blow a kiss to howdy after leaving the store and even blowing a kiss to frank while he was out catching butterflies. But for you, it was completely different. Wally wouldn't just blow kisses in your direction. Whenever he greeted you he would grab your hand a place a soft kiss on your skin. Whenever he'd pull away he would never let go of your hand. He'd firmly grasp it between his fingers. His thumb rubbing in slow circles over the top of your hand in a soothing notion. You didn't mind of course. It was rather nice to be greeted with a kiss on the hand. Especially when it's someone you fancy over.

Day by day you'd gotten very used to the casual greeting of the platonic hand kisses. But today was much more different than it was before.

You were at poppy barn helping her make sugar cookies for julies little tea party and sleepover that was going start in the afternoon. As you were busy mixing the dough poppy plopped down on a chair next to you. Dusting the flour off her apron with her feathers. "Thank you once again for helping me dear." You shook your head with a smile. "Aw it's no problem poppy! I always enjoy baking with you. It's much more fun than staying at home." You hummed as you begun to roll out the dough. "I'm looking forward to what the others will bring to the tea party!" Poppy nodded in agreement. "I believe frank told me he was going to bring lemon custard." Your mouth watered-down you heard the word 'lemon.' Frank had always told you how rich custard was and it seems today you'll finally be able to try it!

"Wow that sounds yummy. I hope this time Julie has actual tea instead of fruit punch. Last time she added too much sugar! I didn't get a wink of sleep that night either!" You huffed while cutting out cookie pieces. Poppy let out a chuckle, flinching when she heard the oven ding. "Oh! The first batch is done!" She got up and grabbed her mits and pulled out the pan of freshly baked cookies. "Now we need to wait for them to cool and then we can decorate them!" Poppy sung, her feathers ruffling in excitement. You smiled as you proceeded to place the next batch of cookies onto another tray. You hummed a sweet tune looking forward to the party and sleepover later tonight.

As the hours pass, and after you helped poppy stack the cookies on a bigger tray, you rushed home to get your sleeping bags and dress in another more casual outfit. Once you made sure you were neatly dressed and had everything you needed you quickly ran back to poppys barn. The two of you happily walked towards julies hose together. Chatting about you've been up to. You even brought up how wally has been greeting you with hand kisses. Poppys eyes widened. "Oh does he now. I know the dear likes to blow everyone kisses these days but I dont believe I've ever seen him be as gentlemanly with anyone else other than you (y/n) hun!" Poppy chirped. You lightly blushed looking at the ground. "Oh I'm sure he's just trying to be more neighborly. I am still pretty new to home after all!" You stumbled over your words.

Poppy squinted her eyes leaning her head down towards your level. "Perhaps it's something more than just wanting to be more neighborly hmm?" The bird teased. You chuckled and shook your head. "Oh stop! I'm fairly sure wallys just trying to be nice" you softly spoke thinking about what poppy had just said.

Could wally possibly...be doing more then just trying to be friendly towards you?

As the two of you reached julies house you noticed you were the last ones to arrive. Uh, you didn't think baking cookies would have kept you that long. After setting down the tray outside in the back on a neatly decorated table you noticed wally talking with howdy and barnaby. Your face wanted up when you made eye contact with your little crush who begun walking your way. Your heart fluttered once wally was a few inches away from you. "U-uh hi wally! Nice to see you at the tea...party....today-" you paused as you noticed wally leaning forward.

He lifted his hand and cupped your cheek. Tilting your head to the side wally softly pressed his lips against your cheek giving you a gentle loving kiss. Your eyes widened and face flushed a bright red. A few seconds passed before wally pulled away holding both of your hands, intertwining your fingers with his. "Hello (y/n), I'm glad you were able to come today." Wally spoke in his casual monotone voice. You couldn't manage to stare at your neighbor in the eyes. "O-oh wally, I couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time with all my friends!" You stuttered feeling wallys soft grip on your hands. You glanced up looking at the others droopy eyes and sweet cat like smile. "Ahahahaha-" you let out a nervous laugh. Wally tilted his head to the side. "Is there something wrong? You look rather nervous." Wally asked leaning closer to your face. You shook your head. "NO, NO, NO of course not! I'm all good!" You exclaimed out loud.

Good going (y/n), way to make yourself look like a fool!

Throughout the duration of the teaparty wally didn't seem like he wanted to leave your side. At the table while the others mingled over sweets and tea, wally scooted his seat close to your seat, your shoulders brushed up against each other. You listened to julies story about how one time her and frank where chasing butterflies and frank ended up rolling down a hill. You chuckled as Eddie held back frank from tackling julie to the ground for bringing up the story while poppy and howdy panicked at the scene.

As soon as night time fell and everyone cleaned up outside the rest of the gang set up their sleeping bags in the living room. Of course some furniture had to be moved around to make enough space for poppy, barnaby and howdy to all fit in. But once everything was set up, Sally rushed to set up a pillow fort for her special puppet shadow show. She's been working on it for days just for this special occasion and she's been very eager to show off her skills!

Crawling underneath the fort and finding a comfortable position to sit in you waited for the show to start. You chatted with howdy about his day. He told you about his massive shipment he received early in the morning that took him hours to stock up on the shelves. You promised him next time you'd be there to help. A moment later Sally crawled underneath the fort, a big flashlight in hand. "Ok guys! I finally found my flashlight! Now, gather around as I tell you the tale of a princess and her knight who saves her from a big scary dragon!" Sally exclaimed waving her arms up in the air as she plopped down in the ground. 

Just as you were getting comfy in your spot, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist. You looked behind you to see wally staring right at you with his usual droopy eyes. "Are you excited for the shadow puppets (y/n)?" He asked pulling you closer resting up against his chest. You were thankful it was ŕatger dim under the fort else wally would gave been able to see you blush like crazy. "U-uh yeah! Sally's been talking about it all week, I've been looking forward to...it..." you slowed your speech when you felt wally lean down rubbing his cheek against yours. "I've been looking forward to it too. I'm glad I get to watch it with you" he softly hummed pressing a kiss against your cheek once more.

You were extremely confused on how wally started to randomly become very touchy with you. You didn't mind it at all! Really, you enjoyed it but you still didn't know if wally saw you as something more then just a neighbor. Which it slightly frustrated you not knowing if he reciprocate his feelings back. Perhaps maybe after the shadow puppets show you'll talk to wally privately to finally ask. 

You adjusted yourself in wallys grasp while the others crawled into the fort, while poppy slightly struggled she currled up behind wally. You looked over and patted your lap motioning for poppy to rest her head on your lap, which she gladly did. You hummed softly patting her head as the phppet shadow show began.

In the middle of the little show wally would sneak kisses in between. One kiss on your cheek, one kiss on the crook of your neck, one kiss at the back of your neck etc. You couldn't help but shiver with every kiss given. It distracted you from focusing on Sally's play that you flinched when she let out a loud "ROAR!!" Startling both you and poppy. Well that definitely woke you up. "And after the prince destroyed the dragon, he took his princess by the hand and rode happily into the sunlight. The end!" Sally finished with a bow.

Everyone clapped while julie hooted and hollered. "WHOOPIE! HOORAY!" she yelled furiously clapping. You let out a chuckle. "That was really good sally! I'm impressed you managed to learn shadow puppets so quickly." Sally proudly grinned. "Why thank you (y/n)! I bothered howdy for days as practice!" Howdy nodded his head letting out a chuckle. "I'll admit it gave me something to do during slow days. You've gotten really good the first time you showed me sal." howdy spoke before yawning.

Julie clasped her hands together, Startling frank who glared at her. "Alright I think its time for all of us to hit the hay!" The others nodded in agreement while yawning in synch. You let out a yawn as well and stretched your arms as wally finally let you go from his grip as you each crawled to your sleeping bags. "Julie why must you insist on sleeping next to me?" You heard frank complain as he settled in his blankets with julie snuggling up beside him. "Because frank! I like sleeping next to you!" Julie sleepily sung while rubbing her tired eyes. "But Julie do you not recall the other times we had a sleepover and you kept repeatedly hitting me in the face while you were sleeping?" Frank grumbled while julie let out a weak laugh. "I pinky promise I won't hit you at all! And if I do then next sleepover I'll sleep next to (y/n)" you snapped your head looking over at the two. "Hey- what!? But I don't want to be slapped in the face by Julie! She hits hard!" Frank smirked as he settled in his sleeping bag. "Trust me, I know." He ended with a snicker. You let out a groan laying your head down on your pillow waiting for the others to fall asleep.

A few hours had passed. You opened your eyes and peeked around the room seeing the others sleeping peacefully while frank was being squished to death by Eddie and julie. You smiled before looking over at wally. You reached out about to tap his shoulder when you paused. You began to grow nervous. You never had to talk about your feelings to anyone before other than poppy at times let alone wally. Would it be a good idea to talk to wally? What if he didn't feel the same way? What if he brutally rejected you? The fast racing of your heart got your nervous shooting up. You shot up out of your sleeping bag and quickly, yet quietly, ran out of the living room to the backyard.

You sat on the swing set outside. Lightly swinging back and forth. Shivering at the cool air that hit your skin. "Agh...what am I thinking? He's just being nice is all..." you looked up at the night sky. Staring at the stars that twinkled brightly. "Wally probably thinks I'm weird..." 

"I think you're very lovely (y/n)."

You flinched hearing the sound of wallys voice coming from behind you. You jumped off the swing stumbling as you turned around seeing wally standing a few feet behind you. His figure luminated by the moonlight. Drowned in a soft light glow.

'He looks so beautiful...' you thought to yourself.

"OH-UM...wally I thought you were sleeping hehe" you nervously laughed fidgeting with your fingers. "I couldn't really sleep. What's got you up at this time of night neighbor?" He asked walking forward standing much closer infront of you. Your face scrunched up as you looked down at the ground. "Well...I uh-...the same with me. I couldn't really sleep either" you lied while rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. Wally tilted his head to the side. You could feel his eyes piercing right through your lie. "Hmmm is that right?" He asked resting his chin in the palm of his hand while his arm rested underneath. You slowly nodded your head, refusing to make any sort of eye contact with your crush. "You seemed rather tired during Sally's shadow puppet play. I saw you yawn many times."

You hitched your breath.

"You seemed to sleep peacefully a few hours ago before you woke up so suddenly. Are you sure it's because you couldn't sleep and its not something else?"

Your face flushed red as the embarrassment grew. He watched you sleep so he most certainly knew that not being able to sleep wasn't an excuse. You looked up finally feeling defeated when you gazed right into his eyes. You let out a sigh and shook your head. "No...it's not because I couldn't sleep." You turned around wrapping your arms around yourself. "What seems to be bothering you friend?" Wally asked. You cringed at the word 'friend'. "Well...I just...wally I-" you struggled to find the right words to say. Wally patiently waited for you to speak. You let out a shakey breath before you finally found the courage to confess.

"Well..you see..these past few days you've been...er...doing certian things that make my heart flutter. At first you only blew kisses, not just to me but to the others as well. Hehe I was rather impressed you learned how to do that without barnaby teaching you. But, later you've been giving just me all kinds of kiss. Fist it was in the hand and then it was on the cheek, my neck and- ARG" you slapped your hands over your face feeling more embarrassed than ever. "Wally... I'm just confused if you...see me as just your neighbor or as- something more. I can never understand what you do or say." You mumbled into your hands.

Wally walked up behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders and carefully turned you back around facing him. He reached up and slowly removed your hands from your face before cupping your softly. His eyes staring right into yours. "Silly (y/n). You're so sweet and kind," he begun, his thumb softly stroking your cheek. "I love all my friends the same but, you're much more different then they are." His smile widened when he saw your eyes light up. "I only begun to notice it a while after you moved to home. But I very much adore everything about you." Wally could feel your face heat up between his hands. "I don't think there's anything about you I could ever dislike. To me, you're the most wonderful person I've ever met." He finished as he went and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on your forehead.

A smiled painted its way onto your lips as you reached up and softly grasped his hands with yours. Your heart skipping a beat as you leaned into the kiss. All of your nerves suddenly disappeared. You pulled wally into a hug. His body going limp yet he didn't seem to mind it at all as you squeezed him tightly.

"I love you wally..."

.

.

.

"I love you more (y/n)."

While the two of you were outside having your moment the others had woken up and watched the entire thing go down behind a window. Julie happily stimming from excitement while slapping frank on the back. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT!" Frank let out a grumbled grabbing julies hands and placing them down by her sides. "It was very much obvious that these two had a thing going on. However I think wally may have been a bit TOO obvious." The others nodded in agreement.

As you pulled away from the hug you glanced over and noticed the other peeping from the window. "HEY!" you yelled causing them to scrambled and fall. Poppys feathers flying in the air as she squawked. You shook your head and let out a chuckle. "We sure do have some crazy neighbors don't we?" You asked as the both of you began walking back inside. Wally nodded in agreement. "But I enjoy their company very much." He leans down to give you another sweet kiss on the cheek.

"But I enjoy your company most of all~."

||THE END||

[[OUAGH I hope I did a good job here. I tried to add as much fluff as possible so it ended up being pretty long. My apologies. But with this story finally out of the way ill be able to work on requests in about a week or so! Thank you all for the support! It means alot to me♡]]

[caelanglang]

"From afar the Fata Morgana makes absolutely no sense. It's a floating fucking ship, and you probably think you're going insane, right?" - Mors Vincit Omnia, Chapter 10

no thoughts empty head, just think about. @itotypes well-written well-designed pirates orz

no srsly pls read it it’s so darn good im so aksdfhakjhakg *frantic hand gestures to express my love*

anyways i’m gonna ramble about it so-- spoilers ahead (pls don’t let me ruin your reading experience)

hi Ito!!! I finally finished Mors Vincit Omnia and there are so many things I wanna scream about it but at the same time I am just at a loss for words—it's so so good!! ToT) I don't think I caught all of your well-made metaphors and motifs but I absolutely adore the ones I noticed!! Especially Odasaku's pendant TvT !! Your storytelling was really well-done! I was on my toes the whole time reading this ;v; I really love the entire vibe you built in the story, it really felt like I was sucked into the world and and and each of your characters is so lovely and endearing from the people in Decay to Stormbringer ToT all of them, no matter how little screen time they had, you could really feel their personality and humanity !! I am absolutely in love with your fata morgana analogy too—it's so darn good IT'S LIKE MAGIC AUASGASGKLJSA And that dam line "Chuuya genuinely wants Dazai to suffer like a human." BRUH THAT WAS SO WELL EXECUTED MY JAW DROPPED IN REAL TIME READING IT *banging head on the floor* aughaugha i still have so much more i wanna say but idk how to express it so *drops a drawing instead* (one of my fav moments from the entire fic im so aksjhdgslkg) So many darn times while reading i was debating if I should book bind this fic I swear that’s how good it is aklsjdhfaksgj anyways I’m sorry for the ramble I just wanna thank you for sharing this fic with us and blessing us with your wonderfully drawn designs aaaaaaaaaa I know you’re probably tired reading this again but  I LOVE IT SO SO SO SO MUCH !!!!!!!

[ninja-muse]

2024 Year-End Reading Wrap-Up

Reading-wise, I think 2024 was about diligence. I kept reading even when I felt slumpy. I managed my goals of minimum one book off my physical TBR per month, minimum 20 non-fiction titles, and 75 of the books I wanted to get to. I didn’t do so great at keeping my book acquisition down, but at least I got rid of as many as I took in (and a lot of the books I bought were used or cheap). I even took in fewer reading copies and managed to pass on a fair number of them! I didn’t quite get to my 2023 total of 128 books and I didn’t quite manage 45,000 pages, only 44,865, but that’s okay. They’re kind of wild goals and I got darn close. Of the 126 books I did read, 29 were off my TBR and 38 were reading copies. That means that 59 were library books, which, thank goodness for libraries! This is why I donate to mine every year.

What I didn’t do so well on were most of my other goals. (2023 for comparison.) I’m still steadyish on Canadian and female authors, steadyish on classics, up on authors of colour (!), but sadly way down on gender-diverse authors. I’m going to have to find more enbies and genderqueer folks I want to read, but that’s hard as it still seems like most non-binary fiction goes towards the dark and grim and realistic and most of my reading choices goes towards the light and hopeful. I will happily take suggestions.

I’m most bummed, though, about breaking my StoryGraph reading streak of 567 days. I went home for Christmas on a late-night flight and the next day, I was just not awake enough to read dense non-fiction. I am looking forward to outdoing myself on this new round.

Yearly total: 126, excluding rereads and picture books Queer books: 37 (29%) Authors of colour: 19.5 (15.4%) Books by women: 77.5 (61.5%) Authors outside the binary: 3 (2%) Canadian authors: 12 (9.5%) Classics: 7 (5.5%) Off the TBR shelves: 29 (23%) Books hauled: 47 Books unhauled: 47 ARCs acquired: 40 ARCs unhauled: 46.5 DNFs: 10 Rereads: 3 Picture Books: 11

Outside of the stats and goals, I think my choice to mostly leave Tumblr was a good one. I’m feeling a lot less pressure to read The Right Things or whatever everyone else is, and less pressure to be constantly posting, though I do miss seeing what you all are reading. Please, please, feel free to tag me in reading wrap-ups and reviews, especially if you think it’s a book I’d be interested in. I do check my mentions regularly. (Friendly reminder that I’m ninjamuse on Storygraph and LibraryThing, if you’d like to follow me there.) And not posting as much as helped me get more writing done. I’m not quite finished the first draft of the cozy fantasy WIP, but I’m within sight of it, if I manage to get my mojo back after Extreme Retail Season.

My goals are 2025 are fairly reasonable and predictable. 126 books and 40,000 pages, and I've set up StoryGraph challenges to encourage myself to read 50 new releases and 50 backlist titles. I'm going to try for 20 non-fiction again too, though this year that was very much by the skin of my teeth. And of course, the enby author thing. And I'm going to finish the dang WIP and restart an old one. Wish me luck?

Click through for more book recs and breakdowns:

Books Reviewed Eve - Cat Bohannon I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko The Briar Club - Kate Quinn Evelina - Frances Burney How to Become a Dark Lord (and Die Trying) - Django Wexler The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport - Amit Basu The Disenchantment - Celia Bell The Dollmakers - Lynn Buchanan Submerged - Hillel Levin A History of Ancient Egypt - John Romer

And if anyone’s interested, here are the rest of my year’s highlights: Top Five Fiction (not ranked) Rose/House - Arkady Martine How to Become a Dark Lord and Die Trying - Django Wexler The Briar Club - Kate Quinn Navola - Paolo Bacigalupi The Disenchantment - Celia Bell Top Five Non-Fiction (not ranked) History of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3 - John Romer Malady of the Mind - Jeffrey A. Lieberman Sociopath - Patric Gagne I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko The Demon of Unrest - Erik Larson Most Impressed By: I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport - Amit Basu Evelina - Frances Burney Nicked - M.T. Anderson

Most Disappointing: Wordhunter - Stella Sands Bad Glass - Richard E. Gropp The Black Bird of Chernobyl - Ann McMan The Dishonest Miss Take - Faye Murphy The Voyage of the Damned - Frances White Longest Book: A History of Ancient Egypt, Volume 3 - John Romer Best Queer Book: A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine

Did I beat 2023? No, but 126 is really close to 128. Did I beat my Best Year Ever? No. That would be 2021. Did I read more classics? Yes Did I read more Canadians? No Did I whittle my TBR shelves down any? No. Was it a good reading year? Average. Breakdowns by month:

January February March April May June July August September October November December

[hitmewithsomebooks]

@jegulus-microfic Feb 14 - lips

Cowboy James 🤠

Inspired my @regulusmydarlin here's the one where Reggie finally cracks 🤗

Previous part first part

~

"Has anyone ev'r told ya you're gorgeous?" James pondered, running a finger along the side of Regulus's face.

"You have. On multiple occasions, if I recall correctly." Regulus replied, eyes still on his book.

"Y'do indeed." James replied with a grin. "An' I'm gonna keep doin' it." He added, flicking a silky black curl. Regulus sent him a little side-glare, and James chuckled.

"Honestly, though, darlin', how could I not tell you over n' over? Ev'ry time ah see you, ah’m flabbergasted at how darn pretty y'are."

Regulus scoffed.

"Real smooth, Potter." He droned. James smirked.

"What, d'ya want me t' go inta detail? Would that convince ya?"'

"If it would make you happy, go right ahead, nosy." Regulus encouraged, still fondly holding onto that nickname.

"Mmm, alrigh'. T’ start, y’r hair is gorgeous," James began, twirling a curl around his finger. " 's so shiny and bouncy, an' y'look divine when y'laugh or turn 'round, it alw'ys bounces n' lands perfectly. Your hands, god, th’r the prettiest hands ah’ve ever seen, ah honestly don' un’erstand. Th'r thin and delicate and y'r skin overall is jus' such a pretty, markable compl'xion..." James trailed off, observing Regulus. The man still hadn’t reacted, staring downward, though James could tell he was no longer actively reading; he was listening intently.

"And don' even get me started on y'r lips, darlin'. Th'r sinfully stunnin', so pink and jus' the perfect plumpn'ss, ev'ry time I look at you I jus' wanna kiss ya. I wanna bite 'em and make 'em all swollen and shiny... s'pose tha's a bit off topic..." James trailed off with a smirk. He caught a little tick at the corner of Regulus's mouth.

"Then th'rs your waist, y'r whole damn body, with y'r long limbs n' pretty legs and that fuckin' arse... ah mean, Christ almighty, if ah wasn' a sinner before ah met you..." the cowboy didn't even finish the sentence, but Regulus got the implication. It was getting harder for James to focus. Pointing out all these rather delectable things about Regulus, sitting right next to him, made it hard to not simply shut up and devour the man.

"But ah think my fav'rite’s gotta be y'r eyes." He spoke, and he noticed Regulus's posture straighten slightly. The younger man hadn't expected this.

"Ev'ry time ah look into y'r eyes ah feel like 'm drownin'. Ah've nev'r seen nothin' like 'em, really. Th'r like a storm an' a silver bullet at the same time, all steely and sparkly and just fuckin' stunnin’. Ah could look into y'r eyes fr'vr, sugar." James's voice had dropped, but it was soft. Like he was getting lost just talking about Regulus's eyes. 

Apparently, that was the key.

James’s face split into a delighted grin as he watched a blotchy red spread across Regulus's cheeks and exposed neck. Unable to help himself, he leaned in, pressing his lips to the red spots.

"So tha' was all it took, huh? Ah feel like ah jus' foun’ the 8th world wonder." James drawled cheerily, and Regulus rolled his eyes, but was still furiously blushing. James leaned forward again, sucking more red marks onto his neck.

"Maybe, if ah mark y'up, tha' pretty blush will last fr'ver." James murmured, dragging his tongue over Regulus's Adam's apple to the other side. Regulus shivered slightly, and he felt James's grin against him.

"Watcha think 'bout that?"

"I think Sirius would kill you." Regulus hummed, but he tilted his head back to give the cowboy easier access.

"Ah think 's worth it if ev'ryone else would know y'r mine." Regulus turned his head slightly, and James paused.

"Am I yours?" He questioned, not looking directly at James.

"D'ya wanna be?" James asked in response, and Regulus bit his lip.

"Yes."

"Then tha's that." James stated, but his grin stretched from ear to ear. He pulled Regulus in for a proper kiss this time, licking into his mouth hungrily. Regulus let out a huff of air, throwing his book on a nearby chair and pulling James down towards him.

"Now," James broke away to pant, hovering over Regulus. "What do ah hafta do to make y' blush all over like that?" He murmured, voice growing husky. Regulus groaned, pulling him down again, and James spent the rest of the night finding out.

~

"Hey, pretty." James drawled as he walked into the room, where Regulus and Pandora were sprawled on the couch. As he said it, he made direct eye contact, his gaze intense. And just like that, Regulus was a red as a tomato. Pandora gasped.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed, before clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry!" She squeaked, and James laughed, a rumbling chuckle from his chest.

"Don' worry, doll, 's nothin' ah have'n heard before." James said, and Pandora blushed.

"Right, of course. Sorry, just... I've never seen Regulus flustered. Ever. I didn't even know he could blush!" She declared, and James laughed again.

"Took me a secon' t’ figure it out, too." He admitted, plopping down on the couch next to Regulus, who was pointedly ignoring the charming man next to him.

"Aww, Reggie's all hot and bothered!!" Pandora cooed, and the man sent her a glare. She burst into a fit of giggles, which was soon joined by James's hearty chuckle.

"I hate you both."

~

"Howdy, Sirius." James greeted as he walked into the bar, followed by Regulus.

"Well hey there, partner." Sirius replied, grinning as he wiped out a glass. "And Reggie! What are you two doing together?" Sirius wondered, and James shot a look back at Regulus.

"Well, ah was jus' comin' here t' see ya, when ah ran into lil Reggie here in the parkin' lot." James drawled, and Regulus heavily resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh, how funny!" Sirius commented, setting the glass down and leaning his arms on the bar. "Hope he wasn't too rude to you." He added, sending a warning look at his brother, who did roll his eyes this time.

"Aw, naw, he's been a righ’ angel." James replied, smirking at the smaller man. Sirius scoffed, sweeping a glance at Regulus.

"I don’t know who you met, but I don't think it's my brother." He grumbled, and James laughed.

"Don' worry, he's been plen'y polite. Very gentlemanly." James assured Sirius, and Regulus had to hold back a laugh. He didn't think anyone would find him or James very gentlemanly if they knew what the two had been getting up to over the past few days.

Sirius shrugged, taking the towel off his shoulder and grabbing another glass.

"Well, I have to tend to some folks, but let me know if you're feeling thirsty." He said with a wink, before moving to the other end of the bar.  James scooted over closer to Regulus, so they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Real subtle." Regulus murmured, letting his gaze travel around the bustling bar, not the gorgeous hunk next to him. He couldn't be too obvious with Sirius only a few feet away, whether he was busy or not.

"Right?" James agreed, and Regulus sighed. "Y'know, y'look even prettier under these dumb lights. Ev'ryone else looks all weird n’ wash’d out, but y'look like a damn vision. An' y'r eyes just reflect all the colors, it's stunnin’." James commented, and Regulus could feel his cheeks heat. He could also, suddenly, feel his brother’s eyes on him. He turned his head, locking eyes with similar grey ones, which were soon moving closer.

"Are you blushing?" Sirius asked, astounded.

"No." Regulus snapped, trying to step away from James as casually as possible. "Must be the lighting."

It didn't work.

"Mm, no, you're definitely blushing! And you two were standing awfully close... James, are you fucking my baby brother?" Sirius questioned, in true, blatant, Sirius Black fashion. The cowboy answered without hesitation.

"W're datin', actually." Sirius's jaw dropped open.

"So this is where you've been going?" He screeched to Regulus, gesturing wildly at James.

"Yes..." Regulus replied, sheepish.

"And you didn't tell me?" Sirius's voice was only rising in pitch and volume.

"Listen," James cut in, placing a hand on Regulus's lower back. Sirius tracked the movement, and Regulus couldn't quite read his face. "Ah know he's y'r baby brother, an' y'r protective, but—"

"Whoa, whoa. Yeah, I wish he was still a baby. But I have no misconceptions about Regulus's lack of virginity and all. I know he dates and fucks. Hell, he told me the first day he met you how badly he wanted to fuck you." Sirius rambled, and Regulus shot him a death stare as James looked down at him smugly.

"I'm offended because Regulus didn't tell me. How could you not spill that you were hitting this?!" Sirius exclaimed, gesturing to the cowboy next to Regulus, who grinned.

"Because you told me not to!" Regulus cried out, throwing his hands up in the air. He wasn't a generally expressive person, but when it came to Sirius, he gestured a lot.

"Yes, as a rebound. But since you agreed to date him, clearly you're in a better state than I thought. I'm proud of you, baby bro." Sirius grinned, holding out a fist to Regulus. The younger man frowned, looking at it as though it were a puzzle. James chuckled, before demonstrating.

" ‘s a fist bump. Y’ bump his w’th y’rs, like this." He explained, before bumping his fist against Sirius's. Regulus raised a haughty eyebrow at the both of them, before rolling his eyes and bumping Sirius's fist. James held out a fist next, grinning eagerly. Regulus gave him an exasperated look, but when they bumped fists and James brought his out in an explosion, he couldn't help a small smile.

God, was he turning into a sap??

Minutes later, when James snaked a hand around his waist and whispered pretty and stunning into his ear, he confirmed that yes, he absolutely was.

~

1656 words :)

[mj-iza-writer]

So i accidentally (it definitely wasn't accidentally) clicked one of the options on my recent poll about my series. I was curious what everyone was saying, and I have zero patience.

The verdict so far is that it may be good for a book, but I need to finish it here first. I definitely agree. I will work on finishing the original story line, and I have some fun things planned.

Another verdict that I am noticing is that some are saying that it needs to remain on Tumblr only. I agree, part of me just wants to write about Aramais. I definitely love that character, but I do not want to take any of my other characters away if it does somehow turn into a book. I've decided that if this does happen the raw form of the story will stay on Tumblr. You will all get to know what happens first.

(I read through my post, all 17 chapters. I definitely know it could have been written better. This story was literally just going to be a one or two story thing and it has turned into an entire series. I love my raw form so much that I think it's important to leave it here where so many people encouraged me. I even believe there is a chance at a sequel.

My plan is to leave asks off until February. I will continue to focus on the asks I have and get back to work on the story line for Sp Special Containment.

To be honest it's been months since I've touched this story, I even had to reread it to remember what was going on. I honestly believe I got discouraged as the story hasn't always done the best on here. Reactions are not what makes a story good or successful though. I need to remember that. As a writer, the story needs to be told. I want this story told. I love these characters so much. So even if no one pays attention to the story, it is going to get posted, darn it.

I really appreciate those of you that have waited so so long for the next part. I know a few of you did enjoy it. Your next part should be posted soon.

If you need to get caught up or need a reminder on what was happening the hashtag is SP Special Containment. You can see it tagged down below.

Thanks for reading my rant. -MJ

[alpaca-clouds]

A neat historical detail in Castlevania

As I just finished reading the somewhat older David Graeber book "Dept: The First 5000 Years" and this book kinda had me constantly thinking about this one scene from Castlevania S03E01.

Now, mind you. The first four Castlevania seasons really are not that point on when it comes to history. Generally speaking the scenes that have Isaac tend to be a bit more historically accurate, but both in terms of general history, and historic clothing this show is often quite far away from the reality.

And here comes this lady in, who in Lindenfeld sells a bit of produce. First: This lady has fairly accurate clothing for the time. Sure, there is a bit of an issue as she is wearing no jacket or anything, while it is clearly early winter. (But that is a general issue in the entire show. I wrote about this before: I am fairly sure that Castlevania takes place between Late-September 1476 and Late-December '76 or Early-January '77. And winters around this time were darn cold - especially in this area. And the folks at Powerhouse clearly underestimated the weather xD)

All of this makes me so delighted that this one specific scene is actually pretty spot on.

What happens in this scene? Well, St. Germain wants to buy two apples, and this lady, who clearly cannot stand him. So, she overcharges him, asking double the price of the day before. He is a traveler who came through several other places before, and he has a silver coin (a groschen) of a higher value on him. Meanwhile she is like: "Eh, I don't care. This is one silver coin, it counts as one silver coin."

Now, to be fair: The price is a bit too high historically speaking (generally speaking a silver coin at the time was usually worth between 25 and 50 English pounds in today's money). While we surprisingly have no written down prices for apples, we know that generally apples were sold by weight and not per unit, and were considerably cheaper.

However, other things in this scene check out.

See, here is a thing that people do not realize about the middle ages - and specifically the late 15th century.

Most people did not in fact use coin money, but just a system of credit and debt.

In the late 15th century, coinage was super, super unreliable as the value was constantly changing, due to the political instability of Europe.

About the first part of this: If you ever heard people talk about how folks bartered. Yeah, that mainly is bullshit. Yes, at times this happened during the middle ages, but it mainly happened for the following reason: Until the Roman Empire came around people in Europe mainly just went about exchanging goods under the thinking of "I do you a solid, you will do me a solid". People basically had "dept" with people from their village. Then the Roman Empire came and introduced money, so after the empire fell and the money was gone (because no new money was minted) and people still had about the money value of the goods in mind, and would go "well an apple was about worth as much as 4 eggs, so give me 4 eggs in return". But this also declined during the middle ages.

While yes, at the point the show takes place there were once more people minting money, the royals that controlled the currency constantly changed the value of the money around to adjust the dept and taxes through it. Which was especially going on a lot in the late 15th century, because of the wars going on.

So, most people went back to just the old dept system. Aka: "You do me a solid, I will do you a solid in the future." However, there was a group of people, who could not partake in this form of exchange. And that was travelers, who obviously did not stay around along in one place to get to do "a solid" in return, were to foreign and hence distrusted, and as such had to use coinage to trade. Because at least whoever sold something from them had something that they could trust on in return. Hence, St. Germain, who is a traveler and clearly has the aura of a fraudster, would have to use coins to trade. And again, the value of the money was actually super instabable. While the well-dressed market-lady would probably not really know the current value of coins, she is totally not off to say: "Duh, prices rise," and who is there to check on her.

Hence, I have only the highest respect for this queen, who miraculously has actually gotten a voice actor. xD

[jessi4fanfics]

| This was for Broppy Week, Day 1. This is also in my Broppy Oneshots book. We were supposed to write one where Branch and Poppy do some kind of activity during one of the seasons! Thanks for inspiration @/MoonGirlFan12 😘 This one is winter-themed! |

Branch and Viva gabbed excitedly as they and Poppy walked toward the Troll Pond. Every year the small pond is just frozen enough to skate over. Every year that  Branch had his colors, he had asked Poppy to go skating.

She had always said that she was too busy or maybe get could later that week, and then never mentioned it again. Branch wasn't suspicious or anything, she was busy. But he was always disappointed.

But this year, the whole of BroZone had planned it. Branch and his brothers had grown up skating every year with their grandma, laughing and drinking hot cocoa together, and all of them were excited to start the tradition again. Viva never skated every year, but the few times she did she loved it, so she was just as excited about it as the brothers were.

When Viva and Branch had come to pick Poppy up in her new skating gear, Poppy looked a bit stressed. They had both asked her what was the matter.

 "Nothing, just tired, that's all." She had given a small shrug. 

But that wasn't what was bothering her. Poppy had never ice skated before. She was afraid of the ice. She didn't trust the experts that walked all over the ice, or the naive trollings that skated all over it every year as well.

Poppy had actually considered banning ice skating one year, but decided against it. She couldn't let people know about how terrified she was of it. They would just make fun of her. She was the supposedly fearless queen that could do just about anything.

Except ice skate. Darn it, why couldn't she just get over it?

Branch and Viva were talking excitedly about the old tricks they used to do on the ice. Branch was pretty experienced, skating even during his gray years (when no one was watching, of course), and Viva, being herself, just threw herself on the ice and attempted all tricks, experienced and taught or not.

They talked about their goals, their sucesses, and their fails.

All Poppy heard from behind them was their fails. The bruises and almost sprains they had gotten from small mistakes on the ice.

She gave a shiver.

Branch noticed it. "Poppy, are you cold? Do you need my jacket?"

Though she shook her head at him, not wanting him jacket-less, he still pulled it off and wrapped it around her and over her own jacket. She gave him a grateful smile.

 "Thanks, Branch."

 He frowned a bit. "Are you alright, Poppy? You have been pretty quiet since we started towards the pond. Need to talk about something?"

 "Yeah, Branch is right," Viva agreed. "You've been super quiet."

 Poppy looked at the two people she loved the most, then stared at the floor, flushing. "No, I'm good."

 "Ohhhh-kayyy." It was obvious Branch didn't believe her.

Didn't matter. As long as he didn't know how weak she felt and was.

~~~

They got there quicker than Poppy liked. John Dory, Floyd, and Clay all skated over to them, already on the pond and in their jackets and snowpants.

 "Hay, Branch!!" John Dory called. 

 "Hiii, Viva!" Clay greeted.

 "Hello, guys!" Floyd sang happily.

 They all skidded to a stop on the edge of the pond.

 "Bruce told us to tell you that he's coming soon, he's just finishing things at the restaurant really quickly," John Dory told them.

"Okay, great! Give us a sec and we will get out things on!" Branch and Viva sat down on a bench nearby and started putting on their skates. Noticing Poppy not moving, he patted the spot next to him, gesturing for her to sit with him and change into her shoes. "How's the ice?"

Poppy sighed and say next to him, putting on her shoes.

What excuse could she come up with to not do this?

"It's so great, Branch! I am already getting fun flashbacks!" Clay said happily. "Remember the time when it snowed and we were skating and I dumped a bucket of snow down JD's pants?!!"

 He and Floyd began to die from laughter while John Dory frowned. "That wasn't funny. I had a fever for a week after that."

 Clay didn't stop laughing. 

Suddenly, Viva stood up. "All ready!!" She slowly stepped towards them, then got into the ice.

She slid a few times, then steadied herself with Clay, grabbing his hands. 

"Here, I can pull it you around!" Clay suggested eagerly. "Hold on!!" He began to drag her around the pond, her happy squeals being heard for about a mile.

"Okay, I'm ready too!" Branch stood up. "Poppy, are you--? " he stopped, surprised to see that she had only gotten one shoe on, and it wasn't even tied.

"I- uhh, just remembered something, Branch!" Poppy said , stammering. "Uhhh...the hot dog stand- down the street- needs some more um hot dog fryer people, so I think I'm going to do that, just to help them, you know, and you guys can have fun!" She began to take off the one shoe she had on.

Branch turned to his older brothers, who both looked at each other and shrugged. 

"Uh, you guys can go on. We will join you in a minute."

Floyd and John Dory nodded and skated towards where Viva was being pulled from her feet by Clay and she was screaming-laughing like crazy.

Branch turned to Poppy before she could leave for the hot dog stand. He gripped her arm.

"Okay. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Poppy plastered a smile on her face.

"Poppy, you've always managed to avoid skating with me, and I always thought that was a coincidence, but now I'm not so sure. " He gave her arm a quick caress. "Are you...purposefully trying not to skate?"

"Pfft. Noooo, how silly-"

Branch raised an eyebrow.

Poppy flushed again. She bit her lip. "Alright. I'll tell you."

"Good. Go on." 

"I...I'm afraid to ice-skate."

"What do you mean you're afraid? You've done it before, right?"

"No." The response was quiet and shameful.

"Wow. Really?" Branch gave a scoff. "Oh, Poppy, that can't be you're only problem. Is that really it?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, that's simple!" Branch waved a hand carelessly. "I can teach you."

Poppy's breath hitched and her heart began to beat. "No, I-I don't think... " She backed up.

 "It's alright! I will be right with you! I promise!" He sat down on the bench. "Just put on your shoes."

She sat down slowly and began to tie her shoes on. Then she stood up.

 "Here. Grab my hands," Branch suggested. He held out his hands.

Shivering again from both the weather and the fear, she took them, unsure.

She was surprised how warm his hands were.

 "Here we go!" Branch took her onto the ice.

Poppy's eyes squeezed shut. Please don't die, please don't...

He gently pulled her around and Poppy opened her eyes briefly.

She was still alive. It was really crazy. She looked down at the ice, wondering how thin it was. It was just frozen over, it wouldn't last long, they should get off before it became dangerous--

She gripped his fingers tighter.

 "Hey."

 Her eyes snapped to him.

 "Focus on me. If you can't look at the ice, look at me."

 That wasn't hard. She sighed from a bit of relief and looked at him. His blue eyes sparkling with gentleness, his smile, teasing but loving, his cute blue nose.

 "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Okay." Actually, she was beginning to enjoy it a bit. She wobbled and teetered a lot, but Branch was there to catch her and smile whenever she fell.

A lot like in other times, she thought, smiling. 

Branch's smile got bigger once he saw her small one. "Ready to let go a bit?"

No, no, no--

Before she answered, he dropped one hand and her balance completely failed. She dropped forward, shrieking and faceplanting into the ice. 

 "Poppy!! Poppy!! Are you okay?!!!" He quickly grabbed both of her hands and pulled her back up. "Honey?!! Are you--?" He broke down at the sight of Poppy's scarred face, her eyes filling with tears.

"Please don't cry, honey! You know I hate it when you cry!!" Branch pleaded. He swiped at her eyes, wiping the tears.

Poppy gasped out, "I want to get off the ice, Branch. I hate it!"

Branch wasn't ready to give up yet. "Poppy, I know you will enjoy this if you just try! Come on, let's give it another shot."

That was the last thing Poppy wanted to do, but she was pulled forward anyway and instead of Branch guiding her while skating backwards, he put her forwards in front of him, his right arm wrapped around her to grab her right hand, the other wrapped behind her to grab her left one.

Basically she was wrapped in a secure hug.

Poppy sniffled. She could possibly skate like this. It wasn't...so bad.

Branch kissed the side of her neck and whispered into her ear, "Here. You're in front and I'll guide you from behind. How is that?"

 "Please don't let go, Branch, " was all she said, not wanting to fall again. And not wanting his warm embrace to drop from around her either, though she would never tell him that for a million years.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "I won't let go. Not this time or ever again, if that's what you want."

He was talking about them skating-- but at the same time, not really. She caught the meaning behind his soft words and smiled.

"I would like that. As long as you're here to guide me." And she turned her head towards him quickly, pecked his nose, and they began to skate

Needless to say, Poppy learns to love skating lol 💕💅

[50calmadeuce]

Ch. 13: The Conference

Warning: Mention of miscarriage. Some chapters have sex.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

As the sun began to set, you and Jake emerged from the stable, hand in hand. With the picnic basket in his right hand and yours clasped in his left, he suddenly gave your butt a quick pinch, causing you to jump and erupt into laughter.

"Jake!" you exclaimed, and he laughed, then pulled you in for a kiss.

"Well, it's about time!" came a female voice, loud and clear.

Turning your heads, you spotted Cindy standing on the back porch, prompting you to walk towards her. As you reached the bottom of the steps, it was clear from her expression that she had something specific she wanted to say to Jake.

You leaned in and kissed him. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then start working on my second presentation." You ascended the stairs, passing Cindy, and playfully shook your butt at Jake before walking through the door of the house.

Cindy crossed her arms, fixing Jake with a look, while Jake turned his attention to her, acknowledging the silent exchange.

"Yes, Momma," he acknowledged her presence and her unspoken authority.

"Jake. I love you. You're my only boy, but if you put that girl through what you did again… I don't know what I'll do."

"I won't. I swear," Jake assured her earnestly.

"It's about time you woke up. She worships the ground you walk on," Cindy responded, her tone softening slightly.

Jake nodded, his expression serious. "Oh, I know. I couldn't ask for a better person or wife."

Cindy grinned, satisfied with his response. "Good. Now, you stink. Go and take a shower."

Jake smiled, acknowledging the directive. "Yes, Ma'am," he said, as he quickly made his way past his mom and into the house.

As you focused on your laptop, seated on Jake's bed and wrapping up your notes for the conference, Jake entered the room and observed you for a moment.

"Darlin', it's late," he gently pointed out.

Lifting your gaze to meet his, you replied, "I know. I'm just finishing up."

He made his way onto the bed and settled down beside you, peering over at your laptop screen. "You can tell where a cow or bull has come from?"

"Pretty darn close," you responded with a hint of pride.

He glanced at the screen once more, a look of confusion crossing his face. "And I don't get homozygous/heterozygous gene mutations."

Your grin widened as you explained, "Homozygous means you inherit the same version of the gene from each parent, so you have two matching genes. Heterozygous means you inherit a different version of a gene from each parent, so they do not match."

Jake rolled onto his back. "That's why you're the Doctor."

You chuckled, a lightness in your mood, as you closed the laptop and carefully placed it on top of the dresser.

You made your way back onto the bed and snuggled up to Jake, who wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close, and gently kissed the top of your head.

"You do know this is the book I wrote with Doctor Stryker?"

"Yup."

"He was there today," you added, a hint of significance in your voice. "He followed me out of the building. Told me he still thought about me."

Jake's reaction, the sudden tension that coursed through his body, was a clear indication of the complex emotions your revelation stirred within him. The quiet, intimate moment you both shared was momentarily shadowed by the unexpected intrusion of the past into the present.

Despite the initial shock, Jake's embrace remained firm around you, a testament to the strength of your connection. After a brief pause, he let out a slow, measured breath, as if to steady himself before speaking. "He followed you?" His voice carried a mix of concern and a protective edge, yet he made an effort to keep it level, to not jump to conclusions.

"Yes, just to talk," you clarified, wanting to ease the tension. "It was unexpected, but it was just a conversation. Nothing more."

Jake was silent for a moment, processing your words. Then, with a careful effort to keep his voice calm, he asked, "And how did that make you feel? Him saying he still thought about you?"

It was a question that required a moment of introspection, a balancing act between acknowledging past connections and affirming the present reality of your relationship with Jake. "Surprised, I guess," you admitted.

"Thank you for telling me," he said, his voice softening. "I won't pretend it doesn't bother me, but I trust you. And I know we're solid, we've built something too important to let shadows from the past threaten it."

You nodded, feeling a renewed sense of connection. "I love you, Jake. Nothing is going to change that."

Jake gently kissed the top of your head again, a silent acknowledgment of your words and the depth of the bond you shared. "I love you too. More than anything," he murmured, holding you a little tighter.

When you woke up the Saturday morning, the space beside you was empty; Jake had already risen. You stretched, feeling the day's possibilities stretch out before you, and glanced at your watch. It was 6 a.m. With a sigh, you threw the comforter off and turned, standing up to start your day.

As you opened the bedroom door, the inviting aroma of breakfast cooking and fresh coffee wafted towards you, instantly brightening your mood. You allowed yourself a moment to savor the homely scents before slowly making your way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Y/N," Cindy greeted you warmly as you took a seat at the kitchen island. "Coffee?"

"Oh, yes please," you responded, grateful for the offer and the comforting routine of starting the day with a warm cup.

Cindy turned back to the coffee maker, her movements practiced and smooth, indicative of the many mornings she had performed this ritual. The kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, a scent that seemed to wrap around you, easing the transition from the tranquility of sleep to the alertness of a new day.

As Cindy poured the dark, steaming liquid into a mug, she glanced over her shoulder, offering you a smile that seemed to brighten the room. "Cream and sugar?" she inquired, knowing your preferences but always polite to ask.

"Yes, please, thank you," you replied, watching as she expertly added the cream and sugar, swirling it into the coffee until it reached the perfect shade of light brown. She placed the mug in front of you, along with a small spoon on a napkin.

Taking the mug into your hands, you savored the warmth seeping into your palms, the comforting weight of the ceramic, and the promise of caffeine to kickstart your day. "Thanks, Cindy. This is exactly what I needed."

"How'd your notes come along?" Cindy inquired.

"Pretty good, actually. I believe my findings align quite closely with what Dr. Stryker is discussing," you replied, taking a sip of the coffee, appreciating the warmth and the caffeine starting to work its magic and noticed Cindy's body tense at the name.

"Jake knows about him now?" Cindy asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah. We had a chat last night," you confirmed, trying to keep your tone light despite the complexity of the conversation you'd had with Jake.

Just then, the backdoor opened, and Jake walked in, dressed in a pair of shorts and tennis shoes, with his headphones hanging around his neck. His dog tags dangled between his sweaty pecs, evidence of what must have been an intense morning run or workout.

He walked over to you and planted a quick kiss on your lips. "Darlin'," he said with a warm smile, then moved over to the cabinet to grab the blender, presumably to whip up one of his post-workout smoothies.

As he moved around the kitchen, you caught a flash of metal on his left hand and realized he was wearing his wedding ring. It struck you suddenly; you hadn't seen him wear that ring since the day you both got married. The sight of it now, especially after everything you'd been through together, warmed your heart and filled you with a mixture of surprise and deep affection.

You glanced at your watch, noting the time. "Jake, we need to leave in an hour. I'm going to shower and get dressed," you announced, already planning the timing in your head.

He turned his head, meeting your gaze with a smile. "I'll be right behind you," he assured, his tone light and affectionate.

Cindy sighed from her spot at the kitchen island, an amused yet resigned expression on her face. You couldn't help but smirk behind the coffee cup.

Two hours later, Jake steered the truck into a parking spot at the school. He was the picture of casual elegance in khaki pants, a black polo shirt, dress shoes, and a matching cowboy hat, a combination that accentuated his fit physique.

You had opted for a professional ensemble, choosing black business slacks paired with a tan dress shirt, complemented by a sleek black dress coat. Preferring comfort over convention, you chose black flats instead of high heels, and your hair was neatly pulled back into a stylish ponytail. The outfit was a perfect blend of formal and practical, suited for the day's events.

Glancing down at your left hand, you puzzled over what could have snagged your tote, then remembered the wedding ring you'd slipped on earlier. The sight of it brought a smile to your face. You and Jake had chosen matching rings, inspired by a love for the Western aesthetic. Yours was a stunning cathedral-style engagement ring, featuring a brilliant half-carat diamond at its heart. The band, a delicate work of art in rose gold, was intricately hand-engraved, complemented by a sterling silver rope motif that encircled half the band, leaving space for a companion piece. The companion, a sleek sterling silver bead wedding band, was designed to fit snugly alongside the engagement ring, creating a harmonious set. Jake's ring mirrored this design ethos, boasting a handsome rose gold band adorned with similar engraving and sterling silver bead detailing along the edges.

While you were captivated by your ring, Jake made his way to the passenger side of the car.

"Everything alright?" he inquired, a note of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm just not accustomed to having it on yet," you responded.

His smile was warm. "It's good to see you wearing it once more."

"The feeling's mutual," you answered, returning his smile.

"Do you have everything you need?" he asked, casting a glance at your tote.

"Yup," you confirmed, and with that, he gently shut the passenger door for you.

He gently grasped your left hand with his right and the two of you headed towards the Conference center from the parking garage.

As you entered the Conference Center, you made your way to the check-in table, where a young college student was stationed.

"Name?" she inquired.

"Dr. Y/N Seresin," you provided.

The young girl's eyes widened in recognition. "Dr. Seresin? I read the book you co-authored with Dr. Stryker. I'm really looking forward to your presentation today," she said, enthusiasm evident in her voice as she handed you two lanyards.

"Thank you," you replied, appreciating her excitement as you handed Jake his lanyard.

The girl's gaze shifted towards Jake, and you could tell she was quite taken with him. "And your guest?" she asked, trying to maintain her composure.

You couldn't help but grin. "This is my husband, Lieutenant Jake Seresin."

Jake offered her a friendly smile and a nod, acknowledging the introduction.

"Is there a booklet with this weekend's events?" you asked, gently redirecting the girl's attention away from your husband.

"Oh, I'm sorry, yes," she quickly apologized, handing you the pamphlet. "I'm really looking forward to your presentation."

"Thank you, we're both excited to be here," you responded warmly, accepting the booklet from her. You were keen to see who else was presenting and what other panels might be of interest. The conference was an important event in your field.

As you walked away from the check-in table, Jake leaned in and whispered, "Seems like you're quite the celebrity here."

You chuckled softly. "Well, let's not get carried away. But it's nice to know the book is reaching people."

Looking through the booklet as you both made your way down the hall, you found your presentation time and location, as well as a few other sessions that piqued your interest. The weekend was packed with opportunities for learning, networking, and sharing your own research.

"Let's make sure we attend the keynote this afternoon," you suggested, pointing to the schedule. "And there's a panel on the latest technology in my field tomorrow that looks fascinating."

Jake nodded, showing his interest as he surveyed the surroundings. "Sounds good," he remarked, his attention then shifting back to you.

Glancing through the pamphlet, you noted, "Both of my presentations are today, and then there's the dance tonight." You checked your watch and then looked up at Jake. "I need to go meet Dr. Colson in his office now."

He met your gaze, understanding. "That's fine. I'll find you later."

The two of you shared a quick kiss. "Love you," he said softly.

"Love you too," you echoed, before hastening off towards Dr. Colson's office.

The presentation with Dr. Colson unfolded flawlessly. Out in the audience, you caught glimpses of Jake, watching and smiling. You were aware that he might not grasp all the details of the discussion, but that was irrelevant to you.

Once the presentation concluded, Jake waited casually. As you and Dr. Colson descended the stage, your gaze found Jake.

"Dr. Colson, I'd like you to meet my husband, Lieutenant Jake Seresin," you introduced them, bridging your professional world with your personal one.

Jake extended his hand, offering a warm greeting. "Nice to meet you. Y/N has spoken very highly of you."

Dr. Colson's handshake was firm and welcoming. "Likewise. You're a fighter pilot in the Navy, correct?" he inquired, releasing Jake's hand.

Jake responded with a smile, "Yes, sir."

Dr. Colson returned the smile. "No need for formalities," he insisted gently. Glancing at his watch, he added, "Please, call me Jason. It's lunchtime, and Y/N's next presentation isn't until 3. I'd be interested in hearing more about your career. Would you both care to join me for lunch?"

You and Jake exchanged a quick look, a silent agreement passing between you. "We'd love to!" you replied enthusiastically.

"Great!" Jason exclaimed. "I know a wonderful little spot just a couple of blocks from here."

The two of you followed Dr. Colson—Jason—out of the conference center.

[puddingvalkyrie]

Reading massively improved my mental health and I want to talk about it in case it can help others!

Y'all, I think we all need to read more books.

I know I'm an author so I WOULD say that and in fact, I DO say that to children at every opportunity (my dyslexia would be a LOT worse if I hadn't read so much as a kid) but hear me out.

So back in ...March/April I was pretty miserable and it was partly because Norwegian winter will do that to an unprepared foreigner but also because it was the anniversary of The Bad Thing so I felt miserable and alone.

I had no way to really remedy the situation.

But one thing I did do was... Finally crack. See, I'd been DYING to reread my Discworld books, but they are in a different country and I can't afford to go get them or have them sent to me. I have a few paper books here though - I mainly took my fairytale collections, because what did you expect? Actually I guess hardly anyone on Tumblr knows me - Alicia does two things. Vampires. And Fairytales. Didn't bring my vampire encyclopedia, too big and heavy. Anyway.

I have a part time job with an hour on the train each way. I started taking my paper books, my fairytale collections. They were full of short things I could finish easily in a train journey.

Some info. I had managed to sour reading for myself some years previously... I mainly read for research purposes, hardly picking up anything just for the fun of it. PSA: Don't do this. Do not do this. Don't. Do NOT.

And then I reread one of the few paper fiction books I had with me. I enjoy fairytales but they do still fall under 'sort of work' for me. This did not. This was a book I am eagerly awaiting the finale to.

Anyway, I finished it quickly, reading it both on and off the train. You know. For fun. Not just fill time I was stuck somewhere.

Finishing it annoyed me. I wanted more stories. I wanted more than fairytales. And so I cracked. I bought Equal Rites as an ebook. See, I'd previously decided I would not buy anything I already owned in paperback as an ebook because... Well, waste of money, something I don't have enough of. To buy my entire discworld collection in ebook format would cost as much as getting on a plane and bringing my paper ones back.

But just ONE book would be alright, wouldn't it?

So anyway I finished the book.

Of course I'm not going to read just ONE discworld book.

So I carefully ration myself ebooks, making a condition for myself that they are mainly for the train, but I am allowed to read them at home too.

And gradually... The fog lifted. Nothing much has changed besides that I'm reading books regularly again. I still have the same problems that were upsetting me in March. I was also HORRIBLY BURNED OUT until last week. But my mood is MASSIVELY improved. Like, hugely improved. And yeah, yeah, it's summer now, so the weather will have helped also. But I can pinpoint my recovery to when I started reading regularly again. And that is to say that while I was burned out, I wasn't ALSO sad.

So from now on I will be making an effort to keep reading books for fun.

It's kind of crazy that I had stopped for so long. I mean. I write books people are supposed to read for fun. Kinda hypocritical of me to like.. not do that.

I think maybe I have created this problem for myself with many of my hobbies. I tried to make drawing into a business, tried to do too much too fast, and since then I've barely drawn. I love cartoons so I watch them in Norwegian to help me learn - means I was never just relaxing while watching a cartoon for a few years. Recently started just watching cartoons in English/Japanese if I darn well feel like it.

...enough tangent, back to Why Reading Is Good.

Don't quote me on this, I am just scribbling down thoughts I've been meaning to write down for a month, therefore, am too lazy to track down any sources, but I'm pretty sure reading books is actually scientifically proven to help your brain?? I seem to remember reading your hippocampus shrinks if you don't exercise your brain enough and reading long stories does that. And a shrinking hippocampus causes depression?? I don't know anything much about brains and psychology so I must have read that somewhere.

I think a hippocampus is also like... A horse mermaid.

Again, no source, might be thinking of something from Mermaid Melody.

I'mma go read more of my current book now. It's a history book this time.

Yay books!