#I gotta draw them again it’s 2023 I gotta

[cubesoda]

I was scrolling through my old photo album and I can’t believe I drew this like 3 years ago and then never posted it anywhere

Any way I still love them I hope they like, hold hands or something

[fleouriarts]

the newest developments in the hivemind furry extended universe (ive posted the eden pics before but whatever)

[pushing500]

Comparing 2015 OC art to 2023 OC art

I'm kind of just doing this so I can see the difference, but y'all can look too if you want ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Angsty 2015 vampire OCs (The Berardi brothers). I'd been writing stories about these guys since 2013 but was still working out what I wanted them to look like. Originally only Pascal (the youngest) and Antioco (the oldest) had names, but in my melodramatic teenage scrawling I named more of them and decided that, one day, there would be one hundred vampires in this family...

And so in 2023, I made teenage Gracie proud and drew/came up with backstories for 100 vampires (they're half-vampires now though).

Most of these guys aren't around in the "main timeline" of my oc universe, but there's more than enough art and story on my laptop set in the aptly named "Berardi Timeline" when they were all still alive.

The surviving ones are this bunch here, my lovely boys~

Yeah, I think I can see some improvement in my art. 😂 Hopefully, by the end of 2024, I can look back and see even more!

One day I swear I'll get down to business and write an actual story about one or more of my 600+ OCs, buuuut... not today. Rimworld go brrrrrrrr

[cyberscratch]

Swagbeast I drew yesterday

[realjem-art]

Really need to flesh them out more at some point

[aryomengrande]

aryomengrande's 127 squad (2024 division) ᕦ(ò_ó)ᕤ

← 2023 division | 2025 division →

happy 1/27 day !! you placed my artworks of keisuke baji, hajime kokonoi, and haruchiyo sanzu in 1st, 2nd, and 7th place in my most liked pieces across all my platforms last year, making it eligible for them to be in my 127 squad (⌐▰U▰) can i js say neo truly got my back last year bc baji and sanzu made it to 127 squad ?? ( ಥ‿ಥ ) neo truly got koko's back as well bc he's once again in the no. 2 spot lmao (koko give chance to others this year ok (눈_눈)) anyway, thank u to everyone who showed these posts a lot of love ! (∩˃o˂∩)♡ excited to see which ones get in the 127 squad this year ! ♡

deets under the cut

the album reference for baji is favorite (catharsis ver.). baji is my favorite character from TR, there is no one else i'm gonna crossover favorite album except for him. baji is also associated with vampires bc of his sharp canines which fits favorite perfectly bc the title track is entitled favorite (vampire).

the background is from lee taeyong and mark lee's parts in the music video. i'm enamored by that set, the woods, the lighting, the hearts, the envelopes, the apples...it's eye candy to me !

baji's pose is mark's pose and his drip is taeyong's.

a lil thing i added that's not related to favorite or nct 127 is the bejeweled bracelet. it appears in my birthday art for baji last year as well as my new year's art that also features him. gotta stay committed to the bit (￣ー￣（＿　＿（

the album reference for koko is 2 baddies (faster ver.). nothing more koko-coded than flaunting wealth hdjsjs as the title track goes, '2 baddies, 2 baddies, 1 porsche' ✧˖°

the reference for koko is yuta nakamoto ♡

so usually i put their full names instead of the album title right and w koko's i js put '1 kokonoi' bc hajime means 'one' so it already means 'hajime kokonoi' which i like bc it mirrors the album title (2 baddies : 1 kokonoi).

the album reference for sanzu is cherry bomb. 'a cherry bomb that has been pickled for quite some time, you don't know when it'll burst' ; sanzu's always been chill in the beginning and then suddenly js snaps at some point lol a real cherry bomb (he has pink hair too, it's not red, but y'know, close enough ! 🍒)

the reference for sanzu is a combination of johnny suh and yuta nakamoto—it's johnny's teaser photo, the outfit is johnny's oufit during a live performance of cherry bomb (nctzens iykyk HAHAAH) but the format is from yuta's teaser photo.

originally, the person on the tvs behind johnny is johnny himself but for sanzu i changed it to mikey (specifically kanto manji!mikey bc this is kanto manji!sanzu) bc who else would sanzu be watching djdjsj

the pixel art in yuta's teaser photo originally had a cherry head, i changed it to a cheesecake head bc that's sanzu's favorite food. had to cram learning how to draw pixel art so yuh, sanzu u are so loved by aryomengrande HAHA

[zarla-s]

Please don't take this as me being angry or trying to be rude or anything, but this ask is... baffling to me?? For a variety of reasons, haha.

Like, I don't set out to create a "fandom" around my stuff when I do things, I just do them cause I feel like it and sometimes I get lucky enough that people enjoy it and feel inspired to create or talk about it! I'm not really trying to fill a void left by one of these "fandoms" by making a new "fandom" around things I make, I'm just doing stuff.

The idea of a stockpile of interests getting too big is also bizarre to me? Like... for an example of both things, you can watch Stamp on the Ground, it's chock full of all kinds of weird obscure interests of mine I just put in there because I liked them, and I since have many many more. There isn't really a limit to how many interests you can have!

Mentioning abandoning TF2 is also very funny to me because I kind of already did that once?? When I started drawing it again in 2023 I was coming back to it, the last time I drew anything for it was 2009. Twelve years where I didn't even touch it! Starting up again was the last thing I expected and yet here I am!

Which relates to the greater point I guess which is that my interests and inspiration don't just die and disappear, they just go dormant. They're always waiting there for the right cue to wake them up, and I can never predict when it happens. TF2 is the most recent example! But Vargas is a long-running one, I take huge hiatuses from it where I don't write or draw or think about it for a long time, but it's always there in the back of my mind. I went absolutely nuts for it around 2020 and then it went back to sleep for the most part, but I still get ideas every now and then. It's not gone. It's just taking a break.

All the things I like and make stuff for are like that. There are a few I don't see myself coming back to any time soon, but then again I thought that about TF2 and now I've made the most elaborate site I've ever made for it. I can't predict these things. What'll be next? I have no idea. MGS again? StarCon2? Ace Attorney? Or maybe it'll be something new? Who knows!

And I think describing one of those "fandoms" as crumbling and dying is a bit unfair... I don't think of it like that. I mean, I started Vargas in 2003 and I last updated it in 2021 and I'm still hearing from new people that just got into it! All the stuff I've made is still "alive" in that way. I do feel guilty in that transition period between one interest and another because I feel like I'm disappointing people who followed me for that one thing though, haha. But what can you do? Gotta do my thing! Follow where my heart leads me! Not everyone's going to be along for the ride, and that's fine.

(Those of you have stuck around through all my different interests, I appreciate you deeply <3)

[comickergirl]

I thought it would be kinda cool to try and make a tier list with my own drawings and, in hindsight, that was maybe too ambitious, given I had more manga titles this year and less free time for fanart, but regardless, here we are! Gonna hide additional thoughts on some of the books under a read-more for the terribly curious. XD

Going in order from top to bottom, left to right:

Snow White with the Red Hair: ...No. There is too much to say. I'll need to return to this some other time. XD (Actually I'm gonna skip the other 2023 titles on the tier list as well)

King in Limbo: LOVED this one. Possibly one of my favorite that I read this year. (Am I biased because it takes place in San Francisco? MAYBE SO.) Really great sci-fi series with a crime/murder mystery element, and Rune and Adam make for a great mismatched 'buddy comedy' duo. Also... *cough* Am I excited for the Your Forma anime? Yes. Do I think King in Limbo did the same plot but better and first? Also yes. *cough*

QQ Sweeper/ Queen's Quality: Look this title has everything, okay? Action, romance, comedy, horrifying nightmare monsters, tips on window cleaning, what more could you want, really?

Wolf's Daughter: A Werewolf's Tale: THANK YOU SEVEN SEAS FOR LICENSING THIS FOR PRINT THIS YEAR!

Library Wars: Admittedly I'd tried this one a handful of times before and struggled to get into it (also I don't care for the anime) BUT. I told myself to stick with it and lo and behold, loved it. Such a charming cast of characters.

Immortal Rain: I recall encountering this in either middle school or high school and loving the art, but I don't think I read past volume one. Really enjoyed reading the whole series through.

Wolf and Revolver: How can an unlicensed title rank this high, you ask??? V I B E S

Rose of Versailles: Listen I felt genuine anxiety over the fate of Marie Antoinette and if that isn't the mark of a skilled storyteller right there, I don't know what is.

Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom: IT'S SO CUTE AND CHARMING and way funnier than I thought it would be??? Also reminded me of The Thief and the Cobbler a fair bit, in terms of tone and art.

From Far Away: Feel like this had a bit of a slow start but the main draw, in my opinion, is Noriko. She’s such a sweet, determined heroine.

Children of the Whales: I actually have some nitpicks with this one, story-wise, BUT. It’s so impressive from an artistic standpoint and unique in its world building that I just gotta give it to ‘em, you know?

The Hachioji Specialty: Tengu’s Love: How can a manga with only two volumes out rank this high, you ask? IT'S ADORABLE. XD In all seriousness, I love that it’s a ‘fish out of water’ story that doesn’t infantilize the woman so that the guy can save her with his worldly ways. Refreshing! And I say again: so. Heckin’. CUTE.

The rest of the titles all tend to fall in the same sort of, ‘I liked this!’ area for me, except fooooor….

Fushigi Yuugi: Listen LISTEN, it ranks real low and I’ve got complaints about the plot and pacing BUT. I’m glad I read it and would like to someday dive into the sequels because it is clearly a genre-defining staple. Maybe I’d like the anime better?? (I liked the first volume of the latest spin-off! XD)

SECRET BONUS ROUND! Most of these had a physical edition of their first volume drop at the tail end of the year and as such, felt a bit too last minute to draw, but they generally all fall in the ‘solidly entertaining’ tier:

Stomp, Kick, Love Blade Girl Love, That’s an Understatement Agents of the Four Seasons* In Another World, My Sister Stole my Name*

(*These came out less recently but I forgot to write them down! XD)

SECRET BONUS ROUND: 2023 EDITION! These didn’t make it onto my illustrated list that year but I *have* read ‘em:

Red River (Note: If I had to pick a soap-opera-esque, sprawling, vaguely historical isekai fantasy, I prefer this to Fushigi Yuugi) Prince Freya

SECRET BONUS ROUND: SHONEN/SEINEN EDITION! Nozaki Kun Your Forma Dahlia My Dear Detective Noragami Tropic of the Sea Opus Seraphim The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store The Golden Sheep

And there we go! :D

[hockeylovee12]

Crossing Enemy Lines

Chapter Six

Luke Hughes x Original Character

November 18th, 2023

Luke stands in front of the mirror, in his bathroom, his fingers fidgeting with the collar of his crisp white button-down. He's paired it with a nice pair of black jeans, and his white sneakers, hoping to display a balance between dressed up and casual. 

He glances at his phone, resting on the bathroom counter, for what feels like the hundredth time In the last hour. He checks the time: 6:47. 

He knows he should probably leave by 7,if he wants to get her flowers-which he does-and still pick her up on time. 

Luke takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his curls, trying to calm the nerves in his stomach. He's nervous for the date, he's also nervous because he's about to go on a date with Jacob Trouba's sister, a detail he has and will continue to keep hidden, at least until he can figure out what to do about it, but tonight, he just needs need to focus on the date, because all the other stuff, all the other stuff can wait. 

He glances at his phone again, seeing only a minute has passed, he sighs wishing time would move faster, then the door to his room opens, and Jack strolls in, flopping down on Luke's bed with no knock, no warning. 

"Sure just come on in" Luke sarcastically says. 

Jack grins, folding his arms above his head "Aw, don't be like that Lukey. You know you love me." 

As Luke walks away from the mirror, he rolls his eyes, but he's unable to suppress the small smile tugging at his lips "Did you need something? Or are you just here to annoy me?"

"Can't it be both?" Jack quips. His eyes land on his brother's outfit, and his grin widens "Big date tonight, huh?" 

Luke nods, scanning his bedroom for his cologne. He spots it sitting on his dresser and grabs it, spritzing a little on his neck and wrists. 

Jack sits up and looks at the bottle "Isn't that my cologne?" he asks, narrowing his eyes. 

Luke shrugs, putting the bottle down. "Possession is nine-tenths of the law" He remarks as if he's playing a role in Law & Order, "You left it in my room, so now it's mine" 

Jack scoffs, but there's no real heat behind it, there can't really be, considering half of his closet is in Luke's and vice versa "Whatever. I'm taking it back, when you leave" 

Luke just smirks, knowing it's an empty threat,  and turns back to the mirror, to adjust his hair one last time.

Jack watches him for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's the plan for tonight?" He asks, his tone softening

"I'm picking her up and we're going for dinner at uh Velvet & Vine" Luke answers 

"Fancy" Jack jokes, before his tone shifts "You really like her?" He asks 

Luke nods. 

"So you gonna tell me who she is?" He questions, moving from his position on the bed, towards Luke. 

Luke scoffs before sarcastically replying "Why? So you can go spill it to the rest of the team?" 

A small sigh escapes Jack's lips, as a frown appears "Come on man, I was joking I didn't mean to upset you-I won't" 

Luke cuts him off before he can continue, facing his brother "Jacky, I was just kidding, I'm not upset" he tells him. 

Jack exhales, his frown disappearing "So who is she?" he asks 

"I'm not upset, but I'm still not telling you" He says 

"Oh come on man, I promise I won't tell the team" Jack swears, drawing an X over his left pec with his fingers, "Cross my heart" 

"I know, dude, but I-I just wanna keep it to myself, it's our first real date and all you know?" Luke replies, hoping Jack doesn't question the slight crack in his voice. 

"Ya ya I get it man" Jack assures, watching as Luke searches for his wallet and keys. 

"I gotta get going," Luke says, after finding them.

Jack nods, and follows his brother as he walks out the bedroom door, and into the hallway of their shared apartment. 

Luke takes one last look in the small mirror, hanging above their entry table, and takes a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Jack comes up behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"You look great man, have fun tonight" 

"Thanks Jack." Luke smiles.

Jack grins, giving him a gentle shove towards the door. "And make sure you're back before sunrise, Casanova. We've got practice tomorrow" 

Luke rolls his eyes, a smile still present on his lips as he heads out the door.

He makes his way down to the parking garage, his heart pounding with anticipation as he climbs into his car. 

Luke settles into his seat before pulling out his phone, and typing in the address of a nearby flower shop.

The drive to the shop is short, and Luke finds himself humming along to the radio, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel in time with the beat. He's never been the type to get nervous before dates, but something about Jordan feels different, special, in a way he can't quite put into words yet, he doesn't know if it's the mystery behind it, doing something he wants to do, doing something that he shouldn't be doing, or if it's just her...but he hopes it's just her. 

Luke pulls into the parking lot of the shop, he exits the car and makes his way towards the entrance, the bell above the door jingling cheerfully as he steps inside. 

The shop is small and cozy, filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers.

Luke wanders the aisles, feeling a little out of his depth as he takes in the endless array of colors and varieties.

Luke's eyes scan the array of beautiful flowers, but he feels like something is missing.

As he's about to ask the florist for her opinion, a splash of vibrant blue catches his eye. Nestled among the roses, a single stem of forget-me-nots stands out, its delicate petals a striking contrast to the bold red blooms.

Luke reaches out, gently touching the tiny flowers, a smile tugging at his lips. They remind him of Jordan's eyes, of the way they sparkle when she laughs at his jokes or tells him about her day.

"What about these?" he asks, pointing to the forget-me-nots. "Could we add a few of these to the bouquet?"

The florist leans in, examining the flowers with a thoughtful expression. "Forget-me-nots? An unusual choice, but a lovely one. They symbolize true love and memories."

She looks up at Luke, a knowing twinkle in her eye. "She must be a special girl."

Luke feels his cheeks heat up, but he can't help the grin that spreads across his face. "Ya, ya she is"

The florist nods, a soft smile on her face. "Let's see what we can do."

She carefully selects a dozen of the most perfect red roses, arranging them in a classic bouquet. Then, with a delicate touch, she nestles a few sprigs of forget-me-nots among the blooms, their blue petals peeking out like little secrets.

"What do you think?," she asks, stepping back to admire her work.

Luke takes the flowers, cradling them gently in his arms. The mix of roses and forget-me-nots is striking, a perfect balance of classic romance and personal thoughtfulness.

"It's perfect," he says softly, feeling a warmth spread through his chest. "Thank you."

The florist wraps the bouquet in tissue paper and ties it with a ribbon, handing it to Luke with a warm smile. "You're very welcome, dear. I hope your date goes wonderfully."

Luke pays for the flowers and makes his way back to the car.

He places the bouquet gently on the passenger seat, and glances at the little blue flowers that seem to wink at him from among the roses. 

He smiles, before pulling out his phone, and typing out a text to Jordan. 

I'm on my way. See you soon :)

*****

Jordan sits at her desk, in her comfy robe, putting the finishing touches on her slicked back ponytail-which took forever-and admiring her makeup, when her phone chimes. 

Her heart skips a beat, as the four letters spelling out Luke appear on her screen, with the message I'm on my way. See you soon :)

A smile spreads across her face, and she quickly responds Can't wait :)

Jordan takes a deep breath, and sets her phone down, before walking towards her closet.

She rifles through hangers, pulling out various dresses, tops, and skirts.

She slips on a black mini dress with a straight neckline and spaghetti straps and turns towards the mirror, frowning slightly. It's a classic dress, it's too classic, there's nothing special about it, she's worn it a million times before, and it's just not right. 

With a sigh, she tugs off the dress and tosses it onto the growing pile of discarded clothes on her floor.

Next, she pulls out a flowy floral sundress, thinking it might strike the right balance of dressy and casual.

But as she pulls it on and looks at her reflection, she realizes the colors wash her out, and it's too summery for November. 

She groans, tugging it off and tossing it onto the floor. 

Jordan continues trying on outfit after outfit, each one failing to meet her increasingly high standards. A pair of skinny jeans and a sparkly top seem too casual and too clubby, while a jumpsuit feels too trendy and not quite her style. She even considers a romper, but quickly dismisses it as too childish. 

As the minutes tick by, her floor becomes increasingly covered in rejected clothing, and Jordan feels her frustration mounting.

She wants everything to be perfect for her date with Luke, including her outfit, and she knows it's just dinner, but it feels like so much more. 

With another groan of exasperation, Jordan flops down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She's just about to give up and resign herself to wearing something mediocre when there's a soft knock at her door.

"Come in," Jordan says, sitting up. 

Kelly enters the room, holding a black shopping bag. 

"Having some trouble?" Kelly asks, glancing around at the clothes strewn across the room.

Jordan chuckles, "I have nothing to wear," 

"I can see that" she jokes, but her tone is kind and non-judgmental.

"I think I have just the thing" Kelly says, placing the bag on the bed, she pulls out a stunning, black lace dress. It's ankle-length and just a little bit see-through. 

Jordan's mouth drops open, her eyes wide with wonder. "Kelly, it's... it's gorgeous."

Kelly grins, holding the dress out to her. "Try it on. I have a feeling it's going to be just right."

With a gleeful smile, Jordan takes the dress and slips into the bathroom to change. As she slides the soft fabric over her skin, she feels a rush of confidence and excitement.

When she emerges, Kelly's face lights up with approval. "Jordan you look gorgeous"

Jordan twirls in front of the mirror, marveling at the way the dress hugs her figure in all the right places. It's elegant and sexy, but still tasteful and comfortable.

Then she rushes over to her sister-in-law, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she gushes, her voice muffled against Kelly's shoulder. "You are the best sister in the world!"

Kelly laughs, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm. "I know. Just make sure to wear a jacket with it."

Jordan pulls back, raising an eyebrow. "Because it's cold outside?"

Kelly smirks, a mischievous glint in her eye. "No, because Jake's not letting you out of the apartment in that dress without one"

Jordan chuckles, rolling her eyes as Kelly slips out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Jordan stands in front of her mirror, putting the finishing touches on her look. She carefully selects a pair of small gold earrings and inserts them into her first piercings, the delicate metal catching the light as she turns her head. For her second piercings, she chooses a pair of understated fake diamond studs, adding just the right amount of sparkle.

Next, she slips on a gold bangle bracelet, the smooth metal cool against her skin. She rummages through her jewelry box, picking out a few gold rings that complement the bracelet and slides them onto her fingers.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Jordan straps on her short, open-toed black heels, knowing if she chooses anything taller than 3 inches she won't be able to walk to the park, where Luke's picking her up.

Standing up, she takes one last look in the mirror, adjusting the small gold lock pendant engraved with a "J" that rests just below her collarbone. 

She reaches for her favorite perfume, a light floral scent with a hint of vanilla, and spritzes it on her wrists and neck, she takes one last look in the mirror, when her phone chimes with an incoming message. 

It's from Luke: Almost there

Jordan's heart skips a beat, and she feels a rush of excitement tinged with nervousness.

She grabs her favorite oversized leather jacket, and she slips it on, the supple material soft against her bare arms. 

With a deep breath, Jordan picks up her phone and purse and takes one last glance around her room, making sure she hasn't forgotten anything. Satisfied, she switches off the light and makes her way into the living room.

As she enters the room, Jacob and Kelly look up from their place on the couch.

"Jords you look gorgeous" Kelly beams "Doesn't she look amazing?" she asks nudging Jacob

"Very grown up" Jacob says 

Jordan scoffs "I am a grown up" 

"Ehhhh" Jacob teases

"Shut up" Jordan jokes

Jacob sits up a little straighter, his brow furrowing. "So, when do we get to meet this mystery man of yours?" he asks, his tone lightly teasing but with an undercurrent of protectiveness.

Jordan shifts uncomfortably, avoiding her brother's gaze “Someday, but not today."

Jacob looks like he wants to argue, but Kelly places a gentle hand on his arm, shaking her head almost imperceptibly.

"So, where are you two going?" she asks instead, changing the subject.

Jordan smiles, feeling a rush of gratitude for her sister-in-law's understanding. "Just dinner, somewhere in Manhattan. Nothing too fancy, but hopefully a nice place to talk and get to know each other better."

Jacob leans back on the couch, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Make sure he knows if he hurts you, I'll sic the entire Rangers team on him."

Jordan forces a laugh, her stomach twisting with a subtle pang of guilt, knowing if Jacob knew the truth, he'd do it anyway. 

"I think I can handle myself, Jake," she says, trying to keep her tone light.

She glances at her phone, realizing that she needs to leave if she's going to make it to the park on time. "Alright, I should get going. Don't wait up, okay?"

She gives Jacob and Kelly each a quick hug before heading out the door, her heart pounding with anticipation. 

The ride down to the lobby seems to take forever, but finally, the doors slide open and Jordan steps out into the cool evening air.

She walks quickly, her heels tapping out a steady rhythm on the sidewalk as she makes her way towards the park.

*****

Luke sits in his car, his fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel as he waits for Jordan to arrive. His heart skips a beat when he sees her walking towards him, looking absolutely stunning in her black lace dress and leather jacket. A smile spreads across his face as he gets out of the car, holding the bouquet of roses and forget-me-nots behind his back.

"Wow, Jordan, you look... incredible," he breathes, his eyes taking in every inch of her.

Jordan blushes, a shy smile on her lips. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Luke reveals the flowers from behind his back, holding them out to her. "These are for you."

Jordan's eyes widen as she takes the bouquet, her fingers gently brushing against the delicate petals. "Luke, they're gorgeous. Forget me nots are my favorite. How'd you know?"

Luke grins, feeling a rush of warmth in his chest. "Just a lucky guess."

He opens the car door for her, waiting until she's settled before closing it gently and making his way to the driver's side. As he slides behind the wheel, he glances over at Jordan, his heart full.

"Ready?" he asks, his voice soft.

Jordan nods, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Definitely."

As Luke pulls out of the parking lot and onto the road, they fall into easy conversation, laughing and talking about everything and nothing. The city lights fade behind them as they make their way to the restaurant, a cozy place nestled just outside the city. 

When they arrive, Luke hurries to open Jordan's door, offering her his hand as she steps out of the car. She takes it, her skin warm against his, and together they make their way inside.

The restaurant is every bit as romantic as Luke had hoped, with soft lighting, crisp white tablecloths, and low music. The hostess greets them with a smile, her eyes flickering to the reservation book.

"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?"

Luke nods, his hand finding Jordan's. "Yes, under Hughes."

The hostess nods, grabbing two menus and leading them to a secluded booth in the corner. "Right this way."

As they slide into the plush seats, Luke can't take his eyes off Jordan. She's even more beautiful in the candlelight, her skin glowing and her eyes shining.

They open their menus, perusing the options and chatting about their favorite dishes. When the waiter arrives to take their order, Luke goes for the lobster, while Jordan opts for the pasta with grilled shrimp.

As they wait for their food, they start talking, their earlier nerves melting away. 

"So, tell me something about you that most people don't know," Luke says, leaning forward with a grin.

Jordan thinks for a moment, then laughs. "Okay, well... when I was little, I was convinced I could talk to animals. I used to have full-on conversations with my stuffed animals, and I was sure they were talking back."

Luke chuckles, shaking his head. "That's adorable. I can just picture little Jordan, chatting away with her teddy bear."

"Oh, it wasn't just teddy bears," Jordan says, her eyes sparkling. "I had full-on debates with my brother's action figures. I was convinced that G.I. Joe was a pacifist at heart."

Luke laughs, his eyes gleaming "That's hilarious" 

"So what about you, what don't people know?" Jordan asks

Luke hesitates, thinking, before a smile crosses his face "When I was younger I had an imaginary friend" He starts

Jordan giggles, "Really?"

"Yep, he was a whale, named Captain we use to talk about hockey, and play board games" Luke explains

"Captain?" Jordan teases

"Hey I was 5, and never been very creative" Luke jokes 

They dissolve into laughter, the sound mingling with the soft music playing in the background.

They're conversation continues, exchanging funny childhood stories, and they get so lost in one another, they barely notice when the waiter returns, setting their meals down in front of them.

"Lobster for the gentleman, and pasta with shrimp for the lady," he says with a smile. "Enjoy."

They both thank him, before unfolding their napkins and placing them on their laps.

As they eat, they trade stories back and forth, learning more about each other with every passing minute. Jordan tells him about growing up with Jacob, about the pranks they used to pull on each other.

"One time, when he was about 15, he decided he wanted to dye his hair blond," she says, grinning at the memory. "But he didn't want to tell our parents, so he tried to do it himself in the bathroom sink. It was a disaster - his hair turned out this weird orangey-yellow color, and it was so fried from the bleach that it felt like straw."

Luke nearly chokes on his lobster, he's laughing so hard. "I can't see Jacob Trouba doing that," he manages, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

"Oh, believe me, he did," Jordan chuckles. "And he had to go to school like that for a week before he could get it fixed. The guys on his team called him 'Cheeto Head' for months."

As their laughter fades, Luke feels a sudden surge of affection for the girl sitting across from him. Without thinking, he reaches across the table, taking her hand in his.

"Jordan," he says softly, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. "I really like you. Like, really, really like you."

Jordan's smile is soft, her eyes shining in the candlelight. "I really like you too, Luke."

Luke's heart soars, but a flicker of uncertainty crosses his face. "What are we going to do about... everything else? Your brother, my team... it's not going to be easy."

Jordan sighs, but she doesn't pull her hand away. "I know it won't be easy. But Luke, I don't want to let other people's opinions dictate my life. I like you, and you like me, and as cliché as it sounds, I think that's enough."

Luke nods, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I feel the same way. But do you think we should tell them? About us?"

Jordan thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. "Not yet. I say, for now, we just enjoy this - enjoy being together, without any outside pressure. We can tell them eventually, but right now, I just want to spend time with you."

"I want that too," Luke says softly

They finish their meal, the conversation flowing easily once more. When the check comes, Luke insists on paying, waving away Jordan's protests with a grin.

They step out into the crisp night air, their hands intertwined. They walk for a bit, enjoying the quiet of the countryside, until they stumble upon a little ice cream shop.

"Ice cream? In this weather?" Luke laughs, but she's already tugging him towards the door.

They order their flavors - rocky road for Luke, strawberry for Jordan - and settle onto a bench outside, huddled close together for warmth.

"This is crazy," Luke chuckles, taking a lick of his cone. "It's like 40 degrees out here."

"Hey, there's never a bad time for ice cream," Jordan argues, grinning. 

They finish their treats, laughing and talking, their free hands clasped tightly together. When they finally make their way back to Luke's car, he walks her to the passenger side, his heart pounding in his chest.

Just as he's about to open the door for her, Jordan turns to face him, her eyes locking with his. The air between them is charged, electric, and before either of them can think too hard about it, they're kissing.

It's soft at first, tentative, but it quickly deepens, Luke's hands coming up to cradle Jordan's face as her arms wind around his neck. They pour everything they're feeling into the kiss - all the affection, the longing, the hope for what's to come.

When they finally break apart, they're both breathless, their cheeks flushed and their eyes shining.

"Wow," Jordan whispers, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Ya" Luke agrees, pressing one more quick kiss to her lips before opening the car door for her.

As they drive back towards the city, their hands clasped over the center console, Luke feels a sense of peace settle over him.

*****

Jordan and Luke sit in his car, in the parking lot of the park. The engine is off, but neither of them makes a move to leave, both reluctant to let the night end.

Jordan turns to Luke, a soft smile on her face. "I had a really great time tonight, Luke."

Luke reaches over, taking her hand in his. "Me too, I'm so glad we finally got to do this."

They sit in comfortable silence for a moment, their fingers intertwined, before Jordan's phone buzzes, she can see her brothers contact name, and reluctantly pulls away, "I should probably get going" 

"Ya, ya me too, I got practice in the morning" Luke sighs "Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at your apartment? It's a little late" Luke asks 

"Ya I'm sure, Jacob's probably still up" Jordan says 

Luke nods, "Fair enough, just be safe okay" 

Jordan nods, a warm feeling spreading through her chest at his concern. "Of course. And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Text me when you get home, okay?"

Luke smiles, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips. "I will. I promise."

With one last squeeze of his hand, Jordan steps out of the car, the bouquet of roses and forget-me-nots clutched tightly in her hand. She makes her way across the park, down the street, and  into her apartment building. 

When she opens the door to her apartment, she's unsurprised to find Jacob and Kelly still awake, cuddled up on the couch watching TV. They both look up as she enters, muting the television.

"Hey, Jords," Jacob greets her, a teasing smile on his face. "How was the date?"

Jordan can't help the grin that spreads across her face. "It was great, actually. Really great."

Kelly's eyes land on the flowers in Jordan's hand, and she lets out a little squeal of excitement. "Oh my gosh, he brought you flowers? What a gentleman!"

Jordan blushes, looking down at the bouquet. "Yeah, he really is. It was such a sweet gesture."

Kelly stands up from the couch, heading towards the kitchen. "Let me get a vase for those."

Jordan follows her, setting her phone and the flowers down on the counter. Jacob trails behind them. 

"So, when do we get to meet this Prince Charming of yours?" he asks, leaning against the fridge.

Jordan rolls her eyes, but there's no heat behind it. "Slow your roll, Jake. It was just one date."

"One date that apparently went really well," he counters, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just saying, as your big brother, it's my duty to make sure he's good enough for you."

Jordan laughs, shaking her head. "I think I'm old enough to decide that for myself, but I appreciate the concern. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to change into something a little more comfortable."

She heads off towards her bedroom, leaving her phone on the counter. Just as she disappears down the hall, the device buzzes with an incoming text.

Jacob glances at Kelly, who's busy arranging the flowers in a vase. "It's probably her date" 

Kelly shoots him a Look. "Jacob Trouba, don't you dare snoop through your sister's private messages."

But Jacob is already reaching for the phone, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, come on, Kel. It's not snooping if it's left out in the open like this."

Kelly swats at his arm, but there's a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're impossible."

Jacob just grins, unlocking Jordan's phone with a swipe of his finger. His eyes scanning the screen. The contact name reads Luke, there's no last name attached, just the single word followed by a heart emoji.

"I had a great time tonight," he reads aloud, his tone softening. "Smiley face."

He sets the phone back down on the counter, a genuine smile on his face. Kelly leans over, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"She seems happy," she murmurs, watching the screen fade to black.

Jacob nods, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "Ya she does."

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

INKling

A/N: Okay so a while ago I saw a post made by the__ria on Instagram where she drew Gerard as a tattoo artist with a bunch of tattoos and piercings and it's so INCREDIBLE (the post is from April 2023 on her Instagram page if you wanna see my direct inspo!). So here's a cutesy little story about who I think tattoo artist Gerard would be, and him doing/walking the reader through her first tattoo. Pairing: tattoo!artist!Gerard x F!Reader Warnings: Swearing, needles? (idk if that's one but putting it down) Word count: ~2,900

You were finally doing it.

After over a year of wanting to, lots of thought and contemplation about it, you were finally forcing yourself to overcome the fear of potential pain and just get the tattoo you had wanted. You figured now was not only the perfect time to get some important art with significant value to you on your body but also to face your fear of pain and commitment. Call it killing two birds with one stone, you were calling it a whirlwind of anxiety.

Your favorite co-worker, Lianna, had promptly suggested her tattoo/piercing artist as soon as you told her you were gonna do it. Her face was sparkling with various pieces of metal through her skin, her arms lined with sleeves of small tattoos, and you knew she had some other places too. So why not? She clearly knew what she was doing, and you had no one else to rely on for this.

So this Saturday morning you entered the small parlor tucked in-between a couple of larger shops on the grungey side of town. You preferred it here anyways, where coffee shops and cocktail places were oddly experimental and regular clothing stores were silenced by the absurd amount of thrift stores. “You ready?” She asked with a big smile as you two walked in.

You tightly smiled, “Yeah, but nervous.”

“Don’t worry, Gerard is amazing. He makes everything so comfortable and is such a talented artist. He’ll take great care of you.”

“Did I hear my name?” You heard a male voice shout from a hallway somewhere.

“Yeah Gee, it’s Lianna.”

“Again? Dude, I will always thank you for your business but you were here like three weeks ago-" He stepped around the corner and into the back part of the counter, stopping briefly when he saw you.

“I’m here for her.” She clarified nodding her head in your direction.

Of course Lianna had to bring you to not only a vibey, comfortable tattoo shop, but one where the owner, and soon to be your artist, was extremely hot. You really tried to control your dilating pupils, but then again, no one could do that. There was no hope for you at this point. His lightly shaggy but short black hair that fell just below the tip top of his ear. The piercings that looked like they were made for his face included a septum, angel fangs on the top of his lips, a bridge piercing, and a small one on the center of his bottom lip (you weren't sure what those were called). And the tattoos that surrounded the skin all over him and up his neck just past the cut of the top of his shirt. You wanted to trace your finger over every inch of ink on his body.

“And who is this?” He smirked which you quickly picked up on, going to sit at his computer briefly.

“Um, I’m Y/N.” You said with a small smile, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too, sugar.” He looked up at you a bit, “What’re you here for?”

“A tattoo-“

“Her first.” Lianna quickly jumped in.

“Oh? A newbie.” He smiled, “We all gotta start somewhere. It looks like you’re in luck too because I’m free this morning so you won’t have to deal with Frank. He gets a little needle happy and likes the bigger harder stuff, and I’m assuming you wanna start simple.” You nodded, “What’re you thinkin’?”

“I want a sunflower on my forearm,” You said as he lightly nodded.

“Sounds easy enough, got any ideas I can see?” You nodded and pulled up your Pinterest board of ideas you liked while he quickly scanned through them, clearly taking many mental notes. “Perfect, mind if I take a few minutes in the back to draw up some ideas?” You nodded as he shot you a quick smile and went to the back.

“So, what do you think of him?” Lianna turned to you and asked.

“Why did you take me to a hot tattoo artist?” You groaned under your breath and through your teeth, hoping the walls here were thick. “Out of everyone and you chose the one that’s my type, and manages to make every single tattoo and piercing he has look like they were literally made for him.” She shrugged.

“Hey babe, remember I’m into women. Been dating the same one for five years, I don’t notice that shit about men.” You rolled your eyes, “If you really wanna go for it though, Gerard is most definitely single.”

“Yeah because someone who looks like him is gonna go out with me.”

“Judging by how incredibly flirty he was and the amount of times I counted his eyes looking you slowly up and down, I think the feeling is mutual.” You rolled your eyes. “For someone as genuinely beautiful as you are, we need to work on your self-confidence around men. It’s borderline sad how poorly you are at dealing with any man who is into you.”

“Because they’re not into me. They’re being nice.”

“I’ve known Gerard for years. That’s an overly nice, flirty, ‘I want to fuck this women’ Gerard.”

“I’m not looking for just a fuck.” You clarified, though you definitely wouldn’t mind doing that with him.

“Alright, I’m back. Thanks for waiting.” Your trance was broken by Gerard rounding the corner with an iPad in his hands. He walked over to you, standing next to you, and glancing the screen in your direction. It took your brain a few seconds of recalibration to stop focusing on his body heat, proximity, and damn smell that reeked in some sort of addicting way of cigarettes, coffee, and some musky pine situation.

Your eyes zeroed in on the design, realizing it was everything you wanted and more. Your face broke out into a huge smile. “It’s perfect. Like legitimately perfect.” He smiled back down at you.

“I’m glad you like it.” He responded. “Let me run back and print this out real quick, then get you to my station so we can talk placement.”

It only took him two or three minutes to get a variety of his designs printed out, coming back out and leading both you and Lianna to his station.

“You’ve eaten and drank water today, right?” He asked and you nodded.

“I wouldn’t have let he come here without that.” Lianna was quick to speak up.

“Right.” Gerard curtly nodded with a tight smile. “Just double checking. You would be surprised by the number of people that say they do that and then pass out or have issues afterward.” Your eyes went wide in concern. He saw your face and immediately retracted what he had said. “That’s not gonna happen to you. It only happens to people that don’t and just say they did.” He politely smiled. You nodded.

He spent a few minutes working with you on placement before finding the right area, and then carefully positioning it on your arm to make it easier for him to work. Even with his gloves on, your mind wandered with curiosity about how his hands felt, what they could do, and where they could go. It was subconscious, as you internally kicked yourself for thinking such things.

“Alright sweetheart, if you need to take a break or for me to stop because of the pain let me know.” You nodded, biting your bottom lip as you grew even more nervous. Your mind felt like it was spinning a bit, your face heating up at the prospect of the pain. “Do you wanna take another minute?” He asked, clearly sensing your nervousness.

“No, I’m okay.” You replied. “Just rip the band-aid off.” He softly smiled and nodded, grabbing his small tattoo gun.

“If it makes you feel any better,” He mentioned, loading what you assumed to be the ink inside. “Women’s pain tolerances are amazing when it comes to tattoos compared to men. I’ve had way more grown-ass men tap out after a few minutes on easy tattoo spots then I’ve had women after hours on more painful areas.” “Really?” You asked, partially amazed. He nodded with a “mhm”.

“I swear,” He smiled softly. You didn’t even notice until now that he had placed the needle on and began tracing the outline.

It was way better than you had anticipated. If anything, it didn’t even feel fully like a scratch, just like a very very small burning and tingling sensation.

“You doing okay?” He asked, his eyes still zeroed in and focusing on the lines he traced.

“Yeah, actually. This doesn’t really feel like much.”

“See.” You could see his cheeks push up from where his head was tilted in what you assumed to be a smile. “Tattoos are generally not bad, but especially on women.”

He continued on for a few minutes, Lianna filling the air with her random ranting about one thing or another, before Gerard spoke up again.

“Why did you decide on this tattoo, if you don’t mind me asking?” He spoke.

You softly smiled. “It’s for my grandmother. She passed away just over a year ago, loved sunflowers, so I wanted to get it for her.” Gerard hummed in appreciation.

“I’m assuming you were close with her?” He asked next, to which you hummed a quick “mhm”.

“I was very close with my grandmother too.” He smiled to himself, now tracing some the of the leaves. “She was the one who convinced me to continue with art from when I was a kid into my teen years, and then wanted me to go into it professionally.” He said.

“That’s really sweet.” You replied. “Do you have any tattoos for her?”

“I’ve only got one, shockingly.” He chuckled. “I got it right after she passed, five years ago-ish. It’s just her name in her handwriting on my inner forearm.” You glance down to where his arms laid, working on your own, but couldn’t find it.

“What was her name?”

“Helena.” He stated. “I can show it to you after.” You nodded, not even sure if he could see your face, but also not sure how to respond fully. “Are you ready for shading? This is probably gonna hurt a bit more.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” You replied. He looked up at you for the first time during the session to give you a comforting smile.

“If you need to tap out just say so. No shame in it.”

Shading dis hurt notably more. You closed your eyes for a small portion of it when the pain became a lot, the repetition of the needles over and over again on the same part of your skin. “You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.” You sighed out, letting your mind take you to other places but the pain on your arm.

“Good girl.” He muttered. That phrase made you tense, and you prayed no one in the room noticed your legs move slightly closer together. Damn praises.

Your eyes opened, working their way up to Lianna who was smirking between the two of you. Had you not been preoccupied with one of your arms being temporarily out of commission, you would’ve hit her.

Less than 20 minutes later he was done. You heard the gun turn off, and his gloves come off.

“You wanna see it?” He asked and you nodded, standing up and letting him guide you to the full body mirror in the shop. As soon as you turned your arm to see it, you gasped out loud not even intending to.

It was more than perfect. You weren’t sure you could have pictured it turning out any better, the way it cascaded up your arm and the perfect detailing.

“It’s literally perfect.” You stated in disbelief and excitement, turning to Gerard who had a huge smile plastered on his face. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course.” He replied, “I’m glad you really like it.”

“More than really like. I absolutely love it.” He nodded in appreciation.

You quickly glanced down to his inner forearm, noticing the delicate cursive tracing of the name "Helena". He quickly noticed, moving his arm up and to his side to allow you better access to see it more fully.

"That's really beautiful. And sentimental." He nodded.

"It keeps me grounded. Reminds me of her and all the principles she gave me." He softly smiled. "Grandma's are pretty damn special, aren't they." You giggled under your breath.

"They sure are."

It didn’t take long for him to ring you up, handing you over the total and waiting for you to pull out your right card.

“Wait-“ You began at the front desk, he stood behind it his head perking up at your confusion. “This is less than it’s supposed to be, right?” He shrugged it off.

“Lianna comes in here so often, I added a friend's discount.”

“Gerard, you really don’t have to do that. You worked really hard and I-“

“It’s okay, really.” He softly smiled. “Just come into me for the rest of your tattoos.” You nodded with a smile.

“Of course.” There was no need to argue and try to say you weren’t sure if you were getting more. As soon as you realized the pain was much less than anticipated, and how much you loved the new piece of art on your arm, you knew deep down you would be back for many more.

“Thank you, again.” You said, giving your signature on the receipt.

“Anytime.” He cheekily smiled at you. “I’ll see you around.”

“For sure-“

“Before we leave,” Lianna spoke up, now standing beside you and leaning on the counter. You assumed she was going to either request an appointment with Gerard or ask a tattoo-related question. “Gerard I’ve known you for four years.” He gave her a quizzical look, clearly just as unsure as you were as to where this conversation was heading. “You’ve never once flirted with a client, until Y/N.” He tried to interject with a quick opening of his mouth as his face turned bright red. “And Y/N is shit at talking to men. So just give her your number so we can all walk out of here happy and knowing the sexual tension over the last hour and a half does exist, and will be dealt with.”

Both you and Gerard stared at her with wide eyes unsure of what to do. For the first time that day, Gerard seemed flustered.

“Oh, um- yeah, sure.” He said, fiddling around the desk and finding a post-it note. He hastily wrote down his number, handing it to you. “No pressure or anything at all.”

“Thanks.” You softly smiled, still too embarrassed by Lianna to muster up anything more. “I’ll uh- I’ll text you.”

“That would be great.” He replied. “You like coffee?” You nodded. “Perfect, we’ll set up a date.” Your eyes went wide with nervousness. You looked like a deer in the headlights. “Again, no pressure.”

“Right.” You said, “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, it was nice meeting you Y/N.”

“You too, Gerard.”

As you walked out of the tattoo shop, you felt your cheeks heating up into a bright red of embarrassment from Lianna. “Why the fuck would you do that?” You asked/yelled at her as soon as you were a solid two blocks away.

“What? The tension between you two was insane.” She explained with a sigh. “And he wasn’t going to ask, because Gerard’s professional and takes pride in that. And you sure as hell weren’t going to ask, because you lose every ounce of your confidence around men.”

“That’s-" You knew she was right but the principle of the matter still made you mad at her.

“It’s the truth. And you should be thanking me! You now have a date with a hot as hell tattoo artist.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t judge men by how they look.” You fired back.

“I am a true and proud lesbian at heart… but you do have a point. I could see his attractiveness from a ‘I’m into guys’ perspective. It took a lot of imagining.” You groaned.

“What if he doesn’t actually wanna go out with me and you just made him feel pressured?”

“Gerard Way doesn’t feel pressured.” She explained with a scoff. “If there’s any man in the world who is confident bordering cocky, but thankfully stays a few steps away from cocky, it’s Gerard. He would have come up with an excuse, or better, told me off if he didn’t want to give you his number.”

“Whatever.” You sighed. “Now I have a date to set up and a new stressor and-"

“Gerard is chill.” She softly smiled at you. “He’s literally just gonna ask you to get coffee with him, he’s gonna pay no doubt, and just chill in the corner of a coffee shop with you and talk.”

“I’m not good at talking to men.”

“You’re great at it when you feel comfortable.” She sighed. “Just- trust me, he’s a great guy. If you’re nervous, tell him and he will completely understand.”

“Okay.” You said in a final defeat. “If this all goes to shit though, I’m blaming you.”

“If it all goes to shit, which it won’t,” She confidently fired back. “I’ll pay for your next tattoo.”

“It won’t be from Gerard if it all goes to shit.”

“Eh, so be it. A revenge tattoo arc would be fun for you!”

[all-risejd]

Chapter 23: The first Meeting (A Poly Judgement Day Fic)

San Diego May 10th, 2023 Wednesday

Nessa wakes up and rolls over snuggling back into Dominik's chest, what he told her last night coming back to the forefront of her thoughts. She rests her hand on his chest and smiles. He wants nothing more than to have that future he envisions for them. She draws shapes on his chest with her finger. She remembers the first time she met him in her Emergency room and how far they have come.

_____________________________________________________________________

Sometime in October of 2018

Nessa’s curly red hair is tied back in a messy bun, her stethoscope slung around her neck. The black scrubs she is wearing that day washing out her complexion making her look even more pale than usual. She looks up from her charting when she sees a young man, tall hair cut short with glasses and a hoodie with a wrestler she recognizes as Rey Mysterio on it. He is calling out for help as he is carrying someone, supporting their weight, practically dragging them in, blood pouring down the other guy's face, his eyes unable to focus.

“You gotta help me, we had an accident in training.” The boy in the hoodie asks, panicking, his own breaths shallow. 

Nessa springs into action, snapping on a pair of gloves as she runs over two other nurses joining her. Together they set the man in a wheelchair, one of the other nurses holding the wound on his head to stem the bleeding while Nessa uses her penlight to assess the pupillary response. “His pupils are sluggish, take him to CT and page Neuro while I get information from his friend here,” Nessa orders the others who immediately do as told. Nessa takes off her gloves and turns to the young man who she can’t help but eye up and down, appreciating the chubbiness in his cheeks and finding him adorable even in his panicked state. “Hey your friend will be fine, our doctors and nurses are the best in the state, now I need you to breathe.” She takes a deep breath to demonstrate and continues once he takes a few deep breaths with her. “Good, now tell me what happened and his name so I can start his chart instead of calling him John Doe.” Nessa gives him her best calming smile.

“Andrew, his name is Andrew Watkins, we were training, we are training to be wrestlers and he botched a move and hit his head on the steps.” He explains near hyperventilation again.

“Sir I need you to breathe with me again” She instructs, taking an exaggerated deep breath, the young man copying her. “Ok, now what is your name sir,” She asked as he blinked back tears.

“Dom, Dominik.” He answers, his voice shaky. 

Nessa nods and pats his knee. “Ok, Dominik, is there any family we can contact for Mr Watkins?” Nessa asks, writing down information in her little notepad to put in the chart when she is at her computer.

“Yuh… yeah, his brother” Dominik gives her his information and she quickly writes it down.

“Unfortunately Dominik I can’t give you any updates on him because you are not next of kin, I am going to call his brother and when he gets here we will give him the update and what he does with that information is up to him.” Nessa holds up her hand to stop him from arguing, “I’m sorry but it’s the law, he is alive and that is all I can tell you ok.” Nessa assures him before getting up and going back to the computer at the intake desk. She inputs the information into his chart and calls the number Dominik provided, then going back to triaging patients coming in and calling people back. 

Dominik keeps his gaze flickering between the door and to Nessa. Grateful at how nice she was and he can’t help but admire the strands of hair that have made their way out of her bun that frame her face and is floored at how she handles those coming in with such compassion yet being stern and firm when needed. Before too long Andrews' brother Alex comes running in and goes straight for Dominik. 

Nessa gets up from behind the desk and begins to go over to the two men, but gets stopped by someone stumbling in covered in blood that is still pouring from his neck and chest, over his hand where he has his thumb stuck in a gaping hole in his neck. Nessa immediately jumps into action, going over to the man and guiding towards the trauma room, only for someone to step in front of them. She looks up to the two men seeing Dominik, and the man that must be Andrew's brother Alex.

“I need you to move please.” Nessa asks firmly trying to guide the gentleman around them but Alex steps in front of her again. “Sir this man is bleeding out as we speak, I need to get him into the trauma room. A doctor will be out soon to update you on your brother now get the fuck out of the way before I mow you down.” Nessa orders losing her temper, her concern is the man bleeding out onto her scrubs. Dominik sees how serious the situation is and how serious the young woman is. He fears for Alex’s life so he pulls him out the way and she drags this full grown man, probably twice her weight and a good foot taller than her. He stares in awe at how strong she is, physically and mentally to be able to do this job. 

Alex scoffs and crosses his arms, “I am going to go get her manager, she can't speak to us that way.” He complains. 

Dominik rolls his eyes and smacks Alex on the back of his head. “Hey stupid, the guy was literally bleeding out and she is just trying to do her job. Andrew is alive, she told me that much. You totally deserved that and more. That guy could die because you blocked her way, look at the trail of blood on the ground.” Dominik gestures, both of their eyes going toward the trail that leads to the room a bunch of people are running in and out of, Dominik smiling to himself when he sees the petite redhead exit the room, a look of relief on her face before she disappears down a hallway.

____________________________________________________________________________

A few days later

Dominik enters the lobby of the Emergency room, his eyes searching for the kind red headed nurse, intent to apologize for Alex’s behavior and maybe… His eyes light up seeing her behind the counter. He pops his neck and shakes out his hands before heading over to her. He gets to the counter and clears his throat to get her attention, unable to form words because of how nervous he is. She looks up and smiles kindly at him.

“Dominik right? What brings you in today, is everything alright, was there another training accident?” She gets out of her seat and walks around the counter to assess him. 

He looks down at her and blushes, shaking his head. “Well then what do you need? This is an emergency room and we need to care for our patients.” Nessa crosses her arms and cocks her  head, confused as to why this man is in her ER with no injury or emergency.

“I uh…” Dominik clears his throat and starts again, “I wanted to apologize for my friend's behavior and for getting in the way the other day. You were just trying to do your job and here…” He flings his hand out towards her with a gift card to Dunkin Donuts. Nessa only raises her eyebrows, not uncrossing her arms. “You work long hours and know you must live off of coffee like my mom did and you deal with idiots like Alex and me all day so I thought you might appreciate it. The amount is written on the back of the card…” Dominik explains and Nessa slowly uncrosses her arms and takes the card, sliding it into her pocket without looking at the back.

“Thank you, that is very sweet. I Don't mean to sound rude but I have to get back to work and you don’t have an emergency to tend to so I have to ask you to leave.” Nessa steps to the side for him to leave but he stays in his spot, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders raised near his ears, clearly wanting to say something else. “Go on, say what you need to hun.” Nessa prompts and Dominik exhales sharply.

“I was wondering if I could take you out for coffee sometime as well?” His eyes widened, anxious for her answer, pulling his arms closer to his body, hands still in his pockets. Nessa sighs and looks at him sadly,

“I’m sorry sir, I’m not looking for a relationship right now and well I just don’t have the time.” She shoots him down, forcing herself to keep her arms at her side instead of wrapping them around herself for some comfort. 

Dominik looks dejected and his shoulders drop. “Oh that's fine, I just want to do something nice to make up for the other day. No expectations of anything else, please?” Dominik offers just wanting to get the opportunity to know her. 

Nessa shakes her head in the negative. “No to that either. As I said I just don’t have the time, and while you seem like a very nice man, very cute, I just can’t. Now please go so I can get back to work.” Nessa gestures towards the doors. Dominik nods his head before hanging it down, shuffling out the door clearly dejected. 

Once he is out the doors another nurse behind the counter snickers. “Oh he is sweet on you and seems like a sweet kid. You need someone like that after…” She starts teasing but gets serious. 

Nessa waves her off dismissively. “I don’t need or want a relationship right now, especially after what happened. It's only been a few months, thank god he is back in the UK. I need to learn how to be by myself for a while.” Nessa plops down in her seat and takes a sip from her water bottle.

The older nurse responds, “I know it's not just that, you are afraid and that's ok, but you know what I say about courage. It is being afraid and doing the thing anyway.” Nessa pauses in her typing, the woman's words hitting home.

“Sarah, I… I know… It's just… It’s just too soon.” Nessa answers.

Sarah gives her a sad smile. “Well that's fine then… sooooo… how much was that Dunkin card because coffee is on you tomorrow.” Sarah asks, changing the subject, and trying to get free coffee. Nessa rolls her eyes and scoffs, pulling the card out of her pocket. She flips it over and her eyes widen and she just stares at it. “What? How much is it like 50? Or something.” Sarah asks, rolling her chair over and looking at the back of the card. “Holy fuck!” Sarah almost yells seeing the $300 written on the back of the card. 

Nessa slowly lowers it and puts it back in her pocket. “We are not using this, if he comes back I am giving it back to him because that is ridiculous.” Nessa shakes her head.

Sarah pouts, “But come on, you deserve it and if he wants to just give you 300 bucks let him. He probably has a rich dad or something and doesn’t know how to properly apologize so that's how they do it.” Sarah theorizes, already back on her charting, muttering about rich boys under her breath.

“Who hurt you?” Nessa mutters as she taps her fingers on the desk. Sarah was content to ignore her in favor of charting, so shaking her head, Nessa continued on, “No Sarah, that is too much money. He will be back to ask me out again that I know. I'll give it back to him then, end of discussion” Nessa gets up and walks away not wanting to be badgered about the man.

____________________________________________________________________________

Almost a week passes by and Nessa is about to walk in the doors of the hospital, the gift card sitting unused in her wallet. Nessa enters and sees a different nurse, one she is very fond of, long light brown hair braided neatly, hung over her shoulder. The nurse looks up and smirks deviously at Nessa who groans, walking over and plopping down in her chair. “Don't you start Olivia, we may be best friends but you don’t get the card either, that is going back to him when he inevitably comes back.” Nessa shakes her head, swinging the chair side to side, eying the empty emergency room. 

Olivia giggles before responding, “Oh he has already been back, twice while you were gone with some fake ass injuries or minor bruising from his training. Apparently, he is training to be a wrestler like his dad.” Olivia teases and Nessa looks at her confused. Olivia continues on explaining, “Oh he came in asking for you and explained to me what happened that first time. And how he is so floored by how nice you are and how fierce you are.” Nessa gives Olivia a look that screams you better not have given him any information and Olivia clocks that right away. “Don’t worry I didn’t tell him anything important, Just that you are fresh out of a bad relationship and not ready for anything and to not get his hopes up.” 

Nessa sighs in relief, that sigh turns into a groan when she sees that Olivia is still smirking, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Whaaaaattttt” Nessa groans, not really wanting to know but unable to not know at this point.

“Do you want to know who his dad is?” Olivia asks.

Nessa shakes her head, signing in to the computer to try to do some busy work. “No, I don’t really care. I don’t plan to really see him again or get to know him so I don’t need to know.” Nessa answers even though the question is nagging at her but she ignores it. Olivia snorts but keeps the answer to herself, getting up to go intake the patient that just walked in.

___________________________________________________________________________

It is nearing 8pm and the end of Nessa’s shift which was thankfully uneventful. She looks up from her computer when she hears the sliding doors of the ER. She can’t help but roll her eyes to see Dominik again. Olivia hides her mouth behind her hand and giggles. “Men are so predictable.” Nessa mumbles under her breath as he approaches the counter, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumped over trying to look smaller, a sheepish smile adorning his cute chubby face. Nessa shakes her head to clear that thought.

“I had another accident in training, this time legit. I hit my head and things are a little fuzzy, my trainer drove me.” He gestures to the door and rubs the back of his head and he winces at the pressure. 

Nessa goes into business mode, guiding him back into the exam room to get his vitals and information. Olivia wiggling her eyebrows at them, Nessa flipping her off before pulling the curtain closed for some privacy. “So I've been told you have been a frequent flier here for the last week.” Nessa starts the conversation while taking his blood pressure.

“Yeah well I felt I offended you by asking you out twice after you said no the first time then giving you the card with so much money on it. I’m not that kind of guy, no is a complete sentence and I know better. And I am not trying to flash money to get you to date me. I just wanted to do something nice, no strings attached.” He explains, wincing when she gently prods his head, lightly humming as she does.

“And what is prompting this oddly specific apology. I can assure you that I was not offended in the slightest.” She asks, typing information into her tablet to start his chart.

“Ah, uh.” Dominik stutters and rubs the back of his neck, “A good family friend, she, uh, pointed out how it looked and I never want to be seen like that. Uh it is also just dawning on me that the frequent unnecessary visits are also potentially troubling, I’m sorry I just needed to apologize in person and the other nurses wouldn’t tell me when you would be here which is understandable, the one out there told me you like coffee specifically a cold brew from Dunkin. And that you frequent the one around the corner...” He stares at the ground unable to make eye contact. 

Nessa sighs and digs out her wallet from her scrub pants pocket and takes out the Dunkin card. She steps over and holds it out to where it is in Dominiks line of vision. He looks up and meets her gaze. Nessa is looking at him softly, without any hint of malice or anger, just a resigned sadness that makes his own chest tighten.

“No I’m not taking that back, it is for you to use how you see fit. Buy the entire hospital coffee if you want but that is for you. If you try to give it back to me I will just give it back to you another way.” He tells her resolutely, gently pushing the hand holding the gift card back towards her. She reluctantly puts the card back in her wallet.

“Well fine then, Mr Gutierrez, your vitals are good, I need you to wait in the waiting room until we call you back for the doctor since this is a non critical head injury.” She instructs him, back to being all business but failing at hiding the genuine smile he brought to her face. He walks out of the exam room his head held a little higher and nessa shaking hers, the smile still on her face not going unnoticed by Olivia.

_________________________________________________________________________

Sometime in November 2018

Nessa walks into the ER lobby for her shift holding a carrier with three coffees. She gets to the registration desk and hands one each to Sarah and Olivia who beat her there. “Did I mention you are my favorite and I am glad we always have shifts together.” Olivia moans as she takes a sip of her coffee, Sarah hums in agreement. 

Nessa smiles and takes her seat sipping her coffee. “Well we still have a few more weeks worth of money on that card from Dominik so enjoy it while it lasts.” Nessa warns them, signing in to the computer not noticing the look Sarah and Olivia were sharing.

“You know we haven't seen your little cutie for a few weeks, and maybe since coffee funds are running low he can fill… it back up.” Sarah teases, sticking out her tongue when Nessa flips her off.

“You know, he has made you smile and we haven't seen that in a long time. You aren't on edge around him which is weird because you barely know him.” Olivia points out.

Nessa pauses, she hadn’t realized she isn’t afraid around him. She feels safe near him even though he is training to be in the same industry as her ex. “I know nothing about him, he isn’t mine and we are probably just the nearest hospital to his training gym…” Nessa rationalizes, not commenting on the observations of herself and her mental state regarding Dominik.

“Oh just give it time.” Olivia waves her off, the earful Nessa gave her about telling Dominik where she frequents for coffee worth the interference. If she has her way Nessa would be happy with the young man.

“Really Liv, can you not be such a matchmaker, I need to be by myself for a while just leave it be please.” Nessa asks, her annoyance lacing her voice. Olivia's reply is cut off by the sound of the sliding door opening. In walks Dominik with a bloody nose, holding a towel to it. Sarah snickers and Nessa lets her head drop to the desk, “Of course he would come in…” She mutters to herself and Olivia waves him over, opening his file and starting this visit. 

In between answering her questions he glances at Nessa, whose head is still on the desk but she is looking at him, catching his gaze and blushing. After a few minutes of this she picks up her head and pops her neck, collecting herself. “Either you are getting hurt on purpose, or you have no business training to be a wrestler, orrr your training partner really hates you.” Sarah comments.

Nessa narrowing her eyes at the implication. “Uh a little of column A, a little of B, and we are both inexperienced. But my dad and Jay Lethal are training me and they aren't easy neither is Andrew who gave me the bloody nose today.” He answers, his response slightly muffled through the towel he is still holding to his face.

“Hey, you have every business training to do what you want. I wanted to be a nurse now look at me, I graduated with my BA in nursing at 20 and have been doing this for two years. I want to help people so I am the best way I know how and from what little you have told me you have family in the industry you are training for so you have an in, and natural talent or I’m assuming they wouldn’t train you.” Nessa praises, not wanting him to be down on himself. She may not know him well but she can see he has confidence issues. He blushes at her praise and inwardly preens that she has given him even the smallest morsel of personal information.

Nessa covertly kicks Olivia under the desk for wiggling her eyebrows. “Go back to your normal bed Dominik, I’ll be in in a moment to take your vitals and do the initial exam.” Nessa orders, gesturing vaguely behind her knowing he knows the way. Once he is out of earshot she swivels her chair to face the other two who are smirking victoriously. “Don’t you two start, you are just as bad as Ma and my cousins.” Nessa warns, standing up and disappearing from their view as they giggle.

The next few weeks go similarly, Dominik coming in with minor injuries that Nessa treats, the two of them getting to know each other in these interactions. Both of them drag out the visits to be longer than they should, Nessa not ready to see him outside of the four walls of the hospital and Dominik not wanting to make her uncomfortable, able to tell there is something she is trying to heal from and he doesn’t want to press the subject. He is just happy with whatever she is willing to give him.

__________________________________________________________________________

Dominik enters his parents house for their weekly dinner since his dad is home. He is shocked to see Vickie and Lita sitting on the couch with his mom, all of their heads close together clearly scheming something. “Aunt Vickie, Aunt Amy, what are you guys doing here?” He asks, hanging up his keys on the hook on the wall.

“Your mom called us over for dinner to discuss how you are struggling to get your soulmate on a date.” Vickie bluntly states, mischief alight in her eyes.

“Oh come on…” Dominik whines, his arms falling limply to his side, averting his eyes at the look his mom is giving him.

“It's ok Dom, we will help you out,” Lita informs him, a calming tone to her voice.

“Mijo, go set the table, dinner is almost ready, we will be joining you in a few minutes.” Angie instructs, Dominik doesn’t fight or argue and just goes to do as he is told, knowing he can’t stop them from meddling, he just fears they will make it worse.

“Amy, Vickie, that is Kevin's daughter and she hasn’t had an easy time of it, and from what Dominik has told me she is skittish which begs the question what else has she gone through.” 

“Well that might be obvious and I hope we are wrong. However I have a plan, Here is what we are going to do…” Vickie explains her plan to the two women, their scheming getting interrupted by Rey who clears his throat.

“The table is set and food is dished out, lets go I’m wasting away…” Rey whines and the women roll their eyes but get up and go to the dining room, taking their seats.

“Ok Dom spill, how did you meet and what do you know?” Lita prompts, wanting to hear it from him. 

He groans and slumps in his seat, knowing there is no use in delaying the inevitable so he explains and throws in his own theories, which are limited because as much as he would like Nessa to share anything with him the most he’s gotten from her is generalizations.

“Well sweetheart that is one of our theories as well so you need to tread carefully, but her friend told you where she goes for coffee and she knows you know so I think enough time has passed to where you can just “bump” into her. Amy has volunteered to go with you… tomorrow. You've been racking up medical bills just to go talk to her and frankly that is both sad and adorable… and stupid” Vickie explains, pointing her fork at Dominik who looks down embarrassed and mumbling something the others can’t hear.

“What was that baby, speak up.” Angie orders, a stern look on her face which melts with his answer,

“I don’t want to seem creepy, it seems like her ex really did a number on her. I’d be happy just being her friend.” Dominik speaks up, his blush going from his neck up to his cheeks and ears, the women cooing at him.

“And have you gotten this young lady's number yet?” Rey asks and Dominik shakes his head as his answer. “Then you are already being creepy and running up ridiculous bills for the ER visits, we may be well off but Mijo this is excessive for someone who hasn’t even given you her number. Nothing against her at all but is she worth it?” Rey asks, his opinion on the matter crystal clear to the room.

“Look, you have the day off of training tomorrow so we are doing it. What time is she normally there?” Lita asks, sipping her glass of wine, giving Rey the side eye.

“Uh… yeah… She works from noon to midnight so she is there around 11 to relax before her shift. And according to Olivia she works tomorrow, so yeah we know she will be there.” He answers , setting down his fork because he lost his appetite, nerves setting in for the next day.

Rey’s words chip away at what little confidence Lita and Vickie might have given him. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Nessa grabs her order from the counter and goes to sit down at a nearby table, intent on enjoying the last 30 or so minutes before she has to go to work. She sips on her coffee, scrolling on her favorite fanfiction site, clicking on the Loki fanfiction, getting lost in the romance between Lauren and Loki, immersed in the world the author created, ignoring everything around her. She sips her coffee, unaware of a certain redhead that just sat opposite her in the booth. 

Lita glances at Dominik, giving him a reassuring smile before clearing her throat. Nessa looks up from her phone which clatters on the table when she recognizes just who is sitting across from her. “You… You’re Lita, holy shit I loved you so much as a kid.” Nessa blushes, the admission just flying out of her mouth. 

Lita smiles warmly at the young woman in front of her. “Yes I am, You don’t mind if I join you right?” Lita asks and Nessa can do nothing but nod her head and stare. Lita chuckles before complimenting Nessa and getting straight to the point, “You are very pretty you know, I think you would be good with my godson.” Lita leans forward and taps her fingers on the table, a familiar smirk on her face. 

Nessa’s smile falters slightly and she fiddles with the straw of her drink. “While that is sweet, I’m not looking for a relationship right now Lita,..” 

Lita cuts her off. “Call me Amy, dear.” 

Nessa pauses momentarily before trying again, “Amy, I’m not looking for a relationship. And if it is your godson as you say he is probably in the industry and I am personally trying to stay away from dating anymore wrestlers or professional fighters. My last relationship didn’t exactly go well.” Nessa groans realizing she gave too much information to her childhood idol.

“Oh he is training in the industry but he is the sweetest boy, cute too and knows how to cook and wouldn’t hurt a fly but I respect the wanting to be alone. At least let me give you his number and when you feel you are ready give it a shot. Between me and you he is entirely too shy so that’s why I am trying to play matchmaker.” Lita reaches over and squeezes Nessa’s hand. 

Nessa sighs in defeat, having a feeling that this mysterious godson is Dominik, it is too convenient that she comes to the coffee shop Nessa frequents and sits down and immediately starts to play matchmaker. “Fine, I guess I can agree with that. I make no promises to call or text him though.” Nessa hands over her phone, Lita snorts and types in Dominiks number but putting the contact name as Lita’s godson. Nessa grabs the phone back after Lita slid it across the table. Nessa checks the contacts and snorts, “What you won’t even tell me his name?” Nessa cocks her head.

Lita laughs. “I think you have an idea who it is. Look before I go lets take a selfie, you can make it my contact photo since I put my own number in in case you need me to come kick his ass.” Lita offers, while informing of the extra contact information. 

Nessa can't hide the blush, her childhood crush offering to take a selfie with her. Lita, used to the fangirling, gets up and moves over to sit next to Nessa, wrapping her arms around the young girls shoulders and grabbing her phone. Lita angles the phone and snaps the picture then kissing the top of Nessa’s head. Lita gets up saying her goodbyes and walking out the door, Dominik slinking out behind her unable to look at Nessa from the embarrassment. 

Nessa snorts into her drink and turns her attention back to her phone and the selfie that is still on the screen. She laughs to herself again seeing Dominik awkwardly staring at the ground in the background of the picture. She saves it as Lita’s contact photo suggested but never plans on having to contact her.

____________________________________________________________________________

A few days later Nessa is sitting at the counter at the nurses station, her phone in her hand staring at the contact screen of her phone, her finger hovering over the name Dom. She hears Olivia’s steps coming up behind her and greets the other woman, her eyes never leaving her phone screen. “You have been staring at your phone for like 3 days now. What's so interesting, are you finally talking to Dominik?’ Olivia asks, taking the seat next to Nessa.

“Uh no but… it's his number, his godmother kinda cornered me at Dunkin and gave me his number trying to play matchmaker.” Nessa huffed out. 

“Ohh so he got his Auntie involved that takes some guts, or some serious lack thereof. Either way it is cute.” Olivia giggles, sipping the coffee Nessa brought in for her. 

“You don’t think it's too creepy, or like a red flag?” Nessa asks, glancing over at the woman who quickly became her best friend.

“If it was any other circumstance I would say yes, but I am normally a very good judge of character and I never liked… your ex from the word go. But Dominik.. He… he has for lack of a better word a good aura about him. I think he would be very good for you and you for him.” Olivia gives her honest opinion, pausing before adding on, “I think you should message him and go out for one date, if only to get another Dunkin card for us to last through Thanksgiving and Christmas because girl we will need it.” Olivia jokes, but Nessa knows she is halfway serious about the Dunkin card; they would mainline it if they could for the holiday season. 

“I wouldn’t even know where to start and I don’t think I am ready. And you’ve heard about the stories coming out about the men in wrestling. What if..” Nessa starts rambling, spiraling.

Olivia cuts her off, quickly, “Don’t spend your life thinking about what ifs, we take life as it comes or we don't really live. You won’t know how it turns out unless you try. I’m not asking you to marry the man, just text him. Get to know him and put yourself out there. And if you fall, if it goes south i will be there like last time to get you out.” Olivia promises, her voice thick with said promise that settles the unease in Nessa’s stomach.

“Fine” Nessa mumbles to herself and clicks on the contact information and opens the messaging app.

To: Dom -> Hey… It's Nessa from the hospital. Uh Lita gave me your number, and I kinda thought it was adorable that either you asked for her help or she just stepped in and took charge. My money is on that she just stepped in and took charge. Long story short, I’m off at midnight tonight and if you are still up you can take me to waffle house or something, that way she gets off your back and the girls here get off of mine.

Nessa hesitates before pressing send and tossing her phone on the counter and begins chewing on her thumbnail, Olivia snickering in the background. A patient comes in and Nessa does the intake, missing the silent notification coming from her phone. Half an hour later Nessa returns to the counter having finished with the patient, letting out a huff as she plops into her seat.

“Your phone has gone off a few times while you were with that patient.” Olivia points out excitedly tapping her fingers on the counter, bouncing up and down. Nessa rolls her eyes, her stomach going in knots afraid of what awaits her in her phone. Unsure what she wants the answer to be. On one hand she wants him to reject her which she knows is unlikely, on the other hand she wants him to say yes, and wants to give him a chance. She takes a deep breath and grabs her phone, unlocking it, seeing 3 messages.

From: Dom -> YES!

Nessa snorts seeing the excitable answer in the first message, she ignores Olivia’s annoyed huff and reads the next two messages.

From: Dom -> Sorry, I mean I would love to take you out to Waffle House when you get off work. Do you want me to pick you up or do you want to meet me there that way you have a way to leave if you want to?

From: Dom -> And yeah, Aunt Amy is my god mother and she just wants me happy. Mom, her and Aunt Vickie were plotting how to interfere when Aunt Amy came up with the plan. I look forward to seeing you tonight, just let me know what the plan is!

Nessa narrows her eyes at the last message gears turning in her head. She used to watch wrestling back when it was the WWF and him saying Aunt Vickie triggered something in her head. “What, what is it?” Olivia asks, the excitement gone from her voice, in its place was a worried tone.

“Uh he said yes rather excitedly but, uh he said Aunt Vickie, Amy who is Lita and his mom were plotting to get us together.” Nessa explains and Olivia hums thoughtfully.

“Well, I don’t know anything about wrestling like at all but I can look it up, what do you know?” Olivia asks, pulling up google on her phone.

“Uh that his dad is a wrestler, and is being trained by, uh, Jay Lethal and his dad who he hasn’t given the name of. But Dominik’s last name is Gutierrez and he has an Aunt Vickie….” Nessa trails off, her eyes widened. Olivia stops typing when she sees Nessa’s face. “What is it Nes?” Olivia asks, worry heavy in her tone. 

Nessa clears her throat, “Uh, back in the day when I was young like 8 there was a custody battle that now seems so obviously fake but it was between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, could his Aunt Vickie be Vickie Guerrero?!” Nessa quietly exclaims, everything starting to make sense. Olivia starts researching on her phone letting out a soft gasp. Nessa narrows her eyes, “What did you find Liv?”

“Uh yeah it’s Rey Mysterio’s son. Rey's real last name is Gutierrez and his son is Dominik and here is Dominik’s instagram with a picture of him and his dad.” Olivia turns her phone towards Nessa who sits back biting her lip, spinning back and forth in the chair. “And does that change anything?” Olivia asks, annoyance flavoring her tone, her friend of course gets a handsome rich boy with a bright future ahead of him fawning over her and she is too scared. Though she can’t blame her.

“...No” Nessa starts, chewing her lip before continuing. “It doesn’t, it just complicates things a little… It does explain why throwing $500 away on a nurse he doesn’t know and the constant ER visits for no reason.” Nessa snickers, feeling a little less uneasy knowing more information about him. Her attention turns to her phone which vibrates again. She checks the message seeing yet another from Dominik and her stomach knots, the constant texts being reminiscent of her ex and she hasn’t even gone on a date with him yet. Nausea builds up until she reads the message.

Olivia watches Nessa’s face contort, showing a progression of emotions Olivia recognizes immediately, having seen them many times before when nessa was still with her ex. Olivia curses his name under her breath for breaking her best friend. She only hopes Dominik will help her pick up the pieces. 

From: Dom -> Hey sweetheart, it's Amy on Dom’s phone, he will meet you at the waffle house nearest the hospital you work at. You probably figured out who he is and he is freaking out that you don’t want to see him now. I am calming him down and he will be ready for you to be there or not, don’t worry about responding or feel pressured to respond or show up.

“Nes, are you ok what did he say?” Olivia asks softly, scooting her chair closer to Nessa who swallows thickly.

“Uh it was Amy, also known as Lita. She is with him right now and took his phone. He apparently started freaking out when he sent his last text message thinking, correctly, that I guessed who he was and worried I don't want to meet up with him. She said he will be at the waffle house near here and I can either show or not show no pressure.” Nessa scoffs, already well aware that Lita is trying to be a matchmaker. “She would get along well with Ma.” Nessa muses, rubbing her chest in an attempt to rub away the anxiety that flared up and to calm her racing heart. 

Olivia notices this, “Go take your break and take your medicine, I’ll text you if I need you.” Olivia orders. Nessa nods silently agreeing and goes to do as she is told. Mentally trying to get ready for her date that night.

[squipedmew]

well, since the Dream SMP has officially come to a close, I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to for the past 2 years - making character designs for every single one of the characters!

 I really wanted every character to look distinct, with really distinct color pallets, unique weapons for each and every character - basically like each one of them could be the protagonist of a wildly different story from one another. Feel free to steal them (with credit) if you want!

I kinda dropped off working on it in late 2022, so I think I missed a few characters, as well as going back and re-doing some of the oldest ones (that’s why some of them are more detailed - those are the 2023 versions)

As strange as it is for me to say this, DSMP had such a big impact on me, especially over COVID. I haven’t had a piece of media fill me with such a passion to create art and improve probably since Undertale all the way back in 2015, if you can believe it. I owe a lot of my art improvement to this silly little Minecraft series, and though I may have lost touch with it near the end, it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

o7 you crazy, wacky, depressing, stupid, unsatisfying, joyful, hilarious, and amazing series. I wish everyone involved in it the best!

(A few extra designs under the cut!)

This is a 2020 Pogtopia Wilbur I made, and if I were to draw it now, I probably wouldn’t change a thing. This design fucking slaps imo, I’m still super proud of it. 

Exile Era Tommy. Wilbur’s old Pogtopia coat has been passed around so many times between so many different interpretations of characters, so I thought it made more sense for Tommy to take the L’Manberg era coat from Wilbur, since that was the version of him he idolized (This is an old version of Wilbur’s coat btw)

Post Dream-Getting-Sent-To-Prison Tommy! I wanted to emphasize how Tommy was trying to move past his trauma, so he shaved off the grey streak he got from the Withers in the L’Manberg explosions (I gave him the grey streaks before Revival canonized it - don’t ask me why)

Las Nevadas Quackity. It’s basically a 1 to 1 for his skin, save for the really ugly blue patches and hoodie I gave him. If I were to do it again, I would def change that. 

Snowchester Tubbo. Also still holds up, though I’m not 100% on the pants. This was kinda before goat Tubbo got super canonized, so I just decided to have the eyes. The scars are from the execution. 

Revivbur. He looks pretty good for a dead bitch - though I messed up the L’Manberg flag colors on the bandanna on his ankle. Guess he’s french now. 

Team Rocket era Niki! She took custody of Wilbur’s Pogtopia coat, albiet cutting off the parts that were covered in blood and soot (which was most of it) I also made her a fire-born like Sapnap, though you can’t see from his design - her hair is on fire when she feels strong emotions, and she’s basically going through it 24/7 during this part. 

Syndicate Niki! She’s calmed down and is no longer on fire, but her hair is still pink from all those weeks of constant rage and sadness. Also dressed more appropriately for the snow. 

Dream Post Prison. Mask no longer has invisibility enchantments, so he doesn’t bother hiding his face. Gotta wonder how it’s staying on though. Get this man some moisturizer. 

[goron-king-darunia]

Eggtober 11th 2023

"Wiggly": Flan with Berries

(Clip Studio Paint, Gouache Brush, Dry Gouache Brush, some Pencil brush for detail, and the Circle tool and perspective tool for the plate. 30 colors. Around 1 hour and 30 minutes.)

Speedpaint at the end of the post.

I really should do some one to one studies one of these days. The shine on top was insanely fun to draw and fiddle with as was the shine on the berries, but the shine on the plate syrup is a little funky to me. Need more practice for sure but still happy with how it turned out. There's more here that I like and had fun with than I struggled with.

Hopefully the syrup isn't too sticky for @lady-quen's Breadbugs.

Technically an eggy pudding more than an overt egg, but I think it counts for @quezify's Eggtober. Am I playing a little loose with the rules? Absolutely. But it's either studies of various eggy foods or I'm gonna become bootleg quezify and only draw fried eggs every day. Like, yes, I'm basically the egg understudy because for two years I have drawn an egg a day for an entire month because of Ruben, but, like. I'm not here to stand in a fabulous shadow or step on any fabulous toes. I am here to draw edible egg. That has been my shtick since the first Eggtober. I am of course TRYING to stick to dishes that are well known for eggs being a major ingredient or dishes where the egg element is overtly visible, obviously. So you're probably not going to see a cheesecake here for example. Not for Eggtober, anyway. Cheesecake is much more well known for the cream cheese and the crushed cookie crust.

But, as with last year, you will be getting more than just "Here's a fried Egg." @quezify has that covered for sure. But you will definitely see loads of fried eggs. I still have 2 very nice fried egg ideas in my queue of things to draw, after all. But sometimes you just gotta play around. "Yes, flan is not egg. But it's known for including lots of eggies to get that custard nice and smooth and spongy and bouncy. Cheating every once in a while with a souffle or a flan is allowed because I say so. There's egg in there as a main ingredient. Fight me. XD

In all seriousness, what counts and what doesn't is wibbly anyway. Because, like, mayo is very much an eggy thing. The eggs stabilize the emulsion. Without them the mayo would just be separated oil and acid like vinegar or lemon juice. Hollandaise is also egg for the same reason. But if you add the mayo to a bunch of tuna, well, that gets wibbly right? It's the basis of tuna salad and definitely has egg in it, but the tuna ratio makes it much more tuna than mayo and therefore much more tuna than egg.

Unless you're a purist that think egg must be overt and independent in the dish, in which case fried egg, boiled egg, poached egg, and scrambled egg are about all you can get away with here, with various sauces. Which would be a fun challenge, I guess. But I am much more a form and constitution neutral participant. If it looks like an egg or if it contains significant egg, I am counting that. That's how we do it here on my blog. Categories are just wibbly boxes and I am playing fast and loose with them. Because it's fun. (This isn't really directed at anyone by the way. I'm just an anxious bean and I like to preempt arguments rather than have them.) But yeah, Egg King Ruben said I can draw whatever I want forever, so there. 😝

(Edit, forgot the gosh darn speedpaint again!)

[knuckles-junior]

@webbyweek2023

Webby Week 2023 Day 7: Family/ Comfort

Plus a bonus to give this drawing some context by giving y’all a sneak peek of what’s to come for my ducktales fanfic!

•••

After Scrooge found out what Webby was doing at the beach house, he decided to have a serious talk with her. The family was gathered around the table. Webby has her head down.

“Webbigail, It’s summer break. Why are you working at a place like this? You know you’re way too young to get a job!”

“Dad, I’m sorry. I just want to be like you. To become more independent..."

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? We were all trying to look for you! I was afraid that my little girl would get hurt again.” Scrooge sighed. “But, thank goodness you’re okay. Now, please change out of those clothes so we can relax.”

“This place is going out of business.”

“Wait. It is?”

“It’s true, Mr. McDuck.” The manager said. “If I can't get any customers, then my restaurant will close its doors.”

Scrooge raised an eyebrow on the manager. “How do you know me?”

“Webby told me everything about you. I have heard your name a few times back when my restaurant was alive.”

The rest of the ducks were all facing the manager with their eyes widened.

“In the past, I had a group of amazing employees that kept my customers happy. We were known for our famous breakfast.”

Webby raised her hand. “Are we talking about pancakes? There’s this friend of mine that loves them.”

“I was going to mention that we were mostly popular with our pancakes. Everyone loved them. Especially when it’s topped with chocolate chips and maple syrup.”

“Yum. Now I want some.” Webby giggled.

“But, now that the nearby club is open, my group of people left me behind, and nobody wanted to come here anymore.”

After hearing the manager’s backstory, Scrooge puts his arm around Webby. "I'm sorry sweetie."

“Dad?”

“I didn't realize that you were trying to help out this kind man.”

“Well, I always love helping the people I love. One time, Dewey and I helped Penumbra with her homesickness problem. I got her to try a hamburger for the first time!”

“It’s always the old saying that to get one’s heart is through their stomachs. Beakley always worked around the kitchen back at the mansion. She always puts her heart into making delicious food. If your granny can do it, so can you." Scrooge winked at Webby.

Webby looks at Scrooge and the rest of the gang. She's come this far into who she really is, and it was all thanks to her family.

“You’re right, dad. I want to make all these dishes with all of you. And maybe, we can all eat them together!”

“That’s the spirit! As long as we work together as a family, we can lure those people into trying our own food.”

“You mean, a new recipe?” Huey asked.

“Ooh! I like the sound of that!”

“How about we serve chili dogs?” Della suggested.

“I have something that will blow your mind: Dewberry pancakes!”

“I think people want Pep.”

After hearing each other’s ideas one by one, Webby thought it would be a great idea.

“We gotta clean up the place first, and maybe do some decorating before the restaurant even opens.” Huey also suggested.

“That’s exactly what we’re gonna do. The restaurant opens at 10’ am sharp. And we have about three hours to get everything ready.”

Scrooge smiled once more, and he stood up from his chair. Everyone gathered and put their arms in. “Alright, everyone. Let’s do this!”

The family raised their hands in the air. “Yeah!”

•••

DuckTales: Adventures in Duckburg! Coming Spring 2024!

[buckybarnesss]

A reason I don't mind ignoring Teen Wolf canon and only interacting with the fanfiction. Is because to me the show tried to no homo Stiles & Derek's potential relationship by pairing them up with the nearest female character, And in Derek's case one abusive relationship with Jennifer and then in the movie implying that Derek does have feelings for Stiles; my only gripe is that no one ever stayed on that show so Derek will come back eventually, and it's shocking how there is already 569 fanfictions of Derek, Stiles and Eli being family.

teen wolf and how it handled sterek is fascinating and should be studied. they invented the playbook for social media age queerbaiting with the way the pairing's popularity was capitalized on.

what's interesting is how people will deny there was actual support amongst people involved in the production and actors. they'll also deny that there's any support within the show's narrative or character interactions.

gotta girlboss, gatekeep and gaslight those gross sterek fans in the year 2023, you know. even when the fucking movie baited us yet again and dylan wasn't even in it. .

the show walked derek and stiles back quite a lot. we don't really know the details as to why exactly. was it jeff himself? was it higher ups in the ranks of mtv and viacom?

(and gotta make note of that erica to cora to malia pipeline and how the writers loved to torment derek.)

yet they still kept dropping the crumbs until hoechlin left and even then we had moments were it was teased.

the series finale promo even used derek and stiles to draw back the viewers it'd lost. like i was here on tumblr when it dropped. it was a bunch of tired fandom girlies cursing jeff davis's name.

there is a reason for this iconic post after all

it's pretty well known that sterek fandom splintered off from the main teen wolf fandom and it's still going. it's an independent thing and long learned to ignore canon. it was no shock to me that the second it was announced that derek would have a son in the movie that fandom adopted him and than coupled with that w o w casting decision (which hoechlin himself did) it's no surprise people looked at vince and went "something gay happened here"

and sterek is still being teased-- complicated feelings for the jeep holy fuck jeff -- but fandom looked jeff davis in the eye and said

[angelofthepage]

Malice and Memory Joey (June 2023)

I've been quietly working on these two dolls for a while, and now we finally get to show you the fruits of our labors! I'd like you to meet Memory Joey and Twisted Alice, the newest additions to my Bendy custom doll collection!

Some of you may recall that I've made Alice before. She was actually my first doll back in November of 2018. Unfortunately, over time her modge podge and varnish got gummy and gross (which is on me, I didn't apply it correctly), and compared to my more recent work, she just didn't look as good. So I took some time to spruce her up, giving her a new face, hair, and clothes, and she's everything I dreamt she'd be. I'm so happy to be in love with her again. Figuring out how to keep her halo lightweight was especially satisfying, it's cardboard and hot glue, and it works remarkably well.

Joey by contrast is a completely new character for me. He's a G3 Deuce Gorgon doll, and it was my first time working with this sculpt. Gotta say, it was a pleasant experience. I feel like I'm a lot more confident in tackling shorter hair now, and I had a great time sewing his waistcoat and drawing on all his graphic details. He quickly became one of my favorites as of Dark Revival, and this makes him my first completed doll for BATDR! (I have an Audrey in the works for those of you curious, though it's going to be a long time before I'm ready to go back to her, that's a LOT of details).

I have a LOT more photos of them, both together and alone, so expect to see those in the future. I hope you love them just as much as I do!