#I hope to be able to make it all the way through the month like I did before!

[navybrat817]

Cooking Together

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky asks you to cook a meal with him.

Word Count: Over 1.5k

Warnings: Fluff, longing, pining, canon divergent neighbor AU, flirting of sorts, mention of HYDRA, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?).

A/N: Short and sweet for @stellar-solar-flare’s Starry Winter Sky Event! I went with cooking together and Neighbor AU as a small expansion of this nonsense. February has had some lingering January energy, and I hope you enjoy what I was able to write! ❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

If you asked Bucky if he thought he was a good cook, he’d say he was decent. He retained some of what his mom taught him many years ago and he carefully followed recipes once he was completely free of HYDRA. It was admittedly a bit of a rough go at first. Being able to choose what he could eat was a foreign concept after he didn't have the choice for so long. It got better each day. Every single meal he got to reclaim a piece of himself by making the choice of what he did and didn’t want.

Until today, he always cooked alone.

“Thanks for inviting me over,” you smiled, graciously accepting the apron he handed you.

Bucky had moved into the building a few months ago and you lived across the hall. As far as neighbors went, you were the best. Since day one, you always greeted him with a smile and a kind word. You never played your music too loud or disturbed anyone. Alpine adored you, which told him everything he needed to know since she was the best judge of character. And you never once objected to looking out for her when he had to leave for a mission.

Out of paranoia, he left harmless little “traps” to see if you'd snoop through anything the very first time you went over. Nothing that would hurt you or draw your attention, of course, but something that would let him know if anyone tampered with anything. You didn't. You were a genuinely good and respectful person, and that made him trust you more.

“Thanks for accepting the invitation. And allow me,” he offered, stepping behind you to help you tie it. His fingers lingered on the fabric and he took the moment to inhale your sweet scent before he stepped away. He didn't want to be a creep. “And it’s the least I could do since you offered to watch Alpine. Again.”

“I love watching her. She’s wonderful.”

The photos you sent were something he always looked forward to when he was away. Some of the captions you added made him laugh and smile. His favorite was a selfie you took with Alpine’s cheek against yours. He saved it as “my girls”, which you weren’t aware of.

Because you technically weren’t his girl.

“Well, she adores you,” Bucky smiled. He adored you, too. It stunned him when he found out you were single, and he was selfishly thankful for that. 

“I’ll have to get her another toy,” you said, your lips curling in a small smile. “If that’s okay with you.”

He laughed, a warm and easy sound. “Between the two of us, she’s spoiled rotten and she wouldn’t want it any other way.”

He never expected to be a cat dad, but life surprised him. In fact, it also surprised him that Alpine wasn’t camping out nearby or brushing against one of your legs. She was a smart cat and likely somehow sensed that he wanted alone time with you.

“Well, she deserves it,” you winked before things went quiet.

One of the nice things about hanging out with you was that he didn't mind any bouts of silence. They didn’t feel awkward or tense. In those quiet moments and stolen glances he felt like he had the best conversations with you. He was happy and felt safe being in the same space as you.

“You know,” Bucky began as he set the ingredients on the counter. He lucked out by having a decent sized kitchen since he took up a lot of space. “If I was a better neighbor, I would've just cooked a meal for you while you relaxed.”

It felt romantic for the two of you to cook together, but you weren't together and now he felt like an idiot. A gentleman would've made you a meal and pampered you. Or take you out for a nice meal. He hadn’t dressed up, opting for his jeans and a trademark Henley while you wore a sundress that had his mind racing with both sweet and filthy images. He didn't have flowers for you either.

His “game”, as Sam would say, was rusty.

“You're a great neighbor, Bucky. The best neighbor I’ve had,” you defended. He tried to be a good neighbor and person. A minor way to make up for some of his forced wrongdoings. “And cooking something together is fun! We could even try something at my place next week if you'd like.”

Bucky almost knocked the salt over, his eyes wide. “Really?” You were inviting him over to do this again?

“Yeah, really,” you replied, taking a moment to scan the simple recipe in the cookbook. You always had the cutest expression when you concentrated on something, and he didn’t want to choose something too difficult for the first meal. “We can take turns picking things out to try and trade off cooking at your place and mine. You can even bring Alpine over if you want.”

He suddenly had the image of you in his arms, dancing around the kitchen as you both waited for a meal in the oven to cook. Soft music, low lighting, his hands on your hips, and a tender smile on your face. Stealing a gentle kiss and keeping his eyes open only for a moment so he could see for himself that it wasn't a dream.

“Yeah,” he breathed, pulling his hair back in a ponytail and washing his hands to distract himself from his thoughts. “I’d really like that.”

“Great,” you exhaled. His heart beat faster when he caught you staring. He liked to pretend the look in your eyes was longing. “Sorry. You just…” you cleared your throat and gestured to his head. “You have really nice hair.”

The compliment had his heart racing even faster. “I have nice hair?” he asked. Your fingers would feel amazing in his hair.

You ducked your head for a moment before you met his gaze with a soft smile. “Yeah, you do.”

“Thanks,” he smiled back, his shoulder brushing yours when he stood beside you. Electricity lightly cracked between you. Did you feel it, too? “Um, I peeled the carrots before you got here. Would you like to cut them?”

“Oh, I think you’re better with a knife than I am,” you giggled.

He puffed his chest out and twirled the knife he selected in his hand without thinking about it. Part of him was showing off because, well, he wanted you to stare again. “How about I help you?”

“Help me? How?” you asked.

“Here.” He placed the knife in your hand and stood behind you once he had the carrots on the cutting board. “I’m going to preface this by saying I’m far from an expert, but I usually cut them into decent sized pieces before I dice them.”

“I trust your judgement,” you said, glancing over your shoulder. Your faces were close enough that he could kiss you if he leaned in a fraction. But he didn’t. He wouldn’t take what you didn’t offer.

Carefully placing his hands over yours once you faced forward, he felt that electricity crackle again as he helped guide you. He angled his hips so he didn’t press against you, but still stayed close. “See? You’re a natural,” he whispered against your ear when you made the first cut through the vegetable.

He heard the hitch in your breath and how your blood rushed faster in your veins. He felt your skin warm under his touch as you cut the next piece. He also caught the slight tremble that went through your frame when his grip tightened, but he didn’t sense any fear. He hadn't detected any sort of fear or disgust since he came into your life.

But what he sensed in this very moment was excitement.

“Thanks, Bucky,” you whispered back. The way you spoke his name was breathy, beautiful, and he longed to hear that again. “You’re a great teacher.”

“I’m not,” he said, thankful your back was to him so you wouldn’t see the pink that tinted his cheeks. “But I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, you are,” you stated, tempting him to turn your head toward him to kiss you. If he did that and you stabbed him, he wouldn’t blame you or hold it against you. “And Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“I really am glad you invited me over,” you said.

He stopped himself from putting his face in the crook of your neck. “I am, too,” he said, smiling to himself as he helped you finish up. “And now that you’ve mastered the carrots, we can chop the onions.”

“Onions? Oh, no,” you groaned playfully.

As the sound of both of you laughing a second later filled the room, Bucky was glad he went with his gut and asked for you two to cook together.

And maybe before the night was over, he’d ask you out on a date and prove to himself that his game wasn't completely hopeless.

I wonder just how he'll ask you out! Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[partiallysame]

Okay okay, I LOVEE your writing. & I was wondering if you could work your magic for a little idea I had. Hear me out fem nanny x John price .

Price divorced dad of an infant hires a nanny to watch over sweet little baby thing while he's overseas but comes home early in the middle of the night without notice, ☀️ nanny hears footsteps in the house and in a frantic rush grabs a weapon and hides the baby & herself 😭 idk why I need this but I need to know how John reacts

I hope you like it!!!

John Price x Nanny!reader

The last thing Captain John Price ever expected was a week old infant being dropped in his hands from a one night stand but here he was. The only thing that got him through it was you, his new nanny. You came highly recommended from a few different higher ups who had hired you to help their wives while they were away for long periods of time. Years of experience and too many references to count, John didn’t think twice about hiring you, especially after he saw how good you were with his tiny newborn daughter. He was scared to even touch the poor thing but you walked him through step by step how to care for his daughter. He had turned down a few different missions but this one he wasn’t allowed to say no to. Leaving his 6 week old daughter for two months was not what he wanted to do but he trusted you, and was overjoyed when he was able to return home a week early.

The first sign that panicked you was the neighbor’s dogs barking. You’ve been living in this house for almost 4 months now and have never once heard them bark. Then the security lights in the front of the house lit up and you could hear the doorknob rattling. Fuck. You could feel the pit in your stomach growing, something’s wrong. Reaching under the bed to pull out a hunting knife you had found one day putting away laundry. You really shouldn’t have been surprised when you kept finding hidden weapons in a military captain’s house. Knife in hand you made your way to the room next to you, to grab the baby. The creak of the front door opening sent you into full fight or flight. Hearing the heavy steps at the bottom of the stairs, you quickly grabbed the sleeping infant. “We’re gonna play a lil game of hide and seek ok?” you quietly whispered to her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead as you peaked out her bedroom door to make sure the hallway was clear before making your way to the large closet in the master bedroom. The only closet with a lock on it. You could hear the footsteps get closer, your heartrate picking up as you locked the two of you in the closet. Holding the sweet baby tight to your chest.  

Now John began to panic when he went to check on his daughter and she wasn’t there. His feet started moving faster to find your room empty too, a glass of water spilled on the floor, one you hadn’t even realized you had knocked over in your rush out of the room. But what really sent him into a frenzy was the small stuffed bear on the floor in the hallway. The one his baby girl never let go of and would not sleep without. The Captain pulled his gun out and began clearing rooms looking for you two.

As you heard doors begin slamming and the noises of the intruder growing louder you placed the sleeping infant behind a few boxes, out of sight, before standing in front of her and facing the door. The doorknob twisted a few times, the intruder trying to get in, one hand covered your mouth to keep from screaming while the other had a white knuckle grip on the large knife. Suddenly the door flew open, Price kicking it down. You twisted the knife around in your hand, bringing both hands up ready to fight for yours and the child’s life. All you could see was the silhouette of a large man with a gun. The light on in the room behind him, keeping his face dark and identity hidden. Price began to lower his gun, seeing it was you and you started to lunge towards him, knife swinging. He easily dodged and removed the knife from your hands.

“Hey hey y/n. It's me. It's John. You're safe.” You almost didn’t hear him from how hard you had been breathing. His hand went to turn the light in the closet on so he was visible to you. He stood there watching you for a moment, chest heaving and hands still in fists as the adrenaline started to wear off.

“What the fuck John?” He didn’t answer.

“Where’s my daughter?” 

“She’s safe” You stepped to the side and moved the boxes you had hidden her behind. John watched you amazed as you revealed his still sleeping daughter all wrapped up in a blanket, safe and sound. Reaching down to hold his tiny girl in his big hands he couldn’t help but look at you. Your hands shaking, eyes full of fear starting to return to normal. He knew he trusted you with his daughter but now? He’d never let anyone else near her. You were ready to fight a fucking home invader and honestly if it wasn’t him who opened the door, he was pretty sure you would have been successful with the knife in your hand. He’s looking at you, standing in your pajamas, hair messy from sleeping and he’s thinking he doesn’t ever want to be without you.

[sohkrates]

The "Get Loud" TTRPG Bundle

About a month ago Charlie Hall, editor of tabletop games over at Polygon wrote an odd opinion piece. The gist of it was that since Wizards of the Coast is fumbling the bag with the release of the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, now would be a great time for indie TTRPG makers to step up.

Above all, I feel it is imperative that indie designers realize that their window is rapidly closing. Rather than sitting in their own little corners of the internet and wringing their hands, creatives who want to thrive in the TTRPG space need to come together and fight for the recognition that they deserve. The dragon is knocked out for now, but it won’t be at rest forever. Only by building out a solid party, filled with individual contributors each possessing powerful skills, can they hope to one day face that dragon — or at least earn a place in the lair beside them.

This pissed off a lot of people. Including me. We aren't wringing our fucking hands out here, Chuck. We are loud about our games every hour of the goddamn day, and each time we encourage big media outlets like you to help, we see you wringing your hands about reader retention and clicks and all that horseshit.

We are not the cowards in this arrangement.

So as is my habit these days, I did some organizing about it.

I went through my list of games I've bought off itch and found my favourites, and my favourite designers. I contacted the ones I could (some of them didn't respond, said no, or I couldn't find ways to contact them) and put them together in a bundle. My friend Em did some art. I launched it on the 1st of February.

So far it has raised over $6,000. That's about $300 for each designer, depending on how they divvy up their cuts to itch, taxes, etc. That's money in the hands of indie TTRPG makers who aren't Wizards of the Coast. That's people being able to pay their bills and keep making games.

And not to mention it's 36 of my favourite games and 20 of my favourite game makers all in one place for the low low price of $20.

Being an indie creator is hard and thankless. We make things because we cannot help but be artists, and we are met largely with silence. We are expected to compete with companies who pay salaries to public relations people, who have marketing budgets and teams of artists, when all we have is a social media account, a mailing list, and the occasional crowdfunding campaign. 

We are not saved by these companies, but by other small indie groups. By sites like Rascal who make game announcements easy, and the people who make YouTube channels and podcasts who play and read our games and let their fans know we exist. We are saved by people, not companies.

So if you buy the bundle, if you post about it on social media, or your work’s Slack channel, or write the link on the wall of the bathroom in that cool queer dive bar you like, thank you.

We can’t keep doing this without you. 

[hotchnersangel]

OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FOREVER

Aaron Hotchner

cw: fem!reader, wedding, crying, emotional hotch.

a/n- this one is super cute, surprise at the end but you can pretend it isn’t there if you don’t like it.

Meeting Aaron Hotchner for the very first time was like breathing fresh country air after being stuck in the city for your whole life. Though your life was arguably more chaotic after knowing him, you never doubted any part of your relationship, neither the good or the bad. You had disagreements but Aaron has never shouted at you and he never will, nor have you at him. Around each other maybe you have, but never to each other. Maybe that’s because of his understanding of your past but also due to the immense respect and love he will always have for you. He never wants to be the reason you cry. Yet, today he was the exact reason you were crying.

Your wedding day, a day you have been dreaming about since you were a little girl. You always wanted the traditional wedding dress, the big but intimate ceremony, the hundreds of thousands of flowers, the awkward and laughable dancing. You wanted and dreamt about it all.

When you met Aaron, you knew you wanted these dreams by his side. You wanted them to turn from your dreams to your shared memories, which is exactly what the day had been.

The ceremony had been indescribable, the feeling of walking down the aisle and Rossi handing you to your soon- to-be husband was overwhelming in the best way. Though, the moment those doors opened, Aaron took one glance at you and your emotions flood from your eyes and you didn’t bother wiping them, just let them fall. His smile was like no one but you had ever witnessed. Full of utter love and affection. Your vows illicited more tears from you, but Aaron was yet to cry. Close, very close he had come, but he had not shown a droplet until you stand up during the after party.

Everyone was sat round their tables and you go to make your speech following the maid of honour and groomsmen’s talks.

“If I could have your attention for a moment,” you say, everyone now looking over you, whose hand was still entwined with Aaron. “Since before Aaron and I were together, I made something hoping this day would one day come and I could finally be able to show him.” You start with a bright smile, looking down at him softly as everyone waits in anticipation.

“So here it is, the day we officially become one, this is my present to you honey.” You smile and wipe your eyes from the falling tears. “This is The Story of The Hotchner’s”

You look at Aaron who watches you place the scrapbook in front of him and he gets teary eyed, his lip wobbling as he looks up at you. He knew he chose the right one. His thoughtful, breathtaking, ethereal piece of art. His wife. The love of his life.

He stands up and pulls you into him, holding you in the tightest embrace you thought you were going to be squished. “Baby, oh my god.” He says, looking deeply into your eyes.

“I haven’t even gone through it yet.” You grin, kissing his cheek and wiping a stray tear from his eye before continuing through the book.

‘To my beloved husband, let’s us never forget our past, our present or our forever.’ Was inscribed into the first page, you’re sat down now, watching as Aaron flips to the first page.

It showed an image of you awkwardly standing behind Hotch from around three months into working at the bau, pointing at his back which was firmly behind you as you pulled a funny face to the camera. It was taken by Penelope, you remember it so vividly, she had been the one to take a lot of these photos, along with JJ. Stuck closely on that page is another image of the same few months where he was staring at you with a straight face but you were grinning at him.

Aaron looked up at you and raises an eyebrow. “Did I always look so miserable around you?” He chuckles softly.

“You did, but I knew you never disliked me. No matter how hard you tried to conceal it, I always knew.” You grin back at him and he kisses your nose. “Now carry on.”

The next page brought a photo of Aaron slightly smirking at something you said but trying to conceal it behind his mug, it was a perfect candid photo. The next was an image of you two conversing on the first press conference with the two of you. Professional and hot.

The memories continued as you slowly see a change in the dynamic of your relationship, at first it’s like you’re both there but just simply there, then you see how Aaron opens up to you slowly and starts to lose his cold front with you. Over time it’s obvious that the distance between the two of you disappears and your smiles grow ten times larger. Then, it gets to recent photos and you stop him before he can flip the page again.

“There is so much space to add more photos of our journey together but I thought today was the perfect day to share this with you.” You grin at him, fully beaming as tears kiss your cheeks. As you look at Aaron, he pulls you to sit on his lap and he looks directly at you. You notice that tears were streaming out of his glassy eyes with very little shame. You laugh at the sight and it makes the emotions bubble more in your chest and he pulls you closer to him by your waist, hugging you so tightly. He kisses your head.

“I’m so beyond in love with you. Thank you. Thank you for having the most thoughtful, generous, beautiful soul both inside and out.” He says letting tears stream down as he doesn’t bother wiping them. Not even considering hiding or getting rid of the evidence of his complete and utter devotion and appreciation of you.

“There’s one more page.” You whisper to him and he looks back at the book, you both flip the page together and it reveals a photo of a baby scan. He freezes from under you and looks at the photo, bringing the book closer to him and looking back to you. Switching his gaze between the photo and you like a tennis rally.

“Is this…”

You nod and laugh, tears falling from your eyes as he pulls you into the biggest hug ever, his hand at the back of your head as it against his chest.

“Our family.”

[morgana-larkin]

Alright, the anticipated chapter 4 of ‘Just Tired’! All of youse were very excited for this chapter so I hope it delivers what you want. Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Just Tired - Part 4

Warnings: Manipulative relationship, swearing

Words: 3.9k

Melissa is putting dinner on the plates when Joe gets home. He walks into the kitchen and gives her a kiss before getting a beer from the fridge.

“Guess what? A couple friends are coming with us to the bar tomorrow to watch the game with us.” Joe says with a smile.

“It couldn’t have been just us?” Melissa asks him.

“Course not, watching the cowboys get their asses whooped is better with other people there with you.” Joe tells her and she hands him one of the plates.

“I guess.” Melissa tells him as they make it to the table and they start eating. “Oh, I’m getting a dyslexic kid in my class this year. I’m gonna be able to help a little girl the same way I was helped.” She excitedly tells him.

“Cool.” He tells her, completely disinterested. Melissa’s smile immediately turns into a frown and she just continues eating.

Melissa wakes up the next morning around 7 and she gets up and gets ready for the day. She’s writing a grocery list while eating some scrambled eggs and bacon when Joe comes down.

“So I was thinking we can head to the bar for 6.” He tells her and she nods.

“Sounds good.” She says and continues eating.

They get through the weekly chores and groceries before Melissa hops in the shower around 3. She puts on her jersey, and then she goes downstairs and goes to reheat the leftovers while Joe is finishing up getting ready. They both eat and then head to the bar and they get there just after 6. They order two beers and then his friends show up. Melissa decides to just sit in a booth alone while watching the game. 20 minutes into the game she orders another beer.

“Melissa?” She hears and turns around to see you there, wearing an Eagles jersey.

“Hey Y/n.” She says and then turns to the bartender and orders another beer. “Are you here to watch the game as well?” She asks and you nod.

“I came with a…sort of friend… but she’s currently making out with a man right now.” You say and point to them.

“I came here with Joe and he invited his friends.” She tells you and you look to see Joe there, having a drink and having fun with his friends.

“And you look like you’re having fun being here.” You tell her playfully and she smiles and then takes a sip. “Can I get some nachos please?” You ask the bartender and he nods before getting your order. “Thank you.” You say as you get your order and pay. “Want some?” You ask Melissa and she smiles before taking a chip. You hear some cheering happening and see the Eagles scored another touchdown.

“So what makes that girl a sort of friend?” Melissa asks you.

“I went on a date with her two months ago, there was zero connection, and to be nice I said we could be friends. And many people say this but don’t actually mean it. So I was surprised when she just randomly asked me if I wanted to come here today to watch the game. I hope she just forgets about me after today.” You explain and she nods as she takes another chip.

“Melissa, did you see that touchdown!?!?” Melissa hears and Joe comes up to her.

“Ya, of course I saw it.” She says and fakes a smile.

“Who are you?” Joe asks you as he sees that you and Melissa were talking.

“I’m Y/n, I’m Melissa's coworker.” You tell him politely.

“Melissa has never mentioned a coworker named Y/n.” He says as he looks between you and Melissa.

“Well it’s my first year there, I teach second grade as well.” You explain.

“Melissa, you don’t talk to newbies.”

“We teach the same grade, Joe, I’m gonna have to talk to her sometimes.” She tells him. Joe looks at you and you seem to be looking at Melissa with a smile while Melissa is taking a sip of her beer. He then gets Melissa to turn around and he kisses her on the lips and you look down, disappointed. “You never kissed me in public before.” She says to him and he shrugs.

“Felt like it.” He says. “By the way, one of the guys suggested that the next game could be at our house.” He says. “I think that’s a great idea so I said yes.”

“What? No. Why does it have to be at our place?” She asks.

“Come on, don’t be so controlling.” He says.

“I’m not, but you didn’t ask me first if I’m ok with that.” She tells him and then Melissa sees you watching out of the corner of her eye. “Alright, I’m sorry.” She says and then he gives her a kiss before going back to his friends. You see Melissa let out a sigh and you order 2 shots of vodka.

“Here. Looks like you need it.” You say as you hand her one. She looks at you and you offer her a smile before she takes it, cheers with you and then takes the shot.

“Thanks.” She says softly.

“He seems nice.” You tell her sarcastically and she looks down. “Why did you apologise?”

“Because I told him no and I shouldn’t have.” She says.

“You didn’t do anything wrong though, you didn’t need to apologise. He agreed to have it at your house without asking you first, you have a right to say no.” You tell her sternly and she looks at you and sighs.

She then orders 2 more shots and gives you one. You both take the shot and then you continue eating the nachos as you occasionally sip your alcoholic drink. An hour later and you order another pair of shots for you as you see her keep looking at Joe with sad eyes.

“Hey, forget him for now. He brought his friends with him and isn’t thinking about you right now.” You tell her bluntly and hand her the shot and she cheers with you before quickly taking the shot.

“You know, you’re more fun than I thought you’d be.” She tells you, slurring a bit.

“Really? I think I’m quite fun, even at school. I mean I don’t take anything seriously, you said so yourself.” You tell her and she chuckles. You then order more nachos and some water to help balance out the alcohol. “You know I still don’t know what you see in him, I still think he’s an ass.” You tell her and she shrugs.

“I fell in love with him, simple as that.” She says and you nod.

“Do you still love him?” You suddenly ask with the help of liquid courage.

“Of course I do, I-if I didn’t love him then I wouldn’t be with him.” She tells you, and it sounds like she’s trying to convince herself more than you. The Eagles then score another touchdown and Melissa sees Joe high-fiving his friends and cheering. You feel bad for her in that moment and without thinking, you grab a hold of her hand. She immediately gasps and pulls her hand back and looks at you confused. “What was that for?” She asks you, she isn’t angry, just confused.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I just feel bad that your husband is having fun with his friends and leaving you alone.” You tell her and she looks down.

“I don’t get much physical touch, or apologies.” She tells you while still looking down.

“What? He’s able to resist keeping his hands off of you?” You ask her, surprised and confused. “If I had a girl as hot as you then I wouldn’t be able to stop touching her.” You tell her and she looks up at you and sees you’re being genuine.

“Thank you.” She tells you softly and you nod with a smile. You both don’t notice that Joe is watching the interaction and furrows his eyebrows.

The game ends a couple hours later and you can tell Melissa is tipsy, maybe even drunk from about 5 beers and 3 vodka shots.

“Ready to go Mel?” Joe asks her and Melissa looks at you with a smile.

“I had fun, I’ll see you Monday.” She tells you and you nod.

“See you Monday, Melissa.” You say and smile back at her. You watch as her and Joe walk out and you see Joe squeeze her ass and you give a disgusted face at Joe being like that to her in public.

Melissa and Joe get home and Melissa stumbles a bit into him as she giggles. He then pushes her up against the door.

“Oof.” Melissa says and grabs onto his arms.

“Were you flirting with that girl?” He asks her and she looks at him.

“Who?”

“Y/n.” He simply says and she shakes her head.

“No, we were just hanging out.” She says and gets close to his face. Joe then picks her up and gets her to put her legs around him. He then kisses her roughly and she lets out a squeak before wrapping her arms around him. He then brings her into the bedroom while stripping her clothes off.

Melissa spends Sunday morning with a slight hangover and then she goes downstairs around noon when she doesn’t feel like the sun is blasting in her eyes.

“I see you’re alive.” Joe tells her a bit loud and she groans.

“Not so loud please.” She tells him and he chuckles.

“You drank quite a bit with that new teacher.” He tells her.

“Ya, we had a couple shots.” She says and sits down on the couch beside him.

“Do you remember everything that happened yesterday?” He asks her and she nods.

“Of course, from the moment we got there right up until we had sex.” She tells him and he nods.

On Monday, you pull up to her place on your bike and you put it in the backyard before knocking on her door.

“Hey Y/n.” She says with a smile and swings her keys around her finger as she walks up to her car.

“You look good.” You tell her as you see a low cut pink top and leather pants.

“Thanks.” She says and both of you get in the car. She decides to listen to music today and you watch as she sings along happily.

“You’re in a good mood today.” You tell her.

“I get to meet my little eagles today.” She tells you and you smile.

“Of course you call them little eagles.” You say and she winks at you before turning the music up and you both sing along. You pull up to the parking lot and you already see some students waiting outside.

“They only show up early on the first day.” She tells you and you nod before walking up to them. About 15 minutes later, you’re talking to Janine and Jacob when someone calls out your name.

“Looking for a Ms. Y/l/n.” This man says and you think he works in the front office.

“Yes? That’s me.” You say and he looks at you before telling 4 kids that you’re their teacher. “Hey kiddos. I’m Ms. Y/l/n and I’m going to be your teacher this year.” You tell them with a big smile and you don’t notice Melissa staring at you. “You know, for me, second grade was much better than first grade.” You tell them and then 3 other kids are brought to you.

“Hello my little eagles.” You hear Melissa say and you look at her. “I think I’ve seen some of you here since kindergarten.” She tells them. Melissa then checks her list and sees that she’s got all her students. “Alright my little eagles, ready to see the classroom and pick your seats?” She asks them and they nod before she goes inside and she passes you by and smiles at you.

You get 13 more students handed to you and then you see you got all 20 of your students.

“Alright, line up and let’s get inside and in the air conditioning.” You tell your students and they line up. You bring them inside and lead them to the classroom. “Alright, and this will be your classroom for the year.” You say and they go inside. “Pick whatever seat you want.” You tell them and they all pick a seat. “I’m just going to do attendance first to be absolutely sure.” You tell them and then start going through the names. You go through all of them and realise you’re missing one but you have 20 names on the list and 20 students. “Who did I not call out?” You ask and you see a student raise their hand. “And what’s your name?”

“Amaya.” She says and you check your list and don’t see her there.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you but I don’t think you’re supposed to be in my class.” You tell her and she shakes her head. “Do you know where you’re supposed to be?” You ask her.

“In Mrs. Schemmenti’s class.” She says and looks down.

“Why are you sad about that? Mrs. Schemmenti is an amazing teacher and person.”

“My friend isn’t in her class.” She tells you and she points to her friend.

“I’m sorry about that but I do have to bring you back.” You tell her and then step out of your classroom for a second. “Mr Johnson, perfect, can you watch my class for a minute, I need to bring one to Mrs. Schemmenti’s class.” You tell him and he nods before you go back into your classroom. “Ok Amaya, let’s go.” You say and she walks up to you and she takes your hand. You walk across the hall to Melissa’s classroom and you knock on the door. Melissa opens it a few seconds later and smiles when she sees you.

“Ms. Y/l/n, I was just about to come see you. I have one of your students.” She tells you.

“What a coincidence cause I have one of yours. This is Amaya.” You tell her and she looks at her.

“Welcome to my class Amaya, why don’t you go find an empty seat. Gracie can you come up here with your things?” She tells one of the students. Amaya goes to take a seat and Melissa looks at you. “It’s not a coincidence, the two of them agreed on a swap to be with their friends.” She tells you and you hum.

“I wonder why I never thought to do that when I was their age.” You tell her and she snorts, then a young girl comes up to you both.

“Gracie, this is Y/l/n, your teacher this year.” She tells the student and Gracie looks at you.

“Sorry about swapping places on you.” She tells you both.

“That’s alright but we gotta go to the classroom, I left the janitor in charge.” You tell the student and then you grab her hand. “See you later Ms. Schemmenti.” You tell her and then walk back to your class. “Alright Gracie, go and find your seat.” You tell her and she finds the empty desk and sits down. “Alright class, how about we start by going around the room and saying your name? I’ll start. My name is Y/n Y/l/, but you can call me Ms. Y/l/n.” You tell them and you miss Melissa glancing at you while interacting with your students.

You get your class to line up a few hours later so you can bring them to the caf for lunch. You and Melissa end up bringing them at the same time so you both just walk your classes together.

“How was your morning newbie?” She asks you as you both walk to the caf with your classes.

“Good so far. Did a few welcome games, did some drawings and even story time.” You tell her and she smiles.

“That’s good.” She says and you both reach the caf and drop your students off. You make sure that everyone has a lunch before you and Melissa both head to the lounge.

“You know we did a couple of name games and I still can’t remember anyone’s name.” You tell her and she chuckles.

“Give it a week or two of having to tell people to quiet down and you’ll know everyone’s names.” She says and you smile.

“Good to know. How was your morning?” You ask her.

“Kids are so excited to see their friends again and not too keen on paying attention. So it’s been good.” She says and smiles. “By the way, I wanted to thank you for showing me a good time on Saturday.” She tells you and you shrug.

“You know I shouldn’t have had to. Your husband should have included you since you went together.” You tell her and she hums.

“Well whether he should have or not, I appreciate that you did.” She tells you and you nod.

“Anytime.”

“Careful, or I might take you up on that.” She says playfully as you reach the break room.

“Well it’s good that I really do mean it then.” You say and she chuckles. You both enter the break room and everyone stares at the fact that you both seem to be having, not just a civil conversation, but a playful one.

“How on earth did you make friends with Melissa in a week?” Jacob asks as you sit down.

“Not friends, just acquaintances.” You say and turn to Melissa. “Actually, is it safe to call you an acquaintance, Melissa?” You ask her and she turns to look at you and thinks about it.

“I mean you do know my favourite colour so ya, I guess you could call us that.” She tells you with a smile before turning back around and talks with Barb.

Everyone gets up to go get their class as lunchtime is ending and you and Melissa end up walking beside each other.

“So any plans for the afternoon with your class?” You ask her.

“Yep, I’m going to give them a paper of animals and get them to name them.” She tells you.

“Awww, that sounds cute. I loved learning about all the animals in school.” You tell her and she shakes her head at you.

“You really are an enigma.” She says and you shrug.

“I did warn you about that.” You say as you both reach your classes outside. “Ok class, we’re gonna be spelling numbers and then we’ll play a game after.” You tell them and they cheer at the game part. “Amaya, back to Schemmenti’s class.” You tell her as you see her sneaking in your line with her friend.

“Nice catch.” Melissa says to you before she brings her class inside and you smile.

At the end of the day, you’re helping a student with their laces and then stand up and their mother comes up to get them.

“Sorry about that, still teaching him laces. Probably should have gotten Velcro.” She tells you and you smile.

“Not a problem, he’s gotta learn sometime right?” You say and the parent smiles and nods.

“I suppose so.” She says.

“My name is Janice, and I guess you're my son’s teacher.” She says and you shake her head.

“That I am, I’m Ms. Y/l/n.” You say and then say goodbye to your student and him and the parent leaves.

“Wow, you seem to just catch everyone’s attention.” Melissa says from her door frame.

“Must be my awkward personality.” You say and she chuckles.

“Must be.” She says and says goodbye to the last student. She then goes to grab her things and locks her door before turning towards you. “Ready to go?” She asks and you nod.

“Yep.” You say as you lock your door.

“So how do you feel after your first day?” She asks you.

“I feel great. My students are amazing and completely adorable. And I seem to have caught my coworker’s attention enough that she considers us acquaintances.” You tell her and she giggles.

“Well you met my husband and you know my favourite colour, isn’t that acquaintance status information?” She says and you laugh.

“I guess so.” You tell her as you reach the parking lot. You turn to look at her at the same time she does and you both lock eyes and you see a certain shine in them that you haven’t before. “I love the colour of your eyes.” You say in a complete trance and her breath hitches. You then snap out of your trance just as quickly as you entered it and realise what you said. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I don’t know where that came from. I mean, you do have beautiful eyes but… I’m just digging a bigger hole for myself.” You ramble and Melissa just laughs.

“You’re adorable.” She says and she unlocks the car and doesn’t realise the effect she has on you when she said that to you. “Thank you for the compliment.” She adds as you both get in.

“Well you’re very easy to compliment.” You say and she looks at you and sees you’re being genuine.

“Why do you give me lots of compliments?” She asks you with a tilt of her head.

“Because I want to.” You simply say and she looks at you. “And with the way you look, you have definitely earned them.” You add and you miss the blush on her face as she turns to face the road. Melissa drives you both to her place and you go and get your bike. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” You tell her as you put your helmet on. “And I will survive this year and come back next year.” You say with a smile.

“We’ll see about that.” She tells you and you walk up to her as an idea pops in your head.

“Well how about we make a bet?” You ask her and she quirks an eyebrow at you.

“Well you certainly have my attention.” She says.

“That was about as far as I got. I honestly didn’t know if you’d agree to it.” You tell her and she chuckles.

“I never pass up a bet.” She tells you as she’s leaning on her car. “How about if you don’t come back next year or don’t survive the year then you take me to a candy store and I can get whatever I want.” She tells you and think about it.

“Ok sounds good. But if I win then I get to film you saying that I was right and you were wrong and also seal it with a kiss on the cheek.” You tell her and you hold your hand out. You see her think about it for a second before shaking your hand, sealing the bet.

“Deal.” She says and you wink at her before turning around and walk to your bike. You glance at her before getting on your bike and bike to your place.

Melissa watches as you get further and further away before she lets out a sigh. She then feels a slight happiness near her heart, one that she hasn’t felt in a long time. She lets out a breath after she realises what the feeling is and then looks at where you just were a minute ago. “Fuck.”

Taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta

@imaginesmultifandoms

@idonothingalldays-blog

@sexysapphicshopowner

@dvrkhcld

@lilfartbox1

@ricejucie

@unicorniusfallapatorius

@a-queen-and-her-throne

@sleep-deprived-athlete

@og-kxsh-420

@sasheemo

@midnight-lestrange

@dashbag-art

@morgananyx

@schmentisgf

@cblanchetts

@that-october-night

@schemmentigfs

@italianaidiota

@ambessas-doll

@ankhsta

@olderwomenenthusiast

@ackleybloodybridge

Let me know if you want to be added!

[akawifeyy]

RISK! | smau & fic (FC43)

description: franco colapinto is a playboy — everyone knows that — but he does have some boundaries that he’s unwilling to cross. that is, until he meets you. the younger sister of oscar piastri. then he’s willing to risk it all.

tropes: forced proximity, mutual love, forbidden romance, age gap (18 and 21), op81 sister!reader!

face claim: gracie mckenna

trigger warnings: suggestive content, swearing

| note: this is a combination between a smau and a fic, meaning that some social media snippets are mixed throughout, along with blocks of prose. hope you enjoy!

tagged: @ williams, @ francolapinto, @ f1

comments (2718):

@ user1: this is so ridiculous, he's literally just being used to get girls to watch F1 🙄

-> @ user2: I agree, he can't even drive

@ user3: CONGRATS FRANCOOOO #argentina 🇦🇷

@ williams: We're so grateful to have Franco on our team, and can't wait to see what he will achieve in these upcoming races!

Melbourne, Australia (2025)

There was no way you could ever do this. Get in a tiny metal race car and go spinning around in circles against nineteen others for almost two hours? That was a tall order for anyone, yet your brother always exceeded expectations. You watched him glide through the track, his papaya car shedding sparks as he pushed the engine to the max. He was incredible, carefully looping around and setting records.

It was his home race; nothing lesser would have been expected. Oscar needed to excel, to survive against the pressure. Over the past few weeks, it was like he was glued to the sim, practicing this circuit repeatedly, making sure every movement was executed flawlessly. This was the final countdown: FP2, meaning that in less than a day, Oscar's skills would be put to the test.

Behind you, your best friend Georgia, wolf-whistled. Lando Norris, Oscar's teammate, had just entered the paddock. His curly hair was obscured by his classic neon-green helmet, his race suit hanging loose around his waist. "I'm so ready..." You heard him say to Zach, and then you turned your attention back on Oscar, who was on his final practice lap.

The car moved around as if it were a dagger, slicing through the track like the weapon it was. When he finally slowed to a halt, you rushed to meet him. He exited the car, removing his helmet, chest heaving with exertion. "Hey, Y/N," he said, smiling.

"Hi, Osc! You did amazing!"

He flushed, not one for compliments. "Sure. Where's Mom?"

"I think she went inside because it was too hot. I'll go get her," you said brightly, trailing after him.

Oscar shook his head. "It's OK, don't worry. Stay out here a bit, I think Lando's about to go on."

"I don't really care about him," you blurted. "I was waiting until you were done to go walk around the track."

Oscar raised one eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Even though you were younger than him by only five years, he acted like you were still a child. You were eighteen, and just one semester away from going to uni! You wouldn't have constant supervision there.

"Mom said I could," you pouted. "You're not in charge of me, I'm an adult now."

"Yeah, but you can't read a map, and you're naive," Oscar pointed out. "You trust everyone."

You gave him a look. "Like that's a bad thing. Anyways, I'll see you later!"

Oscar hugged you quickly, his eyes watching you concernedly, and you rushed off to explore the circuit.

Melbourne, Australia (2025 / continued)

You exited the McLaren paddock, tugging off your jacket and tying it around your waist securely. It had been a while since you'd been able to go to a Grand Prix; your parents hadn't let you because of all your studies. But this was Oscar's home race, and it was monumental. After months of arguing (and failed attempts at bribery), you'd finally convinced them to let you tag along.

The sun beat down on you, warming you from head to toe. It felt nice to finally feel a bit of a breeze, since you'd been cooped up in your room all week, prepping for your finals.

As you wandered through the grounds, you watched as fans cheered for their favorite drivers. You saw a few Australian flags here and there. One even had Oscar's face on it, next to a koala on a eucalyptus tree and a kangaroo, and you laughed.

You passed the Mercedes and Haas motor homes, where you saw Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman talking. They were close to your age, and potential friends, but whenever you tried to talk to them, Oscar ushered you away.

"They're guys. And F1 drivers. They can't be trusted," he told you.

You rolled your eyes. "So that means I can't trust you."

Eventually, you found yourself in the Williams paddock, watching as they prepped the car for its final practice before the race. A man with the most attractive dimples you'd ever seen was talking animatedly with his race engineer, discussing potential strategies.

You were enthralled by his lilting accent, caught on every word and phrase. He finished with the race engineer and turned to his car, but then he stopped, noticing your presence.

You were wearing a bright orange blouse, and the jacket wrapped around your waist had Oscar's number on it, immediately incriminating you.

"Hello there," the man said, a grin dancing on his lips. "I'm Franco. And you are?"

Seven words, and you were hooked.

Text messages between Oscar and Y/N (2025):

@ yourusername: home is where the heart is 🩷

tagged: @ oscarpiastri, @ f1

comments (182):

@ yourbffusername: had sooo much fun w you!

-> @ yourusername: i love being with youu

@ oscarpiastri: I already miss it

-> @ yourusername: go kick ass in china 😼

@ user4: Just dropped to my knees in the middle of the grocery store. She's just that beautiful

Two weeks after the Melbourne Grand Prix

You flopped down on your bed, feet kicked up in the air as you texted none other than Franco, the same driver you'd met in the Williams paddock. He was funny and flirtatiously silly, but he was smart too. You had a lot of conversations about your upcoming university days, and he gave great advice on the topic.

"You don't always have to listen to your brother," he texted you a few nights after you'd met. "You're your own person, cielo."

You two had bonded over your mutual love of horse riding, a hobby of yours that you were trying to continue despite all the stress of the past year. Franco sent you a few photos of his horse, and one where he was shirtless. You spent more time ogling that picture than you'd care to admit.

Talking to Franco was therapeutic, and you didn't want to hide the blossoming friendship (or more?) that you two had. But you knew how overly protective Oscar was of you. You didn't want to spark a rivalry that could play out poorly on track. It wasn't worth the drama.

You weren't going to avoid telling your brother forever, but you wanted to wait a while to make sure that you didn't give him an aneurysm for nothing. Franco had a reputation as a playboy, like all other F1 drivers, but he was still young and a rising star. He could be using you — at least, that's what the little voice in the back of your mind warned. It spent too much time listening and believing everything Oscar had told you.

There was a knock on your door, and you jumped, turning the screen off so that no one could see the conversation you'd been having.

I've never met a girl like you before.

You're my princesa, you know that? All pure and perfect. I wonder how long it would take for me to absolutely ruin you.

"Dinner's ready," your mother called through the door.

"Thanks, I'll be there in a minute!" you responded. Once you heard her footsteps recede, you texted Franco that you had to leave, and hurried outside, your cheeks blushing red.

@ francolapinto: ¡P8 en el Gran Premio de China! Es muy emocionante ver todo el progreso que ha logrado Williams. Estoy agradecido de ser parte de este equipo. ¡Hasta la próxima carrera!

(P8 in the Chinese Grand Prix! Very exciting to see all the progress Williams has made, I'm grateful to be part of this team. Until next race!)

tagged: @ williams, @ f1

comments (489):

@ user11: Amazing work, Franco!

@ yourusername: podium coming when???

-> @ francolapinto: Soon 😏

Text messages between Franco and Y/N (2025):

The Confrontation:

You fidgeted under Oscar's heavy stare. Even through a phone screen, his brown eyes pierced you. "I need to tell you something, but you can't flip out, OK?" you said.

"Oh God, what did you do now?" Oscar responded, preparing for the worst.

You shook your head, putting your palms up in a gesture of surrender. "Nothing bad! I swear!" You hesitated. "Well...I've been talking to someone. A guy, for a bit now."

Oscar sucked in a breath. "Not Lando."

Your jaw dropped. "Absolutely not."

"Good. Who is it, then?"

You closed your eyes, praying to God that Oscar wouldn't explode from anger. "Um...Franco?" You waited for the name to register.

Oscar blinked. "The new Williams driver?"

You nodded. "Yeah, that's who it is."

"That's who you chose?"

"Yeah?" you questioned, cocking your head to the side in confusion. "Is there something I should know? I mean, other than the fact that he's a supposed playboy and —"

"— He's fine, I suppose," Oscar mused under his breath. "Just be careful, alright?"

You froze in shock. "Yeah, I will be. Thanks for not freaking out."

"You're eighteen, I can't stop you from being romantically interested in someone. All I ask is that you don't engage in activities that should be done after marriage." Oscar pursed his lips. "I love you, Y/N. I'm always looking out for you."

"I know, and I'm thankful. You're the best older brother in the world."

@ francolapinto: Felices tres meses para mi hermosa novia, Y/N. Gracias por escucharme hablar y estar siempre ahí, incluso en los momentos más difíciles. Hasta pronto, corazón mío.

(Happy three months to my beautiful girlfriend, Y/N. Thank you for listening to me speak and always being there, even in the most difficult moments. See you soon, my heart.)

tagged: @ yourusername

comments (5895):

@ user11: I KNEW IT 🥳🥳🥳

@ user12: we weren't delusional guys!!!!!

-> @ user7: I love clowning and then being right

@ yourusername: hard launchhhh ‼️

-> @ yourusername: love you so much franco, i don't know what i would do without you!

-> @ francolapinto: Muchos besos, mi amor 💋

─── ୨୧ ──�� THE END ─── ୨୧ ───

[velidewrites]

thinking very hard about crying in front of sylas tonight. need to sob into his giant tits while he gets all big and scary and protective of me :/

You're suddenly enveloped by a fur cloak.

Sylas pulls you into his arms, the thick coat descending from his shoulders onto your own. This, you realize, is the very first time the two of you have ever stood so close — had you not sought him out in his war tent tonight, you might never have known the warmth radiating from his body, as if that fire simmering within him was as desperate for your touch as you are for its master.

He holds you in his arms with a strength that is gentle yet... reluctant. It makes you want to writhe against him until your bodies are welded into one at last, shattering that last bit of uncertainty, of hesitation, of the cold, cruel war that has so desperately been trying to drive you two apart. Somehow, he's always been able to find his way back to you.

Tonight, you finally managed to find him instead.

The featherlight touch of the fur against your cheek tingles, making you half-turn, burying your face into his chest subconsciously. You feel his muscles tense beneath your touch at the proximity, and a heat of your own begins to rise in your cheeks at your own boldness. The last time he'd tensed up beneath you like that, it was with the tip of your sword teasing his sternum, not your nose. How far the two of you had come.

He must be realizing it, too, as you feel his shoulders fall an inch, the broad hand on your waist moving to smooth over your lower back. He pulls you in closer, close enough now that you feel his breath brush against your temple before he rests his chin atop your head. Not once, in all those months on the opposing sides of the battlefield, did you ever imagine Sylas Vanserra like this. Let alone with you.

It dawns on you then that he's probably never comforted anyone this way — had never been comforted like that by another, at least not at a time when it would have mattered most. For a moment, the very thought makes you forget your own reasons for finding yourself in his tent in the first place, forget the nightmare that made you walk through the camp on shaky legs in the dead silence of the night. Sylas is holding you, and he's...

You dare to speak. "Sylas?"

"I'm here."

The response comes immediately, and it takes all the strength you have left to keep your body from melting into his own. Sylas's voice carries a rasp that makes you think — makes you hope — he's not the only one holding back.

"You're very good at this," you tell him, nuzzling your face deeper into his chest.

A small scoff sounds from above, and you can't help but let out a small chuckle.

"You make my compliment sound like an insult," you point out.

There's only a beat of silence between you before he finally says, "It's not."

You sigh, content. It's as if the sound of his voice had somehow dissipated all the tension in your body and quietened the raging storm of your sleepless mind. "I'm glad you think so." You turn your face to the side again, then, letting your cheek rest right above his heart — right where you know a horrible scar begins, twisting his skin into patterns of flames rising all the way up to his neck. He hides it, even without the bronze plates of his armor, and he hides it well. But you know — know he hates himself for it, and you've seen enough to understand who truly is the one at fault. Even if Sylas himself does not.

"Like this, I can hear your heart," you murmur, hoping its strong, if not a little rapid beat resonates with your own. Perhaps then, the two of you will finally sleep.

You might already be drifting away — or maybe his question is barely audible enough for you to catch, buried under the warm embrace of the furs. "What is my heart telling you?"

You smile.

"I think it's agreeing with me."

[techav]

Sharing a Computer with More Friends

A few months ago I built an I/O expansion board for my homebrew 68030 project with a 4-port serial card to go with it, and got BASIC running for four simultaneous users. It worked, but not as well as I had hoped. I wanted to be able to run two of those serial cards to support 8 total users, but it had proven unstable enough that with just the one card I had to slow down the whole system to 8MHz.

So I designed a new serial card.

I had previously been running this computer without any issues at 32MHz with a mezzanine card with FPU & IDE as well as a video card. The main board by itself can clear 56MHz. Having to go all the way down to 8MHz just didn't sit well with me. I want this machine to run as fast as possible for its 8 users.

I put extra time into reviewing worst-case timing for all components and graphing out how signals would propagate. The 16C554 quad UARTs I'm designing around are modern parts that can handle pretty fast bus speeds themselves — easily up to 50MHz with no wait states on the 68030 bus — assuming all the glue logic can get out of the way fast enough.

Signal propagation delays add up quickly.

My first draft schematic used discrete 74-series logic for chip selection, signal decoding, timing, etc. At slower bus speeds this wouldn't have been a problem. But I want this thing to run as fast as possible. By the time critical signals had made it through all those logic gates, I was looking at already being well into one wait state by the time the UART would see a 50MHz bus cycle begin.

I needed something faster. I was also running low on space on the board for all the components I needed. The obvious answer was programmable logic. I settled on the ATF22V10 as a good compromise of speed, size, availability, and programmability. It's available in DIP with gate delays down to 7ns. Where discrete gates were necessary, I selected the fastest parts I could. The final design I came up with showed a worst case timing that would only need one wait state at 50MHz and none for anything slower.

It ended up being a tight fit, but I was able to make it work on a 4-layer board within the same footprint of my main board, putting some components on the back side. (It may look like a bunch of empty space, but there's actually a lot going on running full RS232 with handshaking for 8 ports).

New problem. I had blown my budget for the project. As much as I love those stacked DE9 connectors, they're expensive. And there's no getting around the $10 pricetag for each of those quad UARTs. Even using parts on-hand where possible, I was looking at a hefty Mouser order.

[jbevren] suggested using ganged RJ45 connectors with the Cisco pinout instead of stacked DE9, to save space & cut costs. [Chartreuse] suggested buffering the TTL serial TX/RX signals to drive the LEDs that are frequently included on PCB-mount RJ45 connectors. Both great ideas. I was able to cut 20% off my parts order and add some nice diagnostic lights to the design.

Two weeks later, I received five new PCBs straight from China. I of course wasted no time setting into starting to assemble one.

I really set myself up for a challenge on this one. I learned to solder some 25 years ago and have done countless projects in that time. But I think this might be the most compact, most heavily populated, most surface mount board I've ever assembled myself. (There are 56 size 0805 (that's 2x1.2mm) capacitors alone!)

After a few hours soldering, I had enough assembled to test the first serial port. If the first port worked then the other three on that chip should work too, and there's a great chance the other chip would work as well.

And it did work! After some poking around with the oscilloscope to make sure nothing was amiss, I started up the computer and it ran just fine at 8MHz.

And at 16MHz.

And at 25MHz.

And at 32MHz.

And at 40MHz.

And almost at 50MHz!

Remember what I said about my timing graphs showing one wait state for 50MHz? The computer actually booted up and ran just fine at 50MHz. The problem was when I tried typing in a BASIC program certain letters were getting switched around, and try as I might, BASIC just refused to 'RQN' my program. It was pretty consistently losing bit 3, likely from that signal having to travel just a tiny bit farther than the others. A problem that will probably be resolved with an extra wait state.

Good enough for a first test! A few hours more and I finished assembling the card.

I did have some problems with cleaning up flux off the board, and I had to touch up a few weak solder joints, but so far everything seems to be working. I've updated my little multi-user kernel to run all 8 users from this new card and it's running stable at 40MHz.

I need to update my logic on the 22V10 to fix a bug in the wait state generator. I would love to see this thing actually running at 50MHz — a 25% overclock for the 40MHz CPU I am currently running. I also want to expand my little kernel program to add some new features like the ability to configure the console serial ports and maybe even load programs from disk.

I hope to bring this machine with a collection of terminals and modems this June to VCF Southwest 2025 for an interactive exhibit that can be dialed into from other exhibits at the show.

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

"REPEAT IT"

Sooo here's the fic based on your idea @marchsfreakshow

I hope you like it!

You had been dating Sergei for a month, and in all this time he hadn't been able to keep his hands off of you.

You were so small compared to him that it drove him crazy, the way you writhed beneath him every time you fucked, how small your hips felt in his big, rough hands, made him slowly lose his mind.

You had just returned from a small expedition through the forest, checking that there were no poachers, nor anyone to threaten your survival and that of the animals there, when he threw you on his back as if you were a sack of potatoes, and put you on the couch.

His eyes shone in their natural color, making you swallow hard. His amber gaze fell on the green camouflage t-shirt and pants you were wearing.

You were sweaty and a mess, but he didn't seem to care as he slowly began to remove your clothes.

-Sergei… -you moaned- I should shower first –you murmured feeling his lips leaving wet kisses on your neck-

-That can wait –he growled against your skin, a sound that sounded more animal than human- I need to be inside you

That statement was enough for you to feel your center throbbing painfully.

He got rid of your clothes and you did the same with his, his strong body was exposed to you.

You never got tired of observing how wonderful he was, the curves of his pectorals, the way his underwear slowly rested on his hips revealing the V you were dying to kiss.

He stood in front of you, watching you intently, like a predator watching its prey.

And that's what you were

He was the lion, and you were the fawn he had hunted.

You had to throw your head back to look at him.

He was so big…

You moaned as he covered his lips with yours, pushing you back onto the couch. His lips flooded your mouth, biting, sucking and sliding along them masterfully, making you gasp.

His blue eyes locked onto yours for a moment.

-You're going to make me lose my fucking mind, dorogoy –he growled, his voice was huskier when he spoke in his native language, and fuck you loved it- you're so small… so delicate… -he whispered, running the tips of his fingers over your cheek with a delicacy that stole your breath- I'm afraid of breaking you in two –he confessed-

-Don't be –you said, holding his gaze- I want you to –you murmured, he tilted his head as a half-smile appeared on his lips-

-Repeat it –he ordered, placing his strong arms on either side of your body-

-Break me, Sergei please –you begged, making his amber eyes come to the surface- please –you repeated- I need you…

You couldn't continue with the sentence, as he moved his hips against you, sinking completely inside you.

You dug your nails into his back as he began to move back and forth quickly. You felt like you were going to cum.

It was too much. His presence, his wavy, sweaty hair falling on either side of his face, his bright, amber eyes staring into yours.

You felt his rough hands and long fingers holding your hips, squeezing lightly, as if he wanted to make sure you didn't move.

You weren't going anywhere.

You were sure there would be marks on your body the next day because of it. You didn't care. You loved that he brought out his most animal side with you.

-Sergei… I'm going to… -you moaned- I don't think I can hold on much longer…

-Hold on a little longer, prekrasnyy -he growled- you're taking my big cock like the good girl you are -he murmured making you gasp- your tight little pussy is squeezing me so good… -he panted pushing his hips against your clit making you cry out-

-Sergei… -you moaned- oh fuck, I'm going to cum -you gasped- please… let me… Sergei! -you screamed when he pulled out all the way to sink back into you again-

-Do it, dorogoy -he ordered- cum on my cock

You did. You unloaded against him, and his gaze focused on the expressions that crossed your face as you fell apart in his arms.

-That's it - he cooed as he kneaded your hair and pulled you against his chest - good girl - he purred in your ear -

[shirogane-oushirou]

no promises anymoooooreeeee i'll appear online when i appear online 😭 every time i say "ooh i think life is almost done being overwhelming!" it. becomes even more overwhelming in the dumbest ways. all i can manage rn when i'm not stressing myself into a shut-down state is staring at the wall while listening to youtube essays + mindlessly crocheting.

i might queue up ppls art and fics w/o commentary in the tags... i want other ppl to see what all of my cool friends have made, but i genuinely can't think right now with this monstrous brain fog. i'm really sorry, just. yeah. maybe i'll think of some way to make it up later!!! once the dust has settled!!!! but until then i wuv u and miss u. smiles.

[venting in tags including familial manipulation and ableism. i. didn't mean to write all of that, thiss was originally going to be a main blog post but. aaaaaAAAAAA!!!!!

also no need for replies or anything, i'd turn them off for just the one post if i could kjsndkn, i just needed to get things out and go eep jsjndsfdn ok bye bye bye bye!!!!]

[hunsa-jars]

Dread be dreading

[thatfriendlyanon]

five words for my january: rhythms, ruminate, community, splintered, hope

link to picrew

[uinferno]

Looking back I think one of the biggest things that got me through uni was that Canvas had calendars that showed when assignments were due and actually let me plan out what tf I was going to do without feeling overwhelmed.

Well... that and being a tutor/TA/lab assistant letting me work on homework during my shifts. Those two things really pushed uni from being agonizing to doable.

[skitskatdacat63]

I hate when apps temporarily block your acct bcs "suspicious activity", yeah yeah I understand it's for security measures BUT PLEASE IM JUST BAD AT REMEMBERING PASSWORDS, LET ME LIVE 😭😭

[myfirstandlast]

going through answered asks from when i was 18 wanting to hold myself so tightly

[sabraeal]

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

If You Dare! My hakizana fics are not usually SUPER popular, but they tend to garner at least a little interest, but that one didn't even get a blip 🤣Too bad, that one was going to get smutty in the next chapter or two. ONE DAY.

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

That would be To My Esteemed Enemy with three whole kudos, which is both surprising and not, because it's a fic with a pairing that is more popular than my main ship in that fandom, but it 1) doesn't have any ship content in it yet, 2) is using canon characterization of Kazama, which displeases the people who want him to be a sexy villain and also the people who want him to be a uwu good boy trying his best. It's easy to say something nice about this, because I spent HOURS poring over Hakuouki lore to get this into shape and was SO PLEASED with the results. It just needs a few more chapters to really find an audience, I think, but I don't have the time right now to put my effort into it.