#I kept this starter short because

[heclingmuzik]

@blankslateprotagonist

Bright icey blue eyes scans her area. She can't see where she's going, but she uses what she KNOWS she has to help her navigate. Electricity courses through her bod, sending out short waves around her as she ventures deep within the ocean. The electric eel mercreature sighs softly and with her mind occupied somewhere else, she nearly bumps into another. Thankfully, she's stopped right on time.

"Whoa---uh, hey. Didn't see you there." Did she just kind of make a pun?

[acid-ixx]

ೃ⁀➷ ⠀yandere interactions event⠀! ❛ ༉‧₊˚

last updated: 11/02/2024 GMT+8

❝ YOU HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER! DO YOU OPEN IT?༊ ❞

── CONGRATULATIONS!

➷⠀���my inbox is open for small requests for a short followers event ! meaning, character interactions (prompts, letters, or original dialogues) are open for everyone to send in their own little quote followed with a scenario towards any DC COMICS characters 🩷 this event includes, but isn't exclusive to:

🌷⠀⠀character interactions. [e.g. "(character), do you want to look at the stars tonight?"] ; i prioritize these requests.

🌸⠀⠀yandere prompts/starters. [links: 01, 02, 03]

🪼⠀⠀love letters. [how: send them a love letter and they'll reply back!]

🍥⠀⠀sample fics. [links: 01, 02 ; this is for reference]

read the rules below for a better understanding!

╰┈➤ GENERAL RULES⠀! ❛ ༉‧₊˚

🩷⠀⠀GENDER PREFERENCE : i write both gn and male reader only— but all readers are automatically defaulted to gender neutral unless explicitly stated.

🩷⠀⠀CHARACTERS : only one character per interaction. i write for anyone in the batfam, superfam, justice league, teen titans, young justice, as long as the characters aren't completely foreign to me.

🩷⠀⠀LENGTH : i'd prefer if requests aren't kept at minimal length/only one-liners and have some sort of action to it. the more vague a request is, the longer i take to reply. this is the most crucial part of the the rule.

🩷⠀⠀AU'S : i accept both general interactions/prompts, au suggestions, or anything from my series. [again &. again, a loving family; an unpalatable desire, brutus, lovefool]

🩷⠀⠀ALL I ASK is for you guys, the readers, to please leave comments or interact with the me, the author, because interactions, reblogs, and any form of communication helps motivate me to write even more despite my busy schedule. i value everyone's inputs over everything else.

🩷⠀⠀PREFERENCES : i write both angst and fluff, platonic and romantic yanderes, and only soft yanderes. please, tell me if it's romantic or platonic. nsfw requests are not permitted for this event. more rules will be added soon in case.

🩷⠀⠀QUANTITY : i only accept one request per person, and as i've stated, it's better to lengthen/specify your requests to the best of your ability if you don't wish for yours to be dismissed.

[batsythoughts]

NO RUSH

Another request I had in mind

Romantic Yandere Batfamily x female priestess reader with healing powers.

Summary: Reader is a beautiful and kind person who lives in Gotham, and goes to school there. She is a senior that is in an archery club that she loves so much and everyone in school likes her and is very nice to her there. The batboys(along with duke,cassandra,and Stephanie) also happened to go to school there(I will let you pick what grade they are in because i would know where to set them). When they accidentally bump into reader they could not take their eyes off her. While walking home from schol she see(choose any fam member) injured and helped them back to her home(lives in a shrine). When they wake up they are very grateful for her help and goes back to the manor to come up with a plan to bring you back to the manor,so you could be safe with them.

Sorry for long summary,and this is the priestess outfit reader is going to wear:

Gotham High school outfit:

This is such a unique request and I absolutely love it! I know it says romantic, but I made it platonic because I read it that way when I wrote this, so I hope that is alright. I hope to do your request justice.

Enjoy Yandere Batfam x Priestess Reader!

To say that Bruce was expecting his kids to have a normal school year was an understatement

He was very hopeful that they would all manage to get by without any 'life altering' incidents, as Dick had called it

Luckily, the only thing that would cause the most stress would be the fact that Dick was finally graduating this year, signaling the end of an era

The first day back, half of the kids were excited to meet up with with friends while the other half were dreading having to do homework in the first week back

So, after Alfred straightened out all of their appearances for a family picture, the children got sent on their way to school

When they got the school, Dick made sure they all stuck together so he could see each of them into their homeroom class

After finally getting to his classroom for first period, Dick chatted with the friends he had in that class

He looked around the room before his eyes landed on a girl sitting near one of the corners, talking with a few other students while waiting for class to begin

He discreetly asked his friends who you were, not remembering you from the previous years in school

One of them explained how you moved to Gotham last year to live in the temple that was near the edge of town

Another mentioned how they were surprised that he didn't know about you with how popular you became around the school in such a short tine

Dick simply shrugged as he kept staring before you glanced over and sent him a polite wave

He waved back slightly awkwardly as the teacher finally demanded the students attention

By the time it was ready for everyone to get to their next class, Dick had thought of fun conversations starters to use to try and get to know you

His plan didn't work as you both got guided in different directions in the sea of students moving to their next class

All throughout the day, he tried finding you again with no luck to his multiple attempts

After the school day finally ended, the kids were all walking back home and discussing things that happened during the day

It was all going well until a bit of playful rough housing between Jason and Duke caused both boys to lose balance

Jason was able to steady Duke before he went down, but stepped too far over the curb and lost his own balance

Everyone watched Jason face plant into the concrete, each of them laughing for a short time as he pushed himself back up

The laughter stopped when they saw a small bit of blood trickling down the side of their brothers' face

Dick began fussing as he kneeled down to assess how bad the injury was that he would have to explain to Bruce

Before he could begin to overreact, you suddenly came rushing over from down the street and asking if everything was alright

Dick quickly explained the situation while placing his hand over the wound on Jason's head

You nod along as you stopped Dick's hand to assess the damage for yourself, before mentioning that you could help them at the temple

He began thanking you while organizing everyone else together as you helped Jason stand up

No one argued as they got rushed towards the temple and told the rules for their short visit

Once arriving, you gestured towards a sitting room that they could use while you took Jason and Dick to a different room further in the temple

You showed them a small room and told them to wait while going through a different door

Dick gave Alfred a quick call to inform him that they would be late getting home before shifting his focus entirely on Jason

You came back into the room a few minutes later in a traditional outfit that the inhabitants of the temple wore. "Sorry for making you wait. The temple rules require me to change as soon as I return from school."

"No, it's completely fine," Dick assured as he continued worrying over Jason. "I should have stopped the two of them the moment it started. Now I have to explain to Bruce how Jason came home with scar on his head after the first day back at school."

You gave a small chuckle as you kneeled beside Jason, gently placing a hand over the busted skin. "Not a thing to worry about. The worst that will happen to him is a bad headache."

Jason looked confused as he glanced between you and Dick. "How's that possible? I hit my head pretty- OH THAT TINGLES!"

You gave a small hum while gently rubbing Jason's temple. Smiling as you reach over to grab a few wet wipes. "There we go. You should be all better now after a little clean up."

They both looked bewildered as you carefully wiped the blood that was drying onto his skin. Dick staring blankly at the unblemished spot on his head.

"How did... what was... huh?"

You laughed at the confusion on both of their faces. Cleaning up the materials you used as you allowed Jason time to regain his bearings. "I was born with the ability to heal injuries from others. I was given up at a young age to be raised by residents of the temples. I came to reside in this one after the last one sadly had to shut down."

Jason gave a nod as he felt around at the spot that your hand had previously touched. "Well that was amazing! Thank you so much. Bruce would have a worried episode if any of us got a blemish of any kind."

After helping both of them off the ground, you begin leading them down the hallway. Helping gather the others and beginning to lead them out.

Before they left, Dick turned to you with a kind smile. "Thank you again. You should come over for dinner sometime so we can properly thank you."

The look on your face became solemn as you shook your head. "I have to decline on the offer. The temple doesn't allow me to be away for too long unless it involves school or the archery club."

He gave a low hum as his disappointment settled in. Soon turning to leave with the rest of the family. Though they all stopped when Stephanie and Cass went up to you.

"Cass and I wanted to say that you look very pretty in your outfit," Stephanie declared with Cass standing behind her with a small nod of her head.

The smile returned as you glanced at the two younger girls. "Thank you. You both are very beautiful yourselves. Now hurry home with your brothers."

They rushed to Wayne Manir soon after that in order to beat Bruce there

That were able to with 20 minutes to spare, leaving Dick enough time to make sure they all promised not to tell that Jason had previously been injured

When Alfred had inquired about what had caused the delay, Dick said that they ran into a classmate and walked them home

When Bruce got home, he made each of the children give a small run down of how their first day was

It was all going well until Duke and Stephanie began asking if they could join the archery club when sign ups began

Bruce said it was okay, but asked why they suddenly had an interest in joining

They gave a quick explanation that they had run into you on the way home and heard you say you were in it and thought it would be interesting to try it out themselves

Dick made eye contact with Bruce before explaining that he didn't think it was right to have you walk alone in Gotham

To his relief, Bruce gave a approved nod and moved on to the next topic without any more questions

The next couple of weeks were a blur as each of the kids began to sign up for the activities they would do for the year

Dick even began to speak to you more often by using Duke and Steph wanting to know what equipment that they would need for archery

You made a small list for basic things and brands to look at if they wanted to have decent equipment

The moment that sign-ups were open, Duke and Stephanie got the forms and made Bruce sign them that night

The first practice, Jason hung out on the sidelines as he watched his younger siblings excitedly go through the safety basics that all members needed to know

When it came time to learn how to handle the bow, they got paired with you and patiently followed your instructions on where to place their hands

Jason grinned to himself as he watched the happy smiles from a distance

Dick and Tim came in to wait after their own activities concluded before they would get picked up by Bruce

Just as practice was wrapping up, Duke pinched the skin of his hand on accident as he was putting the bow up

You went over to his side and began to inspect the small blister that was beginning to form

Bringing him and Stephanie over to the other boys before taking his injured hand and gave a firm hum

Duke jumped a little before you let go of his hand to reveal no blister anywhere to the bewilderment of the younger three

You made a motion for them to not react and alert the other students in the area to your abilities

Everyone waited outside for Bruce to get there after getting Cass from ballet and Damian from fencing

You waited outside with them until Bruce finally came pulling up and all the kids climbed in

Bruce offered to give you a ride, but you declined after saying the temple had a rule that you couldn't accept any rides unless it was for a school trip

They all watched you walk away with concern of you walking alone in Gotham so close to nightfall

The drive back was mostly quiet until the kids started asking why the people in charge were negligent of your safety

Bruce said that there wasn't anything they could do as long as your guardians thought you would be safe

A couple months later that whole thought process changed one day at school

It was the day after the weekly archer practice as Dick watched you walk into the class with a busted lip and a swollen eye

Dick went over and began asking what had happened as you explained that someone tried mugging you on the way back to the temple, but a cop was nearby to stop it

That night, Dick immediately went to Bruce and explained what had happened and that the temple wasn't taking your safety seriously

The other kids began to join in the ruckus as they asked what was going to be done to make sure you would be safe from a repeat of this incident

Bruce told them that he would think of something to try and change a few of the rules the temple so you could at least get rides from them

When he went to talk to them the next day, he got shut down by saying that the ways they followed wouldn't be changed for 'one simple child'

Bruce decided then that they wouldn't be looking after you if they didn't care for your safety

He explained the situation to the kids and that they would have to be quiet about it to everyone else or they could get in trouble

They waited until the night of one of the archery tournaments that would cause the club to return back late at night

You waited for each of the kids parents to pick up their children with the teacher before walking towards the temple

You were focused on getting there quickly, so you didn't notice a car following a couple blocks behind you

After 15 minutes of walking, you went past an alley and two masked men grabbed you and put a bag over your head

The car speed up and the trunk opened before you got thrown in and hands cuffed behind your back

They quickly drove through the city before driving into the garage of Wayne Manor

Bruce and Alfred waited in there for them as they opened the trunk again to pull you out and drag you through the house

Alfred walked in front of them before opening a door for them to let you go in

Bruce gave them a roll of cash and sent them away as he walked in with the key to your cuffs

"Hey, calm yourself. We aren't going to hurt you, only help you," Bruce whispered as he gently unlocked the cuffs. Stepping back as you pulled off the hood and looked around. "You're safe here with all of us."

"Safe? You kidnapped me!" You shout at him while looking for a way out.

Bruce held up his hands as he let you have the space you needed. "That for your safety. That place didn't care that you got hurt. They weren't going to change so it didn't happen again."

"What's all the noise about?" Stephanie stood in the doorway with Tim and Damian standing behind her.

Bruce looked at the kids before clearing his throat. "We are just having a small conversation. Go back to bed kids. It's really late."

"No, we're just talking," you mutter while looking at the floor. "Just go to sleep like you were told. Okay?"

That seemed to put them at ease as they slowly went back to their own rooms. Bruce went to the door before looking back at you again. "Try and sleep a little. We will talk more in the morning."

The next day, the kids went to school acting as if nothing had happened the night before

The absence of your presence was felt throughout the school, but everyone who didn't know better thought you just got a bit sick and were getting rest

Bruce and Alfred attempted to talk to you, but got practically no response from you as they tried explaining why they did it

When the kids returned from school, they said nobody had been concerned about your disappearance because you hadn't been reported missing

You felt slightly distraught from the revelation, but claimed the temple would notice when you didn't return this evening after sundown

When a week passed and the temple still hadn't contacted the police to inform them of your disappearance

The school finally informed the police of your absence, causing them to begin looking into the leadership of the temple that made them wait so long to report it

The authorities shut down the temple after arresting the leaders for negligence and the others were sent to other cities

The family brought you down to watch the news report of the situation and the conference the police

Each of the kids were keeping an eye on you as the detectives in charge explained that they could find no trace of your location and no ransom had been made

Bruce watched your spirits get crushed when they said they assumed you to be dead and would still be looking, but not with as much man power

They all began to comfort you, all while saying that they only wanted you to be safe from the people of the world that didn't care

You gave a defeated sigh while nodding your head as you reached for the remote and turned the TV off

The children started to suggest things to do as a way to bond/take your mind off the news, eagerly dragging you along with smiles

Bruce stood off the side to make sure you weren't getting overwhelmed as the night continued

When he finally sent them all to bed, Bruce stopped at your room last as he gave you a warm hug while saying he was only looking out for you when others didn't

The moment you acknowledge that they were just looking out for you, even if they did go too far with their approach

When he closed the door, he looked down the hall to see all the kids looking out of their rooms expectedly

They all quietly celebrated when Bruce nodded his head, confirming that you accepted your place in their family

[radioisntdead]

Hey! I really liked your headcanon about Alastor. It’s got my imagination running wild >_< What do you think about a romantic! Oneshot with Alastor where everyone can see the results of the biting game on both us and Alastor (assuming we both break skin and leave marks). I’m not sure how Alastor would be caught without his coat on, much less with with short sleeves… maybe a spilled drink on a hot day. But I keep imagining this scenario:

Angel: Asks Alastor if he had a rough night after seeing his arms covered in bites (assuming rough sexy time)

Alastor: Responds yes (remembering how he got cornered and couldn’t get away because using his shadows to escape is against the rules of the game)

Angel: :O

Good evening my dear! Thank you so much for requesting this I had so much fun writing it and I'm so glad you liked my Alastor biting headcanons!

And because I positively adore and I am mildly obsessed with deers I think that's why I like Alastor so much? The reader has deer attributes like Alastor Specifically whitetail deers because apparently they can jump eight feet in the air! And the reader jumps a bunch, reader is refered to as Prancer by Angel, I'm not gonna lie I had no idea how to end it so the ending is rushed! and everything is a tad bit messy, my apologies, Full italics is a mini flashback

Warnings!!

Biting, the drawing out of blood, the reader's blood is a vibrant pink for fun! Angel dust alluding to sexual acts, Still getting used to writing Alastor so once again leaning into fanon and possibly some OOC behaviors.

not proofread because I don't have a beta reader, Enjoy!

The two of you hadn't meant to get so carried away, it started out peacefully enough, you and Alastor were just laying on couch he had in his radio tower, it was later in the night, you suppose it was just past midnight,

He was looking over papers with whatever radio nonsense on them for tomorrow's broadcast, and you were peacefully reading a book with your head on his shoulder, with soft jazz playing in the background, your jackets were hung neatly on the coat rack, a warm cup of coffee and a nice soothing [Drink of your choice] sat on the desk.

It was treasured peaceful moment, until your beloved strawberry-flavored Bambi decided to ruin it by picking up your arm and biting into it like it was beef jerky and looking like someone had shot him with a tranquilizer dart,

You sat up quickly, your arm still in his grasp, eyes narrowed at him as he pulled away from your arm, licking away the escaping blood like the little cannibalistic freak he is

"Alastor, My darling dear, why are you like this?"

You ask with an exasperated tone as your dearly beloved just kept a smug grin on his face and patted the sides of his mouth with a handkerchief he had gotten from hell knows where,

Sitting up, you blink slowly before immediately pouncing at the Radio demon, your own sharp teeth bared and ready to bite only for your beloved deer to move out of the way and quickly moving behind you as you fall face first into where Alastor once sat,

"Ah, you have to be quicker then that my dear!"

He said with a laugh before turning around to grab his coat, clearly not expecting you to stand up on his couch like a uncivilized heathen and jump on him managing to knock him off his feet? Hooves? Whatever he has and sink your teeth into his exposed neck.

And so the game begun with the both of you biting each other.

Unfortunately this little game of yours comes with consequences and what are those consequences?

Well for starters Alastor's coat was now stained with noticable pink blood [From you of course who else!]

Bite marks littered his arms from your chompin' down, not to mention you had bitten his neck! scandalous behavior!

You weren't much better with bite marks though not only on both of your arms but shoulders, and hands, hell he almost bit your face and he would've if you didn't headbutt him!

You had grabbed his coat along with a few other articles of blood covered clothing you gently folded and placed them in a bag to take over to the drycleaners, honestly you could probably get the blood stains out with cold water but neither you nor Alastor had time for that and while you adored Niffty you did NOT trust her with washing some of the articles of clothing that you had, so the drycleaners it was!

Alastor was up in his radio tower doing a broadcast while Everyone else was scattered through the hotel, notably Angel dust and Husk were chatting about something at the bar as you walked by it you gave them a quick wave.

"Good afternoon you two! I'm heading to the drycleaners if anyone asks."

You said as you quickly made your way past the duo, making a swift plot convenient exit.

Angel dust raised an eyebrow as he briefly caught the sight of teeth marks on your wrist from the exposed hem of your sweater.

"Eh, didn't think they had it in em' to do anything beyond handholding"

"They don't, Probably they probably bit by that fucked up creature of theirs."

Husk said sliding a glass over to Angel who shrugged before downing whatever liquid was in the glass.

Alastor had entered the bar area, after a couple of minutes later, wearing a red button up and vest, the same colors as his normal attire, he had rolled up his sleeves during the broadcast and unfortunately forgot to unroll them to cover the bite marks on his arms,

He missed his usual attire but unfortunately it was gone with you for the foreseeable future.

"Oo, Rough night freaky face?''

Angel dust joked wiggling his eyebrows as he swirled whatever alcoholic drink Husk had provided him while Husk shook his head while wiping a glass.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that."

Alastor said his smile tightening as he recalled you cornering him in the Bayou in your shared room, Alastor wasn't the type to run away typically, even less the type to give up easily even to his beloved spouse,

unfortunately for him though,

The little game of yours had some rules, such as no leaving any marks on facial areas, No tearing off any chunks of flesh {Gonna love having a spouse with cannibalistic tendencies}, and No using any type of power the two of you had, which means good ol' Alastor couldn't use his funky lil' shadows

And that made him more vulnerable to his deranged spouse's tackling strategy.

"Alastor get out of the tree,"

"No."

You had no idea how you ended up chasing your spouse into a tree, you don't know how he even got INTO the tree, but he sat upon it kicking his legs back and forth like a gleeful child, staring down at you, for someone who's a deer he's oddly cat like,

You sighed turning around and walking away as your beloved laughed in taunting tone

"Running off so soon dearest? And here I thought you- aCK"

Alastor was cut off by you running back, hurling yourself off the ground and tackling him like a feral flying squirrel onto the ground.

Blinking away at the memory Alastor returned his focus to Angel dust's gobsmacked expression that turned into a grin as he laughed while Husk moved further into the bar shaking his head.

"I was jokin' around, but sounds like you and prancer actually got freaky!''

"Pardon me, we w̸̧̢͉̦̟̭̪͕̉͘ḩ̷̛̛̤̬͖̿͆̈́͘â̸͔͔̣̊̿ẗ̴̖̦̆̔͛̿̎̾̆̚͠?"

Thank you for tuning in folks! My apologies for the messy one shot, but I have a Vox x reader that's almost done that's more put together, and a more put together Alastor fic, Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful day!

[giamee]

𝐂𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐖!

╭─────────────────────── ( 🎐 )

even though you don't talk, they'll still find a way to listen

› 〉 📂 .ೃ | mute reader, jus some fluff really, bit on the short side

requested by @/anon

╰─➤ 💌 ₍₁₎ ok i should nawtttt have used this colour scheme im squinting like a rat at my screen tryna see what i'm saying. the title is 'cigarettes out the window' (shoutout tv girl) if u couldnt read it which i do not hold against u

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 GEPARD.

it's simply in his nature to look out for others, to ensure that everyone is alright. and when he meets you, he's thrown for a loop a little. because you are fine.

the first time he sees you is in serval's workshop- you're just leaving, and something compels him to make sure that he speaks to you, even if it's for a few fleeting moments before you leave and he most likely never sees you again.

it's a simple question of how your day is, but you simply offer him a small smile before ducking past him, scurrying out of the door that he held open.

he's puzzled at first- maybe it's something to do with him? did you not want to talk to him? but then his sister explains that you're mute, and now he feels like a fool.

and thus begins his attempts to talk to you.

he writes you little notes to begin with. luckily for him, you're a regular at serval's shop, always seemingly having some device or another broken and in need of repairing. serval rolls her eyes at the pair of you- at gepard for being an idiot (you can still hear, you don't need notes), and at you for your attempts to run into her brother as often as possible (those machines weren't really broken).

despite this, it was somewhat amusing to watch the pair of you attempt to flirt with each other. and somewhat cute when your attempts worked.

you kept each and every one of gepard's notes to you, as redundant as they were. his handwriting was a little scruffy, and if you looked at them hard enough you could spot the little tremors where he tried to make the lettering neat.

a special treat was when he decided to add little doodles to them. it was anyone's guess as to what they were supposed to be- you were pretty sure that one of them was supposed to be you- and your heart warmed amidst the chicken scratch and stick figures.

you decide to write your own note back to him. in the top right corner is a little sketch of him, on a similar level to his own creations, that you hope he'll appreciate alongside the note.

you give it to him along with your best smile, mentally capturing the look of joy on gepard's fave at your little gift to him. you were gone by then, shyness overtaking your urge to stay, so you could only imagined his face when he realised that what you had written to him was a formal request to take him out on a date.

ᯓ ᡣ𐭩 DAN HENG.

for dan heng to open up to someone new, several criteria have to be met.

for starters, he had to be at least a little bit comfortable around you. receptive, but not too probing or overbearing. rational, but not judgmental. open, but not too much.

in many ways, he was like a cat. you had to let him come to you.

and luckily for you, you seemed to fulfil those criteria.

as one of the newest additions to the astral express, you were in some sort of in-between phase of being one of them and a stranger. you communicated in your own ways, but you found yourself withdrawing to your room. it was overwhelming, this new environment.

it was only natural that you felt more drawn to dan heng more than anyone else. he had similar qualities to you- more introverted, tended to keep to himself. and, as you later found out, you both had a tendency to burn the midnight oil.

it became almost routine to run into him when you're both up late, wandering the astral express for some peace of mind. brief encounters with little nods sent your direction gradually evolved into longer moments spent basking in each other's presence, mostly in silence. but not always.

you both had your reasons to be up late- on the nights where dan heng looked more frazzled, a certain look in his eye, is when you began to piece him together.

he'd lend you some information of his own volition occasionally, telling you about the nightmare he had, recurring or not. there was just this certain quality to you, a look in your eye that made him feel like you truly did listen to him.

and he wouldn't trade your late-night rendevous for the world.

𝜗𝜚 honkai star rail masterlist

[mariacallous]

so every time I post about building of more housing through HUD or whatever, people will always pop into the tags or the notes and say something like "we don't need to build any more housing!" "there's more than enough houses for people!" etc from the left

and I have an idea what the issue is, ie there's enough housing collectively across all of America, but not enough where people actually live/want to live, what good does an empty house in Montana do someone paying too much in rent in NYC?

but you're a lot smarter than me, what are they talking about? are they right? is my guess correct?

Finding an affordable place to live in the U.S. can feel pretty impossible whether you're a renter or a buyer.

To begin with, there's a massive shortage of homes — somewhere between 4 and 7 million. And those who are able to find homes are spending a much bigger chunk of their paycheck than in recent years.

...

All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Alex Horowitz, the director of Pew's Housing Policy Initiative, to help understand why affordable housing feels like a pipe dream, and what can be done about it.

She began by asking about the shortage of 4 to 7 million homes in the U.S., and whether that was a shortage of all homes or affordable ones.

...

Alex Horowitz: We're short on all homes. Full stop. There just aren't enough of them. And that means that existing homes are getting bid up because we see high income households competing with low income households for the same residences since just not enough are getting built.

Mary Louise Kelly: And what's driving this? Why?

Horowitz: So restrictive zoning is the primary culprit. It's made it hard to build homes in the areas where there are jobs. And so that has created an immense housing shortage. And each home is getting bid up, whether it's a rental or whether it's a home to buy.

Kelly: I want to ask if there are any cities getting this right. Can you give me an example of one that has looked at it's zoning laws and said we could actually make this more affordable if we change things?

Horowitz: There are definitely cities that are getting this right. And we've seen a lot of changes in recent years to allow more homes, especially the kinds of homes that are in short supply, namely apartments, townhouses, duplexes and homes that don't cost as much as a detached single family house. Minneapolis is a great example. Minneapolis updated their zoning to make it much easier to build apartments near commerce and near transit, in part by eliminating parking minimums and also by making permitting easy. And it worked. They're producing housing at triple the rate of the U.S. and the rest of Minnesota, and that has meant that they've kept their rents flat for about seven years.

...

Kelly: Okay, so let's drill down first on the renters side of this. We heard from Natalie French, the renter who had to move out of her apartment when her rent went way up. How typical is that? Is that happening to people all over the country?

Horowitz: That is happening. And rents have been rising rapidly, up about 30% in the U.S. since 2017, with median rents now hitting about 1400 dollars a month. And we've never been at a time before where half of renters were spending 30% or more of income on rent. But that's happening for the first time.

Kelly: And then on the homebuying side, we hear a lot about mortgage rates. They keep climbing. They don't look like they're coming down anytime soon. Are there other factors that make this a tough time to buy?

Horowitz: A lack of starter homes is really keeping it difficult for first time homebuyers to crack the market. And that is because traditionally starter homes are small homes. That means a home on a small lot, maybe a townhouse. And we're seeing far fewer of those come onto the market. Many jurisdictions require large minimum lot sizes, and that means that land costs end up being a big part of the equation. Houston is the place that has had the most success in bringing starter homes into the market. And it was by reducing their minimum lot size. And then 80,000 townhouses followed.

Kelly: So does it boil down to the double whammy of: there aren't enough homes full stop, and even if there were a home, it's really hard to afford a mortgage in an era where mortgage rates are sky high.

Horowitz: Mortgage rates are a piece of the puzzle, but at a fundamental level, even when mortgage rates were low, it was hard to buy a home for the first time because there simply aren't enough of them. And a lot of the ones that we have are bigger than what people need. U.S. household size is at an all time low of 2.50 people per household. And so we see homes that are bigger than what a lot of residents are looking for.

Kelly: What about financing and lending? Setting aside what mortgage rates are, is it more difficult than in generations past just to get a loan to buy a house?

Horowitz: Oh, it's gotten much more difficult to get a mortgage. The availability of mortgage credit tightened dramatically during the Great Recession, and it never bounced back. So for someone who gets a mortgage today, they're likely to have a higher credit score than someone who's gotten a mortgage in the past. And that means simply fewer people are eligible for homes. And the cost to originate a mortgage has roughly tripled since 2009. And that has meant that lenders don't offer many small mortgages because they tend not to make money on them unless the mortgage is for over about $150,000.

[yerimbrit]

[flufftober day 11, wc: 1.4k] - murder mystery dinner : WWIB

“OH MY GOD!” someone screams, frozen in shock when the body turned over is revealed to be none other than y/n, the host of the whole dinner party. she’s unmoving, cold, and, wonyoung—or rather, the rising supermodel sarah coulter—gasps, “she’s been murdered!”

wait, wait, wait. let’s backtrack—how did we even end up in this situation? well, for starters, it’s basically halloween. maybe 20 days early, but regardless, basically halloween. and since y/n is such a genius (yes, clap all you want), she decided she wanted to host a dinner party involving everyone she talks to. which is a bit much for a dinner party, for someone who claims to not talk to too many people.

cryptic invitations were handed out mysteriously in a number of methods, including but not limited to: slipping it in the invitee’s locker, having a stranger pass it to the invitee, the invitee magically finding it in their pocket, and probably more—y/n doesn’t remember all that info. with the invitation were the details and an assigned role when scanning a qr code, along with a form where you would put your fake name to be addressed by. 

the location for the dinner party is a decently sized and lavishly-decorated party venue, with a small seating area near a bar top (serving non-alcoholic drinks, of course) and a short corridor leading to a locked dining room. guests arrived in their finest attire befitting of their assigned character, mingled for a bit wondering where y/n was, and when allowed in the mysterious locked area, were struck by horror to see the host herself on the floor and (supposedly) unconscious.

hyunseo makes brisk strides over to the body, her stethoscope shaking around her neck as she moves. as she kneels down on one knee, she presses two fingers against the pulse point on y/n’s neck and pats her face, sneakily glancing at a cue card she pulled out from her pocket a second ago. “blue around the mouth… and she’s super stuff-” she squints at the card, “stiff.” 

guests crowd and clamor around the physician, and she looks to them, “it could be poison, it also smells kind of fruity.”

minji side-eyes hanni who’s about to make some kind of joke, and it shuts her up. “but who could it be? it’s not like she poisoned herself.”

hanni raises her hand, suddenly poised and in character, “i, farandoliah von siegmeyer, have a statement to make.”

“okay, miss siegmeyer-”

“it’s farandoliah von siegmeyer, thank you, detective boonville!” she interrupts minji valiantly.

the detective replies curtly, “i am not calling you by your full legal name, miss siegmeyer. but do go on.”

everyone watches the heiress intently, curious to hear what she has to say in the midst of this tragedy; an alibi? or an accusation? “i saw eleonora and greg lingering over by the corridor,” hanni points to hyein and rei, or greg and eleonora respectively, whose faces twist into offense, “also, it wasn’t me because i was chatting up detective boonville at the bar.”

hyein adjusts her blazer which is sitting fashionably around her shoulders, her arms not in the sleeves. “this is extremely disrespectful, miss farandoliah von siegmeyer,” she spits out, “i’ll have you know i was just checking the venue out with eleonora.”

“i was only there for five minutes and left, greg was still there after i made a full lap though,” rei adds, taking her sunglasses off and folding them, tucking them into the breast pocket of her own blazer. the ceo turns to the bodyguard angrily, practically fuming. a cue card flies out of her hand and onto the floor, and everyone tries not to look at the fallen item.

“are you claiming that i murdered august!? believe me, i don’t even know why her face is blue, apparently because of poison, why would i murder august?” hyein defends herself, “if anything, miss madeline is suspicious because she kept glancing over; i could almost feel her gaze burning into my skin while i was over there.”

the guests’ attention shifts to jiwon, the librarian, who is wiping the lenses of her specs and then frowns. “i was staring because i saw lysithea going into the room.”

now they whip their heads to haerin, who furrows her brow. minji crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. “what were you doing inside the locked room?”

eunchae puts a hand into her pocket and checks a silver pocket watch which was awfully familiar to the observant eyes of danielle who then glares at her. “why do you have her watch? what would the bartender have to do with august’s watch?”

the bartender shrugs, “i took it when i saw her before you guys came in, looked expensive. hey yura, i heard you and lysithea are quite close to august, am i mistaken?”

danielle purses her lips, keeping mum about the situation. haerin looks back at minji, who has been keeping the journalist under her scrutiny. “i was having a conversation with august, and then i came back out. miss hunter,” her eyes flit to danielle briefly, “then approached me and we exchanged some… pleasantries, and she went into the room after me.”

the artist’s mouth opens and closes like a fish, unable to think of something to use as her alibi. she tries to pull her own cue card out, but something else falls from her paint-stained apron pocket, clattering to the floor. it’s a small bottle of a car maintenance product, labeled with a sticker. minji picks it up before she can, and widens her eyes, “miss hunter, what are you doing with antifreeze?”

“i,” danielle gulps, “i forgot to put it back after i used it on my car before i came here.”

wonyoung’s snooping around y/n’s body, feeling around her pockets and finding two pieces of paper. her touch makes the (well, supposed to be) dead body giggle and then stop abruptly.

(“wony-unnie, stop, i’m ticklish!” y/n whisper-shouts, not opening her eyes. wonyoung grins at her and sticks out her tongue.)

“there’s two letters on august!” the model stands up, brandishing the papers in her hand, “they seem to be from yura hunter and lysithea melbme.”

she hands them to minji, who opens one with skepticism. “my dear love august, it is a joy to attend this dinner party that you host. i’ve missed you dearly; we’ve both been so busy, our work leaves no time to go on those escapades we had back in college nowadays… i’d like to ask if you’d be up to coming with me after dinner, just the two of us. i still love you, and i’d hope you’d feel the same after we met again last weekend. sincerely, lysithea.”

danielle is biting her lip in anger and what seems to be betrayal and hurt. minji opens the other paper and clears her throat, “hey august, i know we just saw each other a few days ago but i missed you. i’ll keep it short, but do you want to hang out after this? i’ve got something really, really important to tell you. fancy me for a few, yeah? best, yura.”

“you’ve been seeing august?” haerin faces danielle, “i thought you were the one who dumped her all those years ago.”

“we made up,” danielle grits her teeth, “and i thought you haven’t seen each other in years. so that lipstick stain was yours on her collar, wasn’t it?”

“that’s beside my point. look, just because you’re jealous that she loves me and not you, doesn’t excuse the fact that you gave her antifreeze!? she’s dead, yura,” the journalist grabs the artist’s collar in rage, “dead! this goes beyond any revenge. what happened to moving on like a normal person, huh!?”

the artist looks away, ashamed, but quickly sneers at haerin, “so what if i did? i knew i wasn’t going to have august. but most of all, i didn’t want you to have her, not after you stole her away while we were on a break.”

haerin opens her mouth, only to be stopped by ‘august’ herself, who has sat up in concern. “congrats on solving the murder…? that escalated really quickly, what the heck.”

everyone’s characters break, and the chatter starts up again. haerin and danielle exchange a look that y/n can’t quite piece together, so she stands up and dusts off her legs and walks up to them. “it was fun watching you two fight over me, you know. also, if you guys could sit down for the actual dinner, that would be great.”

“we get to eat!?” hanni exclaims and gets a hand slapped over her mouth by minji, “ow! what was that for?”

there’s five on each side, with y/n at one end of the table. she holds a glass of apple cider up, smiling at the mess she orchestrated a couple of minutes ago. “to the murder of august walter!”

“you still have blue around your lips.”

“shut up, greg.”

flufftober masterlist!

a/n : THAT WAS NOT UNDER 1K IM SORRY but wasn't that so fun lol is this foreshadowing (it's not) (no clickbait)

[blackpilljesus]

As more women decide to not have children or reproduce, a popular talking point is that maIes will rape and kill us all for refusing them. For starters, this says it all about how everyone is fully aware of maIe evil & female oppression. If it was a tiny minority of maIes that are abusive as many pretend, then this wouldn't be the kneejerk response. The idea that maIes will protect us or not hurt us if we comply is a trap. They will hurt women & girls no matter what we do. This is said to shift the blame of their actions from them to women.

One crucial thing to understand is that maIes already mass rape and kill women & girls even when women partner + reproduce with them. Subconsciously we know this given the measures we take to navigate this world. Most times women are killed it's by maIes they know, in many cases it occurs when women want to leave or have left but it also occurs when women are in relationships because if maIes cant find a reason to hurt women they'll create one. They'll accuse women of cheating, bc food wasnt cooked properly, bc she got pregnant, etc. Speaking of which, murder is one of the leading causes of death for pregnant women & its typically done by their partner. MaIes rape women just after they've given birth. It can take months to years for womens bodies to heal but doctors say "6 weeks" as its unexpected that maIes will "wait" longer than that. So obeying doesnt stop maIe violence, it's just an excuse to justify their terrorism. There is no reforming the system nor is there getting by peacefully so long as we do what maIes want because their intention is destruction no matter what. MaIes lied & claimed women will be protected but it's slavery. MaIes dont protect women and neither does the system so dont buy their threat.

There are several cases where maIes have raped & killed women despite having a partner and children. Wayne couzens had a wife & kids yet still raped & killed Sarah Everard, lewis haines killed Lily Sullivan despite having a wife and child. The toybox killer, and ted bundy had partners yet they still raped & killed other women. Many maIes who rape prostituted women have wives & kids at home. This takes me to my next point: terrorists are never content. It doesnt matter how much you give bc all they want to do is take. They want to constantly reaffirm their beliefs, security, and entitlement to the world so they'll keep causing havoc no matter how much you obey. There's a reason why developed nations do not pay ransoms nor do they negotiate with terrorists in many cases because when you give into these peoples demands they do not go away. It may keep them at bay for a bit but they will only return with bigger demands and will be willing to cause more harm and damage. The same thing applies to maIes & their terrorism. Giving in wont stop their violence or change them. At first short term they're kept at bay (if theres other women they abuse in their vicinity) but long term it wont work. Women have loved, served, fucked, provided labour, reproduced with, and birthed maIes for millenias. Women have given everything to maIes and what did they get in return? More violence, more demands, more destruction we're all familiar with this. No amount of submission has changed maIes for the better.

What's actually dangerous is women trusting + living around maIes, we're expected to just rely on how they wont hurt women but believe me maIes gain a power trip from the strength differences between the sexes. Even if they dont actively hurt women, the threat lingering in the air alone is a power they enjoy. So dont be paralysed with fear or think our refusal to interact with maIes is a cause for their violence. I wont deny that it's scary but this isn't just about us. It's about the future, the world our offspring are coming to. Assuming maIes get everything they want, it'll never be enough they'll keep plundering for more so at some point we need to put our foot down regardless of the cost.

I want to conclude this by recommending reading this post. The key point is

Opting out is for the select few who want to do nothing with heterosexual nonsense even if the price of doing so is death because partaking in their drivel is death, physical and spiritual, and if they really did care about distancing themselves from it all that much they would know that death is the least you will be willing to put up with.

I've noticed that most women who bring up the possibility of maIe retaliation are still seeking relationships with maIes in their lives so this seems more like another excuse in the end. The concern for maIe retaliation is real, especially among newer separatists, 4B, wgtow etc but the seasoned ones realise it doesnt matter and if deəth is what it takes to not be associated with maIes and their systems then so be it. Hell even the average woman would take another option or death if they were pre-faced with a situation where they have to be around maIes but there's no other woman to occupy them. You might wonder what the point is as the outlook is bleak; which is what the final part of this series of posts regarding the popularity of single childfree women is about - legacy & steering life with purpose.

Part 1

Part 2

This post is part 3.

[crushedsweets]

Does Tim hate Toby?

nope! but honestly i cannot blame him even if he did.

for starters, toby has been incredibly sadistic to victims even when he's not fully under O/S influence. he's been cruel for the sake of cruelty, and while tim is by no means innocent, he has rarely hurt people just because he can. toby gets a lot of satisfaction and has huge power trips when he kills, and while he eventually works through it or whatever, it's hard for tim to get past that.

additionally, tobys generally a dick. he purposefully argues with tim about EVERYTHING. tim could so much as ask where toby's going, and toby gets pissy about 'why the fuck are you asking youre not my fucking dad fucking weirdo' . toby initiates most of their fights at the start, both verbal and physical. for a while, tim would never lay his hands on toby first. eventually he'd start shoving toby back before toby has a chance to swing. but he still wouldn't hurt toby unprovoked

toby is quite literally the issue. like he's completely the problem. but toby gets over shit pretty quickly, he'll be petty and hold a grudge but eventually move on and be cordial. meanwhile tim lets single interactions and first impressions really shape his entire view of a person and relationship. thats why its hard for him to start hating brian even after all the shit brians done TO him, and why its hard for him to start liking kate/toby after all the shit they've done FOR him. tobys a persistent asshole, tims a stubborn asshole. bad mix..

but again, he doesnt want the worst for toby. he knows toby was just some kid who went through hell and back, and he wasnt always this way, and he was a victim of O/S too. he brings toby groceries, he got toby a job at the farm, he's kept Toby grounded when necessary, he's given toby advice, taught him how to drive. he's taken care of toby like a guardian would. but his temper with toby is so short

[jamiewintons]

All in a Day’s Work (Felix Fickelgruber/F!Reader)

Summary: Being Mr. Fickelgruber’s personal assistant involves a lot of duties that one might not expect, but you’re willing to go that extra mile.

Tags/Warnings: Smut (18+ ONLY!), Oral Sex (M!Receiving), Desk Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Implied Exhibitionism, Unprofessional Behaviour, Boss/Employee, A little bit of degradation, softness towards the end.

A/N: Hope you enjoy 😘 The idea of Fickelgruber asking you whether you prefer the taste of chocolate or something else (😉) was inspired by @reluctantjoe

Word Count: 1922

Fickelgruber Tag List: I don't have one yet!! Send me an ask (off-anon or with the blog you want me to tag noted in the ask) and I'll make sure to tag you anytime I write stuff for him ❤️

~~~

Things like this certainly hadn’t been in your job description, but at this point, you weren’t really complaining. For starters, the pay was amazing, and Mr. Fickelgruber gave you all kinds of perks when you did a good job. He wasn’t the most generous man you’d ever met, but he always appreciated your hard work.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice strained as he tangled his fingers in your hair. You moaned softly at the praise, and the vibrations sent bolts of pleasure through his entire body. That made him moan too, and tug gently on your hair.

Your knees were beginning to ache where you were kneeling, but honestly, you didn’t mind too much. You were far too focused on the task Mr. Fickelgruber had assigned to you to think about the pain, because you were nothing if not efficient.

Your tongue swirled gracefully around his shaft as you took him deeper into your mouth, the movement making Fickelgruber’s hips buck upwards slightly. It almost made you gag, but you were used to it - you’d been his personal assistant for nearly two years, and you’d been fulfilling his… non-professional needs for just under half that time.

And because of that, you could read him and his reactions quite well. You could tell from the sound of his breathing and the way his fingers were rubbing against your scalp that he was getting close. Any moment now he would either cum down your throat or pull out of your mouth - sometimes he’d cum on your face, while at other times he’d want to fuck you properly (and that’s how you knew when you’d done a particularly good job).

Then, like clockwork, he used his grip on your hair to pull you off of him. He hadn’t cum yet, so you knew that meant your work was far from finished. His free hand grabbed for the box of chocolates that he always kept in his desk drawer for these exact occasions. Your mouth was still open, and Fickelgruber placed the little treat on your tongue once he’d removed it from its wrapping.

"There you go, my dear," he said in a tone that was almost affectionate, but it was offset by the nearly painful grip he still had on your hair. The chocolate was absolutely delicious, and you couldn’t help but close your eyes and moan while you savoured the taste. This made him smirk, a quiet, dark chuckle escaping him. "Tell me, which do you enjoy more? The taste of my cock, or chocolate?"

Once you’d swallowed the chocolate, you spoke. "I can’t decide, sir," you said softly, staring up at him with your eyes wide. "I like both too much. I don’t think I could pick one over the other."

"Well, I suppose that’s an adequate answer." Fickelgruber smirked, finally letting go of your hair. Whether it was his cock or his chocolate that you were tasting, it was all him, wasn’t it? He pulled his chair back slightly so that you could stand up, and once you had, he reached out to idly play with the hem of your skirt. "Now, you know what to do, my dear." He held his finger up and twirled it around - a silent order for you to turn around.

You did so, and anticipating what he would ask next, you bent forward over his desk. Your skirt - which was scandalously short by professional standards, though Mr. Fickelgruber had called it your 'special uniform' - rode up so that Fickelgruber could get a glimpse of your panties beneath.

Fickelgruber snickered. "Oh, I am so glad to have an assistant that takes the initiative." His hand trailed up the back of your thigh until he reached your skirt, which he then pushed up. Now that he had a proper view of your undergarments, he let his finger brush over the wet spot that had formed there. "So wet already, dear, and I haven’t even touched you yet," he told you in a teasing voice. "You really must love having my cock in your mouth."

"Yes, sir," you moaned, trying to push your hips back against his finger in an attempt to get some more friction. In response, Fickelgruber laughed softly and gently swatted you on the backside. You whimpered slightly at the sting, and immediately ceased your movements. "Sorry, sir."

His fingers found the waistband of your panties, and he slowly began to pull them down your thighs, savouring the sight of you bent over for him. Fickelgruber loved how obedient you were, how needy you always were for him. But most of all, he loved that you were all his, and that he was the only man who had the pleasure of having you like this.

You heard Fickelgruber stand up from his chair, and then you felt his warm fingers teasing your pussy, moving from your clit down to your entrance and then back again. It took all of your willpower to not squirm. His finger dipped into your wetness for a moment, before he pulled it back out. He leaned over you to whisper into your ear. "I think you’re more than ready. Isn’t that right, my dear?"

"Mmm, yes, sir… please…" You nodded frantically, bracing yourself for him to finally enter you. He stood back up straight behind you, and you felt his cock against your entrance. He didn’t push inside right away, however - instead taking a few moments to tease you. You didn't complain, because you knew that it would be more than worth the wait.

You let out an almost pathetic whimper - which you tried to cover up by clapping your hand over your mouth, but you weren't quick enough - when you felt him sink inside of you. Though you couldn't see, he smirked at the noise, and placed his hands on your hips.

Fickelgruber let out a deep sigh, giving the both of you just a few seconds to adjust before he began to move. He moved slowly but deep and hard, making sure you felt absolutely everything with each thrust he made inside of you. You were sure that your brain had switched off already, resting your cheek against the surface of the desk beneath you. If you weren’t careful, you’d probably end up drooling. It wouldn’t be the first time.

You didn’t even realise how much noise you were making, but your curses and pleas of "sir" and "Mr. Fickelgruber" were echoing throughout the large room. Fickelgruber loved it - the idea that he could turn such an intelligent and hard-working woman into an absolute mess who could think of nothing but him and what he was doing to you. He valued the power he had over you more than anything else, though he’d probably never admit such a thing out loud.

When he pulled out suddenly, you whined in annoyance, but Fickelgruber simply tutted before flipping you over so you were laying on your back. Before you could even open your mouth to say anything - if you were even capable at this point - he’d already grabbed onto your thighs and thrust himself deep inside you once again.

"You’re being so noisy, my dear," Fickelgruber said with a somewhat mocking tone, leaning down over you so that he could whisper in your ear as he sped up the pace of his hips. Then, he brought his mouth to your neck so that he could suck bruises into the sensitive skin, which you’d have a lot of fun trying to cover up so none of your coworkers saw it. Of course, this did nothing to keep you quiet, only making your moans louder, but that was exactly what he wanted. "If you’re not careful, someone might hear you, and come in here to check what’s going on. Is that what you want, hmm? For everyone to see what a little slut you are for me?"

Having locked the door yourself before you went down on him, you knew that there was no chance of someone walking in and seeing what was happening. But the thought of it alone, combined with the way Fickelgruber was whispering in your ear, made your pussy clench around his cock. He laughed, loving how easy it was to affect you, but it quickly turned into a moan.

"Oh, you like that idea, do you? I suppose you’re even more naughty than I thought." Fickelgruber’s words were scolding, but you knew very well how much he loved having you like this. "That’s what you want, is it? For people to see you getting fucked over my desk like a whore? Maybe next time I’ll take you up against the window, and let everyone on the street below see that you belong to me."

That was it. That was what pushed you over the edge. The combination of possessiveness and degradation that made your head spin. You let out a loud sob as your climax hit you, writhing helplessly beneath him as he continued fucking you through it. Fickelgruber shifted so that he could kiss your lips to quiet you down a little - you really were getting loud enough that it might draw attention now, and he liked keeping you as his little secret. For now at least.

Eventually, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer - not with how your warm, wet walls were squeezing him for dear life - and he came as well, buried as deep inside you as possible while his warmth flooded you. He moaned against your lips, and the way your name sounded when he uttered it in such ecstasy made you feel like you could finish again. But thankfully, you didn’t, which was probably a positive since you were already exhausted after one orgasm.

"Good girl," Fickelgruber mumbled breathlessly, pressing kisses against your neck and jawline as both of you slowly recovered from your highs, and there seemed to be a genuine softness in the way he spoke to you that hadn’t been present the first time you’d done this. Now that you thought about it, it almost seemed as if he’d become more and more fond of you each time you had sex, and he’d certainly become more possessive as of late. Almost as if he actually had feelings for you. Maybe. Your stomach fluttered at the possibility.

He gave you one last kiss on the lips as he slowly pulled his softening cock out of you, gazing approvingly at the sight of some of his cum leaking from your pussy. Fickelgruber quickly pulled your panties back up for you, keeping any more of it from dripping out. That was quite the contrast to your first tryst also - he’d been somewhat dismissive then, and this was the first time he’d ever helped you redress, even if it was just helping you put your underwear back on.

"I suppose we had better get back to work, hadn’t we, dear?" Fickelgruber told you with a smile as he fixed his trousers and rebuckled his belt, before sitting down in his chair once again. With shaking legs, you stood up from his desk, intending to walk back to your own workstation, but he grabbed you by the wrist to stop you before you could get too far. Then, he gave you another quick kiss before letting you go.

It’s safe to say that you found it difficult to concentrate on your work after that, but you powered through, as you always did. Fickelgruber was glad that he'd hired you, for oh so many reasons.

[mccn-bcys]

JUST A TOUCH OF YOUR HAND pt. 3

pairing: moonboys x fem!reader

summary: jake finally makes his debut to ask the reader a question the boys have been dying to ask. reader gives her answer and jake is just a cutie.

warning: jake (he's a warning, yes), just some nice fluff for ya.

authors note: okay ik a lot of you have been wanting this chapter for a long time (sorry about the long wait, I had a lot going on the past couple of months). this chapter isn't as long as the others but it just felt right to have this one be short and sweet. the next chapter, maybe we'll see some more of marc 😏🤭

word count: 1,028

and then there was jake. it was funny actually. he'd been dreaming of meeting his soulmate since he had gotten the stain. and he had so badly wanted to meet you when you first brushed against their hand on the sidewalk that day.

god how he wanted to meet you. and yet he couldn't make himself front. even when steven or marc would hand it over to him, especially when you'd plan days to meet and spend with him, he just couldn't front.

none of them understood it. it's like he'd freeze up. it was eating him up. he was pretty sure he was in love with you – actually he was positive he was in love with you. and he'd never even actually met you!

you, being the amazing person you were, were so patient with him. whenever you'd see the boys on the days you were going to meet jake, and find out he wasn't fronting, you'd have marc or steven tell him you didn't mind waiting.

"you boys are all worth waiting for," you'd say, making them melt.

and jake would try more to front around you and it just wouldn't happen. he couldn't figure out why. although on a deeper level, he knew why.

he supposed he wasn't much different than marc. as much of a hopeless romantic as he was, he also knew his reputation. it was said reputation that caused him to romanticize the thought of a soulmate. he never really thought himself capable of being loved. if marc thought his hands were stained with blood, jake was swimming in it.

if he was realistic, he couldn't imagine why you would love him. he was ruthless, he could be cold, he had a tendency to shut people out if they got too close.

But he wanted you to get too close. He wanted to able to talk to you, learn about you and not through the other two. He wanted to hold you and comfort you, and be held and be comforted by you.

but like marc, he'd been scared. scared you'd run for it, if you knew him. everyone else did.

and yet here you were: sitting across the table, smiling so wide, eyes so patient, like he's your favorite person in the world. if you kept going, he's sure he would probably cry.

"jake?" you called cautiously, breaking him from his thoughts. his eyes snap to yours, smiling at you. he thinks: 'they're right...the way she says our names is addicting.'

"sí, amor?" he answers softly, but you seem to brighten up even more.

"yes," you simply said.

his eyebrows furrow. had he asked a question?

yes, you did, you bloody idiot!

holy shit...she actually said yes...

"yes?" he repeated, since his alters weren't helping him at all.

you laughed at that, at him seemingly forgetting his own question. he loved that sound.

"you asked me to move in," you reminded him patiently.

"and you said yes?"

"I did."

"but you don't know me," he tries to reason, because how on earth would you have agreed to move in with the mess of these three men?

"I know that i love marc and steven, and if I love them, i already love you too," were you trying to kill him?

"why?"

that threw you for a loop. you hadn't been expecting it. why did you love this man you've never actually met?

"well...for starters, we're soulmates-"

"that doesn't mean that I'm not a terrible person." steven had warned you of this. that he might try to talk of himself like this.

"but you're not-"

"you don't know that."

"except that I do."

"how could you possibly know that?"

"because I just do-"

"amor, that's not an answ-"

"I know because you're a weirdo who wears gloves while he drives a limo. You send a bouquet of my favorite flowers every time you can't front when we planned. I know because I can feel you follow me home every night after work when you're patrolling, making sure I get home safe. I know because marc's told me that you can't pass a cat without petting it. I know because I *know.* You're a *good man,* jake," you say, looking at him completely serious.

and for the first time in a long time, every voice in his head is silent. they're at a loss for words. there's this strange feeling in jake's heart and he's never felt it before.

what is that, he thinks.

that's love, jake.

it feels like a heart attack.

yeah...it's great, innit?

you watch him closely while he's silent, watching to see if you've overstepped somehow. to try and see what he's feeling. amd when he stands, you're worried he's leaving. that he's going to change his mind about wanting you to move in.

but he quickly crosses over to you and he cups your face, gentle as he is urgent, and leans down and kisses you, deeply, passionately. and for a moment, you're confused. but you quickly kiss him back, matching his energy, his passion. after a moment, he pulls away, both of you panting lightly, breathless from the kiss. he presses his forehead to yours, looking into your eyes so intensely you swear he can see your soul.

"te amo jodidamente mucho," he says, voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you too," you say back softly, meaning every word.

jake has feel that twist in his heart again, but he knows what it is now. it's love. and it's strange and foreign but...he thinks he likes it. he feels like he's never smiled so wide in his life. he presses one more soft kiss to your lips before moving back to his seat at the table.

"so...tell me about these gloves you bought me," he grins.

and you start talking about them, explaining every detail about them and why you thought he'd like them. he swears he's never smiled so dopey in his life, talking to you about anything and everything you wanted to talk about. he'd finally fronted and he'll be damned if he doesn't take advantage of every single second he gets with you.

______________________________________________________________

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[novelizt]

THE CAUTIOUS TALE OF LIVING WITH ONE: ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

GENRE ➺ fluff with angst. strangers to housemates to lovers.

WC ➺ 6.9k

SYNOPSIS ➺ and they were roommates (kind of)

WARNING ➺ brief mention of poisonous candles + food delivery service (if that diverges from canon), and also mentions of skincare (if you're not into that)

DISCLAIMER ➺ fem! reader; fashion designer! reader; and i have magically added another room on the second floor. your room is across from lockwood's; you're welcome. reader is also implied to be short. lockwood calls reader 'love' but they're in denial.

NOTE ➺ is it obvious that i'm in love with him? i am obsessed with lockwood x designer!reader lately. like, imagine lockwood being her muse and arm candy to fashion shows?? him being styled by her before hunting ghosts so he's ready for interviews after?? power couple, i love them. i hope you love them too.

It was one thing having a meet-cute with a pretty boy you met at a corner store, it was another to find out that he was going to be your landlord.

For starters, it wasn't very cute after the whole 'fantasizing over the possibilities' bit.

Sure, Lockwood sometimes leaves his door open; giving you a clear view of him loosening his tie and then shrugging off his shirt, but that image would often be tarnished by George walking out of his own room without trousers on. At that point, all you could think about was seeing two boys—in varying levels of half-nakedness—and how disturbed you are instead of turned on.

When you lounged about while they were on a case, you'd find articles of clothing strewn all over the place. Some of them even corroded by plasma — gross. You had the courtesy of sorting them out and even cleaning up, but you learned to be cautious of their buddy, Skull (who was best friends with Lucy, apparently), and the newspaper clippings that often narrated gruesome details you wished you could unsee.

Lastly, the fact that you lived in the same house but lived in different worlds. You were up during the day while he was up at night. All three members of Lockwood & Co. had to bear with you because your portion of rent was enough to stabilize their financial situation. Occasionally, you wondered if things would be different if you were talented—if you had the ability to go on their excursions with them; but you'd shoot down those thoughts and convince yourself to sleep instead.

The longing to be part of his world only grew stronger the longer you stayed in the room across his. The halls were ornamented with pictures of Lockwood & Co. Usually Lockwood, since he was the spearhead. With very new headline cut out from the gazette, you imagined being part of their close-knit group. From the outside looking in, they were family. Not by blood but by choice. If you were being honest to yourself, you'd admit that you were jealous, but you believed you had no right to be.

You were studying fashion, like you had always dreamed of. You had a cozy little room in a homely house. Your doubtful parents weren't around to poison your passion... but you missed being one part of a whole. You missed having people to rely on; people to gush to when your teacher said something particularly flattering; people to rush home to after a hard day when all you wanted to do was cry. But you settled for the comfortable silence between the four of you on the rare mornings you were all up at the same hour.

That morning, specifically, you kept your head down as you scuttled behind George's chair, trying to seem inconspicuous about the redness under your eyes. About to ask for some tea, you saved your breath when George pointed to the pot; your favorite brew already steaming inside.

"Thanks," you quipped, grateful to simply have to pour and sip to be engulfed by the comforting warmth of your favorite beverage.

"How was your sleep?" Lockwood asked. His voice was accompanied by the flippant noise of a newspaper being turned. That usually meant everyone was in high spirits and looking out for a new article about their great service.

"Good," you replied. "How was your case?"

Lucy glowed above her plate of waffles. "Amazing—"

"Extraordinary," George said, surprisingly more excited then Lucy.

Their enthusiasm wrapped around you and pulled you into their world for a moment. You smiled and sipped your drink. "You two sound happy. What happened?"

Lockwood looked up from his newspaper as George began to recount the tale. "Lucy kept hearing matches being struck, none of us understood why."

Lucy sat up a little straighter. "Then George found an old candle stump that had been left there. He said it smelled weird—"

"And I recognized the smell of green corn," Lockwood chipped in.

George leaned into his seat, flabbergasted at what that had just accomplished. "The bloke realized it was phosgene! How could you even know that?"

"Because I have plenty of books to read, Georgie," Lockwood said, feigning humility. He finally turned his eyes on you, looking like a kid on Christmas eve. "The candles had been infused with a poisonous substance. Whenever they were lit, the smoke would slowly poison the people who had the misfortune of breathing it in. We would have never figured it out if I didn't know that tidbit of information."

"Amazing," you gasped in true wonder.

Their line of work was risky but these three never ceased to surprise you with their brilliant feats, no matter which day of the week it was.

"Amazing, indeed," Lucy agreed.

Seems that Lucy and George were so overjoyed by their tryst that they either didn't notice or didn't mind that Lockwood had gotten a second biscuit from right under their noses. He held a finger to his lips and you mimed that your lips were zipped. He graced you with your favorite smile and you leaned against the counter to keep yourself upright.

"Oh, I feel hungry for jam," George said out of the blue. He turned in his chair and pointed to the shelf above you. "It's all the way up there. Mind getting it for me, dear housemate?"

"I don't mind at all, housemate," you replied with cheer. You turned to see just how far up he placed it, only to pale. He had stored it on the tallest shelf. It was so high up that you felt like the jar was running away from you.

"So that's where you put it!" Lucy shrieked, outraged. "It was no wonder I couldn't find it! You evil, evil man, George Karim."

"It was for the good of the house," George said discourteously.

"The good of the house my arse—"

Lockwood called your name abruptly. He said your name so carefully, you had a hunch that he was reading your mind. Your eyes snapped to him to find that he was already behind you. Your back virtually pressed to his chest; and man, was he warm. "Let me," he said. It might have just been you, but it sounded like he had spoken in cursive. You were in your head when he placed a gentle hand on your hip. His touch light and now seared into your memory.

"You cried. Did anyone hurt you?" he whispered. It was a struggle to keep yourself still.

"No. Just a rough day," you admitted, hoping your misery didn't blend into your tone.

"Oh," he rasped. "I hope you feel better now, love."

You tried to keep your voice stable. "I do. Thanks."

As quick as he had come, he was gone; delivering the jar to the thinking cloth and resuming his seat. You wonder how could he be so casual when your insides had forgotten how to function. After a moment of (hopefully) covert gaping, you willed your breathing to even and gulped down the rest of your tea.

—

No one knew how it happened. One day, Lockwood's dresser was bee-free; the next, it wasn't.

Apparently, Lockwood had left his window open all night and the bees got excited over the lemongrass essential oil in his drawer.

"Why do you even have lemongrass essential oil in your room?" George asked, ticked off.

Lockwood looked affronted by the question. "Do none of you have methods to relax yourselves?"

Regardless of his answer, you would all have to wait 'til morning to call a bee-keeper to safely take the bees out. For now, Lockwood had been buzzed out of his own room.

Lucy hobbled up to her room and locked the door when George brought up the question about where Lockwood would stay for the night. With a glance, George understood that Lockwood would not go into his room even if he was invited. George retired to his own quarters.

That left you and Lockwood to idle by the stairwell. You didn't know air could feel so thick 'til then.

"Well," Lockwood started, suddenly interested in the carpet. "I might just stay downstairs. He couches are lengthy enough."

The image of the boss of the house, your landlord and friend, retiring pitifully to the aged and sunken sofas was just sad. Pathetic, really.

You shook your head. "Stay in my room. I have a project I'm working on anyway. I won't be sleeping much."

"I couldn't possibly—"

You cut his niceties short. "You have a case to tackle tomorrow, if I recall correctly, and it's reportedly a type two. It won't sit right with me if you don't get ample rest for it. Lucy and George depend on you."

"I guess so," he conceded, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

The short journey to your room was the most shy you'd ever seen Lockwood. He was hunched into himself when he passed your door, welcomed into your corner of the world.

He had only seen glimpses of your abode. That was when you left your door ajar. Seeing it in full felt like a warm hug. The room felt so... you; from the disarray of your weighed blanket to the swaths of fabric laid across your worktable. Despite never having been in here after you moved in, he felt right at home. (Which he was, but it felt different somehow. He couldn't explain it even if you asked him.) The color returned to his face, accompanied by a sheepish smile.

"Make yourself comfortable," you said, pointing to your bed.

You gave him a feeble smile. He returned it with doubled enthusiasm before you dropped into your favorite chair and pulled what looked like the beginnings of a fabulous coat to your sewing machine.

He had settled into your sheets with ease, burying himself in your blanket that immediately drowned him with the smell of you. If he had to die, he'd like to die like this. But also, he'd like not to die because watching you from where he was felt so nice. It felt normal, and the easiness of all of this made him too giddy to rest.

The lights were dimmed and he found that you had a specific light angled at your worktable so you wouldn't disturb him.

He hid a smile under your blanket.

Even when drowse began to creep up on him, he peeled his eyes open to watch your hands work the fabric with the gentleness one would have with a baby. Your love in your work was evident in the way your eyes didn't stray and the way you continued despite the little pricks you'd get while pinning the fabric down.

Lockwood found ghost-hunting cool. He would spend all day watching a fencing match, but he could spend his whole life watching you and your love for your craft. That was the first time he had seen you work and he wished he had been more curious to see it sooner.

He fell asleep to the image of you taking a break and blessing him with a tender smile. He wasn't sure if that part was a dream.

—

George had made the earliest call to have the bees dealt with. Lockwood was relieved and disappointed at the same time. He was glad to have his room back but he'd also like to have an excuse to stay in yours. The rest of the house assumed that he was moody all morning because of the hive, so you took it upon yourself to lighten his mood.

In the middle of breakfast, you had excused yourself. He stared at your back, wondering what could possibly be so important that you skip out on the rare occasion of cake-for-breakfast. His queries came to a halt when you returned with an article of clothing folded between your arms.

It was the same color of the fabric he'd seen you putting together the last night, so it must have been what you were working on. You had finished it quickly. Judging by the smile on your face, you were happy about it, too.

"Ta-da," you sang, unraveling the piece and brandishing it in all its glory.

The outside was slate black serge fabric and the inside was lined with maroon silk or velvet. Whatever it was, it made the ensemble look especially lavish.

The surprise didn't end there. You swayed the lush coat in Lockwood's direction, smile growing as his shock did.

"For me?"

"For you," you confirm.

He takes the coat into his hands, marveling at the feel of it and reeling at the fact that he had watched you make this.

You all watched as a smile formed on his face. His eyes bright when they landed on you. "You're magic, you know that?"

Your cheeks warmed. You offered a modest laugh. "I saw yours covered in plasma burns. I thought you'd prefer a new one."

"I'll treasure this forever," the way he handled it with careful mindfulness proved it. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. It's the least I can do."

For a moment, you two smile at each other; feeling the words that neither of you were confident to say yet. It was lovely, and something you would definitely be remembering while you screamed into your pillow and kicked your feet at the end of the day.

George's voice brought you back to reality. "Hey, where's our coats?"

Lucy nodded in the midst of chomping down on a biscuit.

"In progress, don't worry," you assured smilingly.

Watching all three of his favorite people smile at each other made Lockwood falter. Well, George was trying to hide his behind his morning paper but they all knew he was smiling. Lockwood couldn't help his smile from growing, too.

—

Lockwood did his best to keep the coat pristine, he really did. He was conflicted between wearing it out or keeping it stored in his armoire. If he wore it, it would get ruined by the ghosts he was inevitably going to face. If he didn't, you would think he didn't appreciate it. There was no lesser evil, both would be equally anguishing.

Inevitably, you asked if he'd tried the coat yet, he had to wear it and show you how much he appreciated it. Later that day, he was harrowed by a single hole that singed straight through the tail of it.

"It isn't that bad, really," Lucy tried to say placatingly. Lockwood simply sunk into himself more.

"It's my favorite coat," he agonized.

"Roommate number three can always make you a new one," George said reasonably. "I mean, she does it for a living."

"Yeah!" Lucy said, trying to bring Lockwood's soul back. "I mean, look at that!"

When he looked up, he didn't know what was worse. The hole in his favorite coat or the boy you had given a wrapped box to. At his front door even.

You waved the boy away with a smile fit for a queen then turned to Lockwood & Co. the moment they entered your periphery. Your smile was warmer for them, but Lockwood was too wrapped up to notice.

He brushed passed you with an uncharacteristically calculated "hello."

"He's in a sour mood," Lucy explained, surrendering her rapier to the umbrella stand.

"He ruined his favorite coat," George said in his horrible impression of Lockwood.

You chuckled and glanced to the stairwell, just missing Lockwood's coat tail before he disappeared into the second floor.

—

"I have something to discuss with you," was Lockwood's way of announcing himself into your room.

You spun in your chair, giving him your undivided attention. It was a miracle that he didn't buckle under your gaze. "Which is?"

"I..." He hesitated for a moment but steeled himself as he recalled the boy and the way you smiled at him. "You didn't tell me you invite your customers into our house."

"Customer?" You tilt your head. He could almost believe you were innocent.

"Yes. That boy today—"

Realization shined in your eyes. Your light laugh cutting through his sermon. "That boy wasn't a customer, Lockwood."

"Oh, really?" He quized. He placed his fists on his hips, looking more like a disgruntled mother than an intimidating agent. "Then why did he have a box, with a ribbon?"

You stood, placing your steady hands on his shoulders. He tried not to hold his breath but he had audibly gasped. If you heard it, you showed no signs of it. "Anthony Lockwood, I would tell you if I was doing business in your house—"

"*Our* house. You live here, too."

"Fine," you relented. "our house, but that boy was my cousin. He asked me if the gift he got for his girlfriend was nice enough. He needed a woman's opinion and he got it."

The information turned in his mind. When it had clicked, his expression faltered. "Oh."

"Yes," you chuckled. "Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be," you reassured. "I wouldn't play with your trust like that. Besides, I wouldn't dare do business here. I have my own boutique now."

"You do?" You were surprised that he looked more excited than you.

"I do," you confirmed with a smile. "So, you won't have to put up with me for much longer."

"What?" His smile dropped. It made your smile falter.

The tides had turned. He placed his hands on your shoulders and looked at you with the intensity he had reserved for the down-turned photographs in the house. His eyes begged for an answer and you gave it to him: "I'm... not going to be staying here much longer."

"Why?" He was demanding instead of asking.

You assumed it was because your monthly pay was important for him to keep Lockwood & Co. in business. You gave him a humble smile but he was hurt by it. "Don't worry, I'll still provide my share of rent so you can keep Portland Row afloat. I can help more when my business takes off. This place is worth saving. I'll just be living somewhere else."

His grip on your shoulders tightened. "But why?"

The laugh you gave him was humorless. "What do you mean 'why'? I'm not really an agent, Lockwood. I'm a tailor. You don't need me here."

"Yes, I do," he confessed. He realized what he had said, processed your shining eyes, and froze. "I mean— we all need you. The coat you made me is one of a kind."

You deflated. "Ah... Well, I can be Lockwood & Co.'s personal tailor . . . from a distance."

No, he wanted to scream, but he had run his mouth when he hadn't intended to. He didn't trust himself to speak again, opting to nod instead. You took it as an acceptance and stuck your breaking heart to it.

"From a distance..." he whispered. He didn't want to believe it. Envisioning your room emtpy was like living in a world you didn't exist in. It was a nightmare.

—

"I hear rent is costly in that part of town, perhaps you should stay here."

Lockwood was as subtle as a gun. He dropped that statement on you as you folded up your first box. You blinked at him until you registerered what he said.

"I can handle it."

"No. I insist you stay here," he continued. "As a friend—" he tried not to wince. "—it would weigh on my conscience to let a friend spend so much more on rent when it's perfectly comfortable here, in Portland Row — no where else."

He heard George mutter, "very suave, Lockwood," behind him. Lockwood chose to ignore it.

Your brows furrowed. To his relief, you took your hands away from the box. To his horror you took an armful of clothes out of your cabinet.

"Where is this coming from, Lockwood?"

"Nowhere!"

You didn't seem convinced. His anxiety only built as you packed more clothes into the box.

"You're doing this because you're worried?" you asked like you had an inkling of why he was really badgering you. He hoped you didn't.

It's not exactly the tune he was playing but he goes along with it. "Exactly. I don't know what kind of person you'd be rooming with, you know. They could be dangerous."

You contemplated it. You didn't say a thing for a long while and Lockwood was on the verge of breaking down when you had spun to face him, finally abandoning the box.

"Come with me then."

His blood stopped running for a second. "Come again?"

You rolled your eyes and Lockwood knew he's in way too deep because he thought you look pretty doing something as simple as that.

"Stay the night with me one time, so you know I'm safe." You stared at him, waiting for an answer.

He didn't know what to think. When you say it like that, he felt like he wouldn't be able to talk you out of it. You leaving felt more real then, and he was terrified of it.

"Oh . . . Okay."

"Okay," you repeated, giving him a smile.

He tried to return it but it lacked conviction. He couldn't feel his face when dread was nagging at him.

—

Your not-yet new place wasn't Portland Row. Perhaps that was enough reason to dislike it, or maybe it was the fact that this place was taking you away from home.

No, it was definitively he guy who emerged from the third door in the flat. The other two doors were your soon-to-be room and the shared bathroom.

Lockwood shared a bathroom with George, so, it was serious when he got the feeling that sharing a bathroom with Guy was worse.

Guy introduced himself as Leo. You greeted him with a pleasant smile but all Lockwood could think of was that Leo wasn't a name, it was a star sign.

"You'll be staying the night then?" Leo inquired. He wasn't doing anything malicious yet Lockwood felt the urge to size him up. Lockwood was tall on his own, he was intimidating when he wanted to be. Leo wasn't sure what to do with him standing behind you like an oversized guard dog.

"Yeah, just to get the feel of things," you replied. You had given Lockwood mercy when you unlocked the door and pushed it open.

He caught a glimpse of... absolutely nothing. There was a mattress on the floor but Leo didn't even have the courtesy of dressing it up with a bedspread. He wished you turned around and booked it then, but you simply gave a gentle smile and accepted it.

"Kay..." Leo said slowly. "I have an outing with friends so you have the whole place to yourself. Just remember to lock the front door properly. It doesn't click into place sometimes."

"Got it, thanks."

Leo gave you a copy of the keys and went on his merry way, actively avoiding Lockwood's pointed stare on the way out.

Being alone with Lockwood had thawed you. You laxed your shoulders and dropped your make-believe smile before grumbling at the sorry excuse of the bed you had for the night.

"Not what I expected it to be... I thought we could make it a sleepover or something but that is just sad."

"Very," Lockwood agreed. He closed the door to your room for the time being, saving both of you the trouble of agonizing over it. "Shall we head home then?"

"We're staying the night," you reminded him, pressing your finger into his chest with every punctuated word. "Besides... maybe this place has something Portland Row doesn't."

"Which is?"

"I don't know yet. I said 'maybe'."

The corner of his lip quirked up.

He watched as you rounded to the kitchen. It was connected to the receiving room, separated by a thin island rowed with barstools. He didn't have to peek to know the fridge was empty, he had your deep-set frown to tell him.

With a smile, he offered: "Shall I phone our favorite place?"

You sighed in delight, giving him that smile that made him melt. "Yes, please."

—

The restaurant you favored was always on time, but the delivery man had gone to Portland Row by mistake (since it was the usual delivery when Anthony Lockwood called in.) He had to go back and ask for the address.

The sun was gone by the time food arrived to your not-yet flat.

"Thanks, mate. Get home safe," Lockwood bade the delivery boy before closing the door.

"Finally," you cheered, setting out the table. Thankfully, Leo had the mind to keep plates, cups, and cutlery on hand. "I'm starving."

"You and me both," he grinned.

Together, you divided the dishes evently (Lockwood sliding two more dumplings onto your plate, simply because he knew you liked them) and filled the cups with tea. The light above the island was pitiful but it framed you in a nice, yellow glow.

His cheeks were full and you were stuffing your face, but the setting was so domestic he couldn't help but indulge himself. If only you two were at home, in Portland Row; that would have made this perfect.

After you had filled your bellies and washed down your food, Lockwood cleaned the table while you got started on the dishes.

"I... kind of miss home," you admitted.

Even when your backs were facing each other, Lockwood knew you were frowning. "We can go home now, if you want."

Silence.

He hoped you would agree, relent, and stay with him at Portland Row, but his hopes died when you let out a sigh. He chanced a glance at you and found you shaking your head. "Just for the night," you said, more so to convince yourself.

His heart deflated but Lockwood would follow you to the ends of the earth, so he just agreed and stayed silent.

Once he had finished cleaning up his side of the kitchen, he dropped the cloth beside the sink and, for whatever reason, trapped you between his arms while he reached over to wash his hands.

You had forgotten how to breath. Rightfully so. You were transported back to the morning you felt his warmth on your back. He had reached for something because you couldn't, he had noticed your red eyes when no one else did.

You were glad he couldn't see your face. You felt heat behind your eyes and a tightness in your throat. It occured to you that if you moved in with Leo, there would be no more of Lockwood's quiet moments of attention.

Getting away from him was the point of you moving away, but with that reality being so close, it hit you.

You would miss him terribly, you would miss the Lockwood & Co. family terribly. The question of 'was it worth the pain of staying?' haunted you at night. You would die for them, but it hurt so bad being the odd-man out for the rest of your life. And maybe you were overestimating how much they needed you around because they didn't need you at all, did they?

Your mind went blank when Lockwood backed away. The tears fell but you kept your head bowed to hide them.

There was an air of suffocating peace when Lockwood said, "I'll go look for a bedsheet."

"Okay," you uttered.

As he walked away, his footsteps rang out in your ears; Footsteps you've grown accustomed to because he would sneak into the library at ungodly hours, thinking everyone was asleep. Not you, at least.

He wasn't doing anything special but it quieted the pandemonium behind your eyes.

—

You had spent an extra few minutes in the restroom before you got around to washing your face. When you had arrived to the room, Lockwood had used a throw blanket from the receiving room couch as a bedsheet. He laid on his back, one arm on his stomach and the other splayed out to your side of the bed. His coat was shrugged off his shoulder and sprawled over his torso.

He raised his head when you entered. "Hi, love."

"Hello," you greeted with a small smile. You had to bend your knees to sit at the end of the bed.

You were reaching for your skincare before Lockwood sat up and seized your wrist. He was always gentle with you. That didn't stop you from burning it into your memory. You looked at him with a question in your eyes.

He held up two thin packages to answer you. "Face masks. You said we could have a sleepover situation, didn't you?"

You suppressed a laugh as you examined the packaging. He got collagen masks, from your favorite brand. Did he know that? You couldn't be sure. "Where did you get these?"

"From my bag?"

"I meant where you bought them," you nipped. "and since when were you into stuff like this?"

"I got them from store you told me about," he answered, leaning back on his elbows. "and I've been a regular customer since you told me my whiteheads could rival a strawberry's. It hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry, you big baby," you snort, reaching out to pinch his cheek. He doesn't even fight it. "but it was true! And your skin looks so much better now. What else have you been using?"

He laid back fully, propping his arms behind his head. "I got that matcha cleanser you kept raving about, a PH-balanced toner... Oh! And that sunscreen you recommended me that one time."

You nodded, impressed by his dedication. "You look so much prettier now thanks to me."

"I know," he smiled. "Now are we going to do the masks or am I do I have to jump out this window and wrestle a ghost for some entertainment?"

You chuckle, patting his chest to pacify him. "We're doing the masks."

After a bit of trying to get the masks on right, failing, laughing at each other, then helping each other get them on right; you both laid back. Lockwood pillowed your head with his arm and blanketed your tummy with his coat.

The masks had to be left on for 20 minutes and what better way to pass the time than talk each other through existential crisis?

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Lockwood & Co. has done so much for people. You got commendation from Penelope Fittes! That's worth something, you know."

"I know that. I just can't help but feel like... I haven't done enough," the admission is like a weight off his shoulders. "People don't really crowd to be part of Lockwood & Co."

You turned your head, looking quite freaky with the paste-white mask. Then he sees your faultless eyes through the gaps and he falls all over again. "Well, you have so much life ahead of you to do more. The agency's impact on the world can't be ignored though, Lockwood. You've serviced a plethora of people from all walks of life. And for what it's worth, I want to be part of Lockwood & Co."

A disbelieving expression crossed his face. "Really now?"

You nodded then returned your eyes to the ceiling. You felt too vulnerable to admit it to his face. "I'm jealous that Lucy and George are fully capable agents. I love them, don't get me wrong, but I feel so inferior. I don't even have a choice to be part of that world."

"What are you talking about? You are part of that world. You're part of our world." He nudged your side. "You are part of Lockwood & Co., love. You always have been, ever since you stepped through the door."

"Yeah? Well... not in the way they are. They have talent. I can just wish I could help," you sighed.

He took a moment to think then he turned his head to you. "How about this; you can help us do research. I know it's not as snazzy as swinging a rapier but it's a pivotal part of our operations."

Your brows furrowed. "Really? You'd let me do that?"

"I would have invited sooner you if I knew you were eager to help," he replied. You weren't looking at his face but you knew he was smiling. "Only part-time though. You have a talent for what you do now."

"Thank you," you said, but he got the feeling that you didn't believe it.

"I mean it," he insisted. He pinched the coat that was draped over you. "This coat you made me; people will be fighting for a design just like it within the first year of opening your boutique. Mark my words."

"I won't give it to them," you replied. "this coat is one of a kind."

"How generous of you, but it would be a bad business decision to deprive the fine people of a coat as refined as this one."

"No," you chuckle. "I mean, this coat is really one of a kind." You flipped the collar of the coat over. Lockwood hadn't seen it before, but be saw it then. "See?" And see he did.

His initials and surname were embroidered on so carefully that it took the breath from his lungs. That wasn't all. Beside his name was a cheeky embroidered imitation of his favorite giraffe mobile and a little image of his rapier.

"It was a pain to do so I won't be doing it for anyone else," you told him, like you hadn't just put the stars in his sky. "Your coat is my magnum opus."

"Oh," he whispered, running his fingers over the threads. "Now I feel bad. Plasma burned part of it."

"I'll make you a new one in a year, maybe." You pinch his side. "Keep it in one piece until then, okay?"

"Okay..."

"And don't tell people about the embroidery," you said sternly. "I'm not made for it, and my fingers still hurt from trying."

"I promise," he chuckled. He lied. He would have to boast about it to Lucy and George. Maybe even Kipps, if he pissed him off enough.

"We still have about ten minutes before we take the masks off. Tell me a story," you requested.

"Bossy," he smirked.

"Story, please," you rectified.

He conceded. He thought about which story to tell you before settling with the original Beauty and the Beast. You scooted closer with every word he said.

"Beast is much nicer in this version," you said, stifling a yawn behind your palm. Lockwood's arm was going numb but he didn't have to heart to move when you were already so comfortable.

"Asking her to marry him every night when she's trapped in his castle is nice?"

"Consent is key," you retort. Your voice slurred off at the end. When your breathing evened, he knew you had fallen asleep.

He tried not to be endeared, but you had cuddled into his side. Your fingers found his shirt and clutched it like it was your lifeline. The best he could do was smile to keep the urge to scream in.

When the time for your masks were up, he peeled away your mask and then his, tossing them aside then readjusted the coat to cover you fully.

He did his best to refrain himself, but he was never good at that when it came to you. He dipped his head to allow himself a kiss to the crown of yours.

—

You two (read: he bent to your will) decided to walk home.

The morning was sunny and the breeze was friendly, you couldn't resist a little fresh air and the perfect excuse to hold hands with Lockwood. In your defense, he was the one who offered. "I steer, you relax," is what he said.

So, you let your mind wander as he steered you in the right direction. He gave your hand little tug when you two were about to turn a corner, tapped on your knuckles when waiting to cross the street, and, sometimes, surprising you with a cheeky pinch to your side when you weren't paying attention. There were so many smiles exchanged, you weren't sure who was enjoying the walk more.

Disappointment began to swim in your belly as Arif's came into view. Just a bit more and you'd have to let go.

Again, Lockwood demonstrated his scary ability to know what you were thinking. Instead of walking passed Arif's, he walked you right into it. He held the door for you and flourished his hand quite dramatically, too. "Ladies first."

"What a gentleman," you chuckled.

You wore matching smiles as the bell jingled above your heads and the aroma of fresh dough invaded your senses.

Lockwood reluctantly pulled away. "Go find a seat. I'll order."

You walked about, catching sight of a few couples who were out to enjoy the beautiful morning too, before settling down in a seat in the corner. It was a table for two and the wooden seats reminded you of home.

Lockwood didn't take too long himself. He found your table and set the goodies down. Your favorite doughnuts were a staple, but he ordered a slice of rainbow cake, too.

You had a bite of doughnut before asking about it.

"For you," he said, pushing the cake in your direction. "Consider it a parting gift."

Parting was easier said than done. In lieu of last night's events, you couldn't imagine leaving Portland Row for the lifeless flat. The only reason you had been able to sleep was because Lockwood was there—and he was Lockwood, no explanation needed. You'd rather feel like the odd one out and bask in the occasional warmth of Anthony Lockwood than be a lonely tenant in Leo's flat.

With a smile, you pushed the plate away. "No, thank you."

His lips twitched, holding back the beginning of a smile. "Oh, come on. Take it."

You shook your head, a smile forming on your face. "You have it. Congratulations on hiring the best part-time researcher in London."

He discarded decorum by propping his elbows on the table. "Will this part-time researcher stay in Portland Row?"

"Maybe," you quipped.

"You torture me," he groaned, setting his head on the table.

"As if 'in Portland Row — no where else' is subtle."

"I tried to be," he defended indignantly.

"I could forget about it, if..."

He raises his head, anticipation written on his face. "If...?"

"If you get me that coffee you promised me when we met. You haven't fulfilled that promise yet, and it's been a year."

He placed a hand on his heart, mouth falling open as he feigned being shot. "How cruel of me. Will you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Coffee first," you tutted.

"Coffee first," he promised, recovered from the make-believe bullet.

For the final stretch, Lockwood dragged his feet and on purpose. He pretended not to know which house was his (even if it was infamously the last one on the street,) and even stopped and stared for a few infuriating moments to bide his time.

"That isn't our door, love."

"Your name plaque is right there, Anthony, you can't fool me this time."

"Really? Perhaps we should visit the opthalmologist then, I can't read it. The doctor's is that way."

"Lockwood..."

"Okay, fine." He conceded, letting you pull him along.

You got as far as the first step before he had tugged you back, hard. The momentum had sent you into his chest. "Oh, for goodness sake—"

"You're cute when you're mad," he smiled. His gaze dipped down to your lips, successfully making your breath hitch. "Consent is key, right?" You're thouroughly convinced that he picked that moment to swipe his tongue across his bottom lip and rile you up. "May I?"

It felt like you were using the last of your air and patience as you whispered, "You may."

Patience was thrown to the wind. He dipped you—like in those corny movies you swore you hate—and kissed you like his life depended on it.

It wasn't a life changing kiss. It was how much you'd been anticipating it that made it feel like a life changing kiss. He smiled against your lips and you couldn't help but laugh into his. You could hear the applause in your head, resounding and drumming the beat of your heart. There was hollering, too. It kind of sounded like—

You pulled away reluctantly. You had to place your hand between you because Lockwood had chased your lips.

Still dipped in Lockwood's hold, you recognized Lucy and George even if they were flipped in your vision and still in their pajamas. Their applause died down slowly.

"Uh-oh," George said seriously. "we've been caught, Luce."

"Oh, my, my, my," she played along, smile turning the right way as Lockwood pulled you up and oriented you properly.

His smile was bright, so you hadn't a clue whether he'd done it on purpose. You had a hunch though. You were just about ready to reprimand him, but he'd stolen the words from your lips by stealing another cheeky kiss.

There was no use holding back your smile when you felt him smiling against you again. You would have do deal with shennanigans just like this as a, now, permanent resident of 35 Portland Row.

Caution: Anthony Lockwood's magnetic field is too strong, and he clearly had a new addiction to your lips.

NOTE ➺ something has possessed me. i have never written this much back-to-back. if you're in the middle of a lockwood brain rot too, i've posted a few other fics you might like.

please don't be shy to reblog or share your thoughts in the comments! the world needs a little more anthony lockwood.

(my favorite fic writer also noticed me so i'm in my giggly girl era eeeee—)

⌠ @novelizt 2023 ⌡

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

If sword and shield is still up…

Could you do some headcanons of hop with a reader (who is an electric type specialist) who acts like an older sibling to him.

Like one day (before the events of swsh) he challenged them to a battle without knowing they basically have a full team (have you’ve seen that meme of the bug catcher trying to fight the mc who had a zecrom? Because it’s basically that)

And since then on they took him under their wing, Like giving him advice on pokemon battles, help him in his lowest,maybe even gifted him his pincurchin.

I LOVE that meme. And just because of that, imma include Zekrom in this

.......

Determined as ever to surpass Leon and become Galar's newest champion, Hop was ready to begin training before he took on the gym challenges...

So he gets somewhat "battle hungry", wanting to fight all trainers he crosses paths with.

Eventually fate leads to him meeting you, an experienced electric-type specialist who managed to tame the mighty Zekrom, on one of the routes you loved sightseeing on.

The second he notices the pokeballs on your belt, he demands a battle, sending out Wooloo before you could say either yes or no.

You lead with Zekrom...who pretty much OHKOs the poor little sheep (much to Hop's shock, amazement, and devastation).

He's quickly humbled by his defeat, realizing he messed with the wrong trainer....but he grows to admire you and wants to know how to become stronger.

You're impressed by his perseverance, thus you decide to help him on his journey to the Galar Championship.

You've always wanted to mentor somebody, but a lot of young trainers were intimidated by your sheer strength despite you only ever using electric types.

Hop was different, though, as he didn't back down from your offer for even a moment.

So you guided him through the world of pokemon battling as he slowly builds up his team, suggesting ways he can beat Victor/Gloria despite his starter's type disadvantage.

This kid sure burned bright, like a G-Max Fireball.

Yet you soon noticed how that fire kept getting snuffed out....over and over again, in fact, as his rival kept beating him at every turn.

Some days, Hop could brush it off, but others you noticed his focus was slipping during practice battles (ie he accidentally calls out an ineffective attack)

After Bede said some rather insulting things to him one day, he showed up at your court looking absolutely depressed.

He eventually confides in you about changing up his whole team, feeling like he's "embarrassing" his older brother by always falling short, etc. and you're there to listen and support him.

You joked about sic'ing Zekrom on Bede's team and he's like "please don't"-

The championships never really mattered much to you, but to Hop they meant everything, especially as he's trying to live up to Leon's legacy.

You gifted him a Pincurchin you caught not too long ago, explaining how its Lightning Rod ability made it an absolute powerhouse if hit by an electric-type attack....and he just tears up and hugs you, promising to cherish this little Pokémon.

It seems you've finally brought that spark (pun intended) back into his eyes, as he has kept Pincurchin on his team ever since, growing stronger and stronger everyday and remember everything you've taught him.

But even after losing the semifinals (and ultimately deciding to become a pokemon professor), Hop owes it all to you for helping him believe in himself.

[differenteagletragedy]

More Our Life headcannons

-- Cove went through a pretty intense Pokemon obsession when he was a kid, like 10 or 11. Played the video games, collected cards, watched the show, everything. He always picks a water starter. Squirtle is his favorite of all time, and he gets a little bummed when he evolves it.

-- During this phase, he wanted to go as Ash for Halloween. He wanted you to do a matching costume and he was Very Excited about it. If you didn't get as into it, he at least made you watch the show with him some.

You: Ok, I'll be Brock/Misty.

Cove: What? No, you'll be Pikachu.

Cove: *smug grin* I choose you.

-- Even if you end up married with a bunch of kids, together for decades, he will still never believe he pulled off that line.

-- If this is too much Pokemon for you, that's ok, this one is for me.

-- BAXTER WITH A BUZZCUT

-- By the time he decided he was done with the black and white hair, he'd been just bleaching the hell out of it for years (it is also my belief that he would literally rather drop dead than have his roots show at this time in his life). He went to his stylist and asked to go all black, but his hair was just fried and that's a whole process, so they convinced him to just buzz it off and start fresh since he doesn't wear his hair super long anyway.

-- He was hesitant, but hoped it might give him a fresh start (it did not). He never kept it that short, but he did feel like a bit of a bad boy while he had it.

-- Derek's parents eventually apologized to him for how much they put on him as a kid. Like a formal, sincere apology. It was intense, everybody cried. He tried to shrug it off at first, saying he didn't mind and it wasn't a big deal, but his parents wouldn't let it go. It was a very cathartic moment for the Suarez family.

-- Cove can't cook or bake, but he can make a mean milkshake.

-- Baxter has a dermatologist that he sees on a very regular basis because he gets nervous about his moles. He always carries sunscreen.

-- I've said before that Derek can fix anything, but seriously, anything. Not just cars or leaky faucets or whatever, like computers and stuff too. If you have something that isn't working, nine times out of ten he can fix it.

[fever-project]

Four for the Pokémon AU! He has an X&Y inspired design. Gave him the hat with the feather pin that’s now a Minish Feather, and also gave him this kinda ponytail thingy that is covered by an Ezlo charm. It’s weird but I like it.

I didn’t put in all of his Pokémon because i just couldn’t make myself draw them(Swampert and Azumaril). I only recently noticed how short I made the tunic. The anatomy’s just kinda wonk, but I can’t really fix it now. I also tried a new rendering style. I don’t know how to feel about it. Anyways, Lore under the cut.

At the beginning of the Minish Cap, Link doesn’t get a starter. Instead, he gets his starter once he meets Ezlo, who suggests to get a Pokémon companion to help out, since he can’t really do much. Because at the moment, he was a hat. Link choose Mudkip because he thought it could help him get over the water easier. That did not work.

Link also transforms into an actual Minish, who are a Pokémon in the same vein that the Zora and Gorons are also Pokémon. Pokémon=species, more of less. Pokémon-Mystery-Dungeon-esk, but not as much as Twilight’s adventure was. Four’s adventure was more or less the exact same, and he didn’t really use Pokémon all that much, just the Pictori sword/Four sword. But he did catch a bunch of Pokémon, because he was really into collecting things back then(like how there were a bunch of figurines in the actual game).

He found a Maril near the beginning of his adventure and thought it was cute so he kept it. He specifically wanted a shiny Shedinja because no one in Castle Town had ever seen one up close. He did not that shiny after hours of hunting. So in the end, he just got a regular Nincada and named his Shedinja NotAShiny, because he was so annoyed. Link did come to love it tho, so he usually calls him Nota for short.

At the beginning of Four Swords(and let’s just combine fsa because who cares), Link became friends with an Eevee, right before the maidens got kidnapped. Stuff happened and both Link and his newfound Eevee end up at the Four Sword Sanctuary, where Link had stored the Four Sword after his first adventure. The sword had been accumulating more and more magic since Vaati’s imprisonment within it. I don’t know how the story works in LU canon, but that’s how it works here.

The 4Sword not only splits Link up into four, but Eevee as well, the sword reacting to the uniqueness of Eevee’s genes or something. Leafeon for Green, Flareon for Red, Vaporeon for Blue, and Espeon for Vio. Also because of Eevee’s wild genes, the 4Sword clings to it and its spilt eeveelutions, and can only be pulled out by the colors. I mainly came up with this because I couldn’t figure out where to put the sword on Four’s design.

Link found the Castform early on, his first shiny on this adventure(he found shinies before but he liked this one especially so he had it in his team at the moment he went through the portal). Link also found the Zygarde Core sometime during the adventure. His collecting instincts kicked in whenever he found the cells. He can make Zygarde become 100%, but he likes the Core form best.

Btw, Shadow never had any Pokémon of his own. He’d order around Pokémon provided by Ganon. He would befriend a Masquerain and would love it forever. He’d say he doesn’t but he does.

I don’t really have any ideas about LU specific stuff right now, but I can say that Four, Legend, Wind, and Hyrule are the only ones with Mega Stones. Four’s Swampert has a mega stone.

[mostlyfate]

Would it be okay to ask you for jdrama recs? Coming from someone who hasn't watched a single jdrama in their life 😊 Kind of a jdrama starter pack please? ❤️

*sweats nervously once again* bc as I said before I honestly don’t like to rec things bc I think my taste is all over the place... 😂 and I'm not one who really pays attention or think about the faults of dramas. I just watch and enjoy (most of the time) lol. It also has only been almost four years for me with watching jdramas so I feel like I'm still pretty new to them haha. but I will try~ and what I mention is honestly more of ones I enjoyed the most watching and can remember!

okaaay! if you want to start out v short and sweet w some 🦋's i have two favorite drama specials 💘

— Tadashi Koi no Hajimekata (2023) | episodes: 01. genres: romance, youth. » there's only one episode but with two different versions! the name mentioned above is the first version and then tadashi koi no hajimekata: horoama? horoniga? date hen is the second version. it basically the same but shows the perspective of the two male leads with additional scenes! i just loved the pairing of mako and eita and their chemistry was soo good and fun. i am still v sad it wasn't an actual full length drama 😭 and the song that played at the end of date version was on repeat for months! 10/10 reccomend ✨

— An no Ririkku: Sakuragi An Haiku Hajimetemimashita (2021) | episodes: 02. genres: drama, youth. » i remember enjoying this one a lot it was definitely one of my favorite watches in 2021! since this one isn't the freshest in my memory (i have the worst memory fr) i can't say much but i swear i was obsessed w this special and the leads back in 2021!! 😆

before i get into mentioning actual full-length dramas i'll mention my two favorite jmovies that i actually physically own :)) so if you're interested in watching a movie before diving into dramas 💐

— Murder at Shijinso (2019) | duration: 2hr. 0 min. genres: horror, mystery, thriller, youth. » i love this dumb (affectionately) silly movie so much!! it might also be because i love the main actress hamabe minami but it's definitely just a fun murder mystery to watch :D

— You're Not Normal, Either! (2021) | duration: 1hr. 38 min. genres: comedy, romance, drama. » i enjoyed this one a lot!!! obviously since i also went out of my way to own it haha. but yeah my reviews for literally everything i like is "i enjoyed it" 😅 but seriously i did 🙇‍♀️

now for dramas!! i'll mention my two all time faves then ones i remember enjoying the most! 💐

— Talio Fukushu Daiko no Futari (2020) | episodes: 07. genres: comedy, law, mystery. » it's been three years since it aired and i'm still crying about it 😭 it's the one drama i never shut up about and think about all the time. it's my favorite drama of all time like nothing throughout the years has had a hold on me since!! (what i've previously said about it~) | the way both leads played off each other and their chemistry was just- a++ the soundtrack for the drama was also such a treat and the vibes matched it so well! the vibes of the whole drama though!! I think it was also shot beautifully. and the consistency (!!! the way they kept things going even the smallest details !!!) throughout was something i really appreciated and looked forward too :’) i really be missing it everyday... </3 | i literally have a talio collection that i finally completed a few months ago 🥹 i have the dvd, cd, vinyl, and the magazine the leads were on the cover of 🫶

— Itsuka, Nemuri Ni Tsuku Hi (2019) | episodes: 06. genres: fantasy, friendship, supernatural, youth. » this one still makes my heart hurt whenever i think about it and i just simply love it to pieces. it really has left an lasting impression on me. short and bittersweet. 🖤

dramas that are romance focused 💓

— Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo (2020) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, medical, romance. » ahh so i think this was my first jdrama i watched!?! i honestly cant remember if i watched any before this bc this was the first jdrama i actually made gifs of so i'm going off of that as it being the first haha. but if you want something nice and fun to watch with romance at the forefront this is for youuu! bc i feel like most of my recs aren't romance heavy! and i just remember being obsessed with the leads and pretty sure it's what made me continue to watch jdramas 🫣

— Animals (2022) | episodes: 08 (+ 2 specials). genres: business, romance, drama. » loved loved loved this drama! one out of the five favorite dramas i watched in 2022!! great friendships, great message, funny and sweet moments, lovely lead— umi-chan i miss youuu. 🤧

— Oshi ga Joshi ni Narimashite (2023) | episodes: 12. genres: comedy, drama, romance. » definitely one of the funnest and sweetest drama i watched last year and suzuki airi (female lead) it's just such soo good, love her acting! she's also the lead in the drama animals i previously mentioned! pure rom-com with great chemistry!! ✨

— Kieta Hatsukoi (2021) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, romance, youth. » high school setting with romance/friendship being the focus!! all the characters are so likable and it was such a cute and fun watch!!

— Ore no Kawaii wa Mousugu Shohikigen!? (2022) | episodes: 09. genres: comedy, romance. » easy fun and cute watch with great leads!!

dramas with all other kinds of genres (w hints of romance) ✨

— Bishoku Tantei Akechi Goro (2020) | episodes: 09. genres: comedy, food, mystery, thriller. » ooh i was obsessed w the leads of this one as well LOL. idk i really had so much fun watching this one and i loved main female lead a lot. 😭 also it had some really funny moments 😭

— Toki wo Kakeru Bando (2020) | episodes: 10. genres: comedy, music, romance, sci-fi » #wasnt expecting any crying to happen going into this drama 😩 #miura shohei's performance though?? AMAZING #he had me in tears every time #ryo i love u #not that it's similar but this reminds me of itsuka nemuri ni tsuku hi 🤧 | tags from a post i posted when i watched yeah 😂

— Dr. White (2022) | episodes: 10 (+ 1 special). genres: comedy, drama, medical, mystery. » also another favorite from my five favorite dramas watched in 2022! even though it wasn't finished being subbed until last year i still very much enjoyed what eps i watched back then! like i really looked forward to every episode and soo grateful the subber decided to finish it and subbed the special as well! i might be bias because i love hamabe minami who's the female lead (and is in two other things i mentioned above lol) but all the characters are v likable and they all have great chemistry together! plus i enjoyed the v subtle hint of romance between the two mains like it isn't really there but it is and i was quite satisfied with the ending. 🫶

— Ryosangata Riko: Puramo Joshi no Jinsei Kumitate Ki (2022) | episodes: 10. genres: business, drama, life. » i adore the lead so much, she's the cutest! i find this one to be such a fun and relaxing watch! and there's a cute little hint of romance which was soo good to me and wish we got more of them. 😭 there's also a second season: Ryosangata Riko: Mou Hitori no Puramo Joshi no Jinsei Kumitate ki / with same cast members but set in a new universe that just aired last year!

— Okaeri Mone (2021) | episodes: 120. genres: life, drama, romance. » the number of episodes might scare you but this drama is an asadora (morning drama) which is only 15 minutes per episode! so if you're looking for a longer watch about life with a bit of romance i 10/10 recommend checking it out!! yes hello i always miss them 😭

what i'm currently watching ☕️

— Uchi no Bengoshi wa Te ga Kakaru (2023)| episodes: 11. genres: comedy, law, mystery. » i totally have a thing for law and mystery dramas lol. but i've been enjoying this one a lot and recommend if you want something fun but somewhat serious to watch! and if you just like law dramas like mee 😂

— Nanyobi ni Umareta no (2023) | episodes: 09. genres: drama » this one is keeping me really interested and is definitely a type of drama i haven't really watched much of?? it's engaging, surprising and the actors are great! i feel like most dramas i mentioned are easy going ones to watch besides a few so this one is the latter!

+ special mention if you wanted to watch something base on an manga w anime-like feel ❈

— Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai (2020 - 2022) | seasons: 03, episodes: 03, 03, 02. + a movie Rohan au Louvre (2023) genres: horror, fantasy, mystery, thriller, supernatural. » i had been watching since the first one came out in 2020 and i didn't think we would be getting a season every year since and then even a movie! definitely check out if you're in the mood for creepy mystery with pleasing visuals + great outfits!

yeaaah that's it from me! ✌️ i feel like this isn't much of a starter pack-friendly list since it's kind of all over the place sorry 😭 but hope even just one peaks your interest!!