#I made the colouring based on her card

[springandchocolat-moved]

୨♡୧ ┊ sweet cute valentine card edits. ₊˚⊹♡

[azzo0]

Happy Mama Day

Summary: Touya and the kids surprise you for Mother's Day.

Contains: soft Touya, fluff, kids n sappy stuff

Pairing: Touya x f!reader

wc: 2.1k

Based on this idea.

Touya buried his face under a blanket when little hands slapped his cheek. A little girl's voice screamed at him excitedly to wake up. He opened his eyes slightly, sighing into the pillow when both his kids started jumping on the bed, singing, "Wake up! Wake up!"

"Daddy, Daddy, Keiko said it's Mama day today!" His son yelled, pulling the blanket off him.

"It's called Mother's Day, not Mama Day, Takeo." His daughter sassed, crossing her arms as if she knew some great secret her younger brother didn't.

"Stop jumping, Takeo. I'm up." Touya sighed, sitting up and running a hand through his snowy hair, disheveled from sleep. Takeo jumped into Touya's lap, making him let out an 'oomph.'

"Daddy, Keiko told me-" the three-year-old began. Sometimes, Toya was surprised by how fluently the child could speak since most three-year-old's he knew yapped in baby language. He talked to Rei about it, and she told him he used to be the same.

"Keiko-Nee." He corrected, his gaze shifting to his eldest. She excitedly crawled to him and sat on her knees excitedly. He ruffled her bright red hair and looked down at Takeo, "What did she tell you?"

"Keiko-Nee told me that her teacher told her it's Mama Day!" The boy exclaimed.

"Is it?" He hummed.

"Can we do something special for Mama when she gets back from work?" Keiko asked. "My teacher told me you can show your thanks to your mothers today! Let's do something special!"

"How do we show our thanks?" Takeo asked, tilting his head.

"We can make her cards and make her favorite food or buy her gifts!"

Takeo gasped and looked up at Touya with wide eyes, the same colour as yours, "Does that mean we can cook a cake?"

"Bake a cake," Touya threw the child over his shoulder and got off the bed, holding a hand out for Keiko. She took his hand and jumped off the bed, "Sure we can, but first you two need to eat breakfast, clean up your rooms, get ready for the day, do your homework and then we'll bake Mama a cake, okay?"

"It's not fair that I have homework and Takeo doesn't!" Keiko lamented, puffing her cheeks out.

"He does have homework. He has a colouring book to fill. Isn't that right, Taki?"

The three year old nodded his head even though he wasn't sure what 'homework' was. Touya took the kids downstairs and made them sit at the dining table. He went into the kitchen and put on the apron. He took out a few eggs and beat them up with milk and sugar. He dipped slices of bread inside the eggs and then fried them, keeping them a little soft because that's the way his babies liked it.

He took the plates out in the dining room, setting them in front of the kids, "Eat up."

"Thank you," the two chimed.

He sat across from Keiko and Takeo. He sighed when Takeo began breaking the bread into bits without putting them in his mouth. Touya quickly finished his breakfast and helped Takeo with his. After breakfast, the kids followed him upstairs so they could clean their bedrooms. Keiko was six, old enough to make her bed and tidy her room, but Takeo still needed help, given he was only three.

He folded Takeo's blanket and kept it in the crib while Takeo picked up the toys littered on the floor and dumped them in the toybox. Once Touya was done with Takeo's room, he went to Keiko's room, watching his daughter huff and puff as she folded her giant blanket all by herself. She turned to him after she was done, flexing her arms, "I did it by myself!"

"You did great, Keiko." He lowered his back with Takeo on his hip and kissed Keiko's hair. He took her hand and led the kids to the bathroom.

He put Takeo down, took Keiko's unicorn toothbrush, put a small amount of toothpaste on it and handed it to her. He then proceeded to put toothpaste on Takeo's smaller shark toothbrush. He gave him the toothbrush and watched him look up at his sister and try to imitate her. Touya smiled to himself and took his toothbrush hanging beside yours. He brushed his teeth along with his kids and then helped them wash their faces, making them giggle when he patted them dry.

"Cake time!" Keiko squealed, stomping downstairs with Takeo chanting 'cake' behind her.

"Homework first, you two." Touya reminded sternly.

"But I don't have school tomorrow. I can do it later!" Keiko whined, "And Taki's homework isn't even real homework! You just make him sit down and colour a bunch'a pages so you can watch soccer on the TV!"

Toya raised his eyebrows amusedly as Keiko tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. He let out a chuckle and turned to the kitchen, "Alright, alright. Just don't make a mess, okay?"

"Yes!!" She exclaimed, taking Takeo's hand and following after her father.

Touya helped Keiko and Takeo into little aprons and rummaged through the cabinets, looking for the cake mix he bought ages ago. It's not that he didn't know how to bake a cake from scratch, but with two kids involved, the kitchen was bound to get chaotic. He found a vanilla cake mix and took out a bowl and a hand beater, setting everything on the counter. He opened the flaps of the cake mix as the kids watched him excitedly. He took out a white coloured packet and cut it open with a pair of scissors.

"Can I put it in the bowl?" Keiko asked.

"Sure ya can. Come closer." He handed her the packet, and she carefully put the mix into the bowl. Keiko snatched the cake mix box and read the instructions, squinting her eyes as she tried to read the sentences.

"It says to... mix water, oil, 'n eggs with a mixer on... meedum...?"

"Medium," Toya corrected, encouraging her to go on.

"...speed or beat by hand for two minutes." She finished with a grin. Touya patted her hair and measured out the water and oil, which Takeo insisted he wanted to pour. Touya picked up Takeo so he could reach for the cups he had measured. He watched Takeo pick up the cup of oil in his chubby hands and empty it into the cake mix, followed by the water.

"You want to crack the egg?" Toya asked Keiko, smiling when she nodded excitedly. He showed her how to crack an egg and then handed her another one. She managed to crack the egg and let its contents fall into a bowl.

"Do we beat with an electric mixer or hand?" Keiko asked.

"Hand beater," Toya replied. He mixed the ingredients and then let Keiko take over for a little bit. Of course, Takeo didn't want to be left out and had to take a turn whipping the batter.

"And then we pop it in the oven," Touya transferred the batter into a cake pan and put it in the oven that had been preheating for some time.

"Daddy, while we wait, let's make Mama a birthday card!" Keiko exclaimed, pulling on his hand.

"I've got some cleaning up to do, Kei. You make one with your brother-"

"No! Don't you gotta wish Mom Happy Mother's Day too?" Keiko put her foot down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, let's make a mama card," Takeo added.

"Fine," Touya sighed, "Let's go make a mama card."

He sat on the floor in the living room with the kids. Keiko handed him and Takeo A4-size papers and let them use her sketch pens and colour pencils. She told him how to make a card, speaking as if she was giving away the world's darkest secret, "So, basically, you fold it in half like this, and then you write 'Happy Mother's Day' in fancy handwriting. You can make a drawing if you wanna, and then on the inside, you thank Mama for all she's done. Any questions?"

"No, ma'am, thank you." Dabi picked up a blue sketch pen and nudged Takeo, "Say thanks to your sister, Taki."

"Fanks."

Touya had never made cards for anyone before. Sure, he'd received plenty of sweet ones from you, but he never gave you one in return. He folded the paper in half and tried mustering up his fanciest handwriting, which turned out looking like a doctor's note. He picked up a red sketch pen and threw in a couple of hearts and smiley faces.

He moved on to the inside of the card, and that's where he got stuck. The green sketch pen hovered over the paper as he thought of what to put inside. He had so much he wanted to thank you for. Your love, your support and your kindness. The list went on and on. He glanced up from the paper to see Keiko beautifully decorating the card while Takeo went on a scribbling spree. He smiled softly at the kids and looked down at the paper. He knew just what to write.

You knocked on the door and yawned, bringing a hand to cover your mouth. It had been a long day at work, but you couldn't wait to greet your husband and kids and then spend some time together on the couch after dinner. You heard a few excited cries, and the door was thrown open.

"HAPPY MAMA DAY!!" Takeo screamed, hugging your leg.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Keiko exclaimed with a grin, hopping from foot to foot.

"Oh, my babies." You smiled and stepped inside, pulling them both in a hug. You kissed their cheeks and made them giggle. "Thank you so much."

"No, thank you for all you do, Mama! You're so cool!" Keiko beamed.

"So cool!" Takeo agreed.

"Okay, okay, let ya mama breathe." You looked up when you heard Touya's voice. His lips tugged up on the side in a smirk, "Hey. Happy Mama Day."

"Thank you," you laughed, kissing his cheek.

"We baked you a cake, and Papa made your favorite dinner!" Keiko exclaimed, "We also made you cards!"

"Mhm?" You took the card from Keiko and read through it with a stupid grin. You kissed her nose, "Aww, thank you, Kei. You're so sweet."

"Here is my mama card." Takeo waved his drawing in front of your face. You took it from him and gushed over the stick figures of him and you holding hands.

"It's lovely, thank you, Taki." You squished his cheeks together lovingly.

"Papa, where's your card?" Keiko asked.

"I didn't make any. What are you talking about?" Touya shrugged.

"Lies!"

Touya sheepishly revealed the hand in which he held the card. You got up from the floor and took the card, giggling at his messy handwriting adorned with hearts, flowers and smiley faces. It was so unlike him. You flipped it open and read it.

Happy Mama Day, wifey.

There's a lot I wish I could say to you more often, but putting it here feels easier. Thank you for all that you've done for me and our kids. Thank you for being by my side when nobody was and for holding my hand on sleepless nights and shooing away my nightmares. Thanks for dragging me out of my depressive episodes and taking me on ice cream dates. I'll never forget them. The ice cream was delicious, by the way.  

Thank you for birthing our beautiful children. I'm so lucky to have you by my side to raise our kids. You're my definition of a blessing in human form.

With love,

Your handsome husband,

Touya

(P.S. You have a nice butt)

Your hands quivered as you read the note. Your eyes blurred with hot tears. They fell onto the card, and he pulled you into him and kissed your temple. You wrapped your arms around him and buried your nose in his chest, feeling his warmth seep into your skin, "Thank you, Touya."

"My words hit ya that deep? Maybe I should be a poet." He chuckled, combing your hair with his fingers.

"There's nothin' poetic about it." You muffled into his chest. You pulled away and pressed a kiss on his lips. His hand went to rest on your lower back as he leaned into you.

You were aware of the kids watching, so you pulled away and glanced back to see Keiko pretending to be very interested in the door handle while Takeo tugged at his sister's sleeve. You chuckled and held an arm open, "Come here, Keiko, Takeo."

You scooped up Takeo while Touya picked up Keiko. You let your head rest against Touya's shoulder, your heart brimming with joy and contentment, "I love my little family."

[mimir-anoshe]

I love that ARCANE is using the MAJOR ARCANA for symbolism.

Chefs kiss.

These are Sevika's tarot cards from season 1.

The Magician (upright) overlapping Death (upright).

Foreshadowing? Oh hell yeah. But its only now after S2 Episode 6 do I understand what they might actually be foreshadowing. People may have talked about this before, so I apologise if this is similar to anyone else's meta. These are all my own thoughts, I usually just watch arcane and don't dabble into the meta but this season has me feral and I just rewatched season 1.

SPOILERS for Arcane S1/S2 below.

I just want to prologue this post with a note about how I've noticed even from season 1 there are thematic parallels and linear symbolism being afforded between Jinx and Viktor. Others in the community have too I'm sure. Its strange. I thought it was interesting in S1 but didn't deep dive into it, but S2 has driven headfirst into it and its making me go "oh... oh ok." Even Viktor in S1 noted Jinx's genius, and in another timeline perhaps Powder would've been a student of Viktors had fate not set them on parallel paths. Two children of Zaun, both mechanical/scientific geniuses. One physically disabled whilst the other mentally disabled. One who "escaped" and was given a chance, rising to the top only to create something that would be used for harm. Fighting that fate at every step. Whilst the other trapped at the bottom of the barrel, forced to use her gifts to become a weapon herself. Such GOOD story writing.

So now let's think about the art of the cards, because in tarot, even the symbolism of the specific art is important. Its why an artists interpretation of a major/minor can be so crucial to a reading.

Here's a figure map I made earlier.

Lets begin with Death.

Thirteenth of the Major Arcana, a "significant transformation and the end of a phase in life." There is death and rebirth symbolism all over arcane, but let's take a closer look at the symbolism mirroring the art.

Figure 7&8 - The one who has "died" a skeleton/skull laid down and being "imbued" with something as something else is taken away.

See that the imbuing focuses on the "chest" area.

It's quick, but it flashes briefly when Viktor is being imbued with the Hexcore. He canonically dies "the skull" and is reborn with the Hexcore on an "altar"/table.

Same with Jinx. Canonically "dies" and is reborn laying on an "altar"/table using shimmer. Purple being used as the visual thread between shimmer and the arcane of the hex; a colour imagery representation of "magical" alchemical/arcane power turning them into something beyond human.

Singed and Jayce. Two hands of death, giving and taking life as if they were a God. One using shimmer, the other Hextech thats imbued with shimmer. Messing with the balance of life and death.

With Viktor, the energy is transferred straight into his chest, just like on the card.

So now we've established the parallels to the death tarot, lets look at The Magician.

The First of the Major Arcana, "the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the ability to manifest one's desires."

Viktor is the Magician. No doubt. He connects the physical and spiritual world of the arcane, he brings people back from the brink of death, as he was. He manifests his desires through the use of the hex, the arcane. And the dude just looks like a mecha wizard.

Though if you want it to be even more obvious.

Figure 3 - The Third Arm/Third Hand.

The image below is "The Machine Herald" Hero from League of Legends. This is the hero Viktor is based upon.

He canonically has three arms, same as the Magician in the card. The Magician is Viktor, Viktor is the Magician. The Magician is the Machine Herald.

The Magician overtakes/overlaps death. But Viktor by episode 6 still doesn't quite resemble the machine herald from the games. There's no third arm... Yet. So the Magician in the card isn't Viktor from episodes 1-6, this is the machine herald who comes after the one killed in episode 6. Another Rebirth is set to happen for Viktor.

Figures 1 &2 - White mask. Red/pinkish eyes.

Hmmm... Red/pinkish eyes are associated with shimmer. And a white mask, of the machine herald? The mask of a messiah. That the hextech Viktor will most likely also be imbued with shimmer like Jinx, to become the true "machine herald." Messiahs of the hex, monsters of the shimmer.

Its also worth noting that both Jinx and Viktor are framed as messianic figures of Zaun in this season. One the fighter who will rally together the undercity and free Zaun from its oppression. The other a healer and a saint like figure who will free the Zaunites of their suffering and lead them into a better future.

Jinx wanting peace - represented by Isha - and Viktor's dream of peace and healing for Zaun - represented by a lot of things including healing Vander - are metaphorically and literally killed in episode 6. Funnily enough, one symbol of peace killing the other (Isha and Vander - Child and Father). After all, peace and violence are two sides of the same coin, as are Viktor and Jinx. Or should I say, two sides of the same cog...

Figure 4&6 - The Cog shaped Hole in the Magicians chest/The Cog Coin and Jinx's cog.

"I understand now. The message hidden within the pattern. The reason for our failures in the commune. The doctor was right. Its inescapable. Humanity. Our very essence. Our emotions... Rage. Compassion. Hate. Two sides of the same coin. Inextricably bound."

In episode 6, whilst Viktor is explaining to Vi about what it will take to heal Vander, Jinx is sceptical. She doesn't even believe in herself as a messiah, so this "hero"? This "saviour" coming along to solve their problems? To fix things? When all she can do is break everything around her, jinx her own family, destroy? She's scoffing at Viktor sure, but she's also scoffing at herself. Mirroring. People treat her like they treat him, so to believe in him as a saviour means she would have to look into the water of that well and face her own reflection. And Viktor sees right through it, the pretence, and he sees her potential.

Knowledge is a paradox. Jinx wants to stick with what she knows, to destroy instead of to build, to "Watch it all burn." Or ignore the plight of Zaun, so she can live peacefully with Isha. Jinx - Powder - is choosing to remain ignorant to what's right in front of her. Right up until the moment Isha dies.

In the scene earlier in the episode, Jinx accidently destroys a bit of the well, releasing a cog that falls into water. Cogs have been symbolic of Viktor healing people throughout this season, using cogs to "Build."

Powder was thrown into water just like that cog by Silco, and reborn as Jinx. But its not Silco that picks up this cog. Its Viktor. He holds the potential of his creation in his hand, and in paradox, holds Jinx's destruction. Viktor holds Jinx's potential. He's literally holding the two sides of Jinx/Powder in his hand, her - their - fate. Just like Jinx, Viktor has the equal capacity to destroy, and if he is reborn as a weapon later on, perhaps that cog represents Jinx being reborn too. As a creator. A builder.

He holds onto Jinx's cog all the way through the rest of the episode, balancing that potential, that fate, of creation and destruction in his hand. Right up until the moment he dies, and the coin/the cog falls, sealing their fate. His death causing the deaths of Isha and Vander too.

So we've established that the story is viewing cogs/coins in a similar light. We've also established the show is linking Viktor and Jinx through the symbology of the cog.

This is reiterated in the symbolism surrounding the Tarot cards. Around the cards are coins that take the shape of cogs, the currency of Zaun. Fate - coin flips - and cogs, gods and machines. Deus Ex Machina, that is what Viktor is to become, and Jinx creates destruction using machines. She's an inventor, just like Viktor and Jayce. A creator and a destroyer. A god of the machine.

So how does Figure 6 - the coin cogs - relate to Figure 4? The hole in the Magician's chest.

On the Tarot Card, the Magician has a circle in the middle of his chest. A hole. Just like the hole Jayce puts through Viktors chest at the end of Episode 6. The one that kills him.

But if you look closely at the image above, it might be a stretch, but to me, the striations on the inner ring look very similar to those of a cog. The hole is what kills Viktor. Cogs have been given visual symbolism for healing, and are also associated with Jinx's potential for creation. Its a stretch, but it could potentially be foreshadowing Jinx using her abilities to heal Viktor; to build instead of destroy. We've already seen Jinx do it once with Sevika, by "building" her a new arm.

I also find it interesting that we're shown Jinx using her talents to build someone a new arm, and Viktor - the machine herald - still has yet to acquire his third arm. Perhaps he doesn't make it. Perhaps Jinx does?

Maybe, just maybe, Jinx - Powder - is the one to fix Viktor, and flip the cog of fate once again.

Now in Episode 6 we already get foreshadowing that it'll be singe - not Jinx - who saves Viktor by imbuing him with the ultimate shimmer from Warwick/Vander - stabilising him. He says it in the episode, but Viktor refuses to sacrifice Vander in the name of creating the ultimate weapon of destruction.

"It would destroy him."

Viktor's potential for destruction goes hand in hand with Jinx's.

Its even foreshadowed in both the cards. The red/pink eyes of the machine herald foreshadowing shimmer. And the shadow being imbued into the chest of the dead skeleton (Viktor) looks an awful lot like Warwick; the beast that traps Vander.

So why am I talking about Jinx saving Viktor if I'm so certain its Singe? Well I'm certain Singe will bring Viktor back to life, to be used as a weapon. That seems like the most likely outcome.

But like Viktor was saying about Vander "He's not a specimen, he's a man." Viktor was doing everything in his power to save Vander's humanity. So yes Singe will bring the machine herald back most likely - even if I think it'd be thematically cool for it to be Jinx - but I think Jinx will save Viktor. Save the man, the humanity. Be the big fat hero.

Jinx was a girl imbued with Shimmer, and despite having monstrous abilities and doing monstrous things, her humanity has still survived.

I could be wrong, I most likely am, but the the thing that's getting to me is this...

Figure 5 - The Broken Infinity.

At the centre of Viktor's chest, in the middle of Jayce's death blow and Jinx's cog of creation & destruction, is a symbol.

Now a diagonal infinity symbol is associated with the Firelights. Ekko. The boy who shattered time.

Broken Infinity? Shattered time? Seems to go hand in hand.

Though Ekko's symbol is a whole infinity, more akin to a Z than an ongoing X.

There are plenty of theories Ekko will play a role in Viktor's fate and the fate of everyone by rewinding time somehow. And the multiple shots of the coin rolling support that to an extend. Rewind time, change fate, change the flip of the cog. And I agree, I think Ekko is going to have a role to play. But there's also another character who fits with this symbol, who uses shimmer to move faster than humanly possible and defy fate time and time again. Who is the fulcrum of fate in the eyes of the story, the catalyst of everything. And only one character who has solely been associated with a broken infinity symbol before.

Jinx. That's Jinx's symbol. Her champion tag.

Jinx's symbol, right at the centre of Viktors chest. And this line to Jinx from Viktor...

"You have much to offer this commune, Powder. Your talents could be used to build instead of destroy."

And the line from Singe, about Viktor's fate being tied to the commune. Viktor IS the commune, he's the centre of it all. The one who can make the dream of Zaun - Vander's dream - a reality. And that line foreshadowed Jinx using her talents to help the commune. To help Viktor.

Hell, she was technically the reason he "died" in the first place. She fired the rocket that nearly killed him. Wouldn't it be poetic story telling if she was the one who saved him in the end?

I can't wait for Saturday.

I believe whatever happens, Viktor and Jinx's fates are inextricably bound.

[sleepyserenssims]

Cantina Collection

Straight from Oga's Cantina comes this cobbled together industrial set.

A bit later than planned but finally here. All items are very low poly as they are all frankenmeshed from the original bar back counters.

The textures are all composites and rearrangements of the originals, as a result they are not seamless - but we'll say it just adds to the look that they've just been made from whatever scrap metal was around!

Also as the cabinet doors all have the same rust pattern, it looks odd/repetitive on very big kitchens but works fine for small spaces.

There is only one swatch for all items except the seating, which comes in the same colours as the originals.

All items are base game compatible, except the resized bar backs which require Journey to Batuu.

See below for further details, pictures and download links.

Comfort (5 items):

Industrial Bar Stools x 2 - Low Back & No Back

Industrial Dining Chairs x 2 - Low Back & No Back (shown with original JtB high back chair)

Metal Dining Chair (shown with original JtB bar stool)

Surfaces (16 items):

Kitchen Counters & Islands

Bar Table

Dining Tables x 2

Coffee & End Tables

Console Tables x 3

Smaller Replicas of the original Cantina Barbacks x 5 - resized to match the height of regular counters NOTE: You'll need to use bb.moveobjects on to align these properly. JOURNEY TO BATUU PACK IS REQUIRED.

Industrial Shelf

Decor (2 items):

Metal Splashbacks x 2

Activities & Skills (3 items):

Oga's Bars x 2

Sabacc Game Table NOTE: BGC but JOURNEY TO BATUU is required in order to change the game type to Sabacc. Without this it will function as any other base game card table.

Download All (Downloads ZIP file from Google Drive)

Pick and Choose (Opens Google Drive folder)

If there's any problems with any of these items or you have any constructive feedback, suggestions or questions, please just get in touch, I'm still learning every day!

My TOU

Credits

All textures and meshes are edited or frankenmeshed from in-game EA assets.

@myshunosun - for their gorgeous sona dining chair which I cloned in order to have an object with the necessary transparency for the chair and bar stool - can be downloaded here.

Lizbot3000 - for their base game bar tables, which I cloned for my bar table and can be found here.

@ravasheencc - for her Crop It Like It's Hot Backdrops which I used to take some preview photos and can be downloaded here.

CC created using Blender, Sims 4 Studio & GIMP. Preview images using Canva Pro.

Everyone on the S4S forums and the Creator Musings discord group for all the tutorials and advice/help.

[povlnfour]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ PADDOCK TO PADDOCK (LN) PART 3

series masterlist | prev part | next part

lando norris x fem!horse rider!reader

yourusername just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

liked by landonorris, flo_norris_showjumping and 210,331 others

yourusername i CANNOT BELIEVE i am writing this post😭 so so so insanely excited to announce that mr. bean and i have qualified for paris 2024!!!!! we have an insane year of training ahead of us, but i could not be happier. thank you to every single person who made this possible. i’m gonna go cry now. maybe get drunk. WE ARE OLYMPIANS BABY‼️

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user6 OH MY GODDDD Y/N CONGRATULATIONS

user3 omg i’m officially an olympian stan

flo_norris_showjumping AHHHHH y/n congrats!!! knew you could do it from the first time i met you🫶

yourusername i miss you crazy girl, let’s meet soon!

flo_norris_showjumping @/yourusername i’m sure you’ll be at family dinners soon enough🤪

lilymhe ALEX AND I JUST BURST INTO TEARS THATS OUR BABY!!!!!

user1 omg mr. bean is a living legend

charles_leclerc congratulations, friend!

user5 CHARLESSSS🥹

yourusername thank you charles!❤️

user8 i love how y/n changes the colour of her hearts based on the drivers’ team😭

landonorris guess i’ll meet him now he’s an olympian🙄 congrats though, y/n/n🧡

yourusername posted stories ੈ✩‧₊˚

twitter reacts ੈ✩‧₊˚

landonorris posted stories ੈ✩‧₊˚

f1updates just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

f1updates lando norris and y/n y/l/n snapped cosying up on holiday to celebrate y/n’s olympic qualification👀 the duo were joined by alex albon and lily he as they played around in the water. couples holiday, perhaps?

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user7 please just let them figure this out on their own terms

user1 oh guys we’ve lost him. he’s whipped

user3 HIS HANDS ON HER KNEES!!! WHEN WILL THAT BE ME

user4 no fr that photo SCREAMS couple👀

landonorris just posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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landonorris back to work and another p2 baby!!!!

👤 tagged alex_albon

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user3 so proud of you🥹

lilymhe mom and dad? @/yourusername

yourusername a plot twist i didn’t see coming…

user1 soooo mr. norris are we gonna talk abt those photos

yourusername was gonna call u cute then saw what u texted me🙄

user5 expose him queen

landonorris i take it back pls give me praise

yourusername @/landonorris fine🙄 ur cute ig

landonorris @/yourusername 🥰🥰🥰

mclaren posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

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mclaren belgium race weekend! who’s excited?🧡

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user11 LETS GO AGAIN‼️

yourusername ME ME ME IM EXCITED MCLAREN!!!!

liked by landonorris

mclaren we 🧡 you!

user3 she’s such a fangirl this is not what i had on my 2023 bingo card😭

f1updates posted a photo ੈ✩‧₊˚

f1updates lando norris’ rumoured girlfriend y/n y/l/n seen leaving the belgian grand prix EARLY. sources say she seemed tense all morning, and left the mclaren area for williams mid way through the practice sessions yesterday👀

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user9 finally😍

user1 ur awful. get a life?

user3 no but she was so excited :( why would she leave early?

user7 f1updates get out of everyone’s business challenge

user1 she looks tired :/

user4 read a source that said she and lando were seen having a ‘heated conversation’ earlier :(

yourusername posted a story ੈ✩‧₊˚

a/n: that’s it for part 3!!! cute holiday and then boom. angst???? gonna have to come back to find out what happens👀

get added to the taglist here

- giselle xx

[vigilskeep]

I’ve seen lots of speculation about how Caterina might feel about a relationship between Rook and Lucanis, some people think she wouldn’t approve and some think that she would have no reason not to considering Rook saved both the world and her favourite grandson. I’m curious if you have any thoughts about it?

Personally I think Caterina would see any romantic partner Lucanis might have as a threat to the control she has over him, but idk if she would ever be outright hostile to Rook. But I haven’t actually read The Wigmaker Job yet so I could be missing some nuance there

i got a couple asks about this. it’s honestly hard to say with any confidence. caterina’s characterisation is so limited, and different rooks and different ideas of what post-canon rookanis looks like are so varied. it kind of is whatever you make of it

i think it’s uninteresting to caricaturise caterina as like a cackling villain who just wants lucanis under her power. imo she does believe, very much, that she has his best interests at heart. i also believe there’s nothing she is not willing to do for those “best interests” and for the best interests of the family if she decides rook is not part of that. caterina wants lucanis to be the very specific person she thinks he needs to be to survive. if she was willing to hurt him to make him that person, what’s she going to be willing to do to what is essentially an external threat?

i think she’s smarter and holds her cards closer to her chest than to be outright hostile, at least at first, not to mention genuinely glad to have lucanis back and not picking fights she doesn’t have to. (he mentions her pretending not to be bothered by anything, including his possession. i think spite is as likely or more likely to be targeted as the “bad influence” if lucanis doesn’t act how she remembers or tries to leave/step down.)

i will say i personally find posts/fic about caterina approving of rook deeply unconvincing jgsjksks. or i’m like, well if she thinks you’re right for lucanis, then based on her past judgement about things that are right for lucanis, my hopes for you are not high! but then i’m a firm “we gotta get him out of there” truther, which is colouring all of this, and which not everyone is. crow canon being what it is, people have different perspectives, which is fine. just not believable from mine

caterina might give rook a chance to be the person she would like them to be. you could do something interesting with how her approval can make people feel and how she wins the loyalty and respect of people like teia, if she did accept rook but wanted to sort of mold them into the right person for the job as it were. not sure i would have the stomach for THAT dynamic but there you go

i guess in some ways it is more interesting from a “we gotta get him out of there” perspective if she DOES approve and it would be so easy to let things lie. there are things you can do with it and i feel like it almost lets lucanis’ character development down if it’s not himself he’s eventually made to stand up for. and i don’t disagree that two godslayers has got to be even better for a house’s reputation than one. hmmmm. can you all pretend this ask ended conclusively and enlightening i just had an idea for a scene i want to write bye. my final message: do whatever u want with it

[jellazticious]

bing bong bootleg SS au

very long ramble under the C

stuff are subjected to change

The working title isn't solidified but I'm leaning on either Candy Castle or Pastry Castle

Tho I think I'm gonna go for pastry cuz it has the same amount of letters as castle much like pizza and tower have the same number too

The tower is a gingerbread castle. According to a friend of mine (It's Beefy, it's always Beefy go follow him) that Hispanics love their bakeries and yeah, I guess that makes sense. Not only do I have a theme based on the protag's culture but also the theme gets narrowed down to just baked sweets. Candy in general is too broad, I would die figuring out how to put every kind of sweet in it, and if I did it's gonna be really cluttered hooboy

Noise is called Theo because that's Peppino's name formula. Peppino is a nickname for Giuseppe so I thought I'd give Noise's swap a nickname to Theodore as the main name

Hazel Nutt is pretty self explanatory cuz Noisette means hazelnut in French

Their outfits are pretty simple to mirror Peppino and Gustavo's with just coloured shirts and aprons

Hazel doesn't get a mount because she would have Theo's prototype rocket skates. Just like Gus, she would have different stages of getting used to the skates per floor. First she gets blasted from end to end cuz she can't control the thrust. Second, she manages to turn it off but she's trying to keep balance on it. Third, she catches her breath now that she could stand still without moving or slipping. Next she would make a card castle, in reference to the very castle they're inside. and lastly she'd be holding a box of sweets without giving a shit about the scary floor.

To parallel the og Noisette, Hazel would smile bigger when Theo faces her direction.

Hazel is also Theo's delivery gal to match and switch with how Peppino WAS Gustavo's delivery guy

The "kick the rat" function would be Hazel swinging one of the skates and the cops grabbing Brick would instead hold a weapon detector that also functions as a magnet

Unlike Peppino, Theo is more aggressive than anxious. Imagine an injured cat defending itself from what it thinks is a threat

the name of Pizzaface's swap is Pieface for obvious reasons 😭

but HEAR ME OUT

both pizzaface and pieface are used as insults. pizza face is used for people with so much acne and pie face is used for someone with a flat face or dull expression. It isn't just a pun on what food the characters are made of. Pieface is also a reference to the trope where people headshot other people with pies. With the mech floating towards the protag, it would look like a pie is being thrown and targeted at Theo

Honestly drawing what food makes his face is so fun. Did you know that before the croissant smile it was supposed to be syrup shaped to a smile? The nose was a long whip of cream before turning into a cut strawberry for the mustache effect

Pizzahead's candy version would be called Gingerhead because of how ridiculous it sounds.

Gingerhead is based on Willy Wonka much like how Pizzahead is based on Ronald McDonald which is why he has more of a showman look than a clown look

okay side note, it just occured to me how ironic PH being based on Ronald is considering McDo's isn't a pizza place

actually Wonka doesn't even sell cakes and shit so, I guess it's fair game

Theo has the nickname Muffinman to reference the rhyme. but this time, it's the gingerbreadman chasing the baker

Next up is Mr S, who would be Peppino but he becomes rich. Mr S is the stage name he uses. He is a known celebrity much as Noise is but he is more of a boxer than a host. Like Dwayne Johnson or something. His name is partially a reference to ResEvil's Mr X, another absolute unit of a guy

also the reason why he doesn't wear a shirt. He's committing to the bit. If he needs to cover himself when he isn't playing a role, then there's his robe. He doesn't take out his mask most of the time tho

Mr S's mask is based on the Chef Raider design but also part of the scrapped superhero design much like Pizzano. Actually speaking of Pizzano, S is characterized so similarly to him cuz Pizzano is the only SS character who was actually written well to my standards. To be fair we've seen too much of Peppino to flunk characterizing him sksksk

Since this is Peppino that Mr S is based on, he's not as tech savvy or as self centered as Noise so he doesn't have robots that look like himself. Instead he has ants for a crew

the ants swap the place of rats. the rats in PT reference the new york pizza rat while ants just generally eat your food especially if it's sweet when left alone for five minutes

the ants come from Mr G, who would be Gustavo's swap with Noisette. He's Mr S's lawyer. at the end of S's bossfight, G would snatch him away with Click (the ant) because S would make a foul and embarrassing move on live camera

I can't seperate Gustavo and Brick so Click stays with Mr G instead of assisting Hazel

inside what would be Noisette cafe, instead of Mr G and Click being behind the counter, they would be sitting as customers next to Caraman. the barista isn't seen anywhere

Honestly when I'm writing everyone, my logic of swapping them isn't "make them switch places AND personalities" but more of "write every single one of them with the og personality because giving them a different lifestyle/role would drastically change their motives and how they behave"

I'm practically just swapping each character's place of birth

I mentioned this because it's kinda funny with Noisette and Gus since they play the exact same role of assisting Peppino/Noise so swapping them won't change much in how they act. They also have the same cheery and welcoming personality by default so Hazel and Mr G would act REALLY similar to their og

The only difference is that Gustavo can be threatening whenever Peppino fucks up. It fits right in with being a lawyer for the same goon

Now we got Mel Caraman who would become this au's Vigi. Lemme just say off the bat that Caraman is just as delusional as Vigi. He gets hired as a guard for floor 2 and took it way too seriously that he thinks he's some sort of sentinel. Hired as a guard but thinks he's an ancient guardian or something

his name vaguely references James Bond because you also VAGUELY get "caramel" out of "Caraman, Mel Caraman"

Caraman is a caramel apple but he's half glazed to form an eyemask. he's also got a stick poking out his head that stretches his chorro hat. the big hat makes him look cooler anyways. Bro I was so ready to settle for a shitty wild west mayor hat and I owe Beefy one for suggesting a new hat. I was gonna make him look like Doug Dimmadome with the short brimmed tall hat😭😭😭

but yeah Caraman doesn't have the same dignity as Vigi does. He can fight crime decently on normal circumstances and badass when he's full serious. But like day in day out he's so obnoxious about looking for crime that people get tired of him nor would they take him seriously

he would also be mistaken for a pepper

Next to last, Cam M. Bert or just Bert who would take place of Pepperman. he's an artist who appreciates the world instead of himself, a freelancer also. There was only a bossfight because he was coincidentally commissioned to make a mural for the castle the same time Theo busts in. He didn't like how Theo ruined some of his works with his rush to open the door

Bert is a cream cheese instead of a cheese slime. his beret is actually a little cherry to distinguish him from the other creams.

Bert is really chill and humble, He's like Bob Ross, whenever he can, he'd try to talk about how every beauty in the world should be immortalized through a canvas

In parallel to Vigi's delusion of thinking he's a human, Bert thinks he's actually a living painting (which is completely possible for someone to be in the PT world since Pepperman was able to do it with his own art)

instead of a :{ face that Vigilante has, Bert has a :3 face

the naming formula is taken directly from Vigi

Vig E. Lantte

Cam M. Bert

There is a type of sweet cheese that's really creamy called camembert which his name is a direct reference from. Here is a picture of a camembert since it's hella cute

Camembert cheese was also suggested by Beefy, brother thank you for not allowing me to name this cunt Creamlad

Mr Lardo would be in place of Mr Stick but his motive is that he's collecting Theo's money on BEHALF of Mr Stick. They're probably the only ones who completely stay intact because there's not much canon info of Stick WITHIN the game itself I also feel he's a crossover character from his own "series" with how long McPig has him prior to PT so I just swap the character who makes the "cameo"

The toppins are still called toppins because they'd be used to decorate a cake or pie. They would be

Strawberry - Mushroom

Cream - Cheese

Cookie - Tomato

Icing (in a piping bag) - Sausage

actually I dont know yet for the pineapple but I'll get to it. I've only been figuring out this au since four days ago....

Lastly (of the characters), the Faker in this would be mechanical to match the original Noise's familiarity in robots

Fake Theo (temp name) would be engineered to be "Theo but way better" while actually being succesful with it. Faker would also sort of look like a mini figure of a ballerina. Referencing The Nutcracker

Opposite to Fake Peppino, Fake Theo is more graceful than terrifying but it's so uncanny how unnaturally pretty it is

and now some misc stuff

Title of the final level is When The Cookie Crumbles

the pepper pizza will be replaced with an extremely sweet pie and the immunity is caused by the sugar rush from it

Pizza Time is called Crunch Time

Pillar John would be a giant graham cracker since the walls are made of cookies instead of bricks. Gerome however, is a solidified bar of brownies. like a shittily made brownie that it just turned into a construction brick

Snotty is a pure white cream cheese and that's cuz he's actually made of glue. His name is Sticky

Pigs would either be bears or rabbits with how many times those two animals represented sweets

I'm gonna be clear with everyone here. I literally made this au cuz I'm going insane trying to make swap stuff with Pascal/Stefano when the au itself is so empty. sure it's colourful but it's so empty like I can't draw SS characters outside of poses

I tried like doing fanon modifications as I always do then there's so much I "modified" that at this point it's not Sugary Spire anymore. Just straight up a completely different au. The only similarity is that it's a swap au with sweets

it is what it is yknow. this is my life now. I said fuck it and went with the flow and boom, new personal au that I poured too much into

basically I blame Pascal for this

[spaceycat]

smut fic w/ Josh where they smoke weed?

one last post before rest, i saw this and started shaking and crying, smoker!josh is actually one of my most favourite things in the entire world.... omg omg omg im inlove.. ENJOY!! this has been sitting in my drafts for like 3 days, kinda scary

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

ᶠᶸᶜᵏᵧₒᵤ! ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ ... 

╰┈➤ 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𐙚

♫ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴀᴏ ᴘᴀᴜʟᴏ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋɴᴅ (5:02)

✰ pairing: josh washington x fem!reader/fem anatomy!reader

✰ cw: smoking weed, smut, p in v sex, fingering, talk of oral, breeding kink dirty talk, josh is a freak and we love it, reader on top/riding,

✰ word count: 0.6k+

✰ summary: while josh and reader are having sex, josh pulls out a joint and forces reader to light it while teasing her.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

༺colour chart༻ reader ❀ josh !!

It was snowing outside, snowing everyone inside of the lodge for the time being. Josh took advantage of that, grabbing you almost immediately from the living room and bringing you up to his room. His lips were on you before you even got to the door, you giggled all the way nonetheless. You'd close the door behind the two of you, continuing your kissing - your hand carded through his hair, tugging at it gently; a silent promise for more. He'd pull you to his messily made bed, he landed on his back - moving up into the pillows.

You'd move to straddle him, grabbing at his shirt. "Off-- please?" "How could I say no to you, baby.." He'd run his thumb over your bottom lip. He'd tug his shirt off, tossing it aside - his attention back to you.

"Wait-- is this my jumper?.." He'd play with the fabric, "Maybe-- it's comfier than mine." "I'm not gonna get that back am I?" "No--" You'd shake your head laughing a bit. That's how you found yourself riding Josh with his jumper still on you, rest of the clothes shed and scattered across the floor of his room. You'd still hear the snow fall and the wind outside the room - but it was being drowned out from your moans and whimpers and Josh's groans and whispered praises. You were bouncing in his lap, his cock driven deep inside of you as his soft brown curls occasionally bumped your puffy, sensitive clit at the base of his cock.

That's when he leaned over the bed, opening the drawer. "W-What are you doing.." Your movements stilled, "Keep going baby.. just need something." He'd then grab out a joint and a lighter, placing the joint between his lips - grabbing your hips, directing your movement on his dick to start bouncing again. His hips bucking up occasionally to push into your soft heat. You honestly thought the joint would drop from his lips and would be forgotten - but then he grabbed the lighter, passing it to you.

"What do--?" He cut you off, "Light it baby.." Your movements started to still, "Nuh uh.. keep moving, I wanna feel that pretty cunt on me baby.." You struggled to open the light, as his hips started to pound into you with abandon - his hands moving you clit. "Shit-- Josh.. I--" Your hands were placed on his chest, bracing yourself as moans filtered out "No, baby.. cmon-- I know you can do it, 's easy." You fumbled with the lighter a few times, your legs and core starting to ache.

You finally managed to light the lighter, his hips slowed for a moment as you lit the joint. He'd take a drag, grabbing the joint from his lips - holding it up to your mouth. "Here baby.. take a hit." "I--" "It won't bite, cmon.." You took a drag of the joint, it felt good - made your mind feel hazy. "Good, yeah?" You'd nod, he'd take another drag - grabbing your chin, directing him towards you. Blowing the smoke into your mouth as he captured you into a heated kiss. His fingers and hips starting up once again, you felt the coil in your stomach tighten as you moaned into his mouth, his hips pounding into you with abandon as you came around him, squeezing him tightly as he came with you, hot sticky ropes of cum filling your tight pussy so much that a white ring formed around Josh's cock as his hips slowed to a stop.

He'd place a kiss to his lips as he slowly pulled out with a his, watching his cum drip out of you - he'd use a finger to push it back into your quivering cunt. "Keep it in there, yeah baby? Talk to everyone knowing that you're full of my cum and then I'll eat it out of you later.." IM INLOVE WITH HIM OMGGG, also it's 6am oops ILL GO TO SLEEP NOW !!!

[runninriot]

Inspired by the prompt Love is saying "I love you" even when you're scared by @quinns-shadowy-arts for @steddielovemonth day 20

Give and Take

wc: 1737 | rated: t | cw: mentions of drinking and smoking weed | tags: Hurt Feelings (past), Fear of Rejection, Eddie realises he has a crush on Steve, Love Confessions, Friends to Lovers

  

Eddie is just about to leave when Wayne calls after him. Tells him not to stay out too late and to say Hi to Steve. And then he ends how he always does, never lets Eddie go without:

„Love ya, son."

Eddie smiles, gives his uncle an affirming nod before making his way out of the door.

He's heard it so many times now, these words his uncle says so easily, and he wished he could do the same.

It's something Eddie struggles with a lot; telling people he loves them is generally scary as shit.

Because in his experience, to love means to hurt because loving always comes with a price, a piece of your heart you give away with no chance of getting it back.

He’s given away too many of those.

Gave a piece to his mother when he was six. Proudly holding up the card his teacher helped him write for mother’s day. “I love you, mommy” it said on the heart-shaped paper and Eddie smiled, toothless and wide. Got a dead-eyed glare in return when she threw it on top of a pile of unopened letters. Not saying a word, not even acknowledging his extra neat hand-writing or the colourful flowers he’d drawn on the back.

He gave one piece to Jenny in grade 6. The girl with the blue eyes and rosy cheeks who was always so nice to him. One day after school she took his hand and kissed him on the cheek. Eddie felt like flying, told her he liked her a lot, thinking she might feel the same. But Jenny just scrunched her nose, pure disgust written on her face when she told him “Eww, no. It was just a dare.”

He lost a large piece in high school, gave it to Nick. The pretty boy with the seductive smile who dragged him behind the bleachers and stuck his tongue down Eddie’s throat. The kiss was too wet and too sloppy but Eddie thought maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Let Nick push him to his knees and willingly opened up wide. Not once, not twice, it went on for a month. And Eddie felt wanted but apparently wanted too much when he asked him to be his boyfriend.

Eddie learned to keep his mouth shut. To keep the remaining pieces to himself.

-🖤-

Steve is already waiting in his car that’s parked outside the Munson’s home, waving happily when he sees Eddie step outside.

They’ve made plans to spend the evening at Lover’s Lake, have a couple of beers and maybe a smoke while watching the sunset.

They do that often, just hanging out together. Enjoying the long summer days and each other’s company.

It’s always nice to spend time with Steve because with him Eddie never has the feeling he needs to tone himself down. Can ramble and rant, can be as loud and impulsive as he naturally is without having to worry about scaring him off. Steve never makes him feel bad about himself, accepts Eddie as he is.

Being with Steve always feels right.

They get along. They’re friends now. And the more time Eddie spends with Steve, the more he understands him, sees him.

He’s vulnerable, like Eddie. Has had his fair share of people misjudging him based on what they see on the outside. Where people assume Eddie is scary and mean, they think of Steve as being strong but dumb. Where they think Eddie’s only interests are metal and nerd games, they think Steve’s life revolves around nothing but sports and girls.

But Eddie knows better. Knows all of Steve’s layers.

Sure, Steve does love his silly ball games (something Eddie will never understand) but he also loves to cook and bake. He hates the taste of ginger and is afraid of moths. He can’t sleep with his back turned to the door and he likes the sound of heavy rain pounding against the window. He hates to read but he loves to listen if someone takes the time to read to him.

Eddie cherishes Steve’s honesty. The way he’s not afraid to ask questions if he doesn’t understand something. The way he’ll tell you, straight forward, when you’re being unreasonable.

Eddie likes the way his eyes sparkle when he’s happy. Likes the way Steve snorts when he laughs really hard. Eddie likes the snappy tone he uses when someone (usually Dustin) gets on his nerves. He likes Steve's fierceness, and his courage, and how much he cares.

Liking Steve is easy because he’s a genuinely nice guy with a big heart who never lets his friends down and always gives so much.

Eddie feels lucky to have him in his life, would give everything to keep him there.

-🖤-

They are lying side by side on a blanket, their minds comfortably buzzed from the joint they shared, while the sun sets over Lover’s Lake, painting their bodies in a dark orange hue. A gentle breeze caresses their exposed skin, just a warm touch of air drifting over their sun warmed bodies.

It’s quiet out here, now that most of the people that came to enjoy a day at the lake have already gone home.

Eddie thoughtlessly turns his head to look at Steve who is lying there with his eyes closed, basking in the tranquillity of the moment. Calm and content, so still and at peace. So different from his usual demeanour – always alert, always a little tense, always ready to step in if someone requires his help.

He's... beautiful like that.

And suddenly it is like something snaps in Eddie's brain.

He can’t tear his eyes away, lets them wander over Steve’s soft features and the expanse of his body. Wonders, foolishly, what Steve’s skin would feel like underneath his fingertips, what it would be like to hold him, maybe even get a taste of his lips.

    Oh no. Oh fuck.

Something in his gut coils and twists, ripples through him like an electric shock wave when the realisation hits.

It was inevitable, really, and maybe deep down he already knew for much longer than he’d ever admit.

It’s a bitter truth to accept but the confession comes easy now that he allows his heart to speak.

He’s in love with Steve.

Can’t have him, clearly. But that’s just how it is. That’s always how it is.

Eddie turns his head back, eyes pinched close in frustration as he tries to breathe through the stinging pain in his chest. His heart pumps so fast it makes him dizzy, makes him feel a little like spinning on a carousel that’s going too fast.

    SHIT! Eddie thinks or did he said it out loud? Because Steve startles beside him and Eddie can feel him ruffling at their shared blanket when he moves.

   “Eddie? What’s wrong?”

Eddie looks back at Steve who’s suddenly so much closer than he was before –  brows pinched together in question, with small worry lines showing on his forehead, his face hovering over Eddie’s.

   “I just realised something,” Eddie answers too honest, doesn’t know where to go from here but he can’t find it in him to lie.

    “Oh,” Steve breathes out, his expression softening as the seconds pass. “Wanna talk about it?”

   “Uh, I- no. I’d rather not.”

The look Steve gives him shouldn’t sent him spiralling even more but goddamn does he look cute with that stupid smirk tugging at his lips.

Eddie wants to bite him, feels a deep red blush take hold of his face. Maybe he can put it off as a sun burn?

   “Who knew that the great Eddie Munson could be so timid?” Steve jokes and okay.

So much for trying to play it cool.

   “I’m not-“ Eddie takes a deep breath, “It’s just something I can’t tell you.”

Steve sits up and without being prompted, Eddie does the same. For a moment they just look at each other.

   “You know you can tell me everything.”

If Eddie didn’t know better, he’d think there’s something like disappointment ringing in Steve’s voice.

   “Yeah, hah, uh- not this, I guess.”

Eddie looks away, can’t hold Steve’s gaze. Nervously he starts to play with the rings on his fingers until a warm hand stops him, causing him to look back up.

   “Try me.” Steve’s voice is soft and Eddie knows he can trust him but-

    No.

He can’t. This isn’t worth losing him over. Eddie knows how this is going to go. He can’t give anymore pieces away.

   “I-“

Only now Eddie realises Steve’s hand is still resting on his own, his thumb gently rubbing circles over the back of it.

Steve has never touched him like this before, so tender it almost doesn’t feel real.

   “I like you a lot, Steve.” The words sputter out before he can even try to hold them back.

Eddie winces, tries to avert his gaze but before he can turn his head to the side there’s a hand on his cheek and a firm press of lips on his mouth and-

Eddie can taste weed, and beer, and the chips they shared. Steve’s breath is hot as he sighs into the kiss, his lips are plush and soft... they’re so fucking soft Eddie feels like sinking right into them.

He allows his eyes to flutter close as he deepens the kiss, wants more of the taste, more of Steve. His hands find their way to Steve’s hips, digging and pulling like he just can’t help himself, needs Steve closer.

They part when their startled laughter breaks the tension as Steve tumbles ungraciously on top of Eddie, looking down at him with glistening eyes.

   “Fuck, Steve.” Eddie feels giddy, breathless.

   “Yeah. Fuck.” Now it is Steve’s turn to blush.

Somehow their lips find their way back to each other, like it’s easy. And maybe it is.

Maybe it is easy because they both want it.

   “Want you, Eddie. Wanted you for so long but I was scared to tell you that I-“ Steve inhales shakily.

Maybe they both feel the same?

   “I love you, Steve.”

This isn’t just a piece. This is his whole heart he holds it out for Steve to take, hoping that this time, he’ll maybe get something in return.

Eddie holds his breath, feels cold sweat running down his spine as he waits for a rejection that never comes.

   “I love you, Eddie.”

[futuristicanoe]

still waters run deep

part— 1 ;

mature themes - [ - alcohol, blood, unspecified health issues, power imbalance undertones, weirdness, etc ]

Sunlight always made your room look dusty.

When you woke up with a gasp, it felt as if you had just broken away from a fight – something like a pillow fight, maybe. And it had left your bed messy, your breath shaky. Instead of an uncontrollable laughter, a scream was begging to bubble up in your throat at the reminder –

Oh, it was just a dream. Just a daunting fantasy-turned-nightmare, which only jolted to life after excruciating weeks ended.

You were glad that you had removed the sticky makeup before going to bed, because the searing heat around you was making your skin crawl already. Clinging to you tightly like it had turned into liquid overnight – the dotting sweat on your forehead, the dusty air pouring down your lungs like rainwater – you coughed, sitting up.

Henry's bar has a tiny room with a bed in it, and you had claimed it as yours without really meaning to. When he gave you the key to every room, you took that as an invitation. His way of showing how much he trusted you could never be something he would actually talk about like a normal person.

Henry was not abnormal. He was just fine. For a man who did not have to do anything for you, he seemed keen to help, and that might have disconcerted some people - normal people, perhaps. Not you.

You were not abnormal. It's just that nobody treated you like they wanted to understand you, and while Henry was doing exactly that, he was a decent man, and he had enough money to give you some part of it without thinking much, too. No questions asked. You knew what to look for.

With a sigh and a sleep-blurry haze over your eyesight, you reached under your pillow to pull the card out.

You had tucked it away all nicely the moment you got in bed, hiding it from the rest of the world. Not having the slightest idea what you could do with it the next day, but you knew it was yours, so that meant you could do anything you wanted.

The card looked even prettier with better lightning. Better than most business cards, at least. Not that you've been given many before, other than whatever doctors jumble up and throw at every single patient, saying, "This is me!" And they are never wrong.

Dull.

The card in your hand was inviting, like the cover of a book that promised intrigue and some ambiguous bitter-sweet ending. No happy tears, but a memorable time.

It was only a matter of two minutes before you picked up your phone and called the number.

The strangest thing to see was the inside of your eyelids, as you squeezed your eyes shut. The sunlight made them look red.

You could never understand why the sun felt this need to change everything, morph beings into some temporarily colourful things, and then disappear down the horizon without a single promise of coming back. One shouldn't even look at it, because it will damage their eyes. Yet everyone looks up at the sky to see the meaning of life.

Maybe because it was not a spinning rock, it was a star... oh, yes. Far away, unreachable, scalding, loud-

Somebody picked up the call.

It was a young woman.

"Good morning! Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. My name is Sophia. How may I help you?"

Her voice sounded soft. Full of warmth, but not fiery.

"Good morning. Can I- could I speak to the..."

Socializing has always been difficult for you. Even more so when there is a phone call to be made and suddenly you felt foolish, kind of speechless, staring daggers at the card like it would give you an answer. For a split second, you couldn't help but wonder if you seemed steady and sure of yourself, like Sophia, when you were stuck behind that bar counter last night, or any other day, in any other place.

"Would you like to speak to the host, ma'am?"

It was absurdly easy to distract you.

"Yes," you said quickly, snapping back into the conversation.

"Unfortunately, Mr Turner is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to speak to anyone else, ma'am?"

You frowned. "...Mr–" What was that name? "Mark is unavailable?"

There was a small pause on Sophia's end.

"Oh, no. He will get to you in just a minute, ma'am. Please, wait here."

You were about to thank her when the line beeped loudly.

A repetitive melody echoed through the speaker, and you let out a huff. It only made your nervous state worse, the anticipation.

You were trying to untangle your legs from the blanket to sit more comfortably, but they did not budge.

Every part of this place really kept you stuck like a pulpy mess of a swamp, smothering your will to live with its filthy hands.

The line went silent again.

You stopped your movements.

"Mark speaking."

He sounded different over the phone, like he was trying too hard to be comprehensible.

You did not respond right away, but just as you opened your mouth, he said, "Allô?"

"I– Hello. It's me."

It was weird that you expected him to recognise your voice. But he did not know your name either.

At least, you had not told him.

"Ah. Of course. And do you know what time it is?"

He recognised you. The lack of emotion in his voice could be ignored for a bit.

His unfettered curiosity would come back soon enough.

You swallowed noisily, almost heard your throat click, and you had to close your eyes to keep the sanity intact.

"No, sir." There you go. Habits like pine needles in your mouth.

"It is twenty past six. I start my day at seven, you see. Sometimes half past seven, too."

For no particular reason, you looked at the thin gap between the windowsill and the wall and shivered, as if on cue. It felt like waking up all over again. What did you even pick up the phone for? To call him at this hour, while you were trembling like a sunburnt leaf and tangled, still, in your blanket?

Oh, yes. The nightmare had led you there.

"I'm sorry," you said.

"Being unaware is alright. And Sophia is new, too..." He sighed. "So, how can I help you?"

You rubbed your eyes. The timbre of his voice was so smooth, it was calming you down already. With your phone pressed to your ear, his words landed on the strained side of your migraine with a cooling pressure. Sleek. And you hadn't even been paying attention to how your breath was still shaky, your fingers numb.

"Let me make it easier. Why did you call me?"

Distractions, again.

"You left the number there. For me. I assumed you wanted me to call."

He hummed. "That's true. But it's not why you called me. You don't sound very sure."

"Really?" You coughed. "I'm just exhausted."

"Couldn't sleep?"

You wanted to disappear, kind of.

"No... I mean, I got some sleep."

You could hear another quick "hmm."

"It wasn't good enough, then? A bad dream, perhaps."

There it was. The curiosity.

"I can get restless sometimes. It's nothing, just need to go out more, get some fresh air. But I don't like the heat. The sun... it hurts my eyes."

"I see. Well, at dusk, it is more tolerable outside than I imagine it must be right now. At least over here. You could go out with some friends." he went quiet for just a second. "You have friends, don't you?"

You laughed. A short, humourless laugh.

"Of course."

"Good. Don't fret, but I have an offer to make." He said it like there was a smile lodged in his throat. "The hotel is very quiet lately. You know the stillness- silence that seems to surround a place, when it's undergoing some... changes?"

He paused, waiting for your answer, but you said nothing.

"Your side of the town is much louder. Not in the way I was hoping it would be, but- I tried to escape the silence last night, have a nice drink, talk to somebody.

All I got was cherry pie... Though you have the knack for keeping conversations lovely, don't you?"

He laughed.

His tone had changed, like he has known you for long enough to do that with you – get all personal and make unfunny jokes. Talk to you at 6:34 on a sweltering morning when you feel like snow and death. Out of place, but right where you want to be, all at once.

Your world was much louder, yes.

You never liked that, and nobody would like it for you, either. Because it wasn't ever about obnoxious laughter, parties, and water– pillow fights, hide and seek hysterics, no. Just an endless series of cacophony. Day after day, crushing and shattering on top of you like washed up dolls and whenever you went to sleep — you could have sworn they remained awake, but quiet, unmoving. You never learned how to stay quiet and docile like those doe-eyed things.

And you always had silent dreams.

It was nice, until it wasn't, because you realized you couldn't scream if you needed to.

When he said that you "and your friends" should visit Tranquility Base, it was easy to see through him.

Mark didn't want a silent life. But as he had you hushed for a minute there, keeping your mind calm, for the first time in your life – you didn't feel like protesting.

"Alright," you said. "I'll be there."

Mark started his day at twenty past six a.m. so he ended it at twenty to seven in the evening. Right before dusk, he put on the white suit jacket over his white shirt.

He looked smooth. Brisk and bitter all at once, what with the saltchuck-chalky allure of his outfit. No lurid colours this time. He was a blank page.

Mark cut his hair the night before.

Just to stop the mild "party in the back" from growing out later. Now it was a neat cut. And when he combed his hair back, putting on some proper grease and letting the sharp ends curl behind his ears, he looked like an alien's idea of how a weird man would dress up to seem friendly.

He had the overall plan for the day mapped out in his head, but the picture in his mind turned to grey marble when he saw you standing in front of the reception desk. Alone.

You were wearing different clothes. Obviously trying to be more formal and serious, like an expensive doll. Compared to Mark's pristine look, you were something akin to a smudged bruise, drowning in dark blue and red hues, an abrasion — ready to sting and bleed whenever.

As he looked at your fingers gripping your elbow, how you stood with one knee slightly bent, and the loose fabric of your shirt fell down into thin layers without covering your belt, Mark decided he preferred seeing you like this.

You caught his gaze, and he smiled, crocodile smoothness glinting in every sharp corner of his face.

Mark gently nudged your shoulder and called out for Sophia, who was on the phone currently. He didn't seem to care much about that.

"Sophia, tell everyone I'll be out for a while, yes? I've got..."

He said your last name, and how you would spend some time with him. It was weird to think that he knew something so personal about you, while you didn't. Regardless of your churning feelings, you smiled out of awkwardness.

With Mark almost glued to your side and the clear glass of a pretty drink in your hands, you went towards the exit door. You didn't even have enough time to take the place in; the extravagant interior, the silver sculptures in the corner that had caught your eye before Mark came into view and stole the spotlight.

It was a bit like going to church as a kid. Stunned and dazzled by your surroundings, yet feeling every sickness- or whatever it was, that made a better life seem so distant and out of reach. And Mark could play the role of a mysterious pastor well. Someone gloomy, but drenched in performative purity. Or maybe it was just you.

As soon as you two were out of the door, he put on a pair of sunglasses. They were colourful. Not just any colour, they were red. The expensive shade of red.

Does he know the sun is going to be down soon?

The field was a nice place to stand. Just to stand, because there was nothing else you could do, really. It looked bleak, like in winter. The grass wasn't green enough, there were no notable flowers or even rocks.

"I thought you wanted to show me the hotel," you said, bringing the glass up to your mouth and just resting it against your bottom lip. You frowned at the bitter smell. "Campari?"

He grinned, like you passed a test he had given you unpromptedly. "Yes."

"Nothing else?" You furrowed your eyebrows, but he didn't look away or give you an answer, so you took a sip with little thought.

You tried not to grimace.

"Too much?" He asked, looking at the way you pursed your lips.

"No, just- I'm not the biggest fan of Campari."

"I thought you'd like the red."

"I do," you said, swirling the ice around. "It's pretty."

"That's good."

"So... why are we here, again?"

"The sunset, of course."

Mark halted his steps completely and sat down on the grass, just like that.

Watching how easily he did it, not caring about a single shiny thread in his suit, you felt almost anxious.

His head was at your hip level now. You noticed the haircut.

"Am I supposed to like this, too?"

"I don't think you are supposed to hate it. It will be pretty."

You reluctantly sat down next to him, dreading the feeling of being so close to the Earth, but the horizon was pleading to be looked at with consideration.

The cloudless sky filled with deep orange and red. It felt as if the world was mourning, spinning and it really was, wasn’t it? You sipped the Campari.

"I hate knowing that it'll be dark outside by the time I leave," you said.

The scenery drew you in too easily. You weren't looking at him, or the sunset, but just staring ahead. Letting your eyes grow unfocused, even if the sun had made them sting already. Some unspoken language between you and the lilting summer breeze made you calm, brushing against your cheeks and sweeping the hair up at your temples.

Mark pulled off his sunglasses and put it in the pocket of his suit. He was studying your side profile, the golden glow reflected in your eyes, the way your lips twitched when you frowned. How you seemed unsure, even in your silence.

"Something out there?"

Your head whipped around. "Hm?"

"You seem unsettled." Mark shifted his position on the grass, bending one knee and putting his forearm on it. Casual and awkward, kind of like a neighbour invited to your birthday party. "Does the dark scare you? Or is it just, hmm... harder to be alone when you don't feel the home around you?"

You took your time to look at him properly. The tip of his nose was slightly pink. The wind had ruffled his hair.

You didn't know what he wanted to understand, exactly, but he wanted to know the answer. It made you feel like a ghost, as if he could touch your soul with one more carefully timed question. Cut through the mist and shake you apart, and it wasn't even that dark yet.

"You know, I don't live in a castle. If I have a home, and if something is out there and it wants to get me— it will, anyway." You put your glass on the ground, between his hip and your thigh. "I just don't wanna stick around for too long. Don't wanna be the one to lure it in."

"I can tell you something for sure. You don't want to be too much, so you are vague. Still intense, but it's under the surface–"

"That's kind of rude," you said and let out a nervous laugh.

"–Don't you know that's exactly what matters the most?"

Quite quizzical.

No doubt, you looked puzzled.

"Whatever is in there," he says and motions at your head. "That's what they can see, you know? That's what you need to keep all safe."

"Why would I sit here and pour my heart out with you?"

"It's not me." He narrowed his eyes, sending you an almost accusatory glance, before adding casually, "But what if you need help?"

"I don't understand."

You laughed again.

It was like he was trying to find the right words, and that felt even more patronising. "What kind of person doesn't seek a home?"

"Are you lecturing me?" You raised your voice.

"No." He smiled like your words were ridiculous and looked away again. "I'm just... judging. That's all."

"That's all? Oh, I get it now." You scoffed. It was clear that he was just pushing you, riling you up, but you couldn't stop. "Is this what you were looking for?"

Mark raised an eyebrow. It was his turn to look confused.

"When you came to the bar last night, is this what you wanted?" You felt shivery, almost too hot and too cold at once. "But I wasn't who you were looking for. Is this loud enough for you now?"

"There is no need for any theatrics..."

His words got blurry, just like the sky.

It looked blue around the edges, dim, fuzzy.

You closed your eyes.

Darkness.

The inside of your eyelids didn't look red this time, and you could feel the rush of wind against your skin.

There was warmth.

A gentle hand on your shoulder— no, the heat had stilled behind your eyes. Stagnant before it started to melt, and you felt something moving, tipping over, wetness trickling down inside the bridge of your nose.

You opened your eyes and saw him kneeling next to you, scrambling to take something out of his pocket– a handkerchief.

The glass you had put on the ground was knocked over, forgotten.

Your hands went up to your face instinctively, cupping your nose, and you almost shrieked when he grabbed your wrists with a firm grip.

"Shhh. Easy, easy... There you go."

Mark pressed the handkerchief to your face, dabbing at the blood and keeping you in place with an arm wrapped around your shoulders. The unexpected strength made you feel off-kilter. He just kept cooing.

"Are you going to cry? Don't cry, you'll bleed more."

You tried to pull away when he brought the handkerchief back to your face.

"Oh, don't go anywhere..."

He stopped the blood from flowing as quickly as possible. Lulling your feeble protests, telling you to quiet down and how all okay you were going to be.

When he saw your bloodied hands squirming and fidgeting with your own clothes, he pulled the handkerchief away for a moment, and let your sticky fingers cling to his suit instead. If you had been weirdly anxious about the muddy earth ruining it, there is no doubt you got even closer to crying just then.

You felt filthy. Like some stray dog, like dust on the road. You just had to turn into a mess at some point, always.

Mark tried to stay still, until he realized he couldn't keep you motionless because you were trembling, quivering from within, so he rocked you gently.

It felt humiliating, yet he made it seem more casual than crazy. Like he would just forget about it the next day and you would, too.

He tentatively allowed his hand to move from your shoulder, patting your head when you coughed, and he couldn't help himself and smile.

"Atta girl. Who knew you could listen, huh?"

Your forehead was pressed to his chin, and you could feel his smile on your skin.

"Don't do that," you grumbled when he began stroking your hair, brushing it back just like the wind had done earlier. It was actually nice.

"Why not? Does it feel bad?"

You didn't answer the question he asked, but the one you should have been asking yourself. "It's gettin' late. I need to go."

"Oh, you aren't going anywhere."

If there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, you didn't pay any attention to it.

"Not alone," he added and pulled away. You shivered.

Mark stood up, absentmindedly removing the dirt from his trousers. He looked down at you.

You had the handkerchief clutched tightly in your hands and when you looked up at him, expecting his suit to be stained with crimson, you were greeted with... the fabric looked merely muddy in the dark. The redness wasn't clear at all.

"Time to go," he said, offering a hand.

You grabbed his forearm with hesitation, but he helped you stand up properly with no snarky remarks, and you muttered a quiet, "Thank you," which must have been loud enough since he nodded.

Mark got home at nine. With you by his side, throwing too many questions at him, like he would care to catch them all — but no, no, he was feeling nice. Seeing how easy it was to unnerve you, he wouldn't want to overdo it. He wasn't cruel like a cartoon villain, even though he looked like one.

(You even dared to ask about the 'haircut', too, during the walk. And you didn't get an answer. Probably because the question was a murmured "Do you straighten your hair—")

You sat down on his bed.

Mark called out from the bathroom, saying that he would tell Henry you couldn't look after the bar for a few days, and at the same time you wanted to tell him you could just go back in the morning, made a mental note to ask Henry about him, and wanted to think of another question, but you were too sleepy. Woozy. Your bones felt heavy, your legs drained of any energy, your head hurt, still.

You went to sleep, in his bed, at ten past nine.

Alone.

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Millie Bright x Reader

Part One: Lover’s Auction

AN: This turned out so long I’ve decided to turn it into a series.

Prompt: Billionaire reader meets Millie though a charity event, reader bids on one of Millie’s shirts, Millie then asks reader out for drinks (reader spoils Millie) ~ @kayls93

TW: this story is based around reader’s mum who passed away (past tense). No mentions of how/why she died to minimise triggers.

It was the night of the auction your dad had spent all year planning, it was to raise money for his company’s charity in honour of his late wife and your mother. He often hosts big auction nights to celebrate the woman you both loved and lost and this year it’s the 20th anniversary which coincides with your 27th birthday. All your life you’ve only known him to be a manager of some big company in London, it’s meant you’ve led a very comfortable life but never completely understood his job role. You did know that he was very well connected and treats his staff like family - from the moment you were born you were adored by all his colleagues, you made them all aunties and uncles. He would often bring you into work with him as a little girl and enjoyed watching you crawl around his office, dreaming of the day he would hand his empire over to you. After your mum’s death he bought you in everyday for months, he needed somewhere to take his mind off things and knew you loved being fussed over by your extended family. They would sit with you to do homework and talk about the friendship drama at school while your dad worked - he was never short of babysitters!

Your dad is the only man you have ever loved, he knew you would come out years before you actually did. He held you when the tears didn’t stop after your first break up, he attends Pride with you every year and always texts that he loves you at the end of every day. Since your mum passed away he had become your best friend and no other woman has entered his life except for you. Whenever he was invited to work parties or social events you were always his plus one and would parade you around the dance floor standing on his feet as he tapped along to the music. In his eyes, you were a princess and nobody would ever be good enough for you.. or so he thought.

Your dad had been running around all week putting the final touches into place, trying to rally up promo and extra giveaways to make this year’s auction extra special that he hadn’t noticed how down you had been lately. The anniversary was a lot to bare for you - hating the world that your mum wasn’t here to spend your adult days with, often wondering if she would have been your best friend and sad that you’ve missed out on growing up with her. Dad was rushing around the house like a tornado when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of you on the sofa under a blanket. “Honey, why aren’t you dressed?” his tone soft and gentle as he ushered over to join you. “I don’t feel like it dad” you tried to brush off the emotion held in your throat as you stood up to correct his tie. You didn’t know that he knew exactly how tie them himself but your simple act reminds him of the mornings he would kiss your mum goodbye after she corrected it for him. Straightening it down his chest you tiptoed to kiss his cheek “you can buy anything you want?” he said with a cheeky smile as he waved his credit card in the air which was enough to get your attention. Holding out your hand to shake a deal with him you rushed upstairs to your bedroom to see a new dress hanging on your wardrobe, smiling at how dad had got the perfect colour to match your skin tone. Over the years he has had to be your dad and mum; learning how to plait your hair to teaching you why periods happen and buying your first bra, he was practically one of the girls by now. You slipped on your heels and delicately curled your hair but before leaving you snuck into dad’s room, fumbling around on your hands and knees trying to reach under the bed until you felt a velvet box. Blowing the dust off, your fingers traced your mother’s name etched into the woodwork, clicking the latch open the black and white photo of your family hidden inside made you choke up as you chose her favourite necklace to pair with your outfit. You heard dad calling as you straightened your dress in the mirror then made your way down the stairs like you were on your way to prom. Your dad was still rushing around the house to get ready when he suddenly came to a halt at your entrance. “Darling” his voice whimpered as he spotted the pearls around your neck, holding out his arms for one of his famous bear hugs.

Entering the formal occasion you were quickly swamped by your dad’s colleagues, greeting them as Aunty This and Uncle That they gawped at how grown up you looked. Pawing over the “when did you get so big” and pulling at your cheeks like they haven’t seen you in years when you only saw them last week. You instantly felt the glow of love they shared and was so glad you’d came as they showered you both in affection. When the group dispersed you immediately turned to dad with a puppy dog look in your eyes and your hand spread waiting for him to offer up his credit card, pecking him on the cheek when he did and making a beeline for the bar. “My darling (y/n)” the bar lady called as you approached, “hi Aunt Sally” - yet another one of your make believe family. “I’m going to need some ID my dear” the dark skinned woman joked with you. “Aunty, you know I’m nearly 30!” batting your eyelashes at her. “My dear, don’t be wishing your life away, you’re miles off that number yet” her thick Jamaican accent rolled off her tongue like honey. Sipping on your cocktail she asked if you’d had a chance to view what’s on offer yet, you said the bar was your first pit stop as she started listing off some things that she had spotted earlier. Glancing around the room at all the people from your bar stall your attention was caught when you heard her say “vaginal rejuvenation” making you scoff just as you took a big gulp of your drink, trying not to choke the liquid dribbled out of your mouth and back into the glass in the most unladylike manner. Trying to hold your giggles inside she passed you another drink when and said you don’t think your dad would appreciate that purchase on his card!

After a few cocktails and catching up with Sally you wandered over to the rows of items and experiences up for auction. Running your finger along the table your eyes scanned the placards of descriptions; bungee jump – “no”, flying lessons – “no”, lunch with Harry Kane – “who?”, spa day - “hmm..” scribbling your name and bid down before moving on, personal shopper spree - “yes!” enthusiastically setting a high bid that you anticipated wouldn’t be beaten. Moving to the next row you spotted the vaginal rejuvenation Sally was talking about earlier, snickering to yourself as you wrote down her name and a bid. Looking up you saw dad watching you intently, raising his eyebrow as he caught your gaze when you threw him a sarcastic little wave.. you knew he was watching how many items you were bidding on! You finished scrolling past the next few tables until your eyes landed on a pristine condition football shirt. Your fingers stroked the fabric as your brain flooded with memories of simpler times, days where mum would drive you miles to games and sit for hours in all weathers watching you play. Remembering how you would purposely tackle as many people as you could to try and get your kit dirtier than the week before, your mother’s groans rang through your mind when it rained knowing she’d have a hard time beating the stains out. It didn’t take her long to get clued up on your antics because she began packing a change of clothes, threatening to tie you to the roof so you wouldn’t sit in her car in your muddy kit. “Are you gonna bid or stare into space with a weird smile all night?” a voice suddenly made you jump out of memory lane. Still stroking the comfort of the fabric with your thumb and forefinger you answered them, “it just brought back some memories, that’s all” upset that your daydream had been interrupted. You didn’t make eye contact or even look towards the person before scurrying off toward the bathrooms to hide the tears that had started to fall. Hearing your heels click audibly across the wooden floor your dad’s eyes looked on in worry as he could tell something had upset you.

Locking yourself in a stall you tried to dab your eyes without ruining your make up and took some deep breaths to compose yourself before making your way back to the event. Just like when you walked in a few hours earlier you went straight back to the bar, “my sweet child, are you okay?” Sally greeted you with a cocktail she’d already made when she saw you leave the room. “I bid on that treatment you wanted” you laughed, trying to move past what had just happened. Watching Aunty Sal gasp in disbelief but her face turning from embarrassment to amusement made your heart happy as she moved away to serve someone else. Hearing the voice of the person ordering was the same as the one who approached you at the bidding table moments earlier your body tensed up again. You looked up to examine them, catching her eyes as she shuffled closer to you, “erm, I didn’t mean to hit a nerve” she said eyes firmly on her drink. “You didn’t, the shirt did. A nice nerve” you reassured before going on to tell the woman about your childhood days on the pitch and all about your mum. She hadn’t realised that this event was for you, your dad had done business with her a few months ago and had asked for a favour, the woman can never say no to charity, so she says! “Why did you stop.. playing football?” she said quietly, wondering whether that was okay to ask. “It hurt too much not seeing mum there” your voice croaked as you tried to hold back the tears again. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to” she said, placing a comforting hand on your arm. “No, I want to. It was the only place I felt truly happy and then suddenly… it wasn’t” peering into your drink stirring it anxiously with the straw, you were yet to make eye contact with the woman and she must have noticed. She invited you over to a table that was free where you talked about how you’d have a competition of how muddy you could get your kit and soon you were laughing and smiling over the memories rather than letting the sadness take hold.

You spent the rest of the evening talking to your new friend until your dad announced himself on stage, tapping the microphone as it echoed around the room. “That’s my dad!” you hollered from your seat as all eyes found you and the table full of empty glasses. He started muttering into the microphone as he began to read out the winners - “the vaginal rejuvenation goes to Sally!” Laughing to yourself as you stood up and shouted for the woman who’s been the closest thing to a mum you have had for years as she hid her face behind the cocktail shakers in her hands. Dad listed off the final prizes until he reached the last one - “the signed England shirt goes to my beautiful daughter (y/n)” Double taking to check what you heard was correct, your face turned to confusion.. you didn’t bid on it? “I know how much you enjoyed football with your mum and I saw your face as you remembered those times earlier, you were smiling and I hope it helps you hold onto the good times” he said as tears welled in his eyes. “Oh dad!” you whined an alcoholic filled ‘aww’ as you run up onto the stage to hug him. His arm pulled you into his side when he thanked everyone for coming. “From both of us, thank you so much for coming out tonight and raising such an incredible amount of money for an outstanding charity that we hold so close to our hearts. We welcome you to stay as long as you wish, to Marla!” “To mum!” raising your glasses into the air as clinks rattled around the room.

Stumbling back to your seat with the shirt in one hand and a drink in the other. you slumped next to the mystery woman who had turned into your company for the evening. “I think you could use some air” she giggled trying to stop all the glasses from clattering as your hip nudged the table. Nodding reluctantly she held out her arm for you to balance on and walked you out to the car park underneath the street lights. Clicking her car keys made the boot of her car rise by itself, “ohhhh fancy!” your voice echoed at the magical car opening before a hand had even been laid on it. “Think fast!” the blonde shouted as a football came flying towards your face. “What the fuck?!” you yelled dropping the shirt to catch the ball at the last possible second. “You’ve still got it! Didn’t you say you were a goalie?” she smiled. “I played everywhere! I did like being in goal but I preferred tackling people, risky business as a goalie!” instinctively dropping the ball to land on your foot as you started keepy uppys, counting 12 until you got distracted by the woman rummaging in her boot for something else. “If you throw another ball at my face you’re gonna get it!” kicking the ball above your head and catching it under your arm. “Fancy a 1v1?” she appeared behind the boot lid wearing a Chelsea shirt… “with a Chelsea fan? My mum would turn in her grave!” you laughed as she asked who you support. “I was raised on our home team, not the big guns!” you continued to poke fun at her but admitted you hadn’t kept up with the growth of the women’s game, you hadn’t watched a match since your mum’s passing and was very out of touch with the sport. “Arms up!” she instructed as she pulled the new shirt over your head, “first to 5?” You objected at first as you were wearing heels until she suggested moving to the grass verge next to the car park and made the trees the goalposts. Kicking your shoes off to cries of cuteness at how short you really were in comparison to her and tying the skirt of your dress into a knot to be able to move more freely. Little did she know how fiercely competitive you are and how surprised you were that you still knew how to play.. amateur maybe, but it felt good with a ball at your feet even though the cold condensation from the grass tickled your toes. Cheering as you scored your first goal in 20 years it lit a fire in your belly as you went in to tackle her, laughing at how you bounced straight off the broad woman leaving you laid on the ground as she scored too.

You didn’t know your dad was watching from the window as she came to lie down next to you. “Look you’ve got your brand new shirt dirty already!” she cried tugging at the grass stained patch on your side. “My mum would be so annoyed!” you laughed as she pulled you onto her chest. “You’d make a good defender yknow!” you suggested to her, eyes fluttering with tiredness as she stroked your hair. “Good job I am then, aih?” she squeezed you a little tighter, making you sit up immediately alert. “Really?” “Yeah… that’s my shirt you’re wearing” she smirked watching you glance down at the crest displaying three lions as the realisation suddenly broke through your drunk mind. “Shut! Up!” your voice irritatingly loud as all the puzzle pieces started falling into place, “you play for England?!” Shrugging at your question she nodded and snickered before adding “and Chelsea!” Your mouth became wider with each admission, “why didn’t you tell me?” you slapped her arm thinking about what you’ve said, especially taking the piss out of her ‘being a fan’ of the London club. “I just did!” her voice turned high pitch as she raised her hands to display innocence. Your head tilted in a confusion as you tried to work her out. Moments of silence passed as your mind ran through everything you’ve talked about since the beginning of the night. “Did my dad set this up?” you questioned her integrity. “No, not at all” she assured you but you were already looking towards the building that the party was continuing in. Spotting your dad at the window with a huge grin on his face and holding a thumbs up to the glass. Mumbling under your breath you clambered to your feet with your hands on your hips to show him you’re very unamused with him playing Cupid. He displayed a “shoo” action with his hands trying to usher you back to the woman who was also now on her feet. “If I knew who you were why would I say what I did at the auction?” she tried to reassure you. Her question changed your demeanour, looking up at the blonde in a way that showed she had a fair point. “I didn’t think I’d have so much fun tonight, I didn’t plan on staying out this long!” she said packing the ball and her shirt back into the boot of her car. “Oh sorry, you probably have a boyfriend to get home to” untying the knot in your dress. “Girlfriend. Annddd.. nope, just the dogs” your eyebrow raised at her admission which she couldn’t see as you were still trying to make yourself presentable again. Grabbing your hand she turned you around so your back was facing her and wrote something on the back of your shirt. Her fingertips grazed down your arms, tightening around your wrists to lift your arms in the air as she slipped your shirt over your head. Pulling it in the right way she laid it over your hands and pointed at the name she’d scribbled above ‘BRIGHT’ on the back. “Millie” you said squinting to read her hand writing and noticing her phone number written inside the number 6. “Yes, Millie.. nice to meet you” she smiled, holding out her hand to shake yours. “(Y/n), it’s been a pleasure” you joked, holding your dress out and dipping into a curtsy, almost losing your balance when she grabbed your arms to keep you upright. Asking to borrow her pen you delicately wrote your number on her arm like a teenager in school, not registering that it was a marker until the last number. Millie had known the whole time but didn’t stop you, she just wondered how she’d explain it to the girls at training tomorrow.

Part Two

[nous-teleios]

Here's a hot take that many people might disagree with, but it's a hill I am ready to die on: traditional tarot decks are in every way superior to modern, mass made ones, and they get WAY less love by the modern tarot community.

The number of people I see rejecting decks such as the RWS or the Tarot de Marseille because they're "ugly" is honestly just sad. The whole modern tarot culture of buying decks based on just the aesthetic value and nothing else is pretty toxic and is just a bad way of doing it. When picking a deck, you should learn about the system, history, and deeper meaning of the cards and pick based on that.

There is also a whole world of historical systems of tarot divination that are completely neglected because everyone is just using the same basic little white book meanings for the cards. The Eteilla system, for example, is incredibly beautiful and complex but is totally obscure to most people. The same goes for the technique used with the Tarocco Bolognese in Italy. The new age method of reading seems to have completely consumed every single tarot space and pushed most other things out.

I am not saying that every new deck is bad or that the new age tarot reading method doesn't have its place, but as you learn and progress you should study these older, deeper systems and at least be familiar with them. I'm not even sure if most people are aware of how deep the tarot rabbit hole goes.

Also, another deck I have deep personal beef with is the Modern Witch tarot deck. It is basically a yassified version of the RWS, and it completely whitewashes all hermetic symbolism of the RWS, and a lot of people still choose it over the RWS because it is more diverse. The thing is, I'd argue that the RWS is actually really good at representing diversity because it was made by a queer woman of colour in a period where that was basically unheard of, and her contributions were downplayed until today, and now that we are aware of them, we still choose to call her work ugly or problematic somehow.

[sharkyisashark]

.ೃ࿐

Aight, two stories in one night :') Couldn't think of any ideas, so I went to chat gpt :') It actually cooked today, so I thought I'd make a timebomb story based off of it. <3

(chat gpt prompt) Thought it'd be super cute if it was based a few years after season 2's ending. So Jinx has been "dead" for a while. Ekko has his suspicions she was alive, but the letter sort of just proves it. The last piece of evidence. Anyway, enjoy!

Ekko was sat looking silently out of his stained glass window. Looking quietly out at the large tree, it's long branches creating soft shadows that draped through the room. In his hands was a letter, no name, no address... nothing. He at first thought it might've been from Vi, considering she usually visited him, often to catch up, or help Cait with a case... But now, he wasn't so sure. Vi's letters were never this... ominous. Ever since the war, things had been... good? Piltover had somewhat created peace with the Zaun now, and things were probably the most peaceful they'd been in years. And yet for Ekko, he just felt... lost. Like a part of him was missing. It drove him insane. He finally got what he wanted, hadn't he? A happy ending. He could relax, and be with the people he cared about. But, he had to realise what the problem really was eventually... He had to realise who this was really about. Jinx. The girl he cared so much about, the girl who had deserved another chance.. was gone. There wasn't a goodbye, there wasn't even one last glance. She had just... slipped from his fingers, vanished from his life, within an instant. He'd been sort of living in shock for the first few months, things had felt all.. weird, dreamy. He couldn't process it, she was gone..? She couldn't just.. die? Even when Vi had told him, the person he'd trust with his life... he still couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. So he didn't, wasting years of his life on some fantasy that she was still out there... somewhere. And he just needed to find her. But never the less, he grew out of that. Forcing himself to recognise how much time he was wasting. He gave up, there was no finding a dead person. He'd spent so long trying to go back to normal, to forget about her, to move on. And when he finally did. He finally felt okay... he finally felt like himself, like he could be released from whatever turmoil was stirring inside of him... This damn letter arrived at his door. He spent days putting it off, he knew it could never be... from her. But he just felt- scared? Excited? Terrified..? Eventually though, Ekko did what any rational person would do. He opened it. His fingers trembled around the paper, chewing on his lower lip as he tugged the card out of it's casing. Stunned as a colourful variety of confetti erupted from inside of the note... settling itself over his desk. There must've been some... event in Piltover, some invite... surely there was something- He felt himself pale slightly as his gaze landed over the page however, soon realising that there weren't many words spread across the paper, maybe a few "hello"s scribbled in blue pen, and rather large "Boom!"s written in red... But it was enough to make his head spin. Those familiar scribbled monkey faces, or quirky little stick figures, drawings of people he could recognise from miles away. It made his heart hurt, this had to be some cruel joke...? Some delusional prank. But he knew otherwise, he'd learnt to memorize the childish lettering, the bright colours... everything that made Jinx... Powder. The part of her that was still in there... the part of her he fell in love with. With an exhaled breath he hadn't realised he was holding, he read over the only coherent text; on the bottom of the page. 'see you in a blink?'

Words cannot explain how fun this was to write <3 I'm thinking I might turn this into a sequel? Tell me what you'd think of that! Anyways! Requests are always open annddd join my community? It's new and we need members, just for chatting and making arcane friends :) Community invite .ೃ࿐ - sharky 🦈

[nightsdreamgates]

I need to know what will NiGHTS, reala and jackle what will sceared off?

There are many factors that would make them scared, is obvious to think that it would be mainly of Wizeman, the one who created them, althought, there are other types of fears we can explore further — funny enough, even if they are nightmarens, with a purpose to bring fear to visitors, all of them can also have fears.

— A Nightmaren's Fear: NiGHTS, Reala and Jackle

— NiGHTS

Having his freedom taken and return to the old norm, which is being under Wizeman's eyes again;

But besides that, there are much more to it. Often times, NiGHTS has these strange, shivering paranoia sensations, of being watched;

Being watched of something he cannot see, as Wizeman's last words before his run away haunts him till' this day: "Foolish child, your essence belongs to me, your eyes belongs to me, everything I've made of you is based of myself; Even at your strongest points, I'll always be watching upon you. I'll always will find you."

When there isn't a ideya or courage to sustain his exposed core, his mind is flooded by the reminds of his old master;

Also, NiGHTS as a phobia for tiny spaces, which is why he tries to cope by dancing inside of the Ideya Palace and desperately tries to get the visitor's attention;

The thought of also losing his whole identity and being controlled once again by Wizeman, is what gets him by the lowest. Losing his own control as Wizeman would take over him, is a vivid nightmare for even a folk that is created from one.

— Reala

Dissapointment. The idea of being what she can never reach to be, equal as her sibling's golden achievements, Reala struggles with a sense of unsatisfaction of self-fulfillment in terms of bringing pride to Wizeman;

She blames deeply NiGHTS for the curse he had pulled towards her, and all the weight she has to now endure being not only a general, but the future ruler of Nightmera, once she manages to proof fully, by capturing NiGHTS and absorb his essence to become fully one greatest being;

Althought even if driven by the rage, a similar fear that Reala shares with NiGHTS, is the fear of losing her own identity. The originality of her own being;

She fears Wizeman as a consenquences of her loyalty and recognition of Wizeman's ancient wisdom — One of the punishments that Wizeman does whenever Reala would show similar "signs" as NiGHTS did of his "early rebellious arc", Wizeman would harshly punish Reala by isolating her inside of a dark room;

This caused for Reala develop a phobia for dark areas, unironically enough. Even if she tries to show indiferrence, it's clear that the memories, rising anxiety, gives up the inner conflict and scars Reala got from these punishments;

Besides that she also worries of not being good enough, not only for Wizeman, but also for her subjects.

— Jackle

Now Jackle, as crazy and insane he shows to be at times, he uses this clown facade to cope and hide the inner conscience of his failed attempt of being a first level, lowering to only as a second all because of a defective detail from lack of his well... Everything apparently and metaphorically;

Jackle as a identity crisis at times, changing demeanor whenever he feels like a different style. Similar to a teenage girl changing her hair colour at every new sensational trend;

But what he is doing, is attempting to fill his never ending hole, to feel like he is also important and powerful by his own ways;

The cards is one of his coping mechanism, as a nightmaren with a unique ability to read the future, past and even the present;

Jackle has a irrational phobia of being left behind, forgotten or alone;

He knows that for Wizeman he isn't as important as Reala and NiGHTS. And Jackle keeps living on that thought, not caring much but at same time caring, is confusing, but it is what it is.

Woah I've been receiving a lot of quick asks recently, but I like that! This way I can keep feeding the fandom with new headcanons, oneshots and more writting content of NiGHTS besides the fanarts I make. Thank you anon for another ask and hope you like it!

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

I have been going through my Beamafilm favourites (ℹ️ free with a library card btw!!) after finishing His Girl Friday (1940) & I can't decide which film to watch next... They're mainly classics I never got around to seeing & modern cult films. Open to persuasion + hearing out any gushing arguments in the tags/replies!

Info on what some of these films are below the cut if u wish to have it. Only some. I have no idea what the rest are about, they just look cool lol

Faust is greyscale (obviously) & has a rlly cool make-up effect where they change coloured lighting on his face to bring out different layers of make-up to make him look like he's rapidly aging. SO COOL I love innovative film techniques from the early days of cinema. Plus I love Goethe's quote "if I love you, what business is it of yours?" I wanna see them both in context

Pygmalion: the film My Fair Lady was based on. Hopefully with a better ending!!

Les Enfants du Paradis: has been called the best French film ever made & the French Gone with the Wind. I'm curious. It's about a courtesan & the 4 men who vie for her affections

Le Cercle Rouge: French detective thriller (film noir possibly?)

Crash: eroticising car accidents... can't say I'm not curious lmaooo

Pan's Labyrinth: everyone & their mother has seen this film. Del Toro never misses, I'm sure I'll like it, but he's also graphic w abuse & violence & I'm scawed .-. (< will get over it)

Another Round: Mads Mikkelsen tries to stay drunk for as long as possible. I think. Idk if he's in character or it's just a doco of him

The rest are just horror/sci-fi classics AFAIK! 🌚

[tartrat]

Concept based on my previous post where i suggested Queen's Killer Queen as a Night Swan and Cygnus duet. i didn't want to make something super detailed so its mainly a sketch with basic colouring, and darkest hour's background

I said in that post that i saw it as taking place sometime around Darkest Hour, so Night Swan has her Leda appearance from there. I didn't know how to make cygnus look younger so i just removed his hat

The poses above would be struck when Freddie Mercury sings "killer" (imagine that Leda's hands are actually in a claw shape here) i probably should've had cygnus point at leda for this instead of into the air, followed by them moving to the opposite side whilst spinning their hands round their faces to "Queen". Lastly at "Gunpowder, Gelatine, Dynamite with a Laser Beam" They'd start doing a marching on the spot motion whilst pointing to the top right and bottom left like in Woof's chorus but more like in the style of a marching band, if you understand what i mean its kinda awkward to explain that motion (theres another map that uses that move in a way thats closer to my description but i can't remember what one it is. I tried to do pictograms in the corner to illustrate what i mean.

During the verses they'd probably have different moves, but i don't know what they would look like. I guess it would sorta be Cygnus acting out certain words and Leda doing more exaggerated movements akin to how she moves in witch. The lighting would probably be darker and the background would probably change location throughout.

Whats funny is that i always envisioned that if they were to do this song that it would be a quartet with three guys fawning over a Killer queen figure. Like it would be the three acting out how she acts wih her mimicking the moves of the one who is currently "speaking", but more exaggerated. The moves that i mentioned above are what i thought would work with this original idea and it just stuck and they're all i can think about when i hear the chorus.

I guess a good way for this hypothetical routine to end would be it turning out to be a memory that Cygnus is having, and him looking ashamed. I definitely do see the relationship that they probably had as sorta romantic, but whether it be romantic or platonic, beggin does make it out that he regrets what he's done and more than likely the time he spent with her. He'd look back on this memory with guilt after seeing what she did during Locked Out Of Heaven and her further plans that come up.

Someone else has definitely suggested this song for the series before, probably during 2017 and 2018 when Don't stop me now and another one bites the dust were relatively new to the series and some were expecting another queen song for 2019, (Though in all the fanmade songlists i've seen on youtube i haven't seen any queen songs mentioned). I'm not sure if i was the first one to suggest this song for these two particular coaches either, maybe someone did last year when Beggin' came out and Sweet Dreams was still believed to be released at some point.

This was just something quick to show what i think it would look like. probably should've made a title card but i might make a more detailed version at some point and include one.