#I need to reorganize my book shelf

[causeimanartist]

The sillies

[brokentoys]

I know I don't have the biggest Batman collection - but I like to believe I probably have one of the biggest Riddler collections! My favorites are to collect oddball merch ppl probs don't know existed (such as the Animated Series soap bottle and "soda" can LOL)

Tho these aren't even the most recent pics of my shelf! There are a few things missing (More comics / DVDs, an interesting storybook based on the BTAS episode If You're So Smart Why Aren't You Rich? which does sound effects if you press a button, a few t-shirts, art series funko pop, McFarlane Arkham City figure, a McDonald's Lego cup, a children's costume I found at the Goodwill, more crew socks, and that's all I can think of on the top of my head that's not pictured??)

I've been collecting for a few years now - so I take a lot of pride in it hehe.

[illdothehotvoice]

You ever do the thing you've been putting off and then youre mad at yourself for putting it off cause it took like 2 hours at most???

[audiovisualrecall]

I'm Awake now

Laundry is done, cleaned up some stuff around the house, ordered the 8oz bottles of apple juice bc if I take one to work along with my water bottle (filled to 32oz with just over 8oz of juice and the rest is water) when I finish it I can open the little bottle, pour it in, and get some water to add to it if needed, and in days when it's hot and I have to work outside it was definitely needed - one day last week I finished 2 full bottles plus I think I bought and had most or all of another drink iirc!

Anyway while I was waiting for them to be delivered I ended up washing half the dishes anyway and folded the laundry. Time for bed if I can get myself to sleep now lol

[crazedhopelessromantic]

Hi...

[sugarverse]

𝙲𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚞𝚝 📚📖

word count: 3.3k out of 9.4k

synopsis: you, 23 reader, have been working at a library on the corner for awhile until your boss invites a hero to come and visit. The hero also happens to ask for your number... <3

authors note: yikes i know, it was originally in three parts but I don't necessarily know how to break it up, originally the story was 12k. it's written for poc!reader/black!fem!reader so there's mentions of brown skin and eyes but other than that it's your normal x reader. Izuku is aged up to 25, The smut is in the second part.

moodboard for fic by @fizziedoodle !

“Hey Miss!!” You peered down at the smaller voice, simultaneously feeling a book slip from your hand and onto the ground with a thud. The bookshelf wasn’t too high, but you still needed a ladder to organize and dust the top shelf. Which… hadn’t been so pleasant with children running around before their daily read. Regardless, you had a job to do. It wasn’t gonna stop for a ton of kids. You had been rearranging the books in alphabetical order before the kid startled you.. Thank god it didn’t fall on their head.

“Are you gonna read to us today? Or is Miss Maggie?” The kid didn’t look over six years old, blue eyes and long brown hair with freckles littering her face in the sweetest way. She wore a small dress full of sunflowers with bright pink gel shoes. You’ve definitely seen her before, although her name wasn’t ringing a bell.

“I wanted to read one of those pigeon stories you read us last time!” She squeaked, shoving the book in your direction. You let out a sigh of relief, climbing down to the ground. Leaning down to be eye-level with her, taking the book gently from the girl. The title read The Pigeon Needs A Bath.

“This book is pretty thin, You sure you want me to read just this one book, sweetheart?” You ask, handing the girl the book back before standing straight. Your hands found their way into your pockets, looking for your notepad to mark the row complete after you snagged the book back from the ground. 

“I’ll go find some more!” She hurried off, going to find even more things to shove in your face. You climb back up to finish your organizing. Their reading wasn’t for another.. what? 20 minutes? You had time to knock out another shelf. Time flew by as you finished reorganizing, hearing bigger footsteps behind you than the average 6 year old.

“I have to stop by Goodwill and get some more books.. I also gotta stop at the post office and some.. other errands?” The owner of the store, Maggie, looked over to make sure she had gotten your attention before naming off a few things that needed done in the shop “You got this reading?”

“Of course, What time will you be back?” You climbed down the last step of the ladder, patting off the dust from the bookcase that had gotten on your apron. It was some cutesy light blue apron you wore so the dust wouldn’t ruin your clothing. It didn’t match everything you wore but the baby blue made your skin pop. 

“I’ll be back in time for that uh, Pro hero guy..” She snapped her fingers, trying to place a face and a name. “I don’t know exactly who- my wife wrote him in.” Maggie waved her hand, grabbing her bag from behind the counter as you followed. “But I’ll be back to close, Promise y/n!” She gave you a quick side hug, rushing out the door.

You weren’t too involved with all the hero bullshit, competing for the number one spot on who can save more lives to be rich and famous? Please. The system in itself is ass and it wouldn’t make a difference in your everyday life for one of those snobby people to stop by. The kids seemed to love it, quirkless or not. You walked around to the counter, placing your notepad next to the register before going to sit in the small corner of the shop for reading time. Maggie left with a wave, letting a small chime rang through the shop as it called the children over for their reading, a few already sitting and ready to listen.

The library wasn’t big, it was a corner store completely renovated into a library for children. The second floor had been an apartment where the owner and her wife stayed. It was a cozy little place where neighborhood kiddos would visit for a read, parents come in to buy a few books. Maggie always made sure there was something for everyone, Along with cute little toys and those foam floor mats to sit on. The girl from earlier held 4 books in her hands, rushing to sit near the front with her pile. A few other kids held thin picture books in their hands as well, but only having 15 minutes to read to them, you knew you wouldn’t get to them all.

“Alright, Who’s first?“ You asked, smiling down at them. All twelve of them raised their hand, some even raising both so your attention was on them. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy. You thought to yourself as you put a hand over your eyes, pointing to some random kid. He held a small book, standing up slowly and handing it to you.

"My mommy reads me this sometimes..” If you give a mouse a cookie. You gave him a reassuring smile before he went back to his seat. You began to read and in no time at all you finished reading the few books children selected. Thank god it was a Friday, Most children would be picked up right after the reading for afternoon preschool etc. But it seemed like no one wanted to leave.. Was it that hero Maggie had mentioned? You sighed, hopping up and heading to the check out desk where you saw a small line of children waiting to scan their books. The store bell jingled, as if the creak of the door didn’t give away someone walking in.

“Welcome to ‘Maggie’s Magical Bookshop,’ You paid the person no mind as you spoke, handing the last child their book before letting your gaze fall upon the… very tall man in front of you. Noise almost immediately filled the shop, children running up to him screaming-

"Deku!” As loud as their little lungs could. He gave a flashy smile, leaning down to hug the children that ran straight for his legs. He laughed and lifted a few of them in his.. very strong arms. Was it hot in the bookshop? Was the AC fucked up? You force your eyes from the tall man.. fumbling with something on the desktop. Was he looking at you too? Your mind screamed at you to introduce yourself, Quickly walking towards a shelf to do something. Anything besides gawk at him.

“Are you Maggie?” There were hopping children behind him, playing with his gloves and such as he spoke up. You stopped in your tracks, huffing through your nose before turning around to face him.

“No, I’m y/n. Are you the um.. pro? She had been talking about?” He extended a hand, nodding with a cheesy grin on his face as soon as your hand was in his. It wasn’t like you never saw him on the news, but you sure did skip the channel as soon as it was some bullshit hero chart over who had been number one. He was newer to being a pro, you knew that much. He was also so much hotter in person..

“Yes! I’m sorry I’m so early, I finished patrol sooner than I thought!- I hope I’m not interrupting anything! The woman on the phone said before six, I told her I was sure I could make it before then!” Your eyes never left his, watching his gaze fall to your lips for a moment as he spoke.

“You’re fine, There’s plenty of time for you to hang out and sign all of their t-shirts and such. Make yourself at home, The reading area might be best for the swarm you got..” The kids dragged him to where you were just moments ago before he could respond, talking his ears off about different silly topics.

The poor hero stayed until close, kids coming from school to see him before going off to finish homework. It’s the busiest the store has been since opening day! However, Izuku made it a point to stay that long. He spent the last 45 minutes of the store being open to make some conversation with you, he just couldn’t help himself. You had this smile that he couldn’t resist. And quite frankly, he wasn’t used to the feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He fought some shit villain every day, What’s a few butterflies? Especially as pretty as you. Why wouldn’t he want to stick around?

“I really didn’t think it would be so calm this week! It feels like I’ve done nothing but catch up on papers!” The hero scratched his neck with his index finger, shaking his head lightly. “I guess I really am doing a good job!- Of course other pros are doing their jobs as well!” He let out a relieved chuckle, looking at you with a big, sincere, smile on his face. “How has work here been? It must be so nice working with so many children!”

You feel your eyes involuntarily roll, shaking your head and leaning against the wall behind you. “It’s nice until some kid gets sick on themselves and their mother isn’t here to help. We have extra clothing in the back because it’s happened more than once.. I don’t understand why kids throw up so much.” Your groan turned into a laugh, eyes leading to lost n found. You had an unamused look on your face talking about it. He noticed but couldn’t stop looking at your soft brown eyes. He felt like he was a kid all over again, the blush on his face never faulting.

“I see adults get sick all of the time if you can believe it..” He chuckled, looking out of the store window for a few seconds before speaking again. “Do you have a number I can text? I would love to talk to you more.. If that’s okay with you?” He braced for rejection, It was kinda weird to be hitting on you after dealing with kids wasn’t it? Maybe he should take it back. Was he coming off sleazy? Maybe he should talk to you a few times before he asks.

Your eyes widened in the slightest, feeling a smile tug at your lips. “Sure, Let me see your phone,” You stepped closer to the counter, seeing him fumble in the pouch of his belt before handing you his phone. You went to his contacts, making yourself one of them and handing it right back to him. He had an even bigger, cheesier, grin on his face after he took it back.

“I have to um.. I have to go back to my agency to make sure everything is settled for the night. I’ll be texting you as soon as I’m off!” He spoke quickly, stumbling over his words as he slowly backed towards the door. “I hope you have a good night y/n!” He waved, bumping into the door with his back before quickly leaving. He didn’t want to continue making a fool of himself.

Finally, you could go home as well. Not that he was a problem, but that man sure could talk. It was endearing. You thought to yourself, grabbing your keys and walking out to lock the small bookshop up. There was no doubt that you were attracted to him. Every woman in America.. Japan, Hell the world was attracted to him in some way. But he asked for your number. You felt your chest swell with some kind of pride. By the time you made it home, he had already texted. You two made plans to hang out soon and have dinner together. You talked for hours until you eventually fell asleep. He was ecstatic. You really enjoyed his company.

As the next Friday rolls around, He tells you to put on the most fancy thing you have in your closet. He refused to tell you where he was taking you, only that he’d be to pick you up at 6. You weren’t one for surprises but this couldn’t go too bad. Fancy clothing? Had to be a dinner! You hoped it was just dinner. Your social battery couldn’t take being fancy for more than about two hours max.

And 6:00pm sharp, there he was. He wore a shiny black tux with a handsome sage green tie, carrying flowers for you. Thinking that roses were too cliche, he had bought you a bouquet of daisies and pink lilies. He took a deep breath, walking up to your door and knocking before taking a small step back, wanting to give you some space to avoid smothering you as soon as you opened the door. The gold watch on his wrist flickered in the sunlight, the reflection of the light shimmering across your chest as you answered the door.

You had on a short, silk, black dress, fitting to your body in the best way possible. Your hair was done, your make-up was done, you even had on these cute black glittery heels you got on sale. You looked stunning. He blinked a few times, scanning your body with his emerald eyes. His jaw stayed slack, struggling to speak at first. “You look gorgeous.. I-I brought you flowers.!” He extended his arms out to hand them to you, feeling his face radiate heat from how red he had gotten. He tried to fan himself, laughing softly.

You simply smiled, taking them and going to put them in a vase. “You can come inside if you’d like! It’s not really tux weather, huh Deku?” You teased, turning on the water from your faucet and looking back at him.

He quickly nodded, walking in and shutting the door quietly behind him. “Please- Call me Izuku.” You undid the rubber band on the bouquet, sliding the flowers into the vase along with the small flower food it came with. 

“Is that your first or last name?” He looked around your cozy apartment, looking at pictures and the designs on the coffee table. Just soaking in small details. “My first name, Midoriya is my last..” He looked over at you, hearing the small clunk of glass hit the table lightly as you set the vase down. You bent over slightly, centering it at the table and moving the napkins to the kitchen counter top instead. “How’s it look, Izuku?” You looked over at him, standing up straight and leaning your arms on the back of the dining room chair.

He let his eyes drift over to the vase, smiling as he felt his face finally cool down. “I think it looks great! I didn’t want to get you roses, I just thought it was.. boring?” He didn’t want you to be allergic in some way or throw them away right after he left. Then again, He couldn’t ask what your favorite flowers had been. You would have known what he was getting. You began walking over to him, grabbing your handbag. “I think it looks pretty! Are you ready to leave?”

He beamed, nodding and opening the door for you. He gave a small bow for you to go first. You thank him, flicking off a few lights on the way out. He followed before shutting the door. You lock it with a small hum, checking that it was locked before walking you to the.. fucking limo he had waiting? Your eyes shot open in surprise, looking over at him as he looped his arm around yours and walked you to the newly washed, maybe even newly painted, vehicle.

“I hope I didn’t go too overboard? I just wanted the first date to be nice. Ya know?” He flashed a small smile, opening the door for you and hopping in himself as you two drove into town. You looked around the area, seeing fancy liquor and wine glasses close to a very clean mirror. The seats were cream colored and it smelled like new leather. Your eyes roamed, seeing Izuku sitting tense with his scarred hands placed in his lap. Maybe he was trying to avoid making you uncomfortable.. He really had been a gentleman.

You scooted closer to him, watching him quickly move his arm up top of the seat to give you room. You lean your head onto his chest lightly. “Where are we going?” You ask, looking at your freshly done nails. He wanted to leave it a surprise, looking down at you with a small chuckle.

“Nowhere too expensive,” He joked, letting his freckled hand slide to rub over your shoulder. You eased into his touch, smiling and looking down at the tight fit of his pants, rubbing a hand over his knee as well to make sure he was alright.

“That didn’t answer my question, Where we goin’?” You laughed, looking up at him to see he’s already looking down at you with the most lovey dovey face he possibly could. Still trying to soak in the sight of you.

“Don’t you wanna wait until we get there?” He faked a pout, holding back a grin creeping onto his face. You faked annoyance in return, huffing and scratching his knee a few times with your nails. “Fine, Fine.. I’ll wait.” You looked through the tinted windows, feeling your heels squish at the carpet on the floor of the limo. 

He looked at the mirror, seeing your pretty shaven legs and wanting to run his hands down them. Your skin was just so soft.. But he didn’t wanna be weird, sighing and looking away from your frame quickly. “You like steak? Or are you more of a sushi person?” Maybe he didn’t even know where you two were going, sliding his scarred hand down your arm lower than before.

“Steak is so good,” You laughed, trying to recall if you had even tried sushi. You think you have? You were up to try it again. You shrugged, “The sushi I don't mind trying, I’m probably just going to get something small.” You fumbled with your nails, picking at them slightly. Eating on first dates was always kinda weird. Especially when the person gets too scared to eat in front of you. Then you don’t wanna eat and it’s wasteful.. 

“You can buy everything in the place if you want. Don’t look at prices. I’m treating you, y/n.” He leaned down to your forehead, giving a small peck before he looked out the window again. You smiled wide as the feeling of the limo moving started to slow to a stop. The valet opened the door for the two of you, ducking his head down slightly and smiling. “Right this way,”

He bowed at the two of you, seeing the pro hero get out and turn to you. The place was lit with warm lights and music coming from the revolving door as people walked in with big flashy outfits and styled hair. You took Izuku’s hand, getting out and letting your heels clink against the top of the curb and onto the carpet leading to the entrance. He pulled you close, moving his hand to hold your waist. “Do you like it? I know we haven’t gone in yet but the lights on the outside look pretty cool, right?” The valet shut the door behind you two as you walked towards the door.

You were speechless, letting out a small but nervous laugh. “It sure is something.. It already looks too expensive.!” It wasn’t like you were poor, but it wasn’t like you were rich either. This place looked like the start off price was 200 a person for a damn drink! You kept yourself close to the hero as you both walked into the rotating door. The carpet from the walk-way turned to fancy tile that made a lovely click noise when you stepped onto it. The interior was more gold than anything with dark wood complementing the hostess stand and the pillars of the building. Gold designs littered the bar area, making it look more than pleasant. Looking to your left, there was the tallest fish-tank that you think you had ever seen. Still not as tall as the ceilings but it sure was tall enough. There had been lots of colorful fish, octopus, starfish.. Everything was in that damn tank. 

heres another link to part two if you don't wanna scroll up lol

[celuere]

Omg you write for Feixiao too?! Can I request Feixiao with an s/o who's like the opposite as her? like Lisa from genshin who prefers to stay in, likes napping and reading? I think that'd be a nice contrast to her, thank you!

YES!!! YES I SEE YOUR VISION ANON!!! The way this woman just needs a break from the constant thrill of the battlefield-

Feixiao with a s/o that is SO normal compared to her, people are starting to question you at first.

Do you really happen to be so… dull? Or could it be that you actually have a second identity which caught the generals attention in the first place? Because who would actually expect to see the Merlin’s Claw walk into Xianzhous library, coffees in hand at… nine in the morning…? But here she is, rambling to you about her schedule for the day, how she absolutely does not wanna attend the upcoming meetings or introduce the new recruits under her command while she pushes the book cart after you as you reorganize the shelves.

At one point you struggle with reaching a certain spot, if you only were a few inches taller. Even on tiptoes, it wasn’t enough for you to shove the book back into its original place and if that wasn’t enough - your foxian girlfriend simply leaned herself against the cart, chin resting on her hand as she watched you with a smirk tugging on the corner of her lips.

„You know, you just have to say it…“, her left ear twitching slightly as she covered up a laugh.

„Fei… I-I can very well do this on my own-! It‘s my job after all…“, the irony was practically slapping you right across the face as the book slipped out of your grip during the last attempt to bring it back up on the shelve, „shit-!“

That was the moment Feixiao waited for all eternity. The reason she exercised without pause, never slacking off, never giving up, always pushing herself past certain points until she dropped half-dead from exhaustion.

So quick you almost didn’t see it coming when the falling book was snatched right up and gently put up on the spot you‘ve been aiming for.

„A simple O Great Merlins Claw, I am in desperate need of your he- Ouch-!“, a smack on the back of her head with the next book shut her up for good while you strode into the next aisle that was in desperate need of a reorganization.

„You are the most insufferable Foxian I know…“, narrowing your eyes at the amount of dust this section has been collecting, your eyes ghosted over a few of the various book spines, what even was the category of this corridor?

„You know other Foxians? I am heartbroken, my liege….“, clutching her chest in an overdramatic way as she desperately grabbed onto the shelf to her right.

„And the most dramatic one, too.“, you sighed but still couldn’t hide the smile your lips were forming, she was too entertaining for her own good.

In moments like these you completely forgot who was standing before you. This wasn’t General Feixiao from the Xianzhou Yaoqing, one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals and feared for her skills on the battlefield.

This was your girlfriend.

And she was all yours.

[the---hermit]

09|10|2024

My ability to stay focused still sucks, but it was better than yesterday. The chapter I worked on today was definitely a bit clearer than the previous so that helped. I need to implement more breaks during my study hours in order to actually be productive, so I'll figure out a way to do that in the next few days.

productivity list:

finished reading and annotating the first section of the book I am studying

read and annotated the first chapter of the second section of the book (the first half of this section is focusing on the military aspects and somehow I am finding them much easier to understand the the institutional stuff I have been studying so far, the second half is focusing on economy instead, and I am in fear)

duolingo

reorganized my tbr shelf

continued working on the sweater I am crocheting for my mom

[solo-pitstop-vibes]

Rowing Pair | Don Hume

Don Hume x Original Character

Hiya! This is my first story in quite a while, so I hope you enjoy it. Part two coming soon!

Part two here!

......

One of Washington's rowing assistants takes a liking to Don Hume, and he takes a liking to her.

......

Allie is late. She is normally 10 minutes early to her student job in the library, and now she only has a few minutes to spare and make it all the way across campus. Her heels clicked rapidly across the concrete, carrying her as fast as she could go. She wouldn’t resort to running… yet. Her mother would scold her for it being unladylike. However, this job is important. It paid her tuition at Washington State, and it allowed her to have an opportunity that she couldn’t normally afford. This, and the nursing assistant position with the rowing team.

Looking down at her watch, she read eight fifty-eight, as she climbed the steps into the library. Breathing a sigh of relief, Allie slowed her pace as she made her way behind the service desk.

“Morning Margie!”

Margie responds to the younger girl, “Everything okay this morning? You’re stepping a little hot.”

Allie places her things down in her cubby underneath the desk and stood to face the dark-haired girl. “Just missed the first bus this morning, knocked me off my routine. That’s all,” she sighs. Satisfied with her answer, the older girl nods and instructs Allie on her tasks for the morning.

After gathering what she needs, Allie sets off with her cart of returns and makes her way to the tall shelves to start her reorganization. Working quietly to herself, she hums softly as she works to place books back in their rightful place. She makes her way through several stacks when she makes her way to one of the last shelves in the row. As she rounds the corner, she finds a tall, broad, dark-haired student browsing the shelves, looking very clueless. Glancing at the small paper in his hand, his frown grows deeper.

“Do you need any help?”

The man’s head snaps to Allie, his eyes wide in shock, but he doesn’t speak. His hand raised, pointing inward at his chest as if to say me?

Allie giggles softly. Taking a few steps closer, she motions to the small paper in his hand, “I can help if you’d like.”

He nods quickly, gingerly handing over the paper to the smaller girl. Quickly reading the information, she determines he is on the wrong aisle. She motions for him to follow her, and she leads him to the previous aisle, walking right to the correct spot. Plucking the book from its spot on the shelf, she hands it and the library card to the young man.

He clears his throat, taking the book from her hands, “Thank you.”

“Of course. My name is Allie if you need anything else.”

“I’m Don,” the boy cracks a soft, crooked smile. Allie mirrors his smile,

“Nice to meet you, Don. I’ll be around if you need help again.”

With a small smile and a wave, Allie steps away, heading back to her cart of books. Leaving Don in between the shelves, thinking about how Allie had to be the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

…

Being an assistant for the rowing team had a few perks, one of which was a brand-new Washington State sweater, which Allie smooths down over her blouse as she exits Coach Ulbrickson’s office. Now wearing a pair of pants and sneakers, and her hair is held back by a thick headband to battle the wind coming off the water. This was not her first time at the row house, having spent the last few months with the varsity team. She was not new to rowing either.

Allie thanks Coach Bolles as he hands her a clipboard and a pencil. Her job is to help evaluate the health and athleticism of the young men trying out for the JV team. She would evaluate both on land and in Old Nero the training boat, to make sure she collected an accurate assessment. Stepping in line beside Coach Bolles and Coach Ulbrickson, she looks out at the sea of young men waiting patiently. There’s a short spill from Ulbrickson before the activities for today are called out.

“You’ll be divided into groups and rotate through training stations. As you work through these stations, we will be evaluating your performance, while Miss Allie here evaluates your health and technique.” Coach Bolles’s strong voice carries easily through the airy boathouse. “When you hear your number called, follow the coach.”

As the groups are called, Allie glances down at the names on her clipboard. Only one stands out.

Hume, Don #22

She couldn’t hide the small smile that crept to her face, as she quickly scanned the crowd looking for Don. Ever since their meeting in the library earlier that day, Allie could not stop thinking about him. Finally, she finds him in the crowd. The same frown from this morning is painted on his face.

Everyone scattered as soon as the groups were called, moving swiftly around the boathouse, and Allie lost sight of Don. Time to get to work, she thought. For the first half of training today Allie would be in the boathouse, observing the groups doing exercises. Walking slowly through the groups of young men, Allie takes notes on as many as she can as they do sit-ups, push-ups, and jacks. It’s a strong group, but there are far too many of them for the 8-man crew. Over the next few days, there would be a few that set themselves out among the rest. After several rotations, it was time for another group to take Old Nero out. Making her way to the boat dock, Coach Bolles and Coach Ulbrickson are waiting for the next group to settle in their seats. Allie notices Don towards the middle, lacing his feet on the stretchers. Now she had the chance to see him row. One of the other assistants helps her onto the front perch of the boat.

Looking up, she scans the rows taking a mental note of some of the familiar numbers as the boat is slowly taken out. Coach Bolles gives some quick instructions to those who had never crewed, and they set off down the water. After a few minutes of practice, Tom started laying into the young men, calling out,

“There’s four parts to a stroke, gentleman, not three, okay? Catch, drive, finish, and recovery!”

Allie was furiously jotting down notes about each rower, just glancing up when she needed to.

“You can’t skip any of ‘em, and you know why we’re not going in a straight line? ‘Cause number 22 here is the only one that’s listening to me!”

Allie’s head shoots up at Tom’s comment, her eyes quickly finding Don in the row of young men on the left. His head was straightforward, eyebrows creased in concentration. Coach Boles is right, his form was spot on, and he is keeping a perfect pace. She makes the note beside his name and number, a small smile sneaking its way onto her face.

…

Two weeks had passed since the first day of training camp, and this afternoon was one last gathering to announce the team. Yesterday, Allie turned in her final evaluations to the coaches, sharing her top 15. Of course, Don was included. All due to his ability, along with Rantz, Morris, and several others who had stood out. Allie had a feeling Bolles and Ulbrickson approved of her choices, but in the end, they had the power to choose who they wanted.

Allie and Don had not spoken in the last two weeks, and other than a few blushed glances at training, they had not seen each other outside of rowing. It had been hard to keep her little crush under wraps, but she had done well. Thankfully no one had caught her staring on the days they took the sculls out, she just couldn’t help it. Don propelled himself over the water with amazing precision and coordination, and he looked damn good doing it.

This morning’s scull practice with the varsity team was the opposite, a complete snooze. It made Allie even more anxious to see the new crew besides the varsity one. Thankfully, her day would be preoccupied before this afternoon’s announcement, keeping her nerves at bay. Between classes, her library job, and the rowing team, she barely had time to breathe, but she liked keeping busy. The library is where she found herself after crew practice this morning.

Humming lightly to herself, Allie busies herself with some homework. Margie was tasked with putting the returned books back today, leaving Allie behind the front desk. Immersed in her notebook for some time, she doesn’t look up until she hears someone softly clear their throat. Her head snapped up, a smile blossoming on her face when she saw Don in front of her.

“Hi, Don! What can I help you with today?”

A large hand slides his book across the desk, “I need to re-check this out. Not quite done with it yet.” The boy shrugs. Allie nods, flipping open the cover and stamping the new due date in its designated spot. Sliding his book back across the counter, she looks to him again,

“Are you anxious about the crew announcement today?”

Don gives several little, small nods in quick succession. “Very. There’s a lot of guys going for it,” he breathes out. Allie props her head in one hand,

“Well, Don, I don’t think you should be too nervous. You’re outperforming almost everyone, and you’ve got a very good chance. I’ve not seen someone row like you in a long time, you’ve got great rhythm on the water.”

A blush flares up Don’s neck, a shy smile following, “Thank you, Allie. I’ll, uh, see you this afternoon, then?”

“I’ll be there,” Allie’s shy smile mirrored Don’s. He gives her a small wave before turning and making his way out of the library.

…

“Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for comin’ out and giving your best effort. Every single one of you left standing has performed admirably. Unfortunately, only a few of you can be chosen to continue,” Ulbrickson speaks to all the anxious young men standing in the boathouse. His tone is soft but carries easily through the quiet building. “Coach Bolles,” Al hands the attention over to Tom. Tom held up his notebook and started reading the names off, in no particular order,

“Hume, Hunt, McMillin, Day, Morris, White, Adam, Rantz. Coy, you’re the reserve.”

A flash from a camera accompanied each name, capturing the group. A few reporters are scrambling to write all the names down. Allie is tickled, her predictions were spot on. The boys who made the team gather amongst the group, congratulating each other as the other young men, who didn’t make the team, filter out of the boathouse.

Allie stays in her spot on the wooden steps, waiting for the boys to disperse. Catching Don’s gaze, she gives him a toothy grin and a cheeky wink, as if to say I told you so. A sheepish smile finds its way to Don’s face, but only for a split second before he’s whisked away with the group to take a group picture. Al and Tom follow along with the boys for the picture, but Allie stays put. Tom already knows what she’s thinking from their few short months of working together, calling out over his shoulder, “Come on, Allie! You’re a part of the team too!”

“Oh! Coming!” Allie exclaims, scrambling down the steps to catch up with everyone. Tom knew Allie was struggling to see herself as an asset to the team, that’s why she was included in the evaluations for the crew decisions. Even as a first-year nurse, she already knew things that senior nursing students were still learning, and Al and Tom learned that early on. When they posted the assistant position, no one applied except Allie. She applied with extreme enthusiasm, despite being fairly shy when sharing her knowledge. She knew nursing almost as well as she knew rowing. Growing up with a father who rowed at Cal, he had taught her everything, and she had a keen eye for technique.

Catching up with the coaches, Allie maneuvers herself on the very end of the group beside the coaches. For the next few minutes, several photographs are taken, and they’re all released for the day. The boys head to the locker room to change, the coaches retreat to the office, and Allie gathers her things. Heading out to the dock where the crew launches from, she takes off her shoes and socks and rolls up her pant legs. Slipping her feet into the water, Allie pulls out a book and flips to where she left off. After a short time, soft footsteps hit the dock behind her.

“Mind if I join you?” Don’s soft voice rings out. Allie shakes her head, a soft smile tugging on her lips,

“I don’t mind at all.”

Don toes off his shoes and socks and rolls up his slacks like Allie had earlier. Sliding his feet into the water, he leans back on his hands. Allie closes her book and turns towards Don, mirroring his position to one side. Her voice is soft, almost timid,

“Congratulations on making the team, you deserve it. You’ve got a lot of talent.”

“Thank you, it’s a huge relief. Don’t have to worry about as much now with tuition and the part-time job and all that.”

Allie heart clenches, she knows that feeling too well. “I understand. Without the rowing team or the library job, I wouldn’t be able to attend. These last few years have been tough on everyone.”

Don clears his throat, “They have, but something tells me things are turning around for the better.”

Allie is already looking at Don when he glances over at her. She’s quick to look away, playing with the hem of her sweater, trying to fight the blush rising to her cheeks. The two fall into a peaceful silence, Allie returning to her book and Don flipping his open. The one she helped him find. Sitting for an hour or so, only a few soft words were spoken in between pages as the sun dipped in the sky.

Finally, Allie closed her book, slipping it into her bag, “Well, we’re losing reading light. Might be our cue.” Don nodded, and both slipped their shoes back on. Don makes it to his feet first. Reaching down to Allie, he offers his hand to help her up. Blushing furiously, Allie graciously takes his hand. Now standing, Don still towers over Allie’s short frame, their hands still linked together.

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

The pair starts the trek back towards the dormitories, hands swaying softly as they walk. After a few beats, Don speaks up,

“What got you into rowing? From what I can tell, you seem to know a lot about it.”

“My father rowed at Cal and kept with it as a hobby afterward. He would take me out as a child and teach me everything he knew. He’s very happy I’m an assistant, even though it’s not at Cal,” Allie explains.

Don nods, “Do you think you’ll be able to see them at the Cal meet?”

Allie shrugs, “Hopefully. I haven’t written to them yet about attending, but I’m sure my father will at least come, if both my parents can’t. What about your family? Do you think they’ll come to a meet?”

“I don’t really have anyone anymore, I started taking care of myself a long time ago,” Don sighs, eyes drifting to his feet. Squeezing his hand gently, Allie reassures him,

“Well, you’ve got the crew now. They’re all you need, and they’ll always have your back.”

A shy smile creeps up on Don’s face, hesitating on his next words, “You’re right.”

No more is said until the pair step up to the doorstep of Allie’s dormitory. They stopped awkwardly, not sure of what to do or say next, and not really wanting their walk to end. Allie acts first, softly unlacing her fingers with Don’s and turning to him,

“Thank you for walking me back. I’ll see you in the morning at practice?”

“I’ll be there,” Don smiles, mimicking their conversation from earlier in the day. Allie giggles at his response, catching his joke.

Leaning up, Allie presses a quick kiss to his cheek, “Goodnight, Don.”

“Goodnight, Allie.”

...

[1andrys]

invisible string | ethan landry

“all along there was an invisible string tying you to me.”

non gf! ethan x reader

𓏲࣪⋆| warnings: none :)

𓏲࣪⋆| summary: Ethan was a bookshop employee in hopes to gain some cash as a broke college student, it wasn’t the best job but here he was. The only thing keeping him a little motivated was the cute bookshop regular roaming around the store every thursday and friday. As a hopeless romantic, he thought it was fate. (ib: invisible string by taylor swift)

𓏲࣪⋆| a/n: this is my first one on this acc, i hope ygs enjoy. if you are interest in more please add yourself to the taglist

“THAT will be 15.48,” Ethan’s voice spoke as he clicked on the old cash register that should be repaired soon for any other inconveniences in the small bookshop called “Bookmarked.” Ethan always thought the name was corny but here he was, wearing the ugly brown apron over his green knitted sweater and jeans with the name tag in his crappy handwriting. It was just as corny as the name. As a college student, it wasn’t easy to just be stable and independent, so Ethan was working at the bookshop for some cash. At least he ended up getting some employee discount for books.

“I thought there was a 50% discount,” The customer chirped and eyed Ethan while they looked at the stack of books in the check out.

Ethan sighed, this was the third time this afternoon that somebody tried correcting him, “There is, but only if it’s the books with a green sticker.” He explained as he pointed to the poster with the symbols and words saying, GET 50% OFF ON SELECTED BOOKS (LOOK FOR THE GREEN STICKER.)

It ultimately led to an annoyed customer paying full price for the books, unsatisfied. Ethan let out a groan before he went back to the shelves and fix the new arrivals stack. The fresh smell of books infiltrated his senses while he scooted into the thick wooden shelves. He liked color coordinating the books to his satisfaction. One by one, he placed the new books into the shelf. Finally. He looked behind him at the cart full of books he needed to reorganize because people loved to misplace books. Instead, his eyes widened to see one of the bookstore regulars looking through the cart of books, the same pretty face he liked to see walk in every Thursday and Friday. Your face.

He couldn’t help but stand in place and admire the way your eyes moved to read the back of books as a preview. Eventually, those same eyes locked onto his, you gave him a gentle smile. “Hey, I was wondering where the new arrivals were.”

An awkward silence filled the air, Ethan was zoning out and then snapped out of it, his pale cheeks forming a shade of pink, “Oh right! Yeah yeah, they’re right here.” He stepped to the side and showed the display of the shelf. He had this stupid grin that he couldn’t wipe, he took note of the nice sweater you had on. “I like your sweater.”

You seemed pretty busy and just gave him a nod, “Thanks.” You noticed the same grin the bookstore employee had, your instincts couldn’t help but blush at his words. It wasn’t anything that happened everyday. This was your favorite book store for a reason.

In the fall, you began studying at Blackmore University and discovered the variety of shops near the campus. You came across the dimly lit, cozy book shop in August and have been shopping at “Bookmarked” ever since. Time would go by and you’d notice the cute bookstore employee, the same one with the curly brown hair and big brown eyes. He almost stuck out like a sore thumb in the shop due to his height, he always looked quiet so you always refrained from speaking to him. But it was like there was something always leading you to talk to him.

You walked past him to check out the new arrivals, and you felt the employee’s eyes on you, you spun around and held up a book, “Do you have any recommendations?”

“Not really,” Ethan mumbled in embarrassment. He tried to come up with something niche to pique your interest, but failed to do so.

You gave him a subtle smile, “Well you’re one hell of an employee.” You immediately regretted it, damn, you couldn’t flirt for shit. You almost prayed he wouldn’t take offense.

“Oh,” Ethan cleared his throat out of embarrassment, “Well, I guess I could suggest you this,” He picked up a book right above your head that sent you into a flustered state. It was “Betting On You,” a romance book.

“Cheesy,” Was all you could say. You ended up taking the book, Ethan followed you back to the register to ring up your book without saying a word.

“That will be, 6.53,” Ethan said when he looked over at you and your wallet. Sometimes he despised how awkward he was when it came to girls, he wish it came easy like his best friend Chad, a smooth talker.

Your eyes met Ethan’s and your eyebrows furrowed, “Wait a minute, why is it cheaper? Isn’t the book around 14 bucks?”

“Erm, we’re having a sale.”

“And I thought it was only for selected books,” You pointed behind him at the poster with the same words, GET 50% OFF ON SELECTED BOOKS (LOOK FOR THE GREEN STICKER.) “There’s no green sticker.”

“Right..” Ethan was a little flushed, he was just trying to make a kind gesture, but you guessed it was a form of flirting, “Well, I noticed you were a regular employee so, it wouldn’t hurt giving a discount.”

“Right..” You trailed off, almost mocking his words. “I appreciate it.”

—————————————————————————

WEEKS went by since that last interaction and Ethan was in the clouds, he couldn’t help but remember the way you spoke to him and joked with him. Was it flirting? Ethan wouldn’t know. Thursdays and Fridays were the same, your presence was always a welcome to him and he was always so relieved to see you. It would be some light conversations and recommendations, maybe you did like him. Maybe it was fate. He was always one for some corny romance and maybe this was his chance.

If only things were good for him.

It was a normal Thursday night, he was almost counting down for you to come by for your regular visit, only to find out you came way later than usual. 7 pm. Not only that, but you had a guy following you around the bookshop as you spoke to him. Ethan couldn’t help but assume the worst, a boyfriend. Jealously bubbled in Ethan as he stood by the register and watched you with the guy who was tall, blonde, and very good looking.

You roamed around the bookstore with your date, who you just met a week ago and agreed to a small date. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the best, snarky comments here and there about your literature choices.

“I mean who in the world would read this shit?” Your date spoke to you as you roamed around the romance section, “Have you not read actual good literature? Like American Psycho or something?”

A frown formed on your face once your date said that. Of course, he would judge your sense of taste. A soft sigh escaped your lips as you just wanted this to be over. After a while, your date and you went up to the register, you couldn’t help but give Ethan a small wave as he rang up the books from your date. Ethan just smiled back, covering his heartbreak. Of course you dated a good looking guy, who apparently didn’t have a great taste in books.

“That will be 17.80” Ethan muttered as your date paid him the money. Ethan noticed the disinterest in your face as you watched your date grab his books and walk out with you. You looked back to see Ethan with a weak smile, you felt bad.

A small feeling lingered in your heart, this date was a bad idea and now the cute employee felt like he lost his chance. As you and your date exited the bookstore into the cold air, you stopped your date. “You know what? I think let’s just call it a night, I have a few things to care of,” you explained before your date handed you a book and you just parted ways.

You rushed inside the bookstore, that same cute employee was no longer at the register. You skimmed through the bookstore for him until you saw him fixing bookshelves.

“Hey,” You said with a nervous smile as you approached him.

Ethan’s eyes shifted to meet yours and a confused expression was plastered on his face, “Hello. Quite a date huh?”

“Not really, is there any way I can exchange this book for some store credit?” You asked him with a small smile as you held up the book in your hands.

His brown eyes concentrated on the book, bringing a small laugh to his mouth, “Seriously? Diary of An Oxygen Thief?”

“I know! That’s the biggest red flag,” You shook your head as Ethan waved his hand around for you to follow him. Obediently, you followed him back to the register.

“Here, just give me the book and pick something else out,” Ethan said as you handed him the book which he put to the side. For some reason, this conversation was easier for him to talk in. Maybe there was a chance. Luckily, you went ahead and grabbed a book you really wanted. The Secret History. You came back to see Ethan waiting for you. “Good choice. You know, sometimes we should like talk about books.”

You noticed how nervous he looked like, his fingernails tapping on the wooden table and his eyes drifting away from yours.

“Over coffee?” You added on, giving him a small grin. You knew what he was doing and he was doing it in the most nervous way possible. Sure, your date might have been a pretty bad decision, but it led to something better.

All Ethan could do was nod with a wide smile, his heart was jumping in excitement. Finally, in his mind, all he could think about was fate, an invisible string that was probably tying to the two of you. Maybe it was destiny in his head. And he couldn’t help but wait for that date he was going to have with you.

[lillsisamarshmallow]

Bake, Eat, Run (1)

Chapter Summary: Y/n tries to follow her Dog hybrid friend back home to make sure he's okay, when she ends up in a dead-end alley what will she do? Why does she feel like someone's watching her? Is she safe?

 Word count: 2k

 Warnings: Mentions of Bruises, Mentions of Unsafe areas

  << Pervious | Next >>     

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

   My keys clattered against the glass as I turned them to unlock the door, pushing it open the tiny bell chimed the sound filling up the small bakery café. The morning light shining through the various windows illuminating the place. Closing the door and walking over to the counter, I placed my bag and keys before heading over to the light switch flipping them all and turning on the radio, the café lit up as the low noise of the radio flooded through the room.

 Over on the other side of the café I quickly reorganized the books on the shelf that customers from yesterday had been reading, I choose a cd from the pile before inserting it into the player, the music tying everything together and bringing the place alive. A small smile splayed on my face, my feet moving me to the kitchen I grabbed some wipes and begin to wipe down the counter before moving on to the benches swaying with the music and humming the tune.

 The bell chiming brought me out of my trance, turning to look at the door I saw Seoyeon entering the store, her dark hair framing her face, a halter top paired with some baggy jeans and light-yellow cardigan. She placed her bag on the table I'd already wiped down before turning to me, a smile clear on her face, her infectious aura affecting me, a grin began tugging at my lips as she walked over.

 "Morning" She vocalized in a sing-song voice "How was yesterday? Sorry I couldn't be here, mum insisted that I went with her".

 "You left me with the shop all by myself." I grunted remembering the events of yesterday, Seoyeon had rung me around this time yesterday saying she wouldn't be able to make it because her mum had needed her help with planning a garden party for her business associates.

 "You weren't alone."

 "Yes, I was."

 "No, you had Nali and Haewon here," She sassed "I know they're young, but they work hard. They're good kids".

 "I know but they're only here after school Seoyeon." Sighing I smiled up at her from my leaning position of wiping tables. "It's fine, but maybe next time try to give a heads up so I can organize someone to come in."

 "Okay boss!"

 "Yah! Stop that" I rolled my eyes and wacked her with the rag before her screech of disgust ripped through the air causing a laugh to ripple out of my throat.

 "Okay! Okay! ...meanie" Pretending not to hear that last part I moved on to ask her about the planning, shuffling over to start another table.

 "It was boring, honestly what do you expect? A bunch of old people sipping their wine and discussing who has the most successful grandchildren. The food was nice though".

 Humming in agreement I finished wiping the benches and started touching up some of the table condiment sets.

 "Yeah, well I'll go put my stuff down and start helping open up shop. " I heard Seoyeon say.

 Standing up we both went back over to the kitchen to finish opening shop.

                     The café had been busy this morning, but it was slowing down now before the lunch rush. It was nearing 11am which was my lunch break, I was making the last coffee before my shift ends.

 "One Vanilla Latte for Chaeyoung?" I spoke out eyes scanning the waiting customers before a young lady with blond and black hair appeared in front of me.

 "Here you go, Have a nice day."

 "Thank you and you too".

 Turing around I took off my apron and rinsed my hands before heading into the kitchen. Walking the oven in the corner I slipped on some oven mitts before opening it. A rush of hot air hit my face and I grabbed the tray of pastries I had made earlier placing it on the counter.

 Removing the oven mitts, I looked over the pastries to ensure they were cooked, grabbing a small plate I moved a few over before putting the rest in the cooling rack.

 5 should be enough besides there's a few different options anyways.

 Holding the plate, I got some drinks from the fridge.

 "Seoyeon I'm going on my lunch break!" I yelled to her. "Okay! Say hi for me" She responded from the front sounding quite busy serving customers.

 "Will do!" I opened the back door keeping it ajar with my foot while trying to squeeze through with my hands full. Stepping outside I put the plate and bottles on the small table we had before sitting down myself.

 It didn't take long before I saw a head of blond hair accompanied by golden dog ears walking down the alley cautiously trying not to be spotted by the wrong person.

 "Hey Jimin!"

 Worried brown eyes met my own upon realizing who I was his eyes soften and a smile splayed on his face. He got a bit closer before speaking, I stood up to greet my friend.

 "Hi Y/N.." Jimin spoke quietly, by now I was used to his small quiet nature, trying not to be noticed by people. Thankfully customers didn't come out here and not many people walked down this alley.

 Jimin had been coming to have lunch with me for the past few weeks, I had caught him going through our trash one day looking for food, I had startled him as at first, I had yelled thinking he was a criminal. After that day I would leave some food out on our back table for him with small little notes introducing myself and labelling the foods. Whenever I left chocolate muffins out, they were always left behind. Eventually I walked into him while going for my lunch break, he didn't talk much but he sat down with me, and over time we developed a friendship.

 We sat down at the small outdoors table with the food "Seoyeon says 'Hi'. I've got muffins, some croissants and an apple danish, have whichever you like. " I began "Oh and some banana milk and water. I hope this is okay".

 Jimin look astonished at the array of pastries on the plate. "Y/N, I can't-" "Yes you can, and you will." I cut him of "Please, I don't have anyone else to spend my lunch break with Seoyeon is working" Although both Jimin and Seoyeon knew of each other they hadn't properly met per Jimin's request when we first started having lunch together, but I'd relay greetings and hellos for each of them.

 Jimin smiled but I could see the guilt behind his eyes. "...Okay" a grinned spread on my lips as he reached for a croissant, before he picked it up, he looked to me nervous. I gave him the biggest approving smile I could letting him know it was okay, I grabbed the danish myself before taking a bite.

 This batch came out well I thought to myself before swallowing and looking over to Jimin.

 "How have you been?" I asked him.

 "I've... been okay".

 Not noticing the small hesitation in his voice, I continued "That's good to hear" Munching on my food. "How about you? He questioned. "I've been good, been trying to come up with some new dishes for the new menu."

                        Jimin and I continued to talk for the remainder of my lunch break, I noticed that today, much like the past few weeks Jimin hadn't eaten much. I always let Jimin talk any of the left-over pastries from our lunches but recently he's been leaving more left over to take for later. At first, I thought he just wasn't that hungry or wanted to save some for dessert or something later, but it seems like it's more than that. I wrapped up the pastries in one of my food bandanas making sure to include the banana milk he refused to drink but still wanted before handing it over to him.

 "Thank you for joining me for lunch again Jimin" I beamed.

 "Thank you for letting me have lunch with you and-" he gestured to the bag of foods not continuing his sentence.

 I nodded at him, and he smiled back at me.

 "I'll see you around yeah?"

 "Of course."

 We parted ways as Jimin continued down the alley before taking a turn, I went back to the shop walking inside closing the door, I walked through the kitchen placing the plate in the sink stuck in thought.

 Why is he saving so much food? Is everything okay? Maybe he just doesn't like my baking? Where does he even go after lunch, he goes down the alleys but where do they lead? I hope he's not in trouble or anything. There is a lot of criminals in those alleys, I hope he's safe...

 "What's wrong? You seemed lost in thought" Snapping me from my train of worries and thoughts Seoyeon's voice saves me. Turning to look at her she looks concerned.

 "It's just-" Not sure if I should continue, I look to the door biting my lip. "I'm worried about Jimin, he's saving most of the lunches and not eating, and he's always walking through those alley ways by himself. I swear I saw some bruises on him the other day." I mumbled just loud enough to hear.

 "Oh no.." The worry was clear in her voice despite not having met Jimin, Seoyeon worried about him also. "That's terrible..."

 "I know" Sighing and looking back at her.

 "Go" Her soft voice flooded my ears "Go after him and see if he's okay, see where he's going".

 "But the shop-" "It's not very busy right now I can manage, beside Nali and Haewon will be here soon. " Seoyeon grinned before nodding at me.

 Giving her a thankful look and smile I headed for the back door to go follow Jimin, surely, he couldn't have gotten too far.

 I jogged down the alleyway from the café before making it to a turn, remembering which way Jimin went I took the correct turn before speeding up again.

              Left

 Right

 Right

 Left

 Right

 Left

 Straight

 Left

 Straight

 My legs were burning from the excessive running and walking.

 Geez I need to work out more.

 Stopping to get a breath I looked ahead of me an intersection of different alleyways, slowly walking up it, I looked down the left seeing it led to a single right turn, I could hear cars, so it probably led to a road. Straight ahead seemed to also lead to a road after a turn. I rotated to my left to see a dead end, but it had some random boxes and bins around. It even had a few pare pieces of furniture around that had obviously been abandoned by its owner. Something felt off, it gave me a weird feeling and this alley it was way too quiet, I pressed forwards despite the unsettling feeling in my stomach.

 As I got further in the alley, I could see things had been thrown about, raggedy, ripped, dirty clothes littered the abandoned couch and surrounding floor. One end of the couch had a jumper stuffed with other clothes and tied at the end almost like a pillow.

 It was almost as if someone was living here... Something caught the corner of my eye as I turned to look what I saw shocked me.

 Poking out from underneath a mattress that was standing upright leaning in the wall was thick, long, black tail. "What the..." I stepped closer to it, but it flicked away and hid itself behind the mattress. jumping back a glanced around the rest of the dead-end alley. turning away from the mattress and back to the couch I noticed some of the clothes that were littering the lounge had shifted. Panic flooded through my brain as I slowly started to back away from both the mattress and couch.

 "I need to leave..." I mumbled backing up to where I had thought the entrance was only to back into a hard structure obscuring my clear path out.

 A wall.

 Trying to calm myself down I relax my shoulders, my breathing perfectly in sync with the wall behind me, the matching movement helped calm me down, lowering my heartbeat, but only until I realized.

 Wait... walls don't breathe...

             A/n: It's here! It took me awhile as I wanted to get the first few chapters written before publishing any, I hope you all enjoy this series as much I have enjoyed writing it so far. Why is this wall breathing?! (Part of the crew, part of the ship 👀 ) Have a nice day & Thankyou all for reading! 💜

[mumms-the-word]

in honor of that one post I can’t find for the life of me that’s like “not Gale with Tav but Gale with the Blackstaff librarian” please have this snippet of a thing I will never finish you’re welcome

Gale x fem!OC, no tags, just two academics being snarky with each other

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

When Gale approached the library, he found his way blocked by several—no, many whispering students and annoyed-looking professors all blocking the way. They were pressed as far as possible in tight packs around an open doorway, the library visible beyond, but not a single one would go inside.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, looking at one of the students he recognized.

“Oh! Professor Dekarios, it’s the new librarian. She just arrived today and she’s not letting anyone into the library.”

“No one? That seems a bit antithetical to the point of a library, don’t you think?”

“She says she’s reorganizing,” another student broke in, looking delighted by the chaos. “She’s already thrown out anyone who crosses the threshold and is threatening to seal the doors if anyone else enters to disturb her.”

“Is that so,” Gale said, raising his eyebrows. She sounded horrible. He couldn’t help but picture a matronly old woman, set in her ways, her hair in a strict and severe bun of gunmetal gray, jowls nearly to her shoulders. “Well, allow me to have a word with her.”

His announcement, though spoken at regular volume, sent a wave of tittering and excited whispers over his students. He ignored them as he waded between them to get nearer the door. One of the other professors saw him coming and quickly arranged the students around the door to get out of his way.

“You’ll not get through to her, you know,” his colleague warned. “She’s on a rampage in there and she seems to have focused all her magical study to the art of marching people directly out of her space.”

“Then I’ll try to be diplomatic and charming,” Gale said, a spark of his old hubris coloring his smile. He stepped over the threshold and into the library.

It was utter chaos, for lack of a better word. Nearly every shelf was empty of books, completely bare, while mage hands with dusters and cloths were busy dusting and cleaning the centuries-old wood. The books themselves were arranged in stacks of no real order or sense, some just three books high but many others towering as nearly as high as the first landing of the four-story room. Solitary books flew through the air at random intervals, coming to rest on top of one stack or another. The towering busts and statues of previous Blackstaffs and other wizards of note were also being thoroughly cleaned, though their bases also served to collect all the furniture in the room, apparently, save for the tables that were all but groaning under the weight of stacks of tomes. Gale had never seen the library in such a state of disarray.

No sign of the enigmatic librarian, though. He ventured further inside, glancing here and there to try and find her, again picturing the strict, no-nonsense older woman with a face like thunder.

At last he found a younger woman floating midway up a three-story set of shelves, her open robes billowing gently as her flying spell kept her aloft, her trousers tucked into her knee-length boots. She pulled a book from the shelf and turned it to examine the title on the spine, and then opened it to the first several pages.

“Excuse me,” he said, “I’m looking for the new librarian?”

She sighed and snapped the book shut with one hand, turning to peer down at him with a frown. “Yes?”

“The new librarian. Is she about?”

She looked at him as though he were being willfully deaf. “She’s floating approximately three feet and seven inches above your head, saer. Can I help you or are you simply here to complain about my methods like everyone else that has made it past those doors today?”

Gale blinked. “You? But I thought—”

“Did you need something, Professor?” she asked, cutting him off. “I’m assuming you’re a professor and not a student, since you’re wearing the academic stole and all that. Is there a book you require?”

A quick flash of irritation passed through him at being interrupted, but he quelled it. He’d traveled with more abrasive people in the past, he reminded himself, who were also prone to interrupt.

“Not one in particular,” he said. “I’m here to discover…well whatever it is you’re doing in here.”

“Whatever it is I’m—Oghma guide me,” she muttered. She sent the book floating away with a flick of her wrist and lowered herself to stand in front of him. “I am cataloguing. What does it look like?”

Gale paused. Now that she was properly before him, he couldn’t help but notice that she was rather lovely. And young, for someone put in charge of the entire library of Blackstaff Academy. She was several inches shorter than him, but that didn’t stop her from frowning up at him behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, her dark hair swept up into a mass of tight curls at the back of her head. Little curls were escaping here and there to frame her face or trail down her neck, but she didn’t seem to notice. Behind her glasses, her eyes were a curious shade of green and gold, the color changing slightly as she shifted her weight and a soft shadow from one of the shelves fell over her. The rest of her was still bathed in the warm light of early afternoon, a shade that complimented her dark olive skin.

She looked particularly irritated now and Gale realized he had been staring, rather than answering her question.

“I, um…” He quickly tried to recall her answer, and as he did, it struck him how ludicrous it was. “Sorry. Cataloguing?”

“Yes.”

“This library was already catalogued. Thoroughly.”

“Correction,” she said, turning to pick up two books from a stack and glance at their titles. She sent them floating away in different directions. “This library was already poorly catalogued. I’m cataloguing it properly.”

She walked away, moving to another set of shelves that she hadn’t yet touched. Gale followed after her, speaking as he went.

“With all due respect, it looks as though you’re doing a great deal of unnecessary shifting around. The current system has served us well enough these past, oh I don’t know, three or four hundred years or more. There’s no reason to change a system that works.”

“So I’m to believe we should just let old systems lie rather than improve them with new ones?” she asked, tucking a few books into her arms. “Come now, saer, that goes against the very spirit of academic and magical progress. And you call yourself a professor?”

“I am a professor,” he said, irritable. “Professor Dekarios. And I have enough sense to know that Mordenkainen’s Magical Theory Across the Twin Worlds goes in the M section.” Here he grabbed a book from the shelf right before she could collect it, holding it up as if it were proof.

“In the old system, perhaps,” she said, snatching it from his hands. “But in this new system it will go under section 300, subsection 20, sub-subsection 4 point 17 for non-practical magical theory from authors located outside the realm of Toril—”

Gale’s jaw dropped. “Non-practical? How—”

“—and I’ll thank you to cease disturbing me so I can put it in its proper place,” she finished with a huff, blowing some of her curls from her forehead. She sent the book away, arcing it high over his head so he couldn’t make another grab at it.

“Now see here,” he said, struggling to remain diplomatic.

“No, Professor Dekarios, you see here,” she said, bowing up and shifting her books to one arm to poke a finger in his chest. “Blackstaff Varja has tasked me with the revitalization and re-categorization of this library, a job I take very seriously, and I won’t have pompous, big-headed wizards swanning about telling me how to do my job!”

Gale could barely get the words out. “Pompous? Big-headed? Madam, you—”

“If you require a specific tome to study, by all means, let me know so that I can locate it for you, but if your business is simply to bother and berate me then I’ll be forced to eject you from the premises.”

“Eject me? You wouldn’t dare.”

“You wouldn’t be the first, I assure you,” she said, her eyes flashing.

He shook his head, irritation warring with something like awe in the face of her ability to be unrelentingly annoying. “You are—infuriating. How will the students and faculty here get any study done if all the books—” he pulled another one from the shelf, using it to gesture, “—are in the wrong places?”

“They will learn,” she snapped, reaching for the book, but he held it high overhead, just out of her reach. She nearly crashed into him, nose-to-chest, reaching for it. She quickly stepped back with another huff. “Return The Many Multiple Uses of Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion to me at once.”

“Only if you put it back in the M section,” he said, keeping it aloft. “Where it belongs with the other Mordenkainen works.”

“But Mordenkainen didn’t write—oh for Oghma’s sake.” She slammed her armful of books down on a new stack and snapped her fingers, whispering a spell he didn’t catch. The book tugged away from his hand. Surprised, he let it go, and it flew directly into her waiting arms.

“I think that’s quite enough library time for you, Professor Dekarios,” she said sharply, hugging the book to her chest. “You are to be banned from this library for the remainder of the evening. Good day, saer.”

“You can’t—”

But apparently she could. All of a sudden he felt the back of his robes pull taught, as if an unseen hand were grabbing his robes like a tressym might grab the scruff of their kitten’s neck. The force pulled upward, nearly lifting him off his feet, and he was forced to take several awkward steps away, back toward the entrance of the library.

“I—you—unhand me!” He struggled against the hold as was about to cast something to dispel the magic when he felt something suspiciously like an invisible boot give him a kick on the arse. “Hey!”

“Good day, Professor Dekarios,” he heard her say behind him.

He was forcibly pushed out through the open doorway, nearly falling over into the waiting crowd of wide-eyed students. He adjusted his robes in a hurry, ready to march back in there and try again, but the library doors shut with a loud bang and soon the magical sigils to an arcane lock illuminated the surface.

No one would be getting inside now.

There was a hush behind him as he stared at the library doors, hot embarrassment turning his ears pink while his pride, unable to suffer total defeat, looked for ways to make light of the situation or diffuse it. After a moment, someone started to snicker and it caused the entire waiting audience to struggle to hold in their delighted snickers and giggles.

“Well,” one of his colleagues said, folding their arms, but Gale held up a hand with a sigh.

“Don’t,” he said. “The mortification speaks for itself.”

“If it makes you feel better, you’re the sixth faculty member she’s done that to today,” they said, unable to withhold a chuckle. “Though out of all of them, you’ve lasted the longest.”

“And we’re to endure her being our new librarian?” Gale asked, as other professors began to shepherd away the students, reminding them of their homework and studies. “Is it too early to consider a new teaching placement?”

His colleague just laughed and walked away. Gale was left standing in the hallway, watching the arcane lock sigils glow and glimmer against the wood of the door.

He wanted to be angry, even offended. The entire re-categorization of a library as old and complex as Blackstaff Academy’s would spell chaos and slow down every pursuit of study for months. But as he watched the sigils, as his minds eye placed him back among the stacks of books and empty shelves, his memory lingering on one dark curl resting against the curve of the librarian’s olive-toned neck, another bouncing at her temple, he realized he wasn’t exactly angry or offended.

He was intrigued.

[aangarchy]

Tomorrow i am once again reorganizing my books (and counting how many i have lol) bc i've bought some new ones that need their place to fit. I'm also probably gonna get a new shelf in my living room so i can get more in there bc currently i am running out of space (i already have some in a separate shelf in my bedroom). Either way, currently my books are organized by color (to create a rainbow bc Gay) but should i keep that or reorganize by author or potentially even genre?

[rorywritesjunk]

Buggy the Ultimate Dad

Here's more on my headcanons about Buggy being a dad. I had fun writing this a few weeks ago. I have no definitive idea where any of these kids fit into canon at this point. In some way you could look at it that Buggy and his lady started having kids real young so that would put Lil Buggy about 16ish during Orangetown, but like, that takes the fun out of the one shot I have for her that I'm going to post next.

Enjoy!

Lil Buggy is a literal copy of her dad. Hair, nose, facial expressions, and even attitude made you wonder how you birthed his clone. Once Lil learned to talk she would mimic whatever Buggy said when he ordered the crew around. Yes, even swearing, though it was cuter when an 18 month old swore than when Buggy did.

Mae was just as feisty as her sister but didn’t start talking until she was almost three. You, Lil, and Buggy had to rely on her facial expressions and made up sign language to know what she wanted. There were days as she got older when she wouldn’t talk and would fall back on using the sign language you all created, and at that point the whole family knew it.

Cherry was more like Lil than Apple. She enjoyed being at her father’s side whenever he was working with the crew, and he had no problem having her on his shoulders while ordering the crew to fire cannons at any unsuspecting ships. (Mae and Lil were always by his side and you worried for their hearing so you insisted on at least the three girls wearing ear plugs when this happened, Buggy didn’t care too much for himself)

Apple was the opposite of her three sisters. She would rather have a book in her hands than a sword, and before she could read she would bring a book to you or Buggy when she wanted to be read to. Every time she went to Buggy he was in the middle of something, but he couldn’t say no to her asking so he would stop whatever it was to sit somewhere and read to her. 

Heck, Buggy couldn’t really say no to any of the girls. Three of them were his little Mini-Mes, and when they looked up at him with big, pleading eyes he would cave. (Mae actually felt left out not looking like her sisters and often put a red dot on her nose so she could fit in. (Buggy may have cried to you about that))

Rain’s favorite thing to do was organize things. Toys lined up in a row, books organized by their height on the shelf, and she even got into Buggy’s makeup and organized it all by colors. He was absolutely horrified when he found out because he had his own system to how it was all organized! You managed to keep Buggy from having a meltdown and he decided to look into some kind of playset for her that would let her organize and reorganize things to her little heart’s content. 

Bow always initiated the tea parties. All the girls liked having them with their dad (you were included at times as well! You weren’t left out of these events), but Bow loved having them. She wanted everyone to dress up and drink the pretend tea while she served them, pretending to be a little host while walking around their makeshift tables and chairs, offering more tea or cookies.

After six daughters, Buggy proposed to you, and while you wanted something small and intimate, this was Buggy the Clown. It was flashy, loud, with fireworks going off and all kinds of excitement. He cried, you cried, and the girls had fun. 

Pumpkin likes to be involved in everyone’s business. Even if she’s not asked she somehow worms her way into whatever her parents or sister’s are doing. She becomes good at reading people because there are times they don’t want her involved so she picks up on when she needs to leave them alone, but sometimes when her sisters or parents are upset and they insist they are fine, she won’t leave them alone because she wants to make sure they’re okay.

Crash is the human embodiment of a chaotic child. Buggy thought his oldest was bad, Crash was born during a damn storm on the ship. She had no fear of anything and countless times had to be stopped from eating gunpowder, Buggy’s makeup, your jewelry, and her sisters’ things. Her favorite thing to do was pull on Richie’s tail. She grows up to be rather fearless, has no problem telling someone they’re stupid or wrong, and will stand up for what she believes in. 

Nine months after Crash’s first raid, she is probably the most excited about having a baby brother join the crew. Despite being the Chaos Child (the nickname her sisters gave her), Crash is incredibly gentle with Baby Bear. He grows up under her watchful eye, which her parents are a little grateful for because after those eight daughters, they are tired. (Though they are very much the parents and never expect or ask Crash to do anything, for him, she just does it because she loves her baby bro)

Bear looks just like you. No traces of his father are seen until gets into an argument with his dad at the age of five over naptime, then you both saw Buggy’s angry face crossover his cute little face and well, he was Buggy’s son. 

Bear learns to Respect Women. He drinks the juice from the moment he was born until he’s 14 and on his first raid with his dad and sisters (you really didn’t do the piracy thing anymore, you just helped with the daily tasks on the ship at that point). Some asshole made a comment about his sisters, all eight of them, and he had no problem headbutting the jerk in the face and kicking him in the crotch. 

You were absolutely done having kids. No more after Bear, and Buggy was fine with that. He was happy that his kids survived life on a ship up until adulthood. 

[snickerdoodlles]

me: I don’t have space for a new bookcase, just reorganize this one(1) shelf to hold all the stuff you need it to for now

me one(1) terribly organized shelf later: IKEA GIMME YOUR SALES ONE NEW BOOKCASE COMING RIGHT UP

am so calm and rational about reorganizing my bookshelf rn (am lying)

[oneinterests]

Hi! i really wanted to make a post describing all of my favorite books (especially since i just reorganized my bookshelf to get one whole shelf for all of my all time favorites) They’re all technically in order from “least” favorite to absolute favorites :D

8: The Golden Compass- This was one of my favorite books/movies as a kid. I wanted my own alethiometer so bad and from what i remember i actually tried making my own with paper. Rereading it again now that i’m older made me feel very nostalgic, and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart :) also the scene where Lyra eats a seal kidney raw is burned into my mind 10/10 i love the weird gory moments in this book.

7: The Subtle Knife- i never knew that The Golden compass had a sequel until a classmate asked me my favorite book- and when i said The Golden Compass he asked me if i liked the other two books. I was so shocked and for some reason never thought they would have a second book out. I really enjoyed this one, and the deaths physically made me put down the book. I 100% need to reread this one again.

6: Bluebird- From what i can remember, this was recommended to me as a Gardians of the Galaxy type adventure with a lesbian main character fighting against oppressive governments. I really enjoyed the story and the characters developments throughout it, and i should really reread it again :)

5: The Salt Grows Heavy- I finished this one in about two hours? it’s a quick and gory read that’s basically about characters from a very fucked up horror fairytale. A mermaid traveling after destroying her now deceased husbands kingdom, and a frankensteins monster like creature being haunted by their past. i love the descriptions of the two main characters and the horror is so so good. if you don’t like flowery writing (i think that’s what it’s called lol) you probably won’t like this one. i love complicated writing, especially if it’s in a novella.

4: This is How You Lose the Time War- Speaking of flowery writing, this one is basically poetry with how in depth the authors go into their writing. Two agents named Red and Blue fight on opposing sides of The Time War. This book really just throws you right into the deep end and it’s really a sink or swim type of read. I love books that make you think or ones you have to reread multiple times to appreciate everything fully :)

3: The Spirit Bates its Teeth- How do i even explain how much i love this one. It’s so horrifying but so hopeful at the same time? Meeting Daphne for the first time made me cry, she’s one of my favorite characters in the book. So many trigger warnings for this one, i thought i was ready but i had to take a break part way through reading it. So worth it though.

2: The Entire Murderbot Series (Seven books so far, and i literally cant rank them)- Quite literally one of two of my most favorite series of all time. It’s very Sci-Fi, with a self proclaimed Murderbot grudgingly saving its humans and figuring out what it wants to do after breaking free of its governor module. All of the characters are LGBTQ+, and there’s multiple polyam characters :D The only downfall is how expensive the books are, and 90% of them are novellas. I believe when i bought the first book it was $15? But i personally think it makes up for the price since i have reread them all at least four times now :)

1. The locked tomb series. (1-Nona, 2-Gideon, 3-Harrow to be specific) :D

I physically can’t describe how much i love this book series. I’m planning on getting a tattoo of one of the quotes in GTN after Alecto drops. They’re absolutely insane books, with random meme references sprinkled in. (“None Houses with left grief.” fucking threw me for a loop when i first read it) They are absolutely books you have to read multiple times to understand- the first pages in GTN took me three months to get through because i didn’t understand half of what was going on. But as soon as it clicked i flew through it and finished the book in under a week. Nona is my absolute favorite, and i annotated the shit out of my paperback copy. (Which i might make a separate post about… because i have literally no one to talk about these books with lol)

(Also yes. I do have two copies of each book… i bought the first two as paperbacks first, and the third one only had the hardcover available. I wanted a full set of matching books after reading them all, especially because i wanted to make a mini shrine for them on my shelf. i can’t wait for Alecto to come out.)

and that’s all of them so far!! i still have 39 books on my TBR shelf, so i might update this list whenever i add to it! :)