#I started this in like 2021 and only just finished it ;w;

[mimleaf]

Ryne 💙

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

the seventh virtue drafting journey is soooo crazy to me bc I did the 10k day in may 2021 & then exactly a year later I was 60k into the manuscript & then from august 2022 to early march 2023 (a tiny bit over 6 months) I wrote the remaining 138 000 words LOL

[astrxealis]

FINAL FANTASY XV MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME ACTUALLY !! i know i never talk about it but it. means everything to me. ffxiv is everything to me and special to me in a way ffxv is not but ffxv is special to me as well in a way ffxiv is not and i think it's beautiful that the many things that 'mean everything to me' are special to me in different, beautiful, varying ways. so, happy 6th anniversary to a flawed but nevertheless beautiful game that means the world to me!!

[immortalmrwavell]

Toby’s Wish

(Original Story posted August 28th 2021) This story has been Updated!

It’d been about two months since Toby started going to the gym. He recently turned 29 and had been skinny his whole life. So he’d finally made a decision. By the time he turned 30, he wanted to have put at least a small amount of muscle on his frame. He wanted it sooo badly. Only problem was, he body didn’t seem to want it as badly as he did.

Ever since he’d started going to the gym and eating better he’d been hoping to see some change. He knew it’d take time and he didn’t expect results immediately but even after months he could hardly tell the difference. He couldn’t think what the hell he was doing wrong? Was he not being patient enough? Was his body just not that receptive to putting on muscle? Or was it his diet that wasn’t good enough? Most would say that he just needed to give it time but… he was tired of waiting. At this point the only thing that really kept Toby going to the gym was seeming all the other hot guys working out. Even if that did make him slightly jealous at the same time.

There was one guy in particular that Toby was alway eager to see. It hadn’t been hard to figure out the hunk’s name was Scott seeing as he worked at the gym as a trainer. Large and charming would probably be the two best words to describe Scott. His biceps were certainly large while those legs he showed off always looked so thick and muscular. Not to mention the juicy pair of pecs not so well hidden under the tight shirts he always wears. He also looked pretty hairy with a coating fuzz running down his muscled legs and forearms. Toby had never gotten the luxury to see Scott without his shirt on but he could tell by the few tufts of hair that would sometimes stick out of his collar that he must’ve had some glorious chest hair. And to top it all off there was that lovely well maintained beard that his face adorned. Scott was quite simply everything Toby wanted to be and the worst part was that Scott was almost the exact same age as him! It was as if the universe was taunting him.

And so one day Toby couldn’t help but find himself wishing he was Scott. Wishing that he was the one in that handsome, muscular and manly body. He deserved it right? He was working hard. He’d always tried to be a good person too! He deserved a body like Scott’s! One that was hunky and effortlessly charming. Yet little did Toby know that someone was actually listening to his little wish…

Mr Wavell floated casually nearby, cloaking his body with a veil of magic that rendered his form invisible to the eyes of mortals. He’d been observing Toby silently as he made his wish. Wavell smirked to himself as Toby’s words echoed through his mind. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to play fairy godmother.” He chuckled to himself.

The mysterious entity pointed a finger towards Toby, shooting a small ray of magic at the small and slender looking man. Just like Wavell himself, the magic beam was invisible to the naked eye but Wavell could see the aura of magic that now surrounded Toby’s body very clearly. After that he floated across the gym, making his way towards Scott before a similar beam of magic at the hunk as well. But nothing happened just yet. As a kindness Wavell made it so that his spell would only kick in once both men were alone with nobody else to see them.

Not too long after Scott finished his final session with a client for the day before looking at the time and finding it was almost closing time. Toby had also stuck around just so he could sneak a couple extra glances at Scott while pretending he was doing something.

Scott headed into the locker room to get changed back into his normal clothes, seeing that the space was now completely desolate. Moments after, Toby of course followed. Entering into the locker room to both get changed himself and hopefully sneak another pervy glance at Scott. Perhaps finally getting the chance to see the other man shirtless. However this now meant they were both out of sight. No gym-goers to see them, no receptionist, no passersby at the window. Nobody except Mr Wavell who was watching and smiling.

Out of nowhere Toby began to feel strange, his body starting to heat up. “W-what the…” was all he could say before he cut himself off with a groan. Before he could even process what was going on, his groan deepened into a roar of discomfort as his body started to expand! Every part of him was growing larger and thicker… and slightly taller!!

Toby barely had any time to think as his muscle mass increased at a rapid rate. Before long he was tearing through his clothing by completely destroying his shirt with his broadening shoulders and back. Meanwhile forcing his shorts and underwear to rip under the pressure of his bulging thighs and ass. All the while groans deepened even lower by the second as his already tight underwear grew more uncomfortable with the increasing size of his cock and balls bulging against it.

Just before his shorts and underwear could explode off his body though, the growing slowed down. Toby was left panting and sweating like a madman, not know what the hell had just happened to him. But just when he thought it was over, his entire body tensed up! Then in a matter of seconds, his body began sprouting thick body hair all over! covering him from head to toe in a coating of manly fur along with a full beard.

With that the heat subsided and the changes finally came to a stop. For real this time. Toby felt disoriented for a moment before looking down at himself and not being able to believe what he saw.

A huge set of hairy pecs.

Before he even had a second more to think about what the hell had just happened, he heard what sounded like his own voice shouting from across the locker room “WHAT THE FUCK!” The voice screamed in a mix of what sounded like fear and disbelief.

Toby walked around to the lockers, almost tripping a couple time due to his new unfamiliar size and restrictive shorts. His eyes widened when he turned a corner to see none other than **his own body** Stood in front of Scott’s locker and swamped in the very same clothes that Scott had been wearing!!

“No…fucking…way” Toby said muttered to himself as he looked at what appeared to be his identical twin. Only he didn’t look like that anymore. He wasn’t skinny and hairless. He quickly starting to piece everything together as insane as it seemed just as his ���lookalike’ turned to look at Toby with a look of sheer horror and bewilderment plastered on his face.

“No… no no no… Why d-do yo-… Why do…” His lookalike stumbled on his words. His body shaking with terror as he scanned over Toby. “W-WHY THE FUCK DO YOU LOOK LIKE ME?!” His lookalike finally shouted in a panic. But Toby simply smiled.

Toby turned to look at one of the many locker room mirrors and just like that his suspicion was confirmed. He hadn’t realised through all the muscle growth but Toby’s face had transformed also. And now the face staring back at him was none other than Scott… the hunky gym trainer who’s body he’d been thirsting over for months!

Almost immediately Toby couldn’t help but start flexing and groping his new body. Checking out his biceps with glee as the muscle peaked with such strength he never imagined. Running his hands through all the glorious chest hair that coated his thick pecs. He’d been dying to see Scott’s furry muscular chest for so long and now it was all his to touch and squeeze as much as his heart desired. It wasn’t until his old body, who must’ve been the real Scott, practically lunged towards Toby in a mad fury that he was forced to stop.

Scott was freaking out like a mad man and understandably so after losing his handsome hard earned body. But Toby didn’t want to deal with Scott right now. So he decided to put his new size and strength to test by using Scott’s own body against him to put him in a choke hold. Toby couldn’t believe how powerful he felt as Scott was completely helpless until he fell unconscious. Of course Toby felt a little bad as Scott honestly was actually a pretty chill dude but right now he was too drunk on his new body to care all that much.

Once he’d moved Scott out of the way, Toby got right back to business. Back in front of the mirror again, he worshiped the forest of hair on his chest before digging his nose into his pits. Not hesitating to get a good deep whiff of his new scent and allowing his eyes to roll with ecstasy. Before long Toby ripped off the tattered remains of his shorts and underwear to give his new fat cock the attention it was begging for. Buuuuut not before giving his ass a playful jiggle in the mirror first. Even going as far as to let a finger explore his now once again virgin hole. Not long after however he was jerking his new cock furiously while playing with his nipples until finally his cum exploded over the mirror and himself.

After a quick little cleanup Toby marched over to Scott in his old body before removing the now oversized clothes from him. He pulled up the larger underwear and shorts before slipping on the t-shirt that hugged his pecs nicely. Then he pulled on his new ankle socks and trainers before lastly taking the grey cap and placing it on his head. He could still smell the sweaty scent emanating from the clothes and just knowing that the scenes belonged to him now was enough to make his cock twitch again with excitement. Toby went on to take all his new things from Scott’s locker before exiting the locker room as a complete muscle daddy while leaving the real Scott unconscious and naked on the locker room floor.

Mr Wavell couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little as he watched Toby flex again while he passed the gym mirrors. Toby said goodbye to the receptionist who was none the wiser to swap that’d just happened. Simply believing him to be the same man who’d been working as one the gym’s best trainers for years. And before long he was headed off towards Scott’s car.

Wavell watched as Toby got into his new car. He considered revealing himself just to see Toby’s reaction but decided to remain as an anonymous observer this time. He knew Toby would be fine. After all, the transformation should allow for Scott’s memories to drip feed themselves into Toby’s mind whenever he may need them. He was gonna be fine. More than fine. He couldn’t quite say the same for the real Scott but… oh well.

As he watched Toby chug the last of Scott’s protein shake in the front seat, Mr Wavell decided his work here was finished. Simply floating in the sky as the car's engine roared to life and began pulling out of the car park.

“Time to head home.” Wavell mumbled to himself, knowing there’d be plenty more men out there for him to use his extraordinary powers on whoever the mood struck.

[sweetbans29]

Support - CC

Pairing: Caitlin Clark x Reader

Summary: You are an advocate for Caitlin's W transition (based on THIS request)

Warnings: fluff

Word Count: 5.1k

Sweetban Masterlist

AN: The request was very specific and I am going to be honest, I did not follow it to a T but I hope you enjoy!

"Hey CC, you better hurry up the game is starting," Jada yells from the couch. Caitlin taps the microwave in hopes that will speed up the popcorn. It doesn't.

Cait hurridly puts the chocolate chip cookies on a plate, cursing as she keeps burning her hand on the cookie sheet that she just pulled from the oven. She places the last cookie on the plate, grabs the popcorn bag, and scurries to the living room with the other girls.

The team had just finished a summer training session and booked it back to Caitlin's place to watch the game. It was one they all had been talking about for weeks.

"You know one of you could have helped me," Caitlin says passing the popcorn to Jada and placing the plate of cookies on the table. A swarm of hands comes to grab them, leaving 2 on the plate.

"You didn't ask," Jada says like it was a fact, and Caitlin rolls her eyes.

"Sorry, we'll help next time," Kate says as she finishes her cookie.

"Yeah, whatever," Caitlin says as the game tips off.

"CC, my popcorn is burnt," Jada whines as she tries to pick through the burnt pieces.

Caitlin doesn't respond, her eyes glued to the screen as you make your first appearance in 11 months.

You were the first pick in the 2021 draft, there was no question about it. You had led your team to two championships, back to back. There wasn't much left you felt you needed to do at a college level and declared for the draft. The NY Liberty getting first overall pick made the decision a no-brainer.

When you were drafted, you were in the best physical shape of your life. Tired, yes, but more ready than you have ever been for the jump to the W. Getting to NY and starting in training camp confirmed even more that this was the right decision for you. When games started, you realized that the transition was way more than you had expected. The physicality yes, but the mental transition was even harder. You went from a near-perfect season your senior year to losing what felt like every other game.

You were only 7 games into the season when the worst happened. It was during an away game in Minnesota when you went down and you went down hard. The pop in your left knee was something you were trying hard to ignore but the scream you let out was anything but ignorable. When it happened the whole arena went silent as you made your way off the court - only accepting help when you got to the tunnel. After a few scans, you learned you had torn your ACL, officially taking you out of your rookie season.

Caitlin remembers watching the game when it happened. If Cait were honest, she had been watching your game since you entered college. She watched your freshman year as your game immediately translated into a college setting. She watched as they built a team around you your sophomore year, already anticipating playing you when she becomes a Hawkeye. Then your senior year, her freshman year, when your team knocked out hers in the Sweet Sixteen.

It was in Caitlin's freshman year when you had been posted up against her - playing elite defense and causing Cait to have the single worst game in her college career thus far. She went back and reviewed the tape multiple times to see what had caused her to become so shaken. As she watches it, she realizes several things.

First off, you put your head down and do the work. She rarely sees you arguing with the refs when a call doesn't go your way. She actually finds it comical how your teammates go up questioning the ref or trying to explain how what her team did was a foul and you just jogged to the other end of the court.

Second, she noticed how calm you were while playing. You handled the ball like you were playing a pick-up game with some friends. It was mesmerizing to Caitlin. So often she felt like she played all over the place, and if she were to watch herself it was obvious, but when she watched you - you never once seemed jarred.

Third, your vision is similar to hers. She can only assume you see what she sees. Your vision on the court and IQ for the game is one that she hopes to continue working at. As Cait watches you scout out the floor, you don't always go with what she would expect or do herself. It was almost like a game of chess to you. If you saw the defense react a certain way, you would adjust and get them thinking you were going one way when really you would get everyone to shift, waiting until the last second to show your hand. That is what got under Caitlin's skin during the game. It was almost as if you were baiting her and were playing a head game with her. It was most obvious when you were on defense and were able to pick apart her offensive strategy. It was almost like you knew what Caitlin was going to do before she knew it.

The last thing she noticed had nothing to do with the game, and she almost missed it the first four times she watched the tape, but it was the way she caught herself looking at you. Caitlin throughout the whole game was stealing glances of you. She thinks back to the game and feels herself start to blush. She remembers how your cheeks would tint red and how you stood there with your hands on your hips when something was taking too long. She remembers how your team would gravitate to you because she also wanted to. She remembers how after playing a whole game, when you were giving high-fives, you looked over and smiled at her - your eyes looking directly into hers until she finally broke the contact. She realized that not only was she swayed by your game but she took a particularly deep liking to you.

As Caitlin sits with her team watching your first game back, yes she is watching you because it is your comeback game but also because since she has realized she has taken a particular liking to you, she wants to watch you nonstop.

You take the court and isn't the game you want as your first one back but you are back. You are still figuring out how to move on the court with the adjustment of a weaker knee but know that will come with time. To anyone watching, you looking good as new but you know your game is different - so does Caitlin.

You end the game going 12/4/8 with 2 steals and a block. You aren't super happy but you know you are your biggest critic. You also have to remember this is the first game of the season. After the game, you check your phone to see messages from a handful of people congratulating you, responding to them all with some sort of reaction you open Instagram and scroll. Any time you see anything about you, you scroll right past it.

You stop on a post about the winner of the Dawn Staley Award winner. You see it went, for the second time, to Caitlin Clark - a guard out of Iowa. You wrack your brain and remember playing her in college, she is a solid player. It is tough that she has won the award back to back her freshman and sophomore years. You post the achievement to your story with the caption '1-of-1'. You then click on her profile and give her a follow before locking your phone and heading to the post-presser.

Caitlin gets a notification and immediately stands up. When the game ended, the girls didn't move and kept snacking on whatever was in front of them. Cait is the first one to move.

"Woah, are you okay there?" Kate asks grabbing Caitlin's calf. Kate's sitting right next to Caitlin and lost balance when the girl decided to stand up without any sort of notice.

Caitlin didn't know what to say as she just stared at the notification of you following her. She shows Kate.

"Holy shit, there is no way," Kate says looking at her phone. "That is sick."

The other girls are asking what happened and Kate tells them that you followed Caitlin. Cait sits back down and taps on your story only to see a photo of her. She sits there with a stupid smile on her face. You know who she is. You know who Caitlin is. You posted about her winning an award right after you just took the first dub of the season.

Caitlin tries not to let it get to get head considering you are a pro and she still had two (possibly three) more years in college but that is hard to do when the player she is crushing on now knows who she is.

Time flies when you are having fun. At least that is what Caitlin tells herself as she has just played in her last college game. What a time it has been for her. She brought her team to the championship game twice but fell short both times, never being named with a title. She is now headed to the WNBA draft and will likely go first, making her way to Indiana.

The transition is fast and before she knows it, she is moving in to an apartment in Indianapolis and preparing for training camp. When games begin, she feels like she hasn't received a break in what feels like a year. In reality, it has only been six months but the amount of play she has had both in her senior year and entering the W is overwhelming.

The thing is - Caitlin would never outright say she is overwhelmed, rather just swallow it and keep going. She may not say anything but her body language and eyes tell the story.

You on the other hand have started the season out on fire. Your mindset for this year was redemption. Over the last two years, your game wasn't where you had wanted it to be coming out of college and coming back from a major injury but where you are now is a much better place than you were before. The year you came back from injury, your game was anything but great. You had the worst season you had ever had playing, including the very first year you started with the sport. It was downright embarrassing but that is what drove you to be where you are now. It may have taken longer than anyone had expected but you have arrived.

It is a few games in when you are asked about the rookie guard.

"What are your thoughts on Caitlin Clark? She has been struggling in her transition and many people have been comparing it to your start in the W," one reporter asks. You smile and let out a little chuckle.

"You all love to pick apart a player when they're down, don't you," you begin and your media manager is in the back corner giving you a death stare. When it comes to the media, you have never had a problem calling them out. Unlike you on the court where you just put your head down and play, when it comes to how the media depicts players - well that is something you don't stand for.

"You need to give the girl some space to breathe. I feel like every time I open Twitter it is a huge rookie feast and it's not cool. It is like the world has forgotten they just got done playing their asses off in March and now you expect them to come into a league, freshly adapted to a different game," you say and continue before anyone can cut you off. "It was just a few days ago when I saw something circulating about how these rookies are facing a rude awakening and I laughed. I laugh because people are not looking at the whole picture. Looking at her box score is not a fair assessment of her game. I've been able to catch a few of the Fever games and yes, they have room to grow but all of our teams do. Do you all see the way she is running the floor? Have you looked into how many times she touches the ball? Like, come on, her vision of the game is the same as it was in college - she is now, alongside a team, are both learning how to adapt to play with her. You all may not say she is coming in and dominating but just watch - she will have you all stunned by the Olympic break - use that a headline."

You glance back at your media manager and they have they are rubbing their eyes as their head shakes back and forth. You personally don't think you have said anything out of line but you know you'll get an earful for something. And you do but not as badly as you thought you would.

On the other side of things, Caitlin gets out of a game where she went 8/5/9. She got in her head and stayed there. She gets out of her own post-presser to see a link from Jada.

When Caitlin opens it, she sees you with the headline '[Clark] will have everyone stunned by Olympic break'. Caitlin quickly opens the link and watches you talk. A smile can't help but make its way to her face as you call the media out and speak praises about her.

'Just wait until you see this game, if you see this game', Caitlin thinks as she flinches again at the thought of her efficiency this last game. The link is followed by Jada being Jada.

[Jadaaa: Your girl's got your back, think you can work up the nerve to talk to her when you face off in a few weeks?]

Caitlin knows the younger girl is joking but the feeling that swells in the pit of her stomach thinking about talking to you has her feeling sick.

As much as Caitlin doesn't want to think about you, she does. She can't help it. The last time she faced up against you, you handed her the single worst game she has ever played and in her mind, she wants to show you what she's got.

Little to her knowledge, you were also looking forward to your match-up against the rookie. It has been years since you played against her and look forward to seeing how she has grown. Also, to see how you two match up in the W.

The game finally comes, too slowly in Caitlin's eyes but finally here.

You are the first one on the court. It's not unusual for anyone who knows you but when Caitlin walks out, she stops dead in her tracks. She should have known you would be on the court already but she was so used to being the first one out that it never occurred to her that there would be someone else out there with her.

Caitlin makes her way out and begins to warm up herself. She wants to go over and talk to you but chooses to keep stealing glances. Soon enough, the whole team is out doing a shoot around and the opportunity has passed.

The game is about to begin as the teams take the floor. You go over and hug one of Cait's teammates and high-five the others. When you make your way to Caitlin, everything moves in slow motion for the younger girl.

You come up to her, wrapping one of your arms around her waist. You lean in and whisper something only she can hear.

"Have fun today, it's just you and me on the court - forget about everyone else, and let's have some fun." You tell her.

Caitlin smiles and nods as her cheeks heat up from your closeness. You pat her lower back and get positioned.

The game is a battle.

You play like you have been since the beginning of the season. You hit your double-double in the third quarter and are working towards a triple-double, which would be the second one of the season if you get there.

Cait is also playing better than she has yet and you can even see a little smile come out every now and again.

It is in the fourth when the two of you are standing next to each other during one of your team's free throws.

"Having fun?" You ask.

"Actually, I am," she says, surprising herself with her answer.

"It will get more fun, just wait and see. You're getting there C," you say and she smiles.

"I actually want to tha-" Caitlin begins but is cut short when your teammate knocks down both free throws and the ball is back in the Fever's possession.

The fourth quarter finishes and your team had come out on top by just 2 points. The closest game of the season thus far. It was probably the most fun you had in a game since you got to the W.

In the post-presser, you are asked about the rookie guard again.

"Now that you have faced Caitlin firsthand, what are some challenges you see in her game?" a male reporter asks.

You flat-out laugh at the question.

"You're kidding me, right?" You say and you already see your media manager waving her hands in the air to stop whatever it is you are about to say.

"I am tired of you guys hounding her into the ground. She played a tremendous game today - what was it, another double-double for the rookie? What more does she have to do to show you all she is already dominating in the W? This is midway through her first season playing the sport professionally. She is already doing the damn thing. What you all should be asking is how much more capable is she? If she is doing this in her first year, what will she be doing next year? In 2 years? 5? Like come on, she is already playing better than any of you could so I don't know why we are still talking about what she can't do," you say and stand, tired of their stupid questions.

You are on your way out when you add one last thing.

"Caitlin Clark is a force of nature. She is one of one, I said it about her in college and I will say it again with her in the W. She is unlike anyone we have seen before and you should all be more concerned with how high her ceiling is versus how low to the ground she stands."

You walk out and wait for your media manager to rip you another new one. You don't care and just take it.

When you get back to your hotel, you ignore all the things you are tagged in and open Caitlin's profile.

[You: Hey, this may seem out of the blue but I wanted to let you know I am on team Caitlin. You know the media spins things but keep your head down and play your game and they will see. I've been where you are, I know the media is a circus. Feel free to call or text if you need anything]

You follow your first message with a second that contains your number. It was a little bold and your motives are pure, mostly.

No one asked but if they did, you would tell them that you remember playing Caitlin in college. You remember how your one and only match-up was one of the toughest of your college career. You would speak to how you have followed her ever since, catching every game you could when she played. You were just as mesmerized as she was and neither of you had a clue.

Cait gets back to her apartment and falls on her bed. She unlocks her phone for the first time since the game, a rare occasion but she doesn't want anything to do with what the media was saying about her after that game.

Similarly to when you first followed her, she shoots up to a sitting position on her bed. She scans the message a thousand times.

Caitlin, who was just tired is now wide awake and smiling. She cannot believe her favorite player (and crush) has just given her phone number.

Her phone begins to go crazy in an old team group chat.

[Jadaaa: CAITLIN FREAKIN CLARK]

Jada then sends a link to another post-game presser.

[KMoney: Bro, it is your game to lose now. She's pro-Clark]

[Stulke: I'll start planning the wedding!]

[Caitlin: I bet you can't guess who just got her number 🫣]

[Jadaaa: SHUT UP]

[Stulke: Yep, wedding planning in progress]

[KMoney: I call dibs on making a speech]

[Jadaaa: Get in line Kate, I am getting first speech]

[Caitlin: Shut up]

Caitlin debated sending you a message but decided to wait until the morning. When Caitlin wakes up, she shoots you a text.

[C: Hi...I want to say thank you for always defending me. You really don't have to but I appreciate it]

[C: It's Caitlin btw]

[C: Caitlin Clark if that wasn't clear]

Caitlin feels like an idiot after she texts three times in a row. She locks her phone and throws her head into her pillow with a groan when she hears a 'ding'. She pulls her phone up to her face.

[You: I thought you weren't going to message]

[You: It's cute that you felt the need to put your first and last name]

[C: Didn't want to get mixed up with someone else]

[C: I don't know how often you hand out your number]

[You: Not often]

[You: So...who is Caitlin Clark?]

The two of you messaged pretty consistently. Messages turned to phone calls, phone calls turned to Facetimes then before you knew it you both were talking about anything and everything.

Caitlin's season has gotten better as the Fever as a team has grown, winning more games in a stretch than losing.

It is a few games later after a win that Caitlin is sitting in a post-presser with Aliyah. An interviewer asks if Caitlin has seen the clips of you talking about her in her post-pressers.

Caitlin blushes and looks down, trying to hide her rosy cheeks. Aliyah chuckles and nudges the girl who is now covering her uncontrolled smile with a towel.

"Ya...I've seen them," she says as she removes the towel to show her smile. "I think it is pretty cool how she stands up for me. I have been watching her for years now and love her game so it means a lot when she speaks of me with such grace."

"Ya, I've caught CC watching that presser probably five times now," Aliyah says throwing Caitlin to the wolves. Someone's got to do it right?

Caitlin playfully pushes Aliyah.

"Way to out me," Caitlin says and hides her face again.

There aren't many more questions asked and Caitlin feels like she is in the clear. That is until she gets a call from you.

"Hi," she says with a smile. She doesn't know it but you can tell by her tone when she is smiling.

"Five times, five times is a lot C," you tease her.

She is glad you aren't standing in front of her because the blush that had subsided from the presser is fully back. The truth is that she watched it 15+ times now.

"What can I say? I like watching people praise me," she says trying to speak with confidence.

"Isn't that cute," you say.

"And you are the one who is calling me right after I get out of a presser and you are calling me obsessed?" Caitlin asks.

"That's fair, I won't call next time," you say and Caitlin immediately says 'no'. You laugh and she is thankful you can't see how fast her face turned red.

The conversation is light and flirty before she has to go.

"I'll see you at All-Star weekend," you say, and are looking forward to seeing the rookie. It would be another fun match-up with you being on the Olympic team and her being an All-Star.

"I look forward to kicking your ass," she says, the confidence in her voice dominating over the phone.

You laugh and give her some nonsense response. You've learned she wouldn't talk a big game to the public but when it was just the two of you, that's a completely different story. To you, she talks a big game and you let her. You know she has the game to back it up but you also know you have the ability to slow her down and that is exactly what the plan is for your next meeting.

The weekend arrives and the fun begins. You are included in the starting lineup for the Olympic team while Caitlin is in the starting lineup for the All-Stars.

Your eyes meet hers and you smile. She returns it as you walk up to her. You greet her.

"You ready?" You ask as you pinch at her hip. She swats your hand and shakes her head but your hands are persistent.

"Oh I am more than ready," she says trying to hide her smile.

"Why don't we put a little skin in the game," you say as you lean into her.

"I win, I get to take you out," you say and Caitlin feels a heat rise in her.

"And what do I get if I win?" She chokes out.

"Whatever. You. Want," you say. Caitlin smirks.

"You're on," she says as the two of you shake on it.

The two of you go head-to-head in the game. Caitlin plays one of the best games she has in the W so far. You take note of how hard the girl is working but you also put in the work, having quite the game yourself.

In the final minutes, the score is tied. Your teams switch off points as the seconds wind down.

You have control of the ball, trying to set up the play. Caitlin is guarding you - poking her hand in to try to get the ball away from your hands. You turn and use the screen that Stewie sets up for you, stepping back you put up the three. As you come down, Cait gives you a little push causing you to fall to the ground but you just catch sight of the ball bouncing on and then out of the rim.

Caitlin then proceeds to stand over you, in the heat of the moment, showing you and the crowd that she is tough.

You get to your feet and bump her chest - exchanging a few words.

Someone comes and pushes you back from Cait while they grab Caitlin's arm but you don't back down, bumping Caitlin again.

By now both of your teams have gotten involved and the refs are trying to separate the two of you. As you feel yourself being pulled back you blow Caitlin a kiss.

You both receive techs.

In the final few seconds, all you have to do is not foul and play solid defense which you do, making Caitlin pass it for the final shot that doesn't fall. Team USA taking the victory.

As you celebrate with the team on the court, you also go and hug your opponents from the night making a conscious decision to end with Cait.

When you go in to hug her, you can tell she is moody.

"I'm picking you up at 10 tonight, be ready," you say and wink at her.

As much as Caitlin wanted to win, she couldn't help but be excited.

Once everyone clears out and makes their way back to the hotel, you quickly shower and head to pick Cait up.

When you get to her door and knock, she answers within seconds.

"Someone is a little eager," you joke and she blushes.

"Well it's 10:20 so technically you're late," she says.

You laugh.

"Okay C, come on," you say and lead her on a walk. The two of you talk and she opens up about her experience so far, asking you questions left and right. You answer every single one of them.

"Where are you taking me?" She asks, half expecting the two of you to just stay in her room.

"Patience, we are almost there," you say as you make a turn and Caitlin sees it.

You have brought her to an outdoor court. It is dimly lit and there is a single basketball laying on one side.

You jog to pick up the ball and she walks over to you.

"I just had the best game of my career so far and you want me to play more?" She asks trying to sound annoyed but she isn't annoyed at all.

"Thought we could play a little one-on-one," you say bouncing the ball between your legs before passing it to her. You can tell she is a little skeptical but goes along with it. She begins to bounce the ball and your hand immediately finds her hip, giving it a squeeze like you did before the last game. The same blush as before rose in her cheeks. She works her way around you but your arms wrap around her waist not letting her go anywhere.

"Foul," she yells as you pick her up with her still holding the ball.

"This isn't a normal game babe," you say and she gets the hint. You put her down, still standing right behind her with your hands on her hips. "Take a shot," you whisper in her ear as your lips graze her neck.

Caitlin swallows and puts up the shot missing it.

"That's not fair," she says turning around.

"Better luck next time," you say bringing your hand to graze her cheek. Your eyes go from her eyes down to her lips as you lean in painfully slow.

Caitlin grabs your shirt and anticipates your lips on hers. When they never come, she pouts.

You run to grab the ball and pass it to her again.

"No bucket, no kiss," you say and you can see her demeanor change.

Caitlin locks in.

"Oh it's on," she says as she is ready for the one-on-one action.

AN: Here you go! Let me know what you think! And as always, thank you for your love and support 🤍

[landinrris]

In which I keep seeing tweets hyping up Lando and McLaren for this season, so I needed to vent my expectations and bring myself back down to Earth. (1.1k, w/ Carlos popping up at the end) Set during the 2024 championship in which Lando and McLaren come out of the gates swinging.

Lando thought he was prepared for the possibility of getting out of his car as the newly crowned champion. God knows he’s spent enough time talking it through with his team and parents— with Carlos.

As soon as he’s across the line, he’s asking Will about the finishing order, his stomach up in his throat. The sound of Will’s voice, shaken from his usual calm as he tells Lando to hang on while the team checks the finishing positions of his main rivals nearly makes Lando lose his mind. 

The wait is reminiscent of his first pole position a few years ago— how torturously long it felt in the seconds while the few remaining drivers finished their laps. But now they’re in Abu Dhabi three years removed, and Lando needs a points deficit to George of at least three and a deficit of at least one to Charles.

There’s an ocean of distance between him now and September 2021.

When Lando’s radio crackles back to life after about fifteen or so torturous seconds, it’s Andrea whose voice greets him, unsettlingly more manic than Will’s, even though he’s trying to hide it. Then again, anything other than his normal calm makes Lando suspicious.

“Would you like to know the finishing order, Lando?”

“On your own time, I think.” Lando’s voice shakes more than it ever has over the radio, betraying his nonchalant words.

Andrea just chuckles. “P1, Verstappen; P2, Carlos; P3, you; P4, Russell.” The words hang in the air for only a second or two as Lando rounds the corner onto the start-finish straight.

Screams erupt in the background, but all Lando can think about is the basic mental math he’s calculating. “Does that—”

“Lando Norris, it means you’re champion of the world!”

The screams get louder then, becoming deafening behind Andrea as they filter through the open channel. His entire team is screaming, those who ran to climb the fence as he finished making their presence known so close to the pit wall. The goal they’ve been building towards for the entire year— for their entire careers— is theirs.

Lando’s vision blurs on command, his hands coming up to clutch at his visor for a split second before he has to direct the car to the third-place placard. Lando doesn’t know how he manages it once he starts yelling with the rest of the team. He wonders if he causes anyone to yank their headset off and decides he’ll have to apologize later. 

For now, though, this is his moment. This is his.

Lando manages to contain his emotions when Zak gets in on the celebration, but he loses it hearing Will’s voice again. He’s successfully parked the car and already set everything to mode zero, but Will’s voice is in his ear, and the least Lando owes this man is to listen to the rest of his engineer’s words.

“Alright buddy, get out there and celebrate.” 

As soon as Lando’s feet touch the asphalt, his legs buckle out from underneath him, and he collapses by the front left tire. He needs to get up, needs to pull his helmet from his head, and go celebrate in the arms of his team and his family. But here Lando is, his body wracked with sobs while he thanks every possible force in the universe that’s enabled him to get to this point.

The side of his car isn’t as blurry when Lando opens his eyes again and shoves his visor up, his knees not as shaky when he stands, leaning on the body of the car for support. 

Across the way, his team looks like they’re barely holding themselves back from storming the track. Their self-imposed barrier breaks when Lando takes a step in their direction, his car crew rushing him and sweeping him off his feet. He may not be as small as he used to be, but the arms of the guys who have been with him for six years pick him up like he is, and all Lando can do is hold on.

The bone-crushing team hugs Lando has been subject to over the years don’t come close to now— not even on the back of his first podium in Silverstone the year before. But, he supposes, nothing really is quite comparable to actually beating the odds as they have throughout this year. 

Everything from the last few years rushes to the surface— every emotion and catastrophizing thought. Every question he had about resigning or not looking elsewhere at a team that could take him to the top faster. They gave way to the base satisfaction that had come with improvements and with accurate correlations. 

Every thought triggers another swell of emotion, but Lando can’t think about what he looks like in the midst of it.

Later, there will be pictures Lando will probably never want to see again when he takes his helmet off to reveal his already puffy eyes, red from crying, but he doesn’t think of that now. Because now, even with his mind solidly in the present, he can’t stop getting teary-eyed with each new person who comes to congratulate him.

And then Carlos is there, his person, finished with his own team and weigh-in, and it’s a lot. 

Carlos’ eyes look almost as red as Lando’s feel, which is stupid because Carlos shouldn’t be the one crying, right? They’re only about five strides from each other, but Lando takes the distance in two and a half before he launches himself into Carlos’ arms, his legs coming up almost on instinct to wrap around Carlos’ hips.

Carlos seems to expect it thankfully, and they stay upright. Lando’s never felt more protected than he does right now. Strong and warm arms grip and wrap around his back with every ounce of strength Carlos has left after a grueling two hours in the car. They’re out in the middle of everyone with their image likely being broadcast across the world, and yet Lando can’t find it in himself to care about anyone but the way Carlos’ lips press against the side of his face, the barely audible, “You did it. My champion,” above all the noise.

Lando lets himself cry.

Someone breaks them apart eventually so that both of them can give their reactions on the finish to Coulthard, who’s standing a few feet away looking excited. The distance they put between themselves isn’t a lot, one of Carlos’ hands settles on Lando’s shoulders when Lando feels himself getting weak-kneed again while Carlos is talking. He wonders if he looks like he’s going to pass out or if Carlos is just that especially tuned to Lando.

He doesn’t wonder for long though before he’s being pulled to the camera and handed the microphone Carlos had just been holding.

This is the beginning of everything. The beginning of being a champion. The beginning of the rest of his career. Lando knows he’s ready for it.

[dearly-somber]

Cat & Dog | txt

-> pairing. txt & f!reader

-> genre. fluff, found-family

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 2066

-> warnings. none!

-> a/n. I liked this one a lot 🥴

-> collection. songfic

-> started. Sept. 6th, 2020 @ 02:19

-> fin. Aug. 21st, 2021 @ 22:14

-> edited. Thurs., Oct. 25th, 2022 @ 20:55

Why did you think adopting not one, not two, but five hybrids would ever be a good idea?

Yeah, sure. You had originally only settled on adopting one, but when you were told that this group was bonded you couldn't find it in yourself to split them up, let alone leave them behind.

"Alright, that’s the last of the paperwork! We'll be coming to inspect how the hybrids are doing in three months time. If we think that they're unhappy or being mistreated, we'll take them from you." The one employee said with a smile, handing you the boys' collars, all color coded and with their names on them.

There were leashes too, though you put that in your bag since you didn't want to completely restrain them.

"Thank you,” you mumbled, bowing as you left the small office to be met with a group of hybrids waiting outside for you nervously. When you came out they stood straighter, smiling at you with bright eyes. You laughed a bit awkwardly, bowing to them before giving them the most confident smile you could muster... Which turned out to be not so confident.

"Hi, guys. My name is Y/N and I'll be caring for you from now on." You cleared your throat, fiddling with the hem of your sweater. "I'll do my best." You said solemnly before clearing your throat one last time and going to put on everyone's collars, since you had already put your contact details on the inside. The first one you attached was to the tall brown haired hybrid, his Sheppard ears flicking excitedly as you neared him. His tail wagged at a fast pace, making you smile at him. You stood at just below his shoulder, so looking up to him had butterflies flying into the sides of your stomach. If you could, you wouldn't have them wear collars, but it was required by law for them to wear collars if they were in public to:

1. Show that they weren't stray or escaped and therefore potentially dangerous.

2. Be able to find their owners if they happened to get lost.

"You're Soobin..?" You asked the boy, your voice raising nearing the end to turn the statement into a question. He smiled at you as he nodded his head vigorously, his dimples making themselves present and attacking your heart.

"Yep!" He said cutely, his tail still wagging madly behind him.

"차, here we go, Soobin!" You said as you finished attaching his collar, standing back to admire how well the dark purple fit him.

Next was the eldest and one of the two cats of the group, a gorgeous gray tabby hybrid. He watched you closely, and the way he held himself practically screamed 'dripping with confidence'.

"Yeonjun?" You asked, feeling your heart hammering against your chest. You were pretty sure that they could all hear how loud it was beating, which made it ten times worse than it would've been.

"The one and only." He said, grinning at you cheekily while you leaned over his shoulder to attach his respective collar, a lime green color. You moved it slightly, swallowing nervously as your fingers brushed over the back of his neck. Immediately after Yeonjun was, who you believed, was the second youngest of the group and the last cat hybrid. You had been told that he was a Siamese hybrid, and immediately you were intrigued. Siamese were rare where you lived, so having one of your own would be a nice bragging right to have among your co-workers. You had apologized to him sincerely, telling him that you had forgotten his name to which he replied with a gentle smile.

"That's alright, noona. I'm Taehyun." He smiled at you, eyes boring through your soul. He had a shockingly deep red collar that highlighted his sharp features, which you told him quietly, making him blush.

Then, it was one of the most energetic of the lot, it seemed: A Jack Russell hybrid who was practically bouncing around on the balls of his feet, unable to hide his excitement. "Beomgyu." He said simply before you had even opened your mouth to speak, a grin plastered on his face at the way you pressed your mouth into a firm line. You attached his black collar to his neck, having to lightly push him away since he had moved forward to sniff your hair curiously.

And last but not least was the youngest, Heuningkai. You had remembered his name purely because it was so unique, and you were sure to tell him this. He grinned shyly, nodding his head and thanking you in a small voice. He was the other giant, probably only a few inches shorter than Soobin. His collar was a pretty white color, complimenting his creamy Corgi colors well. It was something that you hoped to God wouldn't get filthy, because it would be a pain in the ass to keep clean otherwise.

"Right. Before we leave this building, I have an important first rule." The boys' ears perked attentively as you addressed them, making you nervous again. They gave you their undivided attention and man, was your heart weak. "If you're outside on your own and you get lost, my number is on the inside of your collars. Your phones are waiting for you at home, and everyone's numbers have already been added to each phone, including my own." They nodded, looking at you with wide eyes and small smiles. With a grin you made them follow you into the van you had bought on a bit of a short notice, having to get a car big enough for everyone. Though it was still a bit crowded, Heuningkai and Taehyun squeezed together in the middle with Yeonjun and Beomgyu on the sides, Soobin sitting in the passenger seat.

What you had noticed first was that it seemed as if Soobin was the leader of the band of hybrids, which was to be expected, really. You think you remember hearing that he was second oldest, with Beomgyu being the 'middle-child'. While the thought popped into your mind, you looked into your rear view mirror. "I almost forgot to mention, but I'm a year older than you, Yeonjun." You said with a smile, turning back to the road to turn into that oh so familiar road.

“오디���요?” You heard Yeonjun ask from the backseat, and you couldn't help but smile.

"I wanted to make a quick stop at a café, to get something to drink. I hope you don't mind?" You asked the guys, looking around the car questioningly.

"No, it's fine!" Soobin said with a smile, his dimples springing out once more. You giggled, poking his cheek and unintentionally making him blush.

When you walked into the café, you ordered drinks for everyone, only Yeonjun having come with you to help you carry.

Heuningkai had gotten a hot-chocolate, Soobin settling for a plain and simple coffee. Taehyun got a frupachino, and Beomgyu got tea. When you asked what Yeonjun wanted, he had said he wanted an Americano, so that's what he was currently sipping at, your Iced-Tea standing out among the aray of warm drinks.

You arrived home a little later, showing them their room, the bunk-beds and one single bed in the room. "I dibs the single bed!" Beomgyu called with a grin, making you chuckle.

You clapped your hands together. “I'm going to start on dinner. Why don't the five of you go and watch some television in the mean time? The TV's out front." You said with a smile, the others scattering to the living room at a surprising speed.

You scrolled through your phone before setting up the group chat, the others already haven taken their phones. You looked up when you noticed Yeonjun, a smile spreading across your face. "Hey, Yeonjunnie. What's up?" He smiled at the pet name, tail flicking behind him as he came to stand next to you.

"그냥.. Wanted to see how dinner was coming along." He said with a somewhat hidden smile, sipping at his Americano.

"Ah, Yeonjun?"

"네?"

"You have something on your lip—"

"What? Where?” He wipes over his mouth. “Did I get it?"

"No, 여기~" You turned to stand in front of him, gently swabbing away the cream that had been on the corner of his upper lip... how it had gotten there though, you had no idea.

Yeonjun stood there with the straw of his drink still wedged between his teeth, tail stiff and ears leaning forward. You giggled cutely, flustered at the way he looked so dumbfounded by you, turning back to the food.

It was a few weeks later, and you had just come back from a quick run to the store to get the boys some new clothes, coming back home with well over five bags filled with mostly hybrid clothes, having gotten yourself one or two hoodies and a new pair of sneakers and jeans that you had liked.

You were sitting on the couch with Beomgyu, watching as Yeonjun and Soobin played Mario Cart together, laughing at the way they started screaming at each other angrily when the other pushed them off of the track or into some kind of obstacle. Beomgyu hadn't taken off his new hoodie since leaving the store six hours ago, and as cute as it was on him, you thought that he should at least've washed it first. You snapped a quick photo of him in it, posting it to your Facebook account that had recently gotten filled with pictures of you and the boys.

"Noona, come here~" Beomgyu hummed, bringing you to his chest to hug you to his form and rub his face against you. You giggled, lifting your arm to lightly pet his head, ruffling his hoodie ever so slightly. The action made him hum contentedly, holding you close to him as he put his chin on your shoulder. As soon as Yeonjun and Soobin ended their round the two of them turned around.

"Yah! We want cuddles too—" Soobin said with a pout as the two of them managed to also get some form of contact with you, Soobin playing with your fingers as he sat in between your legs, your hand resting over his Adam's apple, Yeonjun purring into your stomach as his hair was played with.

Later that same night, you were in your room reading when there was a knock on your door. "어? Hyunnie? What's wrong?" You asked, sitting up when a tired looking Taehyun walked toward you. He got under the covers with you, hiding his face in your side as he wrapped an arm around your waist.

"I had a nightmare and can't fall asleep..." He explained, holding you closer. "Can I sleep here for tonight, please?" He asked with a solemn look on his face.

"Of course, Hyun. Whatever makes you comfortable." You hummed, playing with his hair for a bit before watching him fall asleep and falling asleep yourself. Since then, it was a normal occurrence for Taehyun to share your bed, the others also joining you every once in a while.

It was the day after the examination, and you were quite bubbly, happy that you officially got to keep the boys. "Noona, are you even helping?" Heuningkai asked you with an angry pout, stopping as he dried off the dishes.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, Hyuka. Did you say something?" You asked, continuing with your scrubbing.

"No, I didn't. But you just suddenly stopped moving."

"Yeah, well I was thinking—"

"Abour what? Donuts? Don't you think you should cut down on the—"

"Yah!" You shouted at him, a smile spreading to your face as he laughed, smiling at you brightly.

"Be glad I love you, Kai. Or else I would've broken your nose." You warned the Corgi hybrid with squinted eyes, a playful grin on your face.

"Yeah, yeah, you liar. You wanna play some basketball after this?" He asked, making you scoff over-dramatically.

"What a dumb question to ask—"

You stood there silent and stunned, watching as Hyuka giggled evily.

"Did you just splash me... With dirty water?" You snarled at him in disbelief, eyes shining dangerously.

"Possibly?"

"You piece of— get over here!" You screamed, laughing at how dolphin like he sounded while screaming, running outside towards the guys for help and hopefully protection.

[dharmas-spam]

In wake of recent events and allegations against Neil Gaiman, I would like to release a statement that I know no one asked for. Because I have not been doing very well as of late, and this was the cherry on the shit sundae.

I hope you all understand that, in doing so, I do not mean to take away any attention from the victims. I just have to get this off my chest and clear the air I feel is polluted at the moment.

Here's my long-winded timeline of my interaction with Gaiman's work. Underneath will be my statement on these allegations and what I will be doing moving forward.

I first got into Neil Gaiman's work in June-July of 2021, around my birthday, although I had seen some of his work unknowingly over the years.

I will never forget the first time I watched Good Omens, and I will never forget the joy it made me feel from the first few frames. I finished the show soon after. The message of the beauty in individuality and the inherent neutrality of humanity made me feel hopeful for the first time in a while.

I read the book in October 2021 and was officially hooked. I started engaging in the fandom and found a place online where I felt wholly accepted. I made fanart, read/wrote fanworks, etc.

I then expanded my Gaiman-Verse knowledge in April 2022 and began reading American Gods, Anansi Boys, Trigger Warning, etc...and found great inspiration and solace in these works as well.

On August 5th, 2022, I watched Sandman the morning it released on Netflix, beyond excited, and then bought one of the large books with the first few comics complied inside after finishing the show.

My love for The Sandman universe only grew, and I gained new outlooks on life inside the character's words and actions. Death of The Endless and Hob Gadling were two characters that helped me better understand how to truly appreciate the world around me and the time I am blessed to have in it.

I received the full collection of The Sandman comics for Christmas 2022 and nearly cried with elation. I read through them like a beast and was given more of the extended works in the series (like Death's solo comic) later that same holiday. I was also given The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, and finished it in two days flat. I loved Mrs. Hempstock and her words on humanity.

As time passed, my passion for Gaiman's literature/media didn't waver.

I started dating my partner on June 1st, 2023, and Gaiman's work was part of what helped us bond, in addition to our already-lovely chemistry.

The EVERY kiss spoiler leaked and sobbed with excitement, lol.

Good Omens S2 was set to be released a few days after my birthday. However, I was very sick on my birthday and was rather miserable.

My parents went out of their way to make me Good Omens cupcakes in secret, and it was one of my best birthdays, purely because my father put in the effort to design them, despite my never letting him watch the show (which has since been amended).

That Christmas, I was given quite a bit of Good Omens and Sandman merchandise and started growing my collection of copies of Good Omens.

On April 25th, 2024, I watched Dead Boy Detectives the day it released, having been excited for it since November 2023, and found another media in the Gaiman-Verse that I adored and saw myself in.

Flash forward to tonight, July 4th, 2024, and I am devastated.

I spent the majority of my teen years consuming Gaiman's content and engaging in the fandoms. During the time, I found true happiness and felt comfortable in my identity, and I refuse to lie and say my self-discovery was not aided by the media he created.

I know this is not about me, but about the victims, and I know the allegations have been brought to light by many shady news sources, but I must finish my piece with this:

When J.K Rowling exposed herself as a TERF, I had not realized I was queer yet, but I was still deeply disturbed for reasons unknown to me. I separated the art from the artist, as I had loved Harry Potter since I was seven, and it was a way my mother and I bonded during hard times. It also helped me get through the height of quarantine and the horrors of puberty.

When I discovered Gaiman's work and the fandoms his work's inspired, I felt relieved: here was a white cishet person who cared for minorities and who created media for minorities.

If the allegations are true (which they likely are), it turns out my hero doesn't deserve his cape.

I will do as I did with J.K Rowling, with a much heavier heart. The fans deserve the joy and inclusion Gaiman's work has created, even if he himself is vile. I will continue to consume his work indirectly and in no support to him.

I encourage everyone in the fandom to stay calm during this time.

It is okay to be angry, sad, and confused. However, it is not okay to ignore the allegations altogether or the trauma these women have experienced at the hands of Gaiman.

This fandom is a safe space for many people, and I beg that it will remain that way.

I send out much love to the women who were hurt, and I hope you both find contentment.

[tolbachik-art]

How does one become good at drawing planets

Hey, thank you so much for the kind words & the question!

I'm still definitely a beginner, and have a long way to go, but it really warms my heart to hear you say that. For starters, getting over any perfectionism you may have is a big must!

I know a lot of people always say this, but practice, time, patience, doing studies, and having fun are the most important ways to get better!

I'll walk you through my progress, and what I've done to get where I am today with things! I will warn you, it did turn out to be a long winded post. If you want the jist of it, you can scroll to the bottom!

So, I've been doing digital art since say, mid 2015 or so. I didn't have much of a grasp on art, and while I grew up loving space and space exploration, I didn't quite understand how things worked.

On August 2nd, 2015 (when I was just 15), I posted my first piece on DeviantArt.

This was my first foray into space art. It may not be the best, but I remember being very excited about it, and actually making a piece like that.

This first piece is a big sign of what issues I would face with space art until very recently; a lack of detailing, leading to a soft appearance.

This would plague me for quite some time; I would put very little effort into detailing, and wouldn't even zoom in on the canvas for quite some time. I would do things from afar, not wanting to zoom in for some weird reason. This can be seen in the following paintings, as well.

This one, also of Neptune, was posted two years after the first one. The framework is kind of there, but only barely. The perspective is off, and once again, the detailing is too minimal and too soft. On top of that, the shading isn't nearly as harsh enough. Compositionally though, I was starting to get a grasp of some basics.

There would be a brief artless period in my life from 2017 to 2020; every once in awhile, I wouldn't do art for a few years. Then, suddenly, I would get back into it and put out several pieces, all before growing quiet once more.

2020, once Covid-19 started happening, would see the return of me to the world of art now that I was suddenly without a job.

Once again, Neptune will be a demonstrator of how my skills changed.

I was starting to get there; in terms of composition, much better than my older works. Coloring is a bit off, but overall, I was starting to actually understand how art works, and why things like detailing were important. One big thing here though; I was still painting with color. That would be one of the last big things for me to get over, although I didn't even know it then.

From the period of 2020-2021, I made a lot of paintings and mission patches for my one friend's KSP youtube series (seen here).

Doing what were essentially mini paintings, I learned a *lot* about composition and detailing. I think the one I spent the longest on was Heywood, in which I did my best to follow imagery from Voyager. Looking back now, however, it isn't quite accurate; that's the south pole! I still had a lot to learn in regards to doing accurate portrayals of celestial bodies, down to inclinations and the like.

Anyways, doing all that really burnt me out, on top of doing free art for people I didn't even know. That's another big lesson; only do gift art if you feel up to it, and for a friend. Do not do it for strangers.

It wasn't until late 2022, in September, that I actually finished a piece again. My illness had been pretty bad, leaving me bedbound for quite some time. However, during that time, I hadn't lost my skills thankfully.

This would be one of my first somewhat decent portrayals of Jupiter and one of his moons, using SpaceEngine for getting reference images and making sure all the parts were in the right place. This would set the groundwork for later paintings, as I always use SpaceEngine now to make sure I have the orientations and sizes of things in the sky right! It's been an invaluable tool, I quite literally don't know where I'd be without it.

Anyways; after that, it was very sparse once more, up until quite literally this year. Sickness sprung up again, and I had a rough winter due to the loss of my grandfather to Covid-19, among other things.

2024 saw, in my personal opinion, the biggest and best change to my art yet.

PAINTING IN VALUES!!!!!!!!!

I cannot stress this enough; understanding what values are, and how to see them in every day life literally changed my entire perspective on things. On life! I cannot go outside anymore without comparing and contrasting values of objects and natural phenomena.

This was before values. Not bad, but still not great. Detailing was getting there. This is from March 27th, 2024, and was part of an art trade with @dan-asd of their worldbuilding project.

And this, this is 3 months later, from July 16th, 2024. Commission for @corvidist, my very first. This was a massive leap in the way I understood and processed the world around me, and in turn, what my art looked like.

Everything is in values. Your phone, with the seemingly pure black LCD touchscreen to the blue and purple phone case. The clouds, with their bright white tops and dark bottoms. The river, with the murky green waters contrasting with the bright orange stones. All values, just differing shades of gray with color added! Everything is light! Everything is the absence of light! Light is the entirety of your piece; you just have to understand where light falls, and where it doesn't.

Apart from that, everything is just rudimentary shapes and lines. The universe is made up of different kinds of lines and shapes. Entire worlds can be reduced to light and lines, people can be too. You just need to know what to look for, and how to process that into artwork.

I cannot stress how much understanding that, and doing tiny little paintings really helped me get a much better grasp on things.

Take some time, get a small canvas out, and paint your favorite celestial body. Take as much or as little time as you need, and just have fun with it. Play with color, play with values, whatever your heart desires!

Once you're done, take a step back, and compare it to the picture. Analyze what areas you didn't enjoy, and what areas you did. Look for what doesn't line up with the picture, and think of how you could better approach it. Think of how you can change the lighting to make it seem more real, what effects are needed to bring it to life.

Art is the process of taking what you love, and putting it to paper (digital or not!). Focus on what you enjoy doing; it will all come naturally with time. You'll start to pick up on things, big and small, that will bring your pieces closer and closer to what you want it to be.

And please, for the love of everything that is holy, have fun with it and don't overthink it! You will be so disappointed in yourself if you hype yourself up for a piece, only for it to come out not the way you expected. That's ok! That's part of learning! It can be disheartening, but if you take the time to look at how and why you don't like the piece, it'll come out so much better next time around!

Talk to people, too! Talking with my dear email-pal Eduardo was my first step into understanding astronomical art, and thinking on how to improve my work. He really helped me step into the right direction when I was just starting out, which I am still eternally grateful for to this day. I think of him and his work often; he really was a massive help.

In more recent times, talking to @whirligig-girl helped me to get a better grip on realism, and how better to portray celestial bodies. She was a huge help in giving me pointers for fixing up my View From Amalthea piece, as well as the ones that followed after. Talking to artists more experienced than you and getting critiques is always a huge help; it can really show you things in a new light!

Speaking of, don't be afraid to let a piece rest and marinate for a bit. A day, a week, or even a year. It doesn't matter. You will come back to it, and you will see new things you never saw before, and think of new ways to improve upon it. I have a piece that's been in limbo for YEARS, and I still have yet to actually get to paint it (the top one, the alien one (i will never finish that Uranus piece though lol)). I have it perfectly envisioned now, so waiting really did pay off in the end.

Essentially, it all boils down to this:

Everything is light, or lack thereof.

Don't overthink it, and have fun.

Do not do free art for strangers.

Everything is shapes and lines.

Step back and look at your pieces, deconstructing them in your mind or on paper.

Examine your everyday life, and see how everything interacts in terms of values and color.

Do studies, please god, do studies they're so fun and eyeopening

Warmup! Warm! Up! WARMUP!!!!! They are critical to getting your mind in the art headspace! You will feel less interested and less focused otherwise!

Don't worry about your medium, just do what you enjoy and works best for you! There is no such thing as a perfect brush!

Talk to other artists in fields you enjoy!

I love talking about art, I really could go on for hours, but I will stop myself here.

You decide what you get out of art; it's your skill, your time, so do what you desire! These are only anecdotes about my experiences with art; they aren't universal, but I do hope they've helped. If you have any questions, any questions at all, don't hesitate to reach out!

Lastly, here are two resources for you for any future artworks you may do:

I got this book many years ago, but the lessons it gave me were invaluable. I mean it; they helped me to understand the importance of doing studies, and for detailing!

Paid membership, but an organization dedicated to doing astronomical art. I have yet to join, but I've heard lovely things about it! Hoping to join later this year, funds allowing.

I will finally end this here. Thank you so much for the ask, and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!

[megafaunatic]

hi lore!! i started word of honor (drama) finally for unrelated reasons and i cannot stop thinking abt how excited i am to read ur fic once i am finished… that aside i am a little over 1/3 way through and enjoying it so much. i am not sure if u have watched or only read the novel/differences between the two..but i am having a lot of fun and think the actors are really great (wen kexing’s character is..he is so funny…) peace and love on planet earth…ok bye !!!!!

OOHHHHH YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!! IM SO EXCITED FOR YOU WOH IS SOOOO FUN

i watched it as it was coming out and then i rewatched later with MY MOM ("wait, so, lao kexing [sic] and a-xu aren't even going to kiss?" - my mother circa 2021) and then of course i've rewatched my favorite parts a bunch. gong jun's wkx is literally so good it's definitely his best role DKFJDFKJDF

the book is quite different!!! they're both super fun in their own ways but yeah they definitely had to change A Lot for filming - like, the whole plot w the liulijia got expanded on and made more important, it was essentially just set dressing in the book LOL

ANYWAY ENJOY!!!!!!! IM EXCITED FOR U TO WATCH and also excited for you to read my fics hehehehe <:3c

[mazzystargirl]

ok living up to pinned post w some true confessions/dark secrets… so basically after i tried to kms in 2021 fall and went to the hospital i entered a really intense slut era and like started impulsively spending money and stuff too and i didnt have a job so i was like oh omg having a sugar daddy would work out really well for me and also i wanted to do things that would be like damaging or whatever idk why i did it rly. but anyway i engaged in some sugar baby behaviors. and then that winter break i went home from school and met up w some of my friends who ive known since i was a kid. now i have to give a little bit of context here cuz its important. so i have these 3 friends, one of whom ive known since i was 3 years old (N) and the other two since i was like 7 (S and J). and we all live in a very tight knit neighborhood/cultural community where mostly everyone knows everyone. and so my 3 friends parents know my parents. i guess you can see where this is going… but anyway i told them i had a sugar daddy or like it came up in conversation idk. and that was that. then literally the following AUGUSTTTT my mom comes to me and is like oh so some people in the neighborhood have been saying that you’ve been engaging in risky behaviors with older men and that youve been meeting them in hotels. so obviously i denied it very emphatically and tried to pry out who tf she heard that from and honestly i was like what like who could have even spread that and she said J’s mom told her and was lowkey rly cagey about it bc she didnt want to “break her daughter’s trust” and had asked other aunties about the situation like wtfff… and then i remembered i had mentioned to them over winter break so she must have fucking told her mommmm. i decided to assume best intent and chose to believe she was worried abt me and thats why she told her mom so i messaged her like hi did u tell ur mom abt this and i appreciate ur concern but i would have appreciated it if maybe u came to me directly and checked on me it would have been better and u lowkey hurt my feelings cuz now im stressed and anxious and don’t know whos saying what abt me etc etc. and then…

she fucking LIEDDDDD she said she didnt say anything to her mom AND that her mom didnt say anything to my mom!?? which i know is fucking bullshitttt 😭 like it makes 0 sense like if no one said anything is my mom just pulling shit out of the air and if she was how would she land straight on the money like that it just doesnt add up. so i was like um ok ?? uh have a good day. and decided to let it go and i lowkey don’t speak to her anymore and i told N and S that im not speaking to her but they can hang out w her if they want. and i forgot abt it.

but now i just moved back home after finishing school and its lowkey been eating away at me. it hurts me that she was my friend for 13 years and its all up in flames and i never got any closure or an apology or even her to admit or acknowledge the situation?? it hurts me to be at home worried abt what people are saying or thinking about me. i know i shouldnt care but what other people think of me bothers me. im not ashamed of myself and my choices but i don’t want other people to think less of me. i don’t want to reach out to her bc what if she doesn’t care at all about the situation ??? i don’t want to be like this has been eating at me forever and it really hurt me and her to be like what r u talking about i don’t think about you at all. she also just got into med school and im happy for her for real like glad shes doing well its just like. she hurt my feelings really bad :(

anyway if you read this far… what should i do 🥲 is the only path forward trying to let go… tbh i think i just need someone to validate my feelings like am i right to be hurt or is it all my fault and should i beg for forgiveness 😭 like my friend N got coffee w her a couple weeks ago and brought it up to me twice what does that even meannnn

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Christmas and New Year's Eve 2023 Pt 1: New Bookmarks and WiPs

Happy holidays everyone! Let's get into the holiday spirit with some new Christmas fics I've recently added to my Bookmarks and MFL lists! LOTS of stories, so this list is split up into two lists! PLEASE check out the lists below for past bookmarks and MFLs! If you have a WORK IN PROGRESS that you'd like added to this list, PLEASE add them in the replies/reblogs and I'll add them to subsequent posts of this list!

The second list posting shortly is my MFL list, so if you have a finished fic you'd like me to add to the lists, please add them to the next post!

Thank you so much!! <3 Merry Christmas!!

[PART TWO]

See also:

Christmas Fics (Dec. 2017)

Christmas: Oblivious That One or The Other is In a Relationship

Christmas 2019 Part 1 (All Bookmarks XMas and New Years)

Christmas 2019 Part 2 (Marked for Later)

G / T / K+ Rated Christmas Fics (Dec. 2018) (Updated Dec 2021)

Community Recs: Christmas 2020 (Updated Dec 2021)

Christmas Trees / Decorating

Christmas-Time Love Confessions

New Year’s Fics (Jan 2023)

Christmas 2023 Pt 2: Marked for Later

BOOKMARKS

Santa Knows by Itsallfine (T, 1,719 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas Party, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Matchmaking, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock) – Sherlock and John both get exactly what they want from the Yard's secret Santa exchange. Pure holiday fluff.

The Way to Start the New Year by glass_rose_paperweight (G, 4,251 w., 1 Ch. || New Year's Eve, Fluff, Pining John) – On New Year's Eve, Sherlock drags John to America for a case, much to John's frustration. However, a mistake in booking looks like it might lead to an even worse New Year's Even than John originally thought ... or, maybe it's just what the boys need.

This Year by DiscordantWords (T, 6,283 w., 2 Ch. || TEH Divergence / No Mary, New Year’s Eve, John’s A Mess, Jealous John, Awkward Conversations, Trapped in a Closet, Estranged After Return, John POV, Semi-Reunion, Angry John, First Kiss, Reconciliation, Clueless Sherlock, Happy Ending) – Last year, Sherlock Holmes showed up at the Landmark with a fake moustache and a bad French accent and threw John's entire life into disarray with two words: "Not dead." This year, there are more surprises in store.

Wonderful, Etcetera. by VictoryCandescence (T, 16,955 w., 3 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Alternate Timelines, Brotherhood, Homophobia, Suicidal Ideations, Mentions of Drug Use, Friendship, Different TRF, Sherlock’s Past, Victor Trevor is Past Boyfriend, Depression, Hallucination?, Love Confessions, Christmas, First Kiss) – Sherlock thinks everyone would be better off if he had never existed, including and especially himself. When he finds himself in a world in which his wish has been granted, he begins to think perhaps even he could be wrong – but it takes an unlikely chaperone to make him not only observe, but understand.

Deck the Halls by itsalwaysyou_jw (T, 31,018 w., 24 Ch. || Advent Fic / Multiple One-Shots, Assorted Tags) – One Johnlock ficlet for every day leading up to Christmas. Who is ready for pining, first kisses, established Johnlock, and everything in between? This collection of stand-alone ficlets will have it all. 

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

Bakers with Benefits by Raina_at (E, 88,130 w., 14 Ch. || Great British Bake Off AU || Strangers to Lovers, Switchlock, Friends with Benefits, Mentions of Alcoholism / Past Drug Use, Banter, Flirting, Fluff, Light Angst, Semi-Public Sex, Past Sherlock/Victor, Mutual Pining, POV Sherlock, Obsessive Sherlock, John’s Bum) – Sherlock Holmes has a successful YouTube baking channel, but what he really wants is his own bakery. When an old friend sends him a call for the very first Great British Bake Off, he seizes the opportunity to finally win a sponsor for his bakery. Here's the plan: Win Bake Off, get the bakery, don't fall in love with the handsome Army doctor at the neighbouring station. Easy.

The Lost Special: Family Matters (As Do Relationships) by ShirleyCarlton (M, 144,688 w., 40 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic / Meta Fic, Unreliable Narrator, John’s Mind Bungalow, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Demisexual Sherlock, Holmes Family, John Whump, Gay Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Drug Addiction, Parenting, TFP is a Nightmare, Virgin Sherlock, Slow Burn, Minor Character Death, Switchlock, John’s Past, Sherlock’s Past, Eurus, Love Confessions) –Sherrinford is not really the name of some high security prison. That was just a figment of John’s frantic coma dream. And Eurus is not actually Sherlock’s sister. That’s just something random she said to John before shooting him. Sherlock and John were never actually estranged. That was just their act to cover up what really happened to Mary – or Rosamund Moran, as her real name has turned out to be. Sherlock does have a secret sibling, though, and his name is Sherrinford. After finally eliminating Moran – though in a rather dramatically different way than they had envisioned – and exposing the truth about Eurus, John encourages Sherlock to delve into his past and to find out whether the reasons to keep Sherrinford away from Sherlock were the right ones, and to discover what really happened in 1981. Along the way, Sherlock and John gradually, finally, stop keeping each other at a distance, and eventually become a proper family of their own.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Christmas with You by hey_there_buddy (NR, 3,258+ w., 11/? Ch. || WiP || Christmas, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Established Relationship, Waltzing, Morning Kisses) – Sherlock wants to propose John and he came up with his own idea.

From the First Time That I Saw You by BookGirlWithLove (E, 6,813+ w., 4/16 Ch. || WiP || Actor John AU || Christmas, Meet Cute) – Sherlock Holmes very rarely paid any attention to popular culture. He didn’t listen to the radio or watch telly. He seldom watched films. Unless that film had a certain actor in it. A certain actor who, while he might not be on everyone’s favourite list, was most certainly on Sherlock’s. In fact, he was the only celebrity to ever give Sherlock pause, which said a lot. That actor was John Watson. Who was currently standing in Sherlock’s sitting room, awkwardly holding two bottles of wine.

Christmas in Honeycutt by helloliriels (T, 25,768+ w., 12/16 Ch. || WIP || Christmas in Connecticut AU / WWII AU || Kidnapping, Spies / Secret Agents, Codes & Ciphers, Past Relationships, Developing Relationship, Fake Marriage, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending) – John's publisher asks if his family could entertain a war hero at their idyllic estate in Somerset for Christmas. Only ... John doesn't have a wife ... or a daughter. Or an estate. He has a bedsit. In London. And some wounds of his own to recover from ... but he can't tell his publisher that or he'll get fired … What's a writer to do? Cracking Codes. Super Spies. Sherlock in Disguise. A wild Christmas romance set in the countryside! Just what the doctor ordered! Part 6 of the Liriels Chaptered Fics series

The Prince of Hearts by prettysailorsoldier (M, 46,206+ w., 12/? Ch. || Modern Royalty AU || WiP || Matchmaker Sherlock, Prince John, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Mutual Pining, Christmas, Fluff) – Sherlock Holmes is making big waves in London as the head of a thriving matchmaking firm, his unconventional approach earning him the title 'The Chemist'. To Sherlock, love is in the data, a collection of variables plugged into equations to calculate the perfect match, but, when the royal family of the small country of Galerre hires him to find a spouse for the crown prince, he will find that some matters of the heart are not so easily solved.

Since First I Saw Your Face by Stavia_Scott_Grayson (M, 398,966+ w., 19/22 Ch. || WiP || ACD Canon / 1884 Victorian AU || Friends to Lovers, Pining, UST/URT, POV Sherlock, Christmas, Developing Relationship, Turkish Baths, Victorian Attitudes, Sussex Holiday, Cocaine, Holmes’ Childhood, Cold Cases, References to Canon) – During the Great Hiatus, Holmes, studying in Tibet, reflects on his first meeting with Dr John Watson.

[bobtheacorn]

tagged by @plothooksinc and @sroloc--elbisivni ! Finally have a chance to sit down at my desk - only to procrastinate! lmao TY for the opportunity!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

75! I have probably ten or so more that i never crossposted from ffdotnet, but they're all Old! Given that FF took a huge L and was apparently down for several days, I might find incentive to move them. but! unlikely 🤣

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

815,373!

Nicole Shut the Fuck Up Challenge: FAILED lmao

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Actively: I'm trying to write various stuff for risetmnt, usagi yojimbo, and digimon adventure/02.

Not actively, published:

Voltron: Legendary Defender (24) One Piece (Anime & Manga) (13) Luca (2021) (5) 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) (3) Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02 (3) Digimon Adventure (2) Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater (2) 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime) (2) 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files (Anime & Manga) (2) The Hobbit - All Media Types (2) Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) (1) Saiyuki (Anime & Manga) (1) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) (1) The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien (1) The Adventure Zone (Podcast) (1) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (1) Animaniacs (1) Zootopia (2016) (1) Gravity Falls (1)

Basically if I watch or read something and the brainworms get me for even a moment i will write at least one (1) fic for it! Even though I may not finish or even post it! 😆 Occasionally it becomes a whole mental illness (STILL cannot believe i pumped out 24 goddamn fics for voltron. What a time to be alive LMAO)

4. Top five fics by kudos?

the hard beat of her heart - 1,982!

WOW i didn't realize its had almost 2k now thats crazy af. My Bakugo and his Mom fic is THE banger!

so low you can hear - 1,866!

another holy fuck moment, this one is pretty surprising bc its a much older lunami fic but i saw a huge influx after OPLA so 🤣

tired and emotional - 1,466

my drunk teenagers vld fic had big hits, such as Pidge 'scrambling like a racoon' and two idiots (klance) eating eachothers faces under a public table and then fist-fighting their feelings! Not shocked that its up there bc it was super fun to write

i go there with you - 1,351

this started as mindlessly filling Wumptober prompts and escalated almost immediately into Whatever The Hell It Is Now and i love it dearly! hope i can finished it sometime...! 💀

maybe if it left a mark -1,295

ppl ate this one UP when i posted it and i still get pretty regular feedback for it so i'm not especially surprised that it's still hanging onto top 5 after all this time! its one of my favs too!

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not often 😭 Listen it takes all of my energy just to get the darn thing Written. I have a lot going on IRL, and i'm also horrible anxious about being Annoying 🧍‍♀️ so I just yeet things into the void 😅 told to be quiet to many times as I child w adhd and now I'm a traumatized adult who simultaneously doesn't know how to shut up but also catastrophises basic interactions. Rip

Anyway i DO read and cherish every single review/comment and they never fail to perk up my days!! obviously i reread them pretty regularly, and I love and appreciate yall!! 💜 sorry im awkward!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'm more of a hurt/COMFORT girlie, so idk if any of my endings are SAD persay? Maybe a lil melancholy. maybe soul deep???

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

THIS is my cup of tea so it's: most of them 🤣 But significantly its my ooey gooey wedding finale for ANAFW

8. Do you get hate on fics?

got hate for a digimon fic i wrote abt Tai and Kari where someone was like 'this has so many red flags' and I was like Bro you don't show your siblings physical affection? Skill issue.

9. Do you write smut?

writing (and reading) smut is pretty new for me bc i'm on the sex-repulsed side of aro/ace but SOMETIMES !!!fictional!!! romance ETC compels me enough that i'm like Hm Lemme try that. I like to expand out of my comfort zones every now and then, so it's usually a turbulent but interesting exercise 🤣

MOST of the "spicy" stuff I write, I would consider pretty tame tbh? (or not very good 💀) I'm sorta vague on purpose, so if you come in expecting some delicious smut or something I am so sorry that that is not the part that interests me 💀💀

Someone who worked on Steven Universe said that Peridot's fixation on romance/shipping was "archeological" because she's aspec af and d'you know what I'm feelin it!

I love a dig site!

Makes no goddamn sense! Compells me tho.

10. Craziest crossover?

don't think i have a single one in my repertoire YET AS I TYPE THAT OUT i realize usagi yojimbo/tmnt is technically a cross-over! Even if it is a sort of canon one? not sure it counts asfkjhlklf I was gonna say that they don't usually interest me. Clown face emoji

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

if i have, no one has pointed it out!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! I get requests pretty often to translate my fics and i'm fine with that as long as they link back to the original! i'm also fine if they don't i guess lmao what am i, the police?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I write The Most self-indulgent crap 24/7 3/65 and i will not hand any of the reigns to someone else rip. Love to brainstorm with others tho That's what makes the brain go brrrrrrrrr

14. All time favourite ship?

ugh its KLANCE, tormented me for like 5+ years and changed my brain chemistry for the better. I'm cringe but im free!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

*stares in 300+ WIPS* maybe that super long bagginshield fic

OH and that anafw timetravel sequel where Lance got pulled into the past/an adjacent timeline and nearly died about it. literally. THAT baby was angsty! rip

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue! And characterization!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Chain of Events....! I don't know her 😭😭😭😭 Someone please introduce us. Also having too many ideas for the way a scene could play out and being paralyzed by Which is the Best One.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Sparingly and with Purpose!

19. First fandom you wrote in?

I know in my heart it was self-insert Dragon Ball Z when I was in like, middle school

20. Favourite fic you've written?

gonna list a top 5 bc I can't pick ONE salfjasdlkf

coyote - idk i fuckin LOVE how this one came together, i go back and read it sometimes and im like damn.

small impressions on his heart - this one makes me SO SOFT @ alberto Get Cherished, Idiot

steam: - THE underrated op fic of mine, its my FAV and no one else agrees! Tragedy!

as tenacious as dandelion weeds - i loved writing feral inosuke and his dumb backwards attitude. idk i love a soft one!

salvagable - truly my comedic prowess peeked with EGG SAUCE AND BREADED nothing else will ever compare

.

Imma tag: @big-meows @goodlucktai and anybody else no pressure who also needs ten minutes of procrastination to yell abt their stuff 💜

[gloster]

FAVORITE FANFICS OF 2022

What is up, you guys? HAPPY 2023. We did it. We somehow made it through 2022 that, in 2 words: TRIED IT. 2022 tried all of us in so many ways than one. Emotionally, mentally, physically, and beyond.

We all had ways of coming up with ways to get through the rough year. Friends & family (both blood & chosen). Music. Movies and shows. And of course fanfics.

The world can be turning, burning, but at least fanfics can always be counted to take us away from harsh reality and bring us into the sweet world w/our fav characters, OTPs falling in love dozens of ways.

Every year fanfic writers both familiar & new to me blow me away with their talent, their writing, their brilliance. And every year I always do this traditional post to give them their flowers.

If you're interested in past lists, here are the ones for 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018

Without further ado, here are my favorite fanfics of 2021

1). prince & prince by Authoress aka @kiribakus (tododeku)

Summary: Note to self: don't accidentally fall in love with a prince who's in an arranged marriage keeping your kingdoms from declaring war against each other. Especially when you're spying on him as his manservant.

Jaw. On. The. Floor. Jaw. Still. On. The. Floor. This story is the reason why this post is coming January 1st instead of the December 31st. I stayed up till almost 3 in the morning to finish this story and my jaw was on the floor when I read it. My jaw is still on the ground as I write up this review. I buddy-read this w/my bestie @littlenightdragon & our mind are still blown by what we read.

This story has been a long time coming. This is considered the classic fanfic in the tododeku community. It's took me while to get to it since there are so many stories I wanted to get through, but I finally did. Quite frankly, because this is such a popular fanfic, I don't know what else I can say that other readers haven't said in their own rec posts.

However I will happily say this one lives up to the hype. I repeat: LIVES 👏 UP 👏TO 👏THE👏 HYPE! The writing, the dynamics between Izuku & Shouto, the smut that was just 🔥🔥🔥, and again I APPLAUD @kiribakus for how the story was done. This is loosely based off the Captive Prince trilogy, so if you're familiar with the trilogy, you definitely see the elements of the story while also having this fanfic be its own thing. Not an easy thing to do, so massive kudos 👏👏

2). The Pakhan's Jewel by theangryuniverse (viktuuri/victuuri; mpreg)

Summary: No one had ever heard the omega speak.

It was not that they had never heard him at all. They had all heard the voice of the omega at some point – a gentle laugh, for example, a quiet hum, or, quite more often, lustful cries and moans, caused by the Pakhan himself. But the omega never spoke, and never deigned to even look at them, for they all were beneath him, and mattered less than the dirt beneath his feet.

For they all knew that Katsuki Yuuri's heart belonged to one man only - and that man was Viktor Nikiforov, the Pakhan himself.

Someone had said, I believe it was either here on Tumblr or Twitter, that the YOI fandom is keeping itself alive w/fanfics, fanart, and posts on our favorite ice-skating couple. I 1000000000%. And this fanfic is proof of it.

Oh where oh where do I begin? Let's start with this. We have ABO and a Mafia AU with an established happily-married couple who give the same intense, overly-passionate in love energy as Gomez and Morticia Addams.

I repeat an ABO Mafia AU story with a couple who give off the same intense, passionate happily-married energy as Gomez and Morticia Addams, which I needed so badly and was greatly needed. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I ate it up like candy. I devoured every chapter.

My favorite element of the story is how Viktor is the Pakhan, he's the boogey-man that keep enemies and allies alike on their toes. Yet Yuuri is the one who keeps him on his toes- and knees-and however Yuuri decides to see his husband fit. It was sooooooo good. Like if Yuuri told Viktor to burn the world, he'd do so happily. He was such a simp for his husband the same way Gomez is for Mortica and I ATE IT UP.

And I'll definitely check out more stories by this author & suggest you do so too.

3). Winter Song by proantagonist (viktuuri/victuuri)

Summary: The set of Yuuri’s mouth softened into a private smile as Victor squeezed his knee beneath the table. His hands were bare, free from the gloves he so often wore when they were together on the rink, and the heat of his palm burned straight through the denim of Yuuri’s jeans. He slipped his own hand beneath the table and found Victor’s. Hidden from sight, their fingers began to flirt and play. A secret conversation all their own that needed no words.

Yuuri was aware that at some point—a moment in time he couldn’t quite place—Victor had become his boyfriend.

There wasn’t a single instant when it happened. It was a slow awareness, as if Victor had silently been asking the question for months now, and Yuuri had been giving him the answer a little more with each passing day.

Another YOI story? Why, yes, yes it is. Was this another one that gave you all the feels? Yes, yes it did. This one- all I can say is 10 10 10 10 10 across the board. This one was canon, in a way that was more so behind the scenes/deleted scenes that the creators didn't want us to see but the fanfic writer was like Yeah....FUCK THAT, we're getting those bonus scenes.

In this one, we see Viktor and Yuuri develop more as a couple while also coming into their own. I love how it's equal. Like yes, even though Yuuri has social anxiety, Viktor has his own issues with self-worth, past relationships, and expectations. The author noticably took time with the relationship where we see them become a stronger team, better friends, and a sweeter couple.

Such a joy to read.

4). The Roundabout Way of Fate by @itsmyartfam (tododeku)

Summary: “His quirk will get attention no matter where he goes. But if he ends up working with heroes then he’ll have their protection. That’s why I said most doctors and nurses have minor healing quirks- because people with powerful ones often catch the attention of heroes, who will in turn protect them from any villains who also have their eye on them.”

“Oh! Okay. Okay… this… this is a lot…. Heh, and I was worried he’d breathe fire…”

“Don’t ever forget- Izuku’s quirk is a good thing. He just needs to be a bit more careful than most children.”  _________

Midoriya Izuku wants to become a hero. Midoriya Izuku is born with a healing quirk. He learns how to save people a different way.

You ever read a story that's so canon yet not like canon, but you wish it could be canon? Like if you had a chance to redo canon, you'd pick an alternative. Well, for this one, if I could make it canon, I would in a heartbeat. Like it was among one of the first fanfics I read in the beginning of the year, but the fact I still think of it fondly proves how much of a great, fun read it was.

There are so many things I love about this fanfic. Obviously the writing, obviously the pining that goes on with both Shouto and Izuku. But I think the main things are I love how Izuku has a quirk, a Healing quirk at that, that seems so minimal to society but he's like, NAH You're not gonna push me around and treat me like I'm delicate flower. There were even scenes where he had to remind Shouto of that, and it was too satisfying to read.

But most of all, I love the platonic relationship between Izuku and Bakugo. This is one where you can tell there is a bond there, but it's much healthier with boundaries clearly set. One where Izuku isn't afraid to call Bakugo out & Bakugo actually thinks things before before just exploding.

I ADORED IT. Just as much as I adored the author @itsmyartfam for making Izuku a healer. They had expressed they dealt with backlash from other readers who didn't agree with the quirk, but I thought it was very fitting. Given Izuku's personality, his caring nature, his compassion, healing is perfect match.

5). flawless by @irishseeeker (kathony/kanthony)

Summary: Kate Sharma is the diamond of the season.

Viscount Anthony Bridgerton plans on courting and marrying the Diamond of the season.

Kate is going to make that as difficult as possible.

First off I like to give massive thanks & props to @irishseeeker for doing the damn thing and giving me what I wanted. Me & my besties @littlenightdragon & @kila09 all agree on several things

Season 2 KICKED ASS. Season 2 carried. Simone & Jonathon did what needed to be done and carried season 2 on their bare backs.

Season 2, much as it is amazing & gave me my new favorite OTP, would've been better if Kate had been made the diamond. It definitely would've given the Queen the buzz she wanted. It would've been made the season more better- not to mention take away the barely-there love triangle they were trying for and failed at EPICLY.

The fact @irishseeeker as if they could hear my thoughts took the idea and run with it, they have my eternal gratitude. Currently it is a WIP, but y'all should definitely check out because you'll be devouring and begging for more. I know I did.

6). Bottom by Anonymous (kathony/kanthony)

Summary: By day, Anthony Bridgerton is in control. He eats at exactly the same time every morning, he exercises for exactly the prescribed amount of time, at work he never misses a deadline or forgets to show a friendly face, and at home he's a dedicated son and big brother, always there when his family needs him. His life since his father's passing has been about control.

By night, Anthony is ready to let go. He doesn't want to think. He doesn't want to plan. He wants to let go and let someone else take the wheel. (Or the dog leash.)

This is Anthony's journey into being a sub.

Before this story, I never really read femdom unless the couple is a queer-sapphic couple. Now after this story? I just want more. Especially if it's Kate being that dom. Like please give it to me. Please please please.

Mind you, we don't get much of Kate or kanthony/kathony until the last chapter. The beginning is more so Anthony and Simon, but the main thing I love about this story is how it does explore Anthony's trauma with being the oldest, having so much expectations placed on his shoulders. Which is what the show did hint at, but didn't go deeper. In this story, we did. And I appreciated it.

7). All That series by @himawaribees (Itafushi)

Summary: Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yuuji first meet at a frat party and proceed to have lots and lots of sex. Like, a silly amount of sex. Some (the author) might say they have too much sex.

Follow itafushi's journey as they fall for each other and slowly, eventually get together!

This was an unexpeted I found on Tumblr, I believe. I've been rocking in the Jujusten Kaisen fandom for awhile- also highly recommend the anime as well as the manga. But as long as I've been rocking in the fandom, I didn't have a definite ship. Until now.

Sometimes, all it takes is a good fanfic to kinda show you how well a ship can be. Which is what happened here.

I've always liked Megumi and Yuuji's dynamic in the show. Definitely gives sunshine & grump energy. Eager pup & annoyed cat. But this story, along with many from the author proved how that dynamic can work even more than as a couple. The way I just devoured the first story of the series, then the 2nd one, then the next, and the next till I finished what's been poste & am eagerly awaiting the next update.

Honorable mentions:

Sweet Tooth

Trust Me

Slow Down

8). Like, Comment, and Romance by @xskyll (tododeku)

Summary: In the hero community, it’s common for popular heroes to have merchandise for sale. Amongst these items are a few staples: t-shirts, figurines, and, of course, replicas of their costumes. This is where Deku, a well-known YouTuber, comes into play. Deku’s Hero Analysis is a series where the host, Deku, dresses up in official pro hero costumes, then does an analysis of each hero and reviews some of their merchandise. Joining him is Hito-nyan, the sarcastic cameraman who never shows his face and loves to push Deku’s buttons. And watching them is pro hero Todoroki Shouto, who absolutely, without a doubt, does not have a crush on Deku. Except actually he does, which is fine, because it turns out they have a friend in common and getting to meet the adorable YouTube star is more likely to happen than he ever would have dreamed.

Midoriya Izuku + Youtuber. A combination that never crossed my mind and never seemed so right until now. Like second, I started reading the story, I was like WHY DIDN'T THIS COMBO CROSSED MY HEAD BEFORE. It makes total sense, especially with how in depth his hero analyses are and how much of a fanboy Izuku.

Along with Izuku being a total fanboy, we also have Shouto who becomes a massive (obsessed) fan with Izuku's channel, and quickly afterwards with the boy himself.

I love how we got the unexpected duo that was Shouto and Ochako, a duo I didn't realized I needed until now.

9). Most Favorite Bedtime Story by Sasunaru (drarry; mpreg/implied mpreg & veela-Draco)

Summary: Scorpius' most favourite bedtime story? The story of how his parents fell in love. And his grandmother tells it the best!

My friend Melissa aka Sasunaru can go no wrong when it comes to her pen game & her wickedly brilliant brain. This was no differeny.

A simple story, but a sweet one nevertheless of how young Scorpius loves hearing his favorite story, how his parents first met and fell in love. And who better to tell the story than the grandmother who was there to witness the love story unfold before her eyes.

10). Like Honey and Grenadine by bazooka (taekook)

Summary: A Somewhat Cosmic Adventure, In Which: Jeon Jeongguk is both a Flustered Meme Child as well as the King of Hell; Kim Taehyung is really good at peeling back layers; Jeong Hoseok can go wherever he wants; balance requires sacrifice.

A retelling of the Abduction of Persephone, but with extra awkward flirting and way more gay.

OMG, this story. OMG, THIS STORY. It just delivered. And I eat. I ABOSLUTELY LOVED LOVED LOVED IT.

We have a Hades and Persephone AU, which I never get tired of, but in this one it was a bit more modern, kinda like Lore of Olympus where Taehyung quickly finds the boogey-man everyone fears and is weary about is a nothing more than a bunny. So insanely cute.

Honorable mentions that I seriously wanted to add to the list but this post is already lengthy. All amazing, all greats reads by various writers y’all should check out:

With Just A Little Help From Our Friends by @sashadistan (tododeku; ABO AU w/Shouto quietly pining, Izuku being oblivious, Kiri being helpful, & Bakugo being done w/all their butts)

Letting It Go by dreamchaser31 (kathony/kanthony; Kate being through w/Edwina's shit & calling her out AS SHE SHOULD, Anthony & Lady D backing her up all the way)

Brighter than The Sun by @goldentruth813 ( sheith; a retired vet in care of care & Keith answering the call)

Hooked on You by @trenchcoatkitten (tododeku; heartwarming story invovling cats, Shouto being a pet daddy, and Izuku a knitting mentor that he falls hard for)

in his hands by @softlystarstruck & @babooshkart (drarry; trans-drarry who are happily married w/soft BDSM & even softer aftercare)

And there you have it, folks. Those are my top fanfics of 2022. I can already tell I'm gonna have LOADS for 2023. To the authors, thank y'all so much for your incredible stories, including the time and effort.

Happy New Year, guys

[laviejaguardia]

FIC WRITER INTERVIEW

Tagged by @energievie and @nevermindirah thank you guys!! this looks fun :)

tagging if they so wish @youssefguedira @gaal-dornick @roboticonography @cafecitowriter @zairaalbereo <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 

37

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

693,923 😳

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Technical Support w 788

Double Tap w 728

Sunbeam Garden w 450

the way the night knows itself with the moon w 403

I carved out a place in this world for two w 375

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do and I enjoy it a lot, with the couple exceptions of some comments clearly done in bad faith with I've gotten once or twice

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angst endings, but the closest might be per diventare immortale only bc it's "open"

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

All of them I'd say, but perhaps Technical Support bc the epilogue is super cheerful

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not really my jam, but I have done some scattered Wolf (2013) / Diabolik (2021) musings with discord friends

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Outright hate nah, just some bad faith comments yeah

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Whenever the mood (rarely) strikes, and of the kind that the mood strikes lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not afaik

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

just the one, the way the night knows itself with the moon but I brainstormed a few as part of events!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

"all-time" is a tall order, I'm too much of a multishipper to settle for one. Oldest now relevant again is probably Percy/Annabeth but I was never super active online about it

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have 40k of a modern AU CarolMaria kdfic I started ages ago (last open rn is 2021 and it's older than that) and got stuck at the end bc I couldn't quite figure out the sequence of events. It has SO many scenes I love but I can never quite get back to it (the MCU's current storyline doesn't help either :/)

Another is a throwaway doc of a Monthy Python-style medieval comedy for TOG that I never sat down to brainstorm

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at creating visuals without needing suuuper lenghty detailed descriptions

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I get too wordy and over-complicate my sentence structure, it's why I usually try to get a beta that has no issues tearing my writing apart to streamline it

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I enjoy it! I routinely use different languages in my every day life so it feels natural to me. I think rendering everything to English can be flattening and strip characters of their richness sometimes, while I also understand there is a line between incorporating a character's cultural bg and making a caricature of it, so I try to get the right feedback before I hit post and I'm always open to talking it out.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Unposted Percy Jackson, posted the MCU (A Lot Of Issues)

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Don't think I have a particular craving atm, perhaps Spadeliano (Suburra: La Serie) but I have no plot for that, or maybe Kanthony (Bridgerton Netflix) bc when I went looking for fic nothing was quite was I searched for. Oh or Lupin (TV) cause I getting into Youssef's head when he's working with Assane promises to be so much fun, though it wouldn't be shippy

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I genuinely cannot pick, they all have reasons why I like them

[dearly-somber]

deathbed (coffee for your head) | h.js

-> pairing. Han Jisung x f!reader

-> genre. angst, hurt/comfort, f2l (friends–lovers), neighbors!au

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 1442

-> warnings. Mentions of divorce; rocky home-life; reader runs away from home (essentially)

-> a/n. Ngl to y’all the formatting for this one was… questionable lmfao. It’s not terrible but… 🤡🤡 idk check it out if you don’t like it 🤷🏻‍♀️

-> collection. songfic

-> started. Sept. 5th, 2020 @ 17:29

-> fin. Aug. 21st, 2021 @ 22:23

-> edited. Sept. 23rd, 2022 @ ???

You walked down the side of the road, the patter of rain distracting you.

You left your house since your parents were having a screaming fit—as they usually did those days. Ever since your mother told your dad that she didn't love him anymore and that she had already filed for a divorce, the tension in the house had been unbearable. You hadn't thought it would start raining, so you were walking with your hoodie up to cover your hair and face, though it was starting to soak though the fabric and make you cold. Your phone rung, Goodbye (by 2NE1) blaring.

Not bothering to check the caller ID, you answered the call with a scratchy throat: "Hello?" You hummed into the phone half-heartedly, stopping underneath a tree.

"Y/N! Where are you? I heard your parents fighting but when I came over to check on you you weren't in your room—"

"Jisung, what have I told you about going through my window? If my mom finds out she'll kill us!" You scolded him, shaking your head disapprovingly

"Whatever, it doesn't matter! Just come to my house, okay? My mom is cooking dinner for us." You smiled softly, humming before turning around to go to your neighbor's house.

Once there you knocked on the door, a low thud accompanying each knock. Jisung opened the door with an excited smile, the smile slowly fading when he saw how wet you were, lips parted in shock.

“You must be freezing… come inside!" He ushered after a moment, quickly pushing you inside. "One sec, lemme grab you some clothes—" it took only a few seconds for him to arrive back with some of his clothes and a towel. "Go change in my room. Mom should finish with the food in a few minutes." He said, pushing you in the direction of his room.

"Y/N! The food's ready!" Jisung yelled just as you finished pulling one of his hoodies over your head. It had been laying on the ground somewhere, so you might as well, right?

"Y/N! It's so good to see you again!" Mrs. Han said with a welcoming smile, hugging you tightly. You smiled with a laugh, nodding.

"I missed you too, Mrs. Han." You said. "By the way, where's (J/B/N)?"

"Oh, he's away for a business trip—"

"Okay, stop talking about my hyung and come spend time with me," Jisung whined, pulling you away from his mother. You had met Jisung in your shared classes, since you were both music majors at school. You had hit it off with him, and when you found out he was your new next door neighbor, you were practically tied to the hip. You giggled as Jisung over excitedly dragged you to where the food was, holding your hand before stopping you in front of the soup.

"Quickly, take some before I finish it myself—"

"Okay, God. You're so impatient, you know that?" You said with a raised brow, unable to stop yourself from smiling.

"It's why you love me, Y/Nie." He retorted, scrunching his nose cutely. You chuckled, dishing up before heading to the dining room, where you and Jisung ate.

Mr. Han only came back later, having gotten stuck in traffic on his way home from work. He greeted you casually, since it wasn't unusual for you to stay over some nights. Jisung had only ever really stayed over at your house once or twice, since your father had never really liked him. You guessed it must've been because he didn't trust him, but you knew your mother adored Jisung, so you guess that's a plus.

"Y/N, are you done?" Jisung asked, looking up from his phone. You nodded as you took your last bite, finally finishing. You had kept getting distracted your thoughts, so it had taken a while. He smiled at you warmly, getting up with a stretch. You smiled at him gently, the image of his cheeks stuffed with food similar to that of a squirrel stuck in your head. You had told him that it was cute and it's exactly the reason why you had saved him on your phone as 'Squirrel bby🐿'.

"Shall we go to my room, then?"

"Mmm." You hummed, taking his hand and smiling up at him brightly: "가자~"

You were sitting with Jisung on his bed, listening to some songs he had produced, reading the lyrics he had given you. He was watching you nervously, biting his lower lip. It was already around 01:03, so his door had been shut to keep the two of you from waking up his parents.

Noticing the way he was biting his lip, you placed a comforting hand on his knee, patting it gently. He smiled at you softly, playing with your fingers until you finished.

"Wow, Jisung."

"What'd you think? Is it shit?" He asked, eyes flicking from his laptop to your eyes questioningly. You scoffed, hitting his arm.

"Yah! Stop that! It was great! The lyrics and beat are amazing... I love it." You reprimanded him, pouting. He giggled, bubbling with happiness as he leaned back with a hand to his cheek, face turning pink.

Leaning forward he squeezed your cheeks, taking his laptop and paper to put it on his bedside table.

"Aah, thank you, Y/N-ssi!"

You hummed quietly, yawning. He sighed, hitting the sides of his mattress. "차, I'm gonna go grab a mattress for you—"

"What? No, Sungie. You'll wake your parents~"

"But—"

"We can just share a bed, dummy~" Jisung went quiet, looking at you stupidly as you made yourself comfortable in his bed.

“What?" You questioned, wide eyed and cute as ever.

"You're not going to be uncomfortable?" He asked, hesitantly getting comfortable with you. You laughed at him, poking his cheek with a fond smile.

"Of course not! I trust you, Sung-ah. And anyway," You smirked, moving forward to wrap yourself around him, the exact reason why he always referred to you as 'koala'. "You're a very huggable size. We fit together perfectly—" He chuckled at that, slowly wrapping his arms around you. You cuddled further into his chest, a content sigh leaving your lips.

Jisung bit down on his lower lip once more, looking down at the top of your head nervously. Now or never, Jisung!

"Uhm, Y/N?"

"Mmm?" You had closed your eyes. God, he was so warm—

You hadn't cuddled with Jisung all that much, since you usually only watched television at your home, generally playing games when you came over to his place to hang out.

"If I told you I liked you, would you be mad?" He asked quietly, making you look up at him.

You propped yourself on your elbow, eyeing him scrutinizingly. "You're being serious?" You asked, voice soft as you watched him. With a nervous gulp, he nodded, looking at you. When, a minute later, you hadn't yet answered, he cleared his throat, looking away sheepishly.

"It's okay if you don't like me back, I wasn't expecting you to, any—"

Jisung's eyes widened comically, his hand squeezing the side of the covers in all of his shock. You had kissed him to shut him up, your hand on his upper thigh. Slowly, Jisung's eyes fluttered closed, his hand making it's way to cup your cheek gently. His thumb brushed over your skin lightly, sending a tingle down your spine. You pulled away, looking at him expectantly. When he finally re-opened his eyes, he looked at you with his lips parted slightly.

"Does that answer your question..?" You asked with a shy smile, searching his eyes. Not trusting his voice, the boy nodded, watching with a smile as you leaned in again. He put one hand on your waist while you moved to sit on his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and playing with the tips of his hair, his other hand still cupping your face. A couple more minutes passed while you kissed him, finally pulling away. You watched him lovingly, smiling before resting against his chest, your head tucked under his chin.

He chuckled lovingly at you, holding you to his chest, sliding down the bed some more while still keeping you close.

"I love you." You whispered, making him kiss your forehead with a soft smile. You lifted your head to place a quick kiss to his shoulder, your hands resting idly on his hips.

"I love you more..." He challenged.

You moved back to look at him again, kissing him softly and leaning your forehead against his, lips still lightly brushing over one another:

"I love you most," You whispered.