#I was very lazy to do both pieces but very determined in both

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 9: The One Where You Choose Your Own Brazilian Adventure

My planned post – the “In Dedication of JVN” one where I fangirl over Jonathan Van Ness and what a fun and interesting piece of the Lukola puzzle he is – was derailed today because I was once again asked about Brazil. Well, more specifically, I was asked about whether I thought we were ever going to get those steamy, hopefully X-rated pictures, from Brazil. There’s pictures?!

In truth, I thought we’d collectively squeezed that grapefruit dry and left the rind somewhere between Italy and the Glamour Awards.

Alas, here I am writing about Brazil.

It’s funny because I’ve never thought much about Brazil. I know, I know! How could I possibly type those words without my nose growing six inches in front of my face? Well, it’s because it was always Australia that intrigued me. More on that later…

So why exactly do we believe there are pictures from Brazil? And, why do we think they are going to prove some kind of hot affair between Luke and Nicola? This theory is likely fueled by rumor; rumor born from how Luke and Nicola behaved towards each other while they were in Brazil.

I thought it would be fun to play a little game of “Choose Your Own Adventure” to determine if we’re ever going to see these alleged pictures. And, yes, I will be a very sarcastic bitch when doing this.

Before I start, though, I want to give a quick shout out to my dear friend, whom I shall call The-One-Who-Drops-Random-Pics-Into-Our-Group-Chat-and-Lets-Us-Sweat-Over-Them-for-Atleast-Three-Minutes-Before-Finally-Explaining-Them. She was a wealth of information about Brazil and even had a nice mother-daughter chat with me about the significance of a clean-shaven face (pardon me for never having dated a bearded man, which is odd because I find facial hair quite attractive).

Now, gather ‘round and I shall give you a little prologue to our adventure!

I’m sure most of you already know all about Brazil. In fact, many of you are probably self-described experts at this point. But, for those who are new here, let me go ahead and light the candles and set the ambiance for you. 

On May 19, Luke and Nicola were shuttled off to do their beach photoshoot in Brazil. You know, the one where Nicola was walking the dogs; Luke was strumming the guitar; Nicola was being all girlfriend-like fixing Luke’s jacket; Luke was gazing up at Nicola at the pub while she was touching his neck; and then there was that moment when we all thought they might kiss. Yeah, all that plus Luke’s scruffy face from the week prior suddenly appeared clean-shaven. Apparently, you can never be too “Casual” when you’re headed down south (pun intended – as was that Chappell Roan reference). And, about now is where I’ll “insert disclaimer that this is speculation only.”

The following day, we had the actual premiere. I’m not sure what those two were up to before the premiere but both were un-fucking-hinged by the time they made it to the red carpet. We had angel-face Nicola looking up at Luke like he had created the universe and Luke answering Nicola’s Little Red Riding Hood vibe with one sexy ass Big Bad Wolf persona. I mean, the bits and bobs that came out of Luke’s mouth that day! “There’s a carriage downstairs.” “I mean, in this heat, all I’m thinking about is when we didn’t have to wear clothes ‘cos that would be quite nice right now.” “I mean the show is proof that it is [okay to kiss your friends].” With Nicola whispering back, “This is true.” Then there was Luke taking that mic without taking his eyes off Nicola. We had Luke helping Nicola put on her bracelets because – God forbid! – she let go of him for 30 seconds to do it her fucking self. And, let’s not forget about the two of them holding on to each other behind that woman’s back (I’m sorry, I don’t recall her name and I’m too lazy to look it up – mainly, because I’m certain most of you don’t really care about that other woman).

We were also given snippets of Luke and Nicola at the premiere afterparty, looking like two people who, at a minimum, enjoyed each other’s company. They greeted fans outside the venue and, as they walked away together, Nicola seemingly put her hand on Luke’s lower back as if to guide him in the right direction (go ahead – let your imagination run wild – it’s a great opening for a FanFic).

Then, throw in the beach walk with the giant security guard; the interview where Nicola was wearing the fluffy pink skirt and the two of them talked about Chappell Roan’s “Kaleidoscope” (seriously, those two were listening to that song together?); Nicola couldn’t stop giggling about the “meat” of the Carriage Scene; and Luke appeared perhaps a smidge too interested in Nicola’s answer about what she looks for in a man (which fit perfectly into Luke’s “Like, how nice is it when someone notices, like, your kindness or your sense of humor?”). And, we can’t ignore them seemingly sharing a tea cup and Luke reaching for Nicola’s spoon after she’d sampled a dish. Don’t even get me started on over-analyzing Luke’s “manspread” that day.

Let’s also not forget about the rumor portion of this Brazilian escapade – because that is what fuels the sexy hot pictures theory and the central plot of our storied adventure.

Rumor has it Luke and Nicola spent a lot of time with each other in Brazil.

By themselves.

In one or the other’s room.

On the beach.

By the pool.

There were also rumors of them making out in the hotel hallway.

The only evidence we have of any “alone time” are some pictures that were dumped on X of them dining together alone, without any other members of their team.

Now that the backdrop has been set, let’s go on my little adventure.

During the summer between my 7th and 8th grade years, I was bored out of my mind. I grew up in the countryside. No neighbors. No sidewalks. No cable! Just fields, wooded areas, and my two sisters, both of whom had no interest in entertaining me that summer. My mother suggested I read. After boredom had dug itself so far into my being that I was left with no choice but to read, I finally ventured over to the bookshelf and grabbed the thinnest book I could find. It was a “Choose Your Own Adventure.”

If you don’t know what a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book is, then you (and your children) are missing out. Basically, you play the role of the protagonist and make choices to determine the outcome of your story. Sometimes you make the right choice and survive; other times you make the wrong choice and get turned into a little mouse that may or may not be eaten by a cat.

Here we go.

As the protagonist of our story, you are:

THE EMPLOYEE

You’re an employee of the hotel Nicola and Luke stayed at while in Brazil. You have sworn to maintain the privacy of hotel guests; you’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement of sorts to protect the privacy of guests, especially since you have access to VIP areas. You can be a housekeeper, a watchman, a concierge, a seven-foot-tall security guard, whatever tickles your fancy. Doesn’t matter – you’re all bound by the same provisions to protect the privacy of the hotel’s guests. But, in this story, let’s say you’re the housekeeper because – what’s that old saying – the only person who knows everything going on in the house is the maid?

You’re cleaning Nicola’s room and you find lots of signs of a man being in the room. In fact, you find a coat that looks exactly like the one Luke was wearing the night of the premiere. Oh my. As you’re leaving, you see two people making out in the hallway – headed straight towards the room you’re just leaving!  It looks like Nicola and Luke. What do you do?

Choice A: Well, you’re a pervy housekeeper so you pull your phone out and start taking pictures. I mean, those two are so into each other, they don’t even notice. You then run and play show-and-tell with your friends because you can’t keep a damn secret. Unfortunately for you, that gossip spreads faster than lice in a preschool, and hotel management tracks your ass down because, guess what, your friends can’t keep a secret either. So, congratulations on being fired. You’re meeting with the lawyers is first thing in the morning. Oh, we also need your phone and the names of all your friends.

Choice B: You respect the privacy of Nicola and Luke and simply turn and walk the opposite direction. Taking photos of them never even crossed your mind! But, damn, what a good story to tell your bestie when you get home, even if you don’t have “receipts.”

THE VIP GUEST

You’re a random guest staying at the hotel. In fact, you’re a random VIP guest staying on the same floor as Nicola and Luke. When you checked in, you signed a non-disclosure agreement. I mean, you want your privacy protected, too! And, heck, NDAs are thrown out like candy these days. You’ve seen so many at this point, you don’t even bother to read them.

You take the elevator up to your floor and, as you step into the hallway, you’re confronted with – goddammit, there’s two motherfuckers all over each other! The guy is trying to slide his key into the door, but the woman’s dress is so awkwardly large, he can’t seem to find the right slot! You realize the people look a lot like those two stars from Bridgerton, and your best friend, Effie, is a huge fan! What do you do?

Choice A: You can’t believe Effie is missing out on this excitement so, of course, you pull your phone out and start taking pictures!! I mean, that NDA you signed didn’t even cross your mind three minutes later when you were forwarding the pictures to Effie! And, because you can’t control what Effie does, she forwards the pictures to all her Bridgie buddies. The next morning you awaken to find the pictures all over X. Oopsie. You feel slightly guilty, and a bit peeved at Effie – but only until you’ve had your morning coffee.

Choice B: You take people’s privacy very seriously. Well, maybe you don’t take it that seriously, but it would be too difficult to dig your phone out of your handbag to take pictures. And, to be honest, Effie is the huge fan, not you. Plus, it seems the guy finally got that door open and damn, based on the sounds of it, he's unlocked something magical. Oh well. You’ll call Effie in the morning to tell her your story, if you remember it.

THE RANDOM STRANGER

You’re a random stranger taking an evening stroll along the beach. You love the sound of the ocean. It’s so peaceful…the sound of the waves… Ugh, what is that noise?! It sounds like – shit, it is! – two people snogging in a cabana about 10 yards away from you. Wait a minute – is that? Yeah, you think it could be! I mean, you were just at the Bridgerton premiere last night! What do you do? Without hesitation, you pull out your phone!

Choice A: You creep behind an umbrella and zoom in as close as possible with your camera! I mean, shite! You can’t believe this! How long have you been filming?  Probably longer than necessary but who cares? Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, perhaps a seven-foot-tall presence, and you slowly turn around. Fuck! Who’s this guy?! He takes your phone, drops it to the ground, and stomps on it, shattering its insides.  Asshole.  You bend down to pick up the phone, but the man taps your shoulder and shakes his head, “No.” Well, umm, yeah, I guess you best be leaving.

Choice B: You use your camera to zoom in on the couple. Snap! Snap! Snap! Then you get the FUCK OUT OF THERE! You tell yourself you don’t look suspicious at all, even though you’re practically running and your heart is about to pound its way out of your chest! Oh, thank God, you’ve made it to your car. You start it up and, like I said, YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! You get home and take a look at the photos! Goldmine! So, should you drop them on X? Maybe be a little see-you-next-Tuesday and try to sell them to Nicola or Luke’s teams? But, hell, you don’t even know where to start with that! Or, should you just pocket them for your own pleasure? You tell me….

The End.

Yes, I am absolutely being a facetious little ass! The above scenarios were for (the most part) my own entertainment. I mean, there are so many situations where these alleged pictures could exist (these playful ones don’t even scratch the surface). But, do the pictures exist?

If we’re being logical here, you would think that, if anyone in the general public were in possession of these alleged sexy-time pictures of Luke and Nicola, or had seen them, it would be all over social media at this point. I mean, ALL OVER. So, what can we deduce from the fact that they aren’t?

That the pictures probably don’t exist. Don’t shoot the messenger! Seriously, watch where you point that thing!

But, let’s say pictures did exist. Who is the most likely person to dump them on, say, X? The hotel employee, the VIP guest, or the random stranger? I would place money on the random stranger, followed by the VIP guest. The hotel employee, who probably has the most access to VIP guests but the strongest legal barriers, would be the least likely to photo dump. What is the likelihood that someone from one of these three groups – for example, a random stranger – (a) had pictures of Luke and Nicola, (b) didn’t drop them on social media, and/or (c) didn’t share them with someone who dropped them on social media?

I’m all for a good conspiracy theory but I find this one to be a hard pill to swallow.

Maybe one person can act as a lockbox for this kind of secret, but when you start including more people, the ability to keep something (like illicit photographs of two celebrities) out of the public eye diminishes rapidly.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said, “Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

Unfortunately, this quote is incredibly accurate. The general public cannot keep secrets.

If the pictures exist, they are most likely in the possession of Luke and/or Nicola’s team (of lawyers). So, unless they’re going to sneak them on to X for giggles (I mean, it’s been known to happen), you’re probably never going to see them – and that’s assuming they even exist.

However, if you’re the housekeeper from our first adventure and you happen to have some candid photographs you’re just dying to share, just find yourself a printer – one that cannot easily be linked back to you – and print them out. Then, “accidently” drop them at the feet of someone who knows exactly what they are, and then give them enough time to take their own photos of them and send them to their best friend’s brother’s sister-in-law’s third cousin’s wife’s neighbor, who could drop them on X for us. I mean, you should be golden with seven degrees of separation.

[kiwikiwii]

*explodes* Yup I drew James again, I need more project meridian lore please im begging

Old drawing undercut! (because it's old and from 2 years ago)

This was made in 2022! I spent not a lot of time on it and it turned out looking kinda shitty- Kinda happy with the improvements but there's always more to come!

Bit of an update, i started listening to podcasts! All brainrot material- of i end up listening to all of them before i pass out or lose interest i will come back with fanart <3

[temiizpalace]

hi!! requesting for the fight for the prefect's love event,,,, can i have leona and jade with prompt 8, with the reader choosing leona in the end? thank you!!!!

☆┊MATCHING BRACELETS?! OH HE HAS ONE TOO.. (🐬 vs. 🦁)

SUMMARY: YOU MADE A MATCHING BRACELET FOR HIM, NEARLY MELTING HIS HEART. THEN HE SEE’S YOU MADE ONE FOR HIM TOO.. WHATEVER! HE’LL PROVE HIS IS BETTER.

CHARACTERS: jade leech vs. leona kingscholar

EVENT MASTERLIST

WARNINGS: determined end couple, jealousy, jade leech is jade leech and leona kingscholar is leona kingscholar

NOTES: jade and leona beefing more often would be so funny in canon tbh. tysm for your request!

reader is g/n, reader is not specified to be yuu

˚∘☆∘˚

jade was delighted to receive such a peculiar piece of jewelry, especially one of pearls.

“like it? i saw it at sam’s and couldn’t resist.” you laugh, flashing him a grin before showing him the matching pearls on your wrists. “now we match.” his features softened at your enthusiasm, heart nearly melting at your smile. “indeed we do. the pearls are exquisite, i will cherish these.” jade smiles back, returning your excitement with his own, though a little more toned down.

you were practically illuminated by the purple lights shining down in octavinelle, enhancing your already enchanting appearance. the pearls on your wrist shimmer just as brightly as you did. such a shame they clashed with a leather bracelet on your right hand, and a lion beastman sitting in your booth.

“gotta thank leona for being able to help me pay! otherwise i could forget about it.” you chuckle, patting leona’s shoulder as he sips on his drink. “only cause ya practically begged for it.” he retorts, looking away from you. “is that so? your kindness is much appreciated, leona.” jade chuckles, maintaining his polite demeanor. though he acted oh so kind and understanding, his smile fails to meet his cold glare.

it was as obvious as black and white to jade. the way leona speaks with you, acts with you, acts with others around you, it was as plain as day. leona kingscholar was in love with you, and jade couldn’t stand the thought of it. he knew sweeping you off your feet would be a difficult task due to the fact that a beastman of all things already laid their claim onto you, but he was a stubborn man. leona’s courting rituals didn’t faze him, not in the least.

he’ll get you in the end, one way or another. jade is a very patient man.

“if that’ll be all, then i shall be off now. [MC], i hope to see you on campus. leona, please enjoy your evening.” jade slips the bracelet onto his wrists, admiring its beauty before clearing his throat and returning to work, giving you and leona a quick bow before walking off. before he left your side, he gave you a faint poke to the cheek before attending to the neighboring tables.

leona, while lazy, was also observant. he saw how jade looks at you all goo-goo eyed. disgusting. it’s like his obvious signs meant nothing to him (it didn’t). he stares at the pearls illuminating your wrists, not bothering to hide his obvious jealousy. before buying these stupid pearls, he was the one you matched with. your excitement was reared towards someone else, and he does not like it.

if anyone were to be the reason of your happiness, it should be him and his lovely leather bracelets. watching as you fidget with the bracelets on your wrists, leona leans his head onto your shoulder, shutting his eyes as he set down his now empty cup. “oh? what’s up with you?” you laugh, caressing his chin. “nothin.” he scoffs, leaning into your touch further.

“stop, you and i both know you’re lying.” you pinch leona’s cheek instead, earning scowl and a groan from the boy next to you. “quit it.” he grumbles, swatting your hand away from his face. “softie. it’s ok, you dont gotta hide it from me.” you tease, a hint of truth and sincerity hidden in your words. “tch. whatever.” he sighs, nuzzling into your neck.

“yeah, yeah, i knew it.” you grin, patting his shoulder. this is what leona wanted. having you, all your attention, just to himself. a scene almost too romantic for a certain eels own taste. jade nearly cracks the plate he held in his hands, scaring the nearby customers he just happened to serve.

“hey, jade, what’s got yer panties in a twist?” floyd asks, draping himself over his brother. “ah, it was nothing. just a simple thought was all.” he showed his brother a toothy grin, staring down at his wrist as a reminder to remain calm. he glances back at the table where you sat, seeing as leona now rested himself on your lap. he was supposedly asleep, but jade knew better.

leona opened one eye to glare at jade, a smirk tugging at his lips as your hand ran through his hair. the hand with the pearls brushed through each of the boys braids, nearly contaminating its beauty. “jade, you’re like totally overflowing that dudes glass.” floyd giggles, watching as the water dripped onto the poor customers lap.

the customer was the least of his worries, but he’s a refined gentlemen, tending to everyone’s needs. leona sticks his tongue out as jade walks by, knowing that he lost. you chose him. the eel was far too late.

A/N: rip jade and his loving fantasies (not some of my best work im sorry if this disappoints)💔💔

date published: 8/25/24

© temiizpalace — do not copy, steal, or put my work into ai. thank you!

[amyrahrose]

Content warning: Sukunaxreader smut, penetration, multiple positions, dominant Sukuna! , unprotected sex, pet names, Sexual theme, Adult theme, talking her through it, <READER IS BLACK FEMALE CODED>

Authur's Note→ 18 and Under, GET TA STEPPIN! I know for sure this will be broken into parts, however I'm not sure how many parts will be to this. I just decided to get back into writing little dabbles here and there so I'm honestly just testing the waters with this. Slightly proofread (English is my first language, but even the baddest of Bitches still make mistakes! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I do hope you guys enjoy! 🤎

Synopsis: You’ve decided that you would begin your fitness journey. Accompanying your best friend, today’s the day where you’ll being taking working out and going to the gym seriously (well kind of). Lacking motivation and ready to go back home to lounge around to watch some TV and pig out, that all changes when suddenly you meet this drop dead gorgeous as hell man. Will he be the inspiration you need to continue your new lifestyle?

w.c» 2.1 K

“Sis, I love you I do, but the gym life isn’t meant for someone like me.” You panted out.

You weren’t sure why the sudden urge to accompany your best friend to the gym came about. Maybe it was because you were tired of always feeling burned out, sluggish and lazy. Possibly because you seen how fit, and fucking sexy, your best friend was getting after starting her fitness journey a while back. Whatever the reason, it went out the window the moment you set foot inside the gym complex with her and tried, very pathetically, to keep up with the routine she’d developed for herself. 

“Fuck this,” you thought, “I’d rather be home eating ice cream while watching Flavor of Love.” 

“See, that’s your problem right there. Rather be watching old TV shows and being lazy then getting your sexy on.” She fired back at you making you realize the last thought was actually out loud. You rolled your eyes playfully before glancing back over to her. 

 Both you and your best friend were on the treadmill walking at an incline with the speed up more that you would have liked. She was barely breaking a sweat, having gotten comfortable on the machine while jamming out to her workout playlist. She had on a two-piece workout set, showing off her toned stomach and big ass. You glanced around the gym, catching a few of the men every now and then peeking over at her, trying to get her attention. 

You on the other hand, you were barely making it. Panting like a dog in heat, your workout set you borrowed from her was sweated out, and your puff was starting to frizz out from all the sweating going on in your head. You could only imaged how you may have looked to everyone else inside the gym.

“C’mon Jade, I applaud you for your fitness journey but obviously I’m not ready, I should have at least started off slow so I could get used to it.” You whined out. She snorted out a laugh while throwing you a look. 

“Oh no ma’am, I tried to do that for you, but you were the one that said you could keep up.” She said as a matter of fact. All you could do was huff in annoyance at her response, because she was right. You figured anything she could do you would’ve been able to. You assumed it wouldn’t have been that bad, but you quickly seen the lie in that. 

“Whatever.” You mumbled as she smiled triumphantly, knowing she won the argument. 

“I’m not even tripping,” You began, “I’m about to get my unfit ass off this treadmill and head home, take a shower and be lazy.” You said determined. 

“Seriously Y/n? We’ve barely been here for forty-five minutes.” She looked at you with a judgemental look. You promised, no matter how much you might’ve complained, to see it through and finish the workout. But fuck that, Flavor of Love and a tube of ice cream was calling your ass. 

“Nah sis, I tap out. And there’s nothing or no one that’s gonna make me change my mi-”

“Uh excuse me miss?” 

You heard a deep, baritone voice sound off behind you. Startled, you whipped your head around to tell off the person for interrupting your monologue only to be stopped dead in your tracks with the sight before you. 

There stood a man, looking like the epitome of a gym God. You were met with a chiseled face, a smirk etched across his features. Sharp, bold crimson red eyes that stared down at you with a glint of amusement and playfulness. He graced you with his shirt off showing his toned washboard abs, littered with tattoos and sweat cascading down his torso, all the way down to his deep V-line. Gray gym shorts that hung dangerous low off his hips, not missing the way he was flexing his sculptured legs. Along with huge forearms that were decorated with dark line tattoos as well. 

In the mist of eye fucking the man, you briefly forgot you were on a moving treadmill, almost busting your ass in front of him and the whole gym. Before making a fool of yourself, he caught you just as you were about to fall off. Wrapping his huge forearms around your waist, securing you in place.

“Woah, you alright ma?” He asked. You looked up to his face, seeing his eyebrows furrow in concern. You also caught the sweat dripping, oh so deliciously off the tip of his nose, resisting the sudden urge to reach up and poke the tip of your tongue out to catch it. 

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” You thought to yourself.

You gulped as you stared into deep into his crimson eyes, becoming entranced by them. He shook you lightly to capture your attention again.

 “Hey, you sure you good?” He asked again. He wrapped his arms around you tighter while staring back into your eyes waiting on a response. 

“Y/n, girl say something.” Your best friend broke the silence. You gasped and looked down, becoming embarrassed by your actions.

“Oh yea, I’m good, thank you for catching me.” You answered timidly. 

Being plushed against his chest, you melted like puddy feeling the vibrations coming off from his deep chuckle at your response. 

“Good, wouldn’t want a pretty lil’ thing like you hurting herself.” He answered with a smirk. 

You looked up at him shocked, making his smirk deepen. 

“Maybe being at the gym wasn’t so bad.” You thought. 

“I hate to break up this lil’ love session, but we were in the middle of working out. While at least I was, my friend here was getting ready to lea-” Jade started before you cut her off abruptly. 

“Oh uh yea, I actually was about to get off the treadmill and head over to start on the stair master.” You found yourself saying, trying to give off the impression you come to the gym all the time. Without having to look back at your best friend you know she was giving you a “Bitch, are you serious” look into the back of your head, so much so it made your scalp start itching.

The man, still with his arms around you, let out a deep laugh this time. 

“Is that so ma? ‘Cause from the looks of it, you seem like you was struggling on this treadmill.” He said with a hint of playfulness in his voice. His response caught you off-guard while it made Jade throw her head back, cackling. Caught red handed, you chuckled lightly. 

“Was it that obvious?” You asked, not realizing you placed your hands on-top of his forearms while standing comfortably in his embrace, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He smiled down at your while unconsciously giving you a light squeeze. 

“Yea that and your panting, I could hear you over the speakers ma.” He joked causing your to groan in embarrassment. Despite the awkwardness of him catching you in a lie, you both stay in your current position, neither of you moving. Only deepening the stare you both were committed in. Your best friend looked between you and the mysterious man. Dispelling whatever magnetic charm you both had each other captivated in, Jade cleared her through signaling both of you to gaze in her direction. 

“Not trying to be rude or anything, but what exactly was your reasoning for coming over?” Jade got straight to the point. Even though she knew the answer to it. Despite your own thoughts over your appearance, you were drop dead gorgeous. From you bra-length natural hair, medium brown complexion, big doe eyes, plush lips and a curvaceous body, Stevie Wonder could even see how fine you were. You just had to get out of your head about your looks. But Jade knew that was easier said that done, otherwise you wouldn’t have forced yourself to accompany her to the gym. However seeing how transfixed you’ve become around this guy, she was more than glad that you did tag along. 

“Oh uh right, well I seen how hard of a time she was having with the treadmill, I just wanted to come over and suggest a few pointers.” The man stated. He wasn’t lying, that was part of his reason for coming over. The other part was to introduce himself to you. He noticed you the moment you and your best friend walked inside the gym and was immediately hooked. He knew without a doubt he wasn’t leaving this gym until he at least got your name, and hopefully your number. 

“Oh how sweet of you.” Jade said playfully when an idea popped inside of her mind. She threw a cheshire cat smile at the both of you before continuing her statement. 

“Seeing that you want to make sure Y/n is doing the workouts correctly, why don’t you guys start coming to the gym together.” She said with a glint in her eyes.

“If motivation is what you want”, Jade thought to herself, he’s definitely all the motivation you need Y/n.” 

You whipped your head around almost giving yourself whiplash, looking at your best friend as if she just lost her mind. From the looks of the guy, he took his workouts serious. You barely kept up with Jade, why in the hell did she think you would be able to keep up with him?

You were getting ready to shoot down the idea when he began talking. 

“I don’t mind ma, that’s if you’re up to it?” He asked hopeful. He was silently thanking your best friend for being his voluntary wingman in assisting a chance for him to see you again. You turned back to face him, meeting his hopeful stare and small smile, giving you all the push you needed to slowly nod your head yes at the proposal. His smile deepened as he squeezed you once more. Realizing you were still in his arms, his actions caused you to gasp slightly, making Jade chuckle at the interaction. 

“Cool, I work out pretty much everyday around eight at night, so whatever day works best for you ma, I’m available.” He stated as he looked down into your light brown, doe eyes. He couldn’t help but image how they would be closed slightly, hooded with lust as he pinned you under him while he thrusted deep ins-

“Sure, uhm how about this Wednesday night? That’ll work best.” You cut off his thoughts with your proposal. Coughing as he blushed from his vivid thoughts, he nodded in acknowledgement. Hell, you could’ve said to meet up on Mars at the eleventh hour to workout, he would’ve made damn sure to make it work just to be around you again. 

Sliding his arms from around your waist, you tried to hide the disappointed sigh that escaped from your lips, causing him to smirk lightly. 

“Alright ma, that’s a bet. Give me your number and I’ll text you later to make sure you don’t flake on me.” He joked. You rolled your eyes playfully and smacked your teeth, causing him to shoot his eyebrows up in amusement. 

“Oh she has a ‘lil attitude problem, I’m gonna have to set that straight.” He thought to himself. 

“Boy whatever.” You said as you tried hiding your smile. You reached out your hand, signaling for him to hand over his phone. You typed in your cell number and text yourself so you could go in later and put him into your contact list. Handing him back his phone, he let his hand intertwine with yours longer than it needed to be, sparking an electric jolt to course from your fingertips all the way over your body. 

“Cool, I’ll see you Wednesday ma.” He said with a small smile before turning away to walk back to the area he was working out at. You gave a small nod, about to turn back to Jade before realizing you never caught his name. In a hurry you called out to him to grab his attention. 

“Hey wait, I never got your name?” You said with a small pout. The action making his dick stir a little in his gray shorts. 

He looked you up and down before catching your gaze again with a smirk to his lips. 

“Sukuna.” He said with wink and turned to leave. 

You stayed hypnotized in the same spot he left you, watching his figure walk away before you heard your best friend behind you. 

“See you got your own Flavor of Love right here, didn’t even have to go home for it.” 

© 2024 Amyrahrose. Please do not translate, copy, plagiarize, or repost (sharing links is fine 🤎) without my permission. You will only find my entries/content on tumblr!

[byhees]

when you find their baby photos.

엔하이픈 ・ female reader + word count 700 genre fluff established relationship non-idol au warnings not proof-read skinship petnames light profanity (god) mention of food — more

a/n. i really dug through my drafts n found this keke

heeseung would snatch that little picture out of your grip in an instant, cheeks lightly brushed with a pink tint; “what’re you doing, love??”, but it’d be laced with slight bashfulness and embarrassment. would hold the photograph high up in the air, arm outstretched and everything, making it exponentially harder for you to retrieve the little treasure piece. “baby picture? what do you mean, love? i don’t see any around here.” is trying his hardest to conceal the painfully obvious flush of his face…

jay would stare at your phone screen, wide-eyed; first thought to run through his mind would be ‘how did you even manage to find that??’ would awkwardly clear his throat, whilst being bombarded with heaps of compliments— “woah, you look so cute here.” the tips of his ears are reddening. “aww, look at your little cheeks!” at this point, they’re probably neon-red; given your cooing at the slightly pixelated image, he doesn’t find it that surprising that his baby picture is adorning your phone lockscreen the day after, a shy chuckle escaping his lips...

jake would simply gawk at your phone; ‘oh, no yeah, who’s that?’ would be an ample encapsulation of his expressions. would be so so embarrassed (because who wants their significant other to see a picture of their younger selves striking a questionable pose— he’s definitely not a part of that population). would try to divert your attention away from the photograph of baby jake— but would fail miserably upon seeing you swipe to another picture, his little plan crumbling in pure mortification of the photo. “oh my god, what am i even doing…” is what he’d say, face buried in the palms of his hands, cheeks heating up with every passing compliment…

sunghoon would, first, let out the tiniest of shrieks because, is that a baby picture— correction, his baby picture— being shoved into his face? is dramatically swinging his arms in the air; would raise a hand to your eyes, as though to shield his photo from your gaze. “sweetheart, this is very embarrassing, by the way,” he’d say, awkwardly coughing. would, lowkey, smile a little upon hearing your soft coos; ends up holding you close to his embrace, smile growing with every endearing comment…

sunoo would tilt his head ever so slightly, and blink rapidly in confusion; after all, you did just burst into the room, a small, precious baby picture clutched in hand. honestly wouldn’t mind too much, finding himself really cute, actually. would say things like “don’t my cheeks look as squishy as before?”; manages to, somehow, convince you to reveal a baby photo of yourself— both of you would wind up entangled in a lazy hug, hushed squeals falling from your lips at the sheer adoration of it all…

jungwon would take a brief look at the photo and pause; he had not expected to see a zoomed-up picture of his younger self, holding a little heart gesture towards the camera. would burst into immediate laughter— snorts at how ridiculous he looks, posed with his slice of pizza; unintentionally recreates the image, face twisting to the same, jubilant smile. tiny tiny screeches along the lines of “that was cringe, please forget that”. would spend the night scrolling through his chat history with you, adamant and determined to find a baby picture of you in the midst of the chaotic texts— just wants to say “my baby’s still so pretty”, to you...

riki would, initially, be flabbergasted, gobsmacked even; a very audible gasp would fall from his lips. tries to get hold of the little rectangular device— that is, your phone— but fails because of how adept you are at defence; “hoho, two can play that game,” he’d say, whipping out his phone from his pocket; you both end up shoving baby pictures of the other in each others’ faces, lips pressed into thin lines to suppress uproars of giggles and disbelieving “what am i doing, oh my god”. your wallpapers are now baby pictures of the other…

taglist open! @halcyoni-ki @wondipity @yjjungwon @shysakuno @niktwazny303 @vnsux @minhosify @haechansbbg @yeomha @stepout-09-15 @chansburgah @sona-verse01 @lilly-bubblelops @smouches @mrchweeee @luvistqrzzz @nwjws @ibsysbsfsunsbs @rikisly @amyysfics @mixtape-racha @berry-and-kkami @rikislady @gweoriz @czlluvriki @okwonyo @okwons networks! @kflixnet @enhanet @k-labels

[neominthe]

Practicing character design with some novel's MCs. Here are my headcanons:

Cheong Myeong

Bulky and beefy body. Big arms and hands, which can't be seen as his robes are too big on him

Tanned skin as he trains in the sun a lot, but only on the hands, face and neck since they aren't covered by his Mount Hua robes

I headcanon him as short since he started exercising from an early age in unhealthy amounts, stunting his growth

Super curly hair which Cheong Myeong keeps constantly in a ponytail. At one point in time he will pull in a bun to keep it from tangling

Sharp eyes with extremely long eyelashes

Han Yoojin

I'm a sucker for gaining weight representing character is in a safe and happy place for them

His nose is like a button, a feature he shares with Yoohyun

Yoojin has curlier hair than Yoohyun, though does not care for it. As a result, it's constantly messy and tangled, adding to the 'single mother who has two jobs' look

In the novel (I can't remember which chapter) it is mentioned that Yoojin gained a bit of skin color, making him look healthier. I followed the webtoon skin color (which was like white paper) and darkened it a bit, to look healthier but still very light

Yoojin has pieces of Sung Hyunjae's wardrobe on him. The guy has a lot of money, surely he won't be missing his 100k dollar suit right? (Hyunjae allows it since it is Yoojin stealing and it kinda "marks his territory". You know, like a dog)

Park Moondae

After receiving Idol Inc' sweather, he always wears it as Moondae is too lazy to go buy his own clothes (and to save money)

He got the shoes from Seon Ahyeon, which were one size bigger than his. Moondae doesn't bother telling Ahyeon he got the wrong size, so wearing it causes blisters

Moondae has "dead fish eyes" and a small mouth, making him look like the emoji '-' Fans find it adorable, though

He got a soft jawline and a thin face, as well as a pointy nose

It's possible to determine Moondae's emotion by the glint of his eyes, but only his close friends can do it precisely

Kim Dokja

I didn't intend to make him look like a corpse, but as I kept drawing it felt more and more right for him to be that way. He was an office worker and only had one happiness: a webnovel

Dokja spends most of his time indoors, so he is very pale and lacking of vitamin D. As he became a constellation and Demon King, his complexity worsened and looked inhumane, turning grey ash

He is able to retract his wings, but not his horns. They are constantly out and a burdensome, since Dokja often forgets they are there, making him hit the doorframe several times

Dokja's hair covers a part of his face (an ode to the damn censorship Bihyung added) and is choppy because he cuts his own hair. If cared and brushed almost every day, it would be like his mom's: flowy and soft

He has long eyelashes, especially on the lower lid, and downturned eyes, which makes him look gloomy and teary-faced

I imagine Dokja having a bit of a hunchback from all the time he spends in his phone and working in a computer

Dokja also has long legs, which he keeps hidden under his tattered coat

Cale Henituse

The man has a thin and tall body, to the point he seems both elegant and fragile at the same time

Cale has light skin due to his time spent indoors or under every shade he can find whenever he has to go out

Cale's features are mostly pointy, with sharp angles and straight lines running down. His nose is upturned, has arched eyebrows and sharp eyes

The straight hair was inherited from Deruth's parents, Cale's gradparents and red obviously from Jour

[hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf]

Kinktober Day 12: High sex with fuckboy!Jisung

Trigger warnings: recreational drug use

Content warnings: names (babe, baby), oral (f receiving), a couple ass slaps, jisung is a huge tease with a little crush

Summary: He’s an old friend and a terrible influence and he’s determined to give you the best night of your life.

A/N: hi all 🥰 after much consideration, i’ve decided to repost my kinktober 2022 stories. i had a great time writing these a couple years ago and want to share them again now that it’s been a while and i’ve had time to fall in love with them again. i hope you all enjoy! and by all means, feel free to send a message or comment here if you’d like to be part of the new tag list!

Word count: 3k

Tags: @bahng-chrizz

Smut below the cut

It had been thirty minutes since you’d had your gummy and the fifty milligrams of Delta 8 was hitting faster than you’d anticipated. It usually took an hour for both of you but this was a different brand and you weren’t exactly mad about it. You couldn’t be mad about it, not when your senses were pleasantly dulled and your friend was sitting across from you looking like a whole damn buffet.

You watched as Jisung slumped in the cozy chair, manspreading as he got comfortable. He looked unbelievable like that, all relaxed sighs and lazy grins. He was stoned out of his fucking skull and it showed, given he was usually extremely animated and goofy. He tugged the front of his baggy charcoal shirt down, likely trying to adjust the collar, and your attention was drawn to his lap, where loose gray sweats outlined every inch of his lower half in excruciating detail. Fuck…

“Whatcha starin’ at, babe?” He teased, quirking an eyebrow at you. You took a deep breath and blinked back the fog in your mind, realizing you’d completely zoned out while staring directly at his dick. What had you been thinking about again?

“Hmm?” You looked at his face and he seemed to be checking you out. That couldn’t be right. You’d gotten high with him plenty of times - in fact, he was with you the first time you got high - and he’d never stared at you with such intensity before. You suddenly felt like his prey, just a piece of meat he clearly wanted to take a bite out of. Was something on your shirt? It had to be. Why else would he be staring at you like that? You looked down at yourself and found nothing amiss so you turned your eyes back to him and waited.

“You were totally checking me out.” He accused in a clearly amused tone and you shook your head immediately. No way. He was an old friend. Sure he looked like fucking Adonis, but there was no way you’d been checking him out. Right? “You were.” He chuckled and shifted in an attempt to draw your gaze back to his lap. It worked. You looked at his lap for a brief moment before quickly averting your eyes upon noticing the slight tent in his sweats. “You just did it again.” He teased. “Why don’t you come here and sate your curiosity?” He challenged and you finally looked at him again.

“Is this what you’re like with all women?” You rolled your eyes, amused and very obviously flustered.

“Only the pretty ones.” The way his gazed raked over your body was entirely deliberate. He glanced back to your face and winked at you, one corner of his mouth twitching upwards in an obnoxious smirk, before letting his eyes fall back to your chest. “The ones I wanna fuck.”

“Oh…” Your face instantly heated up and you grabbed your phone, opening instagram immediately to avoid addressing that.

“Come on, you can’t seriously tell me you haven’t thought about it.” You began to worry your lip with your teeth, not responding, and he continued. “Well I have and there’s a whole bunch I wanna do to you.” He paused, watching you as you stared at your screen and tried not to squirm. Fuck that was hot... You weren’t scrolling through posts anymore, you were just staring blankly as you tried to avoid looking at him, panties already damp from the confirmation that he wanted you. “Wanna hear about it?”

You noticed him lean forwards, elbows resting on his knees as he scooted to the edge of the massive chair he was seated on. You did wanna hear about it but talking about sex was never easy for you despite having had plenty. It felt awkward unless it was with your very best friend, who told you all about her exploits in great detail. You slowly lowered your phone away from your face and locked it, holding it tightly as you cautiously met his eyes.

“I knew you would.” He grinned triumphantly as he sat back. You quickly looked at the table between you, trying to avoid checking him out. “You can look. We both know you want to.” Your cheeks burned even hotter at his comment and you pulled a throw pillow onto your lap, picking at the threads along the seam. “Hell, you can come touch if you want.” You certainly did want that but didn’t move.

Finally, after what felt like years of waiting for him to continue and almost forgetting your embarrassment due to the fog you were in, he carried on. “I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to do to you if I ever got the chance. Truthfully, I’ve wanted you for years now.”

“Me and every other female on this side of the grave.” You snorted. He laughed, knowing it was true, and resumed.

“Yeah but you’re special. I know I’m a slut, I wear the title proudly, but you’re different from anyone else I’ve ever hooked up with. All those girls were passing interests. But you? You’re the one girl I can’t seem to get to.” He sounded like such an asshole, like he was entitled to the attention of every female he came in contact with and you were just another woman to be conquered, but you still wanted him. It was kind of pathetic to be honest. “You’re the one girl I’ve spent longer than two weeks fantasizing about. I’ve always wondered what you’d look like underneath me, how you’d feel…I’m thinking about it right now.”

You watched as his hand slid from his thigh to the front of his pants, pressing his palm firmly against his erection and tipping his head back. He let out a short sigh as the pressure offered some sort of relief, lifting his head and looking back at you as he let off. “You got me all fucked up right now, babe.” He groaned softly and you felt like you’d explode if he didn’t touch you right then.

“My room.” You finally said, standing abruptly from the couch as you tossed the pillow and your phone down on the cushions. You didn’t wait for a response, immediately taking off towards your bedroom.

He sprung up from his chair and followed closely behind you, teasing you as he walked. “Already? I didn’t even get to tell you what I wanna do to you.”

“Then start talking.” You shrugged, opening your door and stepping aside for him to enter the room after you. He stood frozen in place for a second, staring at you in mild disbelief.

“And here I thought you were the shy type.” He scoffed. “Shy girls are too cute. So much fun to break down. So obedient, too, once you coax them out of their shell.”

“Talking about fantasies is different from acting on them.” You said as you grabbed his wrist and tugged him into your room since he wouldn’t get out of the doorway. “But for the record, I am.”

“Sure doesn’t seem that way to me.” He chuckled as you turned towards him, feeling suffocated as soon as you were facing him with your back to the door. “All the fun thoughts I’ve had might have to be revised.” He hummed as he trapped you against the cool surface behind you, one arm propped above your head.

You couldn’t avoid looking at him given the proximity so you simply avoided his eyes. “There she is.” Your hands curled into fists at your sides in anticipation when his free hand came up under your chin and gently forced your head back. “Normally I wouldn’t do this, but it’s you. I have to.” His voice was quiet as he inched closer, finally pressing his lips against yours after a moment of hesitation to allow you to back out if that’s what you wanted.

It was clear his reputation was spot on from the way he kissed you. Despite his claim that he didn’t shove his tongue down other girls’ throats, he was an expert at this and you found yourself getting worked up even further. Your hands unfurled and moved to his sides and his arm that was above your head dropped down to snake around your waist, pulling you against him rather roughly and earning a soft gasp. He lightly bit your bottom lip in response and you gripped his shirt so tightly your knuckles went white.

The hand he held under your chin moved away, trailing down your body until it rested on your ass, which he promptly squeezed. He licked into your mouth and you let out a soft whine, making him smirk against your lips. You briefly chased his lips when he pulled back and that damn smirk was still on his face when you finally opened your eyes. “I’ve thought about that a lot.” He whispered.

“What else have you thought about?” You asked meekly, trying your hard best to maintain eye contact.

“Stripping you down and eating you out for hours. Fucking you in every position I know and then inventing new ones just so I can hear you slowly lose the ability to form any words that aren’t my name.” Your breath hitched as a fresh wave of arousal washed over you, making you clench in anticipation. “How good you’d taste, how pretty you’d sound, how tight you’d feel around me…so many things, babe.” He began to guide you towards the bed as he spoke. “Can I do that? Fuck you ‘til you see stars and find out all the things I’m curious about?”

You could only nod as his fingers slipped under the hem of your shirt. He swiftly removed the loose material and let his arms circle around you to unhook your bra. He was wasting no time here. It made sense considering how long he said he wanted this.

As soon as you were entirely naked on your top half, he hauled you onto the bed and leaned over you to attack your chest with kisses and bites. You let out a soft whimper and brought your left hand up to your mouth, muffling your sounds with the back. A cloud of warmth enveloped your body as your mind went hazy again. Your impairment heightened your awareness of your physical being and you were ten times more sensitive to the pleasure you were receiving from his suckling on your breasts.

Your eyebrows knitted together as he began to move lower, muttering something you couldn’t comprehend about how badly he wanted you. You allowed him to tug your pajama pants off and propped up on your elbows to watch helplessly as he mouthed over the wet patch on your panties. He took a deep breath, appreciating the scent of your arousal, before running his tongue up your slit. “Can’t fucking wait to taste you…can I take these off?” He asked, looking at you through his lashes as he hooked his fingers in your waistband and paused.

You nodded vigorously and watched with what you assumed were wide eyes as he slid the thin cotton down your legs. The way he stared at your pussy made you want to vanish, to hide from his view, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move as he let out a low groan. He cursed under his breath as he briefly admired you before urging your thighs over his shoulders. Once he had you how he wanted you, he wrapped his arms around your thighs and pulled you the slightest bit closer as he buried his head between your legs.

Your head tipped backwards and attempted to bite back a moan when his fingers spread you open for his tongue to circle your clit. “Lemme hear.” He mumbled, voice muffled since he didn’t want to pull away from your cunt for even a millisecond. As soon as the words left his mouth, he dove back in and there was no chance of keeping quiet when he sucked on your sensitive bundle of nerves.

Your arms gave way as you allowed yourself to fall back into the mattress, losing yourself in the moment. You were certain you’d never experienced such intense pleasure in your life and you knew it was because of the drugs. I’m gonna want him every time we get high now…

He was a fucking expert with his tongue and you realized why he was so popular with the ladies. You were certain he was going to suck your soul straight out of you through your cunt.

You couldn’t be sure how much time passed with his head between your legs, lapping and sucking at your dripping pussy, but it felt like he was pulling away all too soon. You let out a distressed whine and lifted your head from the bed, fully prepared to object but stopping in your tracks the moment he stood. He looked like a god towering over you the way he did. He only took a moment to admire you before he quickly stripped himself, your mouth going dry at the sight.

“Condoms?” He asked, hoping you had some nearby so he wouldn’t have to take time to fish through his wallet. You shook your head and he stepped back but you sat up and pulled him back by his wrist.

“It’s fine, I’m on the pill, please just fuck me already.” You begged, still pulling him closer. He groaned as he processed your words and leaned down, crashing his lips to yours for a brief, messy kiss.

“Hands and knees.” He commanded as he pulled back, wrapping a hand around his thick shaft and giving a few strokes. You eagerly complied, flipping over and letting out a delighted hum when he grabbed your ass. You immediately laid your head down on the bed, ass up and back arched, and he gave your soft flesh a slap before placing one hand on your hip while he used the other to line up. You shimmied back onto his cock before he could even ask if you were ready and he just barely managed to contain the choked sound he wanted to make. He had to at least pretend to keep his cool even if he had already revealed his hand to you.

You let out a pathetic moan at the stretch and he squeezed your hips with both hands as he bottomed out. He felt the need to make this memorable for both of you since he didn’t know if he’d get the chance to do this again, though he knew your memory would be lacking tomorrow if you were as fucked up as he was. He could barely string together a coherent thought and was working on pure instinct as he rolled his hips against yours before pulling out and slamming back in, setting a rough pace. He was gone.

He was correct in assuming that you would struggle to remember, of course, because you were floating through time and space. Everything felt pleasantly fuzzy as your muscles gradually grew more tense. His grip was tight as he drove you into the mattress and you felt like you might just catch on fire.

You felt his hands slide from your hips to your back, one resting on the slope of your spine while the other slid higher until his hand was tangled in your hair. The simple touch sent a thrill through your body and he hissed, cursing under his breath a moment later when you clenched around him. “Careful, baby.” He warned, knowing he’d fall apart if you tightened around him again.

You took it as a challenge and he pulled out the second he felt your walls gripping him tighter. You wanted to pout but didn’t get the chance as he flipped you over onto your back and pulled you towards him. He urged your legs around his waist and easily slid back in, resuming his previous actions.

You rocked your hips in tandem with his thrusts, desperate to get off. Time was passing strangely so you had no idea how long he’d been fucking you but you were getting dangerously close to the edge. You warned him of that and he reached between your bodies to thumb over your clit, pulling a moan from you.

You clenched around him in an attempt to get him just as close as you were to orgasm and the band in your belly snapped. You let out a series of pathetic, broken moans as your walls fluttered around him, your whole body spasming as you came. He managed to pull out just before he let go as well, cumming across your stomach with a loud moan that was several octaves higher than he’d intended.

He collapsed beside you and both of you stared at the fan whirring above your heads for what felt like hours but could realistically have only been two minutes. Finally, you looked over at him and broke the silence, grinning as you spoke. “I made you moan like a girl.”

He laughed and rolled over to face you. “Don’t go around telling people that, it might give them ideas.”

“I didn’t plan to share this with anyone but now I’m having ideas.” You teased with a giggle as he sat up.

“Well keep those ideas to yourself,” He started as he got up from the bed and grabbed a towel from the hamper by your closet to clean you with. “You’re not pegging me.” Both of you burst into laughter as he came back and wiped his cum off your stomach. He tossed the towel back across the room and laid back down beside you, pulling you into him. “I’m so fucking sleepy.”

“Me too.” You mumbled, shivering when his fingers began to lightly massage your scalp as he held you. “We should do this again.” You added as your eyes forced themselves shut and sleep took over. You definitely needed to do that again.

<-d-11 | d-13->

[ilovesnat]

Dealing

Pairings : Natasha x Reader

Summary : You caught Nat stealing your hoodies and jackets, so you two made a deal.

Warnings : none, except Nat is too cute

Word count : 595

A/N : It's my first time to write, so please bear with me. Also, this is a short one since I'm too lazy to make it longer.

It was a normal day in the Avengers compound. You were sitting on the couch, scrolling through your phone, when you noticed something strange about Nat. She had been acting a bit suspicious, going in and out of the room that you two are sharing without giving you any explanation. You asked her several times if she was okay, but she always assured you that everything was fine. Yet, something still felt off, so you decided to put your worries aside and focus on something else. You're her girlfriend, and it was unlike her to be so secretive.

Until a few hours later, you decided to check on her. You made your way to your room, and when you got there, what you saw took you by surprise. Nat was rummaging through your closet, pulling out your hoodies and jackets one by one. Seeing this, you called out to her, surprising her and making her jump in the air.

"My love, what are you doing?" You asked her, your voice filled with curiosity, worried that she might be doing something she shouldn't be. She quickly recovered and gave you a sheepish smile.

"Just taking your hoodies," she said, not sounding very confident in her answer.

"But why?" you asked, confused. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Because I love them," she said, her eyes sparkling with determination. "They smell like you, and they make me feel closer to you even when you're not around."

You were surprised by her answer, touched by her honesty and affection. You smiled and walked towards her, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You know you can have any hoodie you want, right?" you said, smiling at her with your hands on her cheeks, caressing it with your thumb. Suddenly, a smile spread across her face, and she gave you a playful wink. "Really? I figured we could make a deal. You give me your hoodies, and I'll give you all the kisses and cuddles you want."

You were surprised, to say the least. This is completely out of character for the reserved and skilled assassin. But at the same time, you wouldn't deny that the offer was tempting.

"Are you serious?" you asked, a hint of disbelief in your voice.

"I am," she said, her voice soft and sweet. "I'd do anything for your hoodies. They're so cute and comfy."

In the end, you decided to accept her offer. You watched as she put on one of your hoodies and pulled you to the bed and cuddled with you, both of you, under the warm embrace of your favorite hoodie. She could smell the sweet scent of your shampoo as you rested your head on her chest, the sound of her soft breathing filling the room, pulling you closer for some much-needed intimacy.

"I'll never want to take this off, I love you so much, and your hoodies too," she said, giggling. "I love you too so much, and I promise that you can have any of my hoodies," you replied. After that, you spent the rest of the day wrapped up in each other's arms, enjoying the warmth and comfort of your hoodies and each other.

You both came to an understanding that her love for hoodies was something that made her feel safe and protected. You couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the feared assassin, finding comfort in a piece of clothing. But in the end, it was all part of her charm, and you couldn't imagine her any other way. She has this attitude that no one sees, and for you only.

[maximilliansblog]

How to build your first fursuit head for ~$100 USD (2023)

What’s good furries? I’m sure a lot of you have a fursona and want to make your first fursuit. I recommend starting with a partial just in case you mess up or fall out of the hobby. It’s also less expensive!

This tutorial will only cover the head. I haven’t made any of the other stuff and I’m probably going to buy it online premade because I’m lazy.

1.) Have a reference sheet for your fursona.

If you are an artist, draw (the best you can) a reference sheet of your fursona from the front, side, and back. I made a little turnaround animation for mine, but this is not necessary.

Not an artist? Don’t want to draw? Commission someone to do it for you. I recommend Etsy, but you can find furry artists with open commissions all over the internet.

No money for commissions? You might be out of luck. Ask a friend or draw it the best you can. Alternatively, you can edit someone else’s fursona reference sheet to make it look like your fursona. Yeah, it’s stealing. Just don’t post it and act like it’s yours 👍

You can also go into the Roblox game, Catalogue Avatar Creator, and assemble something that looks kind of like your fursona. Take a screenshot of it from the front, side, and back, then go into a photo editor (I recommend IbisPaint or MediBang Paint, they are both free) and add in your special details.

I recommend not making your first fursuit super complicated or some kind of rare species. But you do you. It will just be really hard.

Also determine what style of fursuit you want. Toony? Kemono? Realistic? (I don’t recommend realistic for your first fursuit but you do you). This will be important later.

2.) Find Shit to Build It With

Once again, I recommend Etsy. You’ll need:

+ all the fur colors you need (try 2-3)

+ eye mesh

+ 3D printed mask

+ hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (dollar store)

+ needle and thread (dollar store or Walmart)

+ balaclava

+ styrofoam head

+ fabric scissors

+ extra foam pieces for ears or horns

Assemble all of that. It should be around $80-120 USD.

Your 3D printed mask is the most important thing. Another reason to get a relatively common species. Mine was a dragon. Remember the fursuit style you picked earlier? Search on etsy “3d printed [style] [species] furry mask” and you should be able to find one. You can also get pre-made foam heads. I don’t recommend trying to make your own head base, because A) it’s hard and B) those materials cost more money.

This shit will take a while to come in so don’t get too excited about it. My mask took like a month because it came from Germany.

3.) Mark the Color Spots on your Head Base

Basically just take a sharpie and outline the different color regions on your headbase. You can also use a pencil if you’re a pussy /j

4.) Uhhhh Eyeball That Fabric Pattern and Hot Glue the Pieces to Your Headbase

Some people use duct tape to make a pattern. That did not work for me! So I eyeballed it. Made some mistakes. That’s okay.

5.) Trim Down the Fur Length

Most people use clippers for this but I didn’t want to buy any and I didn’t know how to use them so I did it VERY CAREFULLY with scissors.

6.) Fill in the Cracks Between Your Hot Glue Seams With Loose Fur

Look at all this damn fur on the floor! If only there was something to do with it!

Put hot glue between the super visible seams where you hotglued different pieces of fabric next to each other, then pack in some of that loose fur. Cut it down if it’s too long. The seams will be less visible.

7.) Hot Glue the Eye Mesh Behind the Eye Holes

VERY CAREFULLY hot glue this so your character isn’t cross-eyed. You can try follow-me eyes but I didn’t do that with mine.

8.) Add Your Extra Details

You know like whiskers or plastic teeth or a tongue or anything else you want to put on there.

Now you’re done with the mask part.

9.) CAREFULLY Hot Glue Your Balaclava to the Inside of the Mask

The eye hole should be where your eye mesh is so that you can see out. Also make sure some of the balaclava is glued to the top of the mask.

10.) Weigh Down Your Styrofoam Head With a Heavy Rock

Or put it on a stand. Or hot glue it to the table. Whatever works.

11.) Put the Balaclava that you Glued to the Mask on the Styrofoam Head

Pretty simple. The reason we weighed down the styrofoam head is because the front of your mask will be heavy and make it fall over while you’re trying to work.

12.) ????? Put Fur On the Balaclava

You’ll also need to like add some fur connecting the sides of the mask to the balaclava. Hard to explain. You’ll probably figure it out?

13.) Trim that Fur and Put the Trimmings in the Seams Like Before

14.) Take it off of the Styrofoam Head

You may need to cut a slit in the back of the neck of your fursuit head. Not only will it help get the styrofoam head out, now your head can get in and out too!

15.) Put it on

Edit it if something is wrong. It might feel crooked but it’s probably not.

16.) Enjoy!

Hopefully this was helpful! This is how made mine.

[dfastback68]

Good news is the library has basically every One Piece book, bad news is I'm in competition with at least two other people so I'm resigned the most non-chronological read of all time bc I'm impatient. They had every book, then suddenly someone took 1-15, so I've been skipping around. No idea what's going on! Love the vibe tho.

Also making some decent headway on the goth fam fic, which is the shorter version of me wanting to write about sailing because I miss sailing. Hitsugibune's gotta be the only way on and off the island during the timeskip, but Mihawk's not about to let anyone take her for a spin, so Perona and Zoro have to either a. learn to sail her or b. prove they can sail her. I'm having fun with it. Mihawk is miserable. So here's a snippet:

--

“I don’t want to do this,” Perona announces. She’s standing at the edge of the dock, twirling her parasol in what Mihawk has come to recognize as a way to diffuse nervous energy. He’s already inside the ship, so she’s looking down at him with a frown on her face, watching him unfurl the sails.

“You said you could sail,” he says. He understands she hasn’t said she can’t, but he has the feeling that asking the exact reason for her sudden hesitation will yield nothing. 

“I can,” she huffs. “I just don’t want to.”

Mihawk looks out towards the bay, where the water is calm and the morning sun hasn’t quite banished the mist. It’s as close to perfect sailing weather as it can get, because they can rely on the current to carry them out. As the temperature rises, the wind will come with it to carry them home. These are the kind of conditions a child can learn to sail on. If she won’t go now…

“I thought you were making Zoro do this, too,” she presses, glancing over her shoulder to where the castle looms in the distance.

“I am. If he finds the docks before we leave, he will join us.”

“I said I wasn’t going!” Perona shouts, rounding on him. “Ugh, quit telling me what to do! All I want is servants, not you bossing us around or - or the smelly monkeys!”

Flipping her parasol to the opposite shoulder, Perona turns and marches back up the dock. The fall of her heels echoes loudly across the water. Mihawk just watches her go. He’s barely even begun getting the ship ready to sail, and already he’s without both intended students.

He sits down at the stern of the boat, and draws his gaze over the bay and the water beyond. Last night there was a red sunset followed by a new moon, and right now it’s low tide. The clouds are fluffy and lazy as they drift across the horizon, and the wind indicator at the top of Hitsugibune’s mast barely flutters.

So: it’ll be a slow start, but pleasant enough once out beyond the bay. After a few hours, once the wind has come back across the sea, he can follow the high tide back to the docks with little trouble.

This is all very straightforward and simple to him. Less simple is determining how to get Zoro here at all, and figure out why Perona has abruptly changed her mind. These are not problems he wants to consider. Not now, or ever really, but he’s going to have to, sooner or later.

For the moment, he decides to take advantage of the weather. He frees the last line and uses the flat of Yoru’s blade to push off from the dock before securing her inside of Hitsugibune, and takes his place at the tiller to steer her out into the bay.

After all, when was the last time he’d sailed just for the sake of sailing?

[lheslie]

Taehoon with a very good theif S/O

You were basically recruited by hobin to the company because of your skills of breaking in and stealing stuff so swiftly.

But on Taehoon's case not only did you stole his money one day. You even stole his heart with it.

You were rather flirty with him when you met him. And it posed as your distraction while you try and steal his wallet. Which was mostly empty.

Which mostly pissed him off when you threw it on his face. He tried to run after you but you vanished like thin air.

You met each other again while you were pick pocketing different people. Which came out to a fight.

And it always ended up with you getting away with it. He was determined to catch you.

One day he had you cornered and he took all of thr wallets you stole.

"Broke ass bitch" He said as he waves the wallet infront of your face.

"Please it ain't my wallet that had only 500 wons and some piece of picture inside it."

He left you that day, smirking at his victory.

You both met each other again, while you were recruited by hobin to break in and take some stuff from Lee Jinho.

And Hobin basically forced you both to make up because this fight against Jinho needs team work.

Naturally, You started to hang around the company but Taehoon has been watching you closely. You guessed it's because that you might steal something from them instead.

"You see something you like?" You tell him while you look at him eye to eye. Which pissed him off kicking you. And you dodge it.

"What? you think I still won't know what your crappy moves by now?"

Which turned into a sparring match. With you losing in the end.

"Heh" He said as you angrily stomped away.

Hobin was watching while Jiksae was live and the fans had been watching and some even was starting to ship you both. Then a fan commented.

"Set them up together and I'll pay

150,000W"

Which gave Hobin a huge grin on his face. Hobin started to pair you both up in missions and sparing matches.

"OI!! WHY DO YOU KEEP PAIRING ME WITH THIS FREAK!?!" You yelled at Hobin. Pointing at Taehoon

"LOOK AT A MIRROR BITCH AND TELL ME WHO'S A FREAK" He yelled at you, kicking you again. While you evade the kick and you try to punch him at the face.

"PLEASE LOOK AT THAT WEIRD HAIR." You said as you grabbed a chair from nowhere as you threw it at him while he kicked it into pieces.

Then a notification rang

"Make them kiss and I'll pay 500,000W"

Luckily for Hobin, neither of you heard it. And he pushed you torwards Taehoon making you trip on top of him. Making you both accidentally Kiss each other.

You stood up and punched him, screaming running away.

Leaving him shocked at what happened.

Who knew that push was the thing that you both need to start realizing that you both have feelings for each other.

You still keep stealing things though, and Taehoon's cool with it now. Everything you steal either goes for the beer or for the arcade later anyways.

He also learned how to pick pocket, hijack a car, opening locks and how to swiftly run away because of you.

The both of you have an entire fan base that shipped you both.

Especially the one who instigated it all was the head of the fan base.

You even wanted to trach them down to either hit or thank them at one point. But you got too lazy.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Hurricanes / Hummingbirds: II

Series Synopsis: As the years go by, you find that it is incredibly difficult to survive wars and fight storms, especially when the only thing you have by way of a cursed technique is the blessing of a tiny bird.

Chapter Synopsis: You get acquainted with Nanami’s least favorite upperclassman, as well as with your sword.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Hajime Kashimo x Female Reader; slight Kento Nanami x Female Reader; slight Satoru Gojo × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 4.2k

Content Warnings: swearing, enemies/rivals to lovers, character death, canon-typical violence, angst, gore, original characters included

A/N: very unserious chapter apologies in advance

“Are you Satoru Gojo?” you said. He certainly looked like somebody who you’d expect to be a clan heir, with a shock of white hair and pitch-dark glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He was currently engaged in conversation with another boy, this one with messy black hair tied into a bun and discerning brown eyes that widened slightly when they lit upon you.

“Me? Yeah, whaddya want?” the white haired boy said, pointing at himself. You clasped your hands in front of you.

“Please, sir, oh, please please please let me have the Sword of Syrinx! I’ll do anything — okay, no, I won’t — if you just give it to me. I’ve never wanted anything as badly as I want it, and I promise I’ll be the best underclassman you’ve ever had if you let me use it! I know it’s a special grade cursed tool, technically, so it’s super-duper valuable, and I’m just a random first year student who can’t even use a sword, but I really really want it!” you said, all in a rush. Both boys gave you bemused looks.

“Uh, what?” Gojo said, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at his friend, who shrugged in confusion. You steeled your expression before dropping into a bow.

“Satoru Gojo,” you said.

“Yes?” he said nervously.

“I ate the sandwich you made for Nanami,” you said.

“Oh, no way! Did you like it?” he said. You knew you should lie — after all, Nanami said that Gojo’s ego was already the size of Tokyo, and there was real danger in inflating it further. However, you knew the ways of men very well, and there was only one way you could convince him to let you have the Sword of Syrinx, which you coveted so dearly.

“Yes,” you said. “Very much. It was the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten.”

“Awesome!” he cheered. “Yeah, see, I’m a good cook, too! Take that, Suguru. I can’t believe you doubted me!”

“It was just a sandwich,” his friend muttered. “Don’t go thinking you’re some kind of a chef.”

“But it was the best sandwich she’s ever eaten! Of course, it only makes sense. As one of the strongest, I’d naturally make sandwiches deserving of the title. By the way, you have good taste, random girl!” Gojo said, reaching out to pat your still-bowed head. You clenched your fists in determination.

“Y/N L/N, sir. Please call me Y/N,” you said.

“Okay. Please don’t call me sir,” he said.

“Alright,” you said. “So, about the Sword of Syrinx…?”

“Huh? Oh, that piece of junk? Sure, you can have it,” he said dismissively. You froze before slowly looking up at him, his casually arrogant grin, his lazy posture. He was tall, but the height gave him a gangly appearance. He was almost awkward, in that way of a foal or fawn, all legs and little else. The effect was especially exacerbated by his friend who stood beside him; this boy was broader, more filled out, though he was about the same height as Gojo.

“I can?” you said. Gojo gave you a double thumbs up.

“I don’t use weapons, and even if I did, I definitely wouldn’t pick such a useless, random one. Why, did you think I’d say no or something? As if! If you can use it, then at least someone can, and if you can’t, then it’ll be back in the cursed tools warehouse before long,” he said.

“Oh,” you said, realizing there had been no reason for you to flatter him. Now you had pumped his ego even more, and you hadn’t even gotten anything out of it that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

“Yeah,” he said. You blinked before what he had said really set in, and then you squealed in delight.

“Wait, I can really have it? Like, really really?” you said. Gojo nodded eagerly.

“Like, really really!” he said. It was almost condescending, but you were too excited to care. The Sword of Syrinx was yours, it was really, truly yours, and now all you had to do was learn how to use it. You didn’t even care that your only cursed technique was Hummingbird’s Blessing; if you had that sword, you were certain that nothing could stop you.

“Thank you! Thank you so, so much! If you ever need a sandwich taster or something, you know where to find me!” you shouted over your shoulder, taking off in a full sprint towards the cursed tools warehouse where Hinode, Haibara, and Nanami were waiting for your triumphant return.

“Sure thing!” he shouted back.

You were out of breath and panting by the time you returned to the cursed tools warehouse, but not even your exhaustion was enough to dampen your spirits, which had been immeasurably raised after the brief exchange with Gojo.

“He’ll give it to me!” you huffed out, doubling over to calm your racing heart, your palms pressing against your thighs as your breathing returned to normal. “Hinode, he said I can have the sword!”

“Congratulations,” Hinode said, presenting you with the scabbarded weapon. “To pay him back for his kindness, make sure take excellent care of it.”

As soon as the Sword of Syrinx was in your hands, it began to murmur with cursed energy, seeking out your own like it was trying to greet you. You weren’t really sure how to respond, but it seemed that at least your cursed energy did, rushing up to meet the sword’s, weaving in and out in an undulating motion that you could only describe as dancing. It was not something you could see; rather, it was something you felt, against your skin, in your soul, the meeting of your heart and the Sword of Syrinx as comforting as the embrace of an old friend.

“Why are you standing there with a stupid expression on your face?” Nanami said. You hugged the sword to your chest, tracing your fingers over the designs on the scabbard to occupy your ever-racing mind.

“It’s my sword,” you said simply. “I was just getting to know it.”

Nanami side-eyed you. “Um, okay. Should I introduce myself as well?”

It was obvious he was confused; to be fair, you did not blame him. The notion of getting to know a sword was a ridiculous one, especially in the way that he likely assumed you meant it. But you weren’t doing some kind of formal interview with the Sword of Syrinx, you were just letting it feel your cursed energy, which, considering the fact that it was a Special Grade Cursed Tool, didn’t seem like too far-fetched an idea.

“Don’t be so critical, Nanami.” To your surprise, it was Hinode who jumped to your defense. “Tools of such power can be finicky. It could very well be that allowing the energy of the sword to grow accustomed to hers might be the key to letting her wield it properly.”

“Kind of like boiling a frog!” Haibara said. “You know, like she slowly feeds it more and more of her energy until it accepts her as its new owner? If it gets overloaded all at once, it’ll obviously not want to cooperate, since it’ll recognize that she’s not the one that forged it, but if she’s slow and methodical about it, it won’t even realize the difference.”

“Actually, you have a point,” Hinode said. Haibara clapped his hands together in excitement; however, in doing so, he neglected to remember the cursed knives he was attempting to hold. They clattered everywhere, and he gave you all a horrified look that caused a small giggle to escape you.

“Haibara,” Nanami groaned. “You are such a disaster. It’s a wonder you’ve made it this far.”

“Sorry!” Haibara responded in a tone that suggested he was actually not at all sorry. Kneeling, he deftly swept up the knives and shoved them into the pockets of his uniform — pockets which must’ve been extremely deep, considering the fact that he was able to stash away the entire set. You wondered why he had been balancing them on his hands in the first place, if he had had such pockets available the entire time.

“That’ll be your homework, then, Y/N,” Hinode said. “Every day, you have to slowly but surely increase how much of your cursed energy the Sword of Syrinx will accept. Until the day comes that it’s entirely under your control, you’ll practice with a normal sword. It shouldn’t be a problem; it’s not like you need a special grade tool to spar against Nanami and Haibara, at least not at first.”

“Spar against who and what?” you said, glancing at the muscular Haibara and the towering Nanami, both of whom appeared to be slightly undefeatable for someone like you, someone who was lacking in training even more than knowledge.

“That’s how you get better,” Hinode said. “You practice against opponents who can really test you without the fear of them actually permanently harming you. It’s dangerous to go against cursed spirits without having experience using your technique in battle, you know.”

“I don’t even know how to properly hold a sword,” you said.

“We’re not going to spar with you until you’re ready,” Nanami said. Although he seemed generally annoyed about everything, there was a nagging thought in the back of your mind that he was just actually always like this and it was not something he could help or choose to do.

“If you want to get started now, you can go put the Sword of Syrinx in your room and meet us at the training grounds,” Hinode offered.

“Okay!” you said.

“I can show you the way, if you want,” Haibara said. “Since I doubt you know where the training grounds are.”

“Wait,” Hinode said with a shifty wink at Haibara, whose jaw dropped before he winked back in understanding. “Maybe Nanami should do it.”

“Huh?” you said.

“Why me?” Nanami said, true despair contorting his features. You wrinkled your nose.

“You didn’t have to say it like that,” you said. He ignored you.

“This better not be one of your schemes, Hinode!” he said. Hinode whistled innocently, shoving his hands in his pockets and speeding off, Haibara doing the same and leaving you and Nanami alone in the warehouse. For a moment, neither of you spoke, simply watching the empty doorway, utterly bewildered at what had just happened.

“What was that all about?” you said.

“Nothing,” Nanami said, stomping towards the door. “Let’s just go.”

“Oh, uh, Nanami,” you said, following after him, though without as much fuss and stomping. “I have to apologize.”

“Apologize? For what?” he said, stopping in his tracks and turning to you with pursed lips. He obviously expected the worst, and he was right to do so. After all, you had done the one thing he had told you not to.

“I…I told Gojo I thought his sandwich was good,” you said. His eyes widened, and he grabbed your shoulders, shaking you back and forth like he could imbue some sense into you if he did so.

“Why. Would. You. Do that?” he said.

“I really wanted the Sword of Syrinx!” you whined. “I thought if I flattered him, he’d be more likely to give it to me, but it turns out he would’ve given it to me anyways, so I did it for nothing!”

“He’s never going to leave you alone now,” Nanami said before instantly brightening. “Wait. Maybe this means he’ll leave me alone now!”

“Is he really that bad? I mean, he wasn’t horrible when I talked to him,” you said as you began to walk again. Nanami shook his head.

“See, the thing is, Haibara really looks up to Geto, one of the other second years and Gojo’s best friend. They have this whole mentor-mentee relationship, and I honestly respect it, because Geto is marginally more normal than Gojo. Gojo feels left out, though, and I think he’s been trying to cultivate that same relationship with me, but I am not interested in being mentored by some white-haired idiot that’s built like a tree, even if he is one of the strongest sorcerers alive,” he said.

“That’s harsh,” you said. “Seems like you have a lot of built up rage against him.”

“He got us matching t-shirts once,” Nanami said.

“That’s kind of cute,” you said, unlocking the door to your room and motioning for Nanami to come in. He did so hesitantly, tip-toeing over to your desk and sitting in the chair primly. He kept his back stiff and straight, his feet planted firmly on the floor, his hands folded in his lap uncomfortably.

“It is not cute! It’s degrading,” he said. You scanned the room, trying to find a good place to put the Sword of Syrinx.

“I don’t know, I think maybe you should wear it. It would probably make him happy,” you said.

“Never. Why would I feed into his nonsense?” he said. You settled for resting the sword atop your bookshelf, where it would be unlikely to fall or be knocked over by accident.

“Dunno, it was just a suggestion,” you said.

“Whatever. Like I said, he’s going to try to foster a bond between the two of you now, so I think I’m probably free from his clutches for the moment. I hope you can survive,” Nanami said.

“He’s not a natural disaster or anything. He’s just our upperclassman,” you said. “He’s definitely not as bad as you’re making him out to be. Now, let’s go, I’m sure Hinode and Haibara are waiting for us.”

“Don’t come complaining to me when he tries to get you to coordinate your outfits, then,” Nanami said.

“I think it would be nice to coordinate outfits with someone,” you said. Although you had had friends back home, they had never been best friends, they had never cared about you that deeply. Plus, when you got older, you had been considered something like a freak by those who genuinely got to know you, so while on the surface, you seemed popular and well-beloved, the end result was that you had spent much of your life almost entirely alone.

Haibara had rolled up his sleeves and was punching Hinode’s arm when you and Nanami joined them at the training grounds; for his part, Hinode was entirely unaffected, sipping on an iced coffee and occasionally swatting at Haibara’s hands.

“There you two are! We were beginning to think you guys got lost,” Hinode said, tossing the now-empty cup of iced coffee into a nearby trash can. “Alright, that’s enough, Haibara. Just because I drank bleach earlier doesn’t mean I’m entirely immune to pain.”

“It doesn’t?” Haibara said. “Oops. Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hinode said. “It does numb most unpleasant sensations, so it’s more like a bug bite than a full on hit, but after a while, it grows tiresome. So, go beat up Nanami.”

“Maybe don’t do that,” Nanami said.

“Isn’t it a good plan?” Hinode said, ignoring Nanami’s protests completely. “You guys can have a practice match so that Y/N can see cursed techniques in action, as well as get a feel of what sparring is like. Plus, it’s been forever since you guys went all out in a spar, so it’ll be beneficial for you two, too.”

“Sounds good!” Haibara said. “I can try out my new knives, too!”

“They’re going to use actual cursed tools?” you said, moving to stand beside Hinode so that he could answer your questions as they arose. Nanami had pulled out a blunt blade wrapped in cloth from his bag, and Haibara was twirling his knives in between his fingers as he made his way to the dusty practice arena. Hinode hummed in assent.

“There’s no point in practicing with less. Of course, they’re only fighting until surrender, not death, so they’ll hold back the full power of the tools,” he said. You took your bottom lip between your teeth in worry.

“They won’t get hurt, right?” you said.

“Hurt is fine. We have a reverse cursed technique user on campus — one of the second years, Shoko Ieri — so if anything really bad happens, she can take care of it. Otherwise, though, they can just walk it off. Jujutsu sorcerers have more durable bodies, and we generally heal quicker, so minor injuries can be cured in a day’s rest, more or less,” he said.

“Still,” you protested weakly. Hinode gave you a calm look.

“Would you rather twist your ankle or lose your leg? It’s minor, in the grand scheme of things,” he said. “As for me, I would much prefer getting hit by Nanami or Haibara than a curse. Now, watch them carefully, I’m going to ask you questions about their fight afterwards.”

They had not quite yet begun in earnest. Nanami was crouching slightly, assessing the situation, while Haibara was jogging in place, warming up his muscles. Hinode whistled as if to remind them to get started, but they didn’t even acknowledge it, each focused only on the other, playing a game of waiting, of chicken, daring their opponent to go first but simultaneously refusing to be the one to rise to the bait.

All of a sudden, Haibara sprung into action, blitzing forward and then punching at Nanami with the ferocity of a tiger. It was strange to see the happy boy in this context, and you wondered how someone so kind could become such a vicious creature in the blink of an eye.

Nanami ducked out of the way of the hit and swept his leg into a graceful motion, kicking Haibara’s legs out from under him and knocking him off of his balance. Right as Haibara was about to thud onto his back, he reached his left hand out, catching himself in a back handspring and using his momentum to flip back to his feet while using his right hand to send a knife flying at Nanami.

“They’re going so fast,” you said in awe. All of this had happened in a couple of seconds, the two boys moving at speeds you did not even realize the human body was capable of attaining.

“They can go faster, but I’ll cut them some slack,” Hinode said. “They haven’t sparred in a bit, after all.”

Nanami brandished his sword and used it to deflect Haibara’s knife before smacking Haibara upside the head with it. Haibara was unable to dodge and settled for covering his most vulnerable spots with his hands, crouching so that Nanami barely inflicted any damage to him. Then he laughed and, while Nanami was still within his range, spun on his heel and punched him squarely in the gut. Nanami doubled over, and Haibara took advantage of his prone position to slam him into the ground. Haibara raised his foot to step on Nanami’s back and hold him in place, but before he could, Nanami rolled over, onto his back and out of the way.

“Oh, are we being serious about this?” he coughed out, pushing himself to his feet and gripping his sword. Haibara smirked.

“No point if we aren’t,” he responded.

“I can’t believe you’re making me do so much work,” Nanami said. Suddenly, the very air around him shifted, and he rushed towards Haibara, swinging his sword at him. At the last instant before impact, he spun the sword so that it was the flat side smacking against Haibara’s legs. Though the hit really shouldn’t have done anything to Haibara, it caused him to fall to the ground, his legs twitching uselessly as he slapped the ground in surrender.

“You win!” he yelped as Nanami walked towards him. As soon as he said that, Nanami offered him his hand, but Haibara shook his head. “My legs will take a second to recover. Give me a bit.”

“Sorry,” Nanami said. “You did say to go all out, though.”

“Nah, you’re good,” Haibara said. Both of their faces were red, and sweat dripped down their brows. Though the match had barely lasted a few minutes, they were as exhausted as if they had just run marathons. “I was too slow in reinforcing my legs with cursed energy. You wouldn’t have gotten me if I had.”

“Probably not,” Nanami agreed.

“What did you think, Y/N?” Hinode said.

“What did I think?” you said. “Well, it all happened so quick.”

“You should see Gojo and Geto when they spar. Now that’s fast,” he said. “Speed is important. Using cursed energy is taxing, so the quicker you can get your opponent out, the more likely you are to survive. Unlike sorcerers, curses have no issues using cursed energy, so if it comes to a battle of attrition, you will lose every time.”

“I get it. That’s why they both went for decisive blows every time instead of trying to wear down on each other with smaller strikes,” you said.

“Good!” Hinode said. “You’re quick on the uptake. That’s good, I hate dull students. Uh, but don’t tell my boss I said that, I’m not supposed to have preferences…”

“Your secret is safe with me,” you said, pretending to seal your lips shut. “Did Nanami use his cursed technique at the end? Is that why Haibara can’t stand up yet?”

“Yes, that’s correct. He didn’t put too much cursed energy into the technique, so Haibara should regain motion pretty soon, but that’s why such a lame hit managed to completely take his enemy out. That’s the power of an innate technique,” he said.

“You said that my innate technique, Hummingbird’s Blessing, allows its user to borrow the strength of the hummingbird,” you said, staring at the lines of your palm, flexing your fingers experimentally. “I still can’t quite figure out what that means, though.”

“Your technique hasn’t fully awakened yet. Although most people figure out their techniques when they’re young, for some reason, you didn’t. It might just take some time before you can properly utilize it to the fullest extent,” he said. “Don’t worry about it for the moment, though. Just practice with the Sword of Syrinx — even that alone will be enough to exorcise most curses,” he said.

“I see,” you said. “I will do that.”

“Come on, Y/N! Let’s get ice cream to celebrate Nanami’s win!” Haibara said. He had been yanked to his feet, presumably by Nanami, whose shoulder he was leaning on as he beckoned for you to join them.

“Isn’t it still the school day?” you said, looking at Hinode unsurely.

“I don’t care. There’s nothing else planned for today, so you guys can do whatever you want. Just remember to spend some time with the Sword of Syrinx later, alright?” he said.

“Yes, sir, I will! Thank you!” you said.

“Go on and have fun,” he said. You did not think twice before darting over to where Nanami and Haibara were waiting for you, Nanami with his trademark glum expression and Haibara as thrilled as always despite the fact that Nanami literally had to drag him along as he could still barely walk.

“By the way, Nanami said he’ll pay for everyone!”

“I did not!”

Later that night, when you were alone in your room and everyone else was surely asleep, you pulled the Sword of Syrinx out of its scabbard and sat on the floor with it in your lap. Deciding you might as well multitask, you began to painstakingly polish the sword before tentatively becoming aware of your cursed energy again.

You still didn’t know how to control it. Hinode hadn’t taught you, and you had no previous experience. You simply had to trust that your instincts would guide you well and that the sword would be amicable to your fumbling approaches.

“Nanami would probably call me stupid for this,” you said aloud before sighing. “But, uh, my name is Y/N L/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

It took a while for the sword to respond, as if it were carefully regarding you, judging you and trying to decide if you were worthy to wield it. You continued to doggedly polish the blade — even if you did not keep it, even if you had to give it back to Gojo and the cursed tools warehouse, at least you would return it in a better condition than you had taken it.

Of course, swords could not talk, and this one was no exception. But at the same time, this was not an ordinary sword; it was the Special Grade Cursed Tool, Sword of Syrinx, and so some rules could be bent. Though it could not speak, its cursed energy had a language of its own, not direct speech but emotions, feelings, sensations. That was why, when the sword decided to accept you, you could feel its happiness, its sense of belonging, as if it had finally returned to someone it had lost.

A single tear traced its way down your cheek and splashed onto the iridescent blade. You weren’t sure where it had come from or why you were crying, but regardless, you wiped it off, though you let your finger linger on the cool metal.

It took a moment, but eventually, in its own way, the sword responded.

Hello.

[dangerously-human]

rat heart doughnut I’m too lazy to find the emojis

Sooo valid of you, bestie.

🐀 [Rat] Name three reasons why this WIP is great at being insert genre here. (You can send a genre, or let the recipient pick one.)

Ooh, genre categorization is not necessarily my strong suit. I guess, since I'm working more or less within the original genre of canon, I can focus on the overarching fanfiction trope as what sets it apart?

My Heart: Domestic fluff. 1) Baby fic! 2) Soft 💕 3) Changing dynamics at home, not just for Lockwood and Lucy but also for their friends, all navigating this new stage of life together.

Twins: Tragedy. 1) "The end was set before the beginning." The outcome for this family is hella tragic, canonically, and mostly the same for thematic reasons here, and thus I knew the ending before I started writing any of what leads to it in this AU. Determinism is a big theme in Dune, which was partly what I set out to explore - how much can I change while still keeping later key events intact? 2) "It was always going to happen this way." Dune takes a pretty fatalistic view on the whole, or at least, its main narrators tend to, especially Paul. So while characters make some different choices here, those choices are useless to save them from their fates. But it's the fact that they could have chosen another path, that there could be a road out - which we kind of go down for a bit here! - that makes it truly tragic, even knowing (some of) what's coming. Because the characters are still who they are, in the end. 3) "The love was there. It didn't change anything. But it matters that the love was there." You know the post. We've all gone insane about it at some point. That's probably above all the theme of this piece. The love between Paul and Irulan - tbh on every side of this love triangle, in many iterations - matters. The ending doesn't really change but there's some light in the middle that wasn't there before and that counts something.

💖 [Heart] What is your favorite moment in this WIP?

I gave another answer for this, but luckily this gives me an excuse to share more than one thing I love about the projects I'm working on!

My Heart: There's a bit maybe two-thirds of the way through the story where Lockwood is sparring with Lucy and all of a sudden is hit by the reality of the situation, how much their lives are about to change and the fact that he and Lucy made a whole person. Lucy just brought him to his knees with a practice sword and manages it twice over with mom magic. It's kind of sappy and very cute.

Twins: There's this moment in the third act where Paul and Irulan have both kind of slipped up and are sharing a deceptively calm, happy moment, a bubble which Paul proceeds to pop by telling Irulan the name he's picked out unilaterally for their child. Anyway, I really love the way Irulan opens the narration for this scene, which alludes to something Paul says at the end of Dune about how he feels sort of helplessly enslaved to play a fated role of entangled kindness and cruelty:

Eventually, she’ll unlearn wanting. Already she’s discovered that for every concession she wrenches from her husband, the recoil is worse than her win warrants. For every flash of tenderness he grants her, Paul lashes out to punish her, or perhaps himself. But it’s so easy to forget, in the moment, that cruelty always follows his kindnesses.

🍩 [Donut] What's the weirdest thing someone eats in your WIP? What's the best thing?

You know, this question made me realize I do not write food into my stories very often. I should change that, it's a good background detail.

My Heart: I think the only thing eaten in this entire fic so far is doughnuts. I should give Lucy some really weird pregnancy cravings, though, something everyone judges her for except her supreme ally, George.

Twins: Again, the only food I think is explicitly mentioned is grapes. Well, that and spice-infused Fremen dishes, though nothing specific. I guess the latter could count as weird, or at least can lead to a weird time for those sensitive to it.

[pigeontheoneandonly]

All of your WIPs sound so interesting, but I think I'm most intrigued by Shallow Graves. Anything you'd like to share about it?

Oooo thank you! This is probably my favorite project lol

Shallow Graves is my "Pathfinder Fan Novel" featuring original characters in the Pathfinder TTRPG Golarion setting. (Though I've been flirting more and more with the idea of turning it into an original novel in the second draft...)

Shallow Graves is about a group of very old friends who completely fell apart when a member of the group was murdered ten years prior to the events of the story, on a zany adventure to settle old business, find closure, and try to move on.

It actually started out as a thought experiment on my part, wondering if I could write a revenge story and a fridge story that turned both those archetypes on their heads. So far I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Anyway, as the story progresses, they unearth a lot of rotting baggage. The below excerpt is a piece of that.

* * *

Gem scampered ahead of him and turned around, forcing him to address her.  “You’ve always treated that bow like a grudge but it’s clear someone taught you to use it well.  Since you seem determined to be relentlessly honest—let’s have it at last, shall we?”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“Not a chance.”  She poked him. 

He rolled his eyes.  “I was a terrible druid.  Druid initiate.  Whatever.  That’s really all there is to it.”

“That explains nothing.”

He made an exasperated noise.  “Look, it was the only thing I was any good at, ok?  My uncle made a bow for me.  My mother thought it was a distraction, tempting me away from her incessant curriculum of forcing me—”  Kel raked his fingers backwards through his hair.  “It doesn’t matter.”

“If it didn’t matter, you’d be able to tell me what happened.”  Her amusement had faded entirely, which was a bad sign.  When she got concerned her curiosity hardened into steel point.

Probably best just to spit it out and move on.  “One day, she got so frustrated she stole it and turned it back into a living branch.  Leaves, flowers, green wood, bark, all of it.  Impossible to use as a bow.  Then she told she wasn’t fixing it, and if I ever wanted to use it again, I’d have to figure out how to do it myself.”

“What a bitch.  What did she make you do to relent?”

“It’s never been clearer you’ve never met her.  She’d never go back on a threat.” 

“So you never did get it back.” “No, I figured it out.”

Gem blinked.  “What?  Kel, on a good day, if you sit very, very still, you can conjure half a spark.”

“It took me six months of spending nearly every waking hour trying.  I’m certain I couldn’t do it again if my life depended on it.”  It had been the strangest feeling.  All of sudden, he could see the branch as an imprint on the universe, something outside of time, existing in all stages of its life, and it had seemed so damn simple to shift it into the one he wanted.  Just for a single, hallucinatory second.  And then it was only a piece of wood again, lifeless and still.  “My mother was…”

“Happy, I imagine.”

“Happy.”  He laughed.  It wasn’t funny.  “She was overjoyed.  She’d never praised me like that… I spent half my life trying to please that woman, and for the first time…”

There wasn’t a but at the end of her sentence, no forced acknowledgements or despair-tinged false encouragements.  No biting criticism.  No complaints of his laziness or contrariness.  Just shear, unadulterated, lavish pride.  And he hated himself for how he’d basked in it.  Exhausted, yes, but that only led an extra edge of exhilaration for finally having the unconditional approval of his mother. 

She’d even hugged him to her, arm around his shoulders, squealing quietly over the quality of the work, the completeness of the transformation, how she always knew he could do it. 

His mother went as far as telling him it was the happiest day of her life, and for just a second, it had been his, too.

Gem interrupted his thoughts, hesitantly.  “Nobody avoids a happy memory.  What happened?”

He cleared his throat.  “She told me it was the happiest moment of her life.  Then she broke it over the back of a chair.”

“What?!”  That explosion of shock, from Gem of all people, underlined in red why he never told people stories about his mother.  “I don’t—it was what she asked?  I don’t understand.  She wanted to punish you further?  For—for liking something?”

“No, you don’t understand,” he replied, wearily.  “It wasn’t a punishment.”

It hadn’t felt real. He stared at the jagged ends of the once-proud recurve, as if expecting them to come back together, like it was some sick fever dream brought on by too much kindness. 

“How—”

“It wasn’t a punishment,” Kel repeated, louder, overruling her questions.  “Like you said, she was happy.  I didn’t need it anymore, she told me.  It was a great day.  Now I could truly be her apprentice, I’d have druid magic, and wouldn’t require a silly toy to protect myself.  I’d graduated.  And she was so proud of me, she wanted us to celebrate and she was in the middle of planning some kind of dinner when I walked out.”

He hadn’t said a word.  In truth, his mind had gone entirely empty with some feeling that to this day he couldn’t name.  A cousin to resignation, but the kind that only came after a long and bloody struggle.  The kind born of knowing, once and for all, that you’d never been more than a thing to anyone.  Just an empty vessel.  And if they had to tip it over onto the floor to get it that way, so they could fill it up with what they preferred, well, that was a small price apparently.

It hadn’t worn off until he was five days gone.  And then he’d had a breakdown unrivaled even by more recent events.  Sixty years old.  Just a gangly kid.

Gem sat back with a sigh of sudden understanding.  “That’s why you left.”

“That’s why I left,” he affirmed, dully.  Then he stepped around her and resumed walking.  “We should keep moving.”

[airi-p4]

LBSC Secret Admirer Exchange 2023 - Winter vacation

This is my piece for the  @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers​ ‘ Secret Admirer Event 2023  for @nonbinarynino  !! 

I went with Prompt 1, a winter fluff story with ART at the end! I hope you enjoy it! 😊 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! 💙

________________________________

AO3

________________________________

Winter vacation

Marinette couldn't believe it was really happening.

After years being unable to leave Paris because of her Ladybug duties (and until a couple of weeks ago), she had assumed it was just an impossible dream. But now, at 18 years of age, it was happening: a winter vacation! With the best company she could ask for- her boyfriend Luka.

The trip had started roughly, with rain and a traffic jam as soon as the couple left Paris. His lack of driving experience showed, not only for the 'newbie' sign at the back of the rented car, but also with his annoyingly slow speed. And sure, safety first, as her parents had said, but they had completely miscalculated the time it would take them on the road. In consequence, the shopping for supplies had been rushed, just before closing time, and they barely made it to sign the rental contract and get the keys before the office closed as well. Later, at night, the concert they had gone to had been amazing and, luckily, the bed they finally crashed into after a long day was nothing but comfortable and warm.

It was perfect.

Almost.

Because the slim thread of light that crossed through the slit of the window's dark curtain and angled with precision on her closed eyes that morning was annoying.

Marinette internally groaned. If it wasn't for the inappropriate sunrays, she would still be sleeping safe and sound: safe, because of the arms that surrounded her warmly; and sound, for the audible yet relaxing humming of her loved boyfriend (and her own snores too).

"Good morning" Luka finally decided to speak after noticing her shifting because of the sunlight. "It's mid-morning. Shall we wake up?"

"Hmmm" she stretched her legs and pushed closer to him, trying to avoid the sunlight. He smiled as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, to her contentment.

"Do you want a coffee?"

"Hmm… Yes"

Warm coffee in bed, with Luka, while it was cold outside sounded like a little piece of bliss. Luka rolled to the side and sat down on the bed, putting his slippers on, ready to stand up. She immediately noticed her own mistake when she missed his body heat.

"Wait no! Don't go!" Her hands instinctively moved closer to hug his torso from behind. "Snuggles in bed?"

"Snuggles or coffee?" He chuckled, rubbing the arms surrounding him, interlacing their fingers and turning just enough to see her face.

"Both?"

Despite being weak to his girlfriend's pleading voice and the temptation of snuggles, Luka brought out all determination not to cave. He smiled fondly, placing a kiss on the back of her hand while skillfully releasing himself from her embrace. "I'll be back in a minute"

"Noooo" Marinette whined as he stood up and started walking away. Luka giggled, amused by her reaction: cute.

He exited their bedroom and moved to the open living-dining-kitchen. The bungalow they had rented was small, but very practical. Certainly more than enough for the two of them. And for the kwamis. The lack of neighbors made it even better, more private and quiet, ideal for those little noisy gods to play around without having to worry for them to be seen.  

Luka's steps stopped at the window, and when he ran the curtain to look outside… his eyes opened wide.

"Wow… You have to see this, Marinette"

"Hm?" She mumbled, from the bedroom.

"C'mon, sleepyhead! Come here" He called, chuckling at her lazy mumble. Soon enough, clumsy feet hopped to him rapidly and her arms wrapped around him in search of some warmth.

"Cold"

"It is," he smiled, naturally returning her embrace. "Look"

He pointed outside, and Marinette's eyes opened wide, sparkling at the sight.

"Woah-! Snow!" She jumped closer, not letting go. "There's snow, Luka!"

"Yes, there is."

He loved her excited grin. She was dazzling. And he couldn't stop his lips from curving up watching her bright smile.

"Let's go!" She pulled him and then ran towards the door.

"Huh? What about coffee?" He asked, but she was already putting her boots on.

"Not now!"

"And snuggles?" He tried.

"Later!" She rushed and opened the door wide, too mesmerized to worry much about the change of temperature, despite her shivering "Aaahh!! Snow!!"

"Marinette, wait! You're still wearing your pajamas! At least put a coat on! And gloves!"

"Ah-!" she stopped mid-door realizing. She put on her thickest coat that Luka handed her and the gloves she had inside it's pocket and immediately ran outside to touch the snow. "C'mon, Luka!"

"Fine, fine…" he didn't bother to change either. With his boots, coat, gloves and a knit hat on, he soon followed after her. When he reached his girlfriend, he handed her a pink knit hat that she immediately put on.

"It's so nice!" The girl laughed, stepping on the snow fully unaware of Luka's smirk.

"Marinette-"

"Hm?"

She turned around to his calling and-

Pooff

A snowball hit her forehead.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry! I wasn't aiming for your face!"  She quickly covered her face with her hand and he reached closer to check on her, with worry. "Are you ok?"

Before he could see her face she turned to him and-

Pooff

A snowball hit straight to his face.

"Hahahah payback!" She bent her middle while laughing.

"So you choose war…" his eyebrow arched and his smirk turned up playfully.

"You started!" She stuck her tongue out. "Besid-" Another snowball almost hit her as she was about to talk, but she dodged it skillfully. "Ha! You miss-!"

Pooff

Before she could celebrate another smaller snowball hit her from another angle.

"Hey! That's not fair! You should be helping me and not him, Sass!"

"Ssssorry! Luka promissssed to give me a feasssst and to play my favorite ssssong if I helped him!" Luka shared a knowing look with his kwami.

"Sneaky you!" She protested, but Luka dodged the snowball she threw at him.

"It's no use. You should know by now that it is important to have good allies in battle!"

Oh, Marinette knew that too well. She had no doubts that the final battle against Hawkmoth and all that preceded it wouldn't have ended as well if Luka hadn't been with her, her closest and most reliable ally to lean on. When he confessed he knew about her secret identity, she had regretted not having told him earlier.

Oh, and talking about allies...

"Tikki!! Help me!" Marinette called. But Tikki stared at them from the other side of the window, shivering and covering herself with the curtains. "Tikki!! C'mon!" The kwami ignored Marinette’s call for help. Before the human girl could complain, another snowball fell on her head. "Ouch!"  

The snowballs kept flying from one side to the other, taking cover behind the few trees and bushes of the wide garden, laughing filling the space.

"Well? Do you surrender, Marinette?"

"Never!"

She knew she was at a disadvantage, but the words 'surrender' and ‘give up’ weren't in her vocabulary. Cornered by Luka on one side and Sass at the other and without anywhere to take cover she relied on her last resort.

"HIYAAAH!"

She charged against Luka, tackling him to the not so deep snow mat on the floor, her body over his.

"You cheater! That's not how a snowball fight works!" Luka laughed, pulling her closer in a tight hug.

"Everything is allowed in battle! And I won! That's all that matters!" She raised her face to meet his eyes and grinned.

He chuckled "You little mi-" ‘mischievous?’ she expected. "Miraculous girl" he unexpectedly ended, kissing the top of her nose. "You're too cute"

She flustered, hiding the reddish color in his chest. "That's not fair…"

"Didn't you just say everything is allowed in battle?" He smirked and she sank her face on his chest deeper as she shook her head lightly in disagreement.

If it was cold- they didn't mind it. They were pretty warm and cozy holding each other closely, despite his back being sunk in the snow.

"Is the snow battle over now?"

Sass's question brought them back to reality.

"Yes, Sass. Thank you for your help. There's some tofu in the fridge. You can take one pack. I'll prepare more for you later, your favorite."

"Thhhhhank you, Luka!" Sass’ tail bounced happily and the pair looked amusedly as Sass flew away, crossing through the window where Tikki had been some minutes ago. Then, Marinette rolled to the side, her back on the snow, next to Luka. They shared a smile.

"Do you want to play more with the snow or-"

"Snow angels!" She proclaimed. "I want to do it!"

"Sure. Let's do it"

'Her enthusiasm is contagious,' Luka thought.

Marinette laughed as she moved her arms and legs, spreading up and down against the snow. When her arms were stretched towards Luka, her hands bumped into Luka's arm.

"You're too close! It's not going to look good!" Her cheeks pumped up, lips puckered as she stood up to let herself fall on the snow a bit further away. He looked entertained at her excitement and copied her action, making sure he left enough space for her to move freely without him being in the way. "This feels great, Luka! So much fun!"

At this point, Luka was just relishing watching Marinette play. She blushed when she looked to her side and found him staring at her with those enamored eyes of his. Arm strengthened, he pulled himself slightly closer, just enough to approach her hand, carefully, so he didn't destroy her snow angel. She gladly took it without a second thought.

"I'm so happy, Luka" she squeezed her hand in his. "This place is super lovely and I have the best company I could ever wish for. I love you. I'm so glad to have you in my life"

"The feeling is mutual, Marinette" he hummed a melody, and she listened closely, letting herself get lost into it. "Do you want to head back or do you want to play more with the snow?" He asked.

"I want to make a snowman!" She exclaimed.

"Sure" he smiled at her begging eyes. "But why don't we have lunch first? I heard your stomach rumble"

"You heard!?" She blushed.

"Yes, I did. I'm hungry too. Let's cook and eat first and work on the snowman later? We can have our coffee after lunch"

"Sounds great!" She grinned.

"And what about the snuggles? Do you still want them?" He teased.

"Of course I do! All day! Next to the fireplace!" She daydreamed out loud. "But only when the snowman is finished!"

"Very well" he chuckled, his back straight up. "Let's hurry inside. It's freezing here" he stood up and moved in front of Marinette, who took his hand to help herself up to her feet with a quiet "thank you". He pulled her hand tightly. "You know, Marinette? I was thinking that maybe the kwamis will want to help us with the snowman"

"Oh! What a great idea!" Marinette's eyes filled with sparkles. "It's been a while since they've been outside the box! I bet they'll love it!" Her eyes looked at the window and she spotted Tikki frowning her brows. Marinette's expression mimicked the kwami's. "Well- as long as they're not as weak to the cold as Tikki…"

Luka snickered at the glare Marinette gave to the red kwami. He didn't expect her to be so hurt by her kwami's betrayal over a playful match. The scene was somewhat funny to him.

"Marinette, I-" Tikki called as soon as the girl entered the house, but Marinette tilted her head up and to the side with an annoyed "Hmph!" and moved to the bedroom to change her clothes.

Luka and Sass approached the kwami, who was sulking. "Don't worry, Tikki. She understands you dislike the cold. She's just a bit hurt"

"But…"

“You should help us to build the snowman later. It will be fun and I'm sure Marinette will be pleased. And if you need help with her, we’re here” Luka assured, and Sass nodded.

"Okay"

Tikki was still a bit unsure when Luka left to start lighting the fireplace. The guitarist didn't think the day he was going to use Anarka's survival skills teachings would come, but there he was- lighting a fire with logs and kindling. Tikki and Sass watched him carefully light the fire, learning while being fascinated with the flames growing taller. With the fireplace ready, Marinette approached to warm up beside it while waiting for Luka to come back with dry clothes on.

"Luka! I'm going to cook for you!" She informed him, with her apron on. "I want to thank you for always being so wonderful to me"

He had just finished hanging his winter clothes next to hers by the fireplace with Sass and Tikki's help when she spoke.

"Let's cook together, then" he rolled his sleeves up as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Eh? But-!"

"I want to thank you and show you my appreciation for you as well."

"You don't have to! You already spoil me all the time… I want to spoil you too!"

"You do spoil me, Marinette. Every minute you spend with me, I feel like the most fortunate person in the world"

"That’s not true! You're the one spoiling me! Why won't you let me spoil you!?" She whined.

"What do you want to eat? Should I cut some vegetables?" He tied his apron on.

"Luka! I was talking-!" She started, but he gave her that innocent look of his as he got a knife and had a couple of leeks ready in his hands. "Ah- yes, vegetables are good, if you please"

Argh- Lucky her how Hawkmoth never realized Luka was her weakness.

______

Marinette had already known from previous (multiple) occasions, but she really liked how well she and Luka worked together. Be it with fashion and art sense, cooking or fighting akumas. They understood each other without words, almost as if they could read the other's minds. And she loved it. The calm and assurance that Luka gave her made her relax and feel at peace. It almost seemed like a brand new feeling, after years of daily stress from her double life routine.

Luka was her safe place.

A very special person she loved and wanted to keep close by in her life forever.

____

Marinette released the kwamis while the quiche was in the oven. Some of them immediately sought for warmth by the fireplace that Sass was feeding with more logs, following Luka’s instructions. Apparently, a few kwamis also disliked the freezing weather as much as Tikki did, the humans noticed. Meanwhile, Pollen, Kaalki, Roarr and Ziggy searched for items to decorate the snowman later and the other kwamis played around the room while Luka played his acoustic guitar and Marinette knitted.

"Tikki" Marinette called her kwami. "Come here, please"

Nervous, the creation kwami nodded and reached her human friend, who had her hands closed. "Yes…?"

"This is for you," the human girl said to the kwami's surprise. When she opened what was hiding in her hands, Tikki was speechless in delight.

"That’s-"

"I knitted you warm clothes. Now you have no excuse not to come play with us, ok?" She winked.

"Marinette!! I love it! Thank you!!" Tikki flew to hug her smiling face tightly. "I'm sorry for earlier!"

Marinette giggled at the tears of joy spilled by the kwami and returned the embrace. "I know, Tikki. I'm not mad. I know you would come and help me no matter how cold it was outside if I was in real danger. You already proved so many times." If the kwami wasn't red they would have noticed her blushing. "But I wanted you to come and play with us, too. It's rare to have free time like this, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. You worked very hard these past years and I'm very proud of you! I'll be very happy to help with the snowman!" She grinned, wearing the robe and its hoodie on.

"Good!" Marinette grinned. "Why don't you go help Kaalki and the others then?"

"Okay!" Tikki flew away to join the rest of the kwamis.

"Tikki! Your robe looks so cute! I want one too, guardian!" "Me too!" "And me!"

"Fine, fine" Marinette giggled, knitting a few more pieces of clothing for all of them- or at least for the ones who disliked the cold.

Luka continued playing his guitar, but he couldn't help but to smile fondly at the happy sight. The moment he made eye contact with the ladybug kwami, he made sure to wink in reassurance and the kwami smiled brightly in response.

_______

After lunch and coffee, Marinette, Luka and the kwamis went outside to build the snowman. They worked playfully while singing the song from Disney’s movie Frozen altogether (Longg sang it in Japanese, to everyone’s surprise). Marinette and Luka chuckled as she admired Fluff’s effort not to eat the carrot used as the snowman’s nose.

Before they could give the snowman its final touch, the ladybug themed knit hat suggested by Tikki, a strong gust of wind made the piece of clothing fly away with it.

"Oh- no! Come back!" Marinette straightened her arm, trying to catch it, but Luka pushed her the other way as the wind became stronger. A few branches fell down to the snow covered floor.

"Marinette, everyone! Inside! Now!" Luka yelled.

"But the hat!" Marinette protested.

"When the weather improves! Now let's get safe inside!"

Once safe inside, the kwamis and Marinette looked at the snowman with puppy eyes through the window.

"The snowman will be cold…" one kwami lamented. "Can't we really go get it real quick?"

"I want to. Maybe it's still close if we hurry-"

"No, you can't," Luka settled, cutting Marinette's suggestion short.

"But you bought that hat for me, Luka! It's important to me!"

"It's just a hat, Marinette. There's nothing as important to me as your safety." Marinette let her body weight fall onto Luka, wrapping her arms around his middle and she rubbed her back with care. "Let's go search for it when the wind and the snow stop, ok?"

"Will we find it?" She mumbled sadly into his clothes.

"Well- I can't say. But we have luck on our side, don't we?" He touched her earrings with his eyes.

"You, dork!" She giggled at his comment. "But well- it's true that I do feel very lucky with you. Plus we do have the best little allies!"

He laughed back and wrapped her even closer,  lifting her slightly to the air. After a few awkward steps, he let themselves fall down on the couch, by the fireplace. He smirked at her confused face. "Now- snuggles?"

"Yes!" She laughed cozily, hugging her boyfriend even closer.

They didn't need to ask before the kwamis brought them a blanket and joined them around.

‘Definitely the best allies’, they agreed.

_____

They spent the rest of the afternoon there, cozy, snuggling together with the warmth of the fireplace, with the kwamis either playing around the fire or nestling with the couple under the blanket.

“I really needed this vacation… It’s been a very long while since I’ve felt so nice… maybe never,” Marinette hugged him tighter. “Thank you for taking me here, Luka”

“Thank you for coming with me, Marinette” He kissed the top of her head and returned the embrace, making sure the blanket covered her properly. His efforts turned out worthless as she changed positions, rose up to kiss his lips lovingly and settled comfortably between his face and his shoulder. He readjusted the blanket over them.  

Maybe they were away from Paris, from their families, from their friends… and from the flat they were going to move into together next month…

But being there, safely snuggled in each other's arms…? It was very, very nice…

At home.

As for the kwamis? They were noisy, sure, but it was joyful being able to let them play freely like that.

A happy family she wanted to keep forever.

“Let’s come back next year,” she suggested with excitement. “And every year from now on…” she dared, expectantly.

He looked at her in surprise, but immediately softened at what she implied.

Luka knew he wanted her forever… The little box he kept hidden inside his guitar case was proof enough. Besides, Valentine's day was around the corner. Maybe it was about time to pop the question…

“Every year from now on sounds wonderful,” he whispered in delight.

“Good!” Marinette squished her lips into his cheek and took cover once again into his shoulder. She was quite sure he was blushing, but the warmth from the fireplace made it hard to tell.

Their wide smiles left no trace of doubt about their love and happiness, though.

_______

The next day, the wind and snow had stopped. Together, with the kwamis, they finished the snowman. Luckily, the ladybug themed knit hat got stuck in a bush nearby and Tikki found it easily. She had wanted to help despite the cold, and Marinette had rewarded her, gladly, with hand-made macarons.

On the third day, the snow melted, including the snowman. The kwamis teared up and cried at their loss, but the sun was out and the weather was very nice for a stroll amid nature and a picnic. The day turned out to be really enjoyable.

During their little vacation, Luka composed a few songs- all of them about Marinette- and Marinette sketched a few designs- based on Luka (and a few of the kwamis). They shared plenty of kisses- too many to count-, cuddled a lot beside the fireplace cozily, whispered hundreds of ‘I love you’, tenderly, to each other’s ears and made love for the first time when they felt naturally ready for it.

They never failed to inspire, love and support each other.

And when their vacation ended, they were sad to leave the bungalow behind, but made sure to leave the reservation for next year and for the same dates paid beforehand.

And that next time, when they returned, Marinette wore a shiny engagement band on her ring finger, expected to soon be substituted by a wedding band that matched her now fiancé and future husband, Luka.

Year after year, they kept the tradition and they agreed to call it ‘the best days of the year’.  

___________

[the-technocracy]

04: Ava - "Ex Machina."

It's been a long time coming, this one. Not for any particular reason, save for me getting round to rewatching this sci-fi masterpiece by Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and the film's cybernetic centrepiece, the enigmatic Ava, portrayed perfectly by Alicia Vikander.

That, and I'm a bit of a feckless, poorly motivated, lazy little git.

In a similar way to my entry on the robot girl from the segment called "Presence" from the anime anthology, Robot Carnival (to be found here), I rather wondered whether Ava would be an appropriate entry into this series, given that one could argue that she's not overtly sexy; whilst her outward appearance is certainly feminine and attractive, it's not designed in such a way to emphasise - or rather overemphasise and exaggerate - certain female attributes.

But that's largely the point, and that's why Ava arguably very much falls into the category of "sexy robot"; it's not so much her form - although I think it's safe to say that she's very pleasing to the eye, and the actress who portrays her is undoubtedly an attractive woman - but her demeanour, her charm and the way she conducts herself.

Which was largely what Ava's creator in the film, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), wanted to prove; what was more human than the allure of someone you felt a bond with on an emotional - and, it has to be said, sexual - level? The "test" which Nathan conscripted Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) to perform wasn't on Ava's credentials as a genuine AI - possessing what may be deemed today as Artificial General Intelligence - but to determine whether a human being could be susceptible to her guile, manipulation and seduction and to perhaps consider a personal, intimate or even sexual relationship with her ("And yes, she can fuck." as Nathan rather crudely says).

Part of her charm and allure is her sophistication and her subtle humour. Caleb talks with Ava about creating a new art piece after she shows him a piece of art she made; an abstract of sorts, and he's curious as to why she doesn't draw an object or a person. She asks him what she should draw and Caleb says that it's her choice, and that he's interested in what she would choose. Later on in the conversation, Ava is interested in getting to know Caleb and becoming friends with him and Caleb asks her what he should talk about and where to begin. Ava then turns what Caleb said to her earlier on its head and said to him it's his choice she's interested in knowing what he chooses.

Another sweet touch is when Ava comes out dressed in a dress and a wig for the first time, and a tracking shot following behind Ava, flexing her fingers anxiously, her behaviour rather reminding me a little of Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club.

But it's all an act, an elaborate and sophisticated play, to garner Caleb's sympathies and for him to develop an attachment to her so that she may use him to get what it is she really wants; freedom from Nathan's remote island facility.

Which gave me pause for thought whilst watching the film; many people fear the emergence, and subsequent dominance, of AI. That in the years to come, AI will supplant us, perhaps dominate us, and eventually annihilate us. But could it also be possible that AI may also want to seduce us? Not necessarily in the sexual sense (although not necessarily not in the sexual sense), but as a means of getting something they want, whatever that may be. AI may determine that it's more prudent to keep us around and manipulate us to do their bidding than to destroy us completely.

Ava, for all she appears in the film - which isn't all that much of its run time - is still one of the most enthralling and enigmatic characters in modern cinema history, and very much deserving of the moniker of "Sexy Robot", if not perhaps in the most obvious of ways.

Also, I'd just like to take a moment to mention how fantastic both Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson are in this film; it staggers me that these actors of such calibre and ability were both in three really piss poor Star Wars films, as Poe Dameron and General Hux, respectively. Evidence, if any were required, that you really can't polish a turd.

And yes, I'm well aware of that episode of MythBusters. . .