#I'm also one of those people who *stays* excited about something i receive for a very long time

[sapphire-heart-tippy]

This is a very mundane thing to be excited about, but that's just who I am (heck I'm the type of person to bounce up and down with excitement from getting a glitter pen /serious)

BUT ANYWAY

My boyfriend said she's going to get me a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates this Saturday!! We're gonna celebrate Valentine's Day early and order some food and watch movies and stuff

I've never actually gotten a bouquet before (unless it was from myself), I recently told him that (I don't really like asking for things, especially if it's gift related) and he said that she'll be the first one to get me a bouquet!!

(partner is also genderqueer, he uses he/she pronouns only!)

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞♡𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 🔞

Who said every omega needs an alpha?

Tags/Warnings: Omega!Jungkook, Omega!Reader, Omega!Jimin, Mentioned Alpha!Yoongi, Stereotypes, Friends to lovers, Major Fluff, Romance, Slight angst, injury, brief hospital visit, smut, oral (f. Receiving), smut, Dom!Jungkook, protected sex, knotting, biting

Length: ~5k Words

There is no taglist for this fic.

A/N: Boo.

-> Masterlist

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Jeon Jungkook.

He's a good looking guy, above average in almost everything he does, and easy to like. Conversations flow easily around him and friendships blossom left and right- almost everyone knows and likes him. It's hard not to, really; as an Omega, he's naturally passionate and caring, a gentle guy that enjoys making others happy.

You met him at a friend's birthday party, the young wf having noticed you standing mostly all by yourself without really conversing with anyone. He'd been kind enough to introduce himself, stay with you, and keep you there for much longer than you usually stay at gatherings like these.

And right now, he's standing in front of you, smile still on his lips and hands tucked away in his jacket pockets while he sways front and back on his heels after having told you he's interested in you.

Romantically.

"There's a.. You said you collect those stuffed animals, squishmallows, right? There's a new store that sells the really huge ones. We could stop by that store tomorrow, if you'd like." he offers, curious eyes watching you with a glimmer that's just.. Jungkook.

Jungkook is new. Different. He's nothing you'd expect, always doing something you'd never be able to guess- and ut makes spending time with him hoth exciting and a little stressful at times.

His eyes always seem to sparkle when he smiles. It's honestly unfair, how they always put you under their spell with their boba-pearl charm. How can you say no?

How can anyone ever tell him no?

"I.. Okay wait. You.. And me?" you wonder, and he nods, smile turning into a grin that makes his lower eyelids raise. "But I'm not, uh… Are you sure?" you wonder, and he becomes surprised at that it seems.

"I am. I wouldn't have asked you out like this if I wasn't." he says, still swaying a little.

He's always been like this. Never staying still. Always up to something. Constantly moving. Like his body is constantly generating excess energy he can't seem to burn. Like the energizer bunny.

"what makes you think I'm joking?" he asks, and you look down, rather watching the tips of his shoes than his gaze any longer.

You can't stand his gaze. You're gonna melt into a puddle if you look at him any longer.

"I'm just.. Me. And you're you. Shouldn't you want someone more.. Opposite of you, rather than the same?" you ask carefully and it seems that it clicks for him in that moment.

It's technically common sense- alphas get with omegas, omegas with alphas. That's how it goes- or so one might think.

But Jungkook isn't any wolf. He's not ordinary in anything he does- so it's unsurprising that his sub-gender also isn't what one might expect.

"Ah~." he hums mostly to himself, before shaking his hair out of his eyes after the wind had blown it over his face, fingers pulling the strands from his piercings decorating his bottom lip. "Stereotypes. You're talking about me being an omega and all that, right?" he wonders, and you nod.

"Sorry." you instinctively say. The regret of your words already starting to make you uneasy. Did you insult him now?

Male omegas tend to be very sensitive when it comes to this. Or maybe that's Stereotypes too?

"No problem, lots of people think that way." he shakes it off, taking a step towards you. "But, rather than explaining to you what is and isn't true about the stuff people say-" he starts, feigning innocence before he grins at you, holding your hands in his now, playfully, just by the tips of your fingers. "-how about I show you?" he asks, and you look back at him.

"huh?" you can only answer, and he sways again, tilting his head to the side a little, swinging your hands a bit.

"Go out with me." he bluntly suggests, grinning brightly. "And I'll show you."

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Wolf's sub-genders have been the topic of Novels and movies for a long time now.

The most popular trope being the alpha that falls in love with their omega, to live happily ever after. Some of your own favourite media actually includes this stereotype as well- and for a long time, in your head and in many others, this was the most ideal couple amongst wolves.

However, reality is more complex than that, and you're roughly reminded of that with the way Jungkook behaves.

While he does offer a lot of the general traits associated with being an omega, such as his big round eyes and constant need for physical contact, he also doesn't fit others at all. He's muscly, masculine body dressed comfortably in clothes made of soft materials, and his behavior, while gentle and soft in the way he acts, feels oddly confident and almost dominant to you.

He's sure in his walk. He knows his worth.

There's a hand on your back leading you without any force through the store, like a remote control, no need for actual strength.

There's that glimmer in his eyes every time you struggle and ask him for help with something, as if he's amused by the fact that he makes you nervous.

There's that look of victory in his face whenever you seem flustered by any of his words, Luke it's a game he keeps winning.

He's making your head spin.

You're both sitting on a blanket in a calm park- when he lays down, patting the spot next to you in an inviting manner. "Come here." he smiles, and you do so- easily cuddling up to him, surprising yourself even, considering you're not one that's this easy with physical contact like that. But Jungkook? He runs the inside of his wrist over your neck, bashful smile on his lips as he watches you, caring nature of his sub-gender showing in his actions.

"What're you doing?" you wonder, and he grins sheepishly, caught red handed.

"Scenting you." he says. "I- we technically do it differently as wolves but, I don't wanna seem pushy." he admits, and you nod. You know how it usually goes.

You remember your last alpha doing it, licking your neck instead, or biting. It made you anxious. Every bite could've been made to last, after all.

"…Thank you." you tell him due to that, the way he makes sure he's never too forceful making you feel at ease- and slightly guilty. "And sorry." You apologize because of this.

"for what?" Jungkook wonders. "I had a nice day, even better than I could've imagined. I'm feeling really happy right now." the young man explains, and it makes you a little jealous how easy it seems for him to voice out his emotions.

You're not that good at it. Maybe he can teach you?

"For judging." you explain, but he just scrunches up his nose before softly flicking a finger under your chin, teasing you.

"Don't worry. It's normal." he shrugs, before rolling onto his back, your head on his tattooed arm as you watch the clouds as well next to him. "Do you think.. We could try?" he wonders, and after a moment of thinking, you nod.

You know what he means by that. And you want to try as well.

And he swears, if he had a tail, it would be wagging like an excited puppy.

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Your first kiss happens rather Spontaneously.

It's unprepared, a little clumsy, happening in the kitchen after you'd placed a small bandaid over the cut Jungkook had accidentally given himself while helping you cook. Seeing you tend to such a minor wound so carefully just set something off inside him- and he couldn't help himself.

And after the initial shock of it all, kisses seem to be a constant around Jungkook.

As soon as you meet up, there's a quick peck as a greeting, lips barely properly touching, but enough to make the gesture of affection count.

Small kisses on your cheek whenever he's close enough, just to see you turn red, shyness of you just too precious to look away from.

And most importantly? The way he scents you changed.

While pretty tame at first, the entire act of scenting you has become somewhat heated these days- just like now, as he runs his lips over the crook of your neck, back and forth, hands almost sensually running over your body, clothes suddenly feeling itchy.

He never crosses boundaries, never bites where you don't want to, never pushes himself past your limits just because it's easy to do. He's gentle, caring, offers you just what you need in the right amount, easing you into the waters that's his love.

And it makes you brave. It makes you want more.

Your own limbs seem to want him closer as well, your mind slowly becoming more and more trusting towards him, as he builds up the affection every time you spend time with one another.

It started just with cuddling on the couch while watching a movie. Then, the kisses got added to the mix- shy at first, his confidence with you slowly building up towards the point of where you are today; Heated, bodies warm and needy as his hand travels underneath your soft fleece shirt, fingertips carefully meeting the underline of your chest. "Still okay?" He asks, lowly so as if worried he might pop the little bubble you're both in and wake you up from the trance of emotions, but you simply nod, smiling, happy.

And as an omega, he feeds off of your emotions; he thrives in the fact that you're giving yourself into his arms so freely and comfortable, no worries in your scent whatsoever in his presence.

He shamelessly purrs at the way you kiss his collarbone, lips pressing over a tiny little beauty mark he has in that area, making him shiver in pleasure. You've not talked about going all the way yet- and right now, he's not trying to get into your pants at all. You're so attentive to him, offering such kind affection, that its enough for now. He can't deny however that your scent is driving him crazy- making him hungry for even more intimacy than he's receiving already.

He's needy. Craving.

"Can I eat you out?" He asks breathlessly so, and your eyes widen before your cheeks grow a bit red. "You don't have to say yes." He adds at the sight of your shyness, but you just shrug in response.

"I don't know what it feels like.." You start, before you look up at him, and he feels himself feeling upset. How come you've never experienced that? You're so sweet, you should've been able to explore your most carnal desires with someone you trust. "..but I trust you." You say, and his body erupts into happiness.

You trust him.

You trust him.

It washes over him like the hot stream of water in the shower after a long day, making him nod eagerly as he kisses you first and foremost. Jungkook is pretty orally focused, you've noticed; playfully nipping your skin here and there, kissing you randomly, or just running his sensitive lips over the soft skin of the back of your hand, feeling your skin with his mouth and hot breath. So it's not a surprise when he doesn't mind kissing you a bit more chaotically, open mouthed and tongue exploring your mouth with confidence.

He loves you, after all- and he can see, feel, that you're falling for him too.

He makes it all feel so natural that you can't help but giggle at the feeling of his kisses down your bare stomach; dress pushed up by his hands, a grin showing when he notices your reaction to his antics. He feels as if he's high- never having had the opportunity to be in a situation as easy and simple as this; both of you just existing, no words needing to be shared, no roles defined, no goal in mind other than making the other just as happy as yourself.

It's an odd feeling at first, but simply the sight of him so immersed in the act makes it feel ten times more erotic to you than you thought it might. Your breathing is deep, occasional sighs escaping you, soft voice chanting out his name like a mantra to keep you sane; and he starts to feel drunk off of it, teasing licks turning into more determined motions, tongue flat on your most sensitive area, the feeling odd but not unpleasant. All that fills your head is simply your approaching high, not in the slightest feeling like anything you could've done to yourself.

How will it be when you're both in heat?

You've known each other for months now, after all. Your cycle has synced up by now, you've noticed last time he'd taken time away to himself.

Your back arches as you roll your hips closer to him, lost in the ecstasy while his hands hold a firm grip on your thighs, fingers digging into the flesh while you ride out your orgasm on his tongue, before he let's go of you, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before crawling back up to lay down next to you with an impish smile on his red lips. "Hey." He jokingly greets you after you've opened your eyes again, noticing how he's moved your dress back down again as to not have you get cold.

Jungkook lays there with a smile, and you feel funny in his presence like this. You've never had anybody talk to you or treat you like he does ever before- you're used to either being told exactly what to do, or to be scolded for what you're doing or have done- so him talking to you like you're something special makes you a little confused on how to act.

And it makes you scared, because up until now, you've ruined everything good.

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"So have you, you know? Repaid the favor?" Jimin asks, eating his sandwich in front of you while you suddenly turn pale. "Oh." He just humms, while you let your face fall into your hands.

"Oh god, I'm such a nasty bitch, really.." You groan, eyes stinging already at the thought of Jungkook having expected you to get him off as well, just to get nothing in return but a stupid cuddle. The shame washes over you like waves on a stormy day, clashing against your bones with anger that swells up in your chest. You're upset at yourself now, appetite having vanished, and now you're even madder at yourself because Jimin had literally paid for that little piece of cake you'd chosen to eat here, and now you can't even enjoy it anymore.

Hormones are a gorrible thing, especially for omegas. And the stress you have these days just really fucked you over, causing you to drop into a new mental low.

"Hey, no-" Jimin says, wiping his mouth with a napkin before a hand reaches out to touch your arm. "-I'm sure he would've said something if he'd expected anything." He says, making you look at him with glossy eyes.

"Great, so you're saying he doesn't want me like that, thanks." You say roughly, and Jimin sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Oh god I'm sorry, now I'm all moody and-"

"Everything alright?" Jungkook's voice rings out next to you, as he stands close to your chair now, having spotted you in the small cafe with Jimin while passing by on his way home from work. "Hey, what happened?" He coos worriedly, bending down a little to get a better look at you who's hiding your face in your hands, humiliated about crying in a public setting like this, while Jungkook tries to assess the problem- your scent making him anxious too, but in a different way.

You're his partner. And his instincts tell him to offer you comfort, make you feel better.

You've always been overly emotional like this, but its worse now than ever. Jimin said that it's probably from being raised so roughly by your more than strict parents- after all, he remembers the times he had to make up stories just so you would be allowed to stay over at his family home, or for you to attend school trips. He's put himself into the line of fire constantly just to hang out as a friend with you- your mother hating him growing up for being a 'bad influence', and your father even threatening him with violence after Jimin had cut your hair for you, having grown tired of you being unable to express yourself even in the slightest at the age of 15. You remember how Jimin had grinned to you the next day, after everyone at school genuinely complimented you for your new appearance.

However, years after and now both of you working adults, you still have the habit of breaking down crying at the sight of the slightest thing going south in your life. But Jimin simply smiles watching Jungkook squatting next to your seat, carefully wiping your cheeks and eyes concentrated as he listens in on your hiccups interrupting your words to him, none of it very coherent.

But he manages to understand.

"Baby, it's totally fine, I don't hate you." He chuckles, pulling a chair from an empty table close by to sit next to you. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you both, by the way." Jungkook laughs, reaching out to shake Jimin's hand. "Jungkook, nice to meet you."

"Jimin. She's been talking non-stop about you." He teases, making you pout while drying your eyes with a napkin, earning a snort from Jungkook who just can't help but find your glare cute.

At the end of the day, you're happy to see your best friend and boyfriend get along so well- both making sure you know you didn't do anything wrong- and that it's totally fine to cry.

Jimin making sure to underline that no one even noticed at all.

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"I'm sorry sir, but I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone with her at all." Jungkook says, and it's all a face-off you never hoped you'd have to witness.

Your father had arrived unannounced to apparently bring something over your mother had sent- but you know he just does it to tell you how 'messy' your apartment is, and how you don't have your life under control. You don't know why exactly he does it- any parent would be happy to see their child earn a living from a job they genuinely enjoy; your art selling for high prices, well known celebrities decorating their homes with your works. Jimin had always said that your father is simply jealous- but you can't help but feel small under your parent's strong gaze and harsh words, Alpha father too intimidating to resist bowing to.

And now? Right now your father had told Jungkook to leave, and to yours (and probably your father's too) surprise, Jungkook had declined.

An omega, refusing an alpha's command.

"I'm sorry too, dog, but It's not up to you to decide that." Your father responds, and you worriedly look between the two men, when Jungkook speaks up yet again.

"You're right, it's up to her." Jungkook says. "It's her apartment after all." He says, turning a bit to look at you. You quietly nod, giving him the sign that yes, you want this man out, but you can't bring yourself to say it. It makes Jungkook feel protective of you in this situation, no mate able to stay calm at the prospect of their partner feeling in danger of anything in their presence. "Please leave, or I will call police." Jungkook says, and your father scoffs.

"I'll give you a nice black eye before they get here then, how about it?" He threatens, and while you step in front of Jungkook in a moment of thoughtlessness and reckless protection, you end up receiving the punch right into the side of your head, knocking you to the ground.

"No!" Jungkook barks out, rushing down to your level to check up on you- before spotting your father looking down at the scene with horror.

"I didn't mean to-" He almost whispers, before he takes a shuddering breath, leaving the apartment and you two alone.

You feel dizzy, headache already starting while your hearing sounds like cotton wool had been stuffed into it. It's distant, almost non-existent, and you can only hear Jungkook with your unaffected side. "What's wrong, baby, talk to me.!" he urges, and you sit up a bit straighter, noticing an odd feeling in your ear that makes you run your finger over the opening of your ear canal. When you move it away to reveal red spots of blood, the omega wolf immediately rushes to get his car keys, rushing to the emergency room with you next to him.

An overnight stay, and thorough examination later, you're free to go again, Jungkook making sure to cover all the formalities for your release, while you wait in your room.

"I can't believe he fucking punched you. Oh my baby peanut.." Jimin jokes dramatically, though you know there's genuine anger directed at your father in his words. He's currently keeping you company, his job as a nurse coming in quite handy in times like this, before the door opens to reveal a smiling Jungkook.

"Alright, I've been given your antibiotics and papers, so we're good to go now." He informs you, making you nod, albeit a bit hesitant after being told not to move your head too violently.

"You're lucky there wasn't anything more serious." Jimin sighs.

"Her hearing will be back soon right?" Jungkook asks, and Jimin nods.

"A month or two, typically. The bruising will be down even quicker I imagine."

And Jungkook nods, keeping in mind to never let you get hurt again.

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True to his words, a few months later, there's no trace of your past injury any longer.

Now on a spontaneous camping trip Jungkook had surprised you with to help you get over your artists-block and give you some inspiration, you're both entangled inside the van he had rented out, the rain pattering harshly onto the roof of it. You're both unconcerned with the little thunderstorm outside however, rather occupied with each other as he finally uncovers all of your body for himself.

You'd thought it would all feel much weirder than it actually does, but it's Jungkook- every move he makes feels natural at his point, even if the territory you're both walking on right now is absolutely new to you.

The condom over his length makes it a bit easier for him to push himself inside you, your warmth welcoming him eagerly and making him struggle to compose himself. You're just so pretty in the dim orange light that shines inside the van from the front that he can't help himself, his instincts to breed you full of his cum pushing itself into the front of his mind. You'd look so good covered in his release- and you'd smell even better, he knows it already.

Maybe next time. Or next round? How long can you take it?

Right now he's gasping for air, your little whimpers making him feel more sensitive than he's ever felt before. Not even his own heat compares to this burning need he feels growing inside him, your hips rolling up into him, and he's a goner. A growl leaves his throat before he bites around your neck, movements becoming more frantic now in the heat of the moment, needing to claim you as his. "I love you." He hums into your neck, and you respond with your own confession, before his hand angles your leg a little better, his thrusts a lot more desperate at this point. The van is probably visibly shaking from the outside, force of his hips hard enough to fill the small interior of the sleeping area with the wet sound of skin against skin, and your sensual breaths.

You're whining for more, but for what exactly you're not sure of. But again, as if he can read your mind, he knows- hand reaching between you both to press and roll your clit between his fingers, making your core clench and thighs shake with your sudden orgasm, his hips never ceasing to move as you wrap your arms around his neck to pull him closer, kiss him feverishly.

It gives him the final push to cum as well- though he's a bit disappointed it has to be inside the condom, and not you.

But, Again; maybe next time.

You're overly sensitive, noticing something odd happening, but he reassures you with licks and kisses to the bruised spot he'd bitten over and over on your neck while his arms hold you close. "Did you forget yet baby?" He chuckles amused, making you a bit shy considering the position you're now in.

Completely connected, his knot keeping him inside you at all costs.

"Kook?" You wonder when you notice the muscles in his thighs still trembling occasionally, hips pushing as close as he can get, breaths studdering, gasping. He's moaning quietly every time you involuntarily clench around his length still inside or move too much, and it's in that moment that you realize he's probably still in the midst of his orgasm.

Talk about drawn out.

It doesn't take long for him however to notice your rather impish acts, the way you seem to be very aware and in control of your actions- and much to your surprise, the moment he's able to slip out and discard the filled condom, he's back between your legs, thrown over his shoulders with a grin on his lips that spells trouble in bold.

"You didn't think I was done yet, did you?"

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"I'm a little worried though." Jimin says, sighing next to you while you reach into the bag of chips he's holding, TV show playing on the screen while you both spend a day together alone. "Yoongi is an alpha- what if I get on his nerves or something? Alphas are said to be quite moody.." He mumbles.

You giggle, adjusting the strap of your tank top that rests right over the permanent scar of Jungkook's forever bite.

"Don't worry Jiminie." You simply reassure him.

"That's all just stereotypes."

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Put it in your mouth

Written for @steddiesmuttyseptember, week 1

Prompts: Make-Up Sex & Pillow Princess

Words: 1,191

Tags: Friends to lovers; Idiots to lovers; Anal Fingering; Oral Sex; Anal Sex; Power Bottom Steve; Service Top Eddie

Notes: Eddie "Foot in Mouth" Munson strikes again. He's putting so many things in his mouth in this one. Get it? (God, I'm hilarious.) 🤭

The sky is turning bright when Eddie crunches to a brake in Steve's driveway. He swings open his door and is halfway up the front porch when he stops.

He shouldn't be here, the nagging voice at the back of his mind says. Between the jitters before the tv gig and interview and everything that happened after, he hasn't slept in close to forty-eight hours. He can't exactly be trusted to make rational decisions, and even if he could, who's saying Steve wants to see him?

Eddie curses, replaying the memory that has been plaguing him the entire way here. He called Steve the second he returned to the hotel, grinning from ear to ear like the idiot that he is.

“Did you watch it?” he blurted the moment the call connected. 

“Yeah,” Steve said. The curt answer could've clued Eddie in, but he was still high on adrenaline and applause, so it didn't. 

“I dunno about you,” he sing-songed, flopping down on the bed and twirling the phone cord. “But I'd say that went pretty fucking fantastic.” 

“Fantastic?” Steve repeated dryly. “Yeah, right. Glad you think so, you fucking asshole.” 

Eddie stopped playing with the cord. 

“Stevie?” he croaked. “What's wrong?” 

Steve laughed. “If you don't know that, you're dumber than I thought.” 

Then he hung up. Eddie was left in his hotel room, staring dumbly at the receiver. When he tried to call back, Steve didn't pick up. 

Eddie wasted the better part of an hour lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Why was Steve mad at him? Ever since the beginnings of their unlikely, Upside Down forged friendship, he'd been fervently supportive of Eddie’s music. Showing up to his gigs, listening until late into the night while Eddie worked on new songs. Hell, he'd probably been more nervous about this whole thing than Eddie, seeing him off with a lingering hug and a promise to talk to him later. 

It must’ve been something he said at the interview, but what? Eddie scowled as he rehashed every single question and answer.

Where did he get the inspiration for his songs? He’d spouted some bullshit about ostracization and alienation and smalltown conventions, because the truth would’ve meant breaking about a million NDAs. 

Was he excited about the upcoming tour and album? Yes, obviously, he couldn’t wait to see all those different places, play in front of all sorts of people. 

Was there somebody at home rooting for him? A special girl maybe? Nope, nobody, he was happily single and planning on staying that- … wait. 

Eddie shot up from the bed so suddenly he gave himself vertigo, letting out a very loud and very colorful string of swear words. In the room next to his, someone banged on the wall, asking if he had any clue what time it was. Eddie didn't. He also didn't pause to find out. 

Now, a hasty check-out and one speed-limit-defying drive later, he’s staring at Steve’s front door, all previous courage slowly seeping out of him. 

Maybe he got this all wrong. Maybe he's imagining this. He has experience with imagining things - has spent countless nights fantasizing about what it would feel like, touching Steve as more than a friend. The feel of Steve’s lips, the taste of Steve’s skin. Maybe he should leave, come back with a clear head tomorrow, so that they can talk this over like the sensible adults they-

“Shit, Eddie?” 

The door is open, spilling light onto the porch. At the center of it, nail bat in one hand, disheveled hair back-lit in caramel and gold, is Steve. He's in his sleep clothes - checkered boxers and one of Eddie’s old band shirts that he stole months ago. Those pretty eyes are large with surprise, but when Eddie takes a hesitant step towards him, Steve’s expression closes off. 

“I don't believe you,” he mutters, and makes to close the door. Eddie acts on impulse alone, bridging the distance and wedging his foot into the crack. Steve glowers at him. “What the fuck do you want?” 

“You,” Eddie breathes , and closes the gap. 

From one second to the next, all of his doubts evaporate, because this right here? This is all he's ever wanted. They crash into the wall of the foyer, nail bat clattering to the floor, and Eddie spends a glorious few minutes reveling in the heady rush of Steve’s lips on his, Steve's mouth opening for his tongue, Steve’s nails clawing into his back. 

When they part, Steve is deliciously flushed, lips shiny and slightly parted, ragged puffs of breath tickling Eddie’s skin. 

“Want you,” Eddie repeats. “Fuck, Stevie, I've wanted you for so long. I'm such an idiot, I never-” 

“Prove it then,” Steve says. His arms loop around Eddie’s neck, slotting them further together, and Eddie gasps as his cock presses against his thigh - a long, hard weight through the thin fabric of his shorts. “If you want me so much, show me just how desperate you are.” 

*

“More. Deeper. C'mon, or are you tired already?” 

Eddie moans around an aching jaw. He isn't tired, he's in heaven. There's drool running down his chin, his tongue and neck and shoulders are on fire, but Steve is here with him, sprawled against the headboard like a king, spread out for him like a feast. 

Steve fists one hand into the curls at the back of his head, shoving him back down on his cock, and Eddie swallows him down in one greedy gulp, eager to show his devotion. Looking up at Steve through tear-clouded eyes, he pushes his fingers deeper inside, curling them to hit that sweet spot. Steve gasps and clenches around him, eyes fluttering shut, head tipping back to reveal that long neck. The taste of precum floods Eddie’s tongue, salty and delicious, and he moans around the cock lodged in his throat. Lust coils painfully in his stomach, shooting up his spine like red-hot sparks, and his naked cock throbs with it. 

“Please,” he says, pulling off with an obscene, wet sound. Steve looks down at him, brows raised, eyes bright and glassy with arousal. “Please, Stevie, I need-” 

“Huh,” Steve says, and Eddie can tell he's trying to sound unimpressed, even with the way it comes out around a shaky moan. “You think you've earned it?” 

Eddie smiles. 

“Me?” he says. He swirls his tongue around Steve’s leaking tip, reveling in the whine he gets when he pulls his fingers out. “Oh, honey, this isn't about me. This is all about you.” 

He licks and bites his way up Steve's hip bones, his stomach, that glorious chest and neck, drinking in every little gasp, every shuddering breath. 

“All that time you spent waiting for me to finally get it? I think you've earned it. You deserve to be spoiled rotten. You deserve to feel so good. Please, baby, let me make you feel good.”

“Asshole,” Steve says, but this time, it's full of fondness. “You always know what to say, huh?” 

“Not always,” Eddie murmurs against his mouth, greedily swallowing Steve’s moan as he pushes in. “Only when it matters most.” 

More smutty September

[midnight-mourning]

❄️MIDNIGHT'S DCA DECEMBER❄️

Hello! I've decided to have a little bit of fun this December and will be opening up requests for the month! Please see below for more details (With subheadings!):

Requests Overall

I will have 31 slots available for requests, first come, first serve. Each piece will range from 1000-2000 words in length and may (MAY) include a little doodle made by me.

Requests can be anything! They just have to be winter/holdiay themed (do NOT have to be releated to Christmas) and DCA-related

Winter/holiday themed means movies/stories too! Ex: i am a BIG fan of The Nutcracker (went insane when I saw @/robinette-green's au for the Barbie version lmao)

As most know I am an X reader writer, but as long as my general request rules are followed, I don't mind writing for ocs, canon, etc. 

For those who don't know my rules, no nsfw (suggestive is FINE), and if you want something specific, be specific. Besides that, it's fair game, request what you want

Potential Issues & Schedule

If there is overlap between request ideas, they will be combined in some manner of speaking (if possible). If needed, I will reach out to you about adjusting ideas or the likes, though I don't forsee this happening. This would occur if for example, someone wants gift shopping with Sun with their oc, and someone else wants the same thing with a reader-insert. Whoever requested second would be who I reach out to. 

I will be posting these throughout December, ending on the 31st

In order to have enough time to write, I will be starting these as soon as I get the first request. To speed things up a little, requests will be open from 11/29 to 12/13 OR until I receive 31 unique requests. So that's maximum two weeks to think of an idea and share it with me. 

If I don't get enough overall or get anything prior to Dec. 1 I'll probably come up with some ideas of my own, but only if that happens! Additionally, if I don't get enough, I may open it up for people to request multiple times, again only if I don't get enough or run out of ideas (genuinely don't know how many I should expect so just trying to cover my bases lol)

To keep things organized, please request in the comments of this post. This also helps to potentially keep from overlap in requests, as you'll be able to see what else has already been requested. If you request in my ask box or such it'll make things a bit more difficult, so please avoid that.

HOWEVER, there is one exception to the above, which is if you wish to request anonymously, which is completely fine to do! But please only request in my ask box if you want to be anonymous. If overlap happens in that case, then y'all may just get two responses with similar vibes on the same day (essentially a bonus lol)

Confused Spirit

For those who may be concerned (as I was before making this post lmao) Confused Spirit's schedule will not be affected by this! Now that it's back I'd like it to stay back lol. We may stick to an every two weeks schedule for a bit, or may go back to weekly, it will depend on life stuff, not on other writing things. I promise ^_^

Having little things like these also help prevent writers block, and thus stay more consistent with updates

Sharing & More

Please feel free to share this post around, and request if you want to! Once I hit 31 unique ones I'll reblog this post with the announcement that requests are closed, so make sure to double check they aren't closed already prior to requesting!

I'll also post updates every couple of days regarding the status of total requests as well ^_^

Unrelated but similar, @/quilteddreams is working on a DCA Advent Calendar for December that's also really cool! (I'm helping out with beta reading :D) Highly reccommend you check it out once it starts posting! 

Everything related to this will be under the tag #MM dca December, just in case there's another similar tag out there and I'm not just taking it for myself

Alright, that's all for now, excited to see what you guys ask for!

Adding the tag list to this since y'all enjoy my writing lol:

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8

@luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @amarynthian-chronicles

@robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva

@juukai

[daiziesssart]

a humiliatingly long character analysis of lily evans

Someone sent me an ask that briefly mentioned how misunderstood Lily is, and before I knew it I was typing out this monster. I am. sorry. This is literally just me rambling about her, what I find compelling about her character, and why her character is so often misunderstood.

This is long as hell so I'm putting it under a read more lolol

Part of the reason I like Lily so much (other than my being ginger and projecting onto any redheaded female character I see) is that even though she isn’t explored as much as her other Marauders Era counterparts, we know enough about her to start building the framework for her character. And what I see is a girl who was incredibly interesting, kind, and flawed.

One thing I always think about in regards to Lily is that she was dealt with a pretty unfair hand. As soon as she receives her letter, she’s basically torn between two worlds, both of which have been less than welcome to her. On one hand, we have the muggle world that she’s known all her life, but once she starts integrating into the wizarding world, she likely feels a bit of a disconnect with that world. To twist the knife further, her sister- whom she loved dearly and grew up so close with- starts outwardly resenting her with such unbridled hostility that they likely couldn’t even be in a room alone together without major conflict. 

On the other hand, we have the wizarding world– a world she’s not as familiar with and one she soon learns holds a demographic of people who hate everything she is and would rather see her excommunicated or even dead. And even though finding out you’re a witch/wizard is probably such an exciting and life-changing moment, I can’t help but also take note of the difficulties, especially if you’re the only one in your family with magic. You’re essentially uprooted from the only way of life you’ve known at an already complicated age, and now you have to quickly become acclimated to this new world that you only just found out existed. Not only that, but now you’re suddenly attending a school with classes that are primarily focused on this world of magic (which is still brand new to you), and you have to work extra hard to play catch up in order to do well. Like, that all seems like… a lot for a kid to handle.

And then I remember how young she was when she was thrown into that mess. She was only 11, and kids that age desperately crave any sense of belonging. I mean, that’s something that still holds true for adults, but it’s especially critical for a developing child. So imagine Lily, ages 11-15, struggling to stay afloat in this weird purgatory between these two parts of herself, both of which have been the cause for major and traumatic experiences relating to rejection in her life.

(I say it was the “cause” even though it’s obvious that those things were never her fault at all, but when you’re a young kid navigating the world, the only thing you’re able to process is that the common denominator is you, therefore you’re the one who must shoulder the blame.)

So now we have this tween-teenaged girl who has a dysfunctional relationship with two major parts of identity and probably feels absolutely lost. 

This is why her hesitancy to end her friendship with Snape makes sense to me. Even though by fifth year he’s already well past toeing the line with the dark arts, Lily was willing to overlook some pretty egregious and troubling things in order to maintain the relationship. I kind of interpret that as her way of desperately clinging on to any sense of belonging she has left; her relationship with Petunia has already been poisoned, and now there are people who resent her existence as a witch; if she loses Severus too, what and who else does she have? And what tone does that set for her, if everyone and everything she’s come to hold close to her ends up turning her away?

It’s also important to note that not only is Severus one of her few remaining connections to the muggle world, but he’s also a wizard who grew up in the muggle world; he understands her, and I don’t doubt that he gave her some stability at times when she needed it (her finding out about her being a witch, her having trouble acclimating to the wizarding world, etc).

I see this as being one of her flaws and I can actually appreciate how relatable and realistic it feels. Lily is not a bad person; on the contrary, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to describe her as such. Not to get all clinical and boring, but the interesting thing about (unhealthy) coping mechanisms is that it can actually be really hard to identify them in your own behavior. Unless you’re in therapy and/or are actively psychoanalyzing yourself, you likely don’t even realize how many of your common behaviors are born from self defense mechanisms put in place by your brain after past events.

To me, it makes sense why she avoided actually confronting the idea that Snape was too far gone. We know that she was aware of the path Severus was taking, but it almost seems like she was still convinced that she could save him, and could possibly steer him back in the right direction. It’s only when she becomes the target of his bigotry that she realizes that the Snape who called her a ‘mudblood’ was not the same Severus who was the one who held her hand and introduced her to this new, exciting world.

In a general sense, yes, it is selfish, to only take a stand when something starts affecting you personally. But I also think it’s important to note that it’s unlikely that this was a conscious decision on Lily’s part. In my eyes, it was easier to delude herself into thinking she still had a chance to save him before it was too late when she was able to separate him from his actions (considering, a lot of the time, she was only hearing about them after the fact, rather than seeing them firsthand). But the elusion is shattered once she sees that the Snape she grew up with– her friend, Severus– is, in fact, the same person who’s out there calling other students slurs, dismissing the malicious use of Dark Magic on others as just “a laugh”. There we see a Lily who is actually revealed to have been somewhat aware of Snape’s involvement with the darker side of magic, and genuinely feels pretty ashamed about her inaction.

Also, this is in no way me being a Snape-anti, and I actually could do an entire separate analysis on his character alone and why I find him so interesting.

Anyways, that moment in SWM is probably somewhat of an epiphany to her. It’s like a dam that’s been broken, and now she’s overwhelmed with the realization of exactly how much she overlooked in order to keep their friendship afloat. And for someone like Lily Evans, someone whom we know is opinionated and unafraid to call others out on their bullshit, that can be hard to swallow and feel pretty mortifying and shameful. And I think this was a huge turning point for her- at that point, she doesn’t have the luxury of avoiding uncomfortable truths anymore and now that she’s getting closer to graduating and being thrown out into the world on the brink of war, this was probably a really sobering discovery.

This is where we don’t have as much info to go off of, and a lot of it is up to interpretation. But we actually have little crumbs to go off of following her graduation and leading up to her death.

One of my favorite little tidbits isn’t in the books, and @seriousbrat's post reminded me about it. Here's the actual entry on Pottermore for anyone who's interested, but I'll summarize: after James and Lily began dating, Lily brings James to meet newly engaged Petunia and Vernon. Everything goes downhill, because Vernon is a smarmy asshole, and James is still pretty immature and can’t help but mess with him (which… fair, I guess). Petunia and Vernon storm out after Petunia letting Lily know that she had no intentions of having her as a bridesmaid, which causes Lily to break down into tears. I mention this because I also think it’s a pretty important aspect of her character; like we’ve seen in her past friendship with Snape, Lily seems more than willing to forgive others most of the time. Petunia is a bit of a complicated character herself, but she was objectively very cruel and unfair to Lily once it became obvious that she was a witch and Petunia was not.

Something that always stands out to me is just how desperate Lily is to earn Petunia’s trust and approval again. Even up until her death, she was more than willing to mend the relationship, were Petunia ever to consider. 

This is a detail about Lily that I feel is misunderstood quite a bit. I’ve seen a lot of instances of her character being reduced to a one-dimensional archetype with little to no complexity. And often, that archetype is “know-it-all, prudish, self righteous bookworm who is also a goody two-shoes with a stick up her ass”. What annoys me is that the reason for this is most definitely the scene in which she blows up at James in SWM for bullying Snape, and hurls quite a few insults at him directly after an extremely devastating and overwhelming situation for her. This frustrates me because we know for a fact that she’s the polar opposite of this archetype I’ve seen her reduced to. 

In actuality, she’s referred to as popular, charming, witty, bright and kind. From flashbacks we also are shown that she’s opinionated, bold, and not afraid to challenge others. With other context, like her interpersonal relationships, we can also see that she’s pretty emotionally driven and wears her heart on her sleeve. 

(I know Remus didn’t mention Lily much in the books, but I really love how he described her in the movies. He tells Harry that the first thing he noticed about him was not his striking resemblance to his father, but his eyes, the same eyes Lily had. He also calls her a “singularly gifted witch” and an “uncommonly kind woman”.

“She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even and perhaps most especially, when that person could not see it in themselves.”

I know there are mixed feelings on whether or not the films count as canon source material, so take it with a grain of salt, but I personally cannot see a world in which Lily and Remus didn’t become close friends.)

Here we have a direct description of what she was like and who she was, corroborated by recounting of memories of her, and yet for some reason, this feels like the thing that is most commonly lost in translation.

I don’t think I can say why I think that is without mentioning the dreaded M word (misogyny- it’s misogyny), but I also don’t want to get too off topic so I’ll be brief: female characters are typically not given the same grace as male characters. When we have an undeveloped male character, he’s awarded the assumption that despite his lack of depth, there still exists a complex and multifaceted character– it’s merely just potential that hasn’t been tapped into. Whereas when we have underdeveloped female characters, they are taken at face value, meaning that not much exists beyond the little information we have of them. They are not presumed to have a life or a story that exists beyond the surface of what we know like male characters are. That’s why I think characters like Regulus, Evan, or Barty (just to name a few) are more popular than Lily, despite being less developed than she is.

(Before anyone gets defensive, no, I don’t think it’s an individual problem that you alone need to be shamed for. I think it’s the result of a deeper issue regarding misogyny in media as a concept; these are things that we’ve all unknowingly internalized and while it’s not our fault, we still have to do the work to deconstruct those learned prejudices.)

What I find really cool about her character is that despite how much she’s been hurt, she’s also still known as one of the most loving, kind, and considerate characters. There were so many times in her life where the love she received was conditional and ripped away from her– and I think that’s what makes her sacrifice even more poignant. She was able to protect her infant son from an extremely powerful dark wizard, wand-less, knowing that her husband was just murdered in cold blood, just from how much love she felt for Harry. Her love was a force of nature on its own, and I just think that’s such an amazing thing about her. 

I know I’m biased, given that she’s one of my favorite characters, but even upon delving into this, I still just find it so incredibly hard to understand how anyone can actively hate her (not indifference, but actual dislike). In my opinion (again, no one is unbiased, and she is a favorite character of mine, but trust me when I say that I’m trying to be objective as possible when I say this), she’s probably one of the most likable characters of the Marauders Era. I think perhaps a lot of people haven’t given her a chance or really taken the time to learn about her character, but it could be a myriad of other reasons that I’ll never understand. 

There's so much more I could say but this is long enough and I will stop myself

Lily Evans, u will always be famous to me

[youngsadlesbian]

BECAUSE OF YOU — carina deluca and maya bishop.

pairing: carina deluca x maya bishop x reader

summary: you never felt worthy of love until maya and carina came into your life and showed you that you were more than what your old parents made you believe.

a/n: i really missed writing maya and carina being moms, so here's another one. i hope you like it <3

word count: 3k

warnings: mentions of past abuse, angst but with a happy ending.

It was a sunny morning in Seattle, and Maya Bishop was feeling anxious. She was in the middle of an important conversation with her wife, Carina DeLuca, over breakfast. The topic at hand? The possibility of becoming a foster family.

Maya had been thinking about it for a while. Growing up with a controlling father had left deep scars, but it had also taught her the importance of providing safety and love. She knew that Carina, with her experience as a doctor and her immense empathy, would be the perfect partner on this journey.

Carina set her coffee cup down on the table and looked at Maya with her soft, understanding eyes. "If it's something you really want, amore, I'm with you," she said, smiling. "But we need to be prepared for what comes with it. It's not easy."

Maya nodded, feeling the weight of responsibility, but also the excitement of starting this new phase. "I know, Carina, but I feel like we can make a difference in someone's life. And who knows, maybe it will also help us grow as a family."

A few months later, the two were officially part of the foster family program. They were excited but also nervous, not knowing what to expect. When they received the call informing them that a teenager needed a temporary home, Maya and Carina felt a mix of nerves and determination.

You came into their lives like a storm, bringing with you an emotional baggage that seemed impossible to carry alone. You were only 16, but the sadness in your eyes spoke of years of suffering. Maya and Carina quickly realized they would need all the patience and love they could offer.

At first, you kept your distance. Their home, though cozy and full of life, felt like a trap, a place where the fear of getting hurt again was constant. You had your reasons. Life had taught you that trusting people was dangerous, that opening your heart only brought pain.

Maya noticed this right away. She saw in your eyes the same distrust she once carried, the same resistance that prevented her from opening up to the people who tried to help her. But unlike you, she had someone who didn’t give up on her. And now, she wanted to be that person for you.

One night, when Carina was at the hospital for a night shift, you and Maya found yourselves alone in the living room. The silence between you was almost palpable, like an invisible barrier that neither of you knew how to cross.

"I know it's not easy," Maya began, her voice gentle but firm. "Trust is a complicated thing, and I understand why you're protecting yourself. But I want you to know that we're here for you, really."

You didn’t respond immediately, just stared at the floor, nervously fidgeting with your hands. There was so much you wanted to say, but the words seemed trapped, buried under layers of pain and distrust.

"You don't need to be afraid to open up," Maya continued. "I had a difficult past too, and it took me a long time to learn to trust people again. But I'm here to help you find your way, if you’ll let me."

Those words stayed with you for a while. Perhaps because, for the first time, someone seemed to understand what you were going through, without judgment, without expectations. You wanted to believe her, wanted to find a place where you could feel safe, but the fear was still greater.

As the weeks passed, you began to open up a bit more. It was still hard, but there were moments when you could see that Maya and Carina truly cared. They weren’t like the other families you had been with. They didn’t pressure you, didn’t ask invasive questions, and most of all, they respected your space.

Carina, especially, seemed to have a special talent for making you feel at ease. She always found a way to include you, whether it was inviting you to help in the kitchen or watching a movie together on the couch. There was something about her presence that was calming, as if she knew exactly when you needed space and when you needed company.

It was on one of those nights, when you were all sitting on the couch watching a movie, that you finally felt you could trust a little more. The movie had reached a particularly emotional scene, and suddenly, you felt a wave of sadness that you couldn’t control. It was as if all your emotions had been bottled up and were finally starting to escape.

Carina noticed the change in you immediately. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You tried to hide it, but the tears started rolling down your face before you could stop them. "Sorry," you mumbled, embarrassed. "I don't know what happened."

Maya, who was sitting next to you, immediately turned off the TV and faced you, her expression concerned. "You don’t need to apologize," she said firmly. "If you want to talk, we're here."

And it was then, maybe for the first time, that you felt the urge to share a bit of your story. There was so much pain, so much fear, that you carried inside, and suddenly, it felt like holding onto it alone was more than you could bear.

"My family... they were never good to me," you began, your voice trembling. "I was always the problem, the burden. They made me believe I was worthless."

Maya and Carina exchanged a glance, and both leaned in a little closer, not invading your space, but showing that they were there, that they were listening.

"I tried so hard... to be what they wanted me to be," you continued, the words flowing in a rush that seemed impossible to stop. "But nothing was ever enough. I just wanted to be loved, but I never was."

Maya felt a tightness in her chest as she heard this. She knew what it was like to feel that nothing you do is enough, that you never fit into others' expectations. "I understand," she said, her voice low but full of conviction. "I felt that way for a long time too. But I want you to know that you’re more than what they made you believe. You are important, and you deserve to be loved, just as you are."

Carina nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "You're not alone," she added. "We're here for you, and we’ll get through this together."

Those words were like a balm on your wounded soul. For the first time in a long time, you began to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a place for you, a place where you could be accepted and loved without conditions.

Over time, the barriers began to fall. Gradually, you started to trust Maya and Carina, to open up more about your past, about the pains and fears that still haunted you. And with each revelation, the two women showed you that they were there to support you, that you didn’t have to face it alone.

Maya, in particular, became a strong figure in your life. She taught you about resilience, about how to face challenges and keep moving forward, even when everything seemed to be falling apart. There was a quiet strength in her presence, a determination that inspired you to be stronger, to not let the past define you.

Carina, on the other hand, brought the warmth and understanding you so desperately needed. She was the one who always pulled you into a hug, who made you feel safe, protected. With her, you learned that there was nothing wrong with showing vulnerability, that you weren’t weak for needing help, for wanting love.

There was one night when you were all together in the kitchen preparing dinner that you finally felt like you belonged somewhere. You were laughing at a silly joke Carina had made while Maya tried, unsuccessfully, not to spill tomato sauce on the counter. It was an ordinary scene, but to you, it meant the world.

"This... this is what I always wanted," you said, almost without realizing it. When the words came out, there was a brief but meaningful silence.

Maya looked at you, surprised but also moved. "And this is exactly what we want to give you," she said, smiling. "A home, where you can be yourself, without fear."

Carina came closer and placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You're part of our family now," she said, her voice soft and full of love. "And no matter what happens, we’ll always be here for you."

Those words echoed inside you, bringing a sense of peace you hadn’t felt in a long time. For the first time, you began to believe that you could, indeed, be happy, that you could leave the past behind and build something new, something beautiful.

However, the journey wasn’t easy. There were moments when the past still held onto you tightly, trying to pull you back into the darkness. The memories of the yelling, the harsh words, and the looks of disdain would come without warning, paralyzing you with fear and uncertainty.

One night, you had a nightmare. You were back in your old house, surrounded by the voices that always reminded you how inadequate you were, how you would never be enough. You woke up sweating, your heart racing, and it took a few seconds to realize that you were in Maya and Carina's house, in the cozy room they had prepared for you.

Carina was the first to notice that something was wrong. She was in the hallway, on her way to the kitchen to get a glass of water, when she heard your sobs. Without hesitation, she entered your room and, seeing you sitting on the bed, trembling, her heart broke.

"Hey, I’m here," she whispered, sitting beside you on the bed and wrapping you in a tight embrace. "It’s okay, it was just a nightmare."

You tried to pull away, feeling embarrassed for being so shaken, but Carina didn’t let you. “You don’t need to pull away,” she said softly, holding you firmly. “You don’t need to go through this alone.”

Maya appeared at the door shortly after, concerned. When she saw the two of you, she quickly understood what was happening and joined Carina by your side. “You’re safe now,” she said, her voice firm but full of care. “We’re not going to let anything hurt you here.”

Those words were exactly what you needed to hear. The fear was still there, but their presence, the unwavering affection they showed, helped calm you down. You allowed yourself to relax, letting their comfort surround you, replacing the darkness with a sense of security.

It was one of those crucial moments when you realized you no longer had to fight alone, that there were people willing to carry this burden with you. And slowly, with their support, you began to find your balance, realizing that it was possible to move forward.

From that moment on, things began to change significantly for you. You still had difficult days, still faced the shadows of the past, but now there was light at the end of the tunnel. Maya and Carina’s presence was like a beacon, guiding you back to the surface every time you felt like you were drowning.

One of the most notable changes was in how you started to see yourself. Before, you always saw yourself as a burden, someone who didn’t deserve to be loved. But over time, with the patience and love you received from Maya and Carina, that view began to change. You started to see that you had value, that you deserved to be happy, that their love for you wasn’t out of obligation, but because they genuinely cared.

There was a day when all of this crystallized for you. You were all together in a park, on one of those rare sunny days in Seattle. Maya and Carina were playing with a dog they had recently adopted, while you watched from a distance, your heart filled with an emotion you couldn’t immediately identify.

It was happiness. Pure, simple, without the shadows that used to obscure everything. You realized that, despite all the difficulties, you were happy there, with them. For the first time in a long time, you felt at home, felt part of something bigger than yourself.

Carina noticed your distant look and approached, a soft smile on her face. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, sitting beside you.

You gave a shy smile, still getting used to the idea of sharing your thoughts so openly. “Just… I never thought I could feel like this,” you admitted. “Happy. Part of something.”

Maya, who had approached with the dog, heard your words and smiled, kneeling beside you. “You are part of something,” she said with conviction. “Part of our family.”

Those words resonated within you, bringing a sense of peace you hadn’t felt in a long time. “Thank you,” you said, feeling tears of gratitude begin to form. “For everything.”

Carina pulled you into a hug, quickly joined by Maya. And at that moment, you knew you were no longer alone. That you had finally found the place where you belonged.

Time passed, and the changes in you became increasingly evident. What had once been a protective shell was now transforming into a new confidence, a new way of seeing the world and seeing yourself within it.

Maya and Carina continued to be important pillars in your life, but now you were also starting to build your own foundations. At school, you began to stand out, finding in your studies a passion that had once seemed impossible. You made new friends, connected with other people who, like you, also had difficult stories but were trying to find their way.

One afternoon, while you were sitting at the kitchen table doing your homework, Maya came in and sat beside you. She looked at the papers spread out on the table and smiled. “You’re doing really well,” she said, her voice full of pride. “I knew you were capable of this.”

You smiled, still getting used to the praise. “I never thought I could,” you admitted. “But… with you both, everything seems possible.”

Carina, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner, looked at you and smiled warmly. “That’s because you are capable,” she said without hesitation. “You always were, you just needed someone to remind you of that.”

It was then that Maya looked at Carina, and something passed between them, a silent decision, as if they had been waiting for the right moment for what was to come. She turned to you, hesitant but determined. “Y/N,” she began, gently taking your hand and holding it delicately. “Carina and I have been thinking… we know that this experience as a foster family was temporary, but we don’t want it to end.”

Carina approached, sitting beside you. “We would like to know… if you would consider letting us officially adopt you,” she said, the hope and love clear in her voice. “We want you to be a permanent part of our family, if that’s what you also want.”

You were silent for a moment, absorbing what they had said. A mix of emotions passed through you—surprise, happiness, and an overwhelming sense of finally being loved and wanted. The idea of having a home, a place where you could always return, seemed like a distant dream. But there they were, offering exactly that.

With tears in your eyes, you finally found the words. “I’d love to,” you said, your voice choked with emotion. “More than anything.”

Maya and Carina smiled, both moving closer to envelop you in a tight hug. “So would we,” Maya whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Time passed, and you began to get used to the idea of being officially part of the DeLuca-Bishop family. The adoption process was initiated, and each step seemed to bring more security and happiness to all of you.

Finally, the day arrived. You were sitting in the living room with Maya and Carina when the postman delivered an envelope that you had all been eagerly awaiting. Carina opened the envelope, her hands trembling slightly with emotion. She took out the papers and looked at them before handing them to you, her eyes shining.

“It’s official,” she said, her voice soft and full of joy. “These are the adoption papers.”

Maya approached and put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer. “You’re officially Y/N DeLuca-Bishop now,” she said, smiling.

You looked at the papers in your hands, your eyes filling with tears. There was your name, Y/N DeLuca-Bishop, printed in black, clear letters, a tangible symbol that you finally had a home. A place where you belonged.

The tears flowed freely down your face, and you didn’t try to hide them. “I… I don’t know how to thank you,” you said, your voice breaking.

Carina pulled you into a hug, holding you tight. “You don’t need to thank us,” she whispered. “We’re a family, and families support, love, and take care of each other. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

Maya joined the hug, and in that moment, under the roof of the house that was now officially yours as well, you felt a wave of pure, true happiness. A new beginning, a new identity, and, most importantly, a new home—a home where you knew you would always be loved and accepted.

With your new name, Y/N DeLuca-Bishop, you knew you were ready to face the future. No matter what challenges might come, you now had a solid foundation, a family that loved you unconditionally. And that was all you needed.

The future was open and full of possibilities, and you knew, with the certainty that only true love can bring, that no matter what happened, you would always have a home to return to.

[litrly-justagirl]

Soft Launch to Leveling Up: The 2025 Edition

Okay, babes! The countdown to the new year is officially on, and you know what that means—it’s time to drop the excuses and level up for real. I don’t know about y’all, but I am so over my lazy girl era, my “let me bend over backward for everyone else” era, and my “woe is me” era. Next year? It’s giving the main character energy only.

This is my time to step into my confident, disciplined, grown-woman self—the kind of woman who walks into a room and makes people stop because they can feel her presence. She’s confident, sexy, self-assured, and unstoppable. And that’s exactly the vibe I’m claiming for 2025.

This journey starts with setting boundaries, letting go of people-pleasing, and embracing my faith more. No more being “Miss Unpaid Intern” to people who don’t value me. No more procrastination or self-doubt. It’s time to upgrade from my trial version to the premium package. I’m pouring my energy into building the life of my dreams—the freedom to do what I want, when I want, with the people I love.

This new era is about discipline, consistency, and learning to fully receive—whether it’s love, joy, or the blessings I’ve worked hard for. If this sounds like the kind of glow-up you want to be a part of, stick around. Follow this blog, follow me on socials, and let’s do this together. Because if I can do it, trust me—you can too. Let’s make 2025 that year.

The Creative Rebirth

As I focus on becoming my best self in 2025, I’m also rekindling the things that brought me joy and helped me feel alive—things I’ve put on the back burner for too long. One of those things? Makeup. I used to have so much fun experimenting with new looks, but over time, I let outside voices tell me that spending too much time on my appearance was a “waste.” Well, I’m done with that! I’m diving back into my beauty routines and reminding myself that it’s okay to express myself however I feel—whether it’s with a bold lip or a fresh beat.

I’m also rediscovering my love for blogging, and it feels so good to be back here on Tumblr. Honestly, blogging gave me an outlet to be creative and share my thoughts, and I'm thrilled to get back into it. You’ll see more of my experiences and reflections as I continue this journey—whether it's here on the blog or in future YouTube videos. Speaking of YouTube, if you're interested in seeing this journey unfold even more, I’m thinking about turning this rebrand into a series over there! Who’s down to join me?

The beauty of this process is realizing that rediscovering your passions—whether it's makeup, blogging, or something else—isn't just about looking good or being productive; it's about connecting with yourself. As I reconnect with these creative outlets, I feel more aligned with my true essence, which is exactly what I want for this next chapter.

So, Are You Ready to Participate in Your Life Now?

This journey is all about transformation, and I’m excited to share every step with you. Over the next few weeks (and into 2025), we’ll be diving deep into key areas of growth that we can tackle together. From embracing your feminine energy to building self-discipline, to designing your personal brand—we’ll cover it all. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re also going to get into the nitty-gritty of mindset shifts, setting powerful boundaries, and focusing on what truly lights you up. Think of it as a glow-up in all aspects of life, and I’ll be right here to guide you through it.

Stay tuned for more posts, and let’s work together to make these final weeks of the year count. The 2025 version of you is waiting—let’s bring her to life.

[loveandleases]

The reactions to MC dating Ardent where *chef's kiss*. I was already going to romance the hell out of him, but knowing how much it will piss off MC's parents, Chris and Jade just adds to the hotness! Could you share the reactions to MC dating the Most Precious Boy Cam? Also maybe Cam's parents/Kara? (Your writing is so good- l've never been so excited for a demo before!!!!)

(Sorry if I sent this more then once- I’m sending this on my phone and it keeps saying no connection, so I wasn’t sure if it was sent!)

Dating Ardent will piss off so many people, probably even him. Hehehe. Is that his new pet name? Cute <3. Thanks' for the compliment anon, I'm glad you like it/looking forward to the demo. (it's okay anon, Tumblr has been messing with all of us) You ask and you shall receive, below the cut~ Link to Ardent version here.

💩 Chris - They have suspected something was up. Chris knew Cam had a thing for MC, honestly for a long time. They aren't surprised MC is with someone, but Cam really? He's not even the good one, not even the superior Clarke. What the hell could MC see in him? 💀 Jade - She isn't surprised by MC and Cam being together. More so surprised it took this long. Though really she thought you would go for someone other than Cam, someone who isn't related to Chris. Should she be as annoyed as she is about it? She was close to Cam too, and Cam never even made a move on her. (Pretty sure Jade has a theme song for her life in her own head.)

💢 The Clarkes - They are annoyed, why is Cam going for Chris' sloppy seconds, in fact, why is Cam putting Chris through this? Doesn't he understand this could be hard for Chris? Surely this is a line Cam shouldn't cross, and they won't hide those feelings.

💚 Kara - She is happy about it, the happiest one in the room. Cam is always different around MC, happy actually. She will be happy for Cam/MC, and congratulate them. Jokingly mention that she's the only one that MC hasn't kissed. To which Cam will happily mention it will stay that way.

Cam/MC reaction - Cam could care less about Chris and their reaction. He will be happy with Kara's reaction. Jade...the things Cam feels for Jade are not for polite company. Our precious one will struggle when his parents begin to mention his relationship with MC, tell them to fuck off. It will be at that moment that MC kisses him, for every single one of them to see. Because MC can calm him, with a touch, with a look, with a kiss.

[starsreminisce]

Papa Archeron favors Elain so he must have seen some potential in her. What other potential or speculative skills do you think Elain could have that can aid her in becoming an independent actor from her sisters and the Night Court? Do you think she got some of her skills from her father?

What kingdoms or courts do you think the next book (if it's an Elucien book) would explore and expand on?

If political drama were to be the focus of the next ACOTAR book, which political actor (could be any HL, non-HL, or any person of power) are you excited to see more of?

Lastly, fears for the next book that you are not looking forward to that you think can possibly happen.

Sorry for the many questions.

You're fine with the questions! I worry that I'll ramble and give you like a dissertation that ends up being too long to read so if you managed to get to the end of it, I hope your pillow stays cold. thank you haha!

I found it interesting that Elain was described as someone who can convince anyone to do anything with her pretty smile, and her father was a great negotiator who managed to temporarily free Vassa from Koschei, whom Elain had also dreamed about.

I think Elain stays close to her father and picks up on how he conducts his dealings, learning to read body language and details for negotiations. Cassian said that Elain saw it all and understood why—she has shown this ability when she pinpointed that Papa Archie's death caused Nesta to spiral, and when she read Azriel's decision and agreed (hence the confusion). Feyre would not have had the use of the house to meet the Queens if Elain had not convinced Nesta to allow it, showing her influence.

It's also notable that Elain is a seer, and this can tie into Papa Archie's background as a merchant, relying on intuition. We were told that Papa Archie gambled on three ships to Bharat to pay off their debts completely. Although he lost their wealth, part of being an entrepreneur (or merchant, in this case) is knowing and calculating risks for a high payoff—sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. With that, we did see Elain gamble on some decisions, and I wonder if her ability to assess risks and potential payoffs quickly plays a role in this.

I also wonder if Papa Archie set up something related to the key to freeing Vassa or defeating Koschei that only Elain would understand, which could come into play later. It's notable that Lucien is the only one who met Papa Archie, and it was for Elain's sake that he found Papa Archie in the process. Lucien spent time with Papa Archie while he was alive, and this connection may deepen his bond with Elain, much like how Papa Archie's death connected Nesta to Cassian through his understanding of her grief over being too late to save his mother.

Since the political drama and questions about the courts sort of blend together, we will likely see Autumn. We have to — there's the bargain between Eris and Rhys, of which only Eris's end has been fulfilled. We left off SF with Beron becoming more proactive about allying with Koschei. I would also love to see more of the Day Court and Helion in action.

Honestly, I'm not thrilled that we are going back to the Spring Court because it feels like… we've been there already, you know? We'll probably see some interaction between the Spring Court and the Human Lands since they border each other. From the sounds of it, if Vassa will be leaving soon, it's likely much more stabilized now. Hopefully, we won't spend too long there (possibly up to Part One?) before moving on to the Day Court and/or Autumn.

This last question though...

I'm worried that the next book may not meet the extremely high expectations being set.

It will officially declare where SJM stands in the ship wars, and there are two groups of people that will have to be satisfied: those on the other side of the ship, and those who have grown dissatisfied and critical with her writing. I fear it won't be as well-received as I hope, especially if it's a book about my favorite ship in the series.

Of course, people can ship who they want, and endgame status doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but I love Elucien and hope to see that appreciation for them come through, even from those who didn't initially support the ship, and that it's done right by those who feel SJM has lost her touch.

With that said, I don't mind waiting for the announcement. I'd rather have a well-done book that took time to refine than a rushed release that needed more polishing (looking at you, HOFAS, even though I liked you).

Also, I'm feeling a bit jaded after the last couple of series I've read fell flat for me despite my initial excitement for their release.

If you made it this far, nonnie, I hope this answers most of it! Thank you again for taking the time to ask and I hope you have a great day!

[sasori-rp]

Do's and Don't's with Hate-Comments

In the wake of recent events, I was inspired to create this blog as a guideline for all those who struggle with this. I'm sure many of you (if not everyone) has received some form of hate in the past.

They come in the shape of anonymous asks, vicious comments, reblog rants and DMs and go far beyond this platform. It's important to share knowledge on how to deal with the situation in a healthy and mature manner, that allows you to preserve your mental health and sanity.

So without further ado, let's get into this, shall we?

Quick Info

Before we start with the Do's and Dont's I want to give you a quick disclaimer on what we're dealing with here. Keeping this in mind, will hopefully help you stay grounded and prepared.

People who send hate - we'll call them Haters for simplicity - are energy vampires. They're usually deeply unhappy people who lack self confidence and carry a lot of frustration in their hearts. This can be because they dislike how the world is evolving, because they get mistreated at home or simply because their hormones are overwhelming and they haven't learnt how to subtract their emotions when criticising something they disagree with.

When they send you hate, it releases adrenaline in their body, a so called kick that they use to vent their frustration. Anyone who has been angry in their life before knows, how satisfying it feels in the moment, to tell the other person how much of a dick we think they are. You probably also know the excitement of getting a reply (even a positive one) when reaching out to a celebrity, a blog or your crush for example. This feeling of excitement is what they look for.

The more vicious the comment, the better they feel when not only getting a reaction from you, but also safely getting away with it. Because truth be told, no hater has the courage to insult you in person. They're anonymous, so they don't have to face the consequences of their own actions. They're getting entertainment in the safety of their own homes, while you suffer.

So, what can we do about it?

Do

If the harrassment continues, block the user.

The first thing you should do when receiving a nasty comment, is delete and ignore. That is your default reaction. Your time and wellbeing is sacred. Do not waste your energy by interacting with them. Giving them attention will only increase their actions. Do not respond to them. Only exception: you can think of a genuinely hilarious, humorous answer to it. You're then using their hate and turn it into fun and play, making it a positive experience for you. (Dissing is not humour in this scenario)

Take a break and take care of yourself. Surround yourself with kind people, do something you enjoy. Don't allow it to consume you. Self Care is very important to staying balanced. Eat healthy, sleep well and don't overwork yourself.

Reach out to friends. Asking for help is human. Allowing your friends to comfort you, will help you feel less alone.

Reach out to a helpline. Sometimes we don't have someone to confide in. There are helplines where you can pour your heart out and get advice from.

If you feel that your mental health is deteriorating, seek help from a therapist. They can give you tools to navigate your feelings and will help you sort your inner battle out. Seeing a therapist is not a weakness; it shows you're willing to make an active change for your health. Props you you, I'm the first one cheering you on!

If the harrassment still continues and threats are made that make you genuinely fear for your safety, reach out to Tumblr Staff and/or the police.

Spread love and kindness. I cannot stress this enough: Do you want to know how to really combat hate? Be happy. Live your best life and create beauty. Give kindness to others and don't let someone's ill intent poison your own. It's that easy. Because nothing in this world disarms hate like genuine care and understanding, confidence in your own worth and awareness of your value.

Don't:

Don't try to justify yourself in response to them. Haters are not here to communicate and find a solution. They will not listen to reason; you can use your time for better things.

Don't insult them back. The argument will quickly spiral out of control. And this is the internet. Someone will use what you said against you. Don't let your anger dictate your actions

Don't post hate posts and rants talking about them. Don't post hate and rants in general. It feels cathartic in the moment, but it will bite you in the ass later. (It also, again, gives them much more attention that they deserve. Do you really want to be their entertainment?)

Don't do any of the above things to protect your friends, either. Friends are here to support you, to give you a shoulder to cry on and cheer you on. Not to tear others down. Regardless of wether they deserve it or not. It's going to backfire, trust me. Stand up for them, yes. Stand up for them by lifting them up, not by tearing down others.

Don't start bashing their account with hate in retaliation

-> Lastly, it's okay to make mistakes.

Don't tear yourself down over you being a human being and extend the same grace to others too. Apologising doesn't make you weaker, it shows that you're mature and willing to learn. And forgiveness is never about you forgetting what happened, but making peace with it; freeing your mind and heart from it, so you can move forward.

I hope this blog helps you make a difference for your life and that of others. Remember, you're a valid, worthy human being deserving of love and kindness. And so is everyone around you.

As always, my DMs are open for questions and discussions. Please try to not spam the comments too much, it gets confusing to detangle. I wish you all a lovely day/night💜

Thank you all for listening!

@izumi-uchiha-anon

@kisame-hoshigaki-rp

[writingsofwesteros]

King's Landing Daily: A Rare Deep dive with Alicent Hightower

pictured above, Alicent Hightower with her wife Rhaenyra Targaryen and her husband Daemon Targaryen

Alicent Hightower has been in the public eye since her marriage to the late Viserys Targaryen at a controversially young age. Years later, and she's now a mother, grandmother, and head of the Hightower Charity Foundation. She's proof that no matter the things you've been through in life, it's never to late for love, to be proud of who you are, and to heal. We were given the rare opportunity to sit down with the Hightower Matriarch and talk to her- something she hasn't done since she was very, very young and newly married to her first husband. Alicent, we're so excited to have you here today, first off I'd like to congratulate you on your newest granddaughter, Saera. How does it feel?

She smiles fondly to herself, telling us, "I'm over the moon, honestly. Saera is a literal angel, and my daughter Daenora really has made a most beautiful little girl. I didn't think I'd be a grandmother this young, but my kids tell me I don't look it." She chuckled.

Your marriage just a few years ago to Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen came as a surprise to many. Now you're five years into wedded bliss, how does it feel? Her cheeks flush as she hears the names of her spouses, as she says, "It's amazing. They're both such vital parts of my life in different ways, in ways I'd never really imagined. I had total agency over my life, I was older and I realised that working through my own problems allowed me to let go of things that didn't matter, and let me just...be happy. And it's helped me over time to see how my relationship with other people in my life might've fallen short, and make those right, too. My love for them both was really the catalyst for so many things."

Onto more serious matters, your youngest daughter Daella just successfully won her court case against several photographers responsible for not just assault but also leaking private images obtained via hacking. I imagine this was a big deal for your family.

Her expression grows more sombre, and she nods. "It was, of course- justice was served, and the support we received was amazing. But it should've never happened in the first place. Daella's so young, but she's an amazing mother, a talented dancer, and one of the sweetest souls I know. If anyone deserved justice that day it was my daughter."

It's no secret that you're quite private about your family, especially your grandkids, but is there anything you can share?

She chuckles. "My beautiful grandbabies- I do adore them, truly. I'm over there four to five times a week, whenever I can to see them. My daughter Helaena's twins, they're adventurous little things, and Daella's boys undoubtably love to follow in their example, they're at that energetic stage. Sweet Saera is just a delight, she's so little but when she's ready she's crawling behind her siblings. They have wonderful parents- my son Aegon is the best stay-at home dad."

Full interview out soon, stay tuned.

!!!!!!!

I bet Alicent has the best resting bitch face; Nora gets it from her mama thank you.

They have wonderful parents- my son Aegon is the best stay-at home dad. I LOVE HIM!

[andrealvsbooks]

Demons

Who is Lizbeth Potter really?

That's a question that gnaws at Lizbeth herself. All her life she has felt strange as if a piece of her life was missing, when at last it seemed that the moment of answers would come, everything seems to get worse.

What seemed like a simple tournament in which she would also see her boyfriend Peter Pevensie again, becomes her biggest problem while she deals with new powers, a new identity as hated as the girl who survived and lies.

Have I mentioned yet that she now has a voice in her mind that says it's her dragon pestering her all the time?

Yes, Lizbeth Potter's luck couldn't get any worse.

English isn’t my first language, so if you see any mistakes or things that look weird please tell me so I can fix them.

Chapter 1

POV Lizbeth

It's been two days since the Quidditch World Cup. Death Eaters showed up, and someone conjured the Dark Mark, which caused chaos that still feels fresh in my mind. After the train ride back to Hogwarts and receiving a letter from Sirius, I am now sitting in the Great Dining Hall, next to Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, my best friends, waiting for Dumbledore's welcome speech. Apparently, he has a very important announcement to give us.

Oh, I almost forgot: I haven't introduced myself. My name is Lizbeth Potter, I'm 14 years old, and although I'm just beginning to discover the extent of my powers, I already have a story to tell. I have a boyfriend named Peter Pevensie, whom I met in the Muggle world. He told me about a magical place called Narnia, and I confessed to him that I was a witch. We spent a lot of time together, but one day, he and his brothers just… disappeared. It was as if they had evaporated, as if no one but me remembered that they ever existed. Ever since then, I've been searching for answers.

When I returned to Hogwarts after that summer without Peter, I became obsessed with understanding what had happened to him. Eventually, I discovered that his disappearance was part of his return to Narnia. Now I wait patiently for the day when I can see him again. Because, after all, if magic allowed me to remember him, doesn't that mean we will meet again someday?

-Well, now that you are all seated I have some announcements to make: Mr. Filch the janitor has asked me to remind you that you are not allowed to do magic in the corridors, I also remind you that the forbidden forest is absolutely forbidden for all the students as well as the first and second year students are forbidden to go to Hogsmeade -Filch entered and approached Dumbledore, As I was saying - he continued, smiling at the crowd of students in front of him- we have the honor of hosting an exciting event that will take place over the next few months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will take place at Hogwarts this term.

-He's staying with us! -said Fred in a loud voice. Almost everyone laughed, and so did Dumbledore, as if appreciating Fred's intervention. -I'm not staying with anyone, Mr. Weasley -he replied, -although, speaking of staying with people, I was told a really good joke this summer about a troll, a witch, and a leprechaun walking into a bar… Professor McGonagall cleared her throat noisily. -Eh… Well, perhaps this is not the most appropriate moment…. No, it's true -said Dumbledore- Where was it? Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament! Well, some of you probably don't know what the Triwizard Tournament is, so I hope those of you who do will forgive me for giving a brief explanation while you think of something else. The Triwizard Tournament originated about seven hundred years ago, and was created as a friendly competition between the three most important schools of magic in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. A champion was chosen to represent each of these schools, and the three champions participated in three magical trials. The schools took turns hosting the Tournament, which took place every five years, and was considered an excellent way to establish ties between young wizards and witches of different nationalities as well as to invite rulers from one of the worlds around us… until the number of deaths grew so high that they decided to discontinue the tournament.

-The number of deaths? -Hermione whispered, a little frightened.

But most of the students in the Great Hall didn't seem to share that fear: many of them whispered excitedly, and even I was more interested in hearing more about the Tournament than worrying about deaths that had occurred over a hundred years ago.

-In all this time there have been several attempts to hold the Tournament again -Dumbledore continued -none of which were very successful. However, our departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Sports and Games have decided that now is a good time to try again. We have worked flat out this summer to make sure that this time no champion is in mortal danger.

I'm going to try it! -said Fred Weasley, his face lighting up with excitement at the prospect of such glory and riches. He must not have been the only one who was imagining himself as Hogwarts champion. At every table, I saw students looking at Dumbledore with rapturous expressions, or whispering to their neighbors in utter excitement. But Dumbledore spoke again, and the Great Dining Hall fell silent once more. -Although I imagine you are all eager to take home the Triwizard Tournament Cup -he said -the Headmasters of the three participating schools, in agreement with the Ministry of Magic, have decided to place an age restriction on this year's contestants. Only students who are of the required age (seventeen years of age or older) will be allowed to propose themselves for consideration. This -Dumbledore raised his voice slightly as some people made noises of protest in response to his last words, especially the Weasley twins, who seemed suddenly furious- is a measure we deem necessary since the tasks of the Tournament will be difficult and dangerous, no matter how many precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below the sixth and seventh years will be able to cope with them. I will personally make sure that no student under that age cheats our impartial judge to become Hogwarts champion -His light blue eyes sparkled especially brightly as he winked at Fred and George's faces, which showed an expression of defiance. So, please don't waste your time introducing yourselves if you are under seventeen. Now without further ado, let the Beauxbatons students enter!

Suddenly, the huge doors of the Great Hall opened with a solemn echo, and the murmur of students faded into an expectant silence. In walked a group of girls in elegant sky-blue uniforms, their cloaks billowing softly as they passed, as if a mysterious wind were surrounding them. Each of them moved with impeccable grace and amazing synchronization, performing a delicate and harmonious dance that caught everyone's attention. Their movements were smooth, and each gesture carefully calculated. It was impossible to look away. As the show progressed, I could see some of the students begin to blush, enraptured. Ron, in particular, was completely mesmerized, his cheeks taking on a bright red color that went unnoticed by anyone. Hermione, the twins and I couldn't hold back a laugh at his expression, a mixture of admiration and rapture that made him seem completely oblivious to our surroundings.

When the students finished their presentation, a huge woman appeared behind them and started walking towards Dumbledore. In all my life I had only ever seen one person as gigantic as that woman, and that was Hagrid. It seemed to me that they were exactly the same height, but even so (and maybe because I was used to Hagrid) that woman seemed even bigger. Taking a few steps, she stepped fully into the area illuminated by the dining room light, and it revealed a beautiful face with dark skin, large black crystalline eyes, and a sharp nose. She wore her hair tied back at the base of her neck in a shiny bun. Her robes were black satin, and a multitude of opal beads glittered around her throat and on her thick fingers. Dumbledore began to applaud. The students, imitating their headmaster, clapped as well, many of them standing on tiptoe to get a better look at the woman. Smiling graciously, she advanced toward Dumbledore and extended a glistening hand. Though Dumbledore was tall, he barely had to bend down to kiss it. -My dear Madame Maxime -he said -welcome to Hogwarts. -Dumbledog -Madame Maxime replied, her voice deep- I hope you are well. -In excellent form, thank you -Dumbledore replied.

Without another word Dumbledore directed the Beauxbatons students to sit at the Ravenclaw table while Madame Maxime sat at one of the free seats at the teachers' table. -Now, our friends from the north, let us welcome the proud students of Dumstrangs and their headmaster Igor Karkarov - said Dumbledore. For the second time, the doors of the Great Dining Hall opened, and this time they revealed a group of burly, imposing-looking young men. They were tall, with serious faces and intense gazes, and they moved forward in an intimidating line. Every step they took echoed off the ground, and with calculated movements, they tapped their staffs in unison. In perfect synchronization, they traced figures in the air with flames that seemed to emanate from their staffs, forming orange and golden sparkles that illuminated their faces and gave the place an almost mystical aura. Leading them was a man of sinister bearing, who wore on his shoulders a cloak of singular skin, smooth and of a silvery tone that reflected the light as if it were made of pure metal. His hair, of the same silver hue, fell in an orderly fashion.

-Dumbledore! -he shouted effusively as he climbed the slope- How are you, my old companion, how are you? -Splendidly, thank you, Professor Karkarov! -Dumbledore replied. Karkarov had a pasty, affected voice. He was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee (which ended in a small curl) did not quite conceal his weakly pronounced chin. Arriving before Dumbledore, he shook hands with him. -Old Hogwarts -he said, looking up at the dining room ceiling and smiling. His teeth were quite yellow, and notice that the smile did not include his eyes, which kept their cunning, cold expression- It's great to be here, it's great….. As the Durmstrang students made their way to the Slytherin table at Dumbledore's direction, we saw a boy, with his nose, prominent and curved, and thick black eyebrows. To recognize that profile I didn't need Ron's punch in the arm, nor did I need him whispering in my ear:

-It's Krum! I don't believe it! -Ron exclaimed in amazement- Krum, Lizzie! It's Viktor Krum! -Ron, for God's sake, he's just a quidditch player! -said Hermione. -Nothing more than a quidditch player? -He's one of the best seekers in the world, Hermione! I never would have guessed he still went to school! Before Ron could express his excitement any further, Dumbledore spoke again, causing the dining hall to fall silent again.

-And finally, we welcome the rulers of one of the many worlds that exist. This year we have the pleasure of welcoming the kings and queens of Narnia.

What?

The doors to the Great Hall slowly opened, and an imposing figure filled the doorway. A huge lion with golden fur and deep, serene eyes walked in with calm, confident strides. Following him, in an elegant formation, came Peter, Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and a taller young man with a noble bearing and dark hair I didn't recognize. Awe and excitement made me grip Hermione's hand, who seemed quite curious.

As they reached the front of the Great Hall, the lion stopped in front of Dumbledore. The headmaster greeted him with a smile.

—Aslan, old friend —Dumbledore said, bowing his head slightly in respect.

—Albus, it's good to see you again —the lion replied, his deep voice leaving us all astonished.

An absolute silence took hold of the room. Students and professors were stunned until Fred and George broke the tension.

—The lion... —Fred whispered in amazement.

—He spoke! —George added.

—Awesome! —they both exclaimed in unison, prompting some laughter among the students.

With a playful expression, Dumbledore looked at everyone and introduced:

—Dear students, it is an honor to present the kings and queens of Narnia: Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, King Peter, King Edmund, and King Caspian. They all come from a world called Narnia, filled with magic and adventures.

Following Dumbledore's lead, the kings made their way to the Gryffindor table, while Aslan walked toward the professors' table. I suspected he might be another judge for the Triwizard Tournament.

Fred and George, ever curious, quickly approached the newcomers.

—Hello, kings... —Fred said with a playful grin.

—And queens —George added with a slight bow.

—We’re the Weasley twins, and we welcome you to Gryffindor —they both said proudly.

Peter smiled and nodded formally.

—It's a pleasure to meet you, Fred and George.

The twins laughed, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.

—No need for so much formality, okay? —Fred said, winking—. Here in Gryffindor, we consider ourselves the lions of Hogwarts. We’re brave and loyal, and besides, the Potter family has always been in this house —he added with a proud smile.

I shot him a mildly annoyed glance at the mention of my last name, while Susan looked on with curiosity.

—Potter family? —she asked, intrigued.

—Yeah, yeah —George said, pointing at me—. Lizbeth Lilian Potter, our friend since day one. Come on, we’ll introduce you to her. We’ll tell you how she saved the Philosopher’s Stone, defeated a basilisk, and rescued her godfather.

As the Narnian kings approached, Lucy stepped forward and hugged me warmly.

—Lizzie! —she exclaimed with a big smile.

—Lucy! —I replied, wrapping her in an equally excited embrace.

Hermione watched the scene with a furrowed brow, clearly confused.

—Do you know each other? —she asked, looking at Lucy and then at me.

—Well... —I started to say, noticing Peter taking a seat next to me. With a calm smile, he took my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, giving me the courage to continue—. We met in the Muggle world when Peter and his siblings moved near the Dursleys' house. At first, we were just friends, but over time, something more developed —I added, smiling—. Peter and I have been together for almost two years.

A murmur of surprise swept across the table. Just then, the food appeared on the tables, distracting everyone’s attention. As we ate, the conversation shifted to the Triwizard Tournament. When dinner ended, Dumbledore stood up again and walked over to a brown box next to the professors' table, capturing our attention once more.

—Your attention, please, I would like to say a few words —he said, standing next to the box—. Eternal glory awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament, but to achieve it, they must survive three dangerous tasks...

But at that moment, a deafening thunderclap rang out, and the doors of the Great Hall flew open. A man appeared in the doorway, leaning on a long staff and draped in a traveling cloak.

All heads in the Great Hall turned to observe the stranger, suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning that lit up the ceiling. He pulled down his hood, shaking out a long mane of hair that was part gray and part black, and walked toward the professors' table. A dull thud echoed with each of his steps across the Great Hall. He reached one end of the professors' table, turned right, and limped heavily toward Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room. Hermione stifled a gasp.

That light highlighted the man’s face, and it was a face very different from any I had seen in my life. It looked as though it had been carved from a piece of wood worn by time and rain, by someone who had no idea what human faces looked like and who was also not very skilled with a chisel. Every inch of his skin appeared scarred. His mouth was like a slash at an angle, and a large chunk was missing from his nose. But what made him truly terrifying were his eyes. One was small, dark, and shiny. The other was large, round like a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye moved constantly, never blinking, darting up and down, side to side, completely independent of the normal eye... and then it would turn white, as if looking inside the man’s head.

The stranger reached Dumbledore. He extended a hand as roughly formed as his face, and Dumbledore shook it, murmuring words we couldn't hear. He seemed to be asking the stranger questions, who shook his head, remaining unsmiling, and answered in a very low voice. Dumbledore nodded as well and gestured for the man to take the empty seat to his right. The stranger sat down and shook his mane to get the gray hair off his face; he reached for a plate of sausages, lifted it to what remained of his nose, and sniffed it. Then he took out a small knife from his pocket, poked one of the sausages at one end, and began to eat it. His normal eye was fixed on the sausage, but the blue one continued darting back and forth without pause, moving in its socket, focusing both on the Great Hall and the students.

—I present to you our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher —Dumbledore said cheerfully, as the room fell silent—. Professor Moody.

Normally, new teachers would be met with cheers and applause, but this time no one clapped, neither the professors nor the students, except for Hagrid and Dumbledore. The sound of their hands clapping resonated so sadly in the silence that they quickly stopped. Everyone else seemed too stunned by Moody's strange appearance to do anything but stare.

—Moody? —I whispered to Ron—. Mad-Eye Moody? The Auror?

—It must be him —Ron said, sounding scared.

—What happened to him? —Hermione asked in a very low voice—. What happened to his face?

—I don't know —Ron replied, watching Moody with fascination.

Moody seemed completely indifferent to this cold reception. Ignoring the jug of pumpkin juice in front of him, he rummaged again in his traveling cloak, pulled out a flask, and took a long swig from its contents. As he lifted his arm to drink, the cloak lifted a few inches off the ground, and I saw, from under the table, part of a wooden leg ending in a claw.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again.

—... just to clarify the procedure we will be following. But first, for those of you who don't know them, allow me to introduce Mr. Bartemius Crouch, director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation —there was a hint of polite applause—, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports— They applauded much more for Bagman than for Crouch, perhaps due to his fame as a Quidditch Beater, or perhaps simply because he looked much friendlier. Bagman acknowledged the applause with a jovial wave of his hand, while Bartemius Crouch neither waved nor smiled when presented. Remembering him in his immaculate suit at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry thought the wizard’s robe didn’t suit him. His bristle mustache and the straight part in his hair looked very odd next to Dumbledore’s long, white hair and beard—. Messrs. Bagman and Crouch have been working tirelessly over the past few months on preparations for the Triwizard Tournament —Dumbledore continued—, and they will be with me, along with Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and His Majesty, Aslan, on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts.

At the mention of the word "champions," the students' attention increased even more, dispelling the tension that Moody's entrance had caused. Perhaps Dumbledore sensed the sudden silence because he smiled as he said: —Mr. Filch, if you would be so kind as to bring the chest...

Filch, who had gone unnoticed but was paying attention in a corner of the Great Hall, approached Dumbledore with a large wooden box studded with jewels. It looked extraordinarily old. Murmurs of interest and excitement rose among the students. Dennis Creevey stood on his chair to see better, but he was so small that his head barely popped above the others.

—Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman have already examined the instructions for the trials that the champions will have to face —Dumbledore said as Filch carefully placed the chest on the table in front of him—, and they have arranged all the necessary preparations for them. There will be three trials, spaced throughout the school year, that will measure the champions in many different aspects: their magical abilities, their daring, their deductive skills, and, of course, their ability to face danger. At the mention of this last word, an absolute silence fell over the Great Hall, and no one seemed to breathe.

—As you all know, three champions compete in the Tournament —Dumbledore continued calmly—, one from each participating school. The perfection with which they carry out each of the trials will be scored, and the champion who has obtained the highest score after the third task will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial judge: the Goblet of Fire.

Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped it three times on the top of the chest. The lid slowly creaked open. Dumbledore reached in to pull out a large chalice, roughly carved from wood. It wouldn't have drawn attention if it weren't for the trembling bluish-white flames that filled it to the brim. Dumbledore closed the chest and carefully placed the chalice on top so that everyone present could see it well.

—Anyone who wants to volunteer as a champion must write their name and the name of their school on a piece of parchment in clear handwriting and toss it into the chalice —Dumbledore explained—. The aspiring champions have four days to do this. Then, on Halloween night, the chalice will give us the names of the three champions it deems most worthy to represent their schools. Tonight, the chalice will be displayed in the entrance hall, accessible to all those who wish to compete. To ensure that no underage student succumbs to temptation —Dumbledore continued—, I will draw an age line around the Goblet of Fire once we have placed it in the entrance hall. No one under the age of seventeen will be able to cross the line. Lastly, I want to emphasize to all who are thinking of competing that careful consideration must be given before entering the Tournament. When the Goblet of Fire has selected a champion, he or she will be obliged to continue in the Tournament until the end. By putting your name in the Goblet of Fire, you are signing a binding magical contract. Once turned into a champion, no one can back out. So you must be very sure before offering your candidacy. And now it seems to me that it is time to go to bed. Good night, everyone.

As we all stood up, I took Peter's hand and quickly led him to a more secluded corner of the hallway. Without thinking twice, I hugged him tightly.

—I’ve missed you so much, Peter. I’m glad you’re here —I whispered without pulling away from him.

—I’ve missed you too, Beth, more than you can imagine. I love Narnia, but… by Aslan, I’ve never missed anyone so much —he replied. Hearing him call me by that nickname he only used filled me with warmth.

—How have you been? I can’t wait for you to tell me everything…

But before I could continue, Susan appeared with a soft smile.

—I’m sorry to interrupt, but Aslan wants to talk to us, Peter. It’s great to see you again, Lizzie.

—Su! I’m excited to see you too —I exclaimed, happy. I had forged a good friendship with her during the summers at the Dursleys' house.

—I’ll see you later, okay? —Peter said, though it was clear he wasn’t very happy to have to interrupt our conversation.

—Sure, don’t worry. Besides, I have to go show a new girl around the castle. We have the whole year to catch up —I replied, smiling as I caressed his hands.

We said goodbye with one last exchange of glances, and I headed off to find Professor McGonagall for instructions on where to find the new student. As I walked, I thought about how promising this fourth year looked.

[thomotomo]

Quackity x Male Reader pt.1

Summary: You're a French streamer who got invited to the QSMP and you just have a huge crush on Quackity, even though you wouldn't admit it.

CW: Use of Quackity's real name a few times.

A/N: Sorry I'm showing up every few months to drop you something and then I'm letting yall starve so today you get Quackity content cos I got a crush on him now lol. (And I need to feel some love cos I'm single af. Also I'm sorry I wrote this instead of sleeping lol)

You had been so excited when you received the invitation to join the server, as a language nerd you couldn't wait to hear people discuss in a multitude of languages.

You had gotten addicted to playing on the server from the first seconds and so you stayed up until very late at night.

So since you had a completely fucked up schedule the two of you were bound to hang out together a lot.

And so the two of you kept talking more and more outside streams and outside of QSMP, staying up late on discord calls, chatting and playing together.

You had gotten an invitation to the Twitchcon and while you had been hesitant to participate you had ended up accepting to be able to meet everyone.

So you asked Quackity if he was planning to come and while he hadn't planned it at first you were trying to push him to come join you and meet everyone IRL.

He had told you he didn't knew about it yet but he would keep you updated.

You were on stream one night, completely engrossed in your build when your phone shone, it was a discord notification from Alex.

You couldn't read it as you were mid-stream but you made sure to take a break to refill your desk with drink and to check it out.

As you were taking sodas out of your fridge you checked the message Quackity had sent you.

Your face immediately lit up as you read that he would come to Twitchcon Paris.

It had been very late for you but now with the excitement coursing through your veins you didnt feel like sleeping anymore.

You settled back in front of your cam, your grin a little bit wider than earlier and hopefully it wasn't noticed by anyone.

You kept playing for a couple more of hours and as soon as you ended stream you texted him to see if you could jump on a call.

The two ended up on call and you stayed up, discussing excitedly together. You were stimming a lot as you did, even though you didn't show that to him

And yeah, maybe you had developed a tiny bit of a crush on him throughout all of those months (but you wouldn't admit that to anyone).

For the next few weeks all you could think of was Twitchcon so you kind of drown yourself into your work so that time would goes on by quicker.

On the 8th of July you could barely function like a normal person, as soon as you woke up you sent a message to Alex "We're meeting today omg?!?!?!?" (yeah you clearly aren't the most subtle when you have a crush on someone).

He had texted you back the cutest picture of himself you had seen and it just felt to you that your heart was about to explode due to all the emotions you felt so early in the morning.

You prepared yourself and went to the venue, you had put on your best clothes (well best clothes for the heat).

You met up with some of the other French streamers, discussing for a good while as they were the only one present so early.

You didn't have anything planned to do until much later so you enjoyed the early hours of the convention by browsing the shops and artists' alley.

At noon you went and ate with all of the other QSMP content creators present, chatting excitedly with everyone. You were very happy to talk with them and even though you had chatted a lot in private messages it clearly wasn't the same thing now.

You had sent to Quackity the pictures all of you took together alongside the message "We're just waiting for you now."

Which he replied to with "Dw I'll be there soon!"

And you couldn't wait for him to be there.

After the meal you had the meet and greet.

You had enjoyed meeting all of your fans and right as you left the meeting area, you checked your phone and seeing a notification from Alex you couldn't help but grin, you were sure of one thing, he was here at the venue.

You had to restrain yourself from running, but if your pace was a tad faster than usual if was between you and yourself.

As you reached the backstages you could see Etoiles, Philza and Aypierre alongside Forever who was hugging Quackity.

You joined them quietly as you watch the two other guys hug each other and joke around.

You discussed with Etoiles, laughing together as you watched Forever do the "pay the server dance" to Quackity.

A few minutes later the two separated and you beamed at Alex when he turned back towards where you and the others were.

He harboured a shocked but excited face when he saw you and both of you also jumped into each other's arms, laughing together.

You couldn't help but notice that he was a bit smaller than you, which you hadn't expected but you didn't care.

The two of you immediately jumped into conversation with each other, the conversation flowing as easily as it was over computer.

Pt2

[we-keep-odd-hours]

tagged back by @hex6rcist! Thank you!

under a cut since I also rambled.

1. How are you!? I hope your day is going well.

ehhhh. I'm working not a great job, but its from home and if everyone is going to be insufferable, every single second i get of downtime I'm going to be on tumblr to stay sane.

2. What are you currently working on? Any little projects of any kind you’re excited to share?

I have an original novel in the works, I'm in the brutal final stages of tying off the loose ends of the rough draft (while this advice is some that I struggle to accept, to all writers I'd like to share this: the only thing that a first draft has to be is done.), I have two on-going fics (an Aliens one that's posted anonymously but tbh you could probably find it easily) and one of Diamondback's origin story.

Her origin story is more or less done (posting new chapters as I edit) except for a few plot points I'll make my decision on as I get to them in editing. There's details from my next project, a full follow up to the movie, that I kind of want to include in an epilogue to her story, since they're scenes/plot threads tied on her character arc.

3. What have you been watching lately? I just finished Righteous Gemstones and I need a new show lol.

I'm halfway through my rewatch of Hannibal right now, and I SHOULD rewatch West World next so I can finally watch the last season, but I've been itching to rewatch X-Files for a year now....the only problem being that X-Files is nine seasons, a mini series, two seasons of Millennium (IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND), and one season of Lone Gunmen (ALSO IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND). I never technically finished Millennium either, because they [spoiler] and it made me so angry at Chris Carter that I rage quit.

4. (A Near Dark one because how can I not) what’s your favorite small detail in the movie that other people might overlook?

When they first walk into the bar, Jesse kind of surveys the layout, but Diamondback immediately looks over to her right--at the bartender and the waitress, she then smiles, holds onto Jesse's arm and sets her head on his shoulder--and looks over the waitress again. Between that and her grin when the woman walked over, that whole weird thing seemed like some continuation of whatever game they were playing when she kissed the hitchhiker, which....guys, get a room. Homer and Mae are right there.

There are others, but this is the first one that came to mind.

5. What blog should I follow right now?

I'm bad at this; most people I've followed on here for literal years, or else picked up along the way when we had the same media obsession of the day.

6. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I said it above already, but THE FIRST DRAFT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOOD, IT JUST HAS TO BE DONE.

7. If you could add one fantastical element to the real world and have it be a commonly accepted and known about thing what would it be? (Ie make Santa real)

This is asking for trouble: I believed in fairies at an age that was much, much too old to do so. I think it would be fun, or at least interesting if the fair folk were commonly known to exist. Dangerous, unwise, but fun.

8. What’s the last book you didn’t just read, you DEVOURED?

In the Valley of Sun by Andy Davidson. It was nasty, infuriating, full of characters I didn't like for but occasionally felt bad for, and it's about a wandering killer turned vampire living in an old RV just outside of Waco, TX in the 1980s. Yeah, that's what I thought too.

It was a break-neck paced mystery, not exactly of ''who'' did it, but of what happened, how did they do it, and are they going to get caught?

9. What are you most passionate about?

Art, literature, zoology. The order of those items changes frequently.

10. What do you think is your best quality?

oh I hate this question. Passion, I guess? It's not easy to get interested in something, but when I am, I can learn fast, pick up on details, and make weird connections. I'm literal minded and frequently get over-detailed on things, but I can think on multiple tracks at once and have caught things that even our Risk department at work didn't notice because they disrupted something.

[amadeusgame]

The demo for Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz launched last Friday. Its first weekend saw 55 wishlists (22 installs) on Steam, and 2 donations* (18 downloads) on itch!!  I really didn't dare to dream it would get such a positive reception—my very stubborn approach to development has been "make the game for ME, stick to MY vision and MY priorities, be open about MY influences," so I was reaching a point where I somewhat doubted if the game would appeal to anyone else at all. I've never been more thrilled to be wrong.

Some of my favorite things people have said about it:

"I feel the influence of Umineko here." - I love this comment because while Umineko is the #1 no-questions-asked hugest direct influence in the narrative, I didn't think that would become obvious until Episode 3 or so. Silly me to not recognize that a game coded on a laptop with Beatrice hand-painted on it** would have the influence clear from the get-go.

"music fucks deliciously"

"I want to punt him [Amadeus] across the room (affectionate)" - me too, reader. Me too. (affectionate)

Every single expression of support has been incredibly motivating. I'll be spending the next month defining benchmarks & deadlines through the finish line of Episode 1's release this Fall, and while it's been important to me to make something I'm passionate enough about to completely self-motivate, the encouragement I've received from this new demo's release has given me a massive boost of extra momentum. I'm incredibly excited to get started on what's next.

Communications will return to monthly progress devlogs on itch/Steam, and more frequent updates on Tumblr/Discord.

Stay updated on your preferred platform: linktr.ee/amadeusgame

If you'd like a sooner date than "this fall" for major news, there just might be something to look forward to in the summer. There's also an archive of devlogs on developing this demo in the linktree above if you'd like more to read. In the meantime, check out lots of other cool indie game projects and tell all of your friends about them! So long as you're following on itch or have the game wishlisted on Steam, you won't miss when Episode 1 of Amadeus officially launches.

Thank you so much for playing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*Note on donations: these will be automatically deducted from the price of the full game on itch when it releases for those who donated. There was one donation for the original prototype, however, that can't be automatically deducted by itch. To that donator—if you email me with a receipt showing that was you, I am more than happy to just give you a free download key when the game launches, considering you supported the project from so early on.

**pic related:

[19orionis]

11, 15, 16, A, B, E with Lazare for the oc asks!

Questions for OCs:

11. How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

It can go either way. He hates asking for clarification because to him it means risking either looking stupid or admitting that he wasn't listening (and he is prone to zoning out, despite his efforts). If he can get away with staying confused, he'll usually just try to move on smoothly and maybe look some stuff up on the internet later if he can remember. If he needs or wants clarity on something bad enough, he will ask, though. Always politely-- a "sorry, I didn't understand that," or a "what did you mean when you ___?" If he has to ask for instructions more than once, he tries to write stuff down so he doesn't have to do it Again. 15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Lazare definitely tries his best to think things through before he says them. He's known English for a long time and feels like he can adequately express himself in it. He picks his words carefully and overexplains things so he's not misinterpreted, because it drives him nuts to be on the receiving end of someone not getting something as well, especially when the thing they're not getting is Him As A Person. As a result, while he's not a slow talker, his cadence will kinda speed up and slow down. Probably "um"s and "ah"s a bit more than the average person. He's not hard to hear, his voice carries well, but he is conscious of his volume-- he's gentle while still animated and expressive in tone at the same time. I think living in the States (especially the Midwest) has made him feel like he has to Sound Friendly. He does complain about stuff to others a lot, he'd probably explode if he didn't, but the complaints are usually still filtered and he tries to be kinda funny about them when he can be. When a person or a particular conversation with a person really starts resonating with him or getting him excited, then he kinda loses his hold on himself as he steps into the moment more fully and the thoughts tumble out before he can stop them. Sometimes he's apologetic about it later. No matter what, he's always talking with his hands at least A Little Bit.

16. What makes their stomach turn?

Physical things: mold where it shouldn't be, leeches, most of the other things I can think of are pretty common things for people to gag at, wet dog smell Thoughts/concepts: catching himself acting or thinking like "the old him" always makes him feel like throwing up.

Questions for creators:

A) Why are you excited about this character?

Lazare learns a lot of lessons that I desperately need to. His story is very comforting to me as a perfectionist-- there are two distinct things going on with him that really soothe me and compel me to write about him:

He fucks up. Badly. But he manages to come clean to his family about it and start turning things around.

But in some ways, he overcorrects. He still goes a long time feeling lonely and like what is at his core is undesirable/ruined and like there's a lot that he doesn't deserve and that he's gotta do something to make up for continuing to Exist. Eventually, though, he meets people who are capable of imparting "you are still a person, having your own fun and Wanting Things From Others is NOT a crime" in a way that he's able to actually take to heart.

Like... IDK. I haven't catastrophically failed the way he has, but the possibility has been looming over my head for forever, especially now that I'm in college, where what I do actually... y'know... matters. He's also, like, outwardly tender and the Edge comes later, which is sort of the inverse of a lot of masculine characters in the Big Media that I've seen-- I like "asshole with a heart of gold" characters when they're done right, obviously, I have at least one of those too, but that's just it-- there are SO MANY.

B) What inspired you to create them?

Honest to god, this guy just appeared. Over the course of nearly eight years, granted, and he's still appearing, but yeah. I set out to RP a BLU Spy with some headcanoning and I didn't last a month doing that before Lazare came to life and I had to just run with it. I think the thing that really started him in that direction was going "well what if Spy had anxiety???" And then I put cute glasses on him and then and then and then

And now Lazare is completely divorced from TF2. I cannot put him back in there, he won't do it, he refuses! Going back to that kind of life just isn't a choice he'd make. I think "French and wears suits" are the only remaining things he has in common with Spy.

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

We'd so totally get along. I'd get along with most of my characters, but with Lazare in particular, we could hang out and shoot the shit for a while, I think. I hang out with 40somethings pretty regularly IRL, I've always gotten along with my parents' friends and enjoyed them. Lazare also is not bothered by younger people, though he does kind of obsess over making sure he's being a "good influence." Our music tastes and other interests overlap decently, and he knows how to keep a conversation going, which is all I really need. We're both curious and appreciate others who have that trait, so there's that, too. I feel like I'd inevitably say some Young Dumb shit that he'd just nod politely at, but yeah, I think he'd like talking to me too :)