#I'm going to set a week time for this poll because i need to finish marinating in the will of the many before i move on to something else

[napoleanbonafarte]

I'll read these books in the order of their poll rankings

[runnning-outof-time]

Beach Day | Modern!Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: no - but encouraged by @holacia3 with this ask

Pairing: Modern!Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: (Y/N) manages to pull Tommy out of the office so that they can go on a trip. Once at their destination, they waste no time and have a much needed beach day. Or: Tommy forgets everything the second he sees (Y/N) wearing his shirt.

Warnings: language, some suggestive sentences

Word Count: 3332

A/N: this one’s probably going to flop, but I’m happy that I managed to finish it amidst the bout of writer’s block I’ve been experiencing. It was the other option on the poll I ran a few weeks ago. I haven’t got to take a trip to the beach this summer, so I decided to write about it instead. Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: this will be the last story posted in July … I’m going on a trip with my family next week and most likely won’t have any major time to write the other requests. I’m hoping that maybe I’ll be able to write and share some of the blurbs that I’ve got in my asks, but big stories have been halted until August.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Comment/Message me if you’d like to be tagged in future stories like this one!

"...and you can't argue with me because I've already packed your bags," (Y/N) ended her pitch in an assured tone, setting her confident gaze on her fiancé, who was sitting across from her...at his desk, of course.

Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but the door to the office opening stopped him. Both he and (Y/N) looked over to it to find Polly entering the room. "I'm going to need you to hand over your diary," she said, walking right over to the desk, extending her hand towards her nephew when she stopped in front of it.

"I'm guessing you got her in on this?" Tommy asked (Y/N), his eyebrows raised as he looked between both women.

"I did," (Y/N) nodded in an assured manner, a tight-lipped grin present on her face, "and you're not getting out of it."

"Everything's been handled. Go take a break, Thomas," Polly added, moving her fingers then to remind him that she was going to need his diary.

"So it's been settled then, eh?" he looked at (Y/N) again.

"It has been," she answered him, a victorious smile present on her face, "give her the diary, Tommy."

"If I must," he sighed dramatically as he picked it up from his desk and handed it over to his aunt, making a big deal over it. Inside he was glad that (Y/N) had planned this out...he'd been working tirelessly on the business' latest expansion and hardly had a moment to breathe, but yet he wasn't going to stop and take one for himself. (Y/N) realized that and took it upon herself to plan the forced holiday.

"You must," (Y/N) stayed stern on her point, although the smile she was wearing was full on her face now. Tommy took one more look at his fiancée and couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. There was not a doubt in his mind that he was ready to relax with her.

——

By that time the next day, Tommy and (Y/N) found themselves checked into a private resort that sat right off of a beautiful beach.

After unpacking their luggage, Tommy made his way out to the living area of the suite they were staying in with the intention of checking in on how things were back at home. He was thankful that this resort had high-speed internet, because he couldn't stand to be disconnected for too long. The flight to the resort was already pushing the limits...nothing would connect in that damned airport.

It seemed as though (Y/N) had other ideas of what they should be doing next. She exited the bedroom the second he'd gotten comfortable on one of the couches. Taking one look at Tommy made her audibly sigh and drop her hand to hit against her thigh, the sound of it making him look up from the screen.

He immediately noted that she had changed. Her comfortable airport attire had been switched for a swimsuit and a loose, practically see through dress that she was using as a cover-up. A pair of sunglasses rested atop her head and flip-flops covered her feet. How she managed to get changed so fast completely perplexed him.

"You're back to thinking of work already?" she commented, a bit of an exasperated look filling her features.

"You know how I like to check on things," he stated, defending himself as he shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"I do know, but we're on holiday, Tommy," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but we just got here."

"Yeah...and I'm already ready to go down to the beach."

"I noticed that."

"Tommy..." (Y/N) sighed, a frown forming on her lips. She held her gaze on him for a moment, watching and waiting for him to say something, before continuing to speak when silence persisted. "I'm going to throw your bloody phone in the ocean if this is how this week's going to play out," she threatened him, her voice holding a more serious tone than it had before.

"Just let me do it now," he bargained with her, "I didn't know we were going to get into things so soon."

(Y/N) pursed her lips as she thought about his suggestion. She finally responded after letting silence hang in the air for a few moments, "fine. You can do it now, but please don't let it become a habit, ok? This was meant to take you away from work," she laid out her stipulations.

"Fair enough. I'll curb it for the rest of the week," he agreed to her counter-offer, nodding his head to seal the deal.

"Good," she nodded in response to his statement. A few beats of silence passed before she spoke again, "I'm going to go down to the pool and wait for you, ok?" she told him her plan.

"Ok," he agreed, watching her as she walked over to where he was sitting. "Look beautiful, baby," he couldn't resist giving her a compliment, his eyes running over her body.

"Thanks, Tommy," she smiled at him, her stomach filling with butterflies as she leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. "Don't be up here too long, hmm?" she mumbled against his lips after pulling away.

"I won't," he promised her, feeling her smile against his lips before they shared one more kiss. (Y/N) stood upright again, smiling and nodding at him once more before she moved back over the island that broke up the kitchen and living space.

"You know where to find me," she told him while making sure that her tote bag was filled with the essentials: beach towel, sun tan lotion, hotel room key, and, of course, her latest book. She looked over to him, watching as he nodded one last time, before she made her way to the door of the suite.

There weren't many people sitting by the pool, so (Y/N) was able to find an open lounge pretty quickly. She set her bag down next to the chair and then relaxed back against it. The ocean's waves could be heard from where she was, and the calming sound of them made her shut her eyes and take a deep breath. It was good to finally be able to take some time and actually relax.

As a senior member of the Shelby Company Ltd.'s marketing team, she was working just as much as Tommy was. Always coming up with new ways of advertising; always keeping up with the different avenues Tommy was taking the company down. It was tedious and time consuming, sure, but she wouldn't have it any other way...the job was how she met her fiancé, three years ago.

With both of their busy schedules, neither really had the time to take a moment and relax...until (Y/N) made a point to now. She was thankful for this trip, and she was sure that Tommy was, too.

Some time passed as she sat, relaxing on the pool lounge. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out there; she wasn't really keeping time as she switched between laying with her eyes closed and watching the other people meander about the pool area.

Luckily she was doing some people watching when Tommy came walking down the stairs and into the pool area of the resort. She spotted him as he was descending the steps, and immediately noticed that he'd changed into his beachwear. The white t-shirt and jeans he'd worn while traveling was now swapped for a pair of gray board shorts and a baby blue linen button down shirt. She couldn't help but stare at him as he walked across the area to get to where she was lounging.

"Ready to go down to the water?" he asked as he stopped in front of her lounge.

"I see you're finally finished with your work," (Y/N) commented, pulling her sunglasses down slightly to peer up at him.

He chuckled at her statement, shaking his head slightly as he looked out to the ocean, "yeah, and it's finished for the rest of the trip."

"If you say so," she brushed off the topic as she sat up on the lounge, collecting her bag and making sure that she had everything she'd come down with. "Let's go down to the beach," she said with a smile as she stood next to him. Tommy nodded his head before allowing her to lead the way to the gate that separated the pool area from the private beach that the resort offered.

The beach was beautiful. The sand was soft, and the breeze coming off of the waves made the hot rays of the sun not burn so bad. One of the perks of the resort having a private beach was the fact that there weren't many people inhabiting it.

(Y/N) and Tommy quickly found a spot to set their things down. (Y/N) made sure that the beach blanket Tommy had brought with him (because she'd forgotten it in the room) was laid out underneath one of the umbrellas the resort had set up. She set the bag down on it before kicking off her flip-flops and lifting the cover-up from her body.

"Let's go down to the water," she excitedly said, flashing a look in Tommy's direction before she took off towards the waves.

"You're not even gonna wait for me," he responded, moreso to himself than anyone, a smile forming on his face as he shook his head. He could easily tell how much she was already enjoying this holiday, and he was so thankful that she'd planned it for them. It took him a few moments to undo his button down and set it into the bag before he too kicked off his flip-flops and began walking down to the water.

He approached (Y/N), who was standing facing the waves, and wasted no time wrapping his arms around her midsection. His actions made her shriek at first, but she sunk into his embrace in seconds. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him, swaying slightly along with him.

"It is," he mused, resting the side of his head against hers as they looked out at the waves. "The water's not too cold either."

"It's not," she agreed, her hands coming up to sit on his forearms, "let's go in," she said then, tapping his arms to let him know she wanted to be released. He obliged, and she took his hand to lead him out deeper in the water.

They made their way out to where the water reached their waists, stopping there even though Tommy thought that they could go out a little bit further. (Y/N) protested his suggestion, telling him that 'things might eat us if we go any further'. Tommy listened to his fianceé's statement and stayed where they were. They spent a good amount of time in the water, switching from swimming around, to floating with the waves, to (Y/N)'s personal favorite: hanging onto Tommy like he was a tree and she was a koala.

At least an hour of them spending time in the water had to have passed before Tommy finally decided to start heading towards the shore. His movement, of course, didn't go unnoticed. "You're leaving me?" (Y/N) questioned after she saw him take a few steps backwards. She was enjoying herself in the water and had had no plans of leaving it any time soon.

"I think I'm ready to get out of the water," he answered with the obvious.

"We've not been in here long though," she pouted.

"I need to go sit for a minute, love. I'll be just up there," he told her, motioning to where their things were. (Y/N)'s pout didn't subside, but she nodded and allowed him to leave the waves.

She watched him walk up the beach and sit down on the blanket they'd laid out. Her eyes lingered for a few moments before she went back to floating on the waves.

It wasn't long before (Y/N) was exiting the water and walking up to where Tommy had made himself comfortable. It just wasn't the same wading in the waves alone. She wanted to spend as much time with Tommy as she possibly could. A sight - that she honestly wished she'd be surprised to see - was waiting for her at the blanket though.

"I thought you said you'd ditch the work while we're here?" she commented as she stopped in front of Tommy, who had his face buried in his smartphone as he tapped away at the screen.

Her voice made him quickly look up, a surprised expression forming on his face as he noticed she was right in front of him. "I was just checking a few things," he told her, holding his hands up in surrender, his now locked phone present in one of them.

"Mm-hmm," (Y/N) shook her head as she moved over to where the bag was sitting so that she could grab a towel and dry off, "you do know the ocean's right there, right? I could honestly take that phone and give it a good chuck," she stated, making sure her body was dry.

"You wouldn't," Tommy responded, a slight tone present in his voice, showing that he was testing the waters.

"I just might," she quipped back, a grin on her face as she dropped the towel back into the bag.

Before she could move to sit next to him, light blue fabric caught her eye. She instantly recognized it as the linen button down Tommy was previously wearing. She picked it up without a second thought, draping it over her shoulders and slipping her arms through the holes. It covered her swimsuit clad body immediately and she was grateful for the soft, cool fabric on her otherwise warm skin. She'd just finished rolling the sleeves up to her elbows when she finally felt Tommy's eyes on her.

Tommy had been watching her from the second she came back to the blanket. His phone was quickly forgotten as he watched her dry off and then grab the shirt from the bag. Sure, she had her own cover-up, but he was so damn happy that she'd chosen to slip his shirt on over her body. Something about her wearing his clothes just got him going. Just when he thought she couldn't get any more beautiful, she went ahead and did something like this. He couldn't help but let his eyes travel up and down her frame.

(Y/N)'s eyes finally found his when he found her face once more, and she couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach as she noticed the look he was giving her. She wanted to make a comment, but it died in her throat as she just about melted under his stare.

"C'mere," Tommy finally spoke, nodding his head to the side as a non-verbal addition to his statement. She grinned at him and happily followed his direction, moving over to where he was sitting.

He brought his knees up and opened his legs slightly, offering her the perfect spot to sit down in; one that she quickly fell into. She easily got comfortable sitting between his legs; her back rested against his chest. Tommy wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, pulling her even closer to his body as he leant over and began pressing kisses to the side of her neck.

"Tommy, stop!" she exclaimed through her giggles, finally trying to squirm away from his lips as his actions quickly became ticklish. He listened to her and stopped his kisses, but he didn't dare loosen up the grip that he had on her.

It was easy for his hands to find their way onto her body, being that she'd left the shirt open, and he couldn't help but let them roam her figure. He took his time, feeling every curve as he nestled his face into her neck; breathing in the sweet smell of her skin mixed with the sunshine that had been kissing it since they exited the hotel room. (Y/N) had practically melted into his body, absolutely loving the feeling of his hands as they traced her skin.

She waited until his hands found their resting spot on the sides of her waist, his arms crossed over her stomach, to finally speak again: "I see that I've got your mind off of work now," she said with a grin, turning her head so that she could see his face out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh you most certainly have," he answered, a grin laced into his words, "look so fuckin' beautiful in my things...always, baby," he mumbled against the skin of her cheek before he kissed it.

The butterflies returned as she heard what he had to say, and she couldn't stop herself from turning in his arms even more so that she could press her lips to his in a much needed kiss. "Love you, Tommy," she mumbled against them, smiling as he kissed her again, this kiss holding more emotion than the last. "I can't wait for the rest of this week with you," she said once they'd finally pulled away from each other. She was now sitting with her body turned more towards him, so she was able to look at him head on. She couldn't stop her cheeks from heating up as she caught the look of total adoration in his eyes.

"If this is a preview of what's to come..." he trailed off, a grin forming on his face as his eyes danced over her figure once more, "I already know that this trip is going to be one that's hard to top."

His cheeky comment that was accompanied by a rather suggestive glance, made (Y/N) gasp, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and shake her head as she tried to distract herself from how his words actually made her feel. Why did there have to be other people present on this beach?! She had to look towards the ocean for a few moments to re-center herself from the look that was making her wonder what they could get away with out here.

A few moments had passed before she felt the sharp snap of her swimsuit's strap against her skin. "Tommy!" she shrieked at the sensation, her eyes snapping back onto him to see that a smug grin was now present on his face. He tried, and failed, to feign innocence before his expression dissolved into a grin and chuckles. "I can't believe you," she shook her head, gently pressing on his shoulders for him to get the hint to lay back on the blanket.

She wasted no time in pressing her lips to his when he did lay down, and he made a mental note to do things such as that more often if this was going to be how she responded to it.

After sharing a flurry of kisses, (Y/N) rested her head against his chest, not caring about the shine of sweat that was present due to the heat of the sun that was engulfing them. She was thankful for the shade that their umbrella was providing.

Tommy wrapped his arms around the small of her back underneath the shirt of his that she was still wearing, effectively holding her close to him...like she was going to be moving any time soon. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the serenity that was surrounding them; not thinking about anything but the beautiful woman laying with him.

Like he'd said before: if this was a preview of how the week was going to go, this was most definitely going to be a tough trip to top.

Tagged: @mystcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @itscheybaby @gypsy-girl-08 @insanitybyanothername @depxiety @raincoffeeandfandoms @dragons-are-my-favorite @acewritesfics @forgottenpeakywriter @cljordan-imperium @areyenotfondofmelobster @little-diable @thomashelbyswife @iambored24601 @shaddixlife

MASTERLIST

[afanofmanyth1ngs]

Yellowjackets/IWTV Fanfic

So, about a week ago I put out a poll about doing a weird IWTV fanfic that's basically set in the Yellowjackets verse... And now I'm doing it... YAY!! but I do just want to come on here to basically throw around some things I'm going to do :P So this is going to be where I update people and just basically talk about how I'm going to do this, what my schedule is going to look like, things I need opinions on. This is more so a motivation thing so IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, please please please comment and follow along. I lose motivation quickly, but this is something I'm pretty dedicated to. but either way THIS IS HAPPENING.

______________________________________________________________

First things first. YES I have started working on it. Im not even close to finished with the first chapter because each chapter is going to be LONG. This is not going to be everything that happens in Yellowjackets happens in here, and not even close. Even as I started it... I will sometimes use direct quotes, but thats only if im stuck and cant figure out what im doing.

NEXT as I said this is not going to be yellowjackets word for word, but I will be using each episode as a starting point. scenes might mirror each other, and I will cut between scenes as they do in the show.

Some things that are automatically going to be different from Yellowjackets:

They will not be on a Sports team of any sorts. The one thing each character has in common, is that they all are passionate about one or more forms of art (ex: Louis: Photography - Lestat: Acting - Madeleine - Sewing and dress making and altering (not the right words sorry lol)) SO im having them go to an art school :P little bit of a long shot but not only is it just convinent for me because of all the art forms they like, but also I think it would be kind of cool for just normal (LMAO) IWTV kids who have never touched a sport in their lives to now have to like hunt and stuff... kind of Lord of the Flies with half of the kids being CHOIR KIDS core.

Theyre all gonna be in High school. i was like well im not aging them up cause what fun would that be, so lets just age them down and keep a whole bunch of that trauma and see what happens... and im not super far into the writing process but its working rn!!

Theyre crashing in the Alps. I have zero knowlege of the Alps whatso ever BUT i know i went over them when i flew to Italy so Im having them go to the Uffizi Galleries!!! and then BAM Alps. so get ready for some major inaccuratcies about that cause im gonna make them how they are in Yellowjackets... just in like Italy. Maybe I'll reasearch a bit more... dw about it its ok :D

As I said before each chapter is going to be LONG. so rn I have around 4ish scenes (ones not finished yet) and by the time I'm finished with those and edit it's going to be close to around 4,000 words I'm estimating... that's 4,000 words for not even a quarter of THE KIDS STORY LINE. on that topic, because each chapter is going to be so incredibly long, I've decided to split each chapter in about half. I was originally planning to do one chapter = one episode of yellowjackets but again it's going to be WAY too long, so kids' storyline, adult story line. I like that a lot too because a big pet peeve of mine is in stories where it keeps switching through times and then i get so lost and have to reread like 10 times to understand... LIKE PLEASE JUST SPLIT IT INTO A FEW CHAPTERS SO IM NOT CONFUSED

Last thing! Most of each character's backstory IS WORKED IN... so for example (A HUGE example) is for at least the first few chapters Armand will be called and referred to as Amadeo. Marius is his adoptive father who rescued him from some sex trafficking scandal or something and renamed him, before he eventually changes his name to Armand while out in the mountains. So, like obviously he's not going to get the name Armand from Santino, but you know... working in what I can :P

OK ACTUALLY LAST LAST THING: I don't know when this will come out... I have a deadline for myself and I'm certain I will get to it, HOWEVER I do not have access to the other Yellowjackets episodes, which is pretty crucial if I want to get into a schedule of posting each week regularly. As of right now I am hoping to get the first chapter out on October 3rd... Yellowjackets will be accessible to me AND then I'll be able to post a chapter on Halloween... YAY!! if that does not work out because the following chapters are taking too long and I release before I can make sure the Schedule is set, it will most likely be one of the Thursdays in October because I REALLY want to get one out on Halloween!!

OK!! hope you guys liked my little rant!! I'll keep everyone who's interested updated on here so if you want to be in the loop follow me (or don't! if you don't you can just check my page!) and again comments motivate me, so if you have any questions or just think it's a cool idea let me know!

[partyanimal167]

The New Guy- Shanks x F!Reader

Okay! So I finally finished my Crocodile fic that took me forever to write. SO~ my drafts are empty, and I'm writing this as a result of my dilf poll. I haven't written for Shanks so I'm interested to see how this is going to go... (EDIT: now posting months later lol)

CW: modern au, black fem reader in mind, mdni

That's a grown-ass man, me. Leave him alone. You're making up shit in your head.

You were just minding your business at work. You had been there for a little over a year and getting comfortable in your assistant manager position. You were a bit young for the role, but you were confident in most of your abilities.

It was a Monday morning , and everyone seemed to be on their toes. For weeks, there was talk of a corporate level director that was going to be helping out for a while. It wasn't for your department, but one that you worked with often. You didn't stress it really.

But that Monday tiredness hit you hard because you really shouldn't have slipped on that small puddle in the lobby. Your life flashed before you, and you tensed in anticipation for the hot coffee cup in your hand to soak your blouse and burn your skin.

However, that never occurred.

The man gave you a warm smile and wink before setting you back on your feet. You thanked him and walked away quickly to run from the embarrassment.

You fell back into gentle strong arms and a face that reminded you of the men who bought your friends drinks and never asked for anything in return. The ones who you would giggle and whisper about.

You were typing away at your desk when you heard the commotion approaching and saw a small group of people walking around and chatting. You joined your manager by their desk and asked about it.

"The corporate guy is here." The group arrived, and you saw the handsome man from earlier.

The group stopped by and introduced him. You exchanged introductions and figured that would be all.

That was not all.

In your mind, corporate meant uptight and strictly professional.

Shanks was silly, a flirt, and somehow found a way to be in your department every day, multiple times a day.

Soon enough, you loosened up enough to the point where you dished out sly remarks about Shank's age and shitty game when he was making another comment about the boyfriend you kept telling him you didn't have.

You didn't think that much of him until one day he rushed out of the office, and no one knew why. Until you heard that he bought a last-minute ticket to check in on his daughter who was sick in the hospital. You realized that Shanks had his own priorities and responsibilities so of course he wasn't just an old flirt. It was...attractive--you guessed.

You brought him a coffee when he came back and asked how he and his daughter was doing. It was a simple gesture. You left it at that.

He didn't.

Soon, you were starting to get some more recognition for your efforts at work and were invited to an appreciation dinner with some other people--including Shanks.

He praised you for your work, and maybe it was the alcohol but the words made you melt and softened.

So the two of you got drinks afterwards.

And maybe your hands weren't to yourself, but Shanks didn't say anything.

Work went on like normal...kind of. You couldn't stop yourself from getting flustered when that old man stopped by and flirted with you. You couldn't stop the impure thoughts of how Shanks was so unserious but could handle business--professional and personal.

And it was oh so hard to keep quiet when you were getting showered in praises and kissed everywhere in the supplies closet because it was hard for Shanks too. He needed to show how good he could make you feel and how he couldn't resist you.

But don't worry. Even if you struggle at work with him, Shanks will bring you over and let you make as much noise as possible.

The new guy was really trouble.

[caxycreations]

Another Tylvinian Tale update

The coding for the second scene of Day One is complete! That's the intro, plus Kaleb's introduction, done!

Starting scene three now, we're close to the first day being done, story and code-wise!

I don't want this to be just a short little update, so I'm reiterating a poll from before as well:

I'm still not sure what to price the game, but I'm thinking $10-$20, somewhere in that ballpark.

I'm also thinking, if I keep working the way I have been, if I can knock out ~7 hours of work per day like I have the last few days...Let's see...

It'll take me ~90 days worth of working hours, but to account for slow days, days off, re-writes, day-or-week-long breaks, etc, I'm setting the ESTIMATED project completion date as April 25th, 2025.

I'll keep you guys in the loop and adjust the release date as needed!

That's the short version, but long below the cut for those interested in my thought process.

Long Version:

7 hours of work a day, for 3 days, got me 3.5 scenes of Day 1 written out, and 2 scenes of Day 1 coded.

If we break every Day after that into 3 scenes (Morning, Noon, Night)...

I'm working at a rate of 0.78 scenes per hour. We'll round that to 0.75. So 3/4 of a scene per hour of work.

And at 60 days of in-game time, that's 180 scenes.

But there are 18 characters with routes (I'm adding Moss as a befriendable route; NOT a romance route, friends only, because it's going to be VERY important to be close with Moss for one of the secret routes with another character)

And each route gives a completely different timeline of events, so a different version of every scene for each route.

18 different versions of 180 scenes, that's 3,240 scenes.

And there are 2 variants of 16 of the routes, romance and friendship, with 3 variants of 1 route, for a technical total of 36 routes (17 romance routes, 17 friendship routes, 1 enemy route, 1 friend route)

So that's actually 36 versions of 180 scenes, for a total of 6,480 scenes.

If I'm working at a rate of 0.75 scenes per hour, I finish 3 full scenes every 4 hours. That's ~5 scenes every 7 work hours.

At this rate, it would take me...2,160 hours of work to 100% complete the game. Which means

That's 90 days, or 12.85 weeks, or 3.21 months.

So, to account for slow days, bad days, and days where the code just WILL NOT cooperate, plus accounting for hours NOT spent working on days where I do work the full 7...

I'm setting an ESTIMATED 100% completion date of April 20th, 2025.

I will keep you guys in the loop, obviously, and adjust the release date as needed.

[regencyofhell-if]

The only reason I didn't post yesterday was because I didn't want you to think I was making an April Fool's joke, but we have the entirety of Chapter One completely written as well as a decent part of Chapter 2. It's very extensive and will need to be cut down before publication because so for I've written almost 120k words. I still can't believe the word count and keep looking at the Word document over and over again.

It's the most I've ever written in my entire life (which is saying a lot considering I started writing in general when I was 14 and now I'm 30 😳)

The next month or so is going to be about division of what I've already finished so that my attempts at coding are not overwhelmed, as well as deciding what platform to go with. I'm autistic so Twine has proven way too much for me to figure out. If anyone has any suggestions on what would be an easier alternative, please leave a comment here because the only other platform I know that can handle all I've written in CoG and I haven't heard good things about it.

I really wanted to get this game out before spring. Everything should have been finished a long time ago, but if I've learned anything, it's don't set deadlines for yourself, especially in my case because I will never meet them if I do. Not only do I absolutely suck at timekeeping, but I need to learn to stop tinkering with things and move on instead of just editing what I've already written until I can't stand looking at it anymore.

But I'm not here to complain; I'm here to get everything out in the open and keep you guys updated on my progress with RoH. And to let you all know that I'm going to make up for my lack of posts and keeping quiet the last few weeks when my personal life went through the garbage disposal.

I've reopened my Patreon to give you guys more content and to (hopefully) help pay my rent since I'm not doing well financially after all those medical expenses and Archer moving out. In exchange, I will be posting every Monday with sneak peeks, short stories, and polls. I already have posts scheduled for the next two months, including some spicy content Tumblr would flag. 😏

In summary: MOMMA'S BACK, BABY!!

[boynamedroxy]

Hey folks this is my first ever post on Tumblr. I'd like to thank my Master, Master Bradley for setting this up for me as he wanted me to have my own personal Tumblr page. So thankyou again Master Bradley. If you been following Master Bradleys other page on Tumblr I think you'll find it at slapper-sw-h-13 I think. There you will find my transformations from growing up as a Skinhead all my life, until I met my 1st Master, Master Clive Who hated my Skinhead look and transformed me into his dirty greasy biker and made me grow a long beard,as he wanted me to look abit like himself for which I did. Then due to ill health he couldn't carry on anymore and in early 2023 he sold me to his very best friend Bradley. Bradley hated the fact that I was a Skinhead because he had a very bad run in with a gang of skinheads who beat him up quite badly and left him in hospital for about 3 weeks over 20 years ago. So what with me being a lifelong Skinhead before Master Clive owned me, once he had full 100% ownership he wanted ti teach me and all other Skinheads out there by changing my gender to female and then to feminize me into what I Am today and put me on the streets as a sex worker. All This abd more is told in Madter Bradleys Blog on me on Tumblr just type in slapper-sw-h-13 to find my transformation.

So to bring you upto date right now Master Bradley thought it would be good to get a Poll going on weather I should have lip filler. This All came about from a friend of a friend where they spoke about me and Madter Bradleys transformation of me going from male to female. Dr Mo can't remember his actual full name wanted to give me lip filler to greatly enhance my male lips. Master Bradley wasn't to keen, but put a Poll out there for people to vote yes or no and promised Dr Mo whatever the result that will be final. Madter Bradley Wasn't expecting the outcome to be for me having lip filler. So to cut long story short because he had a cancellation late Wednesday afternoon Master only ran the Poll till Wednesday midday, despite the original finishing time still had 3 days to run. I to was shocked at the result and I certainly didn't want any lip filler as I think this look, looks ridiculous on women I've seen. So unknown to me I don't know what Master Brad and Dr Mo spoke about after my consultation but it was decided I would get full on maximum massive lips via the strongest injector stuff they put in your lips. I was not happy one bit when I saw myself in the mirror, infact I didn't need to look in the mirror I could see my top lip through my eyes. There was alot of Swelling which made things alot worse than it did , but even now some 60 hours after the last injection my lips are massive still, and being told that what I see now is what size your lips will be now. I'm still in shock at the whole thing and told Master Bradley Exactly what I thought as I'm very upset still.I find my look embarrassing and can't stop thinking that I now look like a duck. So once I come to terms with my new look then no doubt you will see how very different I now look with massive lips.

The picture I posted above was my last one taken with my normal lips a week ago when Master Bradley took me for breakfast to discuss plans going forward.

[lilghostiequinni]

I will finish the driver x grid series photos over the weekend and get them to you all on Tuesday-Wednesday, I have a way that I do them that takes longer to make them than is ideal for quick uploads.

It's also gotten to the point that it has gotten to an overwhelming amount of photos that I have had to do, I think that unless I plan to upload the photo the same day, I will not be posting more collections or series until the photo is ready.

On a side note, there is a series also coming on Wednesday, a x grid one, that I am doing the photo on Monday and not over the weekend, so....

Let's hope things go how I want them to this weekend (they didn't).

I would just like to also say that I haven't had the time to work on any one-shots for this coming weekend again, so again no one-shots as of now, but that's not saying it's completely off the table because I still have time tomorrow and also at night over the weekend.

Friday I won't have time though, so if I can't work on them tomorrow it will only be one or two, possibly, otherwise none, but being able to work on them tomorrow would guarantee at least one.

Those polls I had you do about the series and P2s should start in the week I have blue in December, it's here if you need to look.

I am also starting to do January to April, but there are some last minute things that are still unknown on my end where I can't not fully make that schedule, which is fine, it wouldn't have come out until January 1st or December 31st.

I would also like to note that I do have more series I'm planning of posting from like December 28th to December 31st.

Also just to let you know, Request are OPEN and they will be even if the Navigation says their closed.

And there are some collections and series that TS or TC, it means "The Series" or "The Collection."

Some collections don't have that and it's because it is not getting a series. Same goes for series because I did go through them before I posted any collection just to make sure none of them were getting a collection, but there are 4 series that will be getting a collection on Wednesday, only because I like the pairings and don't necessarily want to follow the timeline that I have set, but I want to write for that couple.

Also, on Wednesday, I will be linking the collection and series together. Actually, I might do that tomorrow if I get the time.

Also, Follower Cele polls come out tomorrow, some, the rest on Monday.

[t1meslayer]

Busy with important family events over the next couple of days, and so I thought it would be good to get a day-and-date release for this Debrief on the latest entry in my Sapphic Valley series, "How You Get The Girl." Be sure to read the story before jumping in!

Did you do it? Did you read the story?

Alright, I'm trusting you. Go ahead and hit that 'Keep Reading' button you scamp.

It only seems appropriate to start this Debrief off by addressing the elephant in the room. I haven't posted anything in over a month, and "By Moonlight" came about a month after its predecessor, the conclusion to "Stone-Cold Lovers."

Work, naturally, has been a major factor.

You can see me talk about that almost two weeks ago in this Tumblr post I made about writing in a coffee shop, which came weeks after I actually started writing during a trip to a friend's house.

===

Side note:

Just wanted to take a moment and acknowledge my beautiful Haley and Emily keychains. My friend who's responsible for the affairs of one ghostly farmer named Jizzabelle (Gisabelle to the laymen) got them for me! Only appropriate after I commissioned some art of her and Abigail.

Emily was my first Stardew wife, and Haley currently holds the biggest place in my heart. They make a lovely duo!

And I'll avoid any sister-wife jokes

===

While I've had some other projects like Zine writing to take care of, work and life can't explain the full absence.

The best way I can think to explain things is that:

I had the general writer's block, and

Despite the best intentions and advice of my irl friends and online pals like @alchemicallymoon and @duelbraids, I couldn't force myself to "break" that block by just... Writing something else.

This is entirely the result of my own psychosis. I have a tendency to carefully plot things out and impose a timetable that really doesn't need to exist. When I feel the cause is righteous enough, it's hard to get around that. In this case, I knew I needed to get my poll-winning idea out after dawdling for holidays like Valentine's Day, and then I knew I only wanted to post one more story before jumping on a very special event for my upcoming 30th AO3 post.

Thus, here we are: arbitrarily forcing myself into a spiral of writer's block misery because of a silly promise on Tumblr and my own sense of ordered chaos.

At the very least, this meant it's coming out not long after my AO3 pal InsertACatchyPennameHere also emerged from the woodwork to tell me they're working on something INSPIRED by my four-person friend group farm adaptations.

Much love to them, wherever they may be.

I'll probably start writing more eclectically now that my shoulders are unweighed, but don't expect my next publication to hit until I'm finished working on teasing the big event. All you Pokemon fans better get hype!

And oh how sweet this publication feels. Between my great set of recent ceramics, the figure drawing class I've been attending, and creative writing, I've felt more fulfilled than ever.

You're here to talk about Stardew, though. So let us talk.

This idea began less with any one event as it did a desire to advance the Alexis/Haley relationship, and Haley's characterization in particular. It was always going to end with watercolor painting reference, but 2 Willow Lane was what I really wanted to dig into.

As I see it, a lot of what keeps people invested in Stardew when its comfy vibes becoming routine is the air of mystery in Eric Barone's worldbuilding. Haley and Emily's parents being some world-traveling duo who left their home in the siblings' care for who knows how long (and who knows how many times over their lifetime) really piqued my interest. So much so that the new writing challenge I set for myself in "How You Get The Girl" was crafting a particularly long set of descriptions that emphasize how overwhelming the parents' influence feels — without creating an impenetrable wall of text.

Hopefully I succeeded in that. Let me know!

I tried to include some vaguely real world-adjacent references into that description of the house, as happens with the magical-realism world of Stardew Valley. For example:

The computer sitting next to their bonsai tree is an iMac G3, the kind of old 'futuristic' tech that my dad loves!

A Speedwell refrigerator is based on even more vintage tech, the Mayflower fridge, but named after a different ship ridden by Pilgrims coming to America.

That city that the family visited in an old photograph with a "monument of arching, interlocking steel" is, of course, Paris — with the statue bookends referencing any number of statues in the Louvre.

Haley's FAD magazine could be referencing any number of publications, but Vogue is probably the closest analogue to what I imagine her reading.

Furthermore, I took some notes on describing the home's layout off of my sister's apartment building, and I asked my bestie @trybard for input on what kind of hanging plant should be used in the transitional hallway. Hanging pothos, philodendron, and spider plants were the three options provided, and my response was appropriate:

They know so much about plants.

Go bug them about it.

I drew on other friends' knowledge to help decorate the house. Specifically, I asked one of my witchiest friends what kinds of protective wards someone like Emily would leave around doorways and windows. She had... A lot of reference material.

I picked Hazel given it purportedly "protects against evil; encourages abundance and inspiration." I also picked Amethyst as one of Emily's loved gifts, one that purportedly "absorbs negative energy, promotes harmony."

My witchy friend is the same one who provided the TikTok that I referenced in my advertisement post:

Perhaps the most important thing about 2 Willow Lane was the recurring motif of Barbie's Dream House.

As a surface-level reference, I think the groundwork is clear. Blondie's love of fashion and general queen bee demeanor fits comparisons to Barbie well, and she lives in a big ol' house full of stuff. We all saw Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie last year. It's still in the cultural zeitgeist.

I'm hip with the kids.

Yet, early on I also tried to make it clear that if this is a "dream" house, it's neither Haley's nor Emily's dream. Haley is a Barbie in that stereotypical sense, but also there's much to be mined from the analogy of a sort of powerless doll in an immutable house, constrained by social obligation to her family rather than literal plastic and stickers.

The cold open of Jodi and Sam was meant to stand alone, but in execution I also think drawing Kent's absence into the conversation makes for a more thematically rich comparison to these sisters who appear to have themselves more put together.

My beta reader said this wound up being one of my stronger stories because of how all of that intertwined, which I appreciated given how down on myself I was following the whole writer's block thing.

But also.

Also.

Alexis gets to be horny. She's hitting on lonely MILFs and watching girls shake their asses to the tune of bad reality TV.

We love a buff dommy mommy farm girl in this house.

Haley is probably horny too, she just doesn't realize it yet. For now I think it's fun enough to play into her being coy about building excuses for Alexis to come over, and then getting incensed when Emily barges in on their private time meant to learn more about this farm girl she just can't get out of her head.

===

Fun fact:

Every story in this series is named after a Taylor Swift song, but I know next-to nothing about her discography. All of them are suggestions by my friend whose house I was at when starting this story — the same one who controls Gardenia on the farm.

While I went with "How You Get The Girl," her alternative suggestion was "The Man."

===

All that w|w talk aside, I also want to give Sam the loveable idiot a shoutout. Had to do a fair bit of research into how skateboards are constructed for his failed ollie, and I slipped in a reference to shitty old technology that's exclusively for my beta reader to enjoy.

I also tried doing some agricultural research to figure out how the folks at Kevin Farm could have grown cucumbers so there'd be a jar of legitimate pickles... But that was getting too in the weeds.

Insert laugh track here

Decided to just go with pickled artichoke hearts to save everyone a lot of trouble.

And where does "Kevin Farm" come from, you may be asking yourself. Or the fabulous "Kevin's Special" with its definitely not innuendo tagline.

That story will have to wait for another day, my friends.

[vintagetvstars]

Submissions and Bracket Update!

Hello everyone! It has officially been one week since launching this blog and opening submissions for our first hot vintage tv stars tournament, the hot vintage tv women's bracket! We are currently sitting at 118 total submissions! With at least 79 hot vintage TV ladies submitted. So far I've managed to sort through about half of them. Because we have a decent number of submissions I am currently planning on closing submissions on Friday, April 5th. This will give everyone a few more days to get in submissions before we start our tournament. Submission have slowly been winding down each day so it seemed like giving everyone a few more days to submit their favs and then getting to work setting up the bracket would be ideal. Though, if enough people feel like we should gather more submissions first and give everyone a little more time then I'm happy to push this proposed date back. But right now with almost 80+ submissions I think that's enough to give us a satisfying and fun bracket. After Submissions close I'll take some time to finish organizing everything before polls go up for round 1. There will probably be some housekeeping things after submissions close so stay tuned. As of right now I am shooting to start round 1 sometime between April 8th - 12th depending on how long I need to get things set up behind the scenes. So stay tuned for an announcement on the exact date! One housekeeping thing before the list of current hot vintage tv lady contestants. It seems there might have been a bit of confusion on how to fill out the submission form.

The place for the contestants name is where you put the name of the hot vintage tv lady you are submitting for the bracket.

And the suggested poll pic is for you to place a link to a picture of your hot vintage tv lady that I can use to represent them in the polls.

If you filled out the form incorrectly previously, no problem, please feel free to resubmit your fav with the form properly filled out this time. I can't use submissions that are submitted incorrectly, I simply don't have enough time to try and figure out what was intended from limited information. I've updated the form to clarify these things. Finally bellow is the current list of submitted hot vintage tv ladies for the bracket! Please keep in mind that this list is subject to change as I have only gone through about half of the submissions so far. It's possible there might be people on this list that will be disqualified later for not meeting our criteria.

If your fav isn't on the list, then they aren't in the bracket, so please feel free to submit them while submissions remain open!

Nichelle Nichols

Mary Tyler Moore

Bea Arthur

Diana Rigg

Gillian Anderson

Carol Burnett

Loretta Swit

Marlo Thomas

Lynda Carter

Betty White

Rue McClanahan

Barbara Feldon

Fran Drescher

Carolyn Jones

Claudia Black

Lisa Bonet / Lilakoi Moon

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Jessica Parker

Elizabeth Montgomery

Kathryn Leigh Scott

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Miranda Richardson

Melissa Joan Hart

Mariska Hargitay

Lisa Robin Kelly

Elisabeth Sladen

Leighton Meester

Barbara Stanwyck

Kellye Nakahara

Shannen Doherty

Carol Cleveland

Aimi MacDonald

Catherine Bach

Valerie Harper

Jane Krakowski

Amanda Tapping

Penelope Keith

Kylie Minogue

Jonelle Allen

Rachel Bilson

Terry Farrell

Joanna Lumley

Siân Phillips

Karyn Parsons

Courteney Cox

Sherilyn Fenn

Eliza Dushku

Debbie Allen

Lucy Lawless

Jane Seymour

Jan Smithers

Carole André

Nana Visitor

Jackée Harry

Janet Hubert

Yvonne Craig

Peggy Lipton

Lisa Hartman

Julie Newmar

Anne Francis

Barbara Eden

Vivica A Fox

Grayson Hall

Joan Bennet

Julia Duffy

Mag Ruffman

Gina Torres

Mira Furlan

Tina Louise

Lara Parker

Eartha Kitt

Deidre Hall

Dawn French

Dawn Wells

Lalla Ward

Kat Graham

Joan Chen

Eva Gabor

Eve Arden

[dommesticpet]

Kink Advent Grand Finally

And that's a wrap? About a month ago I was surprised by @dommestic with a Tumblr post that resulted in a series of gifts and kinky adventures, which is probably the most thoughtful set of experiences I've ever had thrust upon me. (Thrust.) I got some new toys - some we've tried, some we have not - along with a trip to the local dungeon, a lot of time in bed, and a lot of time out of bed. We've still got a lot of things left to explore or try, and we started the new year off with a bang.

One of the gifts she gave me was a magnetic white board for the fridge, which she is currently using to track orgasms in the house. Initially it was split down the middle with two marks on her side, and one on mine, because that's how the bang went. To anyone who sees it, it's just marks - so I said "We should call it an Org Chart" and she wrote that on the bottom. The three marks were the result of me finding a hood on my pillow when I came back to the bedroom after getting some water, and her talking me down and up and down and probably sideways. I have been instructed if I have fun alone, it has to be added to the chart and I have to make things up to her.

We had more communication. We don't touch base to talk about kinky or sexy things every day - we did in December, because either she had a plan to implement, or because one of us had to say "hey maybe tomorrow" a couple of times near the end. We've been together for a fair amount of time and so far we've been kept very busy by other aspects of life, sometimes to the detriment of this sphere. Kink engagement feels a lot better, although I assume the realities of not-the-holidays are about to take over one or both of our days most weeks.

More stuff is on the way. I was measured for at least one item that's yet to come. She's working on a recording to go with the sleep mask with speakers on it. Other things were alluded to and for all I know, are hidden away or en route or are on a wishlist somewhere. (Send her recommendations?)

Learning is good. We're skimming the local dungeon to see what else is coming up to see as a class... but we're not scheduled for any cons. We do have a book to finish discussing, though.

The hood is weirdly comforting. I was not someone who brought in a proclivity for hoods - she wanted to try it - and I have to say I wonder what it might be like to sleep in one. Maybe it'd drive me nuts. Have you tried it? We used it during various sessions/scenes/etc. a lot.

Unfinished Business. I believe she had a poll and I remember talk of a footstool thing earlier but I was very much focused on other things at the time. I think. I'm a little fuzzy on most of the details of Monday morning.

I am not exactly sure how the scoring system on that Org Chart is going to go. If I did, though, I would point to it as some sort of foreshadowing. Will the interwebs throw things at me I can't ignore? Will I just hold out and not need to do anything to make marks? Will the weather be nice today? Did Echo pack her leftovers for lunch? Stay tuned!

I hope your year is off to a great start and I need to keep in better touch with the very few people on here I keep in touch with.

[aerithsage]

Moving to Subscriptions: Patreon & Inkitt

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am back. Thank you so much for the warm welcome!

Over the years since I stopped writing, I've never truly stayed away from this world. I still read books, sometimes I wrote the stories in my head and kept them on drafts. Also, I was a ghostwriter for several published books (I cannot say what, sorry!).

Other than those things listed above, I also created a new account on Wattpad and finished an entire book.

The community was chill and nice when I finished that book which made me think maybe the toxic readers from before have truly grown up so I went back to my AerithSage account and started writing again.

And I am 100% back! The love for writing is also back. If there's anything that changed, it's that I monitor the comments section more thoroughly now. I click on every single notification and make sure I don't give the trolls an opportunity.

This time around, I went back with a plan.

For so long, I've kept my completed works free. This time around, I'm trying out subscriptions. I don't really like the coin-based ones as I feel this is more expensive. The subscriptions like Patreon and Inkitt work well because people can subscribe and binge-read.

So here goes:

While I was still debating which platform to choose, and at the same time, setting both up to test out features, 3 people subscribed (2 on Inkitt and 1 on Patreon) and I guess I have to do both this time.

So dear readers, I leave it up to you where you want to subscribe! You can go choose between Inkitt and Patreon.

I understand Inkitt is better for readers in terms of the actual reading interface but Patreon has more features like the polls, ability to upload images, podcasts, and the chapters have graphics!

Here's a sample of how a chapter looks like on Patreon:

Pretty, right? Too bad the reading experience is not as good yet as Inkitt or Wattpad.

THE TIERS:

The Billionaires ($2.99)

This gives you access to all my previously completed works. If you want to just binge-read this is for you!

The Immortals ($4.99)

This gives you access to all my previously COMPLETED and early access to all ONGOING works.

I will still post chapters on Wattpad for Ongoing Books but there will be more advanced chapters on Inkitt / Patreon.

OTHER STUFF:

If you subscribe on Patreon, there's also other features like Polls, Chats, etc. One way I was thinking of using polls is to put on a vote which book gets updated along with my main book.

For example: Right now, my main goal is to finish How to be a Queen so that's my main book. I'll open a poll on which book my subscribers also want to be updated aside from How to be a Queen.

Let's say How to Defy Fate won. I will also then post 1 chapter for How to Defy Fate.

Let me know what you think about this system and if it sounds interesting! I think I can put polls up every 1-2 weeks depending on workload.

**********************************************************************

LINKS:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/aerithsage (Read Online via web or Download the Patreon App)

Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/AerithSage (Read Online via web or Download the Inkitt App)

**********************************************************************

Anyway, thank you everyone for reading!

I hope you can support my writing by subscribing. I researched this pretty heavily and I think this is the cheapest option for my subscribers rather than me going by coins which always end up being more expensive.

Also, if you can't subscribe, that is totally fine! As I said previously, ongoing works will still be cross-posted to Wattpad just on a delayed schedule.

Not subscribing is fine but please do not send any hate. Just like you, writers are humans too and we need food to eat and a roof over our heads. Please do not get mad at us for trying to earn something by doing what we love.

Thanks so much for reading this long blog post! If you have any questions, here's where you can reach me:

Facebook Group: AerithSage's Immortals

Facebook Page: AerithSage

Instagram/Threads: @aerithsage

Twitter/X: @aerithsage

Love lots,

AerithSage

[vitaminseetarot]

Hey there 🦋

I've finallyfinally finally reached the end of all the requests for July's game. I'm extremely thankful for your patience in waiting for my response. I had some fun in planning this game out and doing your readings. With that said, however, I just so happened to pick one of the most energetically crazy times to actually start the game, yikes.

The week of doing the game readings was… insane. Not just because of what's happening news-wise, but because too many close call disasters in a very short span of time in my personal sphere. The Mars-Uranus conjunction was no joke! It did a number on me and as a result I had to take some time off to just breathe. My original plan was to have everyone answered within the week, but the wheels on the momentum bus came screeching to a complete halt around the full moon, where I was forced to stop and spend time away from the computer to attend to external matters. From there, I was able to post just a few answers at a time until now. It took me longer than anticipated to finish everyone's readings and I sincerely apologize for all the hang ups.

My goal was to start paid reading immediately after; with Mercury Retrograde coming right up, and with needing to still recover from the past couple weeks, I've decided it may be a better idea to put it off for one more month. My reason for doing this, and why I didn't start earlier this year, is because when I do open up paid services, I want you to get your readings as soon as possible and not have to wait well over a week. Which means I have to be in the right mental health space and life set-up to meet that requirement.

(And as an extra note, I'm only on tumblr and not on other social media platforms, and this is my only account. Please don't get scammed by solicitors pretending to be me!)

I'll be posting a Mercury Rx themed PAC in August because the idea is still sitting fresh in my mind, but I will likely post my menu later after this period transits through. This Elements Game, as fun as it was, ended up exhausting my psychic reserves in a way that the March aura game somehow didn't, and I need to use up the rest of the summer sun to recuperate and regroup. I don't know if I will have another game planned for this year, but if I consider it, I'll keep you updated in advance.

This hasn't been the first time my blog has had to slow to a near halt. I made this account several months before anything could even get posted which was frustrating at first but eventually worked itself out. So far, I've had a great time making these PACs and Game readings for you, but I'm re-realizing that passion alone can't assuage one's health needs. It can't replace food, and sleep, and walks outside, and time for stillness and reflection. And pushing too hard to get everything done actually results in things slowing down too much.

I really hope y'all take care of yourselves this summer. Enjoy what downtime you can get on the weekends, and in your days before the next school semester starts. Don't let the panic of the news completely tune out all the good things this season can offer. Go out and get ice cream with friends. Spend time at the beach. Play a fun new game. And most importantly… Drink your water!! It's very cliche to say but it's literally the biggest message I have for everyone this season, above all. (Dehydration issues are not a joke, ppl, it's scary! 😭)

Drink… and breathe.

Peace ✌🍊

[broccoliboix5peepeeman]

Midoriya-sensei AU

Chapter 12: Sports Day

I've decided I'm going to officially change updates to the 15th of every month, because I just don't have to time to post twice a month considering the chapters seem to be getting longer (who's fault could that be? ^^') and I don't want to disappoint

Also, I made a POLL regarding a minor side plot, so let me know if you're interested or not!

Part 11 | Ao3 | Part 13

[Sunday 8th October]

Me [1812]: I'm sorry im watching ths news and.erm did you jut use YOUR FIRE???

Me [1813]: Thats so amazing you look great I'm so proud of you!

Me [1814]: I will be screaming to you about this next time I see you but for now I'll just scream over text

Me [1814]: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1833]: 🔥

***

Izuku, understandably, felt extra excited when he walked into work Monday morning. It had been over a week and not only had Shoto taken what he’d said to heart, but he’d actually started training his fire!

Initially, Izuku had been concerned—Shoto’s replies had been slow and abrupt since their hangout, and Fuyumi had even noticed that he’d been staying back at the agency later than usual—but after his friend’s shift yesterday evening, a phone call had quickly put those worries to rest. It turned out that Shoto had simply spent the past week training his left side; he’d even called for private coaching from Eraserhead and Endeavour, the latter of which was surprising but logical.

‘He’s not a complete bastard wank anymore, and what good is my father if I can’t take advantage of his knowledge?’ He could practically hear the shrug in Shoto’s voice. ‘He was pretty helpful, and Eraser was his usual brutal self. I learnt a lot.’

‘I’m really glad!’ Izuku’s cheeks hurt from smiling. ‘So you’re feeling more confident?’

‘The past week’s been hell, and I still have a lot of catching up to do, but yeah.’ A pause. ‘I feel confident to begin using my… my fire, in the field.’

Izuku honestly couldn’t wait to see Shoto’s growth. He was already so proud of his friend, and he knew his family would be too, especially Rei. It was a huge step—he was going to need to compile a new notebook dedicated solely to Shoto's left side.

He was still grinning about it, even as he walked across the field, setting up the obstacle course for the students.

Part of Izuku was also thankful for the timing, as Shoto's news was what was currently suppressing the anxiety bubbling in his stomach. After all, today was sports day, and while the event was typically one of his favourites in the academic calendar, they were also using it to implement their last minute plan to help Hiru.

They couldn't afford for anything to go wrong.

‘Hey.’ Fuyumi walked over, smiling gently. She’d already finished helping one of the other teachers set up the beanbag toss. ‘How’re you doing?’

‘Ask me again in approximately eight hours.’ He chuckled humorlessly as he lined up the tunnels, before positioning the skipping ropes on the other side. 'I'll be honest, I'm feeling a nervous poop coming.'

'You sound like Natsuo.' She snorted, immediately reaching down to help him with the equipment.

‘I’ll take that as a complement.’ He stuck his tongue out in response. ‘Thanks.’

His lower body grumbled with discomfort and he pulled a face. ‘Once this is finished, I’ll pop over. Just the sacks left after this.’

‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll finish off here.’ Despite her kindness, there was an assertive air to her voice which told Izuku that she wasn’t accepting no for an answer.

That was fine with him.

‘Really? Thank you! You’re the best honestly!’ He immediately dropped everything and ran to the building. Once inside, he beelined for the staff toilets. ‘Thank fuck…’

Once he was finished, Izuku checked his phone to find that it was only a few minutes before the first bell. Luckily, his classroom wasn’t too far. Anxiety still lingered in his body—he suspected it would for the duration of the school day—but it wasn’t overwhelming; he still smiled brightly as he greeted his students and took the register, before leading them to the assembly hall. They had all come to school in their PE kits, so it was rather amusing to see them wearing their usual school shoes instead of their trainers, due to being inside.

Izuku then took his place next to Fuyumi, like clockwork, and the two of them watched the other students filter in.

‘Did you get sorted okay?’

‘Yeah, all good.’ She shrugged. ‘Did you have a good poop?’

‘Y’know, I’m still not sure… but I certainly needed it.’ He answered shamelessly. There wasn’t really a filter between them at this point—they’d seen their students do more horrifying things over the years.

The Head soon began with the usual topics—reminding the faculty about the HQA information session that was coming up in a few weeks—before he eventually brought up the giant elephant in the room.

‘I can practically hear you all vibrating with excitement, even without my quirk, so no point delaying. As you’re aware, today is sports day!' He paused while the students cheered. 'This year, however, we’ve put a special twist on it…’

Usually, grades were kept separate—the two classes competing against each other—but this time, there would be four distinct teams: Lemillion, consisting of classes 2B, 3A and 4B; Dynamite, including classes 2A, 3B and 4B; Shoto, of which Fuyumi’s class, 1B, was a part of, as well as 5B and 6A; and All Might, encompassing the final three classes—Izuku had been fierce in his demand to be put on the latter team. So, while each grade would still go around each activity together as a whole, the allotted points they’d accumulate went to their designated teams.

That meant that Hiru and his antagonists had to rely on each other to win, and the prize was a trophy for each winning class.

The formal reason behind the team set-up was to encourage the different grades to support each other and build a rapport. Hopefully, it might also allow certain individuals to reflect on their differences.

Hopefully.

‘Now that you all have your teams, it’s time for the schedule.’ The Head brought up the next powerpoint side, showing a table. ‘Some of you will notice that your homeroom teacher is running an activity. That is why each grade will walk around together. So, for example, grade one will follow Todoroki-sensei, while Midoriya-sensei runs the obstacle course. Make sense?'

A sea of heads immediately bobbed up and down.

The Head smiled. 'Great! Now, your teacher will also have a copy of the schedule, so there's no need to memorise it…'

There were a few more minutes of technicalities—a few kids clearly becoming impatient—before everyone was finally released. While Fuyumi gathered their students together, Izuku quickly made his way back out to the field, along with a few other teachers. Some parents were already congregating around the activities, eager to support their kids. He smiled in greeting and exchanged pleasantries with a few, but otherwise remained silent as he waited.

He rocked back and forth on his feet, imagining all the different outcomes of the day. Hiru was the fastest runner in his grade—probably the older ones too—due to his quirk. That was why they’d deliberately scheduled the whole school for the relay race at the end of the day. That way, they could set it up so each team could cheer each other on for the final event.

His thoughts were interrupted before he could truly get lost in them, as a flock of children suddenly swarmed the field.

There were five other events, not including the obstacle course and relay. Tug of war was fairly self-explanatory, as was dance; along with the bean bag toss—throw as many beanbags into your team’s basket as possible before the time runs out—and the cavalry battle. Admittedly though, the latter wouldn’t be as impressive as UA’s infamous cavalry battle due to the lack of quirk usage.

The event that was often the most confusing for foreign students was oodama, but that was just because of the name, which was just “giant ball”. Essentially, each team had to carry a giant inflatable ball together to the goal point; if they dropped it, they’d have to start again. Izuku really hoped Hiru had brought along his personalised cover for his quills, otherwise they might have some issues with that one.

‘Namaste, Midoriya-sensei!’

He smiled as the sixth graders surrounded him, all bowing simultaneously. They were the year below his previous homeroom class—when he’d had India for global month—so naturally, they’d all joined in during the legendary “Namaste phase” and made sure not to let it die out entirely.

Indulging them, he put his palms together and bowed.

‘Namaste, bachche! How're you all doing?'

He snorted when they immediately began speaking over each other—clearly excited—and waited until they’d all calmed down before taking them through the usual rules. There would be six races, with roughly ten students per race. Then, the winner of each race would enter the final, and points would be assigned based on their placement.

It wasn’t too difficult considering the sixth graders had already done the course before—with just a few minor changes—but once they’d moved on, his next group was the first graders.

‘Hey, Sensei!’ His students greeted excitedly. ‘We just did our dance routine!’

‘Did you?’ He gasped. ‘How did it go?’

‘It went really well!’ Hana jumped up and down. ‘Our parents all watched as well, which was super fun! Okaasan took pictures!’

‘We didn’t win though.’ Haku pouted, crossing his arms as class B joined them.

‘It was really close!’ Fuyumi tried to placate. ‘You were all really good! Like professional dancers!’

‘Like Pinky?’ Izuku offered, knowing his students would appreciate the comparison. When Fuyumi quickly agreed, they brightened up significantly, and he explained the rules.

It ended up being a close one, but after the first set of races, the finalists were decided: four from class B and two from A. Luckily though, Hiru and Touta managed to bag the top two spots, bringing the scores to a tie as they went off to the next activity. Izuku waved farewell as he quickly prepared everything for the second graders.

By the time lunch came around and the scores were tallied, team All Might were in joint second with Dynamight, while team Shoto was in the lead. It was pretty close, which was to be expected—especially to build suspense and competition—but it still made Izuku nervous.

His leg was twitching.

'Stop overthinking.' Fuyumi nudged him from where they were sitting: a picnic bench in the playground, as the children played around them. 'We've set everything in motion, it's up to the kids now.'

'I know.' He sighed, exasperated. 'But I'm a worrier!'

'And I'm not?' She scoffed with a laugh. 'Come on. There's nothing else you can do for now.'

'Only because I haven't thought of something yet.' He argued weakly.

Maybe there was some way he could figure out a plan to have the different grades work together, or set up an ethical way to jeopardise-

‘Nope. Not going there.' Fuyumi interjected, before slurping up more noodles. He must've been staring at his bento for too long and mumbling out loud. 'Tell you what, I'll change the subject. How was your weekend?’

Not even subtle… but Izuku chose to take the bait. Worrying made his stomach hurt.

‘Pretty uneventful…’ He shrugged, using his chopsticks to move his food around. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite keep the smile from his face as his mind recalled a certain hero. ‘Y’know, other than the obvious. You?’

‘Yeah, I was pretty much the same.’ She laughed halfheartedly. 'You really must be nervous for Hiru, considering you haven't even brought up Shoto until now, and that was with some prompting.'

'I've just not had the time to properly gush about it.' He placed a hand over his chest, then eyed his friend cautiously. 'Plus, I wanted to check first: how're you feeling about it?'

She flashed him a grateful smile, then shook her head affectionately.

'It's… I'm feeling hopeful, I think.' She pursed her lips, pondering. ‘It was just… surprising, to say the least. As you know, we were all concerned about him the past week, but then, before he went to work yesterday, he told us to keep an eye on the news and promised that it was nothing bad…' Her tone turned sarcastic. 'That didn't worry us at all.’

‘Of course.’

‘So we kept the tv on during dinner, then all of a sudden, okaasan called my name, and I rushed in, and on the screen was Shoto using his fire to catch a villain, like some kind of fever dream!’

She hesitated then; Izuku tilted his head to the side.

‘Was that good or bad?’

‘Oh, definitely good!’ She was quick to clarify, then looked down at her noodles in thought. ‘We just… never expected it. Shoto had always been so against using it in combat. Something must’ve happened.’

She paused and slowly looked up to meet Izuku’s eyes. ‘Hang on.’

He chuckled nervously.

Her eyes narrowed. ‘You never said what your argument was about when you hung out at the house, just that you disagreed on something. Come on, spill.’

As she looked at him expectantly, Izuku tapped his index fingers together and bounced his legs under the table.

‘He kinda… told me about why he didn’t use his fire, so I kinda… to sum it up, basically called him immature and explained why he was being dumb.’

‘Izuku!’

‘I know, it was stupid, I don’t know what I was doing. I guess I was just…’ He faltered. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it. 'I was just…'

‘Being your usual self.’ Fuyumi eventually finished for him, causing him to look at her quizzically. ‘He’s needed telling for years, but he’s stubborn and all of us were afraid of the consequences. Our family’s been through so much, we didn’t want to risk breaking it again.’

She sighed. ‘After everything that happened, I think he’d resigned himself to not using his left side… because otherwise he’d have to admit to not “giving it his all” against Touya. He didn't "try hard enough" to save him, if that makes sense?’

‘I didn’t think about that.’ Izuku murmured, guilt immediately washing over him as he slapped his forehead. ‘Of course he feels responsible for what happened, and I was so insensitive.’

He groaned, twitching as he recalled the argument. He made several more little noises of annoyance and shook his head. Fuck, it’s a wonder he doesn’t hate me…

Fuyumi regarded him carefully, chewing the inside of her cheek. She was used to his stimming by now, so didn't mention it, which he was thankful for.

‘I don’t know what you said specifically.’ She began slowly. ‘But whatever it was… it worked, so don’t beat yourself up too much like I know you’re currently doing.’

‘You know me too well.’ Izuku snorted. 'Gahhh, I just… he looked so sad and angry.'

‘He’s been sad and angry for a while, but he used to be worse.’ She conceded, but her tone wasn't accusatory. ‘Therapy has done most of the work to get him where he is today, but he’s always been so adamant about his fire… until now. You don’t need to feel bad for telling him what he needed to hear, promise.’

Izuku tightened his lips and searched her expression.

‘Are you really sure?’

She snorted.

‘If Shoto hated you, you’d know it by now.’ She told him simply. ‘Has he messaged you today?’

Izuku paused.

‘Well, yeah... He wanted to wish me luck.’

‘See?’

‘All right, all right, fine.’ Izuku smiled despite himself, as he took his phone out of his pocket. ‘It was really thoughtful-’

He paused when he realised Shoto had actually messaged him a few minutes ago.

‘Yeah, he fretted over the wording for ten minutes this morning.’ Fuyumi divulged—Izuku doubted her brother wanted him to know that little bit of information—before taking a sip from her drink. ‘So you’ve got nothing to worry about… and I know that smile, you’re looking at his messages, aren’t you?’

‘Hush.’ He stuck his tongue out, but before he could unlock his phone, one of his students suddenly appeared at his side. ‘Oh, hello, Nagisa-chan.’

‘Hi.’ She swung her arms out. ‘What happens when you die?’

Fuyumi choked on her drink, while Izuku just took a moment to process the question.

‘Erm… me specifically, or just people?’ Despite asking for clarification, the answer would remain the same: he didn’t have a clue.

‘Well, is it different for you?’ She tilted her head to the side.

Point taken.

‘I’ll be honest, Nagisa-chan, I’m not sure.’ He admitted. ‘That’s the thing about dying… you can’t really come back and let everyone know what happens.’

‘What about people who die and then they come back to life with the electric oven gloves.’

Izuku’s left eye twitched.

‘You mean a defibrillator?’ He asked, slowly.

‘I like my name better.’

‘Yeah, me too.’ Fuyumi chipped in.

Izuku hoped the name comment would distract her from the question, but alas, Nagisa continued to stare at him expectantly.

‘Er… well, I guess if they’re brought back to life, they couldn’t have been truly dead?’

‘Even Jesus?’

‘Do you… believe in Jesus?’

‘Not really.’ She sighed, looking over at where some students were playing hopscotch. ‘So what DOES happen when you die?’

Izuku bit his lip to prevent any muttering—he could go to various lengths about different religions and their beliefs, along with potential theories—but figured no one would appreciate that.

‘What do you think happens?’ He asked instead.

‘Hmmm.’ She placed a contemplative hand on her chin. ‘Probably… if you’re a good person, you turn into a dog or maybe a butterfly, but if you’re bad, you turn into… a wasp.’

‘A wasp?’

‘Yeah. No one likes wasps.’

‘What about good people who don’t like dogs?’ Fuyumi asked.

‘I guess… then maybe you turn into your favourite animal if you’re good.’ She twirled some of her hair around her finger. ‘And if you’re bad, you turn into something you don’t like.’

‘I can get behind that.’ Izuku agreed, then finally asked what had been on his mind since the start of the interaction. ‘What made you ask the question?’

‘My goldfish died last night.’ Nagisa pouted. ‘Okaasan flushed Floella down the toilet.’

‘That’s sad.’ Izuku frowned.

‘Yes, very.’ She put the hair she was playing with in her mouth and started chewing. ‘Anyway, see you later, sensei.’

Before he could say anything else, she sprinted off to join those playing hopscotch.

‘That was lovely.’ Fuyumi commented, as the two of them watched her go.

‘I think I have whiplash.’ Izuku deadpanned, before finally looking at his phone.

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1239]: Hope it’s going well

Me [1250]: So far so good! How’s work?

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1251]: On my lunch now, so can’t complain

‘Mei-chan, don’t you dare put that worm in your mouth!’ Fuyumi suddenly shouted, before bolting off towards the aforementioned student. ‘It’s every other day with this girl.’

Izuku snorted, then scanned the playground. The rest of the children seemed to be enjoying themselves, whilst most parents chatted with each other around the many picnic benches; some families stayed together, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Me [1253]: Same… 7 more minutes left tho

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1254]: That’s rough buddy

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1254]: What time do you get off?

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Have you finished your lunch?’ Fuyumi was suddenly at his side, a little out of breath. When he nodded, she scooped up his container. ‘No problem, I’ll pop these back in the staffroom while you chat up my brother.’

‘I am not-’ He faltered when she quickly sped away out of earshot, then grumbled as he turned back to his phone. ‘I wish.’

Me [1255]: The school day finishes at 3 15 but I won’t be leaving till half past. Why?

He tapped the edge of his phone as he waited for a reply, periodically monitoring the students.

Shoto-kun 🙏 [1257]: Just wondering for when Fuyumi comes home

Izuku tried not to feel disappointed with the answer.

Me [1258]: Fair enough. Anyway, I gotta start rounding up the kids. Speak to you soon!

He quickly put his phone in his pocket and got to his feet.

Once everyone was organised and lunch was officially over, Izuku left the first graders with Fuyumi and jogged back over to the obstacle course, anticipating the fourth graders. In truth, he handled them relatively easily. They were especially boisterous, but the rowdiness didn't manifest into disobedience, and the parents watching from the sidelines cheered them on in good sport.

It wasn't until they left and grade five appeared that Izuku felt anxiety return. He tried not to let it show as he explained the rules to the students, who seemed particularly riled up, as teams All Might and Shoto were currently tying for first place.

'Ugh, I hope those annoying first graders don't ruin it for us!' One rolled his eyes, while his friend groaned with frustration.

'I bet they do! They're so useless!' Hiru hadn't provided him with names, but Izuku knew enough to suspect who the bullies were. 'Especially that mutant porcupine-'

'Have you got something you want to share with everyone?' Izuku interrupted, stern. When the rest of the grade turned to share at the duo, embarrassment flooded their cheeks and they shook their heads. Izuku tried not to pay attention to the way some parents turned to whisper to one another and even point at him. 'Well then, I hope you were discussing the rules, because it’s time to split into teams.'

His smile returned as he continued on with the event. However, his eyes did occasionally scan certain individuals for longer than he usually would.

'Is that him?' He'd hear some of the adults whisper. 'The Quirkless one?'

He'd heard similar questions and hushed comments throughout the day—not all malicious, mainly curious—but right now, Izuku was struggling to ignore them. Maybe it was because there were parents among them who were overtly and dangerously quirkist. Realistically, he knew that he was safe and that he was doing his job to the best of his ability, but he still felt like he was under the spotlight; if he fucked anything up in front of them, then he was setting a bad example for his fellow HQ community.

Luckily, whispers aside, the remaining forty five minutes passed without any incidents, and Izuku exhaled with relief once he was left to pack everything away while the students and parents made their way to the athletics track. It was only a brief interlude—it was easier putting everything away compared to setting it all up this morning—but he welcomed it all the same. It gave him a chance to briefly recharge and gather his bearings.

Once everything was sorted, he—along with a few other teachers who had also been on clean-up duty—jogged over to join the rest of the school. It was loud, many voices cheering and whooping. From the look and sound of it, the third graders were competing, which meant that there were only two more races left.

He hadn't missed the final then.

Izuku spotted the first graders sitting together with Fuyumi, and smiled as he strode over

'How's it going?' He nudged her gently and joined her on the grass, leaning back on his ankles. He tried not to alert the students of his presence so they could enjoy the race. 'Miss anything?'

'Your initial predictions were right, as usual.' She crossed her arms and nodded towards the blackboard by the finish line. 'If team Lemillion win, which looks like it's about to happen, then no matter how team Dynamight do in the grade two race, they still won't be higher than third. That puts our kids competing for the overall first place in the final round.'

'Seriously?' His eyes widened. 'I never expected it to go that smoothly, especially considering I don't know the other grades as well as ours.'

'Yeah, but I distinctly remember walking into your classroom after school to snap you out of your three hour strategizing session because housekeeping was about to kick you out.' Fuyumi shrugged. 'Once you get fixated on something, that's it, so I was pretty confident with what you'd come up with... even if it requires me having to console my poor students after their inevitable defeat.'

'Look, it's not my fault the fastest first grader is in my class.' Izuku grinned when Fuyumi mock sneered at him. 'I just hope it's worth it.'

His friend hummed, but didn't comment further, as the race came to an end. As expected, team Lemillion won—which meant both teams were out of the running for first—but that didn't prevent the second graders from giving it their absolute all in their race for third place. While that was going on though, Izuku tapped his class's four candidates on the shoulder.

'Hey, sensei!' Hana and Tomoyo both exclaimed, while Hiru waved.

'Are you here to escort us to the start line?' Touta asked, straight to the point.

'You bet I am!' He smiled, gesturing for them to get up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Fuyumi do the same with her students. 'Are you ready?'

'Yes!' They jumped up.

'Do your best!' Haku called out, prompting the rest of the class to shout their good luck.

'I believe in you!' Nozomi pumped her fist. 'Show them what you're made of, Hiru!'

'Gotta go fast!' The aforementioned giggled, as they made their way around the course.

Instead of the typical 400m relay, they had painted a track half the size; therefore, to run a full lap, each student participating would run 50m. It was the ideal size, as it meant everyone had enough space to spectate, including the parents.

By the time they made it to the starting line, the penultimate race concluded, as teams Dynamight and Lemillion shouted accordingly—the cheers outweighing the groans of the losing team. Izuku wasn't quite sure who had won, until he heard Tomoyo inform Touta that Lemiilion had made a last minute comeback and had beat Dynamight by one point.

'Alright, everyone!' The Head announced through a loudspeaker; Izuku winced at the volume. 'Has everyone enjoyed today?' He paused as the field filled with whoops and excited "yeah"s, before continuing. 'It's time for our final race of the day and the battle for first place! Show some support for the first graders!'

Amongst the noise, the students got into position and the first runners were given their baton.

'I was telling the others about how you can start running before your partner gets to you.' Touta informed Izuku. 'That way, there's no stopping, which could slow the race down, but I also told them not to start running too early. Don't worry, we practised yesterday during playtime!'

'Is that so?' Izuku nodded in understanding. 'How did that go?'

'Very well! I'm confident we'll win!' Touta nodded firmly, before getting on the ground into the proper position, unlike the other student, who was just standing normally and side-eyeing him.

Izuku quickly stepped to the side and gave a thumbs up. Anticipation set in as the Head counted them down, and suddenly they were running. Touta—ever idolising Ingenium—had an intense look of concentration as he hand chopped with each stride; somehow not losing the baton.

True to his word, Tomoyo started running as he came closer—not too fast and with her arm stuck out ready—and the transition was fairly smooth. Despite Touta's start, the race was still neck and neck; the class B girl running against Tomoyo was very fast—Izuku could feel Fuyumi’s smirk from here—so they quickly took the lead. His heart almost burst as Tomoyo’s face went red in her attempt to frantically catch up, but it was no use.

It wasn’t over yet though. Once the baton went to Hana, they were able to make back some of the gap. By this point, everyone was cheering and shouting—Izuku included, whilst trying not to let the desperation show in his voice—hoping for victory. Hana did well to pick up their pace, and once Hiru started running, nothing could stop him; he easily overtook his opponent and sprinted towards the finish line. His quills shook where his sports shirt had been modified, his nose bounced with each step, but his face was determined, focusing only on one goal.

Izuku looked around him, searching everyone else’s expressions. Most were watching with amazement, others with delight, whilst those on team Shoto were clutching their heads in anguish. When his eyes scanned over the fifth graders from earlier, he was glad to see them staring at Hiru with wide eyes; their mouths agape with shock. That was progress, at least, and when Hiru crossed the finish line—an easy victory—they punched their fists in the air and cheered with everyone else.

Izuku let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and turned back to Hiru—who was being crowded by the rest of class A—and joined them in their congratulations, making sure to commend the other runners as well. The background noise all mingled into one, so once he'd said his piece, Izuku made his way back to Fuyumi, a smile on his face…

Until he passed the adults.

'To let a mutant participate in this event is ridiculous.' He overheard one of the parents complain. 'They clearly have an unfair advantage.'

‘Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying for the past three years!’ Another chimed in. 'They should have their own category or something, especially when the normal kids aren't allowed to use their quirks.'

Izuku's jaw tightened and he turned.

'Excuse my intrusion.' His heart pounded against his chest. What was he doing? 'But I hardly think a children's sports day warrants any extra categories based purely on physical attributes—we don’t split the beanbag toss up depending on height, after all. Plus, one member of class B's relay team also had a heteromorph quirk, so I don't think there was any "unfair" advantage.'

'Of course you would think that.' The first parent rolled her eyes. 'Everyone has an advantage over someone quirkless, so it's all the same to you.'

Wow, no hesitation there.

That stung, but Izuku wasn't about to submit.

'I have a joint-honours degree in both teaching and quirk studies, with a postgraduate specialisation in the development of quirks.' He replied, easily. 'So I don't think you can just write me off as not knowing what I'm talking about simply because I'm quirkless, which is a prejudiced argument if I've ever heard one.'

'Well if you're so smart, then you should know about how these genetic mutations are illnesses-'

'Illnesses?' He couldn't help but scoff. 'Do you believe everything Speak Out tell you? Do you know the studies they cite are super dodgy and often anecdotal?'

'That's because the scientists doing peer reviews are politically motivated.'

'No, it's because the studies' methods are shi- rubbish, and the word "illness" is thrown around too liberally.' Izuku remained steadfast. Luckily, they hadn't attracted a crowd yet, but he could tell some of the other parents were looking at them. 'Anyone with critical thinking knows that.'

'Are you saying I have no critical thinking?'

'Well, if the shoe f-'

'Midoriya-sensei.' Fuyumi suddenly appeared at his side, her smile placating. 'Why don't you let me take over? Kimura-san and Shimizu-san’s children are in my class. I'll meet you in the staffroom.'

She looked at him deliberately, but Izuku didn't retreat straight away. He held her gaze for a few seconds first, clearly not happy about the situation.

'Alright.'

Casting the parents one final glance, he took his leave. As he made his way through the crowd though, he clenched his fists tightly and bit the inside of his cheek to prevent any angry muttering.

It's always one step forward, two fucking steps back.

***

'So, you told me to ask again in eight hours.' Fuyumi said as they walked out of the school building. 'How're you doing?'

Izuku sighed, kicking a small stone.

'At least the kids are acting in a friendly way.' He tried to focus on the positives. 'Those fifth graders even called Hiru cool.'

'Yes… But that's not what's on your mind.' Fuyumi stated pointedly. 'It's that conversation with the parents that would’ve escalated if I hadn’t intervened.'

Izuku chuckled humorlessly, still staring at the ground.

'You got me.' He conceded, spreading his palms in surrender. 'It was just so frustrating.'

'I know.' Fuyumi waved at the school caretaker over by the bins, prompting Izuku to also wave politely. 'I wasn't able to talk much sense into them after you left, I'll be honest, but I pointed them to the information session we'll be hosting—they said they'll be there.'

'Yay.'

'You stop that now.' She swatted him without any real malice. 'You were the one who…'

Izuku turned to look at her when she trailed off, only to find her staring at the school gate, mouth agape. Confused, he followed her gaze and baulked when he saw red and white hair.

'Shoto-kun?'

The aforementioned was leant against the wall, still in his hero costume, and scrolling through his phone. When he noticed them approaching, however, he pocketed the device and nodded in greeting.

'What a lovely surprise.' Fuyumi sounded almost amused. 'What brings you to this side of the world?'

'Midoriya told me what time you'd both be finishing, so I thought I'd walk home with you.' Shoto answered easily, like this was perfectly normal behaviour. 'I figured if he was going to scream at me, may as well do it in front of an audience.'

'Scream?' Izuku took a moment to process what he meant. 'Ooooh, the texts. I said I'd scream at him next time I saw him because he used his fire… Good screaming.'

'I was beginning to worry.' Fuyumi snorted. 'Good idea. Izuku could definitely do to let off some steam with a distraction.'

Shoto's expression immediately shifted into concern.

'That bad?'

Izuku sighed.

'I'll tell you about it later, but for now…' He paused for dramatic effect. 'Tell me everything about your fire!'

By the time they parted ways—the Todorokis turning left at the crossroads and Izuku going straight on—he couldn't deny he was definitely in a better mood than he had been an hour ago.

[tssdresses]

Hi y'all!

I hope everyone's had a good start to the new year so far. I'm solidly in week three of class, already behind, and having a grand old time.

Some little life updates from me, a "so far in my year," if you will:

Started doing yoga!

(Accidentally?) Joined a LARP group!

Ripped off half my pinkie nail (I am devastated).

Went to a doctor for ADHD testing, and they told me to go talk to their ASD specialist, which. Okay, fair.

Reacted poorly to mountain weather (fucking pressure fronts) and had a week-long headache! I plan to fight God shortly.

All in all, so far so good.

On to what y'all're really interested in, let's be honest:

The Dresses!

I'm working on getting the Roman Mini Project set up to finish, since I am so close to done! In short order, I need to:

Neaten up the skirt hem

Add in a waistband

Figure out the blouse top

Make a proper master post for the dang thing

Photoshoot!

Still aiming for the end of February to have that completed, tentatively thinking I might have it done by Valentine's Day (because Roman).

Orange Dress!

For the poll dress, I'm feeling much more into it and I'm super excited. I've got the design finalized (!!!) and just need to place a fabric order. I'll have a few more polls up in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for those if you want a say in accessories and some light shenanigans!

Aiming for mid-March to have this project done! Hopefully the weather lightens up and I can do some cool photoshoots outside.

I've been itching to sew in the last few weeks, so here's hoping.

[thessalian]

Thess vs The List, Again

Oh, I failed to mention that I have been working on my whole resolution to at least try all of my games by the end of the year. This is slightly made problematic by the fact that I keep getting more games, but hey, it's not that bad of a problem to have. At least if I keep trying, I can whittle down the list of games I haven't even touched yet. So here we go:

Transistor: This is the one that won my little poll, and while the general story seems really interesting, the controls are not exactly intuitive for me. My tolerance for fiddly has pretty much died. I'll probably try it again when I have a few more spoons available.

Pentiment: Now this one, I liked. It doesn't exactly feed that need for Doing Things that attracts me to a lot of games (whether it's a farming sim, building sim, or just something where I can beat on people without getting arrested), but definitely an interesting one.

Garden In: This is a new one for me (released last year), but ... I mean, that still counts towards "whittling down the list", right? As the name suggests, it's basically a gardening sim, but one where you can also decorate your surroundings and the plants don't die a permanent death if dry or infested with bugs. So it's very Zen, though I figure it'll probably be one I finish all the achievements for and then put away for awhile, only to come back when I need that particular kind of Zen. Like I do with Pan'orama.

Model Builder: I liked this one, and it's very much my kind of Zen, but it can also be a little fiddly, so I'm going to have to restart that one. Probably going to be my go-to Zen for awhile once I've 100%-ed Garden In.

Enigmatis: The Ghost of Maple Creek: Thrown at my head for Christmas this year. I mean, I had the second, third, and fourth game in that series, and was just missing the first, so ... yeah. Anyway, a pretty standard hidden object game, and definitely my idea of a good time. (Side note: even if they don't live on my wishlist, a hidden object game never goes amiss.)

This War Of Mine: Yeah, I know, it was THE game for awhile and I'm only just now poking at it. It looks really interesting, and I'm slowly figuring out how to work the thing, but ... I think it's a little too grim for me at the moment. I need something way more sunshiney at this point. Or at least something that isn't "Everyone is living in abject misery". If I wanted that, I'd just look outside.

An Arcade Full Of Cats: More hidden object fun, and much more my speed. No particular story involved; just a "Find the cats and stuff" mandate and a bit of messing with the set dressing. It's cute, it's fun, and I guess I must not be alone in thinking that because there's a whole franchise of "Full Of Cats" hidden object games (where in some cases, there's a whole achievement based around finding the representations of the dev team's cats, so you get finding cartoon cats and real-furbaby cat tax).

Memory Fragment: Another one that's fiddlier than it needs to be, honestly. I think they were trying a little too hard with some of the mechanics. I'll probably try it again at some point.

Paradise Killer: I'm only a few minutes into this one, but it honestly wasn't grabbing me. The premise is ... probably interesting, but while I will probably carry on a little further just to see what's going on with it, the fact is that it's a first-person perspective game and those are hard for me. Might have to go into the NOPE column on general principles. And, y'know, not wanting my head to explode.

I'm pretty well resigned to not getting everything at least sampled before the end of the year. Not least because a) my birthday's coming up and for most people, hitting my Steam wishlist is just the easiest option, given the whole "ocean in the way thing" (plus maybe presents to myself, y'know), b) I actually want to finish a Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough, and c) Horizon: Forbidden West comes out in about 7 weeks and that's going to eat my time for awhile (I should probably pick up Zero Dawn again just to remind myself what I'm doing there). Plus d) the office is a mess again (that's for another post, though). Still, I'm going to keep poking away at it. There are a lot of games there, and I have a 2TB external drive (plus space remaining on the 1TB external drive I got in honour of Baldur's Gate 3), so even the ones I didn't bother installing could see a return to at least test out. Plus it'd be nice to know the ones I can just leave uninstalled in perpetuity. Also, there's the off chance that some of the first-person perspective ones could be played, if they're not too frenetic ... y'know, if I bothered to get my prescription checked. I'm looking into that but I'm trying to figure out how best to go, "Look, I just want my prescription; I'll order the glasses themselves online because it's cheaper". We'll see. I do have an entire week off coming up soon. Ugh. They're going to do that stupid eye-puff glaucoma test that always leaves me with a migraine for the rest of the day. Still, better that than the increasingly regular headaches I've been getting lately. Part of it's probably stress, but the rest is probably "my eyes are going to shit". If I didn't need varifocals, it'd be fine! Or at least cheaper!

Don't mind me. It's not a lack of being able to afford it. It's a combination of sticker shock and general frustration with the whole process. Mostly because it just has to be done again a year or two down the line. The whole problem with being an adult is having to take yourself to the doctor etc, not to mention paying for it.