#No I was kind of thinking to myself it was kind of funny how of the OG Shichibukai half of them are either dads or borderline dads

[shanastoryteller]

okay now that i've had some coffee, let's chat

specifically, about how you act on the internet is a blueprint on how other people will treat you and how this intersects with the functionality of anon asks

if you've followed me for any significant amount of time, none of this will be anything i haven't said before, or i think be at all surprising to the rest of you, but i guess it bears repeating

so let's repeat: how you act on the internet is a guidebook on how other people will interact with you

like invites like. if you talk about a topic, you're going to get more commentary on that topic. this is because you're demonstrating that this topic is something you're comfortable talking about because you are talking about it

if you respond one way to something, people are going to reasonably assume you will respond the same way to them if they send you something similar. if someone asks for advice and you give it, people are going to think you're comfortable giving out advice and that asking for advice is an appropriate way to interact with you. if someone asks for information and resources and you provide them, people are going to think it's appropriate and acceptable to ask you for information and resources

i've seen this come up with other people before, where they do one thing and get frustrated and upset when that generates more of that thing. but people are just following your lead

now, anon asks

the function of anon asks is that the only way to reply to them is to respond to them publicly. you cannot privately reply to an anon

this means that every anon ask answered tells people how to interact with you. it is not and cannot be treated the same as a 1 on 1 conversation. it doesn't matter if that's not intention or what the anon wants. it's the reality of the situation

i don't answer non-anon asks publicly, with rare exceptions like it's funny or i think my answer to them would be interesting to others and non-upsetting for the askee for me to share (there are times i've given things like writing advice or commentary that i've thought might be interesting to the rest of you, but the askee had something in their original ask that i though they potentially wouldn't appreciate being immortalized on my blog)

if there's ever anything that someone doesn't want me to answer publicly no matter what, they can ensure this by just including it in their ask. even if i was inclined to be a hypocrite and ignore how people want to be interacted with (i am not) i am obviously not going to post it publicly if you ask me not to because then everyone would see me do that and think, rightfully, that i'm a huge jerk

when someone is rude or critical of me on anon, they're putting me in an unfair position. i can either not answer them or i have to turn their answer into a public performance, consumable by everyone. there is no other option

the vast majority of people use anon to say something kind or neutral where my public and private response would be basically identical and that's not what this is about. if i had an issue with anon asks in general, i wouldn't have them on

by sending criticism on anon, they're protecting themselves by not having any of their opinions or thoughts associated with them. nothing they say is connected to them and they're free of any consequences of their actions. in contrast, if i respond, my only option is to respond publicly. which means not only is my response attached to me and my name, but it has to be publicly consumable, i have to open myself up to the thoughts and commentary of everyone else if i'm going to reply

that means, before we get into anything the anon is saying, they're demonstrating both that they're a coward and they don't care about my comfort or my privacy - something they obviously highly prioritize for themselves

if that's the premise, why would i take kindly to anything they have to say after that, no matter what it is?

additionally, if i respond kindly and measured to these types of asks, that tells other people that it's an acceptable way to interact with me

it is not

if this ask had been sent off anon, my response would have been: "glad you enjoyed the story. feel free to toss any typos you notice into a comment (easiest way for me to keep track) and i'll correct them when i have a chance"

when it's just me talking to another person, i can choose to ignore or gloss over any awkwardness or mild rudeness because it's not going to come back to bite me. it's not a performance or a guidebook on how others will treat me. it's just you and me talking

but because it's anon, i have to keep in mind that i'm not just talking to them - i'm talking to everyone else too. so i have to establish that: i'm not interested in a beta, but am more than happy to correct typos; i don't care to hear about about how my typos personally upset you; and, in this case, that this is the type of message i don't want to receive on anon

because if i don't make it clear what i don't want, i'm going to receive more of it. that's simply a neutral fact of how people and the internet work

the more considerate you are of me, the more considerate of you i'm going to be in return

tldr: if you want a response meant just for you, you have to ask in a way that i can respond only to you. which isn't an anon ask. them's the breaks

[dcxdpdabbles]

Not a request or ask but just a thought dump that a lot of people have amity park placed in the midwest n stuff which is cool, but then they don't give Danny those midwestern behaviors (i am also guilty of this as a midwesterner). I just think it would add a ton of comedy to the situation. Because being from a small city in the midwest with little nightlife and going into a densely populated city in the east coast that feels damn near always awake is like a major change.

Being from the midwest, it's a lot of polite kindness and greeting with big smiles, handshakes, and sometimes side hugs. Its lengthy hellos and even longer goodbyes as you slowly by slowly creep towards the door to leave but ur host just keeps bringing up 1 more thing they just *have* to tell you about. Its saying 'ope sorry' when bumping into someone when its not even ur fault. (I am gonna be completely real, i never even realized I said ope, sorry i just thought it was a joke others had for ppl in the midwest but then I listened to myself and was slack-jawed in horror.)

Its saying 'yall' unironically, even when referring to 1 person. The kindness to go the extra mile for people some times and becoming close friends with coworkers because you dont do anything else with ur life bc its the midwest.

Idk, i just think it would be funny, especially since the majority of the batfam were raised in gotham (typically placed in new jersey) and the difference in accents would most certainly be a giveaway that danny is NOT from gotham. And if his accent didnt give him away then the way he acts with such open kindness and wide smiles would most DEFINITELY give him away that he is NOT a Gotham native. And that makes me seriously giggle. Because in a city that is dealing with new rouges and the typical terrors, being used to rough faces and sneers, the most suspicious ones are the happy ones with wide smiles and open demeanors. And that is why danny gets singled out, not because he was caught going ghost, not because he was found bleeding ectoplasm, not even because of his mad scientist heritage and lack of self preservation, its because hes So Damn Nice And Smiley It Just Cant Be Real.

(sorry this got so long ive just been wanting to share my thoughts with someone and you seemed like a good fit lmao)

I love fics that explore this! Especially when the people of Gotham freak out because only the Joker's men or the people on something smile that wide at strangers.

Danny would consider it rude if people are always rushing, like he's used to people at checkout telling each other short stories, like their grandson graduating. Their daughter is getting married, or hey, I remember that show! - Nothing more than a minute or two, but people in the city don't do that.

They think he's trying to steal or something, because why is he trying to distract them at work? Why is he acting so friendly? It's super suspicious.

(Or something like that because I'm southwestern and that's how some tourists act when they come to my little rural areas lol)

[meruz]

I’m absolutely obsessed with your art! Your art is such an inspiration, and I like to analyze it to make my own work grow (don’t worry, I am not copying ur style. Perfection is impossible to cheat off of)

I’d like to know- How do you get that dot/noise-ish texture? In the tmnt art you made, one is Raphael’s arm had a bright cyan light from it, but then fades into little dots- I’d like to know how you do that.

Ofc you don’t gotta answer! If you see this in your inbox and don’t want to answer, that’s okay <3

hi! firstly thank u im flattered ;_; secondly its funny to get this ask because i actually made a tutorial for this months ago and i was like.....actually im a little anti-tutorial because i think online art communities pass them around and treat them as a "you've been doing art WRONG this is the RIGHT way" thing and not as like. individual technique sharing. idk. also nobody asked so im not gonna post this. but u asked so... here i am posting it LOL

basically its just the dissolve brush mode in photoshop with the softest default brush + some sneaky masking to get the right fall off/shadows that i want. u can technically use eraser instead of masking but idk i find its a pain to edit afterwards.

this has kind of been my default coloring method for the past... year plus now? basically i just do all the work in my inks/flats stage and all i do for "paint" boils down to like. 2-3 of these lighting layers (normally one key light and one bounce light. sometimes more key lights depending on how much i hate myself) i used to do shadows with this too but then i stopped because it was getting too complicated. sometimes if i want it to be glowy ill throw a frickin.... outer glow layer style on the light layer too.

you can also see me kind of work thru this method in a couple tiktoks (1) (2)

[httpisuneh]

i almost ascended in real time when i saw that you write for ice!! could i please request ice x reader where reader tends to be a little mean to ice bc that’s her humor but it highkey turns ice on LMAO i saw a comment on tt that was like “never not had a crush on a girl i hated” and i can’t stop thinking about it. ty for even reading this!!! sending you so much love mami <333

𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘—you're jokes come off as mean but ice doesn't mind.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒—mentions of y/n like once, self explanatory cliffhanger, uhhh idk

𝐑.𝐃.𝐍.—i got this request like...way too long ago. i hope i did it justice and i MIGHT make a part two 😞

anyone who didn’t know you and saw you around your friends would probably think you hated them. but anyone who’d been friends with you would simply just know that’s how you acted.

they all grew accustomed to responding back with something just as funny or brushing it off, but there was one friend who had a different reaction to it all. ice brady.

she never yelled at you or took it to heart, no. never that. her reaction was undecipherable, almost like she got a kick out of it all. you didn’t really notice until one day you found yourself going back and forth with kk.

.

“kk, the food isn’t going anywhere.” you muttered, face scrunched up as the girl next to you ate her food like it was running. “girl boo, i’m hungry!” she waved you off. “you’re eating like you had to work for it.” you pointed out.

“like you didn’t fight me for your fries!” kk exclaimed, mouth full of food. “because they were mine, fat ass.” you gestured towards myself while the girl simply rolled her eyes.

“sharing is caring, bro!” ice’s laugh took your attention away from her. “isuneh, i know that’s not you i hear laughing.” you stated, turning to face the girl. with a swipe of her tongue over her lower lip she spoke up, “and if i am?”

it’s almost like she wanted you to continue, enjoying it maybe. and you were never one to shy away from friendly banter which caused you to forget all about kk and your fries and start going back and forth with ice.

for every smart remark, she seemed unphased and replied just as quick, grin widening.

eventually, your mouth began to grow dry the longer you argued and you realized ice wasn’t giving up. “shut up.” you huffed, shaking your head. “make me.” you kind of set yourself up for that.

“oh, you got y/n giving up!” aubrey called out, laughing as you stood up to throw your trash away. “please, i could go for hours.” you stated, silently hoping she wouldn’t take you up on it because your mouth felt like a drought.

“careful, i might take you up on that.”

“pause?” paige spoke, raising her eyebrows. “your face is literally red from laughing so hard, shut up.”

from there, you started to develop feelings towards her. you weren’t sure what they were, but (like any other person would to keep the plot rolling for this fic to be at least a thousand words) you ruled them out as hate. it was better than talking about them and you didn’t plan to.

but ice made that really fucking difficult. she was always openly staring at you or making dirty jokes that seemed too detailed to be for laughs.

you could recall the time you were arguing about who would sit next to caroline who was sleeping peacefully and not next to kk who was snoring and would be full of energy later on a flight.

you’d won the argument of course, ending it with something along the lines of “you run your mouth too much.”

and like other times, ice just smiled before leaning down even though she didn’t need to—constantly holding the fact that she had a few inches up on you over your head—before whispering “i can do a lot of other things with my mouth.”

she laughed in your face once she saw your impression in which you shoved her shoulder and moved away.

it was then you noticed, ice didn't get a kick out of you arguing with her—instead, she was visibly turned on by it. it was small things, like the glint in her eyes that resembled excitement and something else or the way she'd have to bite back a grin.

but then it was the way she'd grip the closest object near her or squeeze her thighs shut like if she didn't have any restraint and decorum, she'd take you wherever you were in front of whoever you were with.

things didn't change until a celebration between the team that'd happened in you and azzi's dorm. bottles of alcohol and faint smoke exiting through the window that was slightly ajar floated through the room and one of paige's playlist played loudly on the TV.

vibes were high, you were higher, and suddenly starting to question every feeling you had. ice looked good—too good, and the influence you were under had you criticizing your own thoughts and everything she did.

your spot on the couch seemed to be enveloping you as you leaned further into the cushions. ice plopped next to you and usually paige would've pointed it out, but she seemed too busy rapping along to the music with kk to even notice.

“why aren't you up and having fun?” she questioned, just slightly loud over the music but it's not like anyone was sober enough to comprehend what she'd said to you.

“i am having fun.” you shot back quickly. “no, you're being boring.” she corrected as if she had all the answers, and with the way she was staring at you, she might've.

“and you're being fucking annoying.” there it was. she shifted in her seat, legs spreading a little more in a way that had heat coursing through your body. “yeah?” she questioned, glancing from the once clear liquid in her cup now doused with orange juice to you.

“tell me more.” her tone was something between a breathless whisper and a husky statement and it made you ultimately sit up. and you did, tell her how she aggravated you sometimes and others you tolerated her.

you told her how mad it made you when she was being smug, like she knew you inside and out like your life was some shakespeare play that she'd watched, studied, and enjoyed all day.

you didn't tell her about the warm feeling she created that wasn't the result of blushing but instead something more lustful. you didn't tell her how good she looked even when she was fresh out of sleep. you didn't tell her how seeing her in little to no clothing in the locker room had you ready to see more.

but she stared at you like she knew.

one by one, your teammates began to leave. kk, kaitlyn, and sarah were first to go. sarah happened to be ultimately tired and kk’s words were beyond slurred, kaitlyn took the initiative of deciding to leave.

aubrey, morgan, jana, and allie were next—aubrey suddenly remembering she had an assignment nowhere near done that was due the following night, morgan tagging along because they'd planned to watch movies that happened to be the highlight of their childhood while trying to at least get started on said assignment.

jana and allie found themselves with them because they'd noticed the lingering stares between azzi and paige that let them know if they went back to their shared dorm they were getting absolutely zero sleep.

carol, ashlynn, and ayanna were next, simply just tired. then as expected, azzi and paige could no longer take it and decided they needed each other right then, speeding out of the dorm and eventually, the only two left were you and ice.

“so you really hate me?” ice asked, a smirk dancing on her lips. “call it what you want.” you shrugged, shoulder brushing against her own which made you notice just how close you two had shifted towards one another.

“what if i called it a crush?” she asked, making you turn towards her quickly. “what?” you questioned and her smirk widened. “you heard me. i think you have lil’ crush on me.” she admitted. you didn't answer and silently hoped your heartbeat that sounded a little too loud wasn't actually audible.

“you’re delusional.” was all you said. you think it’s one of the first times ice has left you speechless. you couldn’t think of a response if you tried—the idea of even liking ice stripping every thought from your brain.

“am i really?” she asked. you didn't answer and that was enough of a response for her. you're not sure who leaned in first, or if it was both of you, but somewhere in that split second your lips met.

messy, intense, and you're pretty sure it's more tongue than lips touching. ice tasted like desire and something sweet and her grip on your waist seemed tighter than a corset’s.

you pulled back first to catch your breath but you were back on her in seconds, catching you and her off guard. it was like the denial of thinking you could never want ice left your body as you made out. the move from the couch to her lap was sudden, but you definitely weren't complaining.

the scene was mouthwatering and the burst of sensuality had you feeling bold. your lips moved from her own to her jaw, kissing at a rate that was too slow to be rushed but too fast to be hesitant.

ice's breath hitched as you moved further down her neck and she gasped once your teeth grazed over a certain spot. “you're full of shit.” she mumbled making you pull back. “you tried to say you didn't like me, now look at you.”

you let out a groan, reaching for the hem of your shirt. “would you shut up?” ice didn't answer immediately, smiling as she did the same. “nah, i like pissing you off.”

[skzstarl0ver]

I know you did a long distance Felix but can you maybe do an in person one. It would make me really happy. and if you would allow me I'd love to reblog it if you do. But over all I absolutely love your work ♡

if you do accept my request please make sure to tag me if you can.

Love, Ember_Fires ♡

ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤

Hii @emberfiresbitchy I wasn't 100% sure what kind of fic you prefer so I just mixed a little bit of smut and fluff, I hope you like it xx

Lee Felix x reader / classmates to lovers / slow burn / smut / fluff / one shot

**involves!!** sex, strong tension, cursing, teasing, dirty talk

enjoy xx (request open)

★.•☆•.★★.•☆•.★¸.•☆•.¸★ skzstarl0ver ★⡀.•☆•.★⡀.•☆•.★¸.•☆•.¸★

There’s a rule in our class that everyone hates, except for maybe two people.

Every Friday, Ms. Jang makes us add one song to the shared class playlist. She says it “fosters emotional intelligence and communal bonding through sound.” I say it’s just a way to expose everyone’s deeply embarrassing music taste.

But fine. Whatever.

At first, it was funny. Someone added “Barbie Girl” ironically, another added a 12-minute Norwegian death metal track that played at full volume while we were doing worksheets. But then..

The first time I notice it, I’m curled up in my dorm bed at midnight, trying not to cry over a theory exam I definitely failed. The shared playlist starts auto-playing, and instead of some chaotic EDM garbage or meme audio clip, it’s… soft.

Lo-fi. Gentle. Intimate.

The lyrics?

“I keep noticing you.” “How you laugh. How you lean back in your chair like you own the world.” “I shouldn’t, but I do.”

The title is even worse: “if you knew what i felt, would you smile?”

My heart clenches.

I glance at the username. felixlee

We barely talk. He sits a few seats behind me in class, always in hoodies, always with that quiet, raspy voice that makes you want to lean in closer. He laughs easily. Smiles like he means it.

We’ve had small talk about—coffee machines, shitty printers, dumb assignments—but never anything real.

So why does this song feel like a secret he accidentally let slip?

The next week, he adds another one. And then another. Every Friday night like clockwork, after everyone else has already dropped their songs, he adds his: quiet confessions buried in dreamy lyrics.

“You smile at me like I matter. I don’t think you know what you do to me.”

I don’t say anything. I pretend I don’t notice.

But I do.

I start listening alone in my room, legs tangled in blankets, headphones in, heart in my throat.

I start looking at him differently, too.

The way he drums on his desk absentmindedly. The way his hair flops into his eyes. The way he’s started waiting at the classroom door for me.

I tell myself it’s a coincidence.

But when I laugh too hard one day and glance behind me, he’s staring.

And smiling.

We get paired for a midterm project.

Three weeks of working together. Study sessions. Shared notes. Coffee runs. Him leaning over my shoulder to look at my screen. Me catching his scent—clean and warm and a little vanilla—and pretending it doesn’t do things to me.

He teases me constantly.

“You always chew your pen when you’re stuck. It’s cute.”

“Is that a playlist of sad girl indie music? On brand.”

“You gonna steal another one of my pens?”

I roll my eyes. I call him annoying. I think about kissing him every goddamn day.

It finally breaks one night, deep into our last project session.

We're sitting side by side on the floor of an empty practice room, laptop between us, snacks spread out, low music playing from his speaker.

“I like your taste in music,” I say casually.

He glances at me. “Yeah?”

I nod. “I’ve been listening to your playlist songs.”

A pause.

His voice drops, quiet. “What do you think they’re about?”

“I don’t know,” I lie. “Someone you like?”

He looks at me. His eyes are soft and unreadable. “Yeah. Someone I’ve liked for a while.”

My breath catches.

He leans closer.

The air between us snaps.

And then he kisses me.

It’s soft. Gentle. Warm.

His lips move against mine slowly, like he’s giving me time to pull away.

I don’t.

I kiss him back—harder, messier. My hands in his hoodie. His fingers sliding into my hair.

We’re breathing into each other’s mouths, flushed and panting, when he pulls back just enough to whisper, “Do you wanna—?”

“Yes.”

We stumble into his dorm thirty minutes later, soaked in rain and adrenaline.

He shuts the door behind us, then pins me to it—gently, hands braced beside my head. He kisses me again, slower this time. His tongue slides against mine and I groan softly.

“You’re so fucking pretty,” he breathes.

My shirt is gone before I realize it. His hoodie follows. I run my hands down his chest, and he shivers under my touch.

He lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me to the bed and lays me down like I’m something delicate. Then he kneels between my thighs and just looks at me.

“Been thinking about this for weeks,” he murmurs, fingers sliding under my waistband.

I whimper. “Then stop teasing.”

He grins—and pulls everything off me.

His mouth on me is heaven.

He licks slowly, deliberately, eyes locked on mine while he holds my hips in place. I moan shamelessly when he flicks his tongue just right. His name slips from my lips like prayer.

When I come, it’s with his fingers inside me and his tongue still working my clit.

He climbs up my body after, kissing his way up my stomach, chest, throat, lips. “You okay?” he asks softly, voice hoarse.

“Condom,” I whisper.

He grabs one from the drawer. Rolls it on. Lines himself up—

And sinks into me with a groan that sounds like he’s been holding it in forever.

“Fucking hell,” he breathes, forehead pressed to mine. “You feel so good.”

He moves slowly at first. Deep, languid strokes that leave me gasping. He holds my hands above my head, kisses my mouth every time I moan. It’s not rushed. It’s not just sex.

It’s him saying everything the playlist couldn’t.

When I come again, I cry out his name. He kisses me through it, whispering how beautiful I look, how much he likes me, how he can’t believe he finally has me like this.

He follows right after—hips stuttering, breath catching, forehead pressed to mine like he never wants to let go.

We lie tangled in his sheets after, sweaty and breathless.

His arm is wrapped around my waist. I’m tucked into his chest. He kisses my forehead and murmurs, “You know they were all about you, right?”

I smile against his skin.

“I do now.”

The next morning, he adds a new song to the playlist.

“your name tastes better than coffee.”

And that’s when the class group chat blows up.

I feel like this one was kinda short but I still hope you liked it xx

[cherrygirlfriend]

idk what u are planning but could u write something about fragilefawn!reader remembering rafe? like she just knows him while he tries to understand her? pretty pls 🫨 and tyyy

can you tell me your name?

rafe goes to visit fragile fawn’s house and properly meets her for the first time.

thank you for the request!! i’m loving my fawn girl <3

rafe knew that it was stupid to worry about some girl he didn’t even know the name of; but after driving through the road you’d taken every day for that one week at the exact same time and not seeing you anywhere, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered to just drive by the house he’d followed you to that one night.

rafe had considered it to the point where he didn’t even register the moment he got into his car, or starting to drive, or even going down the road. he only realized it when he arrived right outside the house, when he saw a familiar figure standing at the front porch, sweeping leaves away. even though the house was hidden by surrounding trees, far and isolated from all the other people on the island, it was large, and based on the flowers planted around it, well taken care of.

rafe got out of the car, his loafers crunching on the gravel as he walked towards the entrance to the building, while you didn’t even seem to notice him, your head ducked low as you continued cleaning. as he got closer, he noticed just how different you looked when you weren’t in the long nightgown matted with dirt. right now, you had on a short-sleeved white ruffle-collared button-up, as well as a pair of dark brown shorts, your feet once again bare. as he got closer, he could see your lips moving and hear mumbled words, just unable to make them out, but even as he stood right in front of your house, it was as if he was a ghost.

the boy cleared his throat, and you looked up from the floor with furrowed brows, “yes?” you asked softly, “is there something i can help you with?”

“it’s me.” rafe said, but when your brows remained furrowed, he scratched the back of his head, “the shoe guy?”

“oh. oh! yes, that. your shoes were very comfortable.” you smiled warmly, “would you like them back? they’re right inside.” you leaned the broom against the wall. “no, ‘s not it.” rafe cleared his throat, “just wondered how come you weren’t doing it anymore. y’know, walking and shit.”

“oh.” you chuckled softly, clapping all the dirt off your hands as you sat down on the highest step, while the boy looked to the step right next to you, narrowing his eyes as he thought about whether or not you’d want him to join you. in the end, he ended up doing it, his longer legs reaching the lowest step. “it’s a thing i do.” you shrugged, “a full moon walk. for the three days before the full moon, i do a night walk, as well as on the full moon, and three days afterwards. i feel like it helps me connect with myself, and the world.”

rafe raised his brows and snorted, “you’re fuckin’ with me, right?” but your face remained passive, “you’re… serious?”

“don’t worry, i didn’t think you’d understand.” you chuckled softly, looking down at your feet. “i’ve always felt connected to nature in a way most people don’t. the world… speaks to me, in a way it doesn’t speak to others.”

“you sound insane.” rafe said bluntly, but you simply let out a chuckle, making the boy furrow his brows, “you not offended?”

“no.” you shrug your shoulders and look up at the sky, “when i tell most people about what my thoughts are like, what my brain is like, they just start avoiding me like the plague or say those things about me, just behind my back.” you look at him with a genuine smile, your eyes crinkling from the way you smiled, “honesty is refreshing. what’s your name?” you asked, telling him yours.

rafe narrowed his eyes and sized you up; what you were saying sounded like pretentious hippie shit to him, but the kindness in your eyes, the way the sunlight reflected in them, showing every last detail in them, just… made him trust you. “i’m rafe.”

“that’s funny.” you chuckled under your breath, making rafe furrow his brows. but just as he was about to ask what you meant by that, he could hear someone call out your name from inside the house. “duty calls.” you got onto your feet. rafe watched as you walked to the door and pulled it open before turning around to face him one more time. “it was nice to see you again, rafe. you should come see me again sometime.”

and then you disappeared like you were never there.

thank you for reading! send a request & check out my masterlist <3

taglist + some moots <3: @rcsbabydoll @inbred-eater @littlelamy @dollyfiles @nemesyaaa @filthyrafe @drewsephrry @houseofblve @jjslaybank @soldiersgirl

[iwantmyprizepet]

𝒱𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓈𝒽 ℐ𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒴𝑜𝓊 - 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 4/?

Summary: Your doubts started to fight off any hope you had surrounding feelings for Agatha. Then of course…she looked at you. (??? so dumb. did I mention I hate writing these yet?)

Warnings: Just a little..something naughty, 18+, Alcohol.

Word Count: 5.5k

A/N: It’s dawning on me how silly it is to drop a story that takes place around Christmas as summer nears. It’s when I started writing this and I guess it kind of just happened. Oh well, too late to back out now. I promise it’s not super hardcore holiday centered. If it’s not your cup of tea I apologize. Agatha will very much so start to shadow any care about dumb holidays soon. Christmas in May? Here we come? - Mich (I've been dreading posting this I think it's such a boring chapter. I promise the next one is better…I hope lol)

AO3 Previous Part

I felt on edge the rest of the night after Agatha left, unable to place exactly why. 

After closing up, I ran to the grocery store which nearly pushed me into overload from the chaos inside. 

Little visions slipped in here and there as I ran the aisles. Visions of tackling the public mayhem with Agatha by my side.

When I got home, the quiet of my apartment elevated the sound of my thoughts. 

Hateful little things nagging at the back of my mind now as I put groceries away. Not pretty enough. Too young. Not good enough. Not an ounce of a chance.

My flustered state continued into the morning. 

I was already running late to get to my parents and couldn’t find my annual thanksgiving sweater. It wasn’t anything special, just a dark green sweater I wore every year. It was completely ridiculous, but I felt near tears searching for it. 

I hadn’t felt this generally overwhelmed in a long time. 

I debated calling Chloe, but resisted knowing she’d have enough on her plate today. Some of her family members were quite, interesting. Interesting in a concerning political view type of way. I knew she’d be stressed enough on her own by now.

Finally, after digging for a century I found the sweater in a far corner of my closet.

I hurried out the door after finding it nearly sending myself sailing down the stairs.

——————————————————————————

I got swept into cooking as soon as I arrived. It was blazing hot in the kitchen and while they meant no harm by it, my parents were asking too many questions.

I wanted to be present so badly, but a dark pull constantly brought my thoughts to her. 

I felt near a boiling point by the time everyone else started to show up. 

After about twenty minutes after the whole family arrived I excused myself. My kitchen duties were finished and I was in need of a huge distance from the pulsing entertainment of the house.

Mom’s concerned stare followed me until I was out of sight. 

Usually the loudness of my family was endearing, funny and I’d join in. Right now it just felt like being in the middle of a thousand cymbals crashing. 

My mood was probably more obvious to everyone than I let myself realize. 

I shut the door and sunk onto my old bed letting out a long sigh.

 After a mere few seconds Agatha eased into my mind. It was settling and distressing all at once. 

As I stared at the ceiling a thought came over me and I reached for my phone. 

Opening the browser I typed in her name along with our town and state.

My brain consumed the word CEO right away. 

A scroll down led me to an article about her house. Some local news site showing pictures of the listing before she bought it. It was like something out of a movie.

I was spiraling the more I looked. Closing the tab I tossed my phone off the bed. It landed on the carpeted floor with a soft thump. 

The fact that I even allowed myself for a second to think I stood a chance with her. The clear age gap aside, paled in comparison to the wealth she seemed to have. Obviously so with the fifties she threw around like change. 

Shaking my head I brought my hands to my face. I sucked deep slow breaths in and out trying to steady my wobbling chin. How could I have allowed myself to fall so fast for her? 

The search dug it in deep how despite my inner turmoil, I really had let myself form a bit of hope. 

Now I just felt silly with a pang in my chest. 

Every memory I had of myself around her was causing me to cringe. I felt like a blade of grass to her sun.

A little while had passed, my body temperature dropping back to a normal level. I knew I had to get back soon before a search party was sent up.

While I had calmed down, I was laced with constant unwanted thoughts. My mood soured more and more by the minute.

 With force, I made my way back down stairs plastering a smile to my face. 

The usual joy my cousins kids brought me just seemed to wear me down. 

I of course still entertained their games, but even at their young ages they seemed to pick up on my emotional absence. 

Dinner passed in a blur of conversation. I interjected enough to fly under the radar. 

It’s what I told myself anyways. 

Knowing Agatha was alone today was just another lingering plague on my brain.

After we all finished eating I shooed everyone away taking it upon myself to clean everything up. 

The kitchen was spotless when I walked out of it and into the living room. I sunk into a corner half listening to everyone around. 

Finally, just after seven my final aunt left the house. 

I poured myself another glass of bourbon and breezed past my parents as they walked back from the front door.

“I’m gonna shower quick. I’ll be right back.” I called over my shoulder not waiting for a response. 

I grabbed the bag I packed and headed for the bathroom joined to my room. 

I took a long sip of the bourbon I’d poured and placed it down a little too heavily.

Walking to the counter, I took in my appearance. Every little imperfection seemed to be obvious today. I closed my eyes, Agatha’s face dripping into view. 

After my shower, I headed back down with an empty glass. 

Mom and dad were at the kitchen counter laughing at something. They both went quiet upon my entrance. 

I placed the glass on the counter, keeping my eyes away from theirs.

After a moment dad grabbed the glass, refilling it with a couple of cubes and some more bourbon. I looked up to him with a small smile, nodding and grabbing the glass.

“Something bothering you, honey?” Mom asked quietly. 

I shrugged swirling the ice cubes in the glass.

“Just, overwhelmed the past couple of days. Nothing to worry about.” I responded and finally looked up to her. “Really, work has just been a lot no big deal.”

I was grateful they dropped it there, even though they both clearly didn’t want to. 

The three of us settled into the night. Our annual tradition of watching The Griswold family Christmas commenced. A growing guilt from how distant I was today mixed into everything else.

My moms concerned glances lingered throughout the whole film.

The movie ended and I hugged them both goodnight before slipping off to bed. 

Typical thoughts of Agatha drifted me to sleep. Swirling around me in a grey cloud. 

——————————————————————————

Morning came, the smell of breakfast drifting through the air stirring me. There she was at the forefront again, right off the bat. 

Agatha fucking Harkness.

I pulled myself out of bed and made my way downstairs, desperate for water and distraction.

My parents had Christmas music playing softly, dancing about the kitchen singing along. I laughed shaking my head at them as I walked to the fridge. “Good morning my beautiful daughter.” Dad said brightly as I poured myself a glass of water.

“Morning.” I mumbled draining almost the whole glass in one swig. 

Mom eyed me closely as I finished off the glass. Always worrying.

After breakfast I was coerced into going to tag a tree. 

Sitting in the back of my dad’s truck had me feeling like a kid again. Usually a welcome feeling, now had me only thinking myself inferior to Agatha.

Agatha this, Agatha that I was sick of it at this point. Sick of how bitter it was making me ruining usually enjoyable moments.

The breeze whipped around the tree farm. A woman with her children were searching next to us. Her hair lay dark and wavy. 

I of course thought of Agatha.

My parents chose their usual ten footer. I could foresee it now, dad and I fighting it through the door after picking it up in a week. 

I picked myself a modest five foot tree, full with strong branches. 

We made our way back and I found myself itching to get home. Craving the silence and comfort of my own space. 

With hugs and arm fulls of left overs, finally I got into my car and headed home. 

The strip was empty when I pulled up. It took two trips to drag everything upstairs. 

After a shower and filling up on a plate of leftovers, I sunk into the couch heavily. 

For the first time since meeting her, I found myself dreading seeing Agatha.

——————————————————————————

The overwhelming churn bled into Saturday. 

A demanding, entitled wave of customers rattled through the doors consistently. Even Chloe seemed to feel the weight of it.

“Is it just me, or is everyone being extra rude today?” She asked annoyed, arms crossed.

I groaned elbows dropping to the counter. “I thought it was just me.”

“Must be ass hole convention in town.” Janice chirped into the conversation from the back.

I nodded in agreement with a light chuckle. 

I slumped around more and more as closing time neared, no sight of Agatha. While I was definitely dreading seeing her, it was worse not to. It started to solidify my worries about myself, how I looked to her.

I finished up cleaning twenty minutes to closing. Chloe and Janice left thirty minutes ago. 

The idea of seeing Agatha was slipping away. 

Just after that thought I heard a car door. My head shot up, heart thumping hard seeing a black Maserati.

With a rush, Agatha breezed herself in.

 A tension soaked relief moved through me.

After all this time worrying about seeing her again, now that she was in front of me all I could think about was folding into her. 

“Hey, you.” She said it so casually, like we’d known each other for years. I wondered if she had any clue how much turmoil she was causing me.

“Hi.” I replied steadily trying to calm my nerves.

“Sorry to come in so late.” Her hair fell in it’s usual waviness today, soft and windswept.

“Oh, it’s fine no problem.” I walked myself closer to her. I stopped halfway clasping my hands behind my back, anxiety growing under her gaze. “The usual?” I asked fighting to put a smile on my face.

“No.” She answered stepping right to me, perfume sweeping my senses.

My eyebrows pinched together, head tilting looking up to her. I waited for her to answer my silent question. 

She smiled softly fiddling with a gold ring on her pointer finger. 

“I was in the neighborhood and just wanted to see how your holiday went.” It was the first time she’d said something to me with a hesitation. 

I let out a sigh shoulders dropping. I imagined my forehead falling onto her chest, her arms wrapping me up tightly. Instead, I sat on the nearest stool. “It was alright. Stressful, but good.” I admitted.

She sat on the stool next to me, her knee brushed mine on accident as she did.

“How was your ‘just another day’?” I asked mimicking her explanation of the holiday. 

She laughed looking down, hair falling on either side of her face.

“Takeout and a bottle of wine. Quiet, but okay.” She said smile not reaching her eyes just like the other day.

My heart ached for her. The idea of her being so lonely on a holiday seemed unfathomable. Someone as kind and beautiful as her having nobody. It didn’t seem possible.

“Agatha?” I paused building the courage to ask. “Don’t feel the need to answer, but how is it possible you have no one to spend a holiday with?”

Her lips pursed, finger tapping on the counter as her eyes darted around everywhere but on me. 

“My father was never around. Mother passed away years ago, not that we were ever close. Any other family lives far away and well, I find myself having mostly acquaintances and colleagues. Not so many friends.” She answered me honestly. 

A confidence tried to mask the uneasiness on her face. 

“No great love in your life?” I asked bracing for the answer.

Long distance relationships were a thing, complicated situationships and also me not having a chance either way was a thing. I reminded myself of that over and over again.

She let out a laugh, rings clinking on the counter as she slapped it. 

“It’s always about money or power.” She rested her chin back on her thumb, pointer finger brushing her lips. “I think I’ve given up on it all together.” 

It sent a dark feeling through my chest. Not that I couldn’t agree with her sentiment.

“Yeah, I kind of agree.” I forced a laugh. “Well, not the money or power part but ready to give up on it all together part.”

She nudged my knee. “A pretty young thing like you. Why’s that?”

I fumbled on words, her own sending a mix of dread and want through me. The words young and pretty being side by side felt bittersweet.

Against all of my better judgement, I decided on the truth. 

“Well, I suppose between cheating and manipulation and” I faltered for a second looking over her shoulder. “And disappearing I guess, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem worth the ache.”

I looked back to her, her whole face pinched in anger. My face dropped searching her for any sign of what caused the change.

“Someone did those things to you?” She asked in a gritty tongue.

Uneasily, I laughed waving my hand. “First long relationship cheated, we were young. Second long term well, I suppose I didn’t realize how much control she had until it was over. How much I lost being with her. She just up and left one day, no word.” My light hearted explanation didn’t seem to ease the anger seeping off of her. “But.” I said clapping my hands to my legs. “The past is in the past I suppose.” 

I smiled trying to desperately change the atmosphere around the subject.

Her face softened then, an anger still lingering a presence around her forehead.

“That is despicable that someone would treat you that way.”  There was no joking behind her words, she spoke them seriously.

I shrugged rubbing the back of my neck, regretting even mentioning any of it.

“It’s the reason I’m back here and I am perfectly okay with my little life here so, I suppose it was meant to be. Despite how awful it was in the moment.” She finally smiled then fingers dropping just shy of my arm on the counter.

“Well, I suppose I can even be a little thankful for that.” A smile so soft, aimed right at me and my pattering pulse. “Although, if you need me to track someone down and destroy them, do let me know.”

I leant forward laughing at that, arm pressing into her hand that lay so close a moment ago. She laughed too, fingers pressing up into my arm impossible to ignore. 

It was joking the way she said it, but something in her eye told me she was only half joking.

“My own personal hitman, just what I’ve always wanted.”

We laughed, her fingers flexing into my arm again making my heart nearly stop. Every second felt like slipping on ice around her.

“I do aim to please.” She said it in a devastating tone.

Free hand making a show of flicking her hair behind her shoulder, chest puffed and chin up.

I held back an audible groan looking at her. As if on it’s own wave length, my arm brushed into her hand underneath it. In an instant, as if in reply her fingers moved against me again. 

In this moment with bated breath and a racing heart I thought, how could she possibly not feel it too? I instantly started feeling that annoying budding hope slip in. 

The next thought was the clear age gap. It just couldn’t be possible, her forming an interest in me. 

Stop getting your hopes up stop stop stop.

Her eyes flicked behind me as my thoughts raced. Her face dropped fractionally and looked back to mine.

“I suppose I should get going.” She said quietly, thumb pressing light as a feather against my skin.

My head snapped behind me, the clock reading five past closing.

“Right.” I looked back to her nodding my head. “Yeah, I guess so.”

I pulled my arm away from her hand and stood. I missed the feeling instantly. She stood and I followed, both of us walking to the door.

“See you tomorrow?” She asked shoulder pressed into the door, pausing as she always did.

I nodded smiling. “I’ll be here.”

A push against the door, a nod, a wink and she was gone. 

I stood in my usual daze she left me in, skin still tingling where her hand was. 

——————————————————————————

Sunday was flying by since the start of it. The later the day went on, the more my nerves built up. 

I grew to expect her later in the day now. I let Chloe and Janice go again, the act becoming a regular thing. It was often before, but not like it was now. 

I started pushing holiday storage boxes out after they’d left. I needed something distracting to do. 

Changing the playlist coming through the speakers to one with holiday songs instantly cheered me up.

I’ve always loved the holidays. No matter the drama, it brought people together. Despite the stress, it still seemed to always bring out an extra kindness from most. Made you want to be kinder to someone who looked like they were going through it. 

Now if you asked me before I moved back if I liked the holidays, it would have been a bahumbug.

A young couple sat in a corner table talking and laughing. I did a quick clean before cracking open the totes. The couple left not long after. 

Two stragglers popped in for drinks in the ten minutes that followed and then I was alone. 

It was just shy of an hour until closing when her Maserati pulled up.

I placed the small step ladder I was carrying down in the corner. 

I had just lined up our Christmas mugs on the counter after cleaning them. A mixture of green, white and red mugs. Our logo on either side surrounded by Christmas lights. 

Anne fought me a little on ordering them, arguing it was a waste to get mugs for one month.

My pleading convinced her and we sold so many the first year. Every order that came in sold out near instantly. 

Needless to say I already had a fresh batch on the way for the season.

I watched her as she walked in, unable to help the smile she always put on my face. 

Everything was black apart from her red sweater. As if she somehow knew the occasion she’d be walking in on.

“Hey.” I greeted, the chipper mood decorating had me in obvious.

“Well, hello smiley.” She replied only making it grow.

She peered over the counter at the red and green totes. Her intoxicating scent mingled with the air distracting me as it always did.

“Am I going to be coerced into being a helping hand for decorating?” She asked playfully.

“Oh, you don’t have to help.” I laughed leaning closer to her. “Might have to watch though.” 

One of her inviting hums sounded at that.

“Well, give me something festive for the occasion.” She said placing her purse down and shrugging her coat off. “Not too sweet.” 

A delicate, thin gold chain hung around her neck. Gold rings on random fingers to match. 

Her hands straightened and brushed down her sweater after she got her coat off. A questioning eyebrow raise from her struck me to realize I should be making her requested drink, instead of staring. 

“Festive and not too sweet.” I said a little too loud. “Yes ma’am.”

Another hum sounded from her behind me. I could feel her eyes on me as I grabbed a red and green mug. 

I placed a single squirt of peppermint and mocha into the bottom of both cups. Filling the rest with coffee from the pot I stirred them well. With a finishing touch, I shook them with a light dusting of the peppermint chocolate shavings we kept in a jar. Just enough for the eyes to enjoy. 

I turned to her with both mugs in and took a sip of mine. Nodding with a shrug I accepted it, placing mine down and handing the green one to her. She eyed it smirking, cupped hands warming around the mug. 

“I like the mugs.” She said before taking a light sip. 

Another warm hum came up from her, eyes closed. I wanted to be close enough to feel the vibrations of it. 

“Approved?” I asked softly.

Her hooded blue eyes opened with a nod. 

I took another sip from my mug before turning back. I’d cleared the shelves where we kept our mugs out front for drink orders, storing the usual mugs on shelves in the kitchen. 

I boosted myself up, kneeling on the counter to place the holiday mugs precisely. Red, white and green in that order. Finishing they all sat in an even line ready to be used.

I turned, hopping down just catching the tail end of Agatha looking away from me. I tried not to read into it too much. 

“I’m sorry.” I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. “This must be very boring for you.” 

Her head snapped to me. “I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.” 

I almost took it as sarcasm, but the look she gave had me taking it as a serious statement.

“Give me something to do.” She requested fingers flexing as she played with her chain.

“You really don’t have to help.” I felt I needed to make that clear, she didn’t seem too into holidays. The last thing I wanted was her to feel forced into participating.

Agatha clapped her hands to her thighs before standing. 

“I’ll just start putting things out.” She stated heading over to a tote. I held my hands up. “Okay, wait wait wait there’s a place for everything.” She laughed, hand to her stomach. “I knew it.” 

“What?” 

“You just seem very particular about things, I was right.” 

I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. She was right, I did tend to be a bit precise with everything. I could tell if someone had moved something an inch in my house. 

Chloe regularly informed me of how neurotic I was with making sure everything was in it’s rightful place. I always shot it right back, that I would’t be as neurotic at work if she wasn’t so messy.  She refused to help me decorate for Christmas after the first year she was here. Hence me dragging everything out after she had left.

“Okay.” I started to change the subject. “You can put these on the third shelf down by that table.”

I pointed to where I wanted them and gestured to the four snowmen in one tub.

“Any particular order, sarge?” She asked waiting with a look like she knew I’d say yes.

There was in fact a precise order I put them in every year. Just to prove her wrong I shook my head and turned away.

That’s how the next half hour passed. I had just started to hang the last strip of garland in the back corner. It was the highest spot out of them all, I struggled with it every year.

I usually didn’t have anyone around when I did, so it usually got hung with me in an odd stretch across multiple objects to get to it. It was almost a tradition at this point, risking my life for a string of garland.

I was very aware of Agatha watching me as I reached for the corner, stood up at the very top of the step ladder on my tip toes. 

I could bring my full size ladder in, but that seemed like a lot of effort for a single strip of garland. That’s what I told myself every year and every year I nearly died hanging it.

I nearly fell to the ground when I felt warm hands press to my lower back and left hip. They strongly steadied my fumble. When I did regain balance I remained frozen under her touch. 

“Don’t want you to fall.” She said gently and low. I began to falter for far too long, every second was loudly ticking from the clock. All I could get my brain to focus on was her touch on me. 

Shaking hands finally moved as I reached to hang the garland again. The hand on my hip held a little tighter, the one on my back pushing slightly harder as if to give me an extra boost.

Finally I reached the hook it latched to securing the strip of shimmering gold.

Her hands didn’t leave me until I stepped to the floor. I stilled again when I did, her body dangerously close behind mine. 

She did exactly what I could only think of doing. Stepping closer she pressed ever so lightly against my back. My eyes fluttered closed for a second. “Dangerous maneuver.” She said on a warm peppermint breath. “It does look nice though.”

I knew she could hear my shaky breathing. There was not a possibility it wasn’t audible to her. 

“Yeah.” It was all I could muster in response.

The bell above the door broke the trance. Agatha stepped back in an easy way. 

“Hey bud.” Brooks greeted bustling through the door. Chloe followed smiling sheepishly, like she knew something was disturbed. 

“Hey guys, what are you doing here?” I tried to ask out casually, hands and voice still trembling slightly. 

Nothing felt casual at all. The worst part was how uncomfortable Agatha looked now. I’d never even think she possessed the ability to feel anything but in control of all situations. 

Her head hung down now, hands behind her back a pinching look tracing her face.

“Wanted to see if you would care to join us on a trip to Tempests tonight?” Brooks asked casually as if he didn’t just shift an entire balance. 

It was a restaurant we regularly went to.

“You should come too.” Chloe said gently towards Agatha, clearly grasping the gravity of the moment with how carefully she said it.

I stepped closer to Agatha just as she moved away. She made a show of looking down at her phone. 

“I actually have to get going.” She picked up her coat and started to slip it on. “Business call in twenty, can’t miss it. Have fun tonight.” Everything about it felt like a lie. Dismissive and hurried, an almost irritation behind her words. 

She finished buttoning her coat and grabbed her purse. Her hand went to, I’m sure fish for her wallet. I took long strides over to her and stopped her hand. “I’ll walk you out.” I said quietly. Her eyes wouldn’t hold mine, but she nodded.

I stepped out first holding the door for her. The cold air fell nicely on my warm face. In a silence, we both stepped to the drivers side door of her car. 

“I had fun.” She said finally meeting my eyes. 

It seemed honest, but an uneasiness hung behind it.

“Are you sure you have to go?” I asked inching a bit closer. 

“Yes.” She nodded and her eyes ghosted over me before looking off to the side. “Yeah, I hadn’t been paying attention to the time.”

I nodded back looking down at my shoes.

Her hand fell to the door handle. In a rush of insanity I reached out placing my hand over the one that held her purse.

“I had fun too.” 

A true smile reached her eyes at my words. The hand that lingered on the door handle reached over, sandwiching my hand between both of hers.

“I’ll be away on business for a few days, I won’t see you until next weekend most likely.” She said it with a slow hesitation.

“I’ll be waiting.” I replied instantly squeezing the hand that was under mine. 

For a second I felt like I might have the high point. Like I somehow, maybe might be effecting her like how she effects me. The voice telling me to keep my hopes down was duller than the rest in the moment.

Her demeanor changed like wiping a chalk board. She held herself to her usual punctual poise. “Good.” With a wink she turned, opened the door and got in. 

I moved behind the car and to the curb, watching her drive away. 

I thought about dramatically running after her car for a few seconds. Making her roll down her window and kissing her. I shook the daydream away.

I walked back in, Chloe wincing and shrinking down as I did. 

“I’m sorry.” She apologized “We really didn’t mean to interrupt.”

I shrugged her off and walked over to the decoration bin. “It’s fine.” 

“We saw what happened.” She paused. “With the ladder.”

I scoffed grabbing the battery candlesticks for the window sills.

“So you’re just spying through windows now?” It came off more irritated than I meant it to.

“Really, it’s not like that.” Brooks chimed in cooly. “We were walking up and just saw it happen through the window. We legit both froze, dude. Then we thought it would be weird if you saw us driving away or turned and saw us staring so we waited a minute then came in. Honestly, we were like two fools outside fumbling with what to do.”

I laughed at the thought and it eased the tension as they joined in.

“Listen, there was nothing to interrupt anyways. It’s all good.” “Lady.” Chloe nearly yelled, her eyes wild and wide. “Don’t give me that bull shit. That was not nothing.”

“Easy tiger.” Brooks said patting her shoulder with a chuckle.

“Yeah, tiger.” I jested placing the last candle in the window with sticky tac. “Now if you wanna get to the restaurant, help me finish up and put these bins away.” 

Luckily, Chloe and Brooks took the hint that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. 

Dinner was nice and easy as usual. The topic of Agatha Harkness didn’t return. Still, it didn’t displace her from my thoughts.

They pulled away after dropping me off, leaving me to admire the lights and decorations through the cafe window. The view settled a warmth in my chest and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d beaten everyone on the strip to it this year I realized, for the first time. 

The ladder still left in the corner sent a chill down my spine. I pretended it was from the wind and walked up the stairs.

——————————————————————————

Monday came and went nicely. I spent all morning decorating the apartment for the first of the month. 

Chloe and Brooks came over later on in the day. I invited them over for dinner and a movie. 

The rest of the week on the other hand? Passed at an agonizingly slow pace. The memory of Agatha’s touch had a sick twisted way of infiltrating every other thought.

I found myself wondering just as often, if she was thinking about me. 

——————————————————————————

I opened my eyes slowly in bed, the strand of Christmas lights in the kitchen the only thing lighting my apartment. 

A sound from near the window startled me to attention. Slowly a figure inched forward into the light. “Agatha?” I asked confused, sitting up in bed.

A low drawn out hush pushed past her lips. 

As she stepped closer to the bed, her arms crossed over her torso. Slowly, her hands grabbed the hem of her sweater pulling it above her head.

“Agatha?” It came out in a croak this time.

She threw the sweater to the floor, gold necklace and a purple laced bra the only thing covering her upper half. 

Her mouth formed another hushing sound. 

Stopping just a foot shy of the bed, her hands found the button of her pants. In a blink she undid them, bending to drag them down her legs.

“What…”

She cut me off. “Quiet.” 

Smiling a wicked grin, her hands disappeared behind her back. Another quick second had her bra falling to the ground. I let out a whimper heat pooling low inside of me. 

“Good girl.” 

The door bell rang snapping my head like a rubber band breaking. I went to turn back to her, but it rang again. 

        ~~~~           ~~~~           ~~~~           ~~~~ 

I woke with a jumping start to my alarm blaring. My breathing was at a panicking level, heart racing to a concerning degree. An ache between my legs stole almost every ounce of my attention. 

A fucking dream.

“Oh, fuck.” 

I said it out loud just to assure myself, how absolutely screwed I was.

[jull-reblogs]

Well I'm glad!! Don't expect anything like the first chapter though haha, I'm not there yet. It would be more like a sneak peek and something to let people know that this project exists. Also giving myself deadlines like this helps and makes it more "real".

If you think Mediterranean keto would be the right choice for you then go for it!! Not everyone needs to stick to 25g of carbs a day :D

I think I could find some equivalent to this STAR roll here! And agreed, meat is always the best part for me 😁 I guess I could just try to make tonkotsu soup myself ^^

Well one of my coworkers once brought us homemade matcha tiramisu and it was so good!! And there's this Japanese bakery next to where I work that makes matcha brioches filled with cream or matcha cookies. I can't eat this stuff anymore but it's amazing, I recommand trying it if you can find something similar!

Haha yes Mangalitsa pigs are adorable and black-footed cats are the cutest serial killers! I had never seen Jacob sheep before and wow, they're impressive.

Oh now fishing in magma sounds like a great concept!! I admit I'd love to see that in a future game!!

Haha it's fine, don't worry! It's interesting to me that you think in such detail about culinary traditions and all since I tend to not put much thought into these aspects of worldbuilding. Gives me a different perspective.

Oh I see, this is interesting. I remember that you thought Malon might have Gerudo origins and now I see how this could be possible!

Yes I didn't mean that Vilia should be allowed into Gerudo Town, definitely not. I just think punishing him would be harsh when he made it possible for Link to save the city (and the kingdom). The guards should definitely be more careful about voe dressed as vai haha.

TotK should have made gloom sickness a true epidemic, things would have looked a lot more threatening then. I'm still thinking about the details but I want a lot more characters to be affected in my rewrite (though of course saving all of them one by one would be redundant) and the remedy would also be harder to find. I'm also planning to add different kinds of illnesses depending on what's happening locally, for example Castle Town will suffer from something unique due to its proximity to the Castle und what's underneath it.

I tend to see magic as something really rare especially in BotW's Hyrule so I don't share that headcanon about Wild's mother being a magess, but she could definitely be the reason he's skilled at cooking and knows which ingredients to use!

Yeah I thought just getting rid of the mud by washing it away was a bit easy. It should have made the Zora or anyone who touched it really sick.

Yes I'm sure the Gerudo would still need external help from time to time for things they aren't used to doing and in that case they would use the shelter as you suggested. At least we know in OoT that they needed the carpenters from Kakariko to repair the bridge in Gerudo Valley, so that can definitely happen.

Haha yes I think we won't agree on Time! Except about the troubles that come with waking up in the body of a young man after seven years of magical coma, of course.

Yes they have to extend the cast in ancient Hyrule and to give the ancient Sages more character. I guess we might finally get to see them without their masks and learn their names (though I think we shouldn't need a new game for that).

In French the game will be called "Les Chroniques du Sceau" which I think is better than if they'd gone with "L'Ère du Sceau" again. Not sure how that would translate, does Chronicles of the Seal sound weird? Chronicles of the Imprisoning War maybe?

Well I'm not planning to buy the Switch 2 at the moment anyway! And TotK was such a disaster for me that don't want to spend more money on a spin-off without making sure it's any good before.

Isn't it funny that they didn't even mention the audio memories in the Switch 2 direct and it was advertised in a different video? I was completely uninterested in the GPS or the ability to share builds in TotK but THAT would give me a reason to replay the games. Also now it seems we'll also be able to repair weapons and I'm like ??? So we're adding such a major feature through an app and we're not even mentioning it?? Weird communication choices haha.

@aikoiya The post was getting long again so here's a new one!

I knew you were going to answer that saying "this is unfair" isn't real life logic haha (and I agree that life hasn't been fair to Sky and Sun anyway). It's just that such an ending would probably leave me feeling unsatisfied and even a bit robbed, and I think it would require a lot of other changes to be made to the story in order for it to work properly. But anyway you're right, as things are now this would just be happening behind the scenes so what I'm saying doesn't really make sense. But just thinking about it changes my perception of SS in a way I don't really enjoy, so it's not a theory I favor.

Yes in that setting I'm pretty sure that the other Sun would not make herself known to Link and Zelda and would let them have their happy ending. But I think Zelda would likely suspect her existence and know that something is wrong. I guess even Link could notice that the Temple's doors are suddenly open and would ask Impa a few questions.

I had no idea Tingle called Farore the Goddess of Wind in WW, so I went on a little quest to see if I could find the same quote in the French version of the game. Apparently it's in Tingle's description of Outset Island and I never had the chance to play with the Tingle Tuner mode. I can't find the same quote in French anywhere and I don't even know if this was included in the HD remake (I guess I'll have to wait for a Switch version to find out… if they ever release one). This has me wondering if this quote isn't something exclusive to the English version, but I can't be sure and I'd like to know what the original Japanese text says. The French wikis mention that Farore is the Goddess of Wind in WW but don't provide any quote, it just looks like the pages were translated from English but that they couldn't find the same quote in French. It's really frustrating!!

Anyway that's a bit weird because WW already establishes Zephos as the God of Wind, and he seems to be a minor deity compared to Farore. The way I see it, wind is just the element that Farore tends to be associated with, and since a lot of myths might have been lost with Hyrule in WW this could just be a mistake on Tingle's part. I mean this is the game that gave us the Golden Triumph Forks haha.

I'm not limiting Nayru/the Golden Goddesses to a singular domain, quite the opposite ^^ To me Nayru being the Goddess of Wisdom includes different concepts such as order, law, science, magic, etc., and even time (since she's introduced as the creator of the world's fondamental laws), while calling her the Goddess of Time doesn't include all of that. That's why I wrote that I found it a bit restrictive. But sure she could have both titles, the same way Farore could be known most commonly as the Goddess of Courage and also called the Goddess of Wind in some situations.

Oh I didn't think of the blocks from OoT! I would say though that they don't really use any time powers, they're just random blocks that appear or disappear for some reason when Link plays the Song of Time (it's just as absurd as playing the Song of Storms to open holes in the ground haha). But yes they were blue and associated with time, and of course Nayru is too. The difference with Hylia in my theory is that Nayru created the rules of time (if that makes sense) among other fundamental laws, while Hylia's power specifically allows her to manipulate time and foresee the future. In a way I see Hylia as Nayru's spiritual daughter who inherited some of her powers over time (and that's why the color purple she's represented with is very close to blue).

The Master Sword has also been depicted as either blue or purple though, so that asks the question of the true color of all of these things! Nayru is definitely linked to time so it makes sense that the timeshift stones are in Lanayru (and Hylia also doesn't have a province named after her).

"From the edge of time" could definitely just be a poetic way to say that Hylia kind of recorded a message for Link before dying haha. But I find it interesting that she would phrase it like that, I like to see it as a clue.

Well if Zelda simply sent Link to a point further back in time, wouldn't there be two Links existing at the same time in the Child Timeline? But sure Zelda creating a brand new timeline also raises a few questions that kind of... make my head hurt. I'm not sure what happens exactly, I've always wondered! All we know is that Link finds himself in the Master Sword's chamber with the Door of Time already open, which hints at things happening in a different way this time (because he definitely doesn't have the three spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time yet since this is before Ganon's coup, and the ending seems to imply that this timeline's Zelda doesn't know him yet). That's why I believe Zelda might have done something a bit more complex than sending him to a point further back in time, but there's no way to be sure. The Triforce of Courage is also visible on Link's hand during the ending, and we also know thanks to TP that the Triforce is still separated in the Child Timeline despite Link and Zelda preventing Ganon from entering the Sacred Realm this time. So maybe Zelda isn't able to change everything? It's complicated haha.

Anyway, whether OoT Zelda creates a new timeline or just sends Link further back in time, that's still huge time powers and that's not something Link is able to do by playing Zelda's Lullaby.

I also believe it is more likely that Talon inherited the ranch. True, Talon might not always have been so lazy, but maybe if that was the case the game could have hinted at hit. All we know is that he leaves his daughter alone with Ingo and only comes back after Link deals with the situation, which does not make him look so great. And he only promises to work harder after that.

I'm kind of bad with names so I'm impressed you're going through all of that trouble to rename the settlements!!

I haven't gotten to developping the technology that much yet, but I'm really interested in seeing what the different races could do with it! I love the idea of using the Sheikah to infiltrate the Yiga bases. I wish TotK had done something like that and shown the Sheikah helping Link that way.

Same, I was so excited when I heard about these pirates… and then so disappointed to find nothing more than a bunch of bokos with no backstory.

Vignoble is not related to noble (though I kind of make the association in my mind, especially since vignobles are sometimes called châteaux).

Yes I thought you could maybe use clos! Aquaticlos is funny, it can work! Though maybe you could use the same logic as for the raisins (I love this Raisins de Terre idea by the way, it makes sense!) and say that what the Zoras call a clos already refers to something that's underwater, since that's probably the case for most of what they cultivate.

I don't mind helping you with French, I'm glad to do so! You put so much effort and thought into this, it's really interesting.

[triglycercule]

explodes them ALL... what time is it??? DESIGN TIME

i got too lazy to color anybody else fully aside from the mtt you can explode me now too

[canisalbus]

So i remember an ask mentioning your mortal enemy, Felis Atra and their cats, and i thought it'd be fun to draw what Felis Atra's version of your italian dogs would be.

I think they would be called Butter Knife and Flamengo! Butter Knife is not his real name, it's an nickname given by his peers because of how harmless he is. I choose Flamengo because that's the name of Vasco's rival football team here in Brazil, so i thought that was the perfect name :)

Cat Machete was slightly inspired by the Oriental Shorthair cat because of their long noses and thin head shape.

Cat Vasco was inspired by the Scottish Fold cat, because FLOPPY EARS. I gave Flamengo longer ears and orange fur to make him more like his look-alike.

The last doodle is a reference to this ask (https://canisalbus.tumblr.com/post/728923918314946560/me-i-am-machete-ear-fan-number-1-those-ears) and contains the tumblr ask stand-in dog, whose cat version was inspired by the American Curl cat! They have round ears that are slightly floppy outwards.

Final notes: I know cardinal clothes don't come in vibrant blue, but i was ADAMANT on switching Machete's and Vasco's clothing color patterns. I would draw the rest of Butter Knife's and Flamengo's clothes, but i suck at designing cool outfits.

Speaking of outfits, for Machete's iconic void outfit, i figured it would be fun to make it more baggy for Butter Knife, in contrast to Machete's, that looks very tight-fitted. I think it's cute, it kinda looks like a sweater. Also i can't imagine a Machete doppelganger without high heels boots, so those HAD to stay.

Oh, and just to be clear, i'm not like, claiming ownership of these guys or anything. I just thought it would be a fun exercise. Hope you like them!! I love your art and your characters.

.

[vaguely-concerned]

powerful mental image of lucanis expounding passionately about any given one of his limited but extremely deep areas of interest (the wyvern/knives/coffee/cooking/murder continuum of lucanis dellamorte special interests if you will) while rye lounges around and Beholds him with palpable twink boutta pounce energy

[dootznbootz]

Menelaus rambles a lot about not only Helen, but also Hermione. About how she used to say Olive like "Olifs". How she lost her first tooth running too fast and running into a low branch while out with Helen. How he'd sometimes wake up to Hermione leaning over him and poking his face to say, "Dad, can we go see the horses?" even though it was barely daylight. How she was much nicer waking Helen and how he thinks Hermione did that on purpose because she found "dad's face funny". How her favorite color was every color.

And Odysseus listens.

And he thinks about how his son only had a few teeth coming in when he left, teething on everything. How he could only say one syllable with his babbles. How his son needed balance to stand but Odysseus was so proud that Telemachus was very good at rolling over. How his son loved pulling at his and Penelope's hair.

How his son would be talking, walking, maybe even lost his first tooth by now. And he doesn't even know if he'll ever know his son's favorite color.

[hopeswriting]

daily life arc miura haru. does anyone know who i'm talking about. do you guys remember her. i still can't believe what happened to her 😔

[deoidesign]

Quick re-do of a 4 year old piece

[greatestjubilee]

bleh

[mariesbee]

why can't i enjoy things like a normal person? casually, just a few episodes/chapters here and there, then move on with my life. but no, whatever it is, it worms its way into my brain, consumes my thoughts and it slowly drives me insane. i am unable to think about anything else but the Thing of the week, or month, sometimes year(s) if it gets that bad.