#Sometimes you’re scrolling Pinterest and you get hit with this

[iconsumethesoulsofthedamned]

People who haven’t watched doctor who what’s going on in this picture?

[sunny-reis]

OMG HI I LOVE THE WAY YOU WRITE AKITO!! may i request akito x reader cuddling after a long, rough day? if thats cool. oneshot if you do :) have a good one 🤞

oneshot - tired cuddles with akito

you're the coffee that i need in the morning; you're my sunshine in the rain when it's pouring

an: OUUYDHDHHDFH TYSM !! 🫶🫶 tbh i thought the other akito oneshot would end up being garbage bc i'm not as familiar with him or vivid bad squad (*'-'*) tbh i've been feeling touch starved lately so im gonna focus more on the affection here lolz (worry not it'll be a balance of fluff and mild angst)

tags: gender neutral reader, just a tidbit of angst (having a shitty day), intimacy

there's no way today could possibly get any worse.

at least, you hope so. sometimes you hit rock bottom and think it can only go uphill from there, but life comes back with a pickaxe, ready to dig until you're truly at your worst.

like today. you think you must've woken up on the wrong side, since absolutely nothing went right – you spilled cereal on your kamiyama high school uniform in a hurry, almost missed the bus, nearly fell asleep (and got yelled at for it) in math class, noticed your backpack was ripping just a second too late, and came home at the wrong moment, when the sprinklers were on, and ended walking inside completely soaked. needless to say, you’ve had a miserable day.

the thick piles and piles of homework to do don't help, either. as you lay in bed, mindlessly scrolling through pinterest, the deep pit in your stomach envelopes you in guilt. even though you've been trying to get up and start doing whatever you can get your hands on, maybe pre-calculus worksheets or an analysis of “the most dangerous game,” you find you simply can't, being too drained to do anything but lament in your head. mentally and physically, you barely have the strength to make it through the rest of the day.

hours go by, the bright afternoon sky becoming a beautiful purple-pink sunset around dusk, and you still haven't moved from your bed. your parents came in a handful of times to try and get you to let it out, but to no avail – you don’t foresee yourself getting up any time soon. it's only when your stomach rumbles that you sit up and pad downstairs to grab a snack from the kitchen.

pouring out a handful of cheerios into a bowl, you zone out, staring out the window overlooking the backyard. although you feel slightly better after a session of moping and lying in bed for hours on end, time goes by viscously; you find you’re still not out of the mental slump, and everything feels too overwhelming. the hair on your arms is too prickly, your sweatshirt too warm, and you have the sudden urge to claw at your skin. sighing, you trudge back upstairs and quietly shut the door, sitting down at your desk. after putting your phone on silent, you browse soap2day for a random movie to drown everything out with (and hopefully forget about the rest of the day).

after finish watching howl’s moving castle for the nth time, you sit up in your chair, stretching and yawning. although you still somehow feel like garbage, imagining yourself as a character sure felt relieving (and fed your escapism, but that’s a worry for another day). shutting your laptop down, you crawl into bed to try and sleep; the analog clock on your night stand reads 11:37. placing your phone on the table, you pull the covers over yourself in attempt to drift off.

unfortunately, your attempts were only fruitful for forty-five minutes at most. you awake to an abrupt thud on your window. brows furrowed, you shrug off the covers to see just what’s going on; opening the window, you’re met with the unexpected presence of an abashed akito crouched on the roof.

“akito? what the hell are you doing here, and at this hour?” you ask, eyes wide.

“can you let me in first? it’s cold and windy and i think i might fall.” facepalming, you help him crawl through the window, shivering at the suddend draft and closing it.

“so, care to answer my question?” you pick at him, flopping down on the bed and rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“i should be asking you that, honestly,” he shrugs, “i tried texting and calling you but i didn’t get anything back, so here i am.”

“oh…” you laugh sheepishly, “sorry about that, i had a shitty day and couldn’t stand having my phone go off.”

“aw, what happened?” akito asks, joining you in bed. you glance at the door, checking to see if it’s locked. although your parents are more than welcoming of akito, seeing him with you alone would be a bit of an unpleasant shock. leaning on his shoulder and pulling the blanket over the two of you, you recount your eventful day to him as he fiddles with a lock of your hair.

“and i didn’t even get to have lunch in between all that.” you add, whining. although you now find the events just a little funny, you still cringe in embarrassment when thinking about being yelled at by a teacher in public.

“i’m sorry all that happened,” says akito, pulling you closer to him, “but you know you can talk to me about it if you want to, right?”

“yeah,” you pout.

“well, are you feeling any better than before? if not, i know just what to do.”

“i think so? i watched howl’s moving castle and it made me feel a little better.”

“i think christian bale tends to have that effect on people.”

“for sure!” you not, “but yeah, i feel…icky, i guess.”

“maybe you should take a shower, sometimes that helps,” he offers, “but you should probably do that in the morning, you’ll get sick if you shower now.” you roll your eyes.

“really? that’s such a mom thing to say.”

“hey, don’t come to me if you shower and get a cold!”

“nah, i’m too tired to shower right now. since, y’know, i was in the middle of sleeping until someone woke me up.” akito laughs sheepishly.

“is it really my fault if you made me worried sick? i mean, i was just fulfilling my role as the caring boyfriend, don’t you think?”

“sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” you laugh, laying down on his lap.

the two of you spend a while chatting in bed until god-knows-what time, when you’re rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. akito makes a show out of tucking you in, giving you a quick peck before climbing back out the window. you melt away into a dreamy sleep, feeling warm and fuzzy at the thought of akito’s warm embrace.

[mar-iiposa]

prompt: the boys somehow get into a tickle fight with their crush (not s/o yet), and when they ask "what's the magic word?" when asked to stop, the reader confesses their feeling for them and soon realizes afterwards

a/n: didn't know if you wanted this as a story or headcanon, so I'm turning this into a headcanon if that's alright ! also, I love this headcanon, it's so cute :')

warnings: none, just some fluff and a small innuendo !

Leonardo

you're on your phone, lying on leo's bed, peacefully scrolling through your app, pinterest.

you back and feet were really killing you.

leo needed to meditate a bit after some patrol. he and raph had gotten into a heated 'discussion' while roaming across rooftops above ground, he didn't care for the arguments that sometimes ensued between the brothers.

your eyes flicker up at him and offer a closed-mouth smile, "you alright?"

leonardo gives you a silent nod, elbows on his knees after sitting on the navy blue comforter, once he hung up his katanas to the wall.

"what are you looking through?" he peeks over at your phone's screen. you're staring back at your phone, eyes glued to the device.

"oh, I dunno. just some pins I think are nice. you know, pictures for fashion ideas, decor, skateboarding, whatever I like on here."

"any ideas for hanging out with your favorite person?"

you grin at him, "I haven't thought about that yet."

"well I've got ideas on 'how to entertain your best friend.'"

"really, huh?"

"yeah, this for example." he snatches the phone from the grip of your hand, tossing it to the other end of the bed and out of your nearest reach, confusing you.

until you get the memo when he starts to attack your sides, throwing you into a frenzy of giggles.

"le- leo! stop, I'm not kiddi—OH MY GOD!"

he's got a pleased smile all over his face right now, grinning as his fingers moved against your ribs.

although he would have enjoyed much different scenarios of holding you by your waist, this was his favorite by far, even so that you're just platonic friends as of right now.

"ple- PLEASE let go! let me go!"

decided on teasing you further, he leaned down to the side of your face, just beside your ear, having you pinned down under him,

"what's the magic word, princess?"

you're distracted by his hands trailing up and jumping towards your neck, you're squirming at the fun yet painful sensation.

"I love you! let me go!"

the leader's hands stop at your request, so you think. but really, it was the confession that made him quit the playful act.

"alright. I'll be over there, in the Hashi, so."

you smiled at him, the corners your e/c eyes crinkled, "okay."

"okay."

wait a fucking minute--

Raphael

okay so,,

he really loves to tickle you.

like, he REALLY fucking loves to tickle you.

currently, you're trying your best to fall asleep and take a nap. It's been a rough, stressful day enough, and you needed to wind down for a good forty minutes.

"can't sleep?"

you shook your head from side-to-side, opening one eye to look over at raph.

"yeah, can't."

there's a small minute of pure silence, and to your frustration, raphael notices the sour expression crossing you.

and out of completely nowhere, you feel his touch on you.

you spend no time in jolting up from the couch, yelping immediately.

"raph! sto- sto- hAH! sto-OP I-IT!"

"you said you couldn't sleep. so I'm doin ya a favor."

this fucker is trying to make you tired.

"I didn't a-ask for a- ! RAPH!"

he's totally grinning down at you, with a playful glint in his eyes.

HE JUST WILL NOT STOP.

"what's the magic word, doll?"

"I luh- H AH! I LOVE yo-HU!"

he smiled in complete awe now, though, he kept on going. even if you just confessed your love to him, he had no mercy at all.

"oka- oka-HEY! I'M GONNA PISS MYSELF!"

after a good while after hearing that, he quickly pulls his hands away from you.

you catch your breath, panting to yourself.

"did I make ya tired now?"

"yeah, will that be the only time though?" you playfully wink.

Donatello

both of you are in his lab. you're totally bored.

although at times you were a science type of person, you could get bored very easily.

or distracted.

like now.

you get up from your seat behind donnie, touching some of the past projects he had previously worked on before.

"don't touch that please, hon."

you were bored. incredulously bored. But even though you listened to him and obeyed him as your dear, best friend,

you didn't give a fuck right now.

you're his friend. it was sort of your job to bug and joke around with him.

you continue touching some of his belongings, still trying to be careful with objects you knew could be potentially harmful to you and the others.

"I wonder what this thing doe--"

"I told you to stop touching things, y/n."

without warning, you felt the tips of his fingers rake across your sides at a fast pace. you wriggle in his grasp, leaning forward.

you roar into multiple fits of laughter, your face growing a hot, bright red.

"oh m- Donnie! Don- Donni-! I'll stop, I'll sto--! HAHA! PLEASE!"

he's amused now, seeing you this way. why hadn't he tickled you this much before?

"will you stop touching my things then? hm?"

"y-yES!"

"what's the magic word, y/n?"

"I don--! I dunno- HAH!"

"oh, yes you do."

"I lo-! I love you!? I'm so- soh- soRRY!"

he picks you up, setting you back down onto your seat.

the realization hit you. fast.

"you do, really?"

he has the biggest shit-eating, nerdy grin on his face right now.

Michelangelo

literal master of tickling.

seriously, he loves to do such tickle attacks on you when least expected.

but he never expected you to return them.

currently playing with a video game with his custom (cred to donnie) controllers, his tongue lazily stuck out, while his baby blue eyes glued to the screen, deep in focus.

"mikey? mikeyyyy!"

he doesn't respond, only acknowledging the game right now.

instead of his best friend.

you're about to leave when, suddenly, you get the greatest idea of all ideas.

no, you're not going to unplug the console.

quietly as you can be, you tip-toed behind him, his rough shell facing you.

you barely jump on him from behind, hands going to the crook of his neck, and your fingers start doing their thing.

he nearly throws the controller towards the wall, erupting into fits of giggles and laughter.

and without a second thought, mikey grabs you, switching to hover above you.

now it's his turn to tickle you.

so you're the new one dying of laughter.

"really, dudette? you thought you could outsmart me?!"

he loves seeing your smile while wiggling under his hold on you.

"mikEY! MICHAEL!"

hearing the use of the name "michael", he starts to tickle you even more.

"say the words!"

"n-! no-HOH!"

"sayy it!"

"I lov-! love you!"

"you love me? as a friend?"

he stopped tickling you instantly. and you sit up straight away.

you are as red as raph's own mask.

"uhm-"

"I love you too."

he's wiggling his "brows" at you, and you groan in annoyance.

you really did love this idiot.

[gffa]

I still have about a dozen more messages to get to, but a) I’m about to fall asleep here and b) I’ve spammed your dashes already so much I’M SORRY at least they’re tagged for blacklisting!! and c) listen it’s been like five hours since I talked about Animal Crossing, that’s long enough to go without!! @cryptid-coalition said: I definitely want to start doing more cool mods like this. is Pinterest a good place to start looking for inspo? I spend a lot of time looking at Animal Crossing inspo stuff and Pinterest is actually pretty good and most of the time (at least as far as I’ve experienced) they’re pretty good at linking back to the source.  But I also spend a lot of time watching YouTube speedbuilds (I skip to the end because I’m just interested in the tour part) and island tours, as well as the AC subreddit has some amazing stuff in it, and I hit up Instagram every so often. It helps to figure out what style you want--fairycore? cottagecore? forestcore? a more urban style island? etc.--but sometimes it’s hard to figure that out and you just need a place to start! So, I like YouTube tours and some of my favorite channels are: - Kyuubi Crossing (check out this one of a Scottish countryside, it’s GORGEOUS) - Lex Play (a mix of speedbuilds, inspiration ideas, and tours) - Reem Crossing (mostly speed builds, but this island’s style is SO MUCH MY JAM, I love the vintage look!) - consolecaito (another mix of tips, tours, speedbuilds, etc.) - Heath Horizons (a bit of a mix, but mostly island tours lately) - Katie on Calla Cove (a mix but LOTS of tours there) If you’re looking for a style, try some various ones out and see if one just smacks you in the face for what you want to do!  I like tours because Pinterest and Instagram and Reddit can make a close cropped photo look amazing, but that doesn’t tell you what it feels like to walk around in it, and I wanted something that was more about flow and overall theme. HOWEVER, if you want more detail oriented inspo, I like some of these places: INSTAGRAM: - #acnhidea will lead you to some of the best posters around TUMBLR: - qr-closet has some amazing stuff and is one of my go-to blogs for new ideas - miss_acnh has some lovely designs (also on insta) - acnhkiosk has more excellent custom designs - omg-acnh has still more yet - vera-crossing does lovely work with her designs (mostly interior stuff but she has some stellar outdoor decorating, too!) You can also do searches for stuff like: - animal crossing interior - animal crossing design and get a lot of inspiration just from checking out what’s available. REDDIT: - The ACNH subreddit can be a lot to scroll through, but it can be fun to check out what’s there and get inspired from some of them! But, honestly, a big one is just Googling for what you’re looking for, like I’m considering building a lavender farm on my island, so I’ll Google “animal crossing lavender farm”, click the images tag, and start browsing.  Same for Pinterest, just type in what you’re looking for and start scrolling! There’s a lot out there and I suggest starting a folder on your computer to save any images that you want to remember later (most people are pretty good at putting their usernames on their caps, so you can find them again later) and skimming through YouTube tours until you settle on what really sparks joy with you and then just experiment, experiment, experiment.  Don’t be afraid to mess up, I have taken down stuff that took me hours to build and my sense of what I want has only grown stronger for it! And also REBLOG ANY CUTE STUFF YOU SEE OR AT LEAST SEND ME A MESSAGE ABOUT IT BECAUSE I AM SO INTO THIS STUFF!!!

[seriouslysam8]

For the ask game, would you please answer questions numbered 2, 8, 14 (all of your titles have such cool names), 18 (I hope Abditory isn't one of them as that story rocks), 21, 24, 29, 30, 33, 34, 44, 51, 62, 76, 82, 85, 88, 90, and 98.

Sorry for asking so many, but I love your work! Entombed gave me so many feels! I found your stories because author Breanie said to read them in her author's notes. Best rec ever! Thank you for answering.

Wow, that is a lot of asks! Thank you so much for wanting to know so much about little ole me. I think I hit them all in this and my apologies if I missed one. Let me know if I missed one. @breaniebree is awesome and my writing BFF. She is amazing, and I love her.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

So, I’ve written for The X-Files, Supernatural, and Harry Potter. I currently only write for Harry Potter. I would say Harry Potter has always been the most fun.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Random shit. Brontide came to me because I was browsing the HPFanfiction subreddit looking for a story suggestion and someone asked for a story where Harry was addicted to Felix. Only one unfinished dimensional time travel story was listed. It idea sparked me to write my own version. Entombed came to me because I was rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Buffy was buried alive. I knew I wanted to bury Ginny alive. As I stated in the author’s notes of last Kalopsia chapter, I drew inspiration from the Djinn storyline in Supernatural. I write about things I know, too. I have young kids at home so I like writing the Potter children as young because I can mimic their mannerisms in my writing. I’ve even asked my kids to say certain words to emulate their speech pattern in my writing if I’m writing that age group.

14) How did you come up with the title for the XXX? You can ask about multiple stories.

I HATE coming up with titles. My newest trend has been to literally Google “unique words”. There are a ton of Pinterest accounts who make fancy word and definition pictures. I scroll through all these little unique words and pick out ones I think fit a story. Sometimes I Google a unique word for BLANK and see if I can get a cool version of that name. @breaniebree actually helped me with Entombed.

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Sadly, I would put Abditory in this category. Never say never though. I think about it from time to time. Honestly, I abandoned it due to such a negative response I was receiving and the lack of positive response. I became discouraged. It wasn’t even negative response due to my writing, it was literally a bunch of “why would you waste your time writing a story about the biggest plot hole in the books? JKR butchered the whole SK storyline and it’s unbearable to read.” So, basically, my reviews and PMs were filled with JKR hate over that plot point in the books. They heavily outweighed the positive reviews I received. Honestly, I think that’s why a bulk of stories get abandoned - lack of positive reviews or enthusiasm for a story. If I didn’t get so many great reviews for my stories, I don’t know if I’d be able to finish them or continuing writing new ones. Fanfiction is free, (as it should be) but it’s a lot of time and hard work. A little appreciation goes a LONG way. So, my advice, review everything you love reading and encourage writers to keep writing. I always say in my authors notes that reviews make me want to write and inspire me. That’s the truth. The moment I stop getting reviews will probably be the time I take a writing break again.

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

@breaniebree. I mean she’s dedicated years to a single story with so many plot lines and characters that I’m amazed she did it. She’s a fantastic writer, and I definitely consider her my writing BFF. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from her and enjoy talking about writing with her so much. I’m so glad we’ve become friends.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

Horrified. Anytime I get a little steamy in my stories, it goes immediately to @breaniebree who usually adds way too much smut and then I cut it down to still be somewhat PG-13 in order to appeal to a wider audience.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I feel like Kalopsia isn’t getting as much love as my other stories. I’m way behind in my normal review count per chapter. I wonder if it’s just the confusing storyline or if it’s just not as fun to read? But I was definitely worried it wouldn’t get the love I thought it deserved when I started writing it and it’s lived up to that expectation.

30) In contrast to 29, is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Cronus Rising. People still recommend it occasionally and I still get random reviews. I’m like, “why????” Its horribly written and a stupid plot line. I literally was getting back into writing after not writing for a good five years, so it’s abysmal. I’ve often wanted to rage delete it.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

When someone tells me I should write an original novel and they’d buy the hell out of it. I do have some original novel ideas floating around (one I’ve been writing since I was like 15), but crippling fear of rejection from publishers have stopped me from ever actually finish an original novel.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I got some criticism in Brontide for having drama for drama’s sake with no real purpose or goal for said drama. I felt my drama served a purpose, drove the story along, and I add a lot of fluffy and cute family moments. I feel like in real life, when you to your loved one is going through sometime, it feels like nonstop drama and bad news and like a dark cloud just follows you. I wanted to emulate that in real life. So Harry’s POV was often drab because HE was the one going through something horrific and it was all doom and gloom for him.

44) What is the last line you wrote?

“You never think I listen to your ramblings, but it’s kind of hard to block out, mate.”

51) From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Um... I’d say a 3. I think I have some good and unique plots for stories but sometimes I struggle on how to execute those on paper effectively. I struggle with descriptions, action, and showing rather than telling. But I do think I’m good at dialogue and capturing a character’s personality. So, 3.

62) Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

A lot! I have a Teddy/Victoire stalker story in the works that I’m excited about. I have (this is going to sound weird) but an outsider rom-com planned where Ron/Hermione breakup right before Hinny’s wedding and Hinny struggles to get them back together before the big day. I have a Potter family vacation fluff/comedy story planned. I have a game night one-shot planned. I have a short story about Luna’s wedding. So many that I want to write and don’t know which one to write first!!

76) Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

I’d say no. I’ve always tried to write my ideas down. Some I’ve never finished because inspiration peters off and some I plan on finishing once my newest big project is done.

82) Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

Harry goes through some shit, and Ginny is his soulmate.

85) Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I don’t understand why people don’t ship Harry/Ginny more. I don’t understand the Harry/Daphne obsessions (like just why???) or the Harry/Hermione ship at all. I always see people asking for story recommendation and they specific say “no Harry/Ginny”. They are literally perfect for one another and they are soulmates.

88) If you could ask one other fanfic author three questions about their writing, writing process, or works, what would they be and who would you ask?

@breaniebree .

1.) How do you organize all your charts? Send me the ALL the charts. Because I don’t understand how you keep everything straight!

2.) How do you write so much? You’re like a little writing machine in a cute little package.

3.) Where do all the ideas come from? In a dream? Just thinking? Driving? Do you write everything out in your head like meeee? Can I have some of your writing mojo?

90) How do you process and deal with negative reviews?

I obsess over them. I analyze them. I may get bummed out and not write for a few days. If you don’t like what I write, then don’t read or review. It’s a hobby. I do this for free. I’m not asking you to critique me. Give me a nice review or ask me a question, but don’t be cruel or mean because you can hide behind a keyboard and be a bully to make yourself feel superior.

98) If you had to give up either snacks and drinks during writing sessions, or music, which would you find more difficult to say goodbye to and why?

Music. I grew up with three older brothers. My house was always rowdy and loud and obnoxious. I need it to be loud. I can’t stand the silence or focus when it’s silent. I need music to help me think and write. When I’m home alone, I always turn on the TV or music, because I can’t stand when it’s silent. I think I’d go insane.

[unsaidholland]

vintage, but feels brand new

reposted this bc the tags weren’t working!

i am finally getting this out omg! this is inspired by the bridge in come back home by arkells (great song, one of my favourites!)

warnings: the use of no-no words

being married to your best friend was one of the greatest things that you’ve ever experienced. after only being married for two and a half years, you had a little girl named bryana astrid holland. she had your complexion, eyes, and nose, but harry’s hair and lips. she was the most adorable curly, copper headed baby to ever grace your life, harry of course was a close second. now, at three years old she was one of the biggest blessings in yours and harry’s life.

the honeymoon phase never really ended completely for the two of you, but it was slowly dying out. the buzz of being newlyweds had ended, but the love you had for each other never ended. how could it? he was everything you could’ve ever dreamt of in a husband. he also was amazing with your daughter, which you loved about him. the soft harry that came out around bry was one of your favourites, sarcastic harry was a close second. you often found the two of them cuddled up on the couch together when it was nap time, and when you guys went out, her favourite place was on top of harry’s shoulders. he would do anything for his girls, and that’s one of the things you discovered about him after you guys got married. you always knew he was selfless and extremely dedicated to everything, but it took a different form when it came to your family.

as you were in the kitchen preparing dinner for the three of you, the tv was playing a show that bry loved. the sound of her giggles and her singing along with the songs filled the room. a smile appeared on your face as you continued to saute the vegetables.

harry said he would be home in time for dinner, but he had been filming his newest short film and you had a bit of a hunch that he wouldn’t be home for dinner. recently there weren’t family dinners. just you, bry, and an empty spot where harry should have been. it hurt, but you knew he was working hard. the perfectionist in him always made filming meticulous, but it was his passion. everyone understood that whenever harry was working, nothing was ever short of perfect. however, it was starting to take a toll on you.

you missed going to bed with him, not him crawling into bed when you’re already half asleep. you missed having dinner with him, not watching him have dinner when you were winding down for the night. you missed him being around to play with bry, not her asking when he was going to come home. you just missed him being there.

as you were about to finish cooking, your phone went off.

hi love, sorry i can’t make it for dinner. we’re redoing a few shots, they didn’t turn out the way they should have the first few times around. i’ll try not to be home late, i love you!

you were excited that he was supposed to be home for dinner, but a part of you knew that this text was going to come sometime later in the night. you texted back a simple, okay h, we’ll see you when you get home :) don’t overwork yourself, i love you. you wanted him to be home, but you couldn’t change his work, so you decided to push the sadness aside and enjoy the time you were going to spend with your daughter.

“bry! time for dinner bubba,” you called out into the living room. you put the food out on the table after setting it for the two of you. the sounds of her small, chubby feet hitting the hardwood floors was enough to make you feel better in an instant, but you knew that it would only be a temporary fix.

“where’s daddy? he workin’?” bry asked as she entered the room. your face softened at the slight disappointment on her face.

“it’s just you and me for dinner tonight bubba, i’m sorry.” bry’s face fell. she missed harry, you knew that, but there wasn’t anything you could do to make him come home instantly. “come on, let’s eat, yeah?” she nodded in agreement, climbing into her chair. you felt terrible for her being so let down that harry wasn’t at dinner, but you tried your best to make it up to her. “how about this, let’s eat dinner in the living room and watch a movie. what do you wanna watch?” her face lit up at the sudden change in dinner plans. for the past few days, dinners have been spent at the table with just the two of you, but the introduction of a movie and the subtraction of the kitchen somehow made it more exciting for the curly haired girl.

“mmmm, i wanna watch toothless!” the disappointment left her voice as she thought of the night fury.

“okay bubba! let’s get our food first, and then we can put on the movie, okay?” she carefully grabbed her plate from the table, and waddled over to the living room, putting her plate down on the coffee table and sitting down on the rug that lay below it. you followed in her steps, putting how to train your dragon on the tv, and sitting down beside her. “can i have a hug baby?” she gave you a hug, and you said a quiet “i love you” to her, one she didn’t hear over her own excitement.

as the movie finished, bry was already asleep, so you carried her to her room, laying her down in her bed. you placed a soft kiss on her forehead after tucking her in, closing the door behind you as you left the room. you went back to the living room to clean up the dishes the two of you left behind, and to pack up the leftover food that was sitting on the dining table.

the time your phone screen read 9:23 pm,  dinner was about three hours ago and harry still wasn’t home. you decided to begin unwinding for the night, heading to your bathroom to begin your skincare routine, then heading to your bedroom to put on a pair of shorts and one of harry’s t-shirts. a part of you wanted to lay in bed and put on a show before going to bed, but another part of you wanted to wait in the living room for harry to come home. deciding on the latter, you walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water, then heading into the living room. you decided to watch the good place while waiting for your husband to get home from work. even though the show was on, your mind couldn’t help but focus on where he was.

•••

harry walked into the house quietly. it was 11:13 pm, but he didn’t intentionally come home that late. they just needed to get the perfect shot. he swore it was only going to take another hour or so, not five. he saw you sleeping on the couch, the glow of the tv being the main source of light filling the room. he walked over to you, squatted down, and placed a kiss on your forehead, causing you to stir. he waited for you to go back to sleep, but that never came. you opened your eyes  and groggily you said, “harry?”

“i’m here now love, i’m sorry i’m late,” harry’s apologetic tone was obvious, but it didn’t make up for the fact that his daughter was extremely let down that he didn’t go through with dinner plans that you both had made. you were upset, truthfully you were beyond upset, but you knew you were only upset because you missed him. you sat up, letting him sit on the couch beside you. you were turned so you were facing him. his jacket still on, but unzipped, hat abandoned somewhere.

“did you get the shot you wanted?” your five years of marriage plus the three and a half years of dating prior to getting married made you able to read him like a book. he wanted to tell you about work today and pretend everything was okay, but you weren’t okay. harry, too blinded by his own excitement, proceeded to tell you about the shot and how perfect it had turned out. he went on about how nathan his cameraman kept messing up and going too fast at times and too slow at others. he talked about how the actors’ chemistry was too much at times, which wouldn’t make sense when you watched it back given the storyline. he talked about everything that happened that day. you watched as his eyes lit up, and how his body language immediately changed.

he realized near the end of his story that something was wrong. you weren’t as excited as you usually were. “darling, what’s on your mind?” he asked. he searched your eyes for an answer, but they were filled with an odd mix of pride, anger, and disappointment.

“you weren’t at dinner tonight.” the single statement was enough for him to start piecing everything together, but before he could open his mouth to let an apology roll out, you continued. “bry was really disappointed you know. she really misses having you around. i know that this is your job and your passion, but h we’re your family. we need to spend time with you too.” you looked down at your hands and started fiddling with the wedding ring that sat on your ring finger. “i really, really miss you h.”

“is that what this is about? that i wasn’t at dinner?” he asks. when you look up at him, all you see is his face twisted in confusion. “don’t you want me to work?” you scoff. he’s clearly not getting it, you think. as your eyes roll in annoyance, harry begins to see red. “what now, i don’t fucking get it.”

“yeah, clearly.” the sarcastic remark burned on your tongue as you spit it out. having enough of this, you get up and walk to your shared room but not before saying, “your dinners on the island, just reheat it.”

soon enough you found yourself alone in the king-sized bed. the white duvet was pulled up over your legs, the end of it sitting above your waistline. your laptop sat on top of your thighs as you aimlessly scrolled through pinterest. your mind wasn’t focused on the aesthetically pleasing photos, but rather on how harry couldn’t understand that his family missed and needed him. as what felt like hours passed, harry finally entered your room. he closed the door behind him and went straight to his closet to grab a pair of sweatpants for him to sleep in. as he was getting undressed, the silence filled the room, being louder than it should have been.  

harry sat on his side of the bed, pulling the covers up and over his legs, then beginning to read a book that was left on his nightstand. his brown eyes gazed over the pages. like you, his mind wasn’t focused on the words that were on the page, but rather the ones that left your lips. how could she say something like that? she knows my work is important to me, he thought.

“how could i say something like that? harry, you haven’t even been home for dinner for the past week! you haven’t been here to put our child to bed, who by the way, always asks me when you’re gonna spend time with her. i know your work is important to me, and i’m not saying it shouldn’t matter, but i’m saying you need to learn how to give yourself to us and work at the same time.” you said, shutting the laptop. his thoughts weren’t supposed to leave his head, but now they were out in the open. you both were grateful that he had broken the silence, even if he didn’t realize that he had.

“are you kidding me? who the fuck do you think is putting the food on the table? you’re still on maternity leave and we know damn well that money covers all the bills so don’t even try to act like you’re doing more than me.” you were looking at him, and he was turned so he was facing you. “whenever i’m around i give all my time to you and to bry, so why are you even complaining?” he let out a scoff, one that infuriated you more than you already were. you turned so you were facing him, but moved back towards the foot of the bed so you weren’t right next to him.

“i honestly can’t believe that when i say your fucking daughter misses you all you retaliate with is how much money you make.” you got up, grabbing your phone and a book. “i’m sleeping in the guest room because you’re acting like a child right now.” harry stood up and met you as you walked around the bed towards the door.

“don’t just leave when we’re actually talking about this, what the fuck!” he exclaimed. his volume was rising unintentionally, but he was still sure to try and not wake bryana who was sleeping in her room down the hall. you tossed your stuff gently onto the bed.

“fine, you want to talk? let’s talk then. you leave every day at 8:30 am, bry wakes up at 7. you spend about an hour and a half with her, then leave and don’t even come back until it’s around eleven pm. this happens every fucking day harry. i bring her to school every morning and all she asks me is, ‘is daddy gonna be home for dinner today?’ and all i can say to her is i hope so. don’t act like we don’t appreciate what you’re doing for us.” you’re looking at him in the eyes now and all you can see is anger. harry is filled with rage, but what you don’t see is that he is determined to win this argument.

you continued anyways, “do you enjoy having dinner alone when your wife and kid are upstairs sleeping? ‘cause we sure as hell don’t like having dinner with your seat empty. and i-” harry was quick to cut you off.

“literally just shut the fuck up for thirty seconds and let me speak.” you were shocked. not once has a fight between the two of you escalated this far or gotten this heated. “i fucking work hard for our family and however many kids we’re going to have, okay? i’m sorry i’m not always around when i’m working, but you knew when you married me that i give my all to whatever project i’m working on.” he stopped to rub his face with his hand. tears were welling up in your y/e/c eyes, but that didn’t stop either of you from continuing. “i love you and i love our family, but i have a job and a career that makes me have long workdays at times and not have worked at all other days. you just have to accept that.”

harry’s tone softened when he saw you fighting back tears, though he wasn’t going to give in. but then you choked back a sob, and he immediately let his defence fall. he pulled you into his bare chest, wrapping his arms around you. as much as you wanted to refuse his touch, you couldn’t. the bedroom was only lit by the lamps that sat on each nightstand and the moonlight, and as the two of you stood there you wondered how you were so lucky to be with harry. yes, you were still technically in the middle of a fight, but somehow you both felt as if there was some common understanding that was reached as soon as the tears fell.

“you know i never meant to attack you like that?” you asked. “i just want you to spend more time with us when you can,” you said, feeling guilty about all the words you said to him. they weren’t particularly nasty perse, they just came out too hostile. “i’m really sorry baby.” you looked up into his brown eyes to see him staring back at you. the anger that once clouded them was replaced with soft love, that’s all he felt when he saw you.

“i’m sorry too bub. i swear i’ll be home for dinner tomorrow night. don’t tell bry, i wanna surprise her.” after planting a soft kiss to the top of your y/h/c hair, his hands went up under your shirt to rest on your waist, wanting to be closer to you. nothing was fully resolved just yet, but at least the two of you could go to bed that night without being angry with each other.

the next morning, you had woken up to an empty bed. the sun had already risen, and as you looked at the clock that sat on the wall opposite to your bed, you saw that it was past seven am. you had woken up late. you immediately checked your phone, already freaking out about your alarm not going off. you didn’t have time to prepare lunches and breakfast for everyone if you wanted to have a morning shower, nor did you have the time for yourself that you reserved every morning when you did your morning skincare just a little bit slower than you should have.

as you were about to get out of bed, the door opened to reveal harry and bryana. harry was holding a wooden tray, breakfast sat on top of it with either a cup of tea for both you and harry.

“what’s this?” you ask, confused as to what you did to deserve this. it was a normal saturday, there wasn’t any special occasions coming up, and it wasn’t like you and harry were yelling at each other less than twelve hours prior.

“it’s breakfast in bed mumma! we’re having breakfast in your bed!” you knew the confusion was painted onto your face, but as you looked at your husband a soft smile appeared on your face.

“well come on then! get over here you two,” you said as your arms opened up for bry to come cuddle you. she ran and hopped up onto the bed, harry following behind her, careful not to spill anything. he placed the tray down in the middle of the bed, it had three plates on it, all of them had scrambled eggs, a piece of buttered toast cut on the diagonal, and some strawberries and blueberries on the side. he sat down beside you and leaned in to give you a kiss. you met him halfway despite your morning breath. “before we eat, i’m gonna go brush my teeth okay?” you asked bry, and she nodded in agreement, already munching down on her toast.

you came back from the bathroom to see bry starting to eat some scrambled eggs, half of her toast was gone. harry was putting his tea down on a coaster that sat on the wooden nightstand on his side of the bed. you sat down in between him and bry, on your side of the bed, and took a sip of the tea that he made you. bry had a cup of orange juice that sat on the tray that she reached for.

once bryana was done with her breakfast, she ran off to her room to play with her toys and to get dressed for the day leaving you and harry alone. you and harry had taken photos of the breakfast arrangement prior to her leaving, but you still wished she had stayed. there wasn’t much left for the three year old to do but go and play.

“thank you for this.” a smile appeared on both of your faces, ones that harry wanted to savour and remember forever, so he took his phone out and took a selfie of the both of you.

“anything for you, my love.” he didn’t need to say more for you both to know that this was an apology breakfast, a breakfast that told you he was going to try and divide himself up more whenever he was working on a project.

the almost half an hour that the two of you spent together before getting ready to fully start the day made the butterflies stronger. the love that you had for each other only seemed to grow if that was even possible. though the marriage was a little bit vintage, it still felt brand new.

[sartorialadventure]

How to search for image attributions on Google

I realized when I was teaching college that a lot of my students didn’t know how to search by images. I think the knowledge is more widespread on Tumblr, but here’s a little tutorial!First, go to google.com and click on “images” in the top right corner:

(You can also go straight to google.com/images)You’ll get a search bar that looks like this, with a little camera on the right side:

You can paste the image URL, upload an image from your computer, or drag-and-drop an image from your files or from another browser tab.Then you’ll end up with a screen like this:

Here, it’s taken an artistic photo of a girl in rose garden, and Google has decided this is a photo of garden roses. Which is correct, but not helpful.From here, you have a couple of choices.Method 1: Find other sizes of the image

This is right at the top. Click on “all sizes”, and it will bring up other instances of the same image. This is also great if you have a small or poor quality image and you want a better one.

There are some clues here. A couple of these images are captioned “Photographers in Ukraine,” and I see a Ukrainian-looking name and some Cyrillic text. So it’s probably by a Ukrainian photographer.You can click through the likely-looking options: Here, I would try #4, which appears to give the photographer’s name.It takes me to a Pinterest page which, miracle of miracles, actually gives the photographer’s name! (Be careful, though: info on Pinterest is often either missing or incorrect)

Clicking through brings me to a more complete version of the photo (my original version was cropped and I didn’t know it) and gives me the name of the photographer, in Cyrillic, but nothing else. We could stop here.Method 2: Pages that include matching imagesIf you scroll down on that original Google results page, you’ll reach the section of “pages that include matching images”. 

Here again we have “photographers in Ukraine” and Cyrillic text. The “Photographers in Ukraine” option seems less likely, in that it’s probably a collection of photos that will give me minimal information, so I tried the final link. If the photographer is Ukrainian, the source page is likely to be in Ukrainian or Russian, and the third link here seems to give a title to the photos: “Floral”. I click on it.

Delightfully, this page (in Russian) gives me not only the name of the photographer, models, stylist, and designers, but also gives me the entire series of photos from this shoot! Jackpot!

Method 3: Visually similar images

This section is on the results page, between “find other sizes of the image” and “pages that include matching images”. It’s a bit more of a crapshoot.

This method is most useful if the image you’re using has been greatly altered or cropped. You can click through to see if they have any images that seem to be either the original version of your own, or from the same series of photos. In this case, the results show me lots of pink roses, but no versions of the photo I’m searching for. In all these methods, you need to use a good bit of intuition and experience to quickly find what you’re looking for. Sometimes all you get is a bunch of Pinterest pages with no useful information. Sometimes several of the Pinterest pages have the same caption, and Googling some part of that caption can yield the origin of the photo. Sometimes you see somebody’s name show up a couple of times, and it turns out that’s the photographer or the designer. The process can be long and boring, and sometimes you just can’t find the source, and you and everybody else will have to live with that. But sometimes, as in the above case, you hit the jackpot and get everything you wanted and more!

sorry about the formatting. Tumblr's html editor is a fucking mess.

[strangedreamings]

Gabe & Kitty - Kitty cleans up very nicely. Gabe is gobsmacked.

She Cleans Up Well (AO3)

“We must have you over for dinner sometime,” Leland Arnold said as he rose from the chair in front of Gabe’s desk. “Mary adores you and I could always use another man at the table to even things out. With four sisters-in-law, things tend to be lopsided.”

Gabe reached for his cane then stood, unable to keep from smiling at the idea of the refined earl surrounded by Bennet women. From the things Leland had said in the past, Gabe surmised that with the exception of Mary herself, the women of her family were more interested in gossip and the latest fashions than anything substantial.

Still, anything’s better than frozen food in front of the TV. “Alright, I’ll be your buffer for one dinner.”

Leland grinned delightedly. “Splendid. I’ll have Mary text you the details.”

***

Kitty listened dutifully as her mother droned on and on. Being the only unmarried Bennet girl, she was used to her mother lecturing her on the best ways to find and keep a man. At least if it’s on the phone, I can do other things while I listen, she thought as she scrolled through Pinterest on her laptop.

Finally, Mrs. Bennet said something interesting. “Mary said Leland’s friend will be at dinner on Sunday.”

“I didn’t realize Leland had friends besides Mary,” she said, half-joking. Her brother-in-law’s reclusive tendencies were legendary.

“Neither did I,” her mother said, completely serious. “But this one is apparently an architect and Mary says he’s charming and attractive, despite his unfortunate accident.”

“What unfortunate accident?”

“Mary says he was hit by a drunk driver several years ago. The doctors saved his leg but he’ll always have a limp and he walks with a cane. Such a shame.”

Kitty rolled her eyes at her mother’s dismissal. “I’m sure he’s just as attractive with the limp and cane as he was without them.”

“I suppose.” She audibly perked up. “He’s currently single and Mary promised me she’ll sit him across from you at the table.”

Kitty groaned inwardly. “Mum, I don’t need a boyfriend.”

“How can you expect to write romance accurately if you’re not experiencing it?”

She smirked. “I use my imagination, like any writer.”

“Still, you need a man in your life. I want grandbabies.”

Kitty raised an eyebrow. “You have eight, almost nine.”

“I want more.”

She sighed heavily. “Yes, Mum. If this friend of Leland’s is at all my type-”

“He’s single, what more do you need?”

“Plenty since I’m not Lydia. As I was saying, if he’s at all my type, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing if something develops.”

“Good. Now, remember to wear something nice.”

She rolled her eyes. “Mum, it’s dinner with the family. I’m not dressing up just for a man I’ll only just meet.”

“No wonder you’re not married,” Mrs. Bennet muttered.

***

Gabe had to hold back a smile as he watched Leland, a man he considered a good friend, deal with his mother-in-law’s increasingly embarrassing questions about his and Mary’s private life. Mary, pregnant with their second child, thankfully ended the line of inquiry when she saw the discomfort on her husband’s face. She then redirected her mother’s attention, unfortunately, to Gabe.

“Mum, this is Gabe Bromley. Gabe, this is my mother, Alicia Bennet.”

Mrs. Bennet beamed as she held out her hand. “My, aren’t you handsome? You’re perfect for my daughter Kitty. She’s the only one of my girls who’s still single.”

Unseen by Mrs. Bennet, Mary rolled her eyes at her mother’s obviousness and Gabe wished he could do the same. Still, he felt the need to live up to his charming reputation. He took Mrs. Bennet’s hand and gallantly kissed it. “If Kitty is anything like you, Mrs. Bennet, then the men of London don’t know what they’re missing.”

The silly woman actually blushed. “Oh, you are a charmer! Yes, men are so oblivious these days. Kitty was a lot like me, but she changed when she went off to uni.”

“And got away from Lydia’s influence,” Mary muttered.

Ah, Lydia. The black sheep of the Bennet family. Leland’s told me more than once how Lydia got herself into one jam after another. Now she’s on her third husband. “Will she be joining us?”

“No, she’s still in York, but we expect her for Jane’s birthday next month.”

Counting his blessings, he was about to comment on the weather (always a safe topic) when a new person walked into the room carrying a bottle of wine. This must be Kitty. She wasn’t what he would call “sexy,” but “cute” definitely qualified. Her eyes were big and brown and were made even bigger when she saw him. She was dressed casually, just jeans and an oversized shirt, no make-up on her face, her short brown hair windblown.

Mary approached her, smiling. “You made it.”

Kitty shook her head a bit then smiled at her sister. “Yes, traffic was something I won’t say in mixed company.” Mrs. Bennet rolled her eyes at that and turned to talk to Jane. Meanwhile, Kitty handed Mary the wine then turned to Gabe and grinned, revealing a dimple in her left cheek which made her even more adorable in his eyes. “This must be Leland’s friend.”

Mary grinned. “Yes, this is Gabe Bromley. Gabe, this is my sister Kitty Bennet.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kitty said as she held out a hand to him, still grinning. “I’ve heard a lot about you, mostly from my mother.”

Gabe chuckled as he shook her hand. “I’m sure. Nice to meet you as well, Kitty. Leland and Mary have told me a few things about you.” He tried to remember anything they had said, he’d usually tuned them out by the time they talked about Jane then Lizzie. “How’s your book coming?” Like Leland, she was a writer, that he remembered.

“I just finished it this afternoon,” she said with obvious pride as she followed Mary to the kitchen and he followed her.

“Congratulations!” Mary said happily. “This is number five?”

“Yes,” Kitty said, smiling a bit. “Number six is already forming in my head.”

“You don’t take a break between books?” Gabe asked.

She smirked. “Since I like being paid, no, I don’t. But they’re short books, so it’s not as bad as it sounds.” She accepted a glass of wine from her sister and had just taken a sip when her mother called her name from the sitting room. Kitty rolled her eyes before smiling at Gabe. “Excuse me, filial duty calls.”

As soon as she was out of the kitchen, Mary offered Gabe a glass of wine and a knowing smile.

Gabe rolled his eyes then accepted the wine. “Don’t start. I’ll admit she’s cute but she’s not my type.”

“You don’t have a type,” Mary said genially as she checked on dinner. “I’ve known you what, two years? And in that time, I’ve seen you date every type of woman under the sun, so why not Kitty?”

He shrugged. “There’s no spark. I suppose I need someone with a little more polish.”

“Uh huh.”

Just as Leland had said, Gabe found himself seated across from Kitty during dinner. She good-naturedly accepted teasing from her sisters and brothers-in-law and didn’t hesitate to tease them right back. When Gabe found himself the target of such teasing from Leland and Mary, Kitty’s grin and dancing eyes had him wondering when he’d receive such affectionate teasing from her.

No, she’s not your type, he reminded himself. Yes, she’s cute, adorable, even, but there’s no attraction in “cute.” “Cute” is a friend, not a girlfriend.

***

Kitty stayed after everyone else went home and helped with the clean-up. Mary, proving herself to be her mother’s daughter after all, immediately went into matchmaker mode.

“What did you think of Gabe?” she asked innocently as she dried the pots and pans while Kitty washed.

Kitty rolled her eyes. “Mary, I love you, but you couldn’t be more obvious if you tried. But since you’re my sister and you’re pregnant, I’ll indulge you. Hottest man I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something, but I don’t think he’s interested in me.”

“Yet,” Mary said knowingly. “He just has to get to know you.”

“Right,” she muttered as she attacked another pot. “Meeting guys was so much easier when all I cared about was what was on the surface.”

“Easier, maybe, but not better. Gabe’s a better class of guy than-”

“Than the ones Lydia keeps finding?”

Mary smirked. “That’s not hard but yes. Just give him a chance, he’ll come around.”

Kitty thought about Gabe’s handsome face and infectious smile and couldn’t help smiling herself. “I hope so.”

***

Two weeks later, Gabe walked into one of the bars at The Savoy Hotel and stopped dead. There at the bar was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen, even if all he could see was her profile. A black cocktail dress hugged her slim figure perfectly, ending at her knees and revealing her shapely legs. Her short brown hair was styled in an artful disarray and while he admittedly didn’t know much about make-up, it was plain to see that hers was expertly done.

Wanting more than anything to see her full face, maybe even talk to her, he moved closer but stopped dead when she turned his way. Kitty Bennet’s eyes lit up in recognition when she saw him and he took her resulting smile as an invitation.

“Fancy meeting you here, Gabe,” she said, smiling a bit, when he was close enough.

“You too,” he said, unable to stop staring at her. It felt like his jaw had been hanging open since he had laid eyes on her. “You look … good. I mean nice. No, not nice, you look-”

“‘Well?’” she suggested, her eyes dancing and her dimple showing. “I know you’re not a writer, Gabe, but surely you have a bigger vocabulary than that.”

“Breathtaking,” he blurted out, much to his immediate embarrassment.

Kitty blinked in surprise then preened a bit. “What, this old thing?” Then she grinned happily. “But seriously, thank you. I had to put in the effort since I came for a dinner my publisher hosted for all their best-sellers. Now that it’s over, I wanted another cocktail before I hailed a cab.”

“Would you like some company to go with that cocktail?” Gabe asked then mentally kicked himself for sounding too eager.

“Only if the company is you,” she said, grinning, and winked at him.

Gabe just couldn’t believe his luck. The most attractive woman I’ve ever met is someone I already know. His conscience reminded him of what he thought of her at the dinner party but he shoved the memory aside. That was then, this is now.

Once their drinks were ready, he led the way to an empty table in the back while she carried their drinks. When they were both seated, Kitty took a sip of her cosmopolitan then smiled at him. “So, what brings you here?”

He took a sip of his whiskey. “A meeting with an out-of-town client but enough about work. I must be blind since I didn’t realize how utterly stunning you are at dinner the other night.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Like I said, the difference is in the effort. Dinner with my family simply doesn’t require the same amount of effort as something for work.” She smiled a bit. “What did you think of me before?”

“Cute,” Gabe admitted reluctantly. “Adorable when you smile.” She grinned at that and he continued. “I know your mother was trying to set us up with Mary’s help and while I resisted before,” he grinned, “I certainly don’t mind it now.”

Kitty smirked. “I hope your interest is based on more than how I look in a little black dress.”

Gabe chuckled. “You clean up very well, but really, I want to know more about Kitty the writer, Kitty the sister, Kitty the cool aunt.”

She smiled a bit. “What makes you think I’m the cool aunt? I could be the one who’s strict about sweets and bedtimes.”

He smiled back. “Just a hunch.”

“Uh huh. Well, how much time do you have?”

“For you? All night.”

[luxinyourlife]

This is not my own splash page idea, although I did draw this myself. I scrolled Pinterest for ideas and this falling daisy theme by IG my.life.in.a.bullet caught my eye. I decided to still post it to let you all know that IG my.life.in.a.bullet has a fantastic account featuring tons of great inspiration for your journals! Please check hers out ☀️

I just couldn’t mentally make myself come up with my own theme. I had some ideas, but in the end it was days until May and I still hadn’t mapped out my monthly pages. (Not normally my style.) I needed something easy to already be laid out for me. And sometimes you just need that. Nothing to be ashamed of!

I’ve been having a hard time since September. In January it started getting worse, and in late January I made the choice to return to therapy. I feel as though I’m making progress in therapy, but uncovering things from my past that are very painful takes its toll as well. I’m really trying to grow and change and most importantly heal and it is exhausting. (But I’m determined and fighting.)

About two weeks after losing my beloved chinchilla Jane Fonda, everything just hit me. Losing Jane, the pandemic, the anniversary of my dad’s passing, losing two family members within the last 2 months. This global pandemic is suffocating for everyone, and that feeling is hitting me full force. So I’ve been posting less. My inner Bullet Journal pages are really just for me right now. I’ve been using it daily, and drawing a lot, but it’s definitely a more personal space. I’m using it for me, for what I need, and not to show off (translation: making IG perfect pages.) So if you’re wondering if my lack of posting means less use of my BuJo, we’re still besties. We’re just working shit out together and getting real. It’s my buoy. Thank goddess I found this hobby... 💜

How are you and your Bullet Journal doing during this time? Are you finding less motivation to work with it daily, or at all? Or are you trying to keep that routine or even changing how you were interacting with your journal in order for it to serve you better right now?

IG luxinyourlife

[melodythefab]

Ok so I was scrolling across Pinterest and saw this

(Same pic twice so it doesn’t take up your whole screen because that’s annoying)

So I am someone who has some mild experience climbing (nothing crazy I just climb sometimes) and um I have things to say about this?

This doesn’t look safe at all. My primary concern is falling off and hitting another human who was swimming, because you won’t have the belay system to slow your fall and potentially allow you to hold back on to the wall. In most climbing gyms, there are restrictions of how close you can get to the walls, and I’ve even seen some of them have small rails or walls in between the walking area and the climbing walls. In this, you can clearly see that anyone could just swim underneath that man, and that would absolutely seriously injure anyone and everyone involved.

My second concern is that you could fall and hit the water at a bad angle, which could be potentially really bad. Water isn’t as soft and cushy as we like to think it is, guys. Also, I’m gonna lump this in here, but what if someone hit their head on either a hold or the wall itself and got knocked out? They would fall into the water and sure, this pool looks like it would have lifeguards, but what if they didn’t? What if they weren’t paying attention? That person would probably fucking drown.

And lastly, the rope and belay system isn’t just to keep you from falling. It helps support some of your weight if you, for whatever reason, can’t. For example, sometimes climbers can get really tired during the climb. When that happens, you’re supposed to allow the rope to hold some of your weight. That’s literally what it’s for. I’ve done it several times, my brother and sister-in-law (both pretty seasoned climbers at this point) have done it, a lot of people do. Granted, this wall doesn’t look bad, but it’s still a valid point to raise.

The belay system and rope are essential to route climbing. If not normal belays, trad climbing (traditional climbing, if I’m correct) is used. Do NOT attempt to route climb with proper safety equipment unless you are a seasoned profession specifically training for some sort of free soloing. You want the joys of climbing without all those ropes and harnesses and equipment?

BOULDER!!!

There’s literally already a variation of climbing made to do without and sort of equipment other than shoes. Bouldering typically consists of shorter routes on shorter walls above extremely thick padding (see the middle picture for an example of good padding). It is almost completely safe, and any injuries most people suffer (other than overuse injuries or injuries like pulled muscles from incorrect moves while on the route) are usually pretty minor because of the extensive padding underneath bouldering areas. Also, according to what I’ve been told, bouldering routes are typically more difficult that full route climbing because they’re shorter, so they’re great practice. On a somewhat side note, you are actually fully encouraged to jump off the wall once you’ve finished a boulder route. Most gyms will have easy ways to get down (on the first image, the bright teal holds towards the tops of the walls) if you are uncomfortable with jumping off, but lots of climbers jump or stylishly drop off of bouldering routes. So like, they’re almost totally safe.

The takeaway? Don’t do dumb things because some idiot on the internet said it was okay. Stay safe. Go do some bouldering.

[aeolian-mode]

public service announcement

Hey I recognize I did a bad job at making my preferences clear on my Tumblr blog as opposed to my Instagram or Twitter, so I’m not griping at you guys, but going forward please ask me permission before reposting my art or using my art as icons. I normally don’t mind, but with platforms like instagram and pinterest, it’s extremely difficult to link back to the source artist in a way that is visible (and easily clickable.) Most people are really lazy and enjoy consuming content without bothering to look up the person who MADE the content unless it’s like, presented directly in front of their face with flashing neon lights (aka clickable, underscored links, which pinterest and instagram hate for some abominable reason)  twitter and tumblr reblogs help artists a LOT, but instagram and pinterest reposts tend to do more harm than good. if you’d like to do more good than harm for us, keep reading. this is an issue for all artists, whether we’re trying to make a living off of our art or not. personally, i am a freelance artist and i take commissions and i sell my art on my etsy, so the more people who know I exist, the better off my career is- and every time my art is reposted without credit, it makes it harder for me to find clients. and even if you gave me credit (which i really appreciate!) 9 times out of 10 its either  A. unclickable B. hidden in the description where people have to hit <read more> and scroll C. “credit to artist” so please ask me permission! i’ll most likely say yes i just wanna be sure you are aware of how important it is to visibly credit artists- not just me. please do this for every artist who allows reposts, it’s so important and extremely helpful for us.

and if you run a repost account, great! there is a lot of viability in repost accounts helping artists find new audiences so long as you are respectful of an artist’s permissions, but it only works if you guys help us out and give back. if you run a repost account or are planning on reposting art, this is the best way to do it for us: 1. Tag the artist. On instagram, this involves tagging the artist on the photo slide itself, so it is easily clickable. 2. On Pinterest, when adding a pin, <add a destination link> and paste the exact permalink of the art. It would also help to make a comment on the pin linking to us as well. I see a lot of people sourcing things like a catch-all Tumblr tag or pseudo-galleries rather than the actual permalink source. Don’t do that. 2. Tag us / link us in the description on the first line so it doesn’t get hidden under readmore. This is applicable everywhere. 3. Extra credit: link to our patreon/kofi/etc. it will honestly, tremendously help us. 4. Never, ever crop out a signature. Sometimes Instagram will auto-format images if you forget to full-size them, or if you attempt to post drawings that don’t fit within Instagram’s allowed image sizes which might end up unintentionally cropping a signature. Catch it, delete it, contact the artist- don’t attempt to edit their art yourself to get it in an acceptable instagram resolution. 5. Check if an artist has an account at the place you’re reposting to. I’ve had people repost my Twitter art on Instagram without realizing I also had an Instagram account. I get that these things can fall through the cracks but it’s extremely important for our visibility that you try double-checking that stuff. Normally artists make it pretty obvious if we have accounts elsewhere, just check our bio.

thanks for reading!

[inlovewithfictionals]

Villain Among the Family of Heroes

A/N: Hi, hello! So I was scrolling through pinterest and I found a writing prompt by @writing-prompt-s but I didn’t get to save it. But basically the prompt was something like “You have a family full of heroes. The three of your elder brothers are known as Powerhouses. But you rarely see them because they’re always out there saving the city. One day you decided to be a villain in order to see your brothers. And now family diners are the most amusing time.” My writings might not go as the prompt for hundred percent, I’m so sorry about that… Also, two things; English is not really my first language so sorry if there’s any grammar mistakes. And this is my first attempt at writing, it’s bound to be bad. But I would like to know your opinions so I can improve. Anyways this is a long freakin’ a/n, and I hope you enjoy!

Word count: 2649 (Damn that’s a lot)

   I sighed, today has been a long day. And a pretty fun one, to be honest. I get to properly fight with my brothers as a villain and without them going easy on me. As a matter of fact, my brothers don’t know about me being the villain.

   Okay, I might’ve lied to my family about where am I today.

   You see, my family is a group of heroes. Well- mostly my dad and my brothers.

   My mum, Eleanora Lascaris, doesn’t have any superpowers, she’s a normal human. She’s a doctor in town, and you’ve probably guessed it, she’s the one patching my dad and my brothers after missions. And I think that could be considered as superpowers because according to mum, my brothers are a handful when she patched them up. Patience is her superpowers.

   However my dad, Matteo Lascaris, was born heliokinesis; the ability to manipulate solar energy. He was the hero in town called Ilios. He saved the people here numerous of times from different villains. Some villains still causing trouble ‘till this day, and some of them we never heard from again.

   But now that my dad puts more of his time on his non-superhero work, someone has to protect the city when he can’t. That’s when my elder brothers take the role.

   Alastair, Raiden, and Dylan Lascaris. Also known as Phyyrhos, Fulgur, and Hydro. The Powerhouses.

   Raiden and Dylan are identical twins, both having the same light brown hair, same button nose, same height, and same amount of annoyingness. The only thing that makes a difference is that Raiden has amber coloured eyes, Dylan has sea blue eyes. And they have different powers. Raiden has electrokinesis; the ability to manipulate electricity and lightning. Dylan has hydrokinesis; the ability to manipulate water. And let me tell you, these two can be childish with their powers.

   Then there’s Alastair. He’s the eldest child and the most responsible one. He has short dark brown hair, chestnut brown eyes, and also a button nose. His power? Pyrokinesis; the ability to manipulate fire. Even though I said that he’s the most responsible one, that doesn’t mean he didn’t try to burn a bunch cherry to see if it will explode or not. And in case you’re wondering, no it didn’t.

   These three are the best heroes and highly respected ones as well, like our dad. They cared and saved the city like our dad, and maybe more. The whole citizens love them. They have every reason to.

    And then there’s me, Thea Lascaris. I’m the youngest child and the most underestimated one. I do have my own power, photokinesis; the ability to generate and manipulate light. And I usually train with my brothers, but they and my dad never allowed me to be a hero like them. They said it was “too dangerous” or “I need more training. I’m still too weak”. I know that they just wanted to protect me, but sometimes I’m just tired of being underestimated. My brothers know that I don’t like to be underestimated. And often talked to me about it. They always remind me, “one day, sis.” And in the end I just let it go. At least I have my brothers with me, right? Wrong.

   Usually, they would take a break from all of the Powerhouses stuff and spend time with me. Like training, watching a movie, talk about peoples we hate at school, or playing monopoly and not finishing it because one of us flipped the board. The point is that they always make time for us to spend as siblings. As a family. Up until a couple of months ago.

   There’s crime everywhere, every day. The Powerhouses, along with Ilios has been busy taking care of it. Ever since then, I rarely saw them anymore. Let alone, spending time with them. I would lie if I said that I didn’t miss them. I tried to make them take a break but they never did. Not even for dinner! They’re either outside as heroes, or inside sleeping, researching about the bad guys, or doing their homework.

   Days passed until I realise that the only way to see my brothers again is by becoming a villain. That way, not only can I see my brothers, I can use my powers. I can prove them that I’m not weak. I can prove them that I’m capable of doing something more.

   After thinking about it, discussing it with Alice and getting the “this-is-stupid-but-I’ll-support-you” look from her…

   “Are you really going to do that? What if you get caught?”

   “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I didn’t leave a clue to who I am. As long as you don’t tell anyone.”

   She thought about it for a moment before giving me the look.  “Fine,” she breathed out “On one condition,” I made a gesture for her to continue,

   “Alastair’s phone number,” she said with a cheeky smile, crossing one arm and made a gesture to give her the number with the other one.

   “When will you stop hitting on my brother?”

   “When he stop being so hittable.”

   …I finally came out as the new villain, Thanafos.

   Surprisingly, I was pretty good at being the bad guy- err- I guess bad girl. I get to play around with my powers, testing what it can and can’t do, kicking my brothers’ butts, and going home like nothing happened. Though, I always make sure that I didn’t go too far. I don’t kill anyone. I only harm them and then leave them be. And I don’t harm my brothers. Well, not too brutal. Just enough so they don’t catch me.

   Today was no different. I told my family that I was going to Alice’s house for a group project. That’s actually wasn’t completely a lie, I did a group project before I robbed a bank and getting away with it, with a fight of course. And I might have been a bit too harsh on the Powerhouses. It wasn’t my fault, I was trying to get away before the found out or getting the clue that it was me.

    After all that mumbo jumbo, I teleported to a safer place, took half of the money for me and left half of it in front of an orphanage before I did another light teleportation back to Alice’s house before I went home. You might be wondering, aren’t you supposed to be a bad guy? Why are you dropping the money in front of an orphanage? Well, keep in mind that not all bad guys are heartless.

. . . .

  “Mum, I’m home!” I said rather loudly, stepping into the house

  “Thea? Where have you been? You said you’ll be home by five. I tried calling but you didn’t answer.” my mum said rushing to me, concern was evident on her voice.

  “Sorry, mum. It took a while to get our project perfectly, and I put my phone on silent mode. You know, so I get full focus.”

  She sighed, “I thought something happened to you. Crime is everywhere these days and I’m just worried-“

  “Mum, calm down. I’m fine. Safe and sound. Besides, I could protect myself. No need to worry.” I cut her off, with a reassuring smile.

  “Okay, then. Take a quick shower and come help me with dinner. I forced your dad and your brothers to take a break just this night.”

   I smiled, nodding as I ran upstairs to my room, quickly locking it as soon as I got there. I dropped my bag on my bed, took my villain suit out and hide it in my closet, among my other clothes. Grabbing my casual outfit, I went to the bathroom and take a shower.

   I have a feeling that I’ll find tonight’s dinner quiet amusing.

. . . .

   As soon as I’m done setting the table, I heard my brothers arguing about something in the hallways,

   “..Stop touching my shoulder, Raiden! It hurts!”

   “You think that hurts? Thanafos kicked my face and threw me to a wall. And they burned my wrist while doing so. Now that hurts, Dylan.”

   “You know that you could just electrocute that guy, right? They’ll pass out and we can know more about this person.”

   “I told you, Al, it’s like this person knows my moves. Our moves and successfully dodge them! This guy has only bothered the city 4 times and they fight us like they’ve been doing that for years!”

   When they entered the dining room, I couldn’t help my shocked face. And they said that I need more training, I thought.

   What I saw was Dylan with his shoulders bandaged, bruises here and there, nothing too brutal but it must’ve felt painful from his statement before. Alastair has a light bruise on his right arm, his face was littered with scars and small cuts, and there’s a bruise just above his collar bone that might looked like a hickey. And I think that will be his reason if someone had asked him.

   And then there’s Raiden. Dear brother, I am so sorry.

   He’s holding an ice pack to his left cheekbone, his back is kind of hunched, looks like he is limping a little, not to mention those first degree burns. He got one burn on each wrist, two on his right forearm, and one on his left palm. All burn are already treated. There’s a lot of visible scars on him. And his hands seems like it’s sparking with electricity, which only happens when he’s pissed or nervous.

   He’s going to kill me if he finds out it’s me.

   “Maybe Thanafos is a mind reader. That’s why they know our next moves.” Dylan suggested.

   “Maybe. Or maybe they’ve already memorized our moves from past villains. They take notes.” Alastair said.

   “Alright, you guys. Sit down and eat your dinner. Where’s your dad?” mum asked, while cleaning the counter.

   “He’s still downstairs.” All three of them replied, sitting on the chairs.

    Mum sighed and went out the kitchen to the basement, calling for dad. Not before telling us, “You guys, eat your dinner. Don’t wait up.”

     I sat on my chair, still holding back a smirk as I began to eat. All four of us ate in silence until I pretend that I don’t know anything and asked, “What. The Hell. Happened. To you three?”

    “Got beaten up,” Raiden grumbled.

    “Burned,” Dylan continued.

    “And pretty much failed to stop Thanafos. Again.” Alastair finished.

     I choked on my water as I laughed. My brothers’ eyes immediately shot up to me. “You? The Powerhouses? Got beaten up by a criminal? And failed to stop them?” I asked, my laugh died slightly. “I never thought I’d see the day!”

    Dylan frowned slightly, “What do you mean? We don’t always successfully stop a criminal and we always came back home looking like this. Well, except for Raiden. Today has been brutal to him.” Raiden groaned upon hearing Dylan’s statement.

    “What I meant by that is that Thanafos is a new bad guy here. Other bad guys here are often being not so lucky on their first couple of heist. This person has annoyed the city for only four times in two months. That’s nothing compared to the other villains here and all three of you failed to use your powers against them. That’s rare, bro.” I pointed my carrot to three of them before taking a bite.

    “Well, I don’t think this person is a newbie. Clearly they’re trained. And they might’ve memorized and understanding our moves and powers,” Alastair stops to swallow his food, “and taking notes because they can easily dodge our powers.”

    “And this person clearly has a power. I’m assuming it’s also pyrokinesis, like Alastair’s. That could explain the burns.” Dad said as he walked to sit on his chair with mom trailing behind him before sitting down on hers. “But they could also have heliokinesis like mine.” He continued. They all nodded slightly.

    Raiden gulped down his drink before commenting, “I have to admit though, Thanafos puts up a good fighting skills for a newbie.”

    I’m flattered, Rai.

   “Yeah, I can see that from the many scars they left on you.” I noted, smirking.

   Dylan and Alastair snickered while Raiden groaned. Again. “Will you guys stop commenting on how bad I look right now? I’ve had enough scars on my body, I don’t need more on my heart!” He pouted, causing us to laugh.

   “I’m still wondering how Thanafos managed to know our moves and dodge them easily. As well as disappearing after each fight. They couldn’t have more than one power.” Alastair stated. “Is it possible to have burning, teleporting or invisibility, and mind reading at the same time?” He asked.

   “No way. That’s overpowered!” Raiden exclaimed.

   “Unless they have a technology to add more abilities like that, the chances are slim. However, I will try to find out more about it.” Dad explained. “For now, let’s just enjoy family time like this.”

   “Yeah, it’s been a long time.” Alastair said.

   “Hey… sorry we haven’t been able to spend time with you, sis. More crimes every day that we need to take care of.” Dylan told me quietly. Raiden and Alastair nodded in agreement.

   “No, It- It’s fine. I get that you three as The Powerhouses have to protect the city. But sometimes, I just want to join.”

   “You already know that-“

   “I know, I know. Too dangerous.” I cut him off.

   If they let me join them one day, should I tell them that I’m actually Thanafos? I probably should. I decided to not think about that now.

   Alastair smiled, “It’s a good thing you didn’t come with us. You’ll end up worse than Raiden.”

   “I don’t want to imagine what’s worse than this,” Raiden gestured at his bruises and burns, “but, yeah. Al’s right.” We laughed at his statement.

   “To make it up for you, how about going to cinema tomorrow? You know, sibling time.” Dylan asked me.

    I thought about it for a bit, before agreeing to that. “Promise no Powerhouses stuff?” I asked, not making eye contact.

   The three looked at each other before smiling. Alastair puts his right hand in front of him, looking at Raiden and Dylan. Raiden puts his hand on top of Alastair’s and Dylan does the same on top of Raiden’s. “Promise.” They all said. I grinned, putting my hand on top of theirs and then we cheered.

   “So, we’re cool?” Raiden asked.

   “Yeah. Yeah, we’re cool.”

   “Well I’m not cool. I’m pyrokinetic. I was supposed to be hot.” Alastair argued playfully.

   “Whatever, Phyyrhos.”

   “Shut up, Hydro!”

   We burst out laughing. I looked at mum and dad, they we’re laughing along while shaking their heads.

   Moments like this are the moments I love the most. Just the six of us, having the time of our life’s goofing around. Like a family should. But I know that these moments never lasted. These moments are rare nowadays. That’s why I cherish every second of it.  I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t want more times like this.

   Unfortunately, I can’t. I rarely saw my family apart from my mum. That’s why I took my opportunity to be Thanafos, right? To see my family. And to prove that I can do more. But they don’t know.

   They don’t know it’s me.

  Not yet. It’s only a matter of time before they found out.

  Will they be disappointed? Most likely.

  Will they be pissed? Maybe.

  But I have my own reasons to why I am who I am now. And maybe, just maybe…

  …other villains have the same reason. And if only people understands it, if only people would give them a chance… they would’ve been a hero instead of a villain.

   For now, let me enjoy my time with my family while I can.

[constant-questions]

13 - 31 🙏

Hi! Thanks for playing. Long post ahead. Here we go:

13. Describe your writing process.

- I don’t really have a process. Sometimes I just get in the mood and start writing. I listen to music a lot and get inspiration from that. I also do not write in a linear fashion. I actually have a “reading order” doc for one of my books. I write whatever has my interest at the moment and then make them fit later. 

14. What does it take for you to be ready to write a book? (i.e. do you research? outline? make a playlist or Pinterest board? wing it?)

- I have so many Pinterest boards! I go to them when I want to do productive writing things without actually writing. I also have several different folders on google docs that compile different things like characters, places, outfits, etc. But I really just wing it a lot.

15. How do you deal with self-doubt when writing?

- I don’t. lol. I make jokes and then don’t write for a while. 

16. Cover love/dream covers?

- I am not good at covers nor do I really know what I want. 

17. What things (scenes/topics/character types) are you most comfortable writing?

- I really like any and all dialog stuffs. 

18. Tell us about that one book you’ll never let anyone read

- So there’s this one story I wrote when I was like 15. It was a vampire type story. It was the longest story I wrote until recently, and despite the god awful writing, I still really like the concept. Maybe if I ever get up to rewriting it I’ll let someone read it. Until then, even I don’t want to read it. 

19. How do you cope with writer’s block?

- I go into my character folder on google docs and add more details to the characters whose story I am working on until I have an idea. 

20. Any advice for young writers/advice you wish someone would have given you early on?

- If you are in the mood to write, just start writing. Don’t worry about making sure every detail fits or everything is perfect. You can edit later. Editing while writing can kill the mood and make you lose your train of thought (especially while writing smut). 

21. What aspect of your writing are you most proud of?

- I am really proud of how I make all my characters fit together. I have worked really hard and long to make them all blend together nicely. 

22. Tell us about the books on your “to write” list.

- I have two books that I am writing currently, but they are of the same universe and have some overlap. One focuses on a girl named Sorina who is a masked fighter trying to liberate a very oppressed group of people with the help of 8 others (Together they are all called The 9). The other is the story of a girl named Callaway who is struggling, living in the group of oppressed people mentioned above. She has been trained since very young to be a call girl/ hit for hire. She eventually joins a group called The 13 Terrors (which are loosely based on the 7 deadly sins). They are in search of the leader’s head (he’s a dullahan/ horseman type dude).

23. Most anticipated upcoming books?

- Words can’t explain how excited I am for the above-mentioned books.

24. Do you remember the moment you decided to become a writer/author?

- I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have always used writing as an escape. 

25. What’s your worldbuilding process like?

- Questionable at best. haha. So I found this thing that has like 200 questions about your world. I try to answer those. I also use notebook.ai which I can’t recommend enough!

26. What’s the most research you’ve ever put into a book?

- I put a lot of research into all of my books. From fighting styles, to clothes, to weapons, to facial expressions, to wounds, to locations, to anything and everything in between. I’ve researched it all. 

27. Every writer’s least favorite question - where does your inspiration come from? Do you do certain things to make yourself more inspired? Is it easy for you to come up with story ideas?

- I scroll through Pinterest and look at dialog prompts until something gives me a good idea and then roll with that. I have so many story ideas, it’s crazy. I can’t ever write all of them, and I still come up with more. 

28. How do you stay focused on your own work and how do you deal with comparison?

- I have no focus whatsoever. It’s bad. I actually compare my own stuff to other books a lot. It doesn’t bother me. Comparing does not mean it’s the same. 

29. Is writing more of a hobby or do you write with the intention of getting published?

- Right now it’s more of a hobby, but I have always wanted to be published. 

30. Do you like to read books similar to your project while you’re drafting or do you stick to non-fiction/un-similar works?

- I love reading books that are similar. It helps get the ideas flowing. I also read a LOT of fanfiction.

31. Top five favorite books in your genre?

- The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss), Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas), A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas), Vampire Academy (Rachelle Mead), Night Angel (Brent Weeks), and Nevernight (Jay Kristoff). Yes I know that was 6, fight me. 

[lovemesomesurveys]

Have you ever done a craft that you found on Pinterest? I did dabble with some water painting a few years ago during Christmastime, actually. I made a few different Christmas poster things inspired by ones I saw on there. Like, they had different Christmasy quotes or song lyrics and some had pictures of Christmas trees or something. Do you get scrapbooking layout ideas from anywhere? I don’t do scrapbooking. What do you do to wipe off the dust from ordinary life? I’m always cleaning under the keys on my laptop. Are you content with mystery, or do you wish you knew everything? Uhh. I wouldn’t want to know everything. I like continuing to learn and discover new things. There’s also things I never want to know. I also like mystery in the sense of surprises. Like, I hate spoilers and I don’t want to know what any presents are before I open them.  What do you do when someone irritates you on Facebook? If I see an annoying or stupid post I just keep scrolling.

Do you think your hair looks better natural or dyed? I think it looks much better dyed red.  Do your parents disrespect you? My parents are respectful, pretty chill people. I mean, we get in disagreements and bicker sometimes, who doesn’t, but I wouldn’t say they disrespect me. Have you found that love covers over a multitude of sins? I mean, you can love someone but that doesn’t excuse their toxic, bad behaviors. It doesn’t mean people can treat you or others cruelly just because you love them. What was the last Grand Opening you went to? Hm. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a grand opening. Not that I can think of at the moment. Do you have anything coming up tomorrow? Nope. What’s one thing that makes your stomach hurt? I’m lactose intolerant, so having dairy will definitely do that. Otherwise, I just have stomach issues and get stomachaches and pains for whatever reason. Ever had a living nightmare? These past few years in particular. Do you have a lot of haters? Ha. I’m so irrelevant. I’m sure I’m not even on anyone’s radar for them to feel that strongly about me. Outside of my family, I feel people are indifferent to me. I don’t make a big impression. 

Do you think successful people always come with a pack of haters? Yes. There are people who can’t stand to see successful, happy people. They want to try and tear them down. There’s also just a lot of trolls who think it’s fun to hate on people. Do you have supernatural abilities? Uh, no. Do you kick yourself when you make mistakes? Do you say, “I wish I would have” a lot? All the damn time. There’s so much I wish I did and didn’t do and I’m always kicking myself so to speak for it.  Are you doing the most you can with your life? Not even. I’ve completely let these past few years pass me by as I just waste away.  Do you let people walk on you? I’ve had it happen in the past. Are you ok? I always just wanna start belting out to MCR when a question like this comes up. Do you have a friend you miss right now? Former friend, yeah. Do you ever write snail mail to your friends? I don’t have any friends anymore, but nah dude. I’ll send you a text or hit you up on social media if I need to reach you, ha. Do you make your life look better than it is on Facebook? I guess in a way because I don’t post personal shit. I used to post like sad quotes and lyrics and images back in the day, but I stopped doing that years ago. I very rarely post anything anymore and when I do, it’s something funny or #relatable that I saw and shared to my timeline. Or a check-in to somewhere if I think it’s of interest. Mostly; though, I’m just on there scrolling through my feed and “liking” things here and there. Do you feel God’s presence regularly? Yes. Do you experience chronic pain? Yes. Do you believe God loves you and is rooting for you? I know He does. Have you ever dreamt that you were falling? Ugh, yes. Worst feeling. I hate that feeling of jolting awake.  What would your dream career be? I have no idea. Are you a daydreamer? ”You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Do you daydream so much that you wonder if there’s anyone who doesn’t? Uhh, I wouldn’t say that. My daydreaming is more me zoning out and dwelling  about things from the past, thinking about current things, or imagining up scenarios.  Do you ever just sit and daydream for awhile? My mind just wanders off like that. Is the snow falling where you are right now? It doesn’t snow here. :( What is your favorite part of nature? The beach, particularly the ocean. Though, we all know I’m not about getting into the ocean. That deep water and the creatures that dwell down there aren’t for me. Just thinking about that... :O I do love looking out at the ocean and just watch/listen to the waves crash in and out. It’s very, very calming. I let my thoughts get swept away with the waves. I also love the cool, ocean air and smell. Do you wish you could be a world traveler? Yes. Do you wish you could live in another city for a year? Ooh. That would be nice. I actually want to move to another city permanently. What city would you like to visit? There’s countless places I want to visit. What has been your favorite city that you’ve visited? Various ones in California.  If you had kids, would you take them to Disney World? Pfft, I’d go now if I could. I don’t need kids for that, ha. I’m the big kid. I love Disneyland, so I’m sure I’d love Disney World as well. Have you ever stood in line to get a Disney character’s autograph? Yeah. As a kid and as an adult, haha. My favorite was a few years ago when we got pictures with Chewbacca and Darth Vader.  Do you own a birthday crown? No. How long does it usually take your hair to dry? Do you dry it naturally or blow-dry it? I just let it air dry. It takes forever, though. Do you straighten your hair? Not anymore. I used to. Do you sleep with a teddy bear? I have a few stuffed animals on my bed that always just sit on my bed. Would you consider yourself a free spirit? No. Do you need to clean out your closet? I actually just did that a couple weekends ago. Do you watch YouTube videos regularly? Yep, everyday.  What’s your favorite coffee shop? Starbucks. Is your Pinterest page cluttered? I have a few pinned things, but I don’t use Pinterest much for that. I use it to find and save photos for my phone background, typically. Do you want to start a collection? I have a few collections. Are you a role model? Would you consider yourself a good example? No. Are you a leader or a follower? I feel like I’m just sitting on the sidelines watching the crowd go by.  Who’s your favorite person? Not a person, but my doggo. (: Who have been your favorite American Idol contestants? I liked a few from the first few seasons like Adam Lambert, David Archuleta, Tim Urban, and of course, Kelly Clarkson. Did you used to name your Barbies? Yep. What unnatural hair color looks best on you? I love dyeing my hair red. Is your life boring? ”I need another story, something to get off my chest. My life is kind of boring, need something that I can confess.” Do you usually feel better around people or alone? Depends. I like spending time with my family, but I also need my alone time. Is there a broken relationship in your life that you want to fix? Oh, like the friendships I ruined a few years ago because I’m a shitty person? I wouldn’t even know where to begin at this point. Like...what could I even say. I know they’re hurt and probably hate me, and I don’t blame them at all. They deserved more than I what I gave them. The more time goes by, the worse it is. I still don’t feel like I’m in the right headspace to try and fix things. Like...I don’t think things would change and we’d end up in the same spot because I’m still a mess. And I feel horrible for feeling this way, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to. :X I wish I went about things differently, most definitely, but having some people out of my life now is the worst thing.... Do you ever think about Heaven? Yes. Are you ready for Heaven yet? I pray it’s not my time, yet.  Are you afraid of where you’re going to go? I pray I go to heaven when it is my time. Do you have a tree outside your window? Yes. Do you feel better now than you did last night? I feel the same, really. Is your sleep schedule messed up? Ohhhh yeah. It has been for years. It switches up, though. Still all bad, but different. Like, currently my bedtime is like 5, sometimes 6, in the morning and I sleep until 1. Does your body have any problems with it? It has a lot wrong with it. Are you doing ok spiritually? I’m working on strengthening my relationship with God. Have you taken any huge risks lately? No. Silence or songs? I don’t like complete silence ever. I need something, whether it be the TV, YouTube, or music. I sleep with the TV on for that reason (and for some light because I can’t have it completely dark either). Tea or coffee? Coffeeeee. Books or movies? I enjoy both. Do you ever watch your favorite movies from when you were a kid? Disney movies are timeless. ^If you were going to do that, what would you watch? Something Disney. Do you ignore rude people or do you call them out? I’ll talk shit about them to myself or someone I’m close with like my mom, ha. I don’t confront people. Well, unless it’s someone I’m close to who says or does something rude. Do you have trouble staying organized? With my life, yes. It’s showing externally now; though, too. My room has gotten cluttery and I hate it. It never used to be that way.  What has been your most favorite adventure? All the trips I’ve taken. What has been your greatest mistake? I’ve made a long list of ‘em. Are you happy with your life right now? No. Do you take anything to make your feel better? ”I take prescriptions to make me feel a-okay I know it’s all in my head.” Sorry, ya’ll know I’m always breaking out into song. Anyway, I currently don’t take any anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills. Are your parents still together? Yes. What color socks do you have on? White. Are you under a blanket right now? I have one wrapped around me. Are you hopeful? :/

[kpopwh0re-blog]

A Misunderstanding

Bts Imagines:

pairing: Yoongi x Reader

category: angst

Summary: the secrecy is dangerous in Yoongi’s marriage and his emotions.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy my first story 🥺💜

[Reader’s POV]

   Today seemed to go by slowly as you sat around watching people pass around in a blur. Minutes seemed to merge into hours as the morning started turning into the afternoon. Tapping your foot against the bar of the chair you were sitting on. A small hum filling the space around you. Flashes were going off every now and then as people called out orders.

“Have you seen Yoongi around?” looking up to the familiar voice you see Taehyung standing in front of you. Shaking your head no he frowns in a small pout before taking off towards a different direction. Unlocking your phone you start scrolling through Pinterest again. Your nails tapping against the screen of your phone.

  Pictures of baby clothing and nursery items slid down the screen as you gazed. It’s been three years since Yoongi and you got married. He’s been busy left and right with a comeback with the boys. Today, you just came with him because you missed him too much. As well as this is the time to see him out of his studio he was always locked in... Of course, what you mainly did was type on your computer or be on your phone while the rest of them worked. It helped pass the time but you being here made it easier on your emotional levels. You couldn’t handle being away from him for so long after the two of you got married. Tours made it tough for your relationship, but there were time you were allowed to go with him.

  But for a while you have been wanting to have a baby but been making up excuses saying you’re not ready. When in reality you don’t want to ruin his career. Sometimes he would mention in interviews that we weren’t ready yet. Or even that he would have to think it over which sounded  like he didn’t want to have kids with you... Always avoiding the question in interviews since we got married.

   Lately he’s getting even more and more song collaboration offers and you’ve just been silent about your wants. You wanted to talk about it but whenever the two of you would go to the hotel you were staying in it would either be sex then bed or he has a couple glasses of wine then passes out from exhaustion.

A hand grasps your shoulder making you jump in your seat. Hands fumbling with your phone almost dropping it. Pulling your phone to your chest you look behind to see Yoongi. His hair was damp from the water scene they were working on. Of course he was shirtless so it was hard to focus. He’s been working out a lot in the hotel rooms and it shows... He smiles down at you then leans down pressing a kiss to your forehead making you smile. You set your phone on your lap as Yoongi walks around the chair. Running his fingers through his hair the blonde strands stay slicked back. You couldn’t help but admire your husband for how stunning he was. 

“We’ll have to head back to the hotel so you can relax there and around five I have an Interview to do with the guys” he explains taking a sip from his drink.

“Baby, I don’t mind waiting.. I can just scroll through my phone waiting...” you say looking at him rub his eyes tiredly. He looks absolutely exhausted no matter how much he tried to hide it.

“I don’t want to keep you here all night again babe, it’s just because I may have to come back after my interview for reshooting some scenes with Tae” getting off the chair you put your phone back in your pocket. Taking his hand in yours you press a kiss to it. His gummy smile appeared at your action made a smile rise to your face.

“Oh okay.. I’ll order your fave food before I have to leave tonight okay?” he sighs as he pulls you into a hug holding you tightly. Your cheek pressed against his chest as your eyes close.

“Kitten.. Is something wrong? I haven’t said anything lately but you’ve been acting differently, are you sick?” his warm hands place themselves on your cheeks. You pout from the absence of his arms engulfing you and let out a sad small sigh. Yoongi moves one of his hands to your forehead checking your temperature. The action making you roll your eyes at him worrying. You’re not a child for fuck sake.

“E-Everything’s fine baby...Why don’t you get dressed so we can head to the hotel” you say smiling up at him. His gaze reads that he doesn’t believe you but he releases your face. 

      Bending down you pick your purse and sling it over your shoulder. Yoongi takes your hand as the two of you head back to the room where his stuff was. On the way there you waved to Jimin and Jin working on a scene on a different set. All of them being sweet to you when you hung around the set. You even got to chat with some of the designers and makeup artists to make time pass. But today, Jin’s wife was on set today and you got to chat with her.The conversations between you two were about various things. Or she would share her best dad jokes she’s learned since she’s been married to Jin..

   Yoongi pulls on a shirt that was hanging on the clothing rack. Unplugging your charger you stick it in the pocket of your purse. A few minutes go by and he comes out of the other room he had his bag in. Unlocking your phone you start scrolling through your instagram feed before an unknown number pops on the screen. Hitting the green button you bring the phone up to your ear.

“Hello?” you whisper walking out of the room quickly. Yoongi looks at you strange pausing in the hallway as the door closes behind you.

“Mrs. Min we have your test results abo-”

“It’s not the best time right n-” your hand is grasped making you turn around. Yoongi is stood in front of you making your heart drop. You really didn’t think he would follow you.

“Is everything alright?” his tone sounding worried as you tried focusing on what the woman was saying.  Nodding your head you turn slightly to avoid his eye contact.

“Can I please call you to-tomorrow?” your nerves were getting the best of you because you had no idea how to get out of this upcoming conversation. The woman informs you she will call you tomorrow in the afternoon. After hanging up your phone you turn around to see Yoongi with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was pushed back in his black hat. The leather jacket he was wearing made him look more intimidating than he is.

“Who was that?” his tone flat as he gazed down at you. Locking your phone you let out a sigh.

“Don’t worry about it baby, let’s get back to the hotel yeah?” Reaching up you go to reach for his arm but he backs away. His action making your smile drop from your face.

“No.. you’ve been acting weird lately. then this phone call makes you dart off out of the room like that? You normally don’t act so weird on the pho-”

“Baby please, let’s go home and talk about this so it’s in private” you noticed people walking by had stopped and stared from Yoongi’s voice raising at you. Giving a small smile to Jungkook as he passed by because he was looking at the two of you with worry.

“We’re talking when we get back, it’s not negotiable.” you could tell he wasn’t happy because his tone got harsher and that was rare for Yoongi to speak to you like that.

   Nodding your head he turns walking away from you. Following him you cross your arms over your chest. It seemed as if he was walking faster to keep distance. Your heart sank because he always held your hand whenever he could. Replaying what just happened in your head you know he’s mad at you and has every right to be...

   The car ride was painfully awkward and silent. Watching his hand grip tighten and loosen around the steering wheel. You were going to check your email to see if your Doctor sent a file you asked for. Once you pulled the phone out you could feel his stare on you. Gulping you set your phone back down on your lap. The tension thick in the air of the rental car.

  When the two of you arrived the hotel it was awkward between the two of you.The guard that was escorting the both of you could probable feel the tension too. It was as if you two were trying to figure out who should talk first. Walking into the hotel room you go to the bedroom and change out of your clothes. You wanted to be comfortable because you knew whatever is going to happen is going to take a while. Yoongi following close behind you made your heart clench in a range of emotions. Pushing them aside you walk towards the closet where your clothes were hung and stored on the shelves.

   Opening the door you walk in and pick an oversized shirt and some shorts. Taking off your clothes you start to change. Looking back you see Yoongi staring at you then looking away. The pain etched on his features as he walked out of the bedroom. Letting out a defeated sigh you pick up your old clothes and put them in the bin that had other clothes you two have worn that week.

   Closing the closet door you leave the bedroom and head towards the living room area of the hotel. Your mouth felt dry as you opened your mouth to call his name. Closing your mouth afraid of what he’s going to ask you. It’s been so easy to push away this topic, you didn’t know how to bring up you’ve been going to the doctor secretly. Pursing your lips together you spot him sitting on the couch.

  A glass of wine was sitting on a coaster that laid on the coffee table. His head was resting on his hands as his elbows rested against his thighs. You could see his fingers gripping his blonde strands and then releasing repeatedly. He looked really distraught and that made your heart ache seeing him like that... You hated seeing him like this and it felt worse knowing you’re the cause of everything. Walking over to the couch you sit next down next to Yoongi.

  He lifts his head revealing a sight you thought you wouldn’t see. Yoongi’s crying, he’s actually crying. Raising your hand you wipe the tear that slid down his cheek. He pushes your hand away causing a pain to erupt in your chest. The way he looked at you made it seem like you committed a sin.

“I know I wasn’t around at times when you needed me... I know I’m not always home and I could be a better husband but fuckin hell.. Are you cheating on me ___? Did you find someone else?” You sat there in shock from what he just asked you. Did he seriously think that you would cheat on him? Standing up you run your fingers through your hair.

“Y-You think I would cheat on you Yoongi?” a pang stabbed at your heart when the words fell from your lips.

“Then why have you been so secretly lately? You’ve been off to the doctor too and not telling me at all.. Please be honest with me because I can’t handle the secrecy” his voice shaky as he spoke looking at you. Tears running down his cheeks, and you were the cause of it.

“I would never cheat on you.. no matter how lonely I become, I would never cheat on you Yoongi. whatsoever.. I’ve.. I’ve been g-”

“What have you been doing? I have photos of you leaving a hospital on multiple occasions.. Do you really think I wouldn’t find out? You’re the wife of one of the biggest idols in the world...Tell me what you’ve been doing!” His body got closer to you feeling as if he got taller. You felt so small compared to him, your fear making you feel tiny.

“I.. I’ve been checking m-my fertility status.” your voice was quiet as he tilted his head to the side. Before you could look away hiis hand tilts your chin up making you look at him. The look in his eyes softened from the anger they held moments ago.

“Fertility status? What are.. Are you seeing if you can get pregnant?” taking a deep breath in and letting it out before nodding your head. A look of confusion graces his face making your lips purse again.

“Yes Yoongi.. I’m trying to see if I can get pregnant” you look away from him which causes his hand to let go of your chin. He grasps it back making you see him with a smile on his face. That expression catching you completely off guard.

“I-I thought you didn’t want to get pregnant yet..  You’ve been saying you’re not ready ye-”

“Why are you so happy about this? You’ve been giving me mixed signals about having a baby.. Ever since you said no the last time I thought it was just best we didn’t because of your career Yoongi.” your arms were crossed over your chest because now your feathers were being ruffled.

“I’ve been wanting to start a family with you... I guess we.. we both tried making each other think the opposite for each other to benefit them.. Meaning you said no just because of my career and thinking of me before you” His hands take yours, the warmth making you smile. Lifting your hand he brings it up to his lips pressing a kiss to the diamond that adorned your ring.

“I guess people are right when they say communication is key..” a small laugh escapes you as your eyes meet with his admiring ones. The famous gummy smile appeared on his face melting your heart all over again. He looks so damn adorable when he smiles. How could you possibly be mad at him?

“I really want to start a family with you babygirl.. I know my career will keep me busy but I want to be able to support you all” His thumb rubs against the top of your hand. The action so soothing and comforting, you loved it when he did that. In general you loved him doing anything but when he did sweet gestures you loved it the most.

“Now I know how you truly feel this makes me feel a lot better Yoongi... I was afraid you wouldn’t want kids because of your care-”

“Are you kidding? I want my children to be talented and successful.. They’ll be my offspring after all” he smirks leaning down and presses a kiss to your forehead. His lips lingering for just a moment then they’re gone. Looking back at him he had a mischievous look in his brown eyes.

“So does this mean more sex than normal?” he smirks pulling you closer to him wrapping his arms around you. That damn smirk making you melt at the sight. His hands sliding down your back towards your ass giving it a squeeze. Your hands found their way up to his shoulders, one running themselves through his hair. Giving the hair in the back a slight tug he lets out a throaty groan.

“If you’re truly wanting this then yes.. All the sex Min Yoongi, all the sex.” your cheeky grin appears on your face as you stared up at him. He bends down making you quirk an eyebrow up. Before you could register what’s happening you’re lifted over his shoulder and he darts off towards the bed.

   Your laughter filled the air mixing with his. Even after what happened the two of you went back to your normal current, calm and steady till things like this happened. Kicking the door shut behind him he then lays you down on the bed. Taking off his belt he throws it to the side of the bed.

“Alright time to get to work”

[thirsttrapholland]

The Bookstore

Requested?    Yes   

By: anonymous 

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader 

Anonymous said to thirsttrapholland:

What about reader drags Tom to the book store and she makes out with him in the stacks to make up for dragging him along. 

Warning(s):  Brief mention of sex, a little kissing, and that’s it.

Word count: 1820

Picture found on: Pinterest

Doing it this way because copying and pasting into an answer was making the formatting wacky on mobile.  I hope this will work out better.  Hope you like it anon.  Feedback is always appreciated.

“I told you this would be a good day to take a walk.”  It was rare that you and Tom got to spend time together this way.  You’d slept late, gone to brunch and then you had suggested an afternoon walk.

“Yeah. You were right. It’s a little chilly but at least the sun is out.”

You locked arms with Tom and gently steered him in the direction of the little brick building on the corner.  “Hey look, it’s that bookstore I’ve been wanting to check out.”

“The one you kept talking about wanting to go to and I kept saying I didn’t want to?  That one?”

“That’s the one.”

“Strange how you suggested we go this way and then lo and behold, there it is.”

“That is strange,” you said while trying but failing to look innocent.

“Don’t quit your day job, sweetheart.  You’d make a terrible actress.”

“Come on Tom. If I’d told you where we were going, you would have just said no again.”

“Exactly. Now I know how Tessa feels when I tell her we’re going to the park and I take her to the vet instead.”

“Stop it.”

“Why do you want to go in there so bad?  Do you need a book for one of your classes or something?”

“No.  I just think it might be fun to go in and have a look around. You can find some real hidden treasures in places like this.”

Tom eyed the storefront suspiciously. “Ugh, really?”

“I wish you could see the look on your face right now. You’d swear I had suggested we take a casual stroll through a sewer.”

“Is that sewer walk an option?  Might be more fun than going in this bookstore.”

“Tom, didn’t you say that you wanted to read more books this year?”

“Yes,” he admitted begrudgingly.

“Well it’s going to be hard to read books if you don’t own any.”

“Couldn’t I just read some of the literal hundreds of books that you’ve left lying around?”

“You would not be interested in reading anything that I own and we both know it.”  Tom had no patience for the fiction that you preferred to read in your spare time.  “Besides, this can be fun.  I used to love hanging out in bookstores when I was a kid.”

“What a nerd.”  Tom giggled as you poked him in the side.

“Come on.” You took him by the wrist and he reluctantly let you drag him into the small, cramped bookshop.

There were books literally everywhere.  On the shelves obviously, but also in stacks on the floor, on the cushions of the cozy, overstuffed armchairs that adorned every corner.  On the balcony of the second level.  In a loft that could only be reached by tall floor to ceiling ladders.   It was the bookstore of your dreams; from the friendly looking, cardigan wearing old man reading a newspaper at the front counter right down to the tabby cat taking an afternoon nap on the sunny windowsill.  

Tom took one look around and wrinkled his nose.  “It smells like dust and boredom in here.”  He took another sniff.  “Maybe a hint of sadness as well.”

“Would you stop being a grump and just have a look around?  You might actually enjoy yourself if you stopped complaining for two seconds.”

“Doubt it.”

“I’m going to check out the second floor.  I think that’s where they keep the rare books and collectibles.  You should look around down here.”  You extended your hand towards Tom, palm up.  “Give me your phone.”

“What do you need my phone for?”

“Because I want you to actually look for a book.  If I leave you with this phone, you’ll be scrolling through Instagram or texting Harrison as soon as I’m out of sight.”  You wiggled your fingers at him.  “So gimme.”

“Fine. Mum.”  Tom plunked his phone down in your hand, a pained expression on his face as if you’d asked him to hand over a limb.

You climbed up to the second floor, leaving Tom to his own devices on the first.

Half an hour later, you had a small stack of books in your arms.  Things that had gone out of print that you hadn’t been able to find anywhere else.  You sat your bounty down on one of the rickety mismatched tables that were dispersed throughout the store and looked over the balcony railing to see if you could spot Tom.  

One of your favorite things to do when you were out with Tom was to watch him when he didn’t know you were looking.  It was sometimes those little unguarded moments that made you love him the most.

From your position on the second floor you could see Tom wandering the nonfiction sections below.  You watched as his long, delicate fingers skimmed over the old tattered spines; occasionally taking something off the shelf to flip it over and read the back cover or inside flap of the book jacket.

The heat of the bookstore had caused him to take off his knit cap and stuff it in his coat pocket.  The hat had left his silky brown locks in total disarray; some hair falling over his forehead, the rest sticking straight up and just begging to be played with.   You loved the look of concentration on his face and firm set of his angular jaw as he considered the book in his hands before adding it to the small stack beside him on the floor.

Every time you saw him like this it was almost like seeing him for the first time and falling in love all over again.

You watched him for a few seconds more before going downstairs to join him.  

“Hey, looks like you found some stuff after all,” you said gesturing to the stack he had accumulated.

“You were right.  It was nice roaming through the aisles.  Sorry if I was being a bit of a dick before.”

“You weren’t.” You pressed a kiss against his jaw. “Come with me.  I think I found something you might like over here.” You took Tom’s hand and led him over to the corner you’d discovered when you came downstairs.  

“There’s nothing over here but woodworking and do it yourself construction books.” Tom pulled a book off the shelf.  “Do you think I’m going to build a birdhouse or something?”  His face suddenly lit up.  “I bet Harrison and I could build a birdhouse.  Or better yet, a house for Tessa.”

You plucked the book out of his hand and tossed it back on the shelf.  “Tom, I have led you to a poorly lit, deserted corner that’s a blind spot from the security cameras and completely out of view of the old man at the counter.  Do you see anything you like?”

“I was trying to see if I wanted that woodworking book, but you snatched it out of my hand.”

“If you pick up that book again, I might hit you over the head with it.”  You undid the top two buttons on your blouse.  “Are you sure you don’t see something else you want?”

“Oh,” Tom said, finally getting what you were suggesting.  “That hardly seems appropriate.  This is a public place, darling.”

“I can’t believe I’m getting this from you.  Aren’t you the same man that tried to go down on me in a Victoria’s Secret dressing room?”

“First of all, I didn’t try, I succeeded.  Second, that was different.”

“How exactly?”

“You’re surrounded by frills and lace and skin in a Victoria’s Secret.  You’re pretty much expected to try and get your leg over,” Tom explained as though what he was saying should have been perfectly obvious and made total sense.

“Get your leg over?  I do love those charming little English sayings of yours.”

“Don’t act like you don’t know what it means.  Anyway, this is a bookstore; an old moldy one at that.  The ambiance in here really isn’t conducive to the same sort of shenanigans.”

“You’re really getting your money’s worth out of that word a day calendar, aren’t you?”

“Such a smart arse.”

“Tom?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to make out or not?”

“Yes, please.”

“Then shut up and kiss me.”

Tom grabbed you by the hips and slowly backed you up against the bookshelves.  The laughter on his lips slowly fading away as his mouth met yours.

You loved how lost in each other you and Tom became when you kissed. Cliched as it may sound, it really was like the rest of the world slipped away when he had his arms around you.   The feel of his fingertips gently strumming the small of your back.  The warm, wet slide of this tongue against yours. His strong, steady heartbeat against your chest.  It all made you totally oblivious to anything but him.

The obscene way he moaned into your kiss as you grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled was evenly matched with the sound you made as his hand drifted from your back and firmly grabbed your ass.  You went to wrap your leg around his hip but stumbled, sending the both of you crashing into a pile of books and scattering them across the floor. The lusty haze surrounding the two of you finally broken by the loud crashing sound.

“Hey, what are you kids doing back there?”  The previously friendly looking old man from the counter was no longer smiling by the time he reached you and Tom.  One look at the two of you trying desperately to catch your breath and straighten your disheveled clothing and there was little doubt as to what you had been doing.

Still, denial seemed like the best path to take.  “Nothing, sir.  I tripped and bumped into him.” 

“Then I knocked over these books,” Tom chimed in while he knelt on the floor trying to straighten up the mess you���d made.  Every time he picked up one book and tried to put it back on the stack it had come from, he managed to knock over something else.  It would have been funny, had it not been so, so embarrassing. “So sorry.”

The old man clearly wasn’t buying the story that you and Tom were trying to sell. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Yes sir.”  Tom hurriedly grabbed the birdhouse book off the shelf. “We’ll just take this.”  You were both in too much of a hurry to leave the store to bother about going back for the stacks of books you’d actually picked out to purchase.

You and Tom barely made it out to the sidewalk before you both burst out laughing.  “Well I hope you enjoyed yourself, darling.  We’ll probably never be allowed in there again.”

You pulled Tom’s hat out of his pocket and put it back on his head pulling it down over his ears. “Worth it.”