#ampersand x reader

[badtitude]

≡ BODY HEAT !! CHOI JIHO

(in which you find a new way to keep warm on the night of the first snow ๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) : 482 words : fluff + suggestive (?) + gn!reader : i get cold easy so hehe, i would go further but i don’t want to for now :3

you wanted to go back to the comfort of your house, the warmth of it all felt so alluring in such cold weather. despite that looming desire to go back in, you stayed out watching the snowflakes dance around in the air before landing on the frozen concrete.

the first snowfall of this winter season. you watched as snow on the ground started pilling up, standing there in your fuzzy pajamas, entranced by the snowfall.

you could feel yourself getting colder by the minute, trying to distract yourself with the hypnotic effect of snow but it didn’t help much.

just when you were ready to leave the snow behind, the weight of a blanket landed on your shoulders, and you instinctively wrapped the warm bundle around your body.

you didn’t need to look to know who it was, but you did anyways, and of course it was him. your roommate, jiho.

“Were you trying to catch a cold?” he asked, genuinely curious as to why you would stand in such freezing weather without protection.

he smiled as he watched you follow the snow drops till the landed on the ground. the cold was a lot for you, he could see you shivering, trying to warm your hands up with the friction of the blanket.

the sudden feeling of his hands on your cold hands brought your gaze to the man by your side, his smile at the sight of your rosy face warmed up your chest, and the warmth only continued to spread throughout your body.

you watched his with widen eyes as he held your hands in his, rubbing them in between his hands to help you fight the cold. you weren’t sure if you could feel the cold in that moment, all your senses were focused on him as he brought your hands closer to his lips, blowing on your fingertips with his warm breath.

he glanced at you for a second, and you darted your eyes away from his unsure of the level of intimacy you were at.

“Are you still cold?” his voice brought your gaze back, he was still holding onto your hands but you tried to ignore it as you nodded hesitantly.

a mix of fear and eagerness bubbled in your chest watching his smile grow as you acquiesced. his hands let go of yours, reaching under the blanket over your shoulders, wrapping his arms around your waist as he pulled you in closer.

he let his head rest on your shoulder, trying to keep you as close as possible. it was hard to tell if it was actually his body bringing you warmth or the heat building up in your body from the proximity.

his hot breath heated a spot on your neck, his lips slightly brushing against your skin as he rested there, “If you’re still cold, come inside I can help with that.”

[thedemonscrawler]

Nightguard

Just something small cos I liked the image in my head of Moon laying on top of someone like a cat trying to hide her kittens and decided I could make a scene out of it

----

You wake up to something climbing on top of you.

Like, on top of you. Though no weight actually lands on your body, the dip of the mattress behind and in front is more than enough to pull you from slumber's sweet embrace. A lifetime shared intermittently with pets (and even more intermittently with partners) keeps you from lashing out as you wake up. The fact that the covers are pinning your limbs down also helps.

Blinking blearily, you struggle to make sense of a room painted in charcoal and carbon black. It takes you a few seconds to figure out that the reason you keep interpreting the patch of grey directly in your line of sight as a solid surface is because it is a solid surface, one only a few inches past the end of your nose. You really only figure that one out when it moves, the lighter dot of a screw moving incrementally to the left.

An amused huff, and you whisper to the figure crouched over you, "Hello, Moon. Something wrong?"

Soft bells, and the speaker housed just above your ear vibrates with an even softer "Shhh..."

The corners of your mouth pull back in a slight smile, and you snuggle down in your blanket. You're beginning to overheat a little, but the plastic and metal limbs forming this cozy cage leave no loose fabric for errant toes to make an escape. You'll just have to endure it for the time being.

The flat disk of Moon's head takes up most of what you can see, and his arms cover the rest. Wiggling your legs a little confirms what you can't see; the former Naptime Attendant's legs on either side of your own, loose starry pants covering a much larger area than legs could alone. If anyone were to walk into your room, only the blanket around your midsection would be visible under the tangle of jester.

Which was the point, of course.

The springs under your ear creak as Moon shifts, raising up the slightest bit. His head clicks as it rotates, the sound mixing with the white noise of the box fan sitting in your window. That's one of your clues that this is just a Warning and not a Watch, otherwise Moon would have turned the fan off before climbing on top of you so he could hear better.

(If this was a true emergency the animatronic wouldn't have even bothered with that much. You'd have woken up to being bundled in your blanket and unceremoniously dumped into the bathtub, your tiny bathroom having been chosen as the most defensible location in the apartment.)

You can't hear anything, and that doesn't surprise you, either. The Daycare Attendant's hearing is much, much better than your own. Sometimes you worried about them a little, if the noise in and around the apartment complex was too much for them, but the only time you'd voiced that worry Sun had been quick to assure you that it was nothing compared to how loud the Daycare could get. That just made you concerned for different reasons, ones that he'd chased away with a quick topic change.

The seconds tick by, counted by your beating heart and breathing, the soft clicks and whirs of the machine crouched over you protectively. You wonder what set him off this time. Maybe it was two-thirty and it was the couple who always came home with drive-thru tacos and a tired argument, slamming the doors on their worn gold Camry. Maybe it was five, and he'd heard the knocking engine of the navy blue (or maybe black?) truck that belonged to the guy a street over, the one that Moon only ever said was 'unsafe' but refused to elaborate on. With your limbs trapped you can't grab your phone to check the time.

You'll ask Sun about this in the morning, over a breakfast of cereal and an energy shot (because you were out of bagels, you'd had the last ones two days ago and grocery day was tomorrow). There's no guarantee that he’d answer, and you haven't yet figured out if it was because he didn't always know what Moon did at night or if it was because he liked keeping secrets.

Well, that was fine. If there was something important he'd tell you-- you knew that much because he'd promised. They both had.

More creaks and movement, and you only realize you'd been drifting off when you jerk back awake. Whatever it was must have moved on because so is Moon, the animatronic slowly shifting his weight so that you're no longer trapped under him. As soon as you have room you scootch forward, both to give him enough space to settle behind you without toppling off of your full-sized mattress (full-sized for who, exactly?) and to get some fresh air on your overheating limbs.

The creaks stop. Your phone rests on the nightstand but you ignore it, the uncertainty about the time a lot less pressing now that the moment has passed. Instead you flop over to your other side with all the grace of a landed fish, staring into a dinnerplate face with a too wide grin and faintly glowing eyes. His expression is fixed in place and only half visible in the darkness, yet it never fails to make you grin back.

"All clear?"

Moon's head click-clicks and he nods, the bell on the end of his hat ringing softly. "All clear~" he confirms, in that mocking sing-song way of his.

"Good." You yawn, something that draws a staticky crackle from him. "Thanks, bud. You gonna stay in here?"

It's phrased as a question, but really it's a request, even if the bed is laughably small for a person plus a lanky robot. Moon hums softly, considering, and to sweeten the deal you let your eyes close. You know its worked when you feel the edge of the blanket be pulled up higher over your shoulder, tucking you in. "Yes."

"Good. Goodnight, Moon."

The barest brush of something against your forehead, gently chiming bells. "Nighty night~."

[kstrucknet]

surprise !! please check out { @slytherinshua } new post !! 

─ ⊹please reblog and leave feedback for the creator.

CUDDLING WITH AMPERS&ONE

genre. fluff. warnings. reader described to be shorter/smaller in brian's (but let's be real who is gonna be taller than him 😭). reader has maybe long hair in seungmo's. not proofread. pairing. ampers&one x fem!reader. wc. 930 (around 130 per member). request. requested by anon. a/n. in my writing for ampers era i'm so excited (maybe eventually i'll find a bias even) net. @kstrucknet

KAMDEN ﾐ 캠든

He’s all for whatever you want as he honestly doesn’t have many preferences about how you cuddle 

As long as you’re content and he gets to be close to you, he’s a happy camper

Some days you just rest your head on his shoulder, other days you’re on his lap or spooning 

You often wake up with limbs completely tangled with his during the night— you’re not sure how it got that way, but the closeness of your boyfriend warms your heart

90% of the time, you’re the one initiating cuddles as his arms are always free for you

But he’s definitely the type to grab your waist and pull you onto his lap as you’re walking by, which is one of the few times he initiates <3

BRIAN ﾐ 브라이언

Sweetheart’s cradle all the way, it’s like his favourite way to cuddle you

With your head resting on his chest, arm wrapped around your waist, he feels so content with you in his arms

And you love listening to his steady heartbeat <3 there’s nothing more relaxing

Sometimes you hear it speed up when you compliment him too

Since he’s so tall, he wouldn’t even mind if you lay completely on top of him

He likes back hugs too or any standing up hugs/cuddles cause he loves the height difference

Would look down at you with a lovesick expression and kiss your forehead before pulling you into a tight hug

He’d never tease you about your height, but he’s silently endeared by how much shorter you are than him

JIHO ﾐ 지호

His cuddles are the softest thing in the world oh my god he’s so gentle and comforting

He needs to be so close to you, as close as humanly possible

Arms wrapped around your body, your arms wrapped around his body, legs intertwined, everything

And he’d be unable to control his smiles while cuddling too cause he’s just so happy whenever you’re in his arms !!

Best believe you have a routine of cuddling before sleep, finding the most comfortable position in each other’s arms before dozing off

If during the night you get separated, whoever is first to wake up will rectify that 

Being in Jiho’s arms for as much of the day as possible is the ultimate goal, which makes separating so he can leave for work a hard task for both of you

SIYUN ﾐ 시윤

Always always you’re on his lap

He’ll think of any plausible excuse just to keep you close so he can continue hugging you :(

Says he’s cold and you need to warm him up or that he’s deprived of cuddles and needs his daily dose, etc.

Somehow his convincing always leads to you cuddling against him, not that you ever would complain

His chest is your personal pillow and his thighs are your cushion— why would you ever choose your own seat when your boyfriend was right there?

The problem comes from Siyun’s habit of falling asleep while you’re cuddling, effectively trapping you because his arms are still wrapped securely around your waist

We all know he’s a deep sleeper too so good luck waking him up

KYRELL ﾐ 카이렐

He loves to cuddle you under blankets, especially if its cold outside

He perfected a burrito technique to keep you both completely covered head to toe with the blankets

You’re wrapped up so close to Kyrell and just so comfortable and warm

He’ll also just put the blanket over your legs if you’re cuddling on the couch 

He’s reach for your hand and lace your fingers together so carefully and then rub small circles over your knuckles with his thumb

Loves to watch movies like that— it definitely became a regular for stay-in movie nights

He also likes having you in between his legs, even if you’re just sitting on the floor

Would build legos with you like that with his head resting on your shoulder and his arms wrapped around your waist :’)

MACKIAH ﾐ 마카야

Either cuddling in bed facing each other, or a classic arm around your shoulder while sitting <3

The man is a yapper so he’ll probably be talking to you while cuddling (or listening to you talk!)

He likes to play with your hands/fingers as well, feeling the softness of your skin and the warmth from your body

Or just hold them and give little squeezes; if he squeezes 3 times in succession you know he’s saying ‘I love you’

He’s very classically romantic like he came straight out of a teen romcom

Rather than throwing you pickup/flirty lines on your dates, he’d more likely do it while you’re cuddling

Makes you 10 times more flustered just from the close contact, and you’d definitely bury your face into his chest/shoulder to hide how flushed you are

SEUNGMO ﾐ 승모

Seungmo is particular about cuddling, he has his preferences because, to him, it’s a very serious business

He wants to be on your lap

Whether it’s just his head resting on your thigh or you holding his entire body, that part doesn’t much matter to him 

You both love it even though it’s unconventional 

You because it gives you access to his hair to play with or his cheeks to nom kiss

Him because he loves the feeling of your fingers in his hair or tracing the lines of his face

He would grab one of your hands to press little kisses to your knuckles and would get so giggly if you gave him cheek/forehead kisses because your hair would tickle his face

He’ll also blow raspberries on your belly sometimes

↳ ampers&one taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @hursheys

[wyrmst]

Something Borrowed (Part Three)

M Gargoyle x M Reader

PREVIOUS || STORY TAG || NEXT

Wordcount: 3815

Content Warnings: Discussion of a Breakup/Divorce

Are you the type of person that wants to read several hundred words worth of descriptions of various baked goods? If so, you are in luck! Also, I promise not every story I post to this website will revolve around divorce.

Kirby had told you that you couldn’t stop living because you were cursed. You had told them that you would keep it in mind.

While you do keep that in mind, you certainly don't act on it during any of the encounters you have with Carlyle over the next few weeks.

Maybe if you weren't still so devastated from your breakup and the threat of your curse ruining any attempt, you'd have the courage to ask him out yourself. But as for now, you stay rooted in the comfortable little routine you've built.

Your next attempt is still something that is a perfect pairing for coffee, but slightly more involved. You prepare a tender batch of coffee cake, with a hearty ribbon of cinnamon swirled through the middle of the loaf, and crumbles of cinnamon streusel on top to to match, forgoing any glaze or drizzle that might have otherwise ended up finding its way onto the cake.

Still too sweet. Way too heavy, too dense of a crumb. But cinnamon is clearly a welcome flavor. Maybe something more elegant?

The week after that, you tried a ginger-pear gateau, hoping that the sweetness of the honey would be more permissible than normal sugar, with the heat from the ginger to balance out what sweetness there was. You painstakingly arranged the thin slices, the whole thing baked to perfection and kissed with citrus zest.

He didn’t like that either; but he does seem to like the burn of ginger, commenting on the underlying warmth.

And he may or may not be the type of guy that eats with his eyes first, given how impressed he was with the admittedly beautiful layering of fruit slices.

The next thing you tried was an opera cake. An almond sponge soaked with coffee, which you already know he’s quite fond of. Layers of cream and dark chocolate ganache diligently stacked and cut neatly serve to pleasantly enhance that already present espresso flavor.

You had even piped two Ss, elegantly connected with an ampersand, for Sugar & Spice- the current name of your shop, as of moving locations- in immaculate script across the top. If most of these are going to go into the case, you might as well make them on brand.

He seemed to like this one the most so far, taking a lot longer than ever before to decide its fate.

But he doesn’t like any sort of application of buttercream, it turns out. You should’ve known better already, you suppose- he doesn’t like frosting- he doesn’t even take cream in his coffee, why would he like cream layers in a coffee flavored cake, either? 

It wasn’t a complete loss, however, because he seemed to really enjoy the addition of cardamom that you had used to compliment the flavor of the espresso, at least enough for him to point it out. 

And honestly, the praise he heaped onto you for your careful penmanship and attention to tidy little details takes any hint of sting from the failure away instantaneously.

You’ve already figured out he likes citrus- specifically oranges- and almonds. He prefers a fluffier crumb to a denser one. No heavy glazes or frostings or cream layers.

With the culmination of your last few attempts, you've put together another critical detail: he likes spiced things.

Cinnamon. Ginger. Cardamom. Clove. Nutmeg…

Those flavors seem to be the one big unifying element of what he’s liked of your baking.

Mixed spice.

You’re making some progress, finally.

But what to make him that can test your theory? Cinnamon buns? Too sweet, surely. Gingerbread? Too dense, no go. You could always make a simple spice cake, but it would probably seem sad and bare without frosting, which you’ve already confirmed that he despises in all forms. 

Not to mention that any of these options will make your shop smell like a Yuletide market, or a candle store… And it's the height of summer…

“Wowie, don’t think too hard over there!!” You snap back to attention upon hearing Kirby’s lively voice through your mental fog. You realize you’ve been silently ruminating for quite a while. “You’re frowning so hard your face might break! What’s on your mind?”

“Trying to figure out what to make Carlyle for Tuesday.” You tap the end of the pen you’re holding onto the notepad in front of you. “Can’t think of anything.”

“Hehe, can’t you just bake this man a nice loaf of crusty bread and call it a day already? Everybody loves good bread.”

“Hah, no. It has to be a sweet baked good, I’m afraid. No need to worry though, I’m just a bit stumped at the moment. I’ll figure it out.”

“Oooo, I can help you decide on something!! I’m awful at cooking anything but I’m pretty good at the whole deduction thing, hehe~”

“Oh, no- I couldn’t ask you to help me with something so frivolous. You’re doing actual detective work.”

“A little distraction now and then can be good! Especially when you’re as stuck as I am right now with these leads…” Kirby looks almost forlorn for a moment before any lack of cheer is immediately erased from their expression. “Sometimes thinking about something else entirely can help get you the breakthrough you need!”

“Well, is there anything you’d like me to make?”

“Ooo! Ooooh!! I would ask for baklava but that’s probably way too sweet for your man.”

“Hah, well, maybe I can make you some baklava too, if this goes over well.”

Kirby grins wide, their ears flicking back and forth in excitement.

“Yes!! What’s this guy like again? Gimme something to work with.”

You quickly summarize your previous findings.

“Hmmm… You know what that sounds a lot like? My Oma used to make these little Yuletide cookies that sound a lot like that, with the spices and the orange peel.”

“Huh. Those do sound familiar.”

“I dunno, I forget…”

After a cursory scroll through your respective devices, Kirby manages to find the name.

“These, these! Pfeffernuse!” They exclaim in excitement and shove their device towards you, pointing to the screen with their other hand.

“Ah- I can whip these up for sure...” You reply, scrolling down to skim through the ingredients list.

The cookies come together relatively quickly- you could knead dough in your sleep after growing up in your parents’ bakery. And, as expected, they make your shop smell like a Yuletide candle stall, which it seems every customer you have over the course of the afternoon seems to feel compelled to comment on- It doesn’t get old at all.

“Here they are.” You present the serving dish filled with pfeffernusse to Kirby, then take one of the small, shiny cookies for yourself.

By general standards, they’re quite good. Very flavorful.

But for your specific purposes; the shiny glaze is too sweet; and the cookie itself is too heavy and too dense. There’s no way that Carlyle is going to like these…

“Oh, wow!!” Kirby says your name in a shrill tone, almost a squeal around a mouthful of cookie. “Amazing!! Divine!! These are absolutely perfect, just like she used to make!! If he doesn’t like these, his tastebuds are broken!!!”

“Hahah- I’m glad you like them.” You feel the smile spreading out onto your face.

“You’re the beeeest-”

Honestly, seeing your new friend’s reaction makes it worth it to have made them anyway, even knowing from the start that they weren’t going to bag you a win. Luckily, you manage to reserve some for Carlyle to at least try later, before the ecstatic faun manages to devour the whole batch.

Later that day, the dwindling overcast daylight from the encroaching evening creates a lonely, gloomy atmosphere in your empty shop. The uneasy feeling that always seems to reappear when you’re alone starts to creep back in, and you can’t help but worry that Carlyle’s not coming today. Perhaps the on-and-off rain is keeping him from stopping by. You’ve only seen him show up on foot, and even if he drove there’s not any ample parking on this street.

Or maybe he’s not coming back, period. Maybe he’s gotten bored of whatever this little thing between you is? You couldn’t blame him.

After all, you don’t know each other all that well at all. You’ve only seen each other a total of five times now, basically in passing. You wouldn’t even know he was a lawyer if he hadn’t specifically used the word ‘case’ when referring to his job and mentioned the courthouse before.

And the curse… Well. You know what the letter said by heart now. Withering before blooming, and all of that.

It’s nearly to the point of you giving up and just going about your normal closing procedures when the familiar jingle plays. And while the notification sound and the name on the order is familiar, the order itself is not at all.

Usually, as you’ve learned, you see an order for half a dozen cupcakes- always a variety, except for whomever always orders your lemon meringue flavor without fail.

But this evening, he’s ordered… a disposable cutlery kit.

No cake, no cupcakes, no other items at all. Just that.

You tilt your head at the screen, wondering what it could possibly mean.

After a bit of deliberation, you take a single cutlery kit from the open box and set it on the counter top. 

Moments pass as you stare at the lonely item on the counter, contemplating the situation with only the ubiquitous smooth jazz playing on the overhead speakers to keep you sane.

…Should you brew coffee?

But the minutes tick by, with still no sign of Carlyle.

You decide not to, not wanting to waste it if he's not coming. You fight the urge to either break into uncontrollable laughter or equally uncontrollable tears.

The rain has picked up enough that you can hear it audibly pattering against the panes of your shop windows.

Time marches on.

You sigh. You drum your fingertips on the counter top. You glance at the clock. 

It's two minutes past close.

You’ve finally moved to turn the neon sign declaring your shop as open off for the evening, and just as you’re standing there pressing down the switch you see Carlyle a few paces down the sidewalk, walking towards the shop underneath the protection of a clear umbrella.

He stops in his tracks, looking at the darkened sign and then back down at you on the other side of the glass, seeming at a loss for how to proceed.

After a second of stalemate, you push open the still unlocked door.

“Carlyle?”

He finishes the rest of the walk as quickly as he can without splashing through the accumulating puddles in his leather shoes.

“Hey. Sorry I'm late."

“Hi! I’m- I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure what you meant by a cutlery set.”

“I planned on going home early today, so no cupcake order from the ladies this evening. I wanted to let you know I was still coming, but I realized I had no way of knowing what you’d make to order it for myself, so.” He smirks faintly and shrugs beneath the umbrella, the shoulder pads on his suit lifting up slightly with the motion. “That was the solution I chose. You eat with cutlery, so: I'm still coming to eat.”

“It's okay. That’s actually pretty clever." You beam. You don’t care in the slightest that you’re already closed- you’re just happy he showed up. You motion with your hand for him to enter. "Come in, come in. You’re going to get soggy.”

He obliges, closes his umbrella, then shakes it off before he steps completely inside.

"I suppose the weather held you up?"

"Yes, the train was delayed. There was a large rain spirit blocking off the tunnel, it was an entire ordeal.”

“Well, that would certainly explain the sudden rain. It wasn’t on the forecast this morning.” You chuckle nervously.

“I don’t want to intrude, since it took me long enough to get here that you’re closed now.” He motions to the sign. He’s always been courteous enough to punctually depart when you’ve turned the sign off, cutting off your conversation far earlier than you’d like at times. “We don’t have to do this today if it would be a hassle.”

“Oh, no, it’s no bother- it’s pouring out now, you can’t walk back to the station in that- even with an umbrella. At least stay until it passes.” You reach out and gently touch his forearm for effect. Then, you recoil like you’ve touched a hot stovetop, realizing you’re probably being a bit too comfortable with him when you don’t even know how he feels about physical touch from a relative stranger. You move the culprit to stroke the back of your own head for comfort instead. “Er, if you wanted to, of course. We could sit at one of the tables for a while and have a chat…”

"That sounds like exactly what I need right now." He gives you one of his characteristic bright smiles, and you're so close you can see the outline of his wide, slightly protruding canines. He places his contained umbrella in the bottom of the coat rack.

"Why don't you sit down? I'll go make you some coffee."

You do just that, returning with coffee for you both; his in his claimed mug, and yours in one from the regular marbled set. You can’t help but laugh at the stark difference between the color of your respective drinks, perhaps being on the very far end of the spectrum in shade, seeing as he likes his with no additions and you with as much cream and sugar you can reasonably put into yours.

When you return, he’s sitting at one of the tables, looking out the window. He’s removed his suit jacket and draped it across the back of the chair. You nearly drop the mugs as you’re coming down the stairs as you miss the last step on the flight, because you’re too focused on the how aesthetically pleasing you find the sight- emotionally evocative, like you’ve taken a wrong turn in your own shop and walked into some sort of sad, tragically beautiful painting.

After delivering the (thankfully unspilled) coffee, you turn back to the counter to grab the plate of pfeffernusse. You set the cutlery set down, as well.

“I don’t think you’ll need this for the cookies, but… you did already pay for it.” You say with as straight a face as you can manage.

Carlyle laughs a deep, rich laugh- somehow gravelly and smooth at the same time. He takes the cutlery kit and slides it into the breast pocket of his jacket where it’s hanging on the chair behind him with a pointed smirk, before turning his attention to the cookies on the table in front of him.

You take a seat across from him, hoping you don’t look as obviously captivated as you feel.

You’re used to having a countertop between you, so this is a new experience. It certainly feels more intimate, like you’re having a coffee break with a friend rather than a customer you’ve developed a bizarre crush on. You’re close enough now that you can’t help but notice all the subtle details of the stone texture of his face- the small divots and minor cracks, and the faint lines of erosion where water must have chosen its path down his face countless times.

“These look a bit familiar somehow.” Carlyle selects one of the cookies and rotates it between his fingers in observation, watching the overhead light glint off the shiny coating.

“I don’t think you’re going to like them.” You say, watching him inspect the small treat through an inquisitive look on his face. “But I made them for a friend earlier, so I thought I’d have you try them anyway.”

He’s quiet for an uncommonly long amount of time as he eats the cookie- but not in the good, stunned-into-silence way you’ve been dreaming about seeing. He looks tired. He looks wistful. He looks sad.

It goes on so long that you wonder if you should say something, until you finally do.

“...Carlyle?”

“Hahah… Sorry, spaced out a bit there. I’m sort of a mess today.”

“Is everything alright? You seem unhappy.” You may not be very familiar with him yet, but you’re not so dense as to have not noticed he’s acting much more muted than normally. “I hope the pfeffernusse weren’t that bad…” You laugh quietly to try to lighten the mood. 

“Oh, no- Not at all. Nothing you’ve made has been anywhere close to bad in quality.” He smiles, and you try desperately not to reel from the compliment. “It’s just too sweet for me. Too heavy. The flavor is great, though. Smells like Yuletide morning as a kid.”

“Did you also have a grandmother who made these?” You laugh. “It seems like everyone who’s come into my shop today has had one.”

“Ah, no. My Mom made something kind of like them, but they were rolled in powdered sugar instead.” Then a realization clearly lights up his brown eyes. “So actually yes, I suppose I technically did have a Grandma who made them. But I didn’t know her before she was a statue.”

“Oh- Did you hate sweets as a wee little stone man as well?” You can’t help but laugh, covering your mouth picturing an overly formal gargoyle child. “I bet you did.”

Your laughter is infectious, and you can see his beige spaded tail swishing around the chair legs animatedly.

“I did! Mom always left some out of the sugar for me.”

“Damn, that’s smart. I should’ve thought of that.…” You ponder, tapping your lip with your fingertips and avoiding his eyes.

“No reason to, honestly. They were still a little too sweet, even when she didn’t. I’m sure your friend enjoyed them though, so they fulfilled their main purpose.”

“They did… So, if it’s not my baking, what’s got you so down, then?” You ask, then hastily add: “If you don’t mind me prying.”

“Work.” He says simply. “Work has been difficult for me lately.”

“Understandable. I imagine being a lawyer must be quite stressful.”

“Not only that- I’m a divorce attorney.” He sighs, rubbing his fingers restlessly along the mug’s handle. “I see people when they’re going through what’s likely the worst time of their lives, every single day. And because of the nature of the job, I can't even offer much in terms of support. I’m not a therapist. Ultimately, all I can really do is make sure my client isn’t being shafted.”

“Oh, that does sound draining.” You look down into your ridiculously milky coffee to try to hide the wince. You can’t help but wonder if you would’ve needed a divorce attorney if the curse had destroyed your relationship later than it did. You can’t help but feel perversely relieved- at least you didn’t have to go to court over your heartbreak. “What made you choose that field?”

“I didn’t, really. I used to do criminal defense. I was moved to civil cases a few years ago. I do enjoy my job, for the most part. Most of the time, it’s easy enough to separate myself. …It’s when something is hitting a little too close to home- that’s when it’s hard.”

“Close to home?”

“Yes. My parents were married for thirty-five years- owned their house, fully grown kids, perfect example of a good relationship and they decided to just- get divorced a few months ago, out of nowhere. I mean clearly it wasn’t out of nowhere to them, logically, but it was a shock to me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. That must be hard to come to terms with, even as an adult. Especially when it’s a surprise.”

“The irony isn’t lost on me, believe me.” He swirls his half-full coffee in the mug, a grim smile on his face as he takes another long sip. “Sometimes I feel like I’m cursed.”

“Cursed?” You say, barely louder than a whisper. You haven’t told him about your own curse- so you know he must not know the weight of using that word with you, but it slices into your chest all the same.

“Yes, not literally of course, but as if working with geasa all this time has rubbed off on me- like the magic itself has backfired on me somehow.” He takes a deep breath of air and shakes his head. “I know I’m just being dramatic. I would know if my magic was off. I was fine when they told me months ago, then- It just didn’t feel real until I went to help them pack up my childhood home this past weekend. I’ve felt down ever since.”

“I know how that feels…” You quickly course-correct. “I mean, how hard that is- packing up a place you loved like that. It’s like having to physically detach from part of yourself.” 

“From such a heartfelt description, I assume you’ve had to as well?”

“Yeah. My fiance broke up with me last autumn. Lived together for years, and I was the one that moved out- That’s how I ended up opening shop here.”

“I’m so sorry.” Carlyle says, genuine concern in his voice. ”That must have been incredibly hard for you.”

“It was… But it’s in the past.” You lie with a sad smile. Maybe sometime soon, you’ll manage to convince yourself…

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not.” It’s bad enough feeling like that loss will swallow you whole at any moment. It’s only even more mortifying to be reopening the wound once again in front of the handsome regular you’re crushing on.

Carlyle nods, clearly intrigued but not pushing you for any more information. There is a short, surprisingly comfortable stretch of you both sitting in relative silence apart from the rain pattering on the shop window and the low background music of the shop. 

Carlyle finally clears his throat.

“At least there’s always coffee,” He sighs in catharsis. 

“True. In your favorite mug, at that.” You chuckle, eyes resting on the familiar lettering. Strangely, seeing it in Carlyle’s hands, it doesn’t fill you with nearly the same heart wrenching sadness as it used to.

“I hope you don’t find it tasteless that I’ve claimed it, given what sounds like the painful context.”

“Ah, no, not at all- If anything, it’s making me feel a lot better about the whole thing.”

“I’m just saying- he can’t change his mind and come back for it now.” Carlyle smiles at you from behind the cup. “I’ve become very attached.”

You somehow manage to speak through your flustered laughter and your heart trying to race out of your chest.

“Haha- I don’t think you have to worry much about that…”

>> ✨ MASTERLIST

[duckprintspress]

Fandom Lexicon: Numbers and Characters

So far, we don’t have many entries that start with not-a-letter, and they all open with brackets, but nonetheless, here we are: the final installment of our main Fandom Lexicon!

View the Fandom Lexicon!

Notice an omission? Think we made a mistake? Let us know!

Lexicon Entries Beginning with Non-Letters: (read more)

[Character A] & [Character B]: When referring to a fanwork, using an ampersand between the names of the characters means the characters are being portrayed as in a platonic relationship, usually as friends, found family, or family. May include more than two characters.

[Character A] x [Character B]: see [Character A]/[Character B]

[Character A]/[Character B]: When referring to a fanwork, using a slash between the names of the characters means the characters are being “shipped,” or portrayed as being in a non-platonic relationship with each other, usually a romantic or sexual relationship. May include more than two characters. Note that characters in a QPR may be an exception, and sometimes characters in QPRs (which are neither romantic nor sexual) may still be listed with a slash between their names.

[Character’s] A+ Parenting: The character in question is a terrible parent and is shown being a terrible parent. Usually used as a tag, especially on AO3.

[Character] x Reader: When referring to a fanwork, the character is portrayed as being in a romantic relationship with the person reading the fanfiction. These stories are usually written in the second person, will often specify the gender and sometimes the sexuality or romanticism of the reader, and will use a place holder (often y/n – “your name”) to refer to the reader. May include more than one character. Sometimes referred to as a genre as “x Reader” works.

[Gender]/[Gender]: Indicates the genders of characters in a relationship in a fanwork. May include more than two characters. The genders are usually given as abbreviations. The most common are: m = male; f = female; nb = non-binary.

[Sexuality/Romanticism/Gender] Spec: Shortened form of “[sexuality/romanticism/gender] spectrum.” A term used to say that a person or character is on the spectrum for the sexuality/romanticism/gender specified. For example, if someone is “arospec,” it means they feel that they are aromantic to some degree, as they are on the spectrum of identities that fall under the umbrella of aromanticism.

[Tag] for TS: Abbreviation for “[tag] for tumblr saviour.” A tagging protocol related to a browser extension, Tumblr Saviour, that made Tumblr more usable for some people. Most people no longer use browser extensions to filter in this way because Tumblr introduced an internal tag-filtering system.

[Thing]-coded: A person or thing that shares certain core element(s) with the “thing” in the brackets, but is not actually that thing. For example, if a media is queer-coded, it has implied or subtextual queer content but nothing explicit/textual.

[Thing]blr: Refers to the blogs/community on Tumblr that focuses on [Thing]. Typically used to differentiate what’s happening inside that sphere of interest (the thing, on Tumblr) from everything outside it (anything else, any location other than Tumblr). These tags also enable people interested in these communities to find more, while those not interested in them can ignore or blacklist. For example: writeblr (used by writers), momblr (used by moms), lawblr (used by lawyers), etc.

[Thing]core: Used when the target’s aesthetic is focused on [Thing]. Example: “That house is Deancore” = that house looks like Dean lives in it. Also commonly used for genres, such as “cottagecore” as a term that means something is cozy and fits with a cottage aesthetic.

[Thing]punk: A fiction genre featuring counterculture protagonists in an (often, but not always) anachronistic world dominated by a specific type of technology that operates based on [thing]. For example, cyberpunk, steampunk, aetherpunk, etc.

[Thing]sona: Originally coined as the term “fursona” in furry communities, the term has gotten genericized to apply to alternate versions of a persons persona/how they project themselves. Fursona, or a version of a person where they are combined with an animal(s) of their choice, is still the most common usage, but other terms such as worksona (the person we project as ourselves while at our job) and similar usages have come into use.

[pathos-logical]

i would like to hear about the and per se ands! personally a big fan of the E with a line in the middle variety

Hello anon!! Thank you for being so patient with me while I waited to find the time to respond!! (Here's the context for this incredibly sweet ask, since it was sent two days ago and y'all might've missed the post)

Basically: the English alphabet is chock-full of the ghosts of dropped letters, and one of those letters, improbably to modern speakers and readers of the language, is the twisty but understated ampersand (& <- this guy)!! The modern English alphabet is the product of the Germanic language Old English and Latin, and it's undergone a lot of work: for example, letters like thorn (þ) and wynn (ƿ)—respectively the "th" sound in "that" and what later became "w"—phased out over time while "j" and "u" were relatively late additions

The ampersand has existed since 1 CE, where Roman scribes combined the letters of "et," the Latin word for "and," to form the ligature (a character formed by two combined letters!) which morphed into today's typographical ampersand! (Anon's favored ampersand reflects this origin!! Personally, though, I prefer the one you get on your keyboard :) )

The end point of this is relatively simple, but I honestly just couldn't resist throwing in the thorn and some historical context for fun :) Ampersands were considered by some sources* part of the alphabet into the early 19th century, and the alphabet song ended as X, Y, Z, &."

But that would've sounded weird out loud, right? So this was remedied with... more Latin! "Per se" is a Latin phrase which means "by itself," so people said "and per se and" to distinguish that they meant the character "&" itself! Over time, the words blurred together to make a new one: "ampersand," which became the name for our storied ligature! I hope you all enjoyed me getting way way too excited about what I could have easily boiled down to two sentences and chose not to <3

*I say "by some sources" because everything I cited was exceedingly vague about when the ampersand STOPPED being included in the alphabet, or even how common this was as a practice—and I do doubt it was widely regarded as an actual letter, since to my understanding it doesn't fit the dictionary definition of a letter at all. Always be wary of a good story, folks, especially a linguistics one!

Any inaccuracies here are solely my own!! I used these sources to fact-check myself and learned a bunch! I could've sworn I initially learned about this on a site like aeon.co with a fun narration style, but now that I think about it, it sounds exactly right to fifth-grade me to have learned about ampersands having once belonged to the alphabet from a dictionary.com article. Hm.

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Bonus: I found this article as soon as I finished typing this up, and it exactly fits the bill of what I mentioned above, not to mention includes a diagram for the evolution of the &!

[altschmerzes]

hello! what is a line that makes a romantic fic from gen and does queerplatonic fics count as not gen?

hey hey!! so this is just the opinion of One Guy Online but: the line is the intent of the writer. did the writer mean for the feelings and actions in it to be romantic? if yes, then it’s romantic. if no, then it’s not.

just like real human relationships, there is no arbitrary like, this type of action is in This type of relationship! there's more popular trends, but at the end of the day it's the Intent of the parties involved that dictate what type of action or sentiment it is. and in this case, the intent of the creator. even if there isn’t an active romantic relationship or it’s unfulfilled or whatever, it’s about the intent, the purpose of the feelings and actions.

and yeah queerplatonic fics are gen in my eyes! by the definition of the ao3 categories it’s fic that doesn’t prominently feature romance and/or sex so i suppose if it’s about a qpr that includes sex - which some do! - it would no longer be gen but that’s like. a personal line thing, i think. tagging qpr fic is tricky but i err on the side of gen because that’s my intent with reading/writing it - like whatever’s going on here it is absolutely not romantic. i use ampersand (&) tagging and specify in the additional tags it’s ‘queerplatonic x & y’.

and im sure i miss good qpr fic because it’s marked as ship fic or / tagged but unfortunately being someone who has to filter for being intensely romance repulsed, that’s just. how it’s gotta be. fandom language and culture and practices are like. vehemently amatonormative and navigating that as an aromantic fic writer and reader gets really tricky - especially with the romance repulsion factored in. that perspective impacts a lot of how i feel and think about tagging fic. like - what are people searching this tag gonna be looking for and hoping to find and what are they hoping to avoid by filtering other tags OUT.

[babblingeccentric]

If we're talking tag manners I have one thing to say for Tumblr writers- only tag an x reader as "(character) x reader" if the story contains or sets up a romantic relationship btwn (character) and reader. I see people tagging sometimes for every character the reader interacts with and that's not what the tag means and is technically tag spam.

AO3 differentiates platonic relationships by using an ampersand so if the story is about them being siblings or bffs or whatever it would be (character) & reader. It hasn't really spread over here but platonic reader inserts aren't really common enough to cause problems

ALSO tagging your works with characters or relationships that are clearly not in it IS SPAM and you WILL get reported for it. The tag system is one of the things that makes Tumblr the site that it is, don't ruin it.

[dominiquewritesthings]

How I Set Up My Scenes - 2022 Update

This is how I set up my scenes. Hopefully, this is helpful if you're struggling to create a consistent routine. 

1. Backgrounds and Overlays - This is pretty self-explanatory. If you need help trying to remember which backgrounds apply to which places, make a master google doc for yourself.  It could help speed up the writing process. If not, I personally title my background the name of the place, and the story title. 

2. Add music - I always try to make music fit the dialogue or vibe of the scene but sometimes it doesn't always work. It can only help to re-read the chapter before you publish to make sure it works. 

3. Reset Speech bubbles - If you spot direct speech bubbles, you should always start a scene by resetting the speech bubbles so you can properly direct them later, and if you forget to, it won't mess up your readers too much. 

4. Zoom Reset - Same as the speech bubbles, if you direct with zooms you should always start a scene with zoom reset so you do not mess up directing later on. 

5. Add Characters - Before I start directing, I always start with a basic code like (@CHAR stands screen left in zone #) to get an idea of where I want them. Then, when I preview I start placing them and writing the code down into the portal. This way, when I have a lot of characters (especially extras), it's easy to see how many I have left to spot. 

6. Directing Overlays - Here is when I direct all of the overlays. I add details like the opacity of the overlay, whether or not it's rotating, and add the x y z coordinates. I recently started making sure all of my overlays start at opacity 0, so when it's time to use them I only need to change the opacity. 

7. Adding Animations - The last thing I want is a boring, static scene, so to avoid this I try to add a lot of animations in the background or make characters move while someone else is talking. Not only that, but sometimes I add animations before the transition with an ampersand so the scene is dynamic from start to finish.

8. Add Transitions - I don't add transitions if there is no time passing between the last and current scene, but if there is I tend to always do a fade-in or out transition in black and .5 seconds. If it's a flashback, I do a white transition. 

[dontsh0vethesun]

I posted 4,801 times in 2022

That's 4,528 more posts than 2021!

851 posts created (18%)

3,950 posts reblogged (82%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@impala67-aka-baby

@danveration

@5raysofsunshine

@rainbows-ampersand-sunshine

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

little dove

kinktober 2022 masterlist | monstober 2022 masterlist

stepmom!wanda maximoff x virgin!reader

18+ : corruption, pervy!wanda, slight dubcon, forced kissing, loss of innocence, stepcest, implied age gap, fingering (r!receiving), possessiveness, mommy kink

You were no stranger to the beauty that your stepmother displays, long hair always perfect, button nose and glinting emerald eyes. And you were used to the way she sits so close to you, lingering touches even when you’re not alone, a darkened look in her eye that you couldn’t figure out.

She was affectionate, you’ve known that for a while. Like that time she accidentally walked in on you changing when you were 17 - she was only bringing you the clothes she’d so kindly laundered for you. Or when she shut the door to the bathroom whilst you were showering, saying you must’ve accidentally left it ajar. She was only ever looking out for you.

Long hugs were her way of showing you she cared for you, firm eye contact when she pulls away and a caring stroke of her thumb over your cheek. And that time she bought you lingerie, saying a 19 year old girl should have some, it was a gift she was kind enough to spend money on. She’d nodded in reassurance when you stripped in front of her and her hands musingly stroked over your skin.

You looked to her nervously but she only nodded. “Carry on, baby. You’re my stepdaughter, it’s fine - this is how I show how I care for you okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Wanda.” You’d smiled and she’d complimented your lace underwear covered body, barely taking her eyes off you.

She sat beside you on the sofa after fetching you both a glass of wine, her knee nudged against yours and you could smell her perfume from her closeness, you both sipped on the earthy liquid in comfortable company.

“So, do you have any plans this weekend?” She asked you with a smile.

“Yes actually. I, um, I have a date.” You missed the tight clenching of her jaw at your answer and the angered heating of her cheeks.

“Oh, you do?”

“Yeah, y’know Carol? She asked me out last week.” She loved the sight of your grin but the contrasting anger waged a war in her stomach, tightening, forcing herself to not let the acid drip from her tongue.

“Where’re you going?”

“Just to see a movie - I’m really nervous. I’ve never been on a date before. I’ve not even had my first kiss yet.”

“Oh I know, honey.” She cooed with a rub of your arm and a gentle smile.

“I just don’t wanna be bad at it. I don’t even know the first thing about sleeping with another person.” You added shyly. “I just-“

You were cut off by hands holding either side of your face and Wanda’s lips crashing into yours. You yelped at the sudden action, lips unmoving against her harsh ones until you pushed her away.

“Wanda. What’re you doing? We can't do this - it's not right.” You rushed out, unable to move yourself free of her tight grasp on your waist.

“C’mon, honey. I can teach you.” She breathed and you felt her lips ghost over yours with her words before you closed the space. Your lips melded with hers tentatively, curiously with slow movements you’d only seen in movies.

Your hands awkwardly rested on her hips whilst hers cupped your face, holding the back of your head to keep you close. You sighed into her mouth when she pulled away with a bite to your bottom lip, a sound that surprised you both.

“Don’t be shy, sweet girl.” Wanda reassured you when you ducked your head to hide your face, a finger beneath your chin brought you back. “You're doing so good.”

This time when she kissed you it was harsher, you kept up with the pace she set, passionate movements of soft lips against one another. Her tongue pushed into your mouth, nudging against yours deliciously and you instinctively pulled her ever closer, feeling her mouth curve into a smile at the action.

Everything was growing more hungry and Wanda pulled you onto her lap, your knees planted into the sofa cushions either side of her thighs and your arms draped over her shoulders. You’d never felt this hot feeling before, where your skin is warm and flushed and your belly swarmed with a twinge you’ve not yet known.

She pulled you against her by your hips so your chest pressed against hers, you felt yourself grow even warmer at the feeling of her hardened nipples poking through her t-shirt and the tiniest moan at the back of her throat when you instinctively clutched at her hair in your fist.

You only parted to catch your breath with Wanda looking up at you with a darkened gaze you’d never noticed before, hooded eyelids and parted swollen lips. Heat was growing between your legs and you subconsciously bucked your hips into hers when she planted a kiss to your neck, her teeth sank into the flesh with a suck, soothing the bite with a lick of her tongue.

Whilst she kissed across your throat your head leaned back in pleasure and your hands wandered over her waist, she revelled in the feeling - Wanda had wanted to get her hands on you for years.

She’d wanted to ruin you, dirty you to anyone else before they could get to you. She wanted to be the one to fuck you first, to show you how good you can feel and anybody after her could never compare. She saw how pure you were, she knew you’d never been kissed, never been fucked - never even fucked yourself on your fingers. You were a clean slate, pure and untouched and Wanda was desperate to turn you into the slut she wants you to be. To have you whining underneath her, begging her to fuck you.

She nudged your hand upwards and when you nervously stilled your touch she placed it onto her breast herself.

See the full post

1,052 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#4

summer heat - robin buckley

masterlists

Pairing - Robin Buckley x Reader

Summary - You and your girlfriend, Robin, have the house to yourself for the weekend. It's unbearably hot in the Indiana summer so what better way to combat the heat in the arms of the one you love...with an ice cube?

18+ :smut; ice play, sensation play, fingering etc - no pronouns used but reader is afab

Word Count - 2287

You flopped down onto your bed with a sigh, groaning out at the heat whilst Robin just chuckled at your frustration, shutting the door behind her and leaving your drinks on the side.

“It’s too hot, I might perish in the heat.” You sighed dramatically, pretending to faint much to your girlfriend’s amusement. 

“Oh dear, whatever would I do?” She mocked, kicking her shoes off and casually pulling her shirt over her head before tossing it aside. If you weren’t already hotter than hot your cheeks would surely be burning at the sight; her red bra was a stark contrast against her skin and her chest shone with a light coating of sweat. 

She threw herself onto the bed beside you, blowing away some of the hair that fell onto her face as you both just tried to cool down. 

The sun was shining down, the humid air sticky against your skin and you’d made the unwise decision to trek out for ice cream and slushies. By the time you got there sweat had coated your skin, foreheads slick with the salty drops and your face no doubt looking a mess. You’d found a tiny slice of shade on the street outside so decided to drink them there, mouths turning blue with the artificial raspberry flavour. You bought the largest sizes of cola you could find and somehow made it back to your home before the ice cubes melted and left you with watered down drinks. 

“I think I might melt. Would you still love me if I was a puddle?” You pouted, smiling at the sound of her laugh beside you.

“You are so dramatic, babe.” She grinned. “Of course I would.” She added at the sight of your face, looking at her expectantly with wide eyes. “Why don’t you take this off?” She asked you, pulling at the hem of your t-shirt, letting her fingers trace over the skin of your hip.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” You huffed, reluctantly sitting up to pull it over your head before flopping back down. “Perv.” You muttered after seeing her eyes graze over your body whilst she nodded.

“I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to look at what’s mine.” She smirked, rolling onto her side and softly dragging her nails over the skin of your torso leaving goosebumps in their wake. She leant forward to press a kiss to your shoulder before moving over to your chest, skin warm against her lips.

Your hand found the back of her head, tangling in the soft hair as you pulled her face to yours. You could taste the cola on her mouth as her lips moved against yours, that perfect feeling as her palm cupped your cheek, her hot fingers stroking over your hot cheek. She moved over to straddle your hips with your face between her hands and her tongue swiping across your lip.

Her tongue swirled with yours as she led the kiss, her bare torso pushed against yours whilst your hands roamed her back, her soft skin slightly sticky with sweat. She sighed into your mouth at the way you grabbed her ass through her shorts, faintly rocking her hips against you for any kind of friction she could find.

Her skin tingled with the way you dragged your hand down her front, unbuttoning her shorts before sliding a tentative hand down between the two of you. 

“You know better than to tease me, baby.” She panted beside your ear, biting into the flesh of your neck at the way you failed to touch her the way she needed. She pushed herself onto your hand letting your fingers find the wetness between her folds, grinding herself onto your palm as you let your fingers slide into her.

You curled them inside her in just the way she likes, just the way that pulls a small moan from her every single time. The noise always sets your skin on fire, belly twinging at the sound of her pleasure, the pleasure caused by none other than you. 

Her lips moved across your neck, tongue soothingly swiping over harsh bite marks left behind, whilst her hips moved in time with your fingers, chasing after her release. The way your bodies were melded together did little to help with the heat, with sweat easily gathering over your skin, chest prickling with the warmth that was only mirrored by the passion of your fervent actions.

Her breath was hot as it tickled your lips, her face hovering in front of yours as she gasped at the way you rubbed your thumb over her clit. And now the grinding of her hips was growing sloppy as she climbed closer and closer to the edge, her lips swollen and parted and eyelids hooded as she looked down at you.

She took your chin between her thumb and index finger, tilting your head upwards to lock her eyes with yours, getting you to watch just how good her baby makes her feel. With a final circle drawn over her bud with your thumb you felt her clench around you, her slick arousal coating your fingers as her eyes bore into yours, teeth biting down into her bottom lip to muffle the moan at the back of her throat. 

With her chest rapidly rising and falling trying to catch her breath, and the skin of her chest flushed red under a glistening of sweat, she pushed her lips to yours again in desperation, aching to touch you, to make you feel good. 

She was quick to lie you down, kissing each part of your body she could before ridding you both of any remaining clothes, and though you were totally exposed it didn’t quell the temperature dancing over your skin.

“Robin, I’m too hot.” You mumbled out through kisses against her lips and of course she just smirked down at you.

“You sure are.” She winked, holding back a giggle at the scowl you stared up at her with. “You’re right, it is too hot. I think I have an idea.” She added with a grin before kneeling up and reaching over to grab the polystyrene cup from the bedside table.

“If your idea is to pour cola on me you can just leave right now.” You uttered, mindlessly stroking over the soft skin of her thighs where they were planted either side of you.

“Don’t worry, babe.” She chuckled, taking a few sips through the straw and holding it for you whilst you did the same before peeling the lid off to drink from the cup.

You watched as she put the cup back down and turned back to you with lust filled eyes, not shying away from taking in every inch of your body. 

See the full post

1,082 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

#3

dressing room

Pairing - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary - Wanda can't wait until you're home to show you just how much she likes your new dress.

18+ : smut; semi public sex, fingering, degradation, instructed masturbation?

A/N - promise i am working on other things that i've started, i'm just so tired so everything is taking me ages :/

this is the wanda i was picturing

You weren’t looking forward to this wedding and the dress hugging your body doesn’t change that. You smoothed out the wrinkles, looking over your body in the dressing room mirror - you looked good but that didn’t change your feelings.

“How’s it going in there?” Wanda asked from outside the door with a knock.

“It’s fine, I’m gonna get this one.”

“Is that it? Just fine? You’re not gonna let me see?”

“You can see it when I wear it, Wands.”

“Please? Let me in to see it.” She whined and you unlocked the door for her to step in, eyes immediately dragging over your body with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “You are gonna be the hottest bridesmaid at the entire wedding.”

“Can you unzip it for me?” You asked her, turning your back to her but her hands slid over your waist instead, shivers through your body at her touch. She stepped closer to you until your back was flush against her and her lips ghosted your neck.

“Mm mm.” She shook her head, locking eyes with you in the mirror as she pressed a kiss to your shoulder. “Look at how pretty you look.” She muttered, kissing her way up your neck, nipping at the skin slightly.

Your head fell back to rest on her shoulder with a sigh at the feeling of her lips on your skin and her hands on your thighs, slowly inching the dress further up your legs.

“Wanda, we shouldn’t.” You whispered.

“I think we should.”

“Not here.”

“But you look so pretty. C’mon, let me show you how pretty I think you look.” Wanda returned, bunching the dress up at your hips and pressing her hand into your clothed cunt. “Aw, and you’re so wet for me already. It’d be a shame for it to go to waste, hm?”

Fuck, you really shouldn’t but she’s so hard to resist and her lips taste so sweet when you pull them to yours, her eager and hungry teeth clashing into yours as she kisses you. Her tongue pushed past your lips, holding all power over yours in her bruising kiss, her roaming hands squeezed at your thighs, nails digging into the flesh making you sigh into her mouth.  

She pulled away breathlessly with pink lips and darkened eyes, guiding you backwards until her surprisingly strong arms span you to face the mirror. She nudged your legs apart with a kick of her foot into your ankle making you stumble, flattening your palms on the wall in front of you to catch yourself.

You caught her smug look behind you in the mirror, her lip caught between her teeth with your ass brushing against her where you were bent over slightly. There was no gentleness in the way she raked her nails over the skin of your thighs, pushing the dress up until you were on show for her, just your underwear that were growing wetter by the second between her and what she wanted. 

“I knew you wanted me. Just fucking soaked and waiting for me to fuck you like the little slut you are, hm?” She muttered, smirking at the reflection of your sheepish face before pulling at the material of your underwear with such force they ripped from your body. You sighed at the action, this animalistic desperation she has when it comes to you never fails to make your body heat up. 

She wasted little time before she slid her fingers through your folds, humming at the wetness she found, musingly rubbing over your clit with all the practiced skill she had; your hips twitched at the way her fingers danced over your bud until they stroked through your slit, pushing into your pussy effortlessly. You had to bite back a moan at the sudden intrusion.

Wanda’s digits slid into you with a curl, hitting the spot that she knows makes your breath shudder whilst her other hand reached round to palm at your breast through your dress, pinching and squeezing your nipple through the fabric. She stood close behind you with the rough material of her jeans brushing against your skin and her breath on your neck when she kissed you.

Her hand made its way up to your face, holding your jaw between strong fingers. “Look at me while I fuck you.” She breathed, lusting eyes staring intently into yours over your shoulder in your reflection. You could see the satisfied upturn to her lips when moans threatened to echo into the room with your hand slapping to your mouth to muffle them.

“Fuck Wanda.” You whispered through heavy breaths, moving your hips with the rhythm of her fingers in a chase for your climax, fucking yourself onto her hand desperately. Her gaze never broke away from yours when it turned mischievous and she grabbed the hand that covered your mouth. She only smiled in the mirror as she guided your hand down to your own pussy, pushing it into you.

“If you think I need your help, help.” She spoke. “Touch yourself.” She muttered, slowing the thrusts of her fingers into you as yours toyed with your clit, aching and swollen. “Try and be quiet now without a hand to cover your mouth - fucking needy slut.” 

You rubbed over your clit as she continued to fuck her fingers into you and your legs began to shake from your soon approaching orgasm, your eyes squeezed closed and your lips fell open.

“Eyes. Open.” She growled, staring into them when you obeyed. The look in her eyes was enough to pull you over the edge, cumming onto her fingers until it dripped down to her knuckles, your hot forehead pressed against the mirror with your teeth biting into your bottom lip to quell the grunt at the back of your throat. 

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1,391 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

#2

for i have sinned

masterlist

Pairing - priest!wanda maximoff x reader

18+ : dubcon, religious language used in and out of sex, smut; degradation, rough sex and kissing, strap use(r receiving), blood kink, cutting (wanda to r), sacrilegious asf tbh, dom!wanda

A/N - catholic school trauma said i had to write this and also photoshop priest!wanda so that’s an extra little gift

A job at the catholic church was not what you’d originally planned for your summer break from university, waiting tables or serving behind a bar was what you had in mind but this was all you could find. And money is money.

So now you’re finding yourself making copies of fliers for the church, leaning against the wall with the whirring of the printer as background noise. You didn’t necessarily believe in this stuff but putting ‘atheist’ on your application wouldn’t have done you any favours so within the hours of nine and five you’re catholic through and through. 

It was only your first week and it’s already getting boring. The smell of the candles burns your nose and the polish they use on the pews makes you cough but at least you don’t have to sit through services and mass.

“Afternoon, Y/N.” Wanda smiled as she walked in.

“Hi, Wanda.” You returned.

“Mass starts in twenty minutes - all staff are expected to attend. I wasn’t sure if you knew so I thought I’d tell you.” You did not fucking know at all, you’d had enough of sitting through masses during your catholic school days and it took so much effort to hold back the grimace fighting its way to the surface.

“Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

“No worries. They’re big on Latin here, so I’d brush up on that if I were you.” She added. “I could always help you if you want.”

“That’d be great, thank you.” You smiled as she left with a nod. She’s too sweet for you to turn down, always smiling and softly spoken, going out of her way to help anybody and everybody. Everyone who steps foot in the church knows how nice she is, such gentle innocence and light radiates from her.

You made sure to drink another coffee before the service, you were going to need it if you didn’t want to doze off.

—

The last few weeks have been spent printing flyers, drinking crappy coffee, learning Latin with Wanda whilst trying not to stare at her unimaginable beauty and sitting in on sermons. At least when Wanda gives them you can watch her speak, white clerical collar around her neck, black blouse hanging over her body.

Her hands made gestures with her words, fingers dancing through the air, svelte and adorning a couple of rings. Her voice was soft as her eyes gazed over the crowd and although the lilt to her voice was melodic, you tuned her words out, instead flitting your eyes between her and the stained glass windows beside you.

“For this is the will of god, your sanctification; that you abstain from sexual immorailty; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honour, not in the passion of lust like the gentiles who do not know god.”

Her words barely registered as you just pulled at a loose thread on your sleeve, eyes mindlessly trailing over her body; up her long legs clothed beneath trousers, boots partly covered by them. 

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

She could tell you weren’t paying proper attention when she caught sight of you at the back of the church where you sat alone, a bored look plastered over your face. She wasn’t surprised, she sees you fighting back yawns any time you attend a service, she catches you stealing glances at her during your tutoring sessions.

She was aching to do something about it. It goes against her own life, her entire life and vocation she’s built. But she’d be helping though, right? Doing the lord’s work. You were a stain, dirty and sinful, desperately in need of purity. It was her calling to erase the tarnish within your soul.

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”

She glanced at you and licked her lips, she can’t wait to set you on the right path. Her hand gripped tightly onto the missal stand as she flicked pages, clenching her jaw at your obvious inattention and sending a sickly sweet smile your way when you glanced up. 

—

“Okay, repeat that back to me.” Wanda spoke from beside you, she sat next to you at the table in the break room where she’d been helping you with your Latin, chin resting in the palm of her hand as she watched you.

“Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus.” You returned, returning the radiant smile she gave you. (Outside the Church there is no salvation)

“Good girl.” She knew that would make you nervously clear your throat the way you did and she didn’t even bother hiding the smug smirk that tugged her lips upwards. “Try this one. Nitimur in vetitum.”

You repeated the phrase as best you could, basking in the praise she sent your way. “What does it mean?” You asked her and watched as she inched closer with eyes darker than you’d ever seen them and her hand trailing over your thigh beneath the table. You wanted to move away, you knew this was wrong but you couldn’t ignore the shivers sent through you at her touch.

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1,553 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Better Boyfriend Than Him

masterlists

A/N - had to jump on the bandwagon and base a one shot on Boyfriend by Dove Cameron

Pairing - Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary - Bruce left Natasha sitting alone at a Stark party so you decided to show her how she truly deserves to be treated.

18+ :smut; cheating, degradation, choking, slight exhibitionism, praise, daddy kink, strapon (r!receiving), biting ig

Word Count - 2116

You sipped on your drink, some kind of fruity cocktail, alcohol tingling your throat as you swallowed it down. Your eyes grazed over the crowd from where you were perched on a stool at the bar; eyeing Wanda laughing with Pietro and Sam, Steve and Bucky sitting across from them too. You saw Tony and Bruce talking animatedly with some serious looking men in suits, your eyebrows furrowed when you realised Bruce had been with Tony the past few hours, not with Natasha.

You shook your head at his negligence, how could somebody like him take somebody like Natasha for granted?

You searched over the bustling hall of people, some dancing, some chatting cradling tumblers of whiskey over ice; squinting your eyes slightly until you found her. A bored look across her features as she mindlessly scrolled through her phone, her other hand supporting a glass as it balanced on her knee. She looked simply magnificent, wine red blazer with matching trousers, one leg crossed over the other, a white button up shirt hugging her figure. You could see the light reflecting off her necklace against her chest, the warm glow of light bouncing off her smooth skin in such a beautiful way.

Wanda gave you a knowing smirk as she watched you approach Natasha, knowing of the crush you'd been harbouring for a while. It was a common occurrence for the pair of you to talk about her and Bruce's relationship, how he doesn't deserve her - she often mentions the loud thoughts she has accidentally heard running around the redhead's mind. Thoughts of you and what she longed to do with you, if only she didn't have Bruce.

It was knowledge of this that gave you the confidence to approach her tonight, plopping down beside her on the sofa. She quickly shut off her phone to bring her attention to you, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"Hey, Nat." You smiled, taken aback slightly at her appearance up close, the red shade of her jacket perfect against her skin. Auburn hair resting on her shoulders in loose waves.

"Hey. Enjoying the party?" She smiled back, you could see the aggravation behind it though, annoyed at the absence of her boyfriend.

"It's alright, you?"

"Having a blast." She deadpanned, sipping the remnants of the brown liquid from her glass, ice clinking against the side as she did so. You hummed at her statement.

"I could see. You've been on your own all night."

"Well, Bruce has been busy talking science." She shrugged and it irked you to see her try and defend his behaviour.

"You deserve better than Bruce." You huffed, both of you slightly shocked at your words, you hadn't expected yourself to be so forthright. Luckily she wasn't annoyed, rather amused with a smirk forming.

"I guess I do." She shrugged leaning closer to you, her leg brushing against yours at her proximity. "Who do you have in mind?" She asked, eyes gazing over the crowds as though looking for somebody to choose, teasingly.

"I could be a better boyfriend than him." You whispered, hearing a low groan at the back of her throat as she seemingly mulled over your statement.

"We shouldn't." She stood up and began walking to the doorway behind you. You followed her, of course, grabbing her wrist just as she stepped into the hallway causing her to whip round to face you. An unreadable expression, eyes darting over your face before she grabbed your face between her hands, tugging it to hers.

Her lips tasted faintly like whiskey, warm against yours as they moved together. She guided your bodies backwards to be out of sight of the party goers, her lips never left yours until she pushed your back against the corridor wall. Her kisses continued down to your jaw, sucking at the flesh of your neck whilst your hands roamed her waist, her body feeling perfect under your touch.

She nipped at your bottom lip, the gasp it elicited posing as ample opportunity for her tongue to slip into your mouth, swirling with yours as you kissed. Her hips pushed into yours as the kiss grew heavier trapping you between her body and the wall, not that you minded.

Her fingers gripped one of your hands that lay on her waist guiding it to the waistband of her trousers, pulling back with heavy breaths, eyes a darkened hue as she undid the button. Her eyes bore into yours as she inched your hand down, fingertips brushing against the hem of her underwear.

"Nat, here?" You breathed out, looking around the empty hallway, the noise of the party in just the next room filling the air.

"Mhm, make daddy feel good baby." She rasped, looking to you to make sure you were on board, the name she used only made the heat course further through you. She sighed into your mouth when your fingers slipped down further making contact with the wetness between her folds.

Your fingertips collected some of her arousal before rubbing over her clit, neither of you caring in that moment if somebody were to walk out and see, both you even going so far as to hope Bruce might wander out. You could only smirk at the thought whilst her tongue licked over a harsh bite to your collarbone, a way to muffle the moan at the back of her throat.

She squeezed a handful of your hair into her fist as your movements continued, pleasure building, hips rocking into yours slightly as she grew nearer to her release. You'd only ever imagined how she would sound coming undone by your hand and as cliche as it sounds, it was music to your ears. A deep groan with shuddered breaths against the shell of your ear, scalp being tugged with how her hand clenched down onto your hair and her body falling into yours.

"Such a good girl, hm?" She panted out, placing kisses along your throat before quickly pulling you along - you both wanted more.

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1,717 notes - Posted February 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kaydeefalls]

@andrea-lyn​ tagged me in this one, thank you! I needed a distraction today. :)

20 questions, writer’s edition!

How many works do you have on AO3?

205, which includes fic going back to, um, 2002. YIKES. That’s just about twenty solid years of my life in fic-and-vid form.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,193,124. I remember being privately psyched about hitting the 1 million mark last year, and now I’ve just...blown past it, by my standards. I have written a lot more words for TOG fandom in the past year and change than I have for anything else in quite a while.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Ah, let me see if I can do this math, because I also post vids on AO3 and I have a number of multifandom vids that skew my fandom totals significantly, and then there are the fandoms that wound up with multiple different tags (i.e. MCU vs. Captain America vs. Iron Man, etc). I think about 40 unique fandoms total? Or thereabouts. Enough that I’m not gonna list them all here, that’s for sure.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Logical Deduction (HP, Remus/Sirius, it will never not be hilarious that this is my most “popular” fic)

it's like one of us woke up (XMFC, Charles/Erik, still baffled by this one, too)

she's the one that they call old whatsername (Star Trek AOS, girl!Kirk, fuck yeah)

life is very long (TOG, Joe/Nicky + found family, luck of the timing in terms of posting)

ampersand (MCU, Steve/Bucky, this one pleases me)

I’m genuinely happy that my top five are in five different fandoms, that feels very representative of my fannish history.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes, always, unless I accidentally miss one. Just to thank them, if nothing else (and frequently I can’t think of anything else to say), because feedback really does mean the world to me and I appreciate every comment so, co much.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I was more into writing angst in my younger days. Lately I feel like the world is depressing enough, if I’m going to put a story out into it I’m at least gonna give it a hopeful ending. So, probably one of my Remus/Sirius fics - let’s go with The centre cannot hold. IDK. Not really willing to trawl through my oldest stuff to find something angstier.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Most of them, honestly! I love happy endings. Picking The Pride Pact at random because it’s one of my most uncomplicatedly romantic/fluffy fics.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

WHY YES I DO. Mostly of the fusion sort rather than just randomly throwing characters from two different fandoms together to see what happens. “Crazy” is not my favorite term -- I don’t write crackfic, as a rule -- but most RANDOM on the outside is probably The Conspirator's Gift. X-Men fusion with the Brother Cadfael series, because...reasons. 

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not as such, and I’m incredibly lucky to have dodged that particular bullet so far. Harsh and not terribly constructive criticism, once or twice that I can remember, but I would not consider that hate.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Very, very, very rarely. My characters have sex, but not explicitly described onscreen for the most part. I don’t enjoy writing smut at ALL, it’s pretty much my least favorite thing to write (that I’m still willing to write at all, however vaguely).

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! It’s awesome.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, never. I have no idea how people come together to cowrite fics, I’ve never had fannish friends quite like that. It seems like a really cool process! Maybe someday I’ll have the opportunity, it would be fun to give it a try.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

That’s not how I work. I may only OTP hard for one ship per fandom, but never ask me to rank my fandoms against each other, that’s not fair. Right now I’d say Joe/Nicky, of course, because that’s the fandom I’m most active in, but all time favorite? God only knows. 

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Don’t you come at me like this. Fortunately, I rarely post WIPs when they’re still, you know, in progress. And I WILL fucking finish the Finn/Poe fic, goddamnit.

What are your writing strengths?

Character voices. Coherent plots. Bit of romance. IDK, I feel like my fics are pretty consistent in terms of quality. Whether it’s a quality you like or not is purely subjective.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut. Action sequences in general -- I CAN write them, but they’re a slog and I hate every minute of it.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It really does depend on the context. If the character is mostly speaking one language but includes a single word or phrase in another, I lean toward writing it out. Otherwise, just indicating that a different language is being spoken is enough, if the POV character understands it then please translate for the reader. 

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

X-Files. I was very young then. Those fics are NOT on AO3.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I hate playing favorites! The answer to this will change at any given moment. For the moment, for TOG, let’s just say lessons exquisitely crafted and move on.

Tagging, um, @knoepfchen, @werebearbearbar, @turtletotem, @ladynox, @brendaonao3, @lindstrom2020, @lyricfulloflight, and anyone who wants to play!

[sunnyteacups]

This morning I decided to do something a little out of character for me and I meandered my way into the Sam/Nat tags on Ao3. This was mostly bc of this really beautifully written Sambuckysteve fic with past Sam/Nat in it and I thought wow! I need more of this! This is beautiful! So I looked and first of all i did the thing where u can search for relationship tags and the suggestions were interesting. There was obviously the SamSteve and Sambucky and the expected Sam x reader but then we get into to the 👀 what did I just see category. And I don't mean to yuck anyone's yum but someone tell me why the fuck there's a Sam/Hermione Granger tag??? Not a fucking ampersand, a SLASH!!! What!!!???? I'm also pretty sure I saw a Sam/Loki/Thanos fic but I'm pretty sure I blacked out at that point.

Anyways moving on to my original point. There should be more SamNat content!!! Like healthy SamNat content where they are the focus and not just the background of a St*cky fic. Also I feel like a lot of ppl forget that Sam not only lost Steve but Nat too! The three of them went on the run together! Like yeah Ik ik everyone hates old man Rogers but at least he's alive maybe?? He's old ASF and wrong for not discussing the shield w/ Sam first but at least he's alive! He can be visited at the nursing home and if he does die at least they get to say goodbye! Nat died while they were dust! No goodbyes!! They were in battle in Wakanda and then they were dust and he comes back and one of his best friends ( or lover if ur hopping on this train w me) is dead!!!! How fucking sad is that!!! Like does he even know about her gravestone? Was there a funeral? Did he go? I would like to know!!! Anyways this was incredibly long I typically don't do that sorry.

[goddamnelsa]

Liz’s Top Books of 2020

blatantly stolen from @alamorn but also i wanted to feel accomplished that i did in fact read published books this year before descending entirely into mdzs/the untamed fanfiction :) :) :) :)

In two parts! Books I read that actually came out in 2020, and then honorable mentions of books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years. Enjoy!

Top Books Published in 2020 (which are not in any kind of order because I can’t like rank stuff, I’m not that kind of person)

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

What can I say except it’s N.K. Jemisin who wrote my favorite high fantasy series (The Inheritance Trilogy), won three consecutive Hugo Awards for her The Broken Earth trilogy, and she’s writing urban fantasy with Lovecraftian and superhero team flavor. I mean....obviously I was at the top of the wait list for this once my library ordered it. And it lived up to the hype!! Because of course!! It’s fabulously fast-paced with amazingly smart and interesting characters of diverse backgrounds. I kept thinking one of them was my favorite, and then another would have a great line and I would change my mind. It’s fine, they’re all technically one entity with several parts, so I can love them all and not choose (but it’s probably Bronca, let’s be real). And it’s the first of a series! And I’m counting down the days til there is more!

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

I definitely picked this up simply because Lindsay Ellis, one of my favorite video essayists, wrote it, and then ended up loving everything about it. I’m not usually one for First Contact stories, but I appreciate the very human-focused approach here, sticking solely to an ordinary girl’s perspective as she navigates being the person first in contact with a very alien alien. Cora’s attempts to humanize Ampersand are relatable, but I appreciate Ellis reminding us at almost every turn that Ampersand is super Not Human, no matter how much Cora reads into his actions. Ellis doesn’t gloss over the Science part either, especially when it comes to the race of aliens Ampersand belongs to. Again, the first of a series, and you will absolutely be screaming for the next book when this one is over.

You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria

Insert my obligatory “I don’t usually read romances blah blah blah.” Though, during lockdown, I attempted to branch out beyond my usual genres when I was attending a ton of publisher webinars about upcoming books. This one stood out to me because of its Latinx cast and the whole behind-the-scenes of a Jane The Virgin-esque show, based on a telenovela (of course). It is fantastic, a quick read with instantly likable and fun characters. And the tropes! We’re playing love interests but we have insane chemistry! A sensitive, traumatized male lead who learns to open up again! A sassy but insecure female lead who learns to let loose and love again! Hooking up, but we have to keep on the DL or else scandal! And of course, the extended families add to every scene they are in--I loved every interaction Ashton and Jasmine had with their families, it was the cherry on top of a fantastic read. Also the sex scenes are steamy. 

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

I got this graphic novel as an advanced reader copy well before it came out, and after reading it, I was sCREAMING because I couldn’t tell all my graphic novel, queer coming-of-age-with-magic loving friends to immediately pick up a copy!! So thankfully, it’s out now, so I can scream to the heavens to please read this!!! It is such a sweet story with beautiful full-color art and fantastic world-building. It has the same silly, referential humor you see in a lot of kids/YA graphic novels these days, but Beetle packs in a lot of heart as well. 

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Like many people in May/June of this year, I was reading, reading, reading a lot of books about racism from as many Black authors as I could get my hands on. There were many not published this year that should definitely be read (So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo being among the top), but this book really stuck with me because it is written specifically for a younger audience, and Jason Reynolds knows how to talk to kids about tough subjects. Stamped gets across difficult concepts like assimilationists and segregationists in an easy-to-understand, conversational style that doesn’t take away from any of the important history and nuance. This certainly is not The Book of antiracism studies, but it is a good starting point if you are daunted by lengthy title lists and aren’t sure where to begin. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, read by Reynolds himself.

(Side note: I watched this keynote address with Reynolds and Kendi which is an excellent primer into the background of how this book came to be. Reynolds is also just very interesting to listen to)

Honorable Mentions aka Books I read in 2020 that were published in previous years again, not ranked because I CAN’T, OKAY

White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

I read this book and then wanted to go back and read it immediately again, not necessarily because it was so amazing, but because I felt like I would get it even more if I did. This is a haunting little book that took turns I was not expecting, even with the book synopsis I read. It is disturbing and features descriptions of an eating disorder, so proceed with caution. However, if you like Gothic tales of haunted houses and the trauma inflicted on us by those who came before, I can’t recommend this one enough.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

My last book club read before the pandemic D: We didn’t actually get to meet to discuss this book, but my club (all librarians) were working at our emergency call center at the same time and all reading it, so we KINDA got to discuss it, if not in a formal book club setting. ANYWAY, it’s a thrilling jaunt through 1920s Mexico, following a fantastic Cinderella-esque heroine who makes a deal with a Mayan god to retrieve his body. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson-brand of mythological adventures, this is definitely one to add to your list, especially if you are looking for something a little bit more Adult.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

Okay, I know it’s a young readers/middle grade book, but HEAR ME OUT. This is whimsical and haunting tale about seven little fox kits who set out to scare themselves shitless by hearing scary tales. Only one kit will remain when the night is over, but the one who does will get to hear a surprisingly sweet, and well-earned, happy ending. If you are a Neil Gaiman-esque horror fan, I recommend picking this up. Its scares are fairly scary, especially for its audience, but it’s an engaging story about the lengths we will go for the ones we love.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Did someone say Navajo monster-hunting heroine with magic powers navigating a post-apocalyptic world, oh and also saving it??? Look, Maggie is My Kind of Hero, in that she’s damaged, she drinks too much, she’s surly, but she has a seriously gooey heart of gold underneath all that armor. Navajo mythology is woven into this tale of monster-hunting, surviving. If you’re in Supernatural-disappointment-land, maybe give this a try! It has that Western-y, road trip feel to it, and again, I love the lead character. (It also has a currently published sequel and a soon-to-be-released third book as well!)

This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This was rec’ed to me by a librarian friend, with the words, “Oh, Liz, you’ll really like this.” And she was RIGHT. Red and Blue are on opposite sides of a war waged across time and decide to send letters to each other, at first, to taunt, but then, to understand, to learn, and to love. The details of the war don’t matter much, but what does matter is the achingly beautiful poetry with which Red and Blue reveal themselves to each other. I was told to listen to this one, but I’m glad I read it myself instead. The prose is very purple at times, and I appreciated being able to go back to passages to reread again and again. Oh, and it’s queer (Red and Blue are both female), and SPOILERS SPOILERS has a happy ending. 

(also there is a wangxian remix for my mdzs buds. and also a semi-officially sanctioned fanfic sequel???? at least amal el-mohtar linked it from goodreads so whoo! also also it’s very funny)

And that’s my Year in Books 2020! Seeing it laid out like this, I had a surprisingly good year for book reading even though I felt like I barely read anything. For awhile, reading was Hard, and I just wanted to consume fluffy, sweet fanfiction, but I’m getting back into it. Oh, and please let me know if you check any of these out!

Here’s to a good year for books in 2021! ✨

[star-puff]

9, 24 and 48 for the fanfic ask game! 🤗

9. What are your favorite fanfics?

oh no sflksd i’ll list my current hq favorites that come to mind .

- ampersand by infantblue (on ao3)

you already know how much i love this monster of a fic fhsdlfksd

- the blooming, bloody sun by @sa-suga 

and again i’ve made my love for this fic Well Known by now but i literally can’t shut up about it and i Won’t, because the amount of worldbuilding and detail crafted into this world deserves So Much Love. like. all the love in the world.

- speak it free by @sa-suga

yes, another kyouka fic. surprised? you shouldn’t be!! but no yeah this fic came from her Heart and you Can Tell ughsfdhsdk it’s so good you guys. so so good. and i think everyone needs a good kiyoko x reader fic at least once in their lives. i rb’d an almost incoherent rant about this fic so if you’re interested 😀👍

- blooming day by @stelleum

tbh this fic just really hit home for me sfdfldskj. i feel like the first generation asian-american/asian-canadian experience is kind of universal all around. it’s this conflict between knowing the sacrifices your parents have made for you but at the same time you’re your Own Person and you have issues of your own and you lash out because you’re still Human, not the Perfect Child that everyone wants. there’s only 3 chapters out rn but hhh ngl every chapter made my heart ache bc of how natural it felt and how hard i related to it :’)

- literally everything by @krystallisert. i’m serious. everything. i think aj is the first person i think of when people say that fanfic authors are just as good, if not better, than the published authors out there. her voice is so sophisticated and there’s so much attention in her worldbuilding it’s like you’ve immersed yourself in this world she’s created for your entire life. she’s definitely someone i consider the Queen of AUs, from her dystopian (in defiance in defiance in defiance in defiance-) series to her “even death” series to FUCKING!! DA CAPO!!!! oh my god. anyways. she just recently posted a medieval royalty au with oikawa that i still Need To Read but i’m waiting until i have a lull in my school work so i can give it my Full Attention. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU NEED TO WAIT. GO READ IT!! it’s by aj so no doubt it’s going to be Outstanding.

24. How many WIPs (work-in-progress) do you’ve got?

uhhhh. let’s see. i have 5 wips Though Out for my main m.list. and then i have 36 from the two req events that i had set up :’’’) it’s definitely a work in progress .

48.  What is your favorite sentence that you’ve used in a fanfic?

answered here

[6rookie-writer0110]

Christmas #4

Request- Simon Spier x male reader. Headcanons or fic about his and Simon’s first Christmas?

Christmas is coming up fast and Simon kinda freaking out about it. You and Simon will celebrate Christmas together as boyfriends for the first time. Simon is overthinking what to get for you. He went to hang out with Nick and Leah, to get ideas on what to get for you.

”Ugh! I don't know what to get for Y/N” Simon said.

”Frist time spending Christmas together?” Nick asked.

”Yeah. I don't want to mess it up and get something he will hate” Simon said.

”Use your head. You spend so much time with him, you have to know something. Try to think about what he likes and buy what he doesn't have. Let's go to the mall, you might get ideas or something” Leah said.

”She is right. So are we going?” Nick said.

”It’s worth a shot,” You said.

They went to the mall with Simon, they walked around for a while helping him what to buy for you. After a while, he couldn't make up his mind. Now they are at the food court talking about random stuff.

✧ ✯ ✧ ✯ ✧ ✯ ✧ ✯

Simon picked you up in his car. He bought donuts and your favorite ice coffee drink. You and Simon will go watch the Christmas Tree Light Show.

”My parents want you to come over for Christmas so you can meet everyone in my family,” Simon said.

”So, it's a party?” You asked and you drink your coffee.

He nods.

”Yeah. So... Do you want to come over?” Simon asked.

”Yeah, and I like your parents. I'm excited that we will spend our first Christmas together” You said.

”Yeah! Me too. There so many things I want to do today. Now that we are together I can't wait to do Christmas stuff like in those cheesy movies” Simon said.

”Do you even know how to ice skate?” You asked

”No, and you have to be my teacher,” Simon said.

You and Simon laughed.

You and Simon stand in the crowd holding hands. The Christmas light show starts and it's very crowded. You and Simon take pictures together and a stranger even took the picture. Later, you and Simon went to ice skate together. Simon tries to find his balance and he won't let go of your hand. He fell down almost dragging you to the ground. You start to help him get up.

”Are you okay?” You asked.

”My butt hurts,” Simon said.

”Aww, poor baby,” You said.

You and Simon laughed. You touch his cheek and he starts to kiss you.

”Let’s skate a little more,” You said between kisses.

”Yeah,” Simon said.

After a while of teaching Simon to skate, you and Simon went to a cafe shop for a snack. You two eat cinnamon rolls and drink hot cocoa. Simon holds your hand and looks at you with heart eyes.

Simon starts to listen to you talk about Dungeons & Dragons and about your writing of your original characters. Simon doesn't know anything about Dungeons & Dragons, but he will always listen to you talk about it and ask questions.

”Do you want to wear matching ugly Christmas sweaters? We can go to the mall and buy the sweaters” Simon said.

”I was about to ask you the same thing. Let's go now before they close the stores” You said.

Simon gave you a peck on the lips. Suddenly hits him, now he knows what to buy for you for Christmas. He can't stop smiling and he can't wait for the 25th.

You and Simon went to the mall. You and Simon sat on the massage chairs and paid a dollar for ten minutes.

”Feels so good,” You said.

”Yeah, so much better now,” Simon said.

You and Simon hold hands. Later, you two went into a store and start to look at the sweaters. Minutes later, you and Simon found the perfect ugly sweaters.

Simon took you home then he went home. Now he is in his bed, buying your gifts online. He can't wait to see your face when he gives you the gifts.

”He will love it,” Simon said to himself

✧ ✯ ✧ ✯ ✧ ✯ ✧ ✯

It's Christmas Day, Simon’s family start to arrive. Simon is in his bedroom, getting ready and he is feeling excited. He puts on the ugly sweater and he starts to fix his hair. Then he puts on cologne and he smiled.

”Hey, Y/N is here. And everyone is happy to meet him” Jack said.

”Please don't show him, my baby, pictures you or mom,” Simon said.

”Well, you better go downstairs before your mom starts to take out the hot albums,” Jack said.

”Oh god,” Simon said.

Jack and Simon go downstairs. Emily has introduced you to every single family member in the house. You gave Simon a peck on the lips.

”Very cute sweaters,” Emily said.

”Thank you. Oh, Simon this your gift” You said.

You gave him the gift and you smile at him.

”Thanks, babe,” Simon said.

He puts the gift under the tree and he went to grab your gift.

”You are under the mistletoe” His cousin named Claire said.

You and Simon looked up.

”I never kissed under the mistletoe,” You said.

”Me either,” Simon said.

You kiss him and he put his hand on your chest.

You and Simon took so many pictures together. You even took pictures with his family and his mom did show you his baby pictures. You really like his baby pictures and Simon’s face is red.

After dinner and desserts, now it's time to open the presents.

”Here you can open it now,” Simon said.

You kissed his cheek and he smiled.

You start to rip the wrapping paper and you opened the box. You have a huge smile on your face and he got you, Dungeons & Dragons ampersand necklace, funko pop and D&D 7- dice set Chessex Gemini Blue-Purple with gold.

”You are the best!” You cheerfully yelled.

You hugged him tight and he kissed your temple.

”I’m glad you like it,” Simon said.

”l actually love it. Hope you will like your gift” You said.

You give him your gift and he starts to open it.

”Tickets to see Panic! At the disco” You said

”Best gift ever! I can't wait to go with you!” Simon said.

Later, you and Simon change into pajamas and cuddle in bed together. You and Simon start to watch Christmas movies and he starts to play with your hair and you snuggle on him.

[abovethesmokestacks]

Below the cut, you’ll find all the fics I reblogged during February as part of the lovely @beccaanne814​‘s reblog challenge.

1 February: Cakes & Balances chapter 7, Stucky

2 February: Cakes & Balances chapter 8, Stucky

3 February: Cakes & Balances chapter 9, Stucky

4 February: The Wilds prologue, Bucky x reader

5 February: The Wilds chapter 1, Bucky x reader

6 February: The Wilds chapter 2, Bucky x reader

7 February: The Wilds chapter 3, Bucky x reader

8 February: The Wilds chapter 4, Bucky x reader

9 February: The Wilds chapter 5, Bucky x reader

10 February: Sounds Like A Personal Problem, Bucky x reader

11 February: I Double Dare You, Bucky x reader

12 February: Notorious chapter 11, Bucky x reader

13 February: Through His Eyes chapter 14, Bucky x reader

14 February: ampersand, Stucky

15 February: The Maiden and the Outlaw chapter 1, Bucky x reader

16 February: The Maiden and the Outlaw chapter 2, Bucky x reader

17 February: The Maiden and the Outlaw chapter 3, Bucky x reader

18 February: Through His Eyes chapter 15, Bucky x reader

19 February: Prince Charming chapter 1, Stucky

20 February: Prince Charming chapter 2, Stucky

21 February: Prince Charming chapter 3, Stucky

22 February: Prince Charming chapter 4, Stucky

23 February: Prince Charming chapter 5, Stucky

24 February: Prince Charming chapter 6, Stucky

25 February: Prince Charming chapter 7, Stucky

26 February: Prince Charming chapter 8, Stucky

27 February: The Man Returns, Bucky x reader

28 February: Prince Charming chapter 9, Stucky

29 February: Prince Charming chapter 10, Stucky