#and hopefully the beginning of something great

[sentientsheepdog]

(authors never written spoken dialect - please be nice{leave a comment if you're extra nice plsthx}, reader described to have thin(ner) fingers/able hands, no other descriptors unless you count being "young" enough for grannie nagging but so is Simon :3)

Retired Simon Riley joining the local community pottery studio because he has fuck all else to do and carrying around pottery for kind old ladies is a good use of his time. Enter you, Simons golden ticket to getting that damned vase Johnnys wife keeps daydreaming about thrown because his hands arent delicate enough to get the thin neck he wants and the golden girls are too arthritic in the hands to be up to the task.

You've never thrown pottery in your life, thought buying some clay and going to an open studio would be a great idea on an otherwise dull weekend. One of the older ladies hanging around the studio sniffs you out as a newbie on first glance and shows you the ropes - absolutely tears apart your clay choice but thats fair, you didn't read the labels that closely, oops, your bad. That day you leave with a humble pen holder drying on a rack with your name on it and the promise on your lips to check in on it, and the gaggle of kind ladies in the studio, later in the week.

Later ends up being kiln day, you make it in the doors just in time to be talked through glazing the piece so its ready to be fired and finished. Surprised but not scared by the mask wearing guy carrying trays of pottery to the kiln, your arms hurt from just watching him. Margarets amused chuckle has you reluctantly giving up looking at the eye candy in favour of looking at her with a confused expression. All you get is a knowing smile and a soft nudge to get back to the wheel - one piece done, a million more to make, deary.

Your next piece is a bowl, after a few fails and rethrows you have a fine soup bowl that perfectly fits in your hands. On the rack it goes, you're already thinking about color options for the bowl while waiting for the kiln to finish burning your beginnings - the ladies insisted you should take it home today, not too long of a wait over tea and cake is it, deary? It's not, you couldn't say no to homemade cake if you tried - "Tall, dark and eerily quiet" apparently can quiet easily, you haven't seen him since the last tray disappeared into the kiln and are almost certain he left through the backdoor. Technically you know his name, by the womens gushing over him and the single male name on a high up rack but he hasn't introduced himself formally.

Third times the charm, you planned on making a second bowl to have a set after the next firing, your plans take a turn when you find the studio almost empty. You freeze in the doorway, looking at the studio cryptid. Something thats hopefully a greeting blurts out of your mouth past the blood rushing in your ears.

"'ello, Luv. Mind 'elping me with sumfin'?", with that voice he could ask you for the stars and you'd get climbing, but you just nod and scuttle on over to him and his pile of spinning clay. "M tryin' to throw somethin' delicate, mind lettin' me borrow your 'ands?", he sounds genuine, if a little annoyed, understandably so, judging by the fallen in and torn vase remains spinning in front of him. You jump on the chance to turn his phrasing into a joke "Not opposed to letting you keep 'em, fuckers are clumsy, but we can try. I've got nothing but time today." Telling the stranger asking for your hands your schedule, great idea, so much survival instinct. Too preoccupied with mentally chastising yourself, you miss his delighted laugh at your quip.

You can't regret your loose lips for long, ripped out of your spiral by a hand clasping on your waist, dragging you into his lap. Maybe next time think about the logistics of lending out your hands before readily agreeing and ending up sat in a lap with slip covered hands over your own and instructions given quietly into your ear with a voice that has your knees weak. Then again you have no complaints about this situation.

The vase comes out looking exactly as planned, perfect gift for his best mates wife's next birthday, he tells you while cutting in off the wheel and putting it on his rack. You get to talking, first about his best mate, then how nice it is to not be the sole target of bored grandma attention (you've been there twice and are already tired of the questions, can't imagine what Simons had to put up with since he's been there a little over a year now) even if they mean well, then about anything and everything that comes up.

When you go the fourth time you do finally throw that second bowl, you have a standing lunch date now, that bowl will come in handy when you host at yours some time.

[l1tt13app13]

Have I found you, flightless bird?

Angst aside I reallyyyy loved how dreamy Caleb's new card is, the wedding themes ugh my heart can't handle it 😭 I reached his lvl 100 affinity a few weeks ago and you get promise rings at that lvl, now there's this wedding esque banner it really feels like I'm marrying this man lol, I really couldn't capture the dreaminess well enough but I wanted to make art anyway. My lovely Caleb you make me so happy I don't know where I'd be at right now if it weren't for you, when I'm most stressed and ready to give up remembering you're there gives me energy and hope, and when I'm feeling great you only amplify those feelings ten fold. This isn't anything grand... but if there's one thing Caleb taught me, it's that I don't need to push myself to prove anything, and he will always think it's enough no matter how small or big. He showed me what it's like to be loved, he showed me what it's like to be accepted fully, to be wanted and seen, he showed me what it's like to have a home, and in that same sense I hope I can be his home too. He really is something special, I knew it from the beginning before he was officially released as a love interest in the game, and I didn't used to be very open about my love for him either because for some reason I was nervous lol, my mind was very unclear and nothing felt right at the time. But I don't regret being very open now and wish I'd been open sooner, and I feel like I can't give enough back to him for what he's done for me, but hopefully my art and words of love will suffice for now 🍎

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 2: A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing (The Louvre)

Another very solid album! I think I've heard some say that it's not really that good besides a couple standouts, but I must respectfully disagree!! More down-to-earth and less of a bag of delightfully mismatched oddities than its predecessor, yes, but that still doesn't really diminish its value in my eyes. Yeah, it doesn't really have many low points for me but it also definitely does have those couple of total classics that totally stand out (and interestingly, I realized while writing down my favourite songs that I could consider every single one on the first half of the album a favourite. Not that the second half is necessarily worse... but still interesting to actually have it spelled out and visible like that and be able to think about it). And all in all Woofer definitely continues with a very similar kind of feeling and imagery as the previous release so I'm definitely a big fan of that aspect! I really like this album a whole bunch and revisit it a lot. Just making it clear here... just in case... that yes, I do like it, even if I don't have that many specific things to sing praise about this time, maybe? Or at least not as loudly. Who knows!

But ok, there actually IS another very important thing I can't forget to mention about Woofer. Because this is THE impressive Russell vocal moments album for me, or maybe more appropriately, Russell making sounds that are both impressive and intriguing in nature. That defintely makes it stand out even among all the other early 70s albums (which also have their own fair share of such moments of course). But I'll say more on those specific moments below.

And also, continuing the topic of seasons associations here too (for as long as I remember to inculde these here, I might forget about it pretty quickly however, maybe it's just that with some later albums the associations aren't as pronounced and important! Yeah, it could be that), this album is totally autumny to me, a sunny and warm sort of autumn but when most of the leaves have already fallen down. For once it's not the exact moment when I started listening to it that becomes the associatied season, huh? But even then, I can still hear some elements of late winter / very early spring here as well.

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Girl From Germany (this is just THE sound of the summer kind of song for me, it just makes me instantly happy. Which I guess is kind of funny considering its subject matter but that's just how it is with Sparks and I think we all got used to that at this point)

Beaver O'Lindy (!!!!! no explanation needed, right)

Nothing Is Sacred (suuuuuper underrated, I especially love Russell's entire... whatever is going on at the end here, it's one of my favourite moments on the entire album)

Here Comes Bob (this is silly but at first whenever I heard this song I always pictured the character Bob from Animal Crossing going on a little stroll so that definitely makes it funnier)

Moon Over Kentucky (another timeless CLASSIC. I don't even know what to say about it, it's just so good. And has plenty of those vocal moments too for sure)

Batteries Not Included (not... really a favourite but I still wanted to give it a mention, because I think there's something very cool and unique about it, even besides being sort of a funny little... ugh, I hate to use this word but, novelty?? song (I can't find a better word for this that doesn't come af sort of derogatory but I hope you can see what I mean with this haha)). Oh, and of course it's the first on the list of "short intro" type of Sparks songs, which I always find quite great and memorable whenever they show up over the following years.

[hadideedee]

I may be a bit insufferable because. OOOH BOY do I have a lot of thoughts about some of the choices made in the live action. Thoughts that I actually want to write out and share. Especially concerning Usopp… For now I need to fully process what I just watched and then watch through it again!

[ccherrycolouredfunk]

RIP my electric guitar that i bought from goodwill three years ago for $20

[abbotsanatomy]

heyyyyyyyyyyyyy are requests open by any chance 🥹 if yes i would love love love a chef!reader x jack and it’s a regular occurrence for her to visit and drop off food BUT but one day she comes in and she’s like i may have sliced something……. THANK YOU you’re my fave blog rn this jack hyperfixation needs to leave my body or else i’ll go crazy💋

⨳ TODAY'S SPECIAL

pairing: jack abbot x chef!reader warnings: depiction of injury and surgical procedure, intentional medical inaccuracies (for the plot :p). not beta'd! author's note: such a fun idea! so honored to be feeding the jack abbot craze

On today's dinner menu was supposed to be roasted rack of lamb, smothered in a rosemary-infused butter, with garlicky oven-baked potatoes. Key word: supposed.

Your carefully curated ritual of making dinner for Jack and bringing it to his work was interrupted by you accidentally slicing your thumb half off. It's what you get for not sharpening your knives when they needed to be sharpened, last week.

Now, you're on the way to the ER for an entirely different reason. You've got your good hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on your leg, with a towel that smells faintly of garlic wrapped around your injury. It only hurts a little, for now. You're sure that'll change when the adrenaline of it all wears off. Or at least that's what you've heard.

You're hoping you can get there and be administered some kind of pain-killer before that pain sets in. Morbidly, the rest of your thumb's in a plastic baggie, that's in another plastic baggie filled with ice, because that's what google told you to do. And in the absence of your doctor boyfriend, you listen to google.

Obviously, you use the back emergency entrance, like Jack's instructed you to do, if you ever happened to find yourself in need of actual medical assistance. You'd fought him on the principle, claiming the whole thing stinks of favoritism and some kind of medical malpractice. Now, with the pain slowly tingling up your entire arm, you can't find it in yourself to care.

The glass doors of the ER open automatically, as you walk in with a chunk of your left thumb in your right hand. You're escorted by one of the EMTs who was standing outside when you drove by. You'd seen her around a handful of times.

“Yeah, so I was making dinner for myself and my boyfriend. You know him,” you pause, as she takes the plastic bag from your hand and nods.

“It just sliced in half. It's partially my fault. I forgot to sharpen my cooking knives,” you go on, as she finds you a place to sit and calls a nurse to grab Jack.

She smiled empathetically at you, “Don't worry. We'll get you taken care of. Dr.Abbot should be here any minute. Just keep your hand elevated for me.”

Although you're about 99 percent sure the nurse walking in behind Jack already told him exactly what's going on, he still looks incredibly shocked to see you sitting there.

“Heeey,” you say, trying to wave the injured hand instinctively.

You quickly realize how bad of an idea that was, though, “Oh, ow. Ow.”

He gives you a once-over, and then quickly instructs the nurse to grab something. Presumably, hopefully, some pain meds. You realize you assumed correct, when she comes back with a few pills and a cup of water.

“Thank you,” you whisper, and swallow the pills in one go with the water.

Jack's just standing there, watching you. When you put the paper cup down onto the side table, he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. It's almost like he's putting off looking at your wound, even though he probably knows it's inevitable.

“I had such a great dinner planned. You have no idea,” you boast.

It makes Jack crack a smile, as he walks over to wash his hands. He takes a seat in front of you, and then looks at the rag on your finger expectantly.

“Come on. Let's take a look,” he begins, pulling the towel off, “I heard you kept the rest of it in ice. Good thinking.”

You nod, smiling to yourself at the praise, “Mhm, I know right? Didn't even panic or anything.”

“Oh, I believe you,” he affirms, still inspecting the injury.

In that moment, John Shen pops his head into the room.

“Woah, hey. What's Gordon here in for?” he asks Jack.

The nickname makes you roll your eyes. You really don't even like Gordon Ramsay.

“Sliced my thumb. Unfortunately,” you sigh.

You can't help but ask the one question on your mind right now, “Think you can reattach it?”

“That's what I'm trying to find out, sweetheart.”

You all wait with bated breath. Chopping things up could become infinitely more difficult with half a thumb.

“Yup. Found a vein for anastomoses. We can proceed with replantation,” Jack announces.

“Perfect,” Shen adds, and then leaves the room.

You let out a long sigh, “Oh thank god! I've never been more nervous in my life, I think.”

Jack leans in to kiss the side of your face, “Yeah, I could tell. You have absolutely no confidence in me.”

“No! That's not it. Not at all. You try almost losing your thumb!” you defend.

He grins at you with a tilt of his head. Then he looks down at his prosthetic, and back up at you. His expressions reads, ‘Really?’

You grimace, “Yeah, alright. You win this one.”

Jack makes quick work out of gathering everything he needs and disinfecting your wound. He starts the reattachment process, after giving you a numbing shot that makes you feel nothing from your shoulder downward.

You don't really understand what's going on, but Jack tries to explain as he's going. Frankly, you're too busy intently watching his hands work and admiring how incredibly sexy the surgical loupes he's wearing make him look. It should be criminal for him to look that good, while reattaching your thumb.

“This, right here, might be the hottest you've ever been,” you blurt out.

It makes him pause for a moment. Not in shock, just contemplation.

“Wow. Really?” he questions, the soft curve of his brows furrowed in disbelief.

You can't help but giggle at his tone. Maybe it's the antibiotics making you a little loopy, but how he's looking at you is also incredibly funny.

“I mean, yeah,” you reason, “Sure, sex with you is great, but this might be better.”

Jack just smiles and gets back to work. Mostly because he knows it isn't true; nothing tops the sex you have together. That shit's spiritual. But also, because he doesn't fully get it. He's never understood the appeal that apparently comes with being in scrubs.

Although he's deciding to back down, you need a clean-cut victory. You want him to actually understand.

“Hey, it's totally like when you spend an hour staring at my ass while I make dinner. It's mostly just that, but it's also you appreciating my cooking and how well I do my job,” you explain. “It's attractive!”

“Yeah. Sure, I can see it,” he concedes. It's a win you'll take.

There's a long pause. Just the sounds of the surgical tools in his hands filling the space between you. He's busy taking care of your finger, obviously, but you can also tell he's pondering what you just said.

“You like taking care of people,” is all Jack comes up with. You're more than able to fill in the rest, though.

“It's what I love about you.”

He doesn't need to say it. The words are buried in his tone, in the reverence in his eyes, in the gentleness of his touch on your arm, even though he knows you can't even feel it right now.

So, you nod, and come up with one of your own, “And you are immune to panic. If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you haven't experienced a day of dread in your life.”

That earns you another smile. It takes him five minutes to come up with another thing to say.

The procedure takes much longer than you'd previously expected. Neither you nor Jack were too bothered by that. Anyone passing by with snacks or words of encouragement definitely found how you and Jack went back and forth, subtly trying to one-up each other with your compliments, incredibly cheesy.

The hours you spent in the ER recliner, with Jack hunched over your hand, meticulously gluing you back together, were a love letter to your long-lasting relationship. One you'll cherish for as long as you still have the tip of your left thumb attached to your hand.

[linoxpudding]

Intern (Pt 1)- Lee Know

summary: during your six-month internship as skz stylist, you start crushing on him—what starts as harmless flirting soon grows into something more

pairing: lee know x fem!reader

genre: angst, fluff, humor

word count: 3742 words

a/n: this series is based on this concept we did a voting poll on—thank you for participating and showing so much love!

Intern Series: Part Two

Masterlist

~°~

The first time you stepped into the JYP building, your hands were shaking with both nervousness and excitement. It was the beginning of your styling internship, a dream you had poured sweat and sleepless nights into. Armed with your sketchpad, a crossbody bag stuffed with emergency safety pins, and a heart full of ambition, you told yourself: Don’t screw this up.

You had done your homework. When you got assigned as a styling intern for SKZ, you took your preparation seriously. Since the night after your mentor gave you the assignment, you stayed up until 3 a.m., watching their music videos, live stages, interviews, and even casual airport appearances. You took detailed notes about their individual fashion preferences.

You told yourself to stay focused, keep your head down, and make a good impression because if this internship went well, there was a high chance of being hired full-time by the company.

The hallway buzzed with the energy of people who had long since grown used to the rhythm of stardom. You were the newcomer, the wide-eyed intern trailing behind your mentor stylist like a puppy, trying to absorb every little detail — how the stylists laid out the racks by color, how accessories were paired last minute, how the idols lit up when they liked a look. And then your eyes found him.

Lee Minho.

He wasn’t the loudest in the room, no, he was far from it. He was perched near the corner mirror, scrolling on his phone, brows slightly furrowed. He had this aura — quiet, detached, intense — like he was perfectly content in his own little world. And yet, your eyes were locked on him.

“You’re staring.”

You blinked, caught off-guard by the chirpy voice beside you. Han Jisung was grinning, an unopened bottle of water in his hand as he leaned toward you teasingly.

“No, I’m not,” you lied.

“Don’t worry. Everyone falls for Minho hyung at least once,” he said with a wink. “It’s the cheekbones. And the way he’s mean but not actually mean.”

“I wasn’t—” You stopped mid-denial when Minho glanced in your direction. Your eyes met for a fraction of a second before he turned away again, pretending to fix his sleeves.

“See?” Jisung chuckled.

You narrowed your eyes at him, trying not to smile. “You’re very confident for someone I just met.”

“Hi, I’m Han Jisung. Rapper, genius, snack hoarder, and chaos king,” he said with a bow.

You laughed. “Y/N. Intern, chaos coordinator, and apparently a known starer.”

He beamed. “We’ll get along great.”

Before you could reply, your mentor stylist clapped her hands to gather attention. “Everyone, can I have a moment?”

The boys turned one by one, murmuring greetings. Your heart sped up when eight pairs of eyes landed on you—including one very unreadable stare from the corner.

“This is Y/N,” your mentor said. “She’s the new styling intern assigned to your team for the next six months. She’ll be helping with fittings, accessories, stage prep, and hopefully keeping Han Jisung from dyeing his own hair again.”

“I swear that only happened once,” Jisung whined.

You bowed slightly. “I’m really excited to work with you all.”

Bang Chan came forward first, offering a warm handshake. “Welcome. Don’t let these guys scare you.”

Hyunjin gave a dramatic gasp. “Me? I’m an angel.”

Felix smiled sweetly, waving both hands. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Then, your gaze flicked to Minho.

He gave a small nod. No smile. No handshake. Just that same quiet, composed expression that made your skin buzz. You told yourself not to take it personally.

The rest of the members greeted you excitedly, making you feel at ease. Your chest warmed at the sincere welcome, each of them so wildly different from the next—but all kind, open, and vibrant in their own way.

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

The days passed in a blur of hangers, lint rollers, and steaming oversized blazers. The boys were friendly and made your work fun. Felix always complimented your fashion choices, Seungmin offered sarcastic banter and teased you, Hyunjin was your gossip partner, and Changbin gave you surprisingly helpful gym tips. Han quickly became your food buddy—your shared obsession with trying new restaurants meant you were always ordering food delivery together during late-night fittings. Chan was respectful and constantly checked in, making sure you weren’t overwhelmed. And Jeongin, the maknae, affectionately called you noona, often hanging around you like a little shadow when the others teased him too much. 

And Minho?

He wasn't exactly warm, but he wasn’t cold either. He tossed out sarcastic remarks and clever retorts, never quite letting you in—but never truly pushing you away. He’d roll his eyes when you teased him, but you swore you saw the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips right after. There was a tension there, simmering quietly beneath the surface. And you… well, you were hopelessly drawn to it.

“You pinned this unevenly,” he murmured once, as you adjusted the collar of his shirt.

You glanced up, noticing the tiniest smirk on his lips. “You have a very picky neckline, Minho-ssi.”

“It’s Lee Know,” he corrected, eyes narrowing.

“But your name is Minho.”

He didn’t reply, only looked away, clearly pretending he wasn’t affected. You didn’t miss the way his ears flushed pink again.

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

Few weeks passed, and your crush on Lee Minho didn’t fade. If anything, it got worse.

It wasn’t just his looks—though, let’s be honest, that was a huge part of it. It was the way he moved, so effortlessly precise, the way he always seemed like he was holding back—like there was something underneath that cold exterior, but he refused to let anyone see it.

And that only made you want to push harder.

Your teasing didn’t stop. If anything, it became a routine. Every morning, you greeted him with an overly cheerful, “Good morning, sunshine,” just to watch him roll his eyes. You stole glances whenever he wasn’t looking, memorizing the way his jaw tensed in concentration, the way his lips pursed slightly when he was focused.

The longer this went on, the more you realized he wasn’t actually ignoring you anymore. At first, it was subtle. You’d catch him watching you through the mirror when you were fixing his accessories, but the second your eyes met, he’d look away, pretending he wasn’t. You’d brush past him in the dressing room, and while before he used to step away without a word, now you noticed the way his fingers grazed yours, just for a second, like he wasn’t sure if he meant to do it.

It was driving you insane.

Because for all the tiny moments of warmth he let slip, there was always a wall he refused to let down completely. He was softer now, his usual sharp remarks lacking their previous bite, but there was still a distance, an invisible line he wouldn’t cross.

It only made you want him more.

One particular evening, after a long day of rehearsals, you were fixing his stage outfit, adjusting the belt around his waist. His shirt had ridden up slightly, and your fingers accidentally grazed the bare skin of his stomach.

Minho tensed.

It was brief— so quick that anyone else wouldn’t have noticed— but you did.

You looked up, meeting his gaze through the mirror. “Relax. I’m just doing my job.”

“You take your job very seriously, don’t you?” His voice was quiet, unsteady.

“Of course.” You grinned. “Besides, I’d hate for you to trip and fall on stage because your stylist didn’t tighten your belt properly.”

Minho exhaled through his nose, something between a scoff and a laugh. “Wouldn’t that be tragic.”

You patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Minho. I’d catch you.”

He turned to look at you then, really look at you. Something flickered behind his eyes, something you couldn’t quite place. Then, just like always, it was gone.

“You talk too much.”

“And you never talk at all,” you shot back.

For the first time since you met him, his lips twitched—not quite a smile, but close. “Maybe that’s why this works.”

Your heart did something stupid in your chest.

Because maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t playing as indifferent as he wanted you to believe.

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

The flirtation began slowly. Playful, subtle — like a game neither of you admitted to playing.

“You have something in your hair,” you said one morning, plucking a nonexistent speck off his bangs. Your fingers brushed his forehead, and he flinched.

“You’re annoying.”

“But you love it.”

He didn’t respond, but his lips twitched — not a smile, not really, but something that made your heart skip.

And it became a rhythm. A comment here, a teasing glance there. The way your fingers lingered a beat too long when adjusting his rings. The way his eyes always seemed to find yours in the mirror while you fixed someone else’s outfit.

The rest of the members noticed it before either of you did.

“Just date already,” Changbin muttered one day under his breath while watching you and Minho argue over sock colors.

Minho turned bright red and threw a pair of socks at him.

But the truth was — you weren’t in love.

Not yet.

What you had was a crush. A dizzying, butterflies-in-the-stomach, blushing-when-he-looks-your-way kind of crush. The kind that made you dress a little better each morning. That made you learn how to make his favorite iced coffee. That made your day when he, quietly and without a word, handed you a hairclip when yours had broken.

It wasn’t serious.

But it felt like it could be something.

If only you could break through that thick, tsundere wall of his.

And if only he’d stop looking at you like that — like maybe he was harboring a little crush too.

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

You successfully completed two months with the team and the novelty of chaos was beginning to wear off. Not because you didn’t enjoy it—you did, immensely—but because chaos was now your norm. Early mornings, late nights, and endless outfit changes in between. If you weren’t hauling a steamer, you were chasing Han around with lint rollers because he always sat somewhere dusty right before a shoot.

You were packing up at the end of the day, with only the band members around, before you heard Chan’s voice.

“Group dinner tonight,” Chan announced, looking both exhausted and excited. “Everyone, don’t bail. That includes you, Minho.”

The dancer in question raised a brow, leaning against the wall. “Didn’t say I was bailing.”

“You always have that look like you might,” Seungmin chimed in with a smirk.

You stood in the corner, folding costume pieces into a garment bag, half-listening until Hyunjin slung an arm around your shoulder dramatically.

“You’re coming too,” he said.

“What? Me?”

“You’re part of the crew now.” He waved at the others. “She survived two months of our collective nonsense. She deserves tteokbokki.”

Han popped his head in from behind the doorframe. “And kimchi pancakes. And beef bulgogi.”

“And peace,” you added dryly, zipping the bag. “Which I will never get with you guys.”

Felix giggled from where he sat on the floor, helping Jeongin lace up his boots. “That means you like us.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled, shaking your head. Changbin bumped your shoulder, eyes kind. “Come on. You need a break.”

You finally relented with a soft, “Okay, okay. I’ll go.”

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

The restaurant was cozy, with warm wooden booths and steamy windows from all the hotpots bubbling on tables. The place smelled like garlic and soy sauce and warmth—comfort food at its finest. You sat between Hyunjin and Felix, across from Chan and Minho, whose usual expressionless face hadn’t changed since you walked in.

You tried not to be obvious, but you kept stealing glances.

He was in a black hoodie, sleeves pushed to his elbows, his silver bracelet glinting each time he picked up his water. He rarely looked up. He listened more than he spoke. And yet, when he did speak, the entire table naturally gave him the floor.

You tried not to stare. You really, really tried. But the way his hair slightly curled around his forehead, the way he methodically arranged his chopsticks and napkin before the food even arrived—it was all infuriatingly attractive.

A waiter arrived to take your orders, and the table erupted into chaos as everyone argued over which sides to order. You instinctively leaned forward, flicking your eyes to Minho.

“Do you want tteokbokki or kimchi fried rice?” you asked casually, heart hammering like it was some kind of proposal.

Minho glanced at you, then at the menu. “Both.”

“Bold,” you teased, nudging Hyunjin with your elbow. “Should we listen to the king’s command?”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “If we don’t, he’ll make that face again.”

Minho didn’t even blink. “What face?”

“That one,” Felix snickered, pointing across the table. “The one where you look like you’ve already imagined five different ways to kill us.”

You giggled, covering your mouth with the back of your hand. 

Halfway through the meal, Chan was recounting a chaotic photoshoot where Hyunjin had nearly fallen off a prop chair. Everyone was laughing, Hyunjin dramatically reenacting the fall beside you, his hand grazing your arm.

You laughed until your eyes teared, wiping them carefully with a napkin. When you leaned back into your seat, still giggling, your gaze drifted across the table.

Minho was already looking at you. Just for a second. Then he looked away, like nothing had happened. But your stomach dipped. You busied yourself pouring water into your glass.

Just then, Jeongin called you, “Noona, if you could only eat one banchan (side dish) for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

“Easy,” you said without thinking. “Sweet and spicy anchovies.”

A hush fell over the table.

Minho blinked slowly. “You have no taste.”

You gasped. “Excuse me?!”

“They’re chewy nightmares,” Minho deadpanned.

“I like the crunch!”

“They squeak against your teeth,” Seungmin said with a visible shudder.

“That’s the charm!”

Han leaned over to Chan, quietly whispering, “Hyung, I give it two weeks before they either kill each other or make out.”

Minho, somehow hearing him despite the chatter, didn’t react. Just took another sip of water. But the corner of his mouth curled. Barely. Meanwhile, the bickering continued at the table as everyone started debating about the best banchan.

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

Later, after dinner, the group lingered outside in the cool night air. Some of the guys were discussing whether to go for dessert, while others were calling it a night. You stood off to the side, while carrying your styling bags, laughing about how Seungmin was complaining to you about Chan nearly spilled sauce all over his white hoodie when Han approached.

“You need a ride?” he asked.

You blinked. “Oh…I was going to grab a cab or bus, it’s not too far—”

“Nope,” Han cut you off with a smile. “You’re not standing at a bus stop at midnight with arms full of styling bags. I’m driving you.”

“I’ve done it before—”

“C’mon, me and Minho hyung live nearby. We can drop you off. No big deal.”

You glanced back at Minho. He wasn’t looking at you—his hands were shoved deep into his pockets, eyes fixed on a vague point down the street.

You were conflicted but seeing Han’s pleading eyes, you finally agreed, “Thanks, Han.”

“Of course,” he grinned while taking the bags from you, you insisted you were fine, but he still carried it.

The walk to the car was casual, filled with light chatter and the occasional laugh from Han as he nudged Hyunjin about something he said earlier. You trailed behind them, the cool air nipping at your skin.

As you reached the car, Han popped the trunk open and helped you stash your things. Then, without a word, he circled around to the back seat and slid in, leaving the passenger door wide open.

You blinked at him. “Wait, aren’t you driving—”

Han suddenly yawned, very theatrically. “Ugh. Actually, I’m too tired to drive. I’ll sit in the back and crash. Hyung, let her ride shotgun.”

Your eyes flicked to Minho, who was already in the driver’s seat, expression unreadable as he adjusted the mirrors.  

 “You coming or not?” Minho asked, looking at you.

You hesitated, just for a second, then climbed in and shut the door.

The moment the seat clicked beneath you, Han muttered, barely loud enough to hear, “Perfect.”

Minho didn’t say anything. But his jaw tensed just a little, and he started the car.

The ride began in silence, broken only by the hum of the engine and the quiet shuffle of Han finding a playlist on his phone.

“Hope you don’t mind a detour,” Han said from the back, voice teasing. “Minho’s the designated night driver. He likes to take the scenic route.”

You glanced at Minho, who still didn’t look at you—but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting off a smirk.

And just like that, the car pulled away from the curb, the city lights casting soft glows through the windows as Han leaned back, playing cupid from the shadows.

Minho didn’t speak. His hands stayed steady on the wheel, eyes fixed ahead. The glow from the dashboard lit up the sharp line of his jaw, the slope of his nose, the quiet concentration on his face. You tried not to stare.

From the back seat, Han was pretending to scroll through music, but you could practically feel the smugness radiating off him.

“I can play a playlist,” you offered, breaking the silence, voice a little too casual. “If you want.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I got one,” Han said, and almost immediately, a mellow beat started playing—a dreamy, slow-tempo track that sounded suspiciously like it was chosen with a mood in mind.

You glanced at him through the rearview mirror. He caught your eye and winked.

Of course. He definitely planned this.

The car turned down a quieter road, and the noise of the city faded into the distance. You shifted in your seat, unsure if the air felt warmer or if it was just Minho’s presence beside you, silent but unignorable.

“You really didn’t have to drive me,” you said, mostly to say something. Anything.

Minho’s eyes flicked toward you, “Didn’t mind.”

You waited for more, but that was it. Just two words, perfectly even, like he was keeping everything locked tight.

“Minho hyung’s always like that,” Han piped up from the back, leaning forward slightly. “All gruff and broody, but secretly soft. Like a very stylish cactus.”

You snorted, covering your mouth with your hand. Minho’s knuckles tightened slightly on the wheel, but this time, you caught the smirk.

“I’m not broody,” he said quietly.

Han snickered but didn’t argue further. The playlist shifted to another soft, melodious, romantic track, and no one reached to change it. Minho must’ve noticed the way your arms shifted uncomfortably in your lap, because after a while, his voice cut through the soft music.

“You should’ve let someone carry those bags earlier.”

You blinked, looking over. “Huh?”

“At dinner. All those styling bags. You were struggling.”

You scoffed lightly, but a smile tugged at your lips. “I’ve carried more. I’m fine.”

Minho didn’t respond right away. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel, slow and rhythmic, like he was working up to something.

“It’s not about whether you can,” he said finally, tone low. “You shouldn’t have to.”

The words weren’t dramatic. Weren’t delivered with any fanfare. But something about the quiet conviction in them made your stomach twist unexpectedly. You glanced at him, only to find him already looking back at the road, jaw set like he regretted saying anything at all.

From the back seat, Han shifted. You peeked over your shoulder—his head was tilted against the window, eyes shut, lips parted slightly. Fake sleeping. Very obviously fake sleeping.

You turned back around, biting back a smile before mumbling, “He’s such a bad actor.”

Minho huffed a laugh under his breath. “I know.”

The car finally pulled up in front of your building. You reached for the door handle, unbuckling your seatbelt. “Thanks again, really. Both of you—”

The click of a door unlocking cut you off.

Your head whipped to the side.

Minho was already stepping out of the car.

You froze. “Wait—what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. Just rounded the front of the car in a few long strides, expression unreadable as always. When he reached your side, he opened the door for you—not with exaggerated politeness, but with quiet certainty, like it wasn’t even a question.

Your eyes met his.

Up close, he looked unfairly good under the streetlight—eyelashes casting soft shadows, hair falling slightly into his eyes. He didn’t say anything, just waited, one hand resting on the top of the door.

You stepped out slowly, surprised. “You didn’t have to…”

“I know,” he said simply.

You paused, suddenly aware of how close he was. Of how the air between you was warmer now, more charged than before. His gaze lingered on yours for a second too long before he stepped back, giving you space.

From behind you, Han let out a dramatic snore.

You turned to glance at him—his head now resting awkwardly against the seatbelt, clearly committed to his fake-sleep bit.

Minho sighed. “He’s gonna make me carry him upstairs at this rate.”

You laughed softly. “Good luck.”

Minho shook his head, almost smiling as he silently handed you the bags from the trunk.

You lingered for a second, standing on the sidewalk with your hand still clutching the strap of your bag, unsure if this was the moment to say goodnight or… something else.

“Goodnight,” you said quietly.

Minho met your eyes. “Text me when you’re inside.”

Your heart stuttered. “What?”

He looked away, pretending to adjust something on the car. “Just. To make sure you’re safe.”

You smiled, warmth blooming in your chest despite the cool night air. “Okay. I will.”

As you turned to step into the building’s lobby, you swore you heard Han whisper, just loud enough to carry:

“Smooth, hyung.” 

“Shut up,” Minho’s voice echoed from the distance.

You bit back a grin as the elevator dinged open.

Once inside your apartment, you dropped your bags and leaned against the door for a moment, eyes closed, pulse steadying.

Smooth, indeed.

--------------

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[rotagnus]

messages from the universe [intuitive and channeled by me :3]. . . 💮

as always, about anything and everything, hopefully something that you've been craving to hear. as always, i may not be the tarot reader for you; so please be wary with taking these messages to heart unless you can feel that they're for you, deep in your bones. be safe, angelbabies <3 love you all.

[ ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ ^_____^ enjoy!!! ]

p1.

🍵 a lot of you seem to have lost hope. not all hope, of course, but your belief in the extraordinary and in miracles is wavering, as well as possibly your belief in whatever system you have faith in. you try so hard to be hopeful and to pull everything together, but it seems like it's just not working, right? my dove, this is a moment for you to sit back and relax. you are not the mother of the world; you are a child, in the great scheme of things. you are meant for great things, but not at the state you are in now. now is your time to rest, to see the world. you are good at your talents, at what you do, and still you doubt it because you believe that others must give you recognition for your qualities to be real.

sweetheart, your dreams are not as far away as you think they are. they prance around you as you breathe, and later on, you will realize that they've been hiding in everyday things; little premonitions of the good future that you will have. you are a beautiful, amazing person; as soft as waves and lullabies, with a face to die for, skin soft enough to hold forever. you constantly doubt the ability of others to love you and cherish you, but the truth is that you are easy to love. your intense hope that you place in your friends and family, your deep knowledge despite your age, your affectionate behavior that you may perceive as annoying...all of these things make other people see you as a guiding light.

you have no reason to be fearful of dying unhappy. you have no reason to spend the last minutes before sleep comes worrying about how to succeed and how to pull yourself together when all you feel is a deep pain. soon enough, flowers shall bloom from that dirt; a lotus grows even in the muddiest of waters. yes, everything may be falling apart on the outside; but it is falling into place, my dove. keep your head up and your wings wide. there is nothing you cannot achieve.

songs: retire - alvedon. master of none - beach house. risk - lace.

confirmations: peonies. hummingbirds. pizza. brown hair. wide face. bees. microwaves. 000. empty bowls. vases. clay.

p2.

🐈 your new beginning is here. you have grown and blossomed, butterfly. you do not have to fear the past returning to you. you can take a break and look around, at your new surroundings. this is going to be a time that will be full of what you crave. you can put your guard down and let people see your skin; you are not a caterpillar anymore, and you glow just as much as a monarch :). many of you have a tendency to refute compliments by going 'omg no YOU'RE so pretty' because you doubt yourself. you come off as bitter and mean at first, or at least that's what you're worried about...but anyone can see that your true nature is a much sweeter, softer one.

you'll stop caring as much as you do now. your heart is big and it aches so deeply, because you linger in everything you've ever touched. to you, it seems like you're the only one affected. it is never the other person's heart that wrings. i assure you that you have never left the places you've touched, sweetheart. people remember you and they yearn for you, but they know that you have enough self-respect to not return to places and people that have broken you to bits.

you don't have to be so strong anymore. you can be who you want to be; stop pretending that you're tough as nails. this quality is endearing to some people, but others will still find a way to undermine you even if you act this way. let them. you don't need to prove yourself to people who are already below you. you'll grow and they'll sink, and that should be enough for you. you are divinely protected, and whatever touches you, will get the same treatment back. people know to treat you how they want to be treated.

songs: nangs - tame impala. 20201203 - mac demarco. moon river - frank ocean.

confirmation: sitting alone. bluebirds. scar on back. snake. tongue piercing/pain. mandarin. flowery perfume. peeling wall. sculpture art. many buildings.

p3.

🍪 a lot of you are spending a lot of the time within. many have a deep adoration for life itself, but it feels as if you'll never get to taste its sweetness again; everyone around you gets new starts, new people, falling in love, and you're here; left in the dust. nothing ever changes here, it seems. but the truth is that everything is going to flush a different color soon, my love. you do not need to fear things staying the same anymore. this is a time for you to spend within, though, but you do not need to have such a fear of it. enjoy yourself; you are most likely the strongest, smartest, and most beautiful person that you know.

you smile and pretend that you're alright, even when it seems like every single part of you is quivering and ready to collapse. but you've completed this lesson, my sweetheart. you can rest, kneel on the ground and let the rain cover you and renew you. there is no need to wonder if all you do is enough; you and i both know damn well you guys pour yourselves so deeply into everything, and yet you still wonder if you deserve good things. of course you do; but just because you deserve the world doesn't mean the universe is going to give it to you right away. this time will be something you look back on and smile.

this time will bring you balance. routine is meant to be found, and this in-between is meant for you to look at the smaller details, not the big pictures. strengthen the cracks in the pillars so that when you move on to build the second floor, you don't collapse back onto the first. you are effervescent and you deserve to have every single ounce of love that you give. i don't have a single ATOM of doubt that you guys will carve out beauty for yourselves. right now, take this time to wonder what your future will consist of; i promise, the universe will surprise you, in countless good ways.

songs: xtal - aphex twin. u - niteboi. dream - salvia palth.

confirmation: chihuahua. short hair. mugs/cups. light bedsheets. posters. loud places. headphones. 1212. dark blush. felines. black purses.

[ohcorny]

How I Made the Colors in Hunger's Bite So Good

first of all: buy my book. buy it and look at the colors. (if you cannot buy the book, ask for it at your local library or i GUESS you can look at these spreads i posted)

we're gonna talk about colors, but more specifically we're going to talk about overlays. if you're an artist you are probably familiar with overlays. we love our overlays. we love to color a picture and then at the very last minute go 'hm. looks bad. i'm going to put a yellowish overlay on it to make it look less bad :)'

do not do this.

i mean you can, and it'll work sometimes, but all you're really doing is tricking your brain into thinking different is better. you've been staring at the image for potentially several hours. none of the choices you made at the beginning mean anything to you anymore. you're just finishing what you started. one of the big reasons you might look at your art and go 'man, this doesn't look that good' is because You drew it and are intimately familiar with it. you know all the flaws and mistakes because You made them and You know what your vision was. one of the great frustrations with art is that the piece in your head doesn't look like something you actually made. you want it to look like somebody else did it, so you can enjoy it as a viewer, not as the creator.

so when you put that overlay on, and suddenly the image looks very different, your brain will go 'this doesn't look like the thing i've been staring at for 2-3 hours! this is different! now it's good!'

and again, sometimes it Is good. but do you actually understand why it's good? or is it just different?

okay so what am i supposed to do smart guy

i'm glad you asked. the trick to making overlays work is to have them on from the start. this requires knowing what mood you want to convey in your scene from the very beginning. hopefully you know what mood you want to convey. you do, right? and i don't just mean happy or sad, i also mean safe, threatened, familiar, strange, soft and harsh. blue is not always sad. green is not always healthy. yellow/orange are not the only way to convey a companionable warmth.

okay did you pick the mood? do you have an idea of what color you want to use to represent that mood? great. i'm gonna use blue to convey the cool, clean white of a ship's maintenance corridor without making things literally white. and i'm going to stick in two characters whose color palettes consist of bright yellow, brown, and wine red. awesome. i definitely know how those colors would behave under blue lighting.

(here's the thing: no i don't.) this is where a gradient map correction layer comes in. i want my page to be Blue. alright. let's make a gradient map that's Blue.

a gradient map is basically just A Gradient with specific colors connected to specific values. you have your darkest values on the left, and your lighter values on the right. at 100% opacity, this gradient map layer will read the value of anything below it and go 'okay this bit is this dark, so it should be This shade of blue. and this bit is this light, so it should be This shade of blue'.

kind of like a hue or color layer except determined by a gradient rather than one color, so it could also go 'this is light, so it's green' and 'this is dark, so it's purple'. it's math. i don't really get it either. but anyway this is probably not what you want if you want your characters' palettes to be recognizable. emery's sweater is supposed to be a wine red! neeta's skin should be brown, and her shirt should be yellow. these are their Key Colors. generally, i want them to be recognizable. so let's lower that opacity down.

nice! you can definitely now see that emery's sweater is red and neeta's shirt is yellow. and everything is relatively balanced. nothing is too saturated, nothing is significantly brighter than anything else. it's all got a little bit of blue in it. but i've skipped the step of actually picking your colors. because here's the thing with gradient maps.

they hate you and want to fight. when working with gradient maps you must imagine there is a monkey sitting on your shoulder dumping paint in every time you pick a color. the monkey has a tube of blue and he is going to put that blue into everything you paint, but it's not normal paint. it doesn't mix, it overtakes. it won't turn something yellow into green, it will turn it blue. it wants everything to be blue. if you want something to look like the color it's supposed to be, you will have to make it extremely saturated under the layer to essentially fight the paint monkey's blue. hence, emery's sweater is a BRIGHT red, so it will look a little more purpley under the blue. and neeta's skin is very orange, so it can be dulled down into a soft brown.

this is the sort of thing you will have to learn by feel, because it will be different with every gradient map, especially if you start getting into weird ones that aren't monochromatic. you want to know one of my favorite maps to use?

i have memorized where on the value scale all of these colors appear. i can color something using only shades of gray when i have this filter on. i am evolved. if you want to use gradient maps effectively, you'll have to get a lot of practice.

anyway this post got really long and i'm about to go to a movie so i'll talk about how to use screen/multiply/overlay layers later. but gradient maps are the main tool i used to make hunger's bite's palettes so unified across scenes. but you can see way above how they work to turn insane saturated colors into the nice harmonies--and the trick is that i'll never see those saturated colors while i'm working. because i have accepted the paint pouring monkey into my heart, and i trust him. except when i'm coloring wick's coat. holy mother of god every gradient map hated that man's purple coat.

[windixie]

nerdjo x reader ⟢ real man

"... did you know that a quasar emits more energy in a second than our sun will in its entire lifetime?"

"uh... sure?"

༄.° pairing . nerd! gojo x popular! reader (f)

⤷ summary . a low grade lands you a tutor session with the nerdiest boy at your university with the help of the best wingman, your professor, who knows that gojo is your only way of improving that 59.6% in your physics class. your annoyance soon turns into admiration and maybe something else as you find yourself enjoying the late night study sessions. but what happens when the physic sessions turn into sex education?

warning ⓘ tags . (18+), porn with plot me thinks, smut, gojo will give you second hand embarrassment bless his soul, protected sex that will lead to unprotected, masturbation, praise kink, oral, p in v, cream pie. sub gojo heh. jealous gojo. perv gojo. obsessive gojo.

⤷ wc . 4k (not proofread)

a/n . this is my first actual attempt to writing good smut. never got the hang of it so hopefully this turns out good. the 59.6% is specific because that is MY current grade and I might just kms if nerdjo doesn't help me out.

a/n . 2 I enjoyed writing the friendship buildup more than the actual smut :p

waking up to an email sent by your physics professor was not the best way to start off the day.

"you've got to be kidding me.." you grumbled, with your morning voice attempting to read the title of the email as your blurry eyes adjusted to the bright screen of your phone. you weren't surprised when the subject was that you are being assigned a tutor. you were aware of your current grade, but you swore you would be able to raise it up. right after partying.

your roommate, and long term friend, peaks over your shoulder as she buttoned up her pants. "yikes, I'm surprised he hasn't admitted you to a tutor earlier, haven't you had the same grade for a while now?"

you sighed knowing she was right. your grade hasn't gone up even a percentage for the past two weeks.

'meet me in class before it begins today, perhaps 10 minutes before, ill be introducing you to your tutor and we'll discuss how things will work.'

and that's how you found yourself standing in front of your teachers desk awkwardly. "he'll be here soon, he's very punctual."

you nodded in acknowledgment. you wanted to play it safe and come a few minutes earlier than the given time written on the email. '10 minutes before class'. the said class begins at 9:40. it is currently 9:28.

he was punctual alright. the moment it struck the half hour, the door swung open to reveal a tall boy- no, a really tall boy. he had white hair and blinding blue eyes behind dorky glasses. despite his nerdy look, the boy had a few facial piercings. one on his eyebrow and his lip.

that's hot.

"satoru! come in, come" your professor gestured the boy to be next to you. satoru offered a small, shy wave, which you responded with a warm smile.

"so as we all know, y/n isn't doing so well in this class." you cringed feeling your face heat up. being exposed in front of someone as smart as satoru was the ultimate humiliation.

"here's what's going to happen. there is an upcoming review test before the final. you pass that and im 99.9 percent sure that you will pass the final with enough studying. I'll leave satoru to decide how the tutoring will work, but I expect you both to meet up at least four times a week."

four times a week? four times? a week. great.

session 1.

you dragged your body into the library with your tote bag full of textbooks and practice worksheets. the library was fairly crowded with students studying for upcoming exams. you being one of them.

making your way deeper into the study area, your eyes landed on gojo who was setting up the table with his headphones plugged in. you approached him but he didn't notice you.

"satoru..?"

no answer. he was in a completely different world with the way he was humming a tune which only brought you to your last resort.

you poked his shoulder lightly which caused him to jump a little, looking over his shoulder to meet eyes with you.

"oh! hi uhm im sorry..! I didn't notice you I was just uh setting up the table. is this place okay with you? we can always pick somewhere else if your uncomfortable with being way too-"

"no no its fine with me." you interrupted his babbling which you found endearing.

"right." he chuckled before sitting down which you followed.

"alright so what exactly are you struggling with?" he asked.

what are you struggling with? "everything" you answered honestly looking at the organized textbooks- all related to physics and.. digimon?

"so.. we can start off with the basics of fundamentals of motion. such as speed and distance and maybe add in some kinematic equations. you are familiar with newtons law, right?"

you nodded as you recalled to the only thing you remembered from this god awful class.

"okay so we can skip that.. but ill still explain a little bit of it towards the end, just to make sure."

that's how you spent your first session with the boy. he's amazing at explaining, learning more from him than any past lectures. the way he is so into it you can't help but space out at the way his lips move.

"for the equations, there are a few of them, ill give you three examples then write one of each so you can practice."

your eyes fixated at the way he neatly wrote down the letters.

"so uhm.. do I multiply or-"

"you subtract this from both sides."

"got it."

this was definitely going to take a while if you couldn't even handle the basics. you handed him back the sheet where you attempted the problems.

"seems like you have a bit of difficulty deriving the equations."

you sighed. how long has it been? forty minutes? and hour?

checking your phone you were surprised to see that only 15 minutes have passed?

'just kill me at this point' you thought.

"hey hey, no phones. can't have you getting distracted, hand it over"

"I was just checking the time! don't take it away pleaseee" you begged.

"you'll be tempted to check the time every five seconds, just hand it over." you reluctantly placed it in his hand. his fingers brushed against yours and you were surprised to see how soft his were.

"lets try again. this time ill watch you solve them so I can see where you start to go wrong."

2 hours have gone by and you finally grasped how to solve the equations involving motion and acceleration.

"good job!" the praise boosted up your confidence. "only took ya thirty practice problems but you got there." he teased as he adjusted his glasses. "thanks satoru." you rolled your eyes at him.

the way you said his name went straight into his head. both of them actually.

"we should wrap it up for today"

he reached into his bag pulling out a few sheets before sliding them to you. "try and finish these by wednesday, which will be our next session. oh-" the pale boy reached for his examples. "use these for reference if you forget again."

accepting the papers, you placed them in your folder before tucking it back into your bag. "thank you, I know i'm not the easiest to teach."

"non sense. you're the first person i've tutored to actually have motivation to learn."

"you've tutored others?" you tilted your head.

"course I have. anyways, study what we've gone over today. here's my phone number-"

"youre going to have to give me back my phone in order for that" you chuckled. it felt like satorus world paused for a second as he saw your smile.

"uh right.. sorry"

it felt great to have your beautiful cellular device in the comfort of your hands.

"I usually ignore my messages.. can I give you my instagram instead?" you asked.

satoru was a bit disappointed to not be able to have your phone number, but your insta was just as good. that way he'd be able to see pictures of you.

you both exchanged users, you with your whopping 2.3k followers and him with his 40. 41 including you.

he noticed that out of the 2.3k people that follow you, you only follow around 90. he felt honored that he would be one of the lucky ones to be blessed with your follow.

"great!" satoru couldn't help the dorky grin that crept up on his face. "text me if you have any issues with the work, mkay?"

multiple sessions have passed.

you felt yourself warm up with the boy, learning more about him and his nerdy interests and the upcoming 'name as many digimon characters as you can' contest that he's pumped for explained the character book you'd see every time you met up at the library.

which you both eventually ditched after accidentally catching a couple doing... activities one shouldn't be doing in a quiet environment.

satoru couldn't help but wish that was you and him.

you both settled for a nearby cafe where he always paid for your drinks and sugary treat which he's memorized by now.

"we should go over the vocabulary today" his fingers skimmed through several papers before pulling one out that had the key to all the words you had to remember.

you were progressing and you felt confident for the review and final which were both in three months.

"here write down the words on a separate sheet and try to answer them to see which you know and which you don't."

outside of your tutor sessions, you began saying hi to each other in the hallways, exchanging small smiles in class, and late night texts.

satoru [ 10: 37 PM]

-you complete the worksheets?

you [ 10: 40 PM]

-hi! I just need to finish up the last one then im all done

satoru [ 10: 41 PM]

-thats good, mind sending me what you've done?

you [ 10 : 45 PM]

[image attached]

-im actually at a party right now..

that led to a scolding from him the next day. he couldn't care less actually no matter how many times he said to restrain yourself from partying for now because of your studies. in reality, he just didn't want any boy to see you wearing whatever revealing outfit you decided to put on.

satoru would be lying that he wouldn't feel the way his inexperienced cock would harden whenever he would see the way your skirt would ride up your thighs as you sat so prettily in front of him.

you were completely unaware of how much you affected the poor boy.

"so how'd the contest go?"

"I won obviously. named all 1400 of em." he put his hands up in victory.

you laughed at how cute you found it. him being proud over beating a bunch of kids?

"what was the price?"

"a limited edition card. super rare by the way, you have like one in a thousand chance of getting it. here! I have it on me actually."

he pulled out a card that resembled Pokemon cards which he would get annoyed when you got the two of them mixed up.

"this is the ghost bt1 diamond. you can pick one out of any Digimon of your opponent or you can delete all the Digimon if they share a name with it."

his eyes lit up whenever he talked about his interests. and you loved that about him.

"sounds cool, how much is it worth?"

"hmm I think like 300 at most."

"yeah well I remember my brother has a Pokemon card that's worth 78 grand."

"do your damn work."

as you prepared to leave, he stopped you.

"here."

he handed you the digimon card making your eyes widen.

"you're giving it to me?"

"mhm, just remembered I already have a similar card that does the exact same as this one. no need for me to have it. besides I think it would look great on your phone case."

now, whenever he takes away your phone for your study time, he can't help but smile when he looked at the card neatly placed inside the clear case with a few stickers around it.

he’d find himself late at night in the comfort of his own dorm, with his hand hesitantly palming his growing bulge at the sight of your story. the picture was of you smiling cutely at the cafe you both went at. a picture he took.

you looked gorgeous. you are gorgeous.

he doesn't remember the last time he's jerked off. maybe once in high school when his favorite cosplayer dressed up as a beloved female character of his?

pulling out his needy length, he imagined it was you. a finger grazed upon his tip smearing the pre-cum a bit as he let out a few whimpers. would you hate him if you saw him like this? all horny and pent up because of your post? or would you help him?

no matter how much he stroked himself, he just couldn't finish. he needed you.

his eyes skimmed through various websites to help his situation out.

‘how to have the best orgasm in your life’

‘best stroking methods’

‘how the female anatomy works and how to pleasure it’

‘man finishes threehu-‘

wait what was that? he scrolls back up a bit clicking on the female anatomy one. he was met with several images. diagrams showing where the most pleasurable part was for a woman.

gojo hasn’t done this much studying since his calculus exam back in elementary. who the hell let’s a seven year old solve that shit?!

by the end of the day, his brain is now stuffed with knowledge on how to pleasure you. still zero clue on how he’s ever going to bust.

2 days.

2 days until you review test and you were.. stressed to say the least. thankfully you have gone over everything from the semester and gojo made sure that you were well prepared even offering to make you a cheat sheet, allowed by the professor, to help you out during the test just in case.

"toru."

fuck. when did you begin calling him that nickname? it made gojo feel lightheaded to the point where he had to grip the end of his chair as you approached him.

"hey I was wondering if we could study at my place tonight?" you asked sweetly.

“your place..? like, where you live?”

“I hope so?” you giggled.

“y-yeah i guess but why?”

you took a seat next to him placing your bag next to your feet on the floor.

“walked past the cafe and saw that it was closed due to some renovations”

“god i hope it’s the bathroom sink. that thing sprayed me”

you both laugh at the memory of him coming out the bathroom with his hair sticking to his forehead and clothes dampened. that was the first time you’ve seen him without his glasses.

you preferred him with them on.

but you couldn’t deny that either way he still looked so handsome especially when he rolled up his now wet sleeves of his black sweater revealing veins that adorned his arms.

“I hope so. anyways I’ll text you the address later.. or actually, we can walk together if you’d like?” you offered and who was he to decline?

“sure sweetheart.”

gojo recently picked up the habit of calling you sweet names which never failed in making your stomach leap in happiness. where’s he get the sudden habit?

‘how to fluster a girl.com���

god knows where.

your house wasn’t far from the campus since you’ve been planning on attending this university ever since you were a kid due to living 20 minutes away at a walking distance.

“my parents are away at a trip so we’ll have the house to ourselves”

fuck yeah.

“they doing a business trip or..?”

“it’s their anniversary. they flew out to france and didn’t even bother inviting me” you rolled your eyes playfully making the pierced boy laugh. he recently switched out his lip piercing after his last one fell off while drinking his coffee.

he took in your house as you arrived. looking at the memories plastered on the walls. this is where you grew up..

“want anything eat?”

you.

he shook his head. “I’m alright, I ate something not long ago.” you hummed while walking upstairs, him trailing behind just to get a glimpse up your skirt seeing the pink laced panties that made him let out a low groan. his pants were uncomfortable by the time you reached your room. it was a warm environment, posters on the walls, stuffed animals on the bed. the bed he would love to fuck you in.

“s’cute” he complimented placing his bag down before he stretched out his lanky body on your bed.

his sweater slipped up a bit revealing his v line as well as his white happy trail. your breath hitched as your eyes trailed down the patch of hair before landing on the raging boner that he had. no way.

was he hard?

despite having past experience yourself, no one has ever made you finish.

gojo propped himself on both his arms. “let’s just review what I taught you at the beginning first to freshen up your memory.” you barely took in anything he said as you approached the bed as well sitting down next to him before you felt bold. you shifted sitting down on his lap instead.

satoru let out a gasp before moaning. his hands found your hips immediately. “fuck.. what are you-“ he was cut off by your subtle grinding.

“we shouldn’t..” your heart sank a bit. “you don’t want this..? I’m just trying to help you toru.”

“I know baby but I haven’t.. well I’m.. I’ve never done t-this before, god..” he mumbled embarrassed. oh so that’s what this is. he’s a virgin. “I don’t mind.. let me help you”

“please-“

“shh..” you tugged at his jeans bringing down to his knees. “You’ve never done this before?” you asked letting your acrylics tease him through his digimon boxers.

“no.. no please fuck..”

his cute whimpers went straight to your heat as you finally tugged down his boxers only to be met with the biggest cock you’ve seen. it slapped his stomach the second it was released. he was thick. the pretty pink tip was slowly turning an angry red color as he panted.

you wrapped your hand around him stroking up and down his base watching him twitch. while keeping eye contact, you let some spit fall down his cock making him moan as you used your drool as lube. his hips bucked up as he felt the warmth of your mouth around him.

“t-that’s it..”

for the first time, your lips met in a sweet and needy kiss, your hand still working wonders on him. he placed a shaking hand on your ass cupping it making sure not to break the heated kiss.

“can.. can you ride me?” the way he asked shyly made you want to ruin him even more. you nodded watching him pull off his sweater. now by all means you had zero clue that this man was built as if god made him with his own hands. you did the same, quickly undressing before he stopped you.

“please.. please keep the panties on”

“you like em?”

“fucking love them.”

after carefully placing a condom you found in your drawer on him, you guided his tip to grind just right against you. “lift up your hips a bit toru.. just move them.. back.. and forth.. good job love”

the praise didn’t help Gojos situation at all. “keep praising me..” at this point his glasses were all fogged up. your finger hooked into your panties slipping them to the side so you could slip his cock in.

“so big..” you cood

“oh god, you’re right.. fuckkk baby wait.. wait wait” he moaned filling up the room with lewd noises. the plap, plap, plap echoed. large hands found your waist helping you ride him at a quick pace.

“shit.. you’re better than I imagined.” he groaned out biting your neck sweetly. “you’ve imagined.. this? ngh!” you were surprised to see him pick up the pace. “all the time.”

gojo thought back to the website he visited frequently. his finger found your clit circling it before rubbing it repeatedly. you head fell on his shoulder as you began to shake from overstimulation. “Toru..!”

“this is where you’re weak, right? most girls have an orgasm immediately after teasing the clit”

“ngh.. nerd..!”

“so sensitive”

the raspiness in his voice was enough to make you finish. for the first time ever. gojos hips stuttered as he pulled out watching your juices spill out. he brought his fingers to his mouth tasting you. “you taste good babe”

panting, you removed the condom from his still hard length before slipping him back in.

he wasn’t even half way in before ropes of cum went inside you making gojo close his eyes letting tears of being overstimulated fall down his pretty flushed cheeks.

“be my girl..”

four things happened that day.

you came for the first time

you took away gojos virginity

you were both now dating

you didn’t study at all

but the cheat sheet did help you out a bit. after finishing up the last question, gojo walked over to the teachers desk placing it on top of it. he was the first one out of everyone to finish, like always. he looked up to where you were seated.

there you were, more focused than ever biting your nail as you answered the equations as if it was muscle memory. he was proud, smiling to himself before leaving the classroom.

toru ! [ 7: 45 AM ]

-results are in today 👀

you [ 7:46 AM]

-im nervous… i think i failed it bro im so scared toru

toru ! [ 7: 48 AM]

-I doubt that sweetheart

and he was right because the second you received back your paper with a beautiful 92% written on top of it you felt like you were in heaven. you ran towards gojo wrapping your arms around him excitedly.

“I did it! look!” you showed him your paper.

“told you. good job am proud of ya” he grinned as he once again felt his cock throb at the way you were squeezing him. “what’d you get?”

“100%”

“show off.”

he barked out a laugh before placing his hands on your hips. “we should celebrate.” he suggested. “with cake?” he hummed tucking a strand of loose hair behind your ear before letting his thumb rub on your cheek affectionately. “sure pretty.”

[keferon]

Two Peas in a Pod: part 4/?

Hopefully the dialog isn't confusing.

______________________________

"Still dizzy?" 

"Not really," Jazz answered with a comfortable smile, though stole a quick glance over to the gate. The first since Blaster had arrived for the morning routine. The other mer wasn't awake yet last he saw, but he was shifting more. The medication had obviously long worn off by now, but Jazz still hoped they weren't in too much pain. 

But Blaster noticed and it prompted him to pause his checks to ask, "did he wake up last night?" 

"Kinda? He could have been talking in his sleep though." 

"Hm, there's a good chance he'll be up soon, then." 

Jazz's expression of his usual cheerfulness shifted, just slightly and if it had been anyone other than Blaster, they would have missed it. He flipped the clipboard over in his lap and rested his elbows against his crossed legs. 

"You're nervous," Blaster pointed out gently and gave Jazz an encouraging smile. "Is this about their injuries, or is this about making a friend?" 

The mer's face soured and he looked away. "I thought I wasn't supposed to ask." 

"That was about the gate, and I'm sorry about that." It was just the two of them on the pier, but Blaster still practised a surveying sweep of the area with what looked like stretching. Then with a lower voice, he continued, "The Vet Chief wanted to fully isolate them from you, to keep them in a transfer-crate, at least until the injuries had a low risk of reopening. I argued that it would put them under a lot of undue stress, and you because you knew the Mer was here. Which is part of why it took so long for–" 

"–and it's fine to say this now?" Jazz snapped and turned back to him with a small scowl. 

"Jazz, how many staff members were in your area yesterday? When we talked about the gate?" 

He paused, trying to recall. Blaster was with him and the group that went into the bay had five… seven? 

"There was thirteen, Jazz," he supplied, knowing that any answer coming would be incorrect. It was a lot of people, and with Blaster already known for making waves on the regular, the sudden addition had eyes and ears on him. That, and because he had fought so hard against the 'great idea' brought up in the first meeting after emergency treatment had ended. "You didn't even clock the vet on standby at the pier entrance." 

Jazz huffed and laid out flat, resting his chin on his crossed arms. Okay, so he wasn’t paying attention to who was around. "Then what is it about the gate? I get the bit about climbing the walls, but…" 

"That one is on me, I was – am – being overly cautious. Not of you, but of others misunderstanding your excitement or anxiety as aggression. And I know how persistent you can be when something catches your interest. But that's not the point, what is, is that if the team reports you showing signs of aggression, they'll… remove him." 

Now looking worried, Jazz glanced from Blaster to the gate. "But what if he shows aggression?" 

"We're expecting that, at least at first." Blaster wanted to reassure him, but there were still too many unknown variables. "Unknown place with an unfamiliar face, and likely limited communication. There is bound to be backlash." 

Jazz looked down with an expression of growing despair, before dropping his face against his arms. His words muffled, "so whether he stays or not depends on me being able to talk with him." 

Blaster reached out and placed his hand on the orca's shoulder. "Listen, buddy, this might be hard to hear. But let me explain, okay? … So far it looks like there are no issues and the current plan is to have him released once he recovers." As he feels Jazz tense, Blaster frowns in understanding and begins to rub his shoulder to comfort him. "There is only one reason that the aquarium wouldn't go through with it, and honestly, I don't want that to happen. It's all sorts of fucked up and would only make things worse– but I don't want you to distance yourself from him. I want you to try and befriend him." 

"… why," Jazz asked weakly, cursing him for telling him the truth – for reminding him of the truth – for breaking his small piece of hope of not being alone anymore. If he was going to be taken away, if he was just going to lose him no matter what, then it would hurt less if he just ignored him. 

All sorts of answers bounce around in Blaster's mind. From wishful thinking – because I want you to go with him. To long term goals – anything we could learn could help Mers everywhere. But he settled on as close to the truth as he could. "Because I'm trying to make sure that no matter what happens, it's the best result for both of you. But I can't do that if the two of you can't at least work together. So, I'm asking you to try." 

"Right," because he doesn't need to be kept here to survive… he just needs time to heal. Where I – "–right. Okay, I'll try… but where do I even start?" Jazz took a deep breath to compose himself before he lifted his head. 

"Well, why don't we see if sleepy-head is waking up? Maybe he'd like breakfast." Blaster offered, first with a reassuring smile, but then twisted it into something more mischievous. "And maybe you could find out if he's got a beautiful name, too." 

It took a second to realize what Blaster was getting at, and for the first time in his life Jazz felt bashful. "W-what are you talking about?" He hid it terribly. 

"He's beautiful~" he whispered dramatically, and Blaster learned that mers could in fact blush. 

— 

When Blaster left to get food for the wild mer, Jazz calmly made his way over to the view port. Only to be taken by surprise, he was looking directly at Jazz. Though, glaring, might be more accurate with how his face was pulled tight with focus and the sheer intensity of his stare. 

But otherwise, they were completely calm. Jazz wasn't sure if that was a good sign or bad. Yet, it didn't stop his nervous excitement from returning. He waved with one of his best smiles – one without teeth – and greeted him with a friendly, "hello!" 

What he got in return was a slightly more intense furrowing of their brow – irritation or confusion? 

"Oh! Sorry, habit." Jazz switched to mer. {Hi!} 

The tension didn't leave his face, but there was slight movement and, again, Jazz didn't know how to interpret that. But he did answer, {||၊|။||||•။၊|။|။|၊|။||၊၊၊|?} 

"Uh…" Yep, didn't understand any of that. 

Then the door opened on the edge behind them and Jazz for a moment thought that it would startle the wild mer. But they didn't even flinch. And while their eyes remained on him, Jazz was fairly sure now that they had been using their sonar to track the human's movement. 

"Are they still asleep?" Blaster asked, puzzled. 

"Nope, very much awake." He shifted lower to try and get more than the man's boots in his sight. 

"Ah…" He sounded uneasy and began to make small careful steps around the edge closer to Jazz while he spoke as calmly as possible. "Well, I'm going to keep talking, just so you don't think I'm trying to sneak up on you." 

When he reached the point where he was straight across from the wild mer, they lifted their head to turn their glare on the human. Blaster to his credit did not flinch, but he did freeze. "Whoa– that's – wow, t-that's quite the look." 

A series of slow clicks came from them, but their lips did not move. Jazz didn't think it was echo-speak, as it reminded him of his own searching clicks when he was trying to get a better picture. "Oh! I think he's trying to see what you have." 

The wild mer glanced to Jazz, becoming silent once more before looking back up at Blaster. 

"Fair enough, alright new buddy, I'm going to be real slow about it okay?" Back to narrating his actions calmly as he knelt down. Showing the long pole with a thin, blunt hook, "just an arm I don't mind losing if you decide that you don't like the breakfast I brought," and poured out the fish from the bucket. 

Still the wild mer glared, unblinking and watching every little movement. 

"Okay… I'm not sure what to make of this, so far everything has been nothing like previous encounters." 

"Ya, didn't you say he'd be freaking out?" 

"You got anything to calm or reassure our new buddy here that I ain't going to hurt him?" Blaster was doing his absolute best at trying to remain calm, but even his hands were starting to tremble under the pressure the wild mer was giving him. He wasn't even moving, just watching, but it felt like the human was being stalked. 

Honestly, Blaster was probably one bad move from being lunged at. Though, if that was the case, he had maybe one chance to get away. The hammock would throw him off on the first strike, the supports could probably take two or four hard thrashings before it snapped under the mer's strength. Injuries be damned, this mer was in peak physical condition. 

Jazz gave a small chirp to try and gain the other's attention, and failed, but continued with trying to talk. {It's okay, you're safe.} 

He was given a very tiny dip of his finial facing the gate – a tell that he had heard him? 

{You're safe,} Jazz repeated. 

The mer didn't look away, but he did at least respond. {•၊၊|•|၊|။။၊|။•|||။||||။၊|။•၊၊||၊|။||||။•၊|။•၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။•} Though, far too fast for Jazz attempt to understand. 

"I'm hoping you two are talking about your favourite fish." Blaster joked to cover his nervousness. 

Jazz sighed and admitted the truth, "I haven't a clue to what they're talking about…" 

"Just let me know if I should run, kay?" He shifted slowly on his knees, trying to find a comfortable spot without making himself too vulnerable. 

But Jazz hadn't given up yet. {Hungry?} He tried instead. 

More chirps and clicking that didn't translate. 

{Hungry? Yes? No?} 

The heavy huff that came from them caused Blaster to flinch, but the mer finally focused on Jazz. There was clear irritation in their face now on top of glaring. And the damns broke, he started ranting at him loudly. 

"Hey, don't yell at me, I'm trying okay!?" Jazz glared back, not backing down. Though wasn't all that intimidating with him just having a little porthole to look through. 

"Jazz, buddy, please don't aggravate him." He, after all, was the one in the room with the wild mer. 

"He fuckn' started it!" 

Silence came quickly as the wild mer plunked his face into the soft floaty that had been his pillow. Blaster would have found it utterly hilarious if not fearing for his life currently. With another heavy and long huff, the wild mer looked back at Jazz, still glaring, but slightly less than before. {•|||။||||။၊|။•၊၊||၊|။? Yes? No?} 

Jazz blinked at him for a moment, depending on the question, no could be a yes. {No…?} He answered tentatively instead. 

{It's safe? Yes? No?} And he pointed his nose towards Blaster briefly, but clearly wasn't happy about it. 

{Yes!} Jazz nodded vigorously and smiled for extra encouragement. Out of all the staff, Blaster was safe, Jazz held some trust in the human after all. {[Blaster] safe.} 

"What about me?" 

"He asked if you're safe and I told him you were. Relax a bit or something to show him." 

Easier said than done. Blaster cursed, but did his best to ease the tension from his shoulders and smile a little. Even, daring to slowly lift a hand to wave. 

The mer did not seem convinced, but his glare lessened some more and looked over the human with more curiosity than before. 

{Hungry? Yes? No?} Jazz tried again. 

There was a long pause, but they sighed and answered. {… yes.} 

"Progress!" He cheered and then stuck his hand through the little window. "Blaster, hand me one of the fish. He's hungry, but I have a feeling that he'll trust you more if he sees me eat what you have." 

"Okay." He made sure that it was clear as possible what his intentions were. Taking a fish under the gills, Blaster looped the blunt hook in and out the mouth. Then, very slowly, began to feed the length of the pole towards Jazz's waiting hand. Once Jazz felt the tail touch his palm, he grabbed it and waited until Blaster twisted enough for the fish to slip free. Then the pole was just as slowly drawn back. 

The whole time the wild mer watching the exchange intensely. 

Jazz pulled the fish over to his side, chirped for the other's attention before he swallowed it whole. Smiling once more as he said, {safe.} 

Blaster had to admit, he was surprised when the mer shifted slightly in the hammock, and then cautiously held out his right hand. The glare never left, but this one felt like a threat, that if he messed this chance up, there would not be another. 

Though this was the first time Jazz had been able to see any of his injuries. The colourful tape-bandages almost covered every inch of his skin from his hand up to his bicep. It reminded him that just yesterday he had been mortally wounded. Which was probably a key reason the wild mer seemed so calm, they had only started to recover and every action was either painful or exhausting. Likely both.

Jazz watched closely as Blaster went through all the careful steps as he had with Jazz and held the fish out. The only difference, was that the human's grip was loose, just in case the wild mer decided to try and yank him into the water with it. But they didn't, doing exactly as they saw before, allowing Blaster to release the fish and retreat. The whole process was so slow that the wild mer's arm started to shake from being held out. 

But both Jazz and Blaster let out a breath of relief as there had been no backlash. 

He eyed the fish in his grip with a mild sneer before he swallowed it and then held out his shaky hand for another. It was clear that the pain was getting to him, but nothing in his expression showed weakness. 

The feeding got easier and quicker as Blaster relaxed a bit, not fearing that a normal pace would come off as threatening to the wild mer. 

When the shaking got bad enough, the mer rested his arm back in the hammock, but kept his eyes on the remaining fish. As if to convey he wasn't finished, just needed a break. Blaster was more than happy to comply and gave him a few praises, even if they didn't understand. 

"Hey," Jazz called gently, chirping for the other's attention. He waited until they looked his way, then pointed at himself. "Jazz," and then to the human, "Blaster," and back to himself once more, "Jazz," before pointing to the other mer with a questioning tilt of his head. He hoped it was clear what he was asking for. 

When the silence stretched on for a bit, the human also joined in. "Blaster," to himself and to his mer, "Jazz." 

There was a brief moment that Jazz could see that they were working over something, opening their mouth a few times before the sound of a sharp zip came out. "… 'tzz?" 

Jazz snorted, before breaking into a few chuckles. "Ya, missing the Ja, but you'll get there. I'm Jazz." He placed a hand over his heart. 

The gesture was reflected, {•၊||၊။} 

It was his turn to try and work out the sound in his head. Jazz tried the word out soundlessly on his tongue once. It was like a popping roll? {•၊||၊၊၊၊၊?} 

{•၊||၊။} they repeated, firmly correcting him. 

"Nice to meet ya, {•၊||၊၊၊၊၊}!" While the mer scowled at him for not even trying to fix his pronunciation, Jazz just smiled brightly.  

"So... what is his name?" Blaster asked for a translation, very interested in the development between them.  

Jazz laughed, "I have no idea." 

______________________________

Don't ask about my attempt to make sound-wave-like-text, it's gibberish, lol, and going forward only •၊||၊။ (Prowl) & •၊||၊၊၊၊၊ (Prowler) will be used until Jazz has a English (common?) name to attach an understanding to.

Keferon, I just wanted to say that every comment or tag you leave on the fic is like serotonin being injected into my veins. Every silly little image is like rolling down a grassy hill in the warm sun while I laugh with manic joy. When you add art, it's like an adrenaline shot to the heart that makes me want to run across the globe just to frantically wave hello with both hands, give you a hug and run back to get started on the next part.

And the next part will be Prowl joining Jazz in the main pool and Jazz learning just how fast he is, even while injured. >:)c

-GLC

𓆝 Previous 𓆟 Next

---------------------

Me looking in my inbox and seeing that there's two peas in a po

Odjndgdjdkfhdkm PLEASE. Blaster is so nervous EVERYONE IS SO NERVOUS Ooohhhnooo he's gonna freak out and kill everything he can reach oh no we all know how all those wild stupid creatures are oh no watch out While Prowl is trying to blow their pancakes with mind

And I juswannasay I love it so much ehehejgknfbfkdn THE SOUND WAVE SPEACH? I LOVE THE LOOK OF IT EHEHEH

Always a big fan of creative ways of showing imaginary languages. This thing?? ||ll•|Il It looks hella stylish >:O

Aaannnndd I got excited and made some art hehe

[alchemistc]

"We're friends, right?"

Eddie watches Tommy tense from the bar stool next to him. Hard to notice, when he's trying not to make direct eye contact, when he's catching Tommy in his periphery only, but there's something about the set of his shoulders that tips his hand.

Buck's still jabbering away with that probie from the 136 they met three weeks ago on the 401 and somehow already knew too much about Buck. The fact that Buck doesn't find it weird, and absolutely isn't clocking the starry-eyed admiration in the kids eyes, is not technically his problem, but it's a good launching point.

Hopefully the kid'll ask Buck about some obscure bit of Buck Lore and keep him distracted for the next few minutes.

Tommy fiddles with the label on his bottle. Tries and fails miserably to hide a gulp. "Of course," Tommy says, and Eddie watches him notice Eddie's disbelieving brow lift in the grimy mirror over the whiskey display.

When they'd met, Eddie had been so fucking pleased to find such an easy connection with someone. In a different way than he'd clicked with Buck, because Buck was a handful on a good day and Buck hadn't been having a good day that first one. They'd had so much in common, and that thread had continued the entire time he and Buck had dated. It'd been nice, to have reinforcements against Buck's flights of fancy. It'd been nice not to have to say the hard part out loud, when Tommy could tell he wasn't having a great time of it. It had been nice to be a little overeager and not worry about Buck getting territorial in either direction.

Turns out it wasn't Buck he needed to worry about.

"We can be honest with each other," Eddie says, and takes a little delight in seeing the panic shining through in Tommy's entire body. Just a little, though. He is trying to resolve this whole thing Buck definitely hadn't meant to admit to him three days ago. He tips his head sideways to indicate Buck and the 136 probie. "So what's the difference between me, and that kid over there who would definitely try to take you out at the ankles if he realized you were the crazy pilot Buck's been seeing?"

Tommy eyes the opening of his bottle like it holds the answers to life.

"Could have come up with a cooler nickname. Hot pilot. Brave pilot. Talented pilot."

"All accurate but not what the rumor mill is calling you. I know a deflection when I see one. So we're just never gonna talk about it?"

Tommy sighs. He makes a concentrated effort to roll his shoulders back, extend his jaw, stop picking at the label of the bottle. There's already a pile of strip-thin paper beginning to pool on the bar top between his forearms.

"I can't believe he told you."

"If it's any consolation, he definitely didn't mean to."

Tommy blazes past that like he's spent the length of the comment gearing himself up to spit this out all at once.

"Evan's a flirt. He likes the attention. He likes making connections. I've been jealous of dogs he pets long enough to flirt life stories out of their owners. That kid is a flash in the pan. Evan will come back over here wagging his tail about making a new friend, sit down next to me, and I'll spend the next few hours feeling like a third wheel until you order an Uber."

Yeah. That's what Eddie thought he'd say.

"You're so messed up, man," Eddie says, and Tommy's grin is wry, a little pained. "You know I'm straight."

The number of times he's had to actually think about that in the last few months is still shocking. Apparently it's very heteronormative of him to have never questioned it before now. Like Buck ever had. Like Tommy didn't fight tooth and nail to not have to examine it.

"I'm less worried about you suddenly discovering you like dick than I am about you suddenly discovering you and Evan have been codependent freaks about each other since the day you met."

"I already know that, dumbass."

Eddie may not be the most perceptive man in the world - he's not out here dissecting every interaction with another human a thousand times in two seconds, unlike someone here - but he knows what he has with Buck isn't your standard fare of friendships. He's always likened it to brotherhood, although he's got no idea if that fits. Or how Buck sees it. He just knows those weeks in El Paso we're just as miserable for not having Buck around as they were for all the strife with his family, with Chris, with his job or lack thereof. They'd sucked. Missing Buck had made the top five of terrible things about Texas.

He's also aware enough to know that neither he nor Buck had any desperate desire to do more than clasp each other's shoulders and have a staring contest for thirty seconds when they reunited.

Definitely hadn't wanted to fuck him on a bare mattress and then sleep on that mattress.

He knows too much about Buck's sex life.

Probably his own damn fault for going to the self-proclaimed former sex addict any time he felt weird about sex with whatever woman he was distracting himself with at the time. Opened that door and left it wide on its hinges.

Not that he cares that it's a dude, now. Just. Buck's always had a problem separating the details from the overarching issue.

He can feel Tommy's eyes on the side of his head.

"I'm working on it," Tommy says, like Eddie's got a hand shoved up beneath his ribcage and he's squeezing.

"So we're cool," Eddie pushes, just to catch a glimpse of Tommy rolling his eyes. Buck's not the only one who enjoys how bitchy Tommy is. Different reasons, same result. Eddie likes Tommy. He'd been annoyed with him as much for Buck's sake as his own, because following the Bros Before Hos code had sucked. Eddie doesn't have a whole lot of friends, and Tommy had been a good one. Reliable. Generous. Legitimately interested in the minutiae of Eddie's life. Easy to talk to. Easy to get out of your head with.

"We were never not cool."

"You blocked my number after the breakup, dude." He never told Buck that part. He'd figured it was self-preservation, up until he realized Tommy hadn't bothered to block the man he'd actually dumped.

"I said I'm working on it, not that it's already worked on. I did unblock you. Eventually."

A week before Buck caved and told Eddie the story of their ill-advised hookup. The text he'd gotten had just said "Hope El Paso's treating you well." and Eddie hadn't responded to it for a week and a half.

He's hoping for a little more. Some insight into where Tommy's head is at, what he could do to convince Tommy that's not a direction his and Buck's relationship will ever take.

Maybe that's not the point, though.

Maybe Tommy's more worried about the one they already have.

Well, Eddie's not giving that up. If Tommy wants to stick around, he's gonna have to fucking deal with it. Get out of his own head long enough to realize there's plenty of room in Buck's heart for the both of them.

Buck doesn't notice the lingering gaze of Probie (Derek? Damien? Dick?) on his back as he makes his way back towards them. He plasters himself to Tommy's side and swipes the bottle right from Tommy's hand to take a swig. Plants a lingering kiss under Tommy's ear and murmurs something that turns Tommy's ears pink.

"Kiefer says hi," he tells them both, and Tommy soaks in the moment. Eddie's paying closer attention this time around - doesn't miss the way he tries to wipe the smug satisfaction off his face. "He was very interested in both of you, for some reason," Buck continues, already flagging down the bartender for refills on all three of their drinks.

"Scoping out the competition," Tommy mutters, a little caustic, and the three of them all freeze for a moment.

Eddie's the first to raise his new, sweating bottle to cheers them both, but Buck surprises them both by dropping an arm over Tommy's shoulders, hand squeezing at one of Tommy's bulking muscles. "I'll protect your ankles, baby," he says, and when Eddie's sip of beer ends up coming out his nose onto the bar top, Tommy's the one yanking napkins out of the nearest dispenser to clean it up.

[sheerfreesia007]

Love Touched

Pairing: Jeongin x Reader

Word count: 2,254

Content warnings: Soft smut, MDNI, Fluff, insecurities

Summary: Jeongin wasn’t known for liking skinship and he’s always wondered if that bothers you since you’re dating him. One night at a party he gets his answer and decides to show you how grateful he is for you.

A/N: Divider was created by @enchanthings-a, thank you for sharing your dividers with tumblr!

The party is loud and chaotic as soon as the two of you walk into the large suite, Jeongin guides you into the suite with a steady hand resting on your lower back and you smile up at him over your shoulder. He had been invited to the party by Chaeryeong last week and had asked her if it would be alright to bring you as his date, which had earned him some well intentioned teasing from the woman which he had taken in stride but she had agreed that it would great to have you come as well. He had hoped to spend some time with you at the party just dancing and enjoying being with each other which he is excited to do. He grins down at you before hearing Changbin call out both of your names, turning his head to his hyung he feels your eyes following his movement before you turn to look at Changbin with a bright smile on your face.

”You guys were able to make it!” Changbin cried out as he walked over with Chaeryeong who was rolling her eyes at him scolding him for trying to be the host when that was her job. Jeongin watches as Chaeryeong excitedly embraces you in a tight hug before a loud squeal fills the air and soon the rest of the members of Itzy are embracing you in a welcoming hug. Lia turns to Jeongin with a soft smile and hopeful eyes as she wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“Innie, you don’t mind if we steal your girl for a little bit do you?” she asks sweetly and the rest of the girls all look at him hopefully. You frown softly from next to Lia and you begin to open your mouth to say something about it but Jeongin smiles widely at the girls before shaking his head.

“Of course not. As long as you bring her back to me later.” he says teasingly and your eyes connect with his worriedly but he smiles at you softly and shyly. “If you get bored you can always come find me.” he tells you and you smile brightly at him before reaching out and grabbing his hand gently and squeezing it quickly.

“As if she’d get bored of us.” Yuna gripes out and you laugh happily at your friends.

“You’d be surprised.” you tease her and Changbin bursts out laughing along with Jeongin as the girls pull you away from them arguing that you could never get bored of them and that it wasn’t allowed. Jeongin silently watches as you walk further into the party before Changbin nudges him gently with his shoulder.

“She’ll be fine with the girls. C’mon let’s go over to the boys. I think Seungmin is getting on Chan’s nerves and he’s about to blow up on our pup.” Changbin says knowingly and Jeongin grins while nodding his head at his hyung before darting his eyes in the direction that you had disappeared. He knew that his desire for spending time with you would have to wait, which was disappointing but he couldn’t monopolize your time. It had been a busy week this past week and he hadn’t been able to get his fill of you on his off hours but he knew he would have you for the rest of tonight even if you didn’t get a lot of time together at the party. But he figured he would be able to get more time with you later on, he was happy to give you time with your girlfriends if that meant you would wind up at his side later and he would be able to get at least one dance with you.

As he and Changbin moved through the party Jeongin started to notice a bunch of different couples wrapped up in each other and he wondered if you noticed them too while here. He knew that it had been a shock to you when you first started dating that he wasn’t a big fan of skinship and didn’t cuddle with you a lot of the time. But after dating you for almost a whole year he liked to think that he had softened up to you and enjoying being close to you when you were together and you hadn’t ever rushed or pressured him for more than what he was willing to give you which made him love you all the more and was grateful for your patience with him. As his eyes stayed glued to a couple where the guy had an arm wrapped low around his girlfriend’s waist and was pressing kisses into the skin of her neck lazily, Jeongin wondered if he’d ever be comfortable to do something like that out in public with you.

Just as he was silently slipping further into his head someone grabbed his arm causing him to frown softly at the person before turning his head to see Seungmin staring at him with wide eyes. Jeongin darted his eyes behind his best friend and saw Chan scowling at the younger man.

“You have to help me. Channie hyung is being unreasonable.” Seungmin pleaded and Jeongin chuckled at his best friend before nodding his head at him.

It’s an hour later and Jeongin looks around the party with a slight frown on his face, you hadn’t come to find him at all since you both arrived at the party and he was starting to feel upset by that fact. The boys are still hanging out together but Jeongin only wants to be with you right now. So standing from his seat on the couch next to Hyunjin, who whines softly at the disruption, he starts looking around the party to see if he could find you.

“Uh-oh, it looks like the Maknae wants to be with his girl now.” Felix teases softly and Jeongin scoffs at him as Jisung cries out loudly in an offended tone.

“Are we not good enough for you?!” he calls out and Jeongin looks at him with a disgusted look on his face.

“Of course you’re not.” Jeongin snips out, making the boys all laugh loudly as Jisung pouts at him. “I’ll be back.” he says over his shoulder before he starts walking through the party looking for you.It takes him a little bit of time to find you but he finally does in a corner of the suite with the members of Itzy. He’s standing behind the couch that you’re sitting on with Yuna and Chaeryeong chatting when he overhears Chaeryeong’s question to you.

“So is it hard to be dating someone who doesn’t like skinship as much as you?” Chaeryeong asks and Jeongin freezes as dread fills his stomach. He knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping but there’s a curiosity deep within him that wants to know if you regret dating him because of this issue. He watches silently as you look over at Chaeryeong with a pensive look on your face for a brief moment before you tilt your head to the side and open your mouth to answer her.

“At first it was difficult because I’m used to having a decent amount of skinship between me and others. And when I started dating Innie he didn’t like it so that was hard.” you admit as your eyebrows furrow slightly and Jeongin feels a pit form in his stomach. He didn’t want to be difficult to date and would be devastated if you ever decided to break up with him over it, as a feeling of sorrow began to wash over him you surprised him and caught his attention by speaking up again. “But I love him and I’m willing to wait for however long it takes him to grow comfortable enough with me to like skinship. And since we’ve started dating he has grown more comfortable with me and does like cuddling when we’re together. It’s not very often but it does happen and I like to think that’s what makes it more special for me. It’s showing me that he cares for me more and more each time he does ask for hugs and cuddles.” you tell them and Jeongin feels the pit suddenly dissolve in his stomach and his heart thuds rapidly in his chest while his whole body melts at your confession. “He loves me in his own way and shows me that in other ways than touching.” you say with a soft adoring smile on your face. “I miss him. I’m going to go find him.” you tell the girls and suddenly stand from the couch as they whine and groan about you leaving them. You scoff softly at them with a soft smirk on your face. “I need to go find my boyfriend and give him a kiss.” you tell them dismissively before turning to walk past the couch. When you look up your eyes widen as they spot him and Jeongin steps forward grabbing onto your hand and dragging you away from your friends.

The two of you are silent as he weaves in and out of the crowd of people until he finds a small bathroom far from the middle of the suite. He pulls you in and closes the door behind you before he’s pressing you against it and crowding you in his arms. He grinds his hips up against yours as your back is pressed up against the door and you moan softly at his actions. His lips capture yours in a hot messy kiss that’s all hot wet tongue and teeth that nip at your pretty lips. Jeongin feels absolutely feral for you after your confession to the girls, he feels the all consuming need to show you that he loves you just as much as you love him and that he’s grateful for you and your patience with him.

Suddenly your leg shifts and your thigh grazes his crotch causing Jeongin to let out a wild cry against your mouth. One of his hands slides down the bathroom door where he had been pressing his hand into the wood to cage you in before hooking underneath your knee and hiking your leg up over his hip. With the new position he’s able to slot his body between your open thighs and you whimper into his mouth when you feel how hard he’s gotten for you. Your cute little skirt falls up towards your hips and Jeongin pulls away from your mouth to look down at your underwear and groans loudly as he sees that you’re wearing his favorite lacy soft green pair with all the lace flowers on it.

Consumed with his desire for you Jeongin quickly undoes his jeans just enough to slip himself out of them. The sigh of himself laying bare against your lace underwear nearly makes him cum but he manages to calm himself slightly before his fingers are slipping your panties to the side and he’s lining himself up with your entrance. He looks up at you and stares into your eyes feeling too far gone for any words, when he sees you nod at him as your hands pull him in for another heated kiss he groans into it while slipping inside of you.

His pace is frantic and oh so desperate as he bucks and thrusts against you. The feeling of your wet walls sucking him in is heaven to him and he knows he’ll never grow tired of the feeling. He’s panting into your open mouth as his orgasm begins to build and build within him. Your hands move to card through his messy hair and he stares into your eyes with a clouded wild gaze. He’s whining loudly as he continues to drive the two of you towards your highs.

Your head falls back against the door as you let out a delicious sultry moan after a particularly hard thrust from him and Jeongin starts to feel your walls clamping down on him. His eyes focus long enough on yours as you stare at him while resting your head and you quickly nod your head.

“I know Innie. I love you too baby. I can wait no matter how long.” you coo at him and Jeongin slams his hips up into you while whining loudly as his mouth hangs open. Your walls clamp down on him like a vice and Jeongin is lost to the pleasure of your body, his release filling you with delicious heat as he buries himself inside of you.

When he comes down from his high he slowly slips out of you and helps you clean yourself before righting your clothes. He stands in front of you still crowding you against the door as his eyes stare into yours imploringly. You cup his face and pull him in for a sweet soft loving kiss that he eagerly reciprocates with a hungry one of his own.

“I love you and I am so grateful and thankful for you.” he says softly to you and your eyes crinkle with delight and love as you beam up at him. He wraps his arms around you tightly burying his face in your neck and kissing the sweaty skin there before licking a wide stripe up to your ear which makes you squeal. “Can we go home now? I want to cuddle.” he asks you and you happily nod your head at him before leading him out of the bathroom to say goodbye to all of your friends.

SKZ Taglist: @kayleefriedchicken, @babigriin, @inlovewithstraykids, @channiesrightasscheek

[aegis-noctua]

Allow me to finally break and enter this fandom with my humble offering!

I just wanted to do something with them all being good friends. Love, love, love their group dynamic! Also I have like 20+ pages worth of silly little dialogs that I want to turn into equally silly little comics, so hopefully I'll be sticking around.

Aaand a lot of rambling under the cut.

I'm an avid reader, you see. I generally don't watch things (sometimes not in literal years), it's just not something I do. So when at the beginning of fall tumblr exploded with outrage over the Dead Boy Detectives cancellation, my first thought genuinely was "what a stupid f*cking name" and then immediately "people are overreacting, it's just a series, nothing is worth that much of a fuss". But after observing for some time from a safe distance I eventually grew curious. I thought I knew what I was getting into.

(I had no bloody idea)

Well. Here I am now, almost four months of obsession later, eating my words with shards of glass and no sign of reaching the bottom of this cursed rabbit hole. I've been drawing more than ever and for the first time seriously thinking about honing my artistic skills. I have some drafts for at least two stories, and even though I'm a little hesitant to write (not being a native and all), I'm pretty determined to give it a go anyway. I tend to avoid social media and digital public spaces in general, but #SaveDeadBoyDetectives campaign changed that as well. To my great regret, there is not much I can do or participate in, so I settled for trying to be supportive of all the lovely people who created probably the safest and most comfortable online space I've ever encountered. I'm not as good as Charles at keeping spirits up, but damn I wanna try.

It honestly feels like if I had something like dbda growing up, I'd turn out at least 40% less traumatized as a person. It grew to mean so much so quickly. It's like some moments were plucked right out of my life and then embedded in the show. I felt (and still feel) so seen, and understood, and reassured, and safe, and hopeful, and accepted when watching (pretty much everybody's but especially) Edwin's side of the story. It's so much more than "just a series", and these Dead Boys deserve every good word that's being said about them.

Okay, I'm wrapping it up now, and the only thing left to say is thank you to all the people who put their effort into keeping this wonderful story alive and making the fandom so friendly and welcoming.

(right now I'm working on a big Christmas comic that I definitely won't be able to finish in time, but it will appear here at some point)

[transboyswitchytales]

A Proposition

part 1

2,3,4

Wanda Maximoff Professor x Student Reader

After a night together, reader is suprised to go to class the next day to see a certain one night stand or rather her professor? Will she be just a one-night stand?

My Masterlist

Holy shit.

Darcey looks at you tilting her head and you shake your head for her to not draw any attention to you. But Wanda turns and looks directly at you, her breath catching for a moment before her TA hands her some paperwork. She is momentarily shaken from the trance.

Everyone takes their seats and she begins.

“Welcome everyone. My name is Professor Maximoff and I will be teaching you Survey of Litterature this semester. We will be reading large texts and dissecting them. I encourage this class to be argumentative with what you read. I want you to make a paper that not every student before you has written. I’m not an easy A class, you will have a lot of homework. If this scares you, good.” She took a moment to look around the room. “It should.”

There was a large silence that fell around the class.

“I’m here for you to stretch the knowledge of what you already know. Hopefully, after this semester you will be able to construct an argument. ”

You heard a few chairs scrape on the floor as some people left.

“My class is specifically for those who are getting English degrees. So the majority of you are seniors. Which means I expect more. Any questions?” Wanda smiled dangerously.

The rest of class we learned the large reading list that she was recommending. It was a little terrifying amount of homework. But you loved studying classic literature so a few of the books you’d already read. You were surprised by a few of her book choices, Doctor Zhivago wasn’t a story you saw often saw in required reading.

Just then you remembered the feeling of Wanda sucking your clit hard enough to make you squirt. And in that moment your face turned red and she looked at you again. You broke the eye contact and scribbled on your note pad gibberish so she wouldn’t look at you.

Wanda turned towards the board then and started writing out the main themes of Homer's ‘The Odyssey’. She chose three people from the class to come over and argue about Odysseus's line of character. After a healthy debate about ancient Greek gods. She seemed bored moving the chalk between her fingers in a disinterested state. Her eyes fell on you then.

“Y/N.”

You cursed and Darcey turned in a state of shock. No one seemed to care why she knew your first fucking name. You cursed the fact that you’d given her your name and heard her cum chanting it over and over again.

“Yes Professor,” You gulped and hoped your voice didn’t tremble.

“What do you think of Odysseus’s character.”

“Well, he did cheat on Penelope.”

“Can you put the parameter of everyday adultery to this story?”

“I think so. He’s a great lead character but that doesn’t make him perfect.”

“I suppose it says something about your love life, but can we really judge this character on that.”

There was a chuckle in the classroom but you didn’t take the bait. The class settled and Wanda had a small smirk on her lips. You kept your cool though.

“The question was simple, what do I think of his character, you can be heroic and still be flawed. Even if he comes back to Penelope in the end he wasn’t honest.” You had given a tiny dig at honesty. Seeing as how Wanda didn’t exactly lead with what she did for a living after you two had met. She seemed to catch this detail with a little glimmer.

The TA walked over to Wanda and whispered something.

“Looks like that’s our time today. Y/LN, if you could stay after class.”It wasn’t a question. And Darcey looked for a moment like she was going to say something but she held back and gave you a knowing look as you made your way over to Wanda’s desk. The TA handed her a paper and then left along with the rest of the class.

“Walk with me.” Wanda said as she put her coat on and slipped her laptop bag over her shoulder.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I can just drop the class” You tried but she didn’t budge. Walking around the desk and closer to you.

“Don’t be silly. You won’t be able to find another spot in time. You’ll need the credits of this class to graduate. Besides, I’ve heard from other professors you are quite remarkable.” She moved off of her desk to start for the doors.

“Professor,” She giggled and turned to you.

“So it’s professor now?”

“You didn’t tell me what you did.”

“You never asked darling.” She smiled guiltily.

“Please don’t call me that?” Your ears turned red.

“Why, if I remember right it does amazing things to you. You liked pet names the other night.”

“Professor…Maximoff, this isn’t a good idea.” Shaking your head you walked closer to her.

“You haven’t even heard what I’m offering yet?”

Part 1

[saurongorthaur9]

So, in the last couple months, I've gotten a few different people commenting on my fanfiction commenting/reviewing methods. I've been involved in fanfic communities since 2008 and I've reviewed literally thousands of stories. I also like leaving long, fairly detailed comments, and I've had multiple people asking me for tips on commenting and what my process is. I needed to take a little break amidst the chaos of packing for a 2000 mile move, so I thought I'd write up a little guide for tips and tricks on leaving great reviews. So here you go: SG's Guide to Commenting on Fanfics!

First of all, my method. I take notes as I read personally. My preferred method is saving stories to my laptop and then highlighting parts I want to comment on, but there are any number of alternate methods, such as using a note app on your phone or jotting down physical notes in a notebook, if you're old-school like that :)

Then, here are my tips on ways to write great comments! (And a reminder, these are just tips, not rules! There is no Fanfiction Comments Bible I am using here, just my own experience for how I write my comments/reviews, so take or leave any portions of it that you want. But hopefully, if you are new to commenting or wanting to leave more detailed comments, you'll find something helpful here.

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1. First, you can never go wrong with an enthusiastic "OMG I loved this! *keyboard smash* *kudos*" I can guarantee you that there is no author out there who doesn't appreciate unbridled enthusiasm about the content they spent hours, days, weeks, or even months working on.

2. Quote passages that stood out to you, then tell the author how that passage made you feel. From my experience, authors love knowing specific passages that impacted their reader. I usually will format it something like this: *Quote from story* Oh my gosh, this piece of dialogue made me laugh so hard...or... *Quote from story* I seriously teared up here, so beautiful.

3. Were there places where the characterization was just spot on? Let the author know. It can be something simple like "When x character did x, that felt SO in character!"

4. Did the characters make you feel emotions? Again, let the author know. "When x character did x, I wanted to punch them so hard!" or "Aw, when x character kissed x character, I felt so warm and fuzzy!"

5. Was there a descriptive passage that felt super realistic? You can say something like "When you described that waterfall, I felt like I was right there" or "When x character was pulling out that splinter, I was squirming the whole time".

6. For a little bit of a more expert reviewer tip, comment on things that author has done to expand or add to the world. This can look like a variety of different comments, but here are some examples. "I love how you've delved into x character's backstory or psychology with your story. I've always found them intriguing and wondered why they made x choice." "Your OC fits so well into this world. I could totally see this character going about their life during the canon events." "I really enjoy that you're exploring x culture in your story; I loved the description of the festival at the beginning."

7. For a really expert tip, comment on the little easter eggs you notice in fics. From my experience, authors are utterly delighted when readers pick up the little tidbits they've meticulously hidden or ways they've shown off their technical skills. This requires more in-depth knowledge of how writing and stories work however. This can look like comments like these: "OMG, I saw what you did there with that foreshadowing when x character said x!" or "That was really clever how you showed a parallel between this character over here and that character over there."

8. Finally, thank the author! They put lots of effort into creating this piece of art that you've just enjoyed; let them know you appreciate their time, creativity, and effort. And if it's a multi-chapter story or a series, let them know you're invested without being pushy for an update. I like saying something like this at the end of my reviews: "Thank you so much for sharing your work with us! I am so excited to see where the story is going whenever you share the next chapter. Cheers!"

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And of course, remember that a simple comment is better than no comment! I know I'm very much not the only person to have said this, but comments are an essential part of the Fandom ecosystem. If you only have time or energy to leave a quick "I loved it!" then do that! You will make the author's day, I guarantee. But if you're considering whether or not to leave a comment at all, please remember that all fanfic authors are people who have poured enormous amounts of time and effort into the thing you've just enjoyed (to give you an idea, it takes me an average of about 60-80 hours PER CHAPTER to write Gorthauro Estel).

I've also seen posts from people about fears of saying the wrong thing in a review. There are very few "wrong" things to say, but just to allay any fears one might have, I've compiled a quick list of what to avoid in your review.

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Don't beg for updates. Getting an "Update please!" review on a WIP that you haven't been able to work on for whatever reasons is always discouraging. I can understand how a beginning reviewer could see it as a complement, but as someone myself who is slow to update, I can tell you that it only puts a larger sense of pressure, weight, and discouragement on the writer. If you want to let the writer know you are looking forward to an update and are invested in the story, look at my last point in the comment tips above.

Going along with that, don't comment on how long it's been since the story has been updated. During some of my gaps where I just couldn't write for a number of different reasons, I would get frequent comments along the lines of "wow, this story hasn't been updated in a year, are you ever going to update?" Those reviews would make me feel SO bad. I was always intimately aware of how long it had been, and I think most authors are the same. Instead, writing a sweet, enthusiastic review with some of the tips above might just give the author the emotional and mental juice to work on that stalled WIP again.

If the author has a different headcanon about a character, event, etc that doesn't line up with your headcanon, don't comment on it. I recently got a review complaining that I write my Sauron as someone attracted to women. I personally headcanon Sauron as heteroromantic demisexual (which is also what I am), and that's the way I portray him in my fics. If the author's headcanon doesn't line up with yours and it bothers you enough to want to comment on it, that story might just not be for you. If you choose to read the fic, you are choosing to enter into the world of the author's headcanon and you should be respectful of it.

Similarly, if the author makes a choice for where to take their story that you don't care for, don't comment on it. You are perfectly within your rights to stop reading if you don't like the way the author chooses to take their story, but it is their story.

Don't point out mistakes unless you know whether the author is comfortable with it or not. I am personally fine with people pointing out typos or the like to me in public reviews, but some people can be sensitive about it. Check with the author privately rather than leaving a public comment to see what they are comfortable with.

Basically, it comes down to the old adage, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. If you keep your comments positive rather than negative, you're unlikely to say anything "wrong".

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Hopefully, this has been helpful! Now go forth and comment!