#and planned a schedule to read them based on the days i have more free time

[vintagebuckybarnes]

Unexpected Connections

Pairing → Neighbor! Bucky Barnes x Neighbor! Fem! Reader

Total Wordcount → 1.9K

Summary → Living next to the one and only Bucky Barnes and the cutest cat you've ever seen has its upsides, and when he asks you to come along to one of the parties Tony throws, you're about to find out just how good the perks can be.

Tags & Warnings → Mostly canon compliant, neighbor au, Avenger Bucky Barnes, Civilian Reader, Bucky's past is referenced a few times, occasional use of Y/N, fluff, first meetings.

Author's Note → Hi, and welcome to my first story for Bucky! I'm pretty excited to have been working on a story for him, as he's been my favorite since I joined the fandom of the MCU a few years back. I hope you will enjoy this story, and I'm looking forward to creating more and reading everything you all have made, as well.

Bucky Barnes - a former assassin who was brainwashed and used as a weapon, Avenger, and the best cat dad and neighbor you could have ever wished for - is someone you never thought you'd get close to. Not only do you live completely different lives, but you're also socializing in entirely different circles. Despite this, the universe had its plan ready when he moved into the apartment next to yours a little over six months ago.

It's been a few days since your new neighbor moved in, and even though the two of you have run into each other a few times, you never got more than a 'hello' out of him. Today, you're going to his apartment with some of your famous chocolate chip cookies. After checking yourself in your hallway mirror one last time, you grab your keys and the cookie container, ready to introduce yourself.

When you're at his door, you knock a few times, and before you can even think about what could happen, the front door opens, and you're met by a sight you only have ever seen in your wildest dreams. A tall, broad man opened the door while holding a stark white cat in his arms - one of them being a prosthetic, based on its black and gold color. His hair is neatly trimmed, and his beard has undergone the same treatment. What you notice most of all, though, is how his blue eyes are roaming over your face in a questioning way, making you feel a bit nervous.

"Hi, uhm, I am here to welcome you to the building! I'm your next-door neighbor, Y/N Y/L/N, and I brought some cookies for you to enjoy as a gift. Though if I had known you had a cat, I would have made a little treat for them, too," you say, internally chastising yourself for saying something so weird.

"It's nice to meet you, Y/N; I'm Bucky and this—" he raises the cat with his arm "—is Alpine, though she already gets plenty of treats from me, so don't worry about that," he says with a small smile. While he wasn't having a particularly good day today, his mood shifted slightly when he saw you.

A soft meow follows his comment as she looks up at her owner as if trying to disagree with him, making you smile at the scene unfolding in front of you. Then, you reach out the Tupperware container with the cookies, and he accepts with a small smile and a soft 'thank you' before you head back. The click of his front door behind you lets you know he went back inside.

Since that meeting, Bucky quickly warmed up to you and your enthusiasm about the things you love. It only took a few weeks for him to open up about his work as an Avenger - which had you gasping loudly - and that he might be gone for weeks on end. That night, you offered to take care of Alpine in his absence, and when she approved of you as well, Bucky was happy to become friends with you.

"Doll?" Bucky asks as he's grabbing a drink from his fridge for you. He just returned from a mission when he found you napping on his couch with Alpine in your arms. You woke up not long ago, but he returned and didn't wake you.

"What do you think of going to one of Tony's parties with me this upcoming Sunday? If you're free, of course," he says with a small smile. He's aware your schedule can be unpredictable at times, with your job at the local bookstore and your volunteer work at the animal shelter, and always wants to make sure you have time to go anywhere together.

"That would be amazing, Bucky! Meeting the Avengers, having fun while getting free drinks, and spending time with you?! There's nothing better if you ask me," you say with a broad smile, which is infectious as Bucky agrees. It would be amazing if you could come with him.

"Okay, I will ask Ms. Jones to watch Alpine for the night then. I was initially going to ask you, but I figured a night with the Avengers would be a lot more fun than to be stuck here with this little goofball," he jokes as he sits down next to you, though she doesn't even open an eye to look at him as he does.

"I don't know, spending nights with Alpine is always fun, too," you tell your neighbor with a giant smile as you pet the white feline's back, her purring intensifying with every passing minute. Your smile is infectious, as Bucky can feel the corners of his mouth curling up, too.

It's the night of Tony's party, and you're ready to go as you hear a knock on your front door, letting you know Bucky is here to pick you up. After his invite, you went out to get a simple black dress that shows off your curves just the way you like, and your hair and make-up are kept simple, as you've never been one to go over the top with things like that.

As you open the door, Bucky can't help but let his gaze wander over your body, making the butterflies in your stomach go wild as he does. While you and Bucky don't have any interest in each other romantically - with him having a crush on his fellow Avenger, Steve, being proof of that - he can appreciate the beauty of women, and this moment isn't any different.

"You look stunning, Doll," Bucky says, and you can't help but smile as you take a moment to take in his outfit, too. He chose a black suit and a golden bowtie, matching his arm.

"You're not bad-looking yourself, either," you say before grabbing your keys and leaving your apartment. The Uber he ordered is already waiting for you two, and he opens the door for you like a true gentleman. When you're seated, he quickly walks around and gets in himself, ready to be brought to the party.

"What's on your mind?" Bucky asks as he looks over at you. Your nerves are clearly visible as you look out the window, and you're clutching your bag for dear life.

"Well, I- uhm... I'm a bit scared they won't like me," you confess as you cast your eyes down to where your hands are in your lap, holding onto the bag to ground yourself. Before saying anything, Bucky grabs one of your hands, making you look up at him.

"Y/N, I can promise you that there is not a single world in which they would not like you. If I'm being honest, you're an absolute ray of sunshine in your day-to-day life, and I cannot wait to share your happiness and kindness with them. I understand the nerves, but you got me to love you, so I'm positive the others are going to love you as well," he says, his blue eyes looking into yours with a soft gaze.

As he tells you this, you can feel the nerves in your stomach settle down immensely. The rest of the drive goes by so quickly that you don't even realize you're there until you see a bunch of flashing lights from the paparazzi at the party, and Bucky is already on his way out of the car to open your car door.

"Ready?" he asks as he extends his Vibranium hand, and you put your hand in his, ready to get out and into the party. He quickly leads you past the paparazzi, and once you're inside, Bucky immediately spots his best friend and crush - the one and only Captain America, aka Steve Rogers.

"Hi," Bucky says shyly as Steve embraces him, and you can't help but smile at this sweet side of Bucky. While they share some small talk, you look around, trying to see if you can recognize any of the other Avengers, but so far, you have only found Steve.

"You must be Y/N; Bucky speaks very highly of you," Steve says with a bright smile and kind eyes, and you nod as you can feel your cheeks heating up once again. His hand feels very large compared to yours and warmer than you're used to, but Bucky has explained that the super soldier serum raises their body temperature, which is why he's never cold.

"It's very nice to meet you, Steve. I have heard a lot about you from Bucky, both from the 30s and 40s, as well as what you two get up to now," you tell him, and this time it's Steve's turn to blush. Before he can answer, you're suddenly approached by a woman in a long red dress and fiery red hair: Black Widow.

"I was wondering when we would meet you—the sweet, caring neighbor he can't stop talking about," Natasha says with a smirk as she shakes your hand. Something about her immediately piques your interest.

"Bucky can't seem to shut up about you, so I'm happy to see that you actually exist," she says with a wink to Bucky, who rolls his eyes before ordering some drinks.

"I'm happy to hear that Bucky has already informed you about me; it makes me feel good that I'm worth talking about," you tell her honestly, and she smiles at your words. Sometimes, you wish to shut up with your blunt honesty for a moment, but it doesn't matter with Natasha. She enjoys people who say what they think.

"Have you met the others yet? Maybe Bucky could help you find the rest and introduce you," she offers, and your neighbor and friend nods with a smile before offering his arm, through which you hook yours. Before you know it, you've met Clint, Bruce, and Thor, who couldn't stop complimenting you, so the only person that's left is Tony Stark himself.

"Is this real? Am I going to meet Iron Man himself?" you ask Bucky with excitement dripping from your entire being, and he hums in approval. You spot the man you're looking for quickly, as he's always a significant presence in every room he's in. As you approach him, your heartbeat rises steadily until it feels like it's beating out of your chest.

"Well, who do we have here? If I'm not mistaken, you're the only Y/N Y/L/N," Tony says in his smooth voice, and the butterflies in your stomach go wild. He always has this effect on women, and you're most certainly not immune to it when he gently grabs your hand and presses a kiss to the back of your hand.

"H-hi! Yes, that's me," you tell him with a broad smile, which he reciprocates in his typical manner that melts hearts and ruins panties everywhere he goes.

"It's an honor to meet you, and I hope Bucky will treat you right tonight. Now, go and have fun, you two," he says before being pulled away, leaving you with wobbly knees from the excitement coursing through your entire body.

"I can't believe it, Bucky, I've met the Avengers! Me, a simple human, meeting the Avengers of all people! I can't believe it," you tell him excitedly, your pace of speaking rapidly increasing as you get increasingly excited about what has just happened.

"You're not just a simple human, Doll; you're the best neighbor and friend anyone could wish for, and I'm happy you're here tonight," he says before guiding you to the bar, ready for the rest of your evening to start. The entire time, you're made to feel welcomed by everyone, and you couldn't imagine a better first meeting than the one you've had today - apart from the one you had with Bucky, that is.

Masterlist → Bucky Barnes masterlist

GIF: Source → All the other graphics are made by @vintagebuckybarnes

If you'd like to be tagged in future stories, add yourself to my tag list here.

[reignpage]

Modern au!FAQ

What is the EdenU au?

It is a modern alternative universe set in my fictional university called Eden University established in my fictional city, Eden City. The JJK men all play a part and are connected one way or another. They each have individual love stories playing out with girls who are part 'reader' part original characters. The stories are told both through smaus, fics and questions

If I'm starting out, where should I begin?

I recommend reading based on parts, starting with Toji's, but after that whoever you read next is up to you e.g. Toji pt1 -> Nanami pt1 -> Geto pt1 etc etc Ultimately, it actually doesn't matter so please feel free to read as you please, and there's not even any obligation to read all the other characters' stories Nanami's story might be a little confusing because his was the most developed before I decided to change my structure for story telling There's a guide attached to his parts, so please have a read of that, and if you have any more questions, I'm happy to explain

Who are the sisters?

Nanami's reader and Geto's reader One year apart They live together

How are you going to end the series?

There won't be a final ending, not in the traditional sense The official ending will come from all the jjk men becoming officially in a relationship with their readers But I have plans to sporadically update each story with snapshot smaus and fics of their established relationship stories Happy endings don't come from a label

Who is your favourite reader?

I don't have one I like them all for different reasons

Who is your favourite jjk man to write in this universe?

No one in particular Sukuna's, Nanami's, and Toji's maybe Mostly because they're my three favourite jjk men in general

Which reader do you relate to most?

Maybe Toji's reader We're both writers and not particularly outspoken or popular But we're not shy and we love gossip Though, I see a part of myself in every reader

What's your creative process like?

Creating the series, I picked a trope I wanted to explore using my understanding of the characters, and created the world/plot around that I have a rough idea of how I want things to go, but generally speaking, I go with the flow, allowing myself to change my mind and adjust the story so that it feels as natural and realistic as possible

Would you create a mood board for your visualisation of the readers?

Not likely I like that the appearances of the readers is left vague because then irl readers are not restricted in their imagination, and also their involvement I want irl readers to be able to picture who every they wish, whether that is someone else or themselves

What's your posting schedule?

I don't have one I post when I feel like it but I usually post at least once a day And as for who I post, I like to make sure every character gets a turn, so who I post next depends on who I haven't posted for in a while

Why do the readers never stand up for themselves?

The readers aren't complete pushovers They're supposed to be somewhat realistic; not all women are badass, don't take shit, punch them if they so much as look at you type of people Sometimes women have to bear with men's mistreatment because they have a larger goal in mind, but that isn't me promoting that behaviour, it's just storytelling

I hate _______'s reader

That's not a question but it's something I get often I understand people disagree with the personalities or behaviours of certain readers, and that's perfectly fine, sometimes it's intentional Perfect characters are boring and character development is precious People can feel and express those feelings however they please...to a certain extent For example, if you slutshame a certain reader, I'm inclined to block you because I think it's important to remember that, whilst this is fiction, some people actually relate to these characters and events, and name calling is harmful

How am I supposed to know these extra information if you delete your responses after a certain amount of time?

You could always ask You could turn on alerts for my blog You could visit my blog once or twice a day because I tend to delete around the 15 hours mark, in my head that's enough time for someone who's been sleeping to just take a peek at my blog Ultimately, this is something I'm quite fixed on because I post often so I don't want to clog up my page And if this is a problem, then I am not the right blog for you

Can I make a request for the next update?

I'd rather you didn't I'm not taking requests at all right now And I'd like to maintain complete creative freedom with my stories and people giving their two cents can bias my process

How are the series going to end?

The series are currently in the 'pre-relationship' stage. They'll end when the couples get coupled up i.e. get into a relationship BUT there will be sporadic posts for their 'during the relationship' stories These could be like special episodes of key moments in their life, as we have already seen with Nanami's part 0.5s where they take a break

Could I use your ideas?

No.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 71 (Back to the Brindleton Light)

NOTE: I'm taking a posting break until the 16th for Canadian Thanksgiving since I'll be spending time with family. Still planning to read and comment but might be spotty, and after that I've got posts queued every other day until November.

The every day schedule is too much for the length of my posts, I see that now (both for readers and for me!) and I want more time to read simblr stuff I haven't been able to thanks to my current output! I like where we leave them with this one, and I like even more what's queued up for the 16th, so it feels like a good time to pause the plot.

Conrad hadn't shaken his belief that someone - maybe a ghost, maybe not - was using the Brindleton Light as a home. The station was always taking reports from locals about strange sounds at the lighthouse, but most of the other detectives dismissed them all as overhyped ghost stories.

cw: skivvies I didn't realize we're sorta, um, thin. Sorry! They love that lighthouse what can I say?! 😂🌶️

He'd engrossed himself in the The Green Lady's Lost Tome since their meeting with Grim, reading it whenever he had free time at home.

With Ash in the city few months after Hazel and Nicola's wedding, Conrad invited Heather to join him and Gord on Deadgrass Isle after she'd finished her monthly accounting. He hadn't forgotten the old man and his offer to show Conrad around the lighthouse after hours, but they made a quick circle through the museum and didn't see him. "He must not be working tonight, but I still want to check the lighthouse."

Heather followed him up the dirt path from the museum to the point, where white paint peeled off the old gatehouse at the base of the tower. Curious, he picked up a candy wrapper and showed it to Heather and Gord.

"Anyone could have dropped that," said Heather. "A candy wrapper isn't proof that someone's living in here."

But the light inside the gatehouse flickered on again as she spoke. "Stand back here," said Conrad before he knocked.

"Shouldn't you wait for backup?" she asked. "What if they're dangerous?"

A blond figure in a jacket raced into view. "He climbed out that window!" cried Conrad. "Stop right there!" The man hesitated enough for Gord to catch up with him.

He cowered, and Conrad approached him carefully. "It's alright," he said. "I just want to talk."

"Screw you!" the man shouted, tackling Conrad as he reached for his badge. He never liked to carry his gun around when he wasn't on duty, and with everything he'd experienced lately, he sincerely expected a ghost, at most - not a squatter. Conrad fought him under the shadow of the lighthouse, as Heather watched helplessly from several feet away.

"Be careful!" she screamed. But Conrad was stronger than his target and subdued him without much trouble. The blond man whimpered, holding his face with a grimace.

"Why don't you start your story by telling me your name."

"John Brindleton. My ancestors founded this town, and I'm the last of my stupid name. I moved into the lighthouse after my family kicked me out. Said I was lazy and needed to make something of myself. But they wanted me to join one of the fishing boats and I...I hate fish!"

"So you thought you'd just live in an old dusty lighthouse until...?"

"Until I figured out a way to override the electrical and shut off the lighthouse. If there's no lighthouse the boats can't come in late. And if boats can't come in late, I can kill the fishing industry in this town. Then I'll never have to work it!"

Conrad offered a pitiful sigh to the wannabe criminal. "So you weren't just squatting, you were plotting destruction? I thought I'd be able to get through your criminal report on Monday morning in about five minutes, but now you're a felon."

"No! I mean! I just wanted to take revenge on the other boats who put my dad's fleet out of business! He'd be too busy working to worry about me if not for them."

Conrad clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Well, now you can think about your failed attempt at revenge from a cell."

"I'm not going to jail!" cried the man, racing down the path toward the museum. Conrad took off after him, with Heather and Gord following close behind.

With the man subdued on the ground, they waited for the Brindleton PD speedboat to pick up the perp, handing him off to the weekend patrol crew to process the late-night booking. "Give him a weekend in the cells and make sure he talks to a lawyer."

The patrol crew gave their senior detective respectful nods, and Conrad watched the boat speed back to the mainland as Heather wrapped her arms around him.

Even with a cool drizzle in the skies, they both wanted to feel the breeze from the tower, to calm their nerves at the observation deck. The lighthouse was cordoned off with police tape, so they knew they were alone.

"You were kind of incredible down there," Heather gushed with a coquettish grin. "You were right. Someone was in the lighthouse the whole time...But they're gone now. Is the observation deck part of the crime scene?"

"No, he said got electrocuted by the fuse box once and thought it smelled like wet dog up here."

"It's a little dusty, but it's not that bad."

Conrad grinned as Heather's hand slid gently down his back. "Ms. Nesbitt, are you trying to seduce me?"

She smiled. Returning to the electrical room, they made love over the dingy old blankets - untouched since their last visit - until both were completely satisfied.

When they'd finished, Heather nuzzled against his shoulder in the dark old lighthouse. "We've really got to stop doing this here," she said. "After how hard I pushed to end the free love action plan in town, if anyone caught us up here...And really, should a man as close as you are to making sargeant be found with his pants off inside the lighthouse?"

Conrad let out a playful groan. "Your logic is sound, but I don't have to like it," he said, pulling her in for one last embrace before they moved to get dressed again.

Conrad watched Heather's silhouette in the quiet darkness. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world," he said. Heather blushed.

Arf!

They both looked toward the sound, like it had come from inside the room. "You heard that this time?"

She nodded. "I heard it. That's definitely not Gord. Do you think it's a stray? Maybe that weird squatter had a dog?"

"The squad checked over the place and didn't find anything. I think that's the old lightkeeper's dog."

"All the strays in Brindleton Bay and you're sure it's a ghost?"

He knew it sounded ridiculous. "Maybe not," he sighed. "I want to talk to that old man the next time he's working."

"The one you said reminded you a little of your dad? What's his name?" She pulled out her phone to look him up.

Conrad searched his memory but came up short. "I didn't ask. I had a lot on my mind the night we met..."

"Maybe he was a ghost, too," she teased after they'd finally dressed, but Conrad stopped in his tracks down the lighthouse stairs. "I was kidding! I'm sure he doesn't work every night. But I'll make you ambrosia treats to bring next time you bring Gord to run around. If the barking dog is really a ghost, maybe the treats will coax him out, finally."

Joke or not, Conrad's curiosity over the mysteries of Deadgrass Isle had hardly been sated by the evening's events. ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 1 Summary | Gen 1 Start

NOTE: Gord is an adventurous dog and that unlocks these little CYO-adventures that are fun and cute but have no graphics. So this was my attempt to semi re-dramatize one of the adventures at the lighthouse where they catch a vengeful squatter, while ALSO trying to conceive a baby in a lighthouse to get a very specific 'lighthouse baby' moodlet if their kid ever comes back to the Brindleton Light. Heather does love to woohoo in inappropriate places (alleys, friends' couches, observatories...), but if you're thinking 'too clean, too weird, why didn't Conrad go to the station with the perp?' just ride the wave of trying to get those weird little gameplay bonuses with me lol.

[gr1mstar]

⁰¹’ Love letters - Nanami

▸ synopsis: it's the three-year anniversary of your relationship. arriving home, you notice a gift, a bouquet of flowers and a letter on the table. your boyfriend seems to have prepared a surprise for you.

▸ contains: nanami kento x reader, fluff, sfw, love note, letter, established relationship, just enjoy a sweet nanami, 1.1k words

▸ notes [MUST READ]: this is a series, and yes i take requests on who should i do next. also, for everyone the flowers, gift and letter are different based on their character and personality (or how i see them). so… who should i do next? [can be from jujutsu kaisen or attack on titan] it’s going to be valentine’s day soon so :))

Kicking off your shoes at the entrance, the cool touch of the tiled floor grounds you. The scent of home surrounds you, a mixture of comfort and the promise of relaxation. The day has left you drained.

The living room lamps cast a warm glow, welcoming you. The familiar sight of your home unfolds — the worn-out couch, the comforting knick-knacks on the shelves and the sweet aroma of your boyfriend's cologne.

As you made your way to the kitchen, ready to see what you have in the fridge, you noticed something new on the kitchen counter. A vibrant bouquet of cyclamens stands tall in a crystal vase, their petals dancing in the gentle breeze from the open window.

Beside the flowers, you saw a neatly folded letter. Your name, written in an elegant handwriting, adorns the sealed envelope. Intrigued, you pick it up, fingers delicately tracing the edges as if unlocking a secret.

‘It has to be Kento," you told yourself, starting the process of opening the letter without ruining the envelope.

A letter. Handwritten, at that. After looking again at the flowers, you decided that it was time to read what your boyfriend left for you on your anniversary.

It was a shame you two didn’t have the day off, deep down wanting to fake a cold just to call your workplace to stay home. But Nanami assured you that the day was not going to be wasted, planning a fancy dinner and then a movie at his apartment.

‘It seems like he has tricks up his sleeve.’

Taking out the letter, you could see something else in the envelope. A mix of emotions floods you – surprise, joy, and a touch of disbelief. The destination reads "Malaysia," a dreamy place that now lies within your reach, a surprise awaiting on the kitchen counter.

In this moment, the weariness of the day evaporates, replaced by the excitement of the unexpected surprise.

“My boyfriend is the best, isn’t he?” you spoke to yourself, fingers on the plane tickets.

Malaysia was a destination both you and Nanami wanted to go on vacation at least once in your lifetime. But because of your schedule and his sorcerer job, you didn’t really have a lot of time to accomplish that wish of yours.

After a few moments of silence, you decided you were ready to read the letter you received, hoping that tears would not come out of your eyes.

His handwriting was beautiful and really neat. You could guess that he used a special pen to write the letter with. Your boyfriend used blue ink, every letter being almost symmetrical. You wished you wrote this beautifully.

‘Should I read this out loud? In my head?’ you asked mentally, your eyes looking at the letters on the paper. ‘Whatever, it doesn't matter.’

Dear my loved partner,

Every day I miss you is another day I fall harder in love with you.

I love you.

When I tell you that, I don’t say it out of habit. I say it to remind you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. No matter where you are, a part of me will always be with you.

If I could, I would carry all your burdens, all your pain, all your stress, all of your heartache. I’d be sick for you. I’d be sad for you. I’ll do all of this and more just so I’d know you were smiling, happy, free from all the weight you carry.

I’m so proud of you, baby.

I’m not usually good with words, you see. Today I tried something new. Being our third anniversary together, I thought I needed to make something worth remembering. I know it’s not much, but I wanted you to know how I feel about you.

I needed you to know how much I'm addicted to you.

From the moment I met you, my life has been transformed in the most incredible way. You bring me so much joy and love, I can not explain in words. And so, I promise from the bottom of my heart that I would show you how much you mean to be everyday, for the rest of our lives.

I know I’m not perfect. I make mistakes and my jobs are eating my time. The time I should spend in your arms. But baby, I promise you that every ounce in my body screams for you, and your love.

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.

I love you. Today, tonight, tomorrow and forever. If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If I were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.

I will kiss you every time you start to worry about your health and get lost in your own fears. I will always text you back whenever you text me, even if I’m only one room away from you. You will always have someone to lean on whenever you need it. I’ll always be there even when you don’t need me to be.

I want to see your kids growing happy and healthy. I know we don’t have kids now and we are not even married but I think I can’t resist much longer, because I love you so much that I want to spend every second of my life with you.

You’re the person I want to tell how my day went. You’re the person I want to share my happiness, sadness, frustration, and success with.

Because you’re the person who taught me how to love another person, how to cherish someone without fearing that they would leave me.

So, thank you.

I know you are worried about me and how maybe one day I will not come home. I thought about it for sometime now, and I think it’s time to quit, this time for real. A few years back, I didn’t have a place I could call home and so risking my life was not something I was concerned about. But now, after you became my home, I can’t do that anymore.

My love… I don’t think you understand how beautiful you make my world, just by existing in it.

I had never met a soul who could speak my language. Until there was you.

You, fluent in me.

Again, thank you, love.

I wish you a wonderful night and I confess that I can’t wait to see your pretty face at dinner.

With unconditional love,

your soon-to-be-husband, Nanami Kento ♡

*Cyclamen - Eternal cycle of life, which makes it the perfect flower that means forever. In Japan, cyclamen holds a special place as the holy flower of love.

© 2024 gr1mstar — all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, repost, translate, or claim my content as yours.

[thelibraryoflightandflowers]

Secrets Come Out

Part 4 of the Garrick x Male reader series. At the Reunification Day Gala, Garrick finds out about the secret the Reader has been keeping. Angst ensues.

Read on Ao3

Link to Masterlist (for parts 1-3)

Garrick

Garrick hated everything about this stupid party. He hated the fancy clothes, hated the decorations, hated that they were celebrating the execution of his parents and were forcing him to be there. Most of all, he hated what it did to Xaden. It was cruel, forcing any of them to join in the festivities like the leaders didn’t know what they were doing. But it was even crueler to try and force Xaden, a man who had lost everything he’d loved, who was now responsible for the 107 lives that were only spared because of him, to celebrate that loss. It made Garrick too angry to think about. He’d tried to talk Xaden into leaving, maybe going for a longer flight until the party ended (if only so he wouldn’t have to stay) but Xaden had simply walked out onto the parapet, where he’d been for the last half hour. And the party hadn’t even started yet. 

You were praying to every god you could think of that Garrick wasn’t coming tonight. You hadn’t been able to slip away, and you hadn’t scheduled any leave, so you’d been stuck at the base, unable to see or talk to Garrick. Which meant you hadn’t been able to come clean to Garrick. Which meant you knew beyond a doubt that if Garrick was to show up to the cruel mockery that was this gala, he’d find out. And think (perhaps rightly so) that you’d hidden it from him. You were prepared to spend the rest of your life making it up to him if it meant that he’d hear you out. You had spent every waking free moment thinking about what you’d say; how you’d say it. You knew what you’d done was wrong, and you weren’t going to deny that. You just hoped what you had planned would be enough for him to see that you had been trying to protect him. 

Touching down on the flight field at Basgiath was nostalgic - you tried to hold onto that feeling as you watched your father’s massive dragon touch down beside you, but by the time you’d dismounted that spark of fondness had faded. You walked quickly beside your father, slipping into the court mask as easily as you had the court attire. Not that it made it any more enjoyable, or you any more prepared for this environment. Here, without Violet, you were in as much danger as a field of sheep from a hungry dragon. 

“Go, find Violet. I expect to see at least one dance from you tonight. Try not to be a complete embarrassment, will you?” Your father ordered, impersonal as ever; a General giving his orders. And like the soldier you had been raised to be, you nodded, and strode off to find the person that by the end of the night may be your only true friend. 

Garrick

“Codagh is here - and so is Melgren’s son.” The words spoken into his mind jarred him from the almost meditative state he’d previously been in, leaning against the wall next to the opening that would lead out onto the parapent, where Xaden still sat. Those words, however, jarred him enough that reflexively he turned to Bodhi, who looked about as panicked as he was sure he did. They’d known the General would make an appearance, but his son…he was another matter entirely. He wasn’t even sure what the man’s name was; no one spoke about him beyond rumors of his cruelty and talents that made his RSC class look like child’s play. He’d heard the flights talk about him more openly, mainly to curse him for his callous murder of their comrades, or the information they were sure he’d gotten out of them. And while Xaden was moping on the parapet, Violet wasn’t - she was inside the same school he now was - and the connection between the two certainly wasn’t a secret, which put a target on her back that even her mother couldn’t save her from.    

“Fuck.” He breathed. He heard a noise of agreement from Bodhi. 

“Why isn’t Xaden practically running down the parapet? Does he know?” He shot a question down the bond quickly.

“Sgaeyl doesn’t want him running into the school like he will if she tells him. It will only make it worse, for both of them.” She was right, he groaned. Xaden was going to kill them. 

“We can’t tell him.” Bodhi says quietly. 

“Nope.” He answers grimly. 

“You stay here; you look enough like him that they’ll know who you are. Plus, he’s less likely to kill you for this. I’ll go find Violet, and I’ll stay nearby.”

“Why do you have to go? Liam already said he’d go with her.” Bodhi counters.

“Liam doesn’t stand a chance against him and you know it; besides, Xaden would also kill us if we let Liam be in there alone with him.” He answers honestly. He’s already walking away, towards a battlefield he has no experience on, with an enemy he’s never seen, whose skill he cannot match or even predict based on rumors. Great.

“Violet, where is he? He’s not coming, right?” Your tone must be panicked enough for her to pick up on it under the facade, so she drags you into an alcove. 

“I haven’t seen him or any of the marked ones, no. You haven’t told him, have you?” Your shame must be almost visible for how quickly her gaze sharpens. 

“You’d better hope he’s not coming, then. Because I barely know him, and even I know that this is going to take a hell of a lot of groveling to fix.” You nod, not even trying to deny what she said. It’s the truth, after all. You just had to hope that you could prove yourself to him. That you could be the kind of man he deserved; even if you knew deep down that this relationship was probably doomed. 

The two of you silently walked towards the courtyard, knowing that there would be an introduction like there always was. You’d always hated that part the most. Standing there with the other children of the higher-ups, feeling like a trophy for your father to parade around. It had certainly never helped you make friends. You just hoped that you could get in, deal with the awkward introduction, the even more awkward dance with Violet that you’d been ordered to perform, and then go back to the base to sleep it all off. 

Garrick

He strode into the courtyard, looking for Liam or Violet. He caught sight of Liam’s tall frame, and walked towards him, avoiding eye contact with absolutely everyone as he did. 

“Where’s Violet?” He asked a bit desperately, hoping she’d already gone to bed and he could leave. But no. 

“She’s up on the dais. Apparently they always announce the higher-ups and their kids, like they do at court.” Garrick looked up towards the dais, just in time to see Violet step forwards as her name was called, curtsey perfectly, and then step to the side. The next name makes both men freeze, hands reaching for their weapons. Garrick swears he feels his heart stop as he recognizes the man who steps up to stand next to Violet as his name is called. He inhales sharply as your eyes meet his, gold and piercing in an unmistakable parallel to your father’s. He’d just never seen it, the rational part of his brain supplied, because you’d only met him in the dark. And Violet had known - that was why she hadn’t told Xaden your name; she hadn’t wanted him to figure it out. He knew Liam was looking between him and you, and didn’t even care. He watched as you jumped off the dais, bypassing the stairs in a show of athleticism that, if he wasn’t feeling all of the billion things he was currently feeling would’ve been so hot that, combined with how unfairly good you looked in your formal wear, he’d probably have dragged you off to his room to finally do all of the things he’d been wanting to do since he first met you. As it was, those thoughts only served to make him more angry. 

He turned and walked away, his previous mission forgotten now that he knew that at least you were no threat to Violet. He couldn’t believe he’d almost let himself believe that she might actually be different. He walked towards the dorms, turning down an empty hallway. 

Then he felt the hand on his arm, stopping him from running away, or even properly landing a blow onto his assailant. 

Shit. Shit. Of course he’d seen. Of course he’d heard. You’d grabbed his arm without thinking, but as he writhed in your grip the only thing that stopped you from letting go of him was the way he froze when he saw you as you turned him around properly. 

“Garrick.” Your voice cracked when you saw the pain in his eyes, pain that you knew you were solely the cause of. 

“Let. Go.” He spoke through gritted teeth, clearly trying to keep whatever he was feeling at bay. 

“Please let me explain-” You started, the speech you’d prepared forgotten in your panic. 

“No. You don’t have to explain anything. It was a smart ploy, get close to me and have another way to Xaden, was that it? Why can’t any of you understand that he just wants to be left alone, just wants to make a name for himself beyond the actions of his father?” He’s trying not to yell, you know. You almost wish he would. Maybe it would stop the tears welling in his eyes from falling. You didn’t know if you’d survive seeing him cry because of what you’d done. But you also knew that he was lying, and that he didn’t know he didn’t have to. You saw an opportunity to gain a foothold, to regain some of the trust you’d rightfully lost.  

“You and I both know that’s not all Xaden Riorson is doing.” You knew the walls here had ears and eyes, but you hoped that maybe you’d been vague enough, not that you had much control over what was coming out of your mouth at this point. 

Garrick inhaled again, and the wave of anger and fear that crossed his face made you realize that he had interpreted your words not as a discrete message, but as a threat. 

“How would you kn-” He cut himself off abruptly, “Did you…did you use me for information?” You could see that he was wracking his brain, trying to remember the things he’d told you, if he’d mentioned anything. You blanched, letting go of his arm and stepping back. 

“No, Garrick I would never do that.” You hated the hurt that welled up in you at the fact that he’d even thought it a possibility.     

“How would I know that? I clearly don’t know you at all.” He snarks, and the ball of hurt making it harder to get words out grows. 

“Garrick, please, I know I was wrong to lie, but I promise you everything I’ve said to you, everything I feel for you is real, please just let me explain. Please.” Gods, you would get on your knees if it meant that he wouldn’t walk away. How the hell had this gone so wrong?

“You don’t get to explain this away. It’s not just you lying, it’s who you are. Do you think I haven’t heard all of the rumors about you, haven’t heard about what it is, exactly that you do to people? How could I be with someone who could do that? Who could enjoy that?” The venom, the hatred in his voice is what makes you stop. You’d taken a step forward, hand reaching out for him, but it froze as you realized that maybe you couldn’t fix this. He turned around, making to continue walking towards the dorms. 

“Garrick, please. I can’t-” You had to stop, to clear your throat before you could continue, “There is a lot that I need to explain, but I promise it’s more complicated than that, I just- Garrick, I love you. I will make this up to you for the rest of our lives but please let me explain.” You rushed out the only thing you could think of. It was true, you’d realized in the weeks the two of you had been apart. You loved this man. You knew you were crying, knew he was too, and knew that you were having this conversation in a very open hallway. And you didn’t care. Because he didn’t turn, didn’t stop walking, just said over his shoulder, 

“I don’t ever want to see you again.”. 

And you stood there, knowing that you’d just blown up the one good thing you’d been gifted by the Gods. 

You took a different route, out to the flight field. You’d told your dragon to be there, and he was. 

“I told Tairn to tell Violet what happened. So she’s…prepared. And told Codagh to tell his rider that you weren’t feeling well.” You simply nodded, not having the energy for words. And climbed onto his back, to begin the long flight to the base.    

[1000plants]

Holidays Pt3 - New Years

Bucky Barnes x reader (GN)

Summary: An accidental series centered around the various holidays with my beloved Bucky Barnes  

Warnings- Alcohol/drinking/intoxication, swearing, Soft!Bucky (a warning bc oh god I love him he's a cutie patootie), my overuse of italics and commas. 

Word count- ~2k

Author's Note- This was supposed to be posted first thing New Years day -_- I had it scheduled for February 1st… im great with tech dont worry 

Masterlist

Read Pt 1 HERE and Pt 2 HERE

=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You wouldn't say you thought about Christmas all the time. It was only that one kiss you thought about.

And how he asked to make things more official that same day. Having a boyfriend wasn't how you were planning on ending the year and starting the New Year. 

You had done the eating 12 grapes thing last year- a superstition Natasha convinced everyone to do. Surprisingly enough, it has worked out quite well for you. Though, all the luck seemed to be work related. From narrowly avoiding an emergency surgery for a bullet wound in January, to having an incredibly successful mission in October that led to the downfall of a stubborn HYDRA base.

Everything this year has gone… not terribly! Sure, looking back you had a few regrets. You should've  done this, or not done that, but you couldn't change it all now. You could only move forward.

Then, of course, November's party still brought up butterflies in your stomach every time you thought about it. And December was all but a dream. Honestly, you felt a bit silly with how just the memories of it all would turn your insides to mush.

How quickly those seemingly fairytale-esq moments made you go from stoic to a grinning mess. Even thinking about them now made your cheeks feel warm. You prided yourself on being more serious than Tony, taking your jobs responsibilities with pride and the no-nonsense attitude it required. Yet there you were, on the verge of kicking your feet and giggling because of the other RBF teammate.

And, with twenty minutes till midnight, January 2025 was expected to be just as dazzling as 2024 was.

Well, it would be… if your boyfriend was anywhere to be seen.

Tony's party was beyond insane. People wearing various sparkling outfits, rich jewel colors, and corny hats and glasses were all loudly dancing and partying in the massive hall the billionaire had rented out.

You weren't much better in the slightest, Achilles heel being free crappy paper hats and plastic glasses. The bright green 2025 glasses with the navy blue party hat was certainly a look. It felt better to blend in, a sense of comfort in doing something that would normally look silly, but everyone else was doing it and no one batted an eye.

Beer in hand, you weaved through the crowds. Bucky had disappeared off with Steve about forty-five minutes ago. Not that that was the problem, you had also slipped off to talk with a few friends. No, the problem was that he had yet to meet you back at the pillars by the entrance of the hall.

With a deep sigh and quick gulp of your beer, you park yourself just out of the way of the partygoers and by the aforementioned meeting spot. You surveyed the room as you leaned against the cold marble pillar. Arms crossed over your chest, swirling a half empty beer bottle in your right hand, your eyes bounced from body to body searching for one particular man.

=-=-=-=-=-=-

To: Bucky

You, 11:39 p.m. : by the pillar

You, 11:41 p.m. : need more alcohol, im no where near as drunk as everyone else

You, 11:42 : Bucky?

You, 11:46 : ? Wya?

          Messages Delivered

=-=-=-=-=-=-

Just under 15 minutes till the new year and you desperately wished your phone had any battery left.

You had spent your last precious few percentages on texting Bucky another WYA? And a followup: Bring a charger at least? Phones at like 2 percent. The last you had checked, your messages had been sent and successfully received, but not read. He was always terrible about checking his phone, according to everyone else, but he was always quick at answering you. If he didn't, he seemed to have an air tight explanation as to why. 

Quite literally something along the lines of “Saved an old lady from dying” or “Was actively stopping a robbery”. So, surely if he wasn't contacting you back with you nearly blowing up his phone, he was busy.

You felt a smidge of embarrassment when you thought about it longer. Was that the kind of partner you were becoming? You couldn't spend more than an hour away from him at a party? The last couple of weeks had been great, no red flags popping up between either of you. Also, you spent so much time together anyway! One stupid party wasn't important. 

Why were you waiting for him, exactly? There were plenty of others you could celebrate the New Year with! And that's what you'd do. 

The one who caught your attention was Tony, he had a steady stream of people circling him the whole night. You noticed that as midnight neared, his bubble was dwindling. Still surrounded by people who were all engaged in 5 different conversations, you silently joined the group. 

It was always awkward to pretend to be involved. This whole thing wasn't new, and no one seemed to realize you hadn't been here all night, you had done this a few times too many. Someone made a comment that caused others to laugh, you let the vibes of everyone else pull you into the moment, and you laughed along. 

You finished your drink, letting your body sway to the thumping music as more people filtered in and out of Tony's inner circle. Tony wasn't shit-faced enough to be causing a scene, though you noticed Happy was lingering by just in case. There was also most definitely a failsafe with JARVIS as well… Tony's party last year made it clear he needed constant supervision when copious amounts of alcohol was available. 

“Hey!” Tony clasped your back firmly with a drunken grin. You grunted, startled and pulled from your haze, “Few more minutes! You ready?”

The smile on your face was initially a bit stained, but something about a giddy Stark made your smile soften a bit. You suck in a sigh and nod in response, “Of course!” You  loudly say over the noise.

“Are you ready?” You ask back, not sure if there was any way to prepare for the new year. Small talk, honestly. 

As Tony rambled about his prospective 2025 suit ideas, tech concepts, and expansion plans, you find yourself shifting your shoulder under his arm. The grip of his hand hadn't left your shoulder and he was swaying on his feet more than usual. You decided quickly that you’d rather find a way to slowly guide him somewhere safe rather than have to haul a half conscious dead weight man around.

“An’ theres the whole thing with the investors - not that I need them-” Tony babbles, eyes vaguely fixated on one of the large screens with the countdown playing on it.

You hum in agreement, wrapping an arm around his waist and the other clamped down on his wrist to guide him more easily through the crowd. You had remembered seeing a stone bench by the pillars earlier, it had people sitting on it, but surely they'd let Stark sit down for a bit.

People wordlessly parted as you brought Tony to the bench, everyone was too engulfed in their own conversations to spare you both a glance. It only took a moment to get the man to sit down, he seemed more than willing to rest a moment. Though, you knew once the main count down started he’d be up again. By then he would be Happy’s problem.

You leaned up once more against the pillar, arms crossed over your chest as you watched the large screens with everyone else. One of the screens was showing the Times square ball drop, and the two flanking it had timer countdowns that were pulsing to the beat of the music.

30! A handful of people started counting down.

You watched the timer flicker, something about New Years always made you a little anxious. It was mostly just the act of a bunch of people counting down, but also the prospect of new was a bit nerve wracking. New Year, New Me… right? 

Everything about this year would be new. A partner, you were more secure in yourself, your job was all you could’ve dreamed for, and there was just an air of certainty that had been following you recently.

Sure, you would've loved to have spent the last 15 minutes with Bucky and Sam instead of Tony and other random partiers… But you were going to enjoy the countdown anyway.

10!... 9!... 8!...

Your heart beat a little firmer in your chest, but you found yourself joining in the countdown. Your voice was lost in the sea of others, unsurprising since you were more whispering to yourself.

7!... 6!... 5!...

The room was dark save for the flashing screens and glowsticks. Someone in front of you dropped their hat on the ground, they didn't seem to care as they bounced on the balls of their feet to the timer.

4!... 3!... 2!...

People coupled up. Friends grabbed each other's hands, partners eeked closer to  their significant others, even Pepper had managed to find Tony and took up residence next to him on the bench. 

You noticed this all in an instant, watching from the corner of your vision. You had no time to dwell on slight disappointment, only the flashing numbers that made you squint your eyes.

1!... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You cheered with everyone else, grinning and ducking your head slightly as some confetti dropped from the ceiling. White, gold, and silver paper fluttered down from the sky, cheering and whooping from those around you loud enough to make your ears ring.

You suddenly felt a hand grabbing your arm, cold metal gently gripping your bicep. It was in an instant you were turned around and lips slammed onto yours before you could register truly what was happening. You couldn't help but grin into the kiss when your brain finally caught up to who it was. Pressing your lips back against Bucky's before pulling away, you looked  at him with a quizzical expression.

“Where were you?” You ask with a confused smile, talking a little louder over the commotion of the room. Still, even with the noise, he had a way of drowning it all out for you. Like your brain just honed in on him at times, shutting out anything else.

“I wanted to find somewhere quieter to go,” Bucky explained quietly. He sucked in a small breath as his hand left your arm and instead lightly cupped your jaw. You noticed how, even in the shit lighting, his eyes caught each flicker of light from the room. With his dark blue eyes sparkling, they looked like the ocean at night. With the moon catching the edge of the waves.

And they sparkled just for you. It was something you knew somewhere in your core, he only looked at you like this. How you never noticed it before, you didn't know.

“Cant get quiet in a place like this,” You chuckle, stealing a glance at the party around you. It felt like you were in your own little world, like you were watching everyone else through a lens. When you looked back at Bucky, you realized his gaze hadn't left you for a moment.

“Yeah,” He chuckled, working his jaw slightly as he grinned, “Realized that a bit too late, I think.”

“Sam and Steve talked for a lot longer than I was expecting them to, I didn't mean to disappear for so long,” Bucky sheepishly explained, a hint of red appearing on his ears and cheeks.

Hm, he didn't have as rock solid of an excuse as he normally did, but you didn't particularly care at the moment. More than happy to have even just these few moments with him.

“Well,” You hummed, shrugging your shoulders slightly as your own hands found rest on his waist, “You’ve got all year to make it up to me…”

[vodika-vibes]

Hello! I've been reading a lot of your content lately and love your writing so much! I was wondering if I could request a little fic about Dogma x a very outgoing, naturally confident social butterfly kind of reader who works on base and a lot of clones seem really into them, but they only ever flirt with him or try to ask him out. And their admirers can't figure out why Dogma of all people but the reader has no kriffs to give and just keeps giving him all their romantic attention until he gets it. Thanks in advance!

Two Souls Intertwined

Summary: You’ve made your choice, you just have to convince Dogma that you mean it.

Pairing: Clone Trooper Dogma x GN!Reader

Word Count: 886

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Hihi! Thank you for your request! I'm always happy to write for Dogma, so I hope you like this!

“Let me see if I understand you correctly,” You don’t look up from the game you’re playing on your comm as your coworker, and sometimes friend, drops into the seat across from you. “You’re surrounded by attractive men. At all times. And you want Dogma?”

You glance up at the way she says Dogma’s name, “What’s wrong with Dogma?” You ask, offended on his behalf.

“Well...he’s just...he’s not much fun, is he?”

“He doesn’t have to be fun, I like him anyway.”

“Just…” She shakes her head, “I know that so many of the men have a thing for you. And you’re, like, scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

You scowl at her, “I’ve made my choice, and, just for your comments, I’m going to go flirt with him even harder.”

She chokes on her caf, “I...what?”

You throw a cocky grin at her, and push to your feet, downing your caf in one long gulp, before you head out of the break room.

At this time of day, Dogma is probably outside. He likes to take what free time he’s allowed to read something. For a moment, just a moment, you feel bad about interrupting his free time, though you push the guilt aside with ease.

It’s not like he’s ever said, “Leave me alone,” after all.

You head through the halls, and open the door that leads to the courtyard in the middle of the base.

Why this base has a courtyard is beyond you, but you’re glad it does. It offers a nice change of pace from the sterile white and gray halls of the base.

And there he is, sitting under a tree with a datapad in his hands.

A bright smile crosses your face and you dutifully ignore the way that your heart skips when you see him.

You’re well and truly in love with him.

Dogma doesn’t say anything as you walk over to him, and he says nothing as you settle onto the ground next to him. Though he does glance at you when you shift so that your back is pressed against his arm and your head is tilted back to rest on his shoulder.

“Back again?” He sounds more amused than anything.

“Always.” You counter cheerfully.

“You are determined, aren’t you?”

You tilt your head back so you’re able to grin at him.

Dogma’s smile is tiny, but it is there, “Alright. Lay it on me.”

“What?”

“Today’s pick up line.”

You press a hand to your chest, a look of mock offense crossing your face, “I would never-”

“Ah, so I’ve been imagining all of those other pick-up lines, then?” Dogma asks with an arched brow, and you laugh and shift so you’re sitting next to him properly, “You know, my brothers are convinced that you’re using those just to get a reaction out of me.”

You roll your eyes, “They’re just jealous that I only have eyes for you.”

“Or they don’t believe it.” Dogma points out, “I’m sure that there are people who are more similar to you in personality than me.”

“Eh, maybe. But I’m not interested in them, I’m interested in you.” You reply.

Dogma sighs and rubs his hand over his face, “You...someday I’m going to actually believe you when you say stuff like that, and then what are you going to do?”

“Plan our date. Well, schedule our date. I already have our first date planned. We’ll get dinner and go for a walk, and then I’ll kiss you on the way home.” You nod once, “It’ll be perfect.”

He blinks at you, surprised.

You flash a crooked smile, “What? Is it really so hard to believe that I only have eyes for you?”

“Yeah, a little bit.”

“Hm, well then.” You muse thoughtfully, “How about this then? I’m in love with you.”

Dogma jolts in surprise, and you smile at him.

“I’m in love with you, and if you’re really not interested then let me know and I’ll leave you alone. But. Until that happens, I’m going to keep pursuing you.”

“...you’re in love with me?” He asks slowly.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Do I need a reason? I like you. You make me feel safe when I’m around you. You don’t judge me for being me.” Your grin widens, “I love you.”

Dogma releases a strangled noise and lifts his datapad to hide his face, “You’re impossible.” he complains, though he drops the datapad and flashes a small smile, “I’d like that date, actually.”

“...really?”

“Really.”

You laugh and fling your arms around him, knocking you both over, “Thank you! It’ll be the best date! You’ll see!”

Dogma just laughs and folds his arms around you, “I’m looking forward to it.” He replies, a warm smile on his face, “But I need you to get off of me.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” You scramble off of him and settle on the grass next to him as he sits back up. “What are you reading, anyway?”

“Want me to read to you?”

“Will you?”

“Yeah,” He flips back to the start of the book, “Get comfortable.”

You shift and drop your head to his shoulder, and as soon as you’re settled, he started reading.

And this, really, is all you ever wanted. Who cares if no one else understands. You certainly don’t.

[skyfallscotland]

Hi! I'm Amy (She/Her)

I write fanfic, which you probably already know if you came here from my AO3 page (where I go by hurricane).

Currently I'm writing for Fourth Wing.

My favourite colour is green, I love Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy, and I hate spicy food (but love spicy books).

Below you'll find links to my work/fandom masterposts & some FAQ

✧ Fandoms/Works

Fourth Wing

ACOTAR

✧ FAQ

Do you have an update schedule?

Not really. Sometimes it's once a week, sometimes twice, sometimes not for weeks (though I try to only do that in between projects), it really depends on the hyperfixation.

How do you write so much?

I get super anxious about starting things and not finishing them (and then having people asking me about them) so I try to write ahead before posting, so it isn't always in real time. I do however write on average (based on year to date) 2.5k words a day, which I guess is a lot for most people? The simple answer is I don't work full time and I try to write everyday.

What's your writing process?

I prefer writing either in the morning or later at night. I always write in bed, propped up against the headboard. Sometimes if I'm home alone I'll venture out to the kitchen and feel supremely uncomfortable for no reason, so I quickly return to my low-lit cave.

I just write what I'm inspired to write when I'm inspired to write it. I've learned not to force it, that just makes writer's block worse!

Do you have any writing advice?

I do! I get asked this a lot, so I wrote a masterpost: Part One—the advice & Part Two—the resources

Can I bind your fic?

At the moment my stance on fic binding is that it’s fine if it’s only for personal use and not for sale, profit, distribution or commission. Please don’t use commercial companies like print houses (due to legal issues). I feel very strongly about fanworks being and remaining free, and the way fic-binding has been commodified recently worries me 💖

Do you allow translations of your work?

You’re bilingual, that’s so cool! I appreciate you asking 💗 I believe in fanfiction being accessible to everyone. I would request however at this time that any translations of my work be kept on AO3—there’s a checkbox you can tick to link it as a translation.

Can I use a scenario in your fic for my own or write something inspired by your fic?

Mostly, yeah. See my in-depth answer/thoughts on this here.

Can I use your characters for a fic of my own?

I respectfully ask you not to at this time. All my original characters from my series' are very close to my heart, especially Remi (the one people ask about the most) and their stories are not yet finished! So there's more you guys don't know about them. At the moment, I'm a bit sensitive about it and I'd like to keep them close. If you do still write something inspired by them, it's also highly likely I won't read it, at least until I'm finished the series. Thanks for understanding.

What else are you working on?

I have a dozen fic ideas for Fourth Wing, at least four of which I've already written bits and pieces of while working on Basgiath (Remi's Version). I don't run on any kind of schedule though, they'll see the light of day when they do and if they don't, then they won't!

I also have two original novels I'm writing, one of which I hope to finish in the next couple of months (it's in the plotting stage!) 🥰

Will you ever come back to ACOTAR?

I plan to at some point, hopefully this year! I just want to get through some of these Fourth Wing ideas while I'm still inspired and eventually I'll come back to write Callie's story and maybe some Feysand, or an Eris fic. It's tough because I've been writing that series in third and my FW works have me in first person mode. I find it very hard to switch between them.

Do you have any fic recs?

I do! Only for Fourth Wing at the moment, you can see them all here. I'm slowly adding to the list/collection 🌟

Where do you get your dividers?

They're mostly all @saradika-graphics 🖤

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Thursday

(Goes in the series where Jak got to Spargus via trespassing 😆 takes place after Jak sneaks into the Arena)

Despite the threats of being "grounded until you're thirty-six" (per the advisor in the foundlings' dormitory), no one had taken Jak's gate pass or war amulet. He'd won them on his own, whether or not he met some arbitrary threshold based on bone growth. A lot of Wastelanders on the street talked down to them still, like they were children -- one weird guy with neither hair nor pants kept calling them "anklebiters" and scornfully laughing that the king would never let them leave the city again. But after crashing Sam's second Arena trial, Jak had started hearing approval here and there.

What he couldn't fathom was how often their approval centered around his dark eco form!

That abomination? The walking demonstration of how dark eco was an affront to life?

Easy there, that's Samos talking. If it was wholly evil, the Oracle wouldn't have taught me to make the Dark Form my own, beyond anything Praxis could dream of.

"Useful", they called the horned menace.

Useful, like he'd demonstrated the skills of an electrician or architect or something!

And no one had tried to make him use it, not even once! The most anyone had said so far was "I bet it takes a lot of nerve to learn those moves!", or questions about how much food he had to eat to keep up with the calorie expenditure.

He and Daxter had been tasked with hunting down a local pest called a kangarat that had a bad habit of eating the city's stored grains -- and that had devolved into s tense moment on the beach with some kind of dark eco-probe thing.

Honestly, it was one of the few times when Jak's inability to read modern glyphs came in handy. The script scrolling across the screens had been ancient, even by Sandover standards. But it was close enough to the texts Uncle used to teach him to read that Jak had been able to reroute the power and drain its battery core.

That hadn't done much to make the monk like them.

Seem had a real problem with dark eco, apparently. And oddly, that had felt jarring after everyone else in Spargus.

Seem reminded Jak of Haven.

He didn't want to think about Haven right now.

Eventually someone would probably make him go back. But the war was over, right? It was just skirmishes now, something they'd handled before Jak and could handle without Jak. They'd gotten too used to taking him for granted anyway.

They'd probably be fine.

Right?

Jak shook the darkening thoughts away and made his way out of the Arena complex, shoving a roll into the small pouch that hung from his belt. Meals were scheduled here, and food was readily available, albeit not abundant. But two years and some change of regularly going hungry meant he and Daxter were almost always thinking about food in some way.

Daxter teased that Jak thought about food more than romance. Jak didn't think he was wrong, exactly.

"What do you think, can we make it to the gate without being stopped today?" Jak asked Daxter as he stepped down into the street.

"Only if the Mustachioed Menace isn't there."

Daxter shuddered.

"Jak, promise me if he goes for the fork and knife, you'll skewer him."

"Yeah no, he won't even get that far," Jak promised.

The heat was already in full swing, even at four bells after sunrise. Jak was surprised he'd adapted to it as quickly as he had. The dust? Not so much. He coughed and spat out grit from an errant breeze.

"Told you to pull the scarf up."

"I'd look like Jinx."

"Your vanity or sand in the mouth, up to you, pal."

The general plan had been to make their meandering way back to the beach -- they hadn't seen a clean beach or unpolluted water in years -- but about three minutes into the West Quarter, Jak stopped. A familiar staff was leaned up against a small structure made of stone and conductive metals, but when they glanced around, Damas was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, that's a little weird," Daxter commented.

Jak stepped closer and hunched down to look into the almost hutch-like building. A large, squat, generator sat there on five-inch stilts to keep it out of the sand. A box of tools lay beside it, and a man's lower half stuck out from underneath on a small rolling palette. It almost looked like-

"Uh...Damas?"

Jak wasn't sure the guy liked Jak going around calling him by his first name, but Jak had never been one to allow formalities.

There was a soft clang and a muffled curse. Then the palette rolled out and Damas was there, stained with grease and looking decidedly impatient.

"If it's not urgent, make Kleiver deal with it. I'm busy."

"Yeah, I see that."

Jak crouched to awkwardly waddle into the hut.

"What are you doing?"

Damas raised a brow and gestured silently to the generator as if asking isn't it obvious?

A touch chagrined, Jak waved a hand.

"No, I mean like- what's wrong with it?"

"And how come you're fixin' it?" Daxter added, "Are folks that shorthanded?"

The king simply rolled his eyes and slid back underneath the generator.

"I already told you," he grumbled, "Out here, you're either doing something useful with your life or you're just deadweight. A king sitting sedentary and barking out orders is the epitome of deadweight."

Daxter made an approving sound -- a rarity Damas would later learn to appreciate.

"I can respect it. Not how I'd run things, but not bad! You even got shade in here!"

Jak shrugged Daxter off his shoulder and tapped at the generator casing in interest.

"So what's busted? How big of a problem is it?"

"Well either the blue eco tube is blocked, or the conductors are bad," Damas grunted. "If the eco grid in the Northwest districts goes down, our defenses will be completely out on this side."

"...can I help?"

Damas wheeled back out, looking as though he wasn't sure what he'd heard.

"You what?"

Jak pushed the toolbox closer, making room to lay down and look at the inner workings of the generator.

"I want to help!" he said, "I'm good with eco!"

"Yeah, noticed that."

Damas took a pair of something that looked like forceps and crimped the line in question. He wanted the uncanny boy to just leave. Everything about him felt like he was on the cusp of learning something that could not be un-learned, and would shake the foundations of everything he knew. It made working very distracting. But the offer of aid freely given was never turned down in Spargus. Even if the boy did lead his mind in uncomfortable circles, he was here, and he was eager to help.

With a sigh, Damas gestured vaguely to the tool box.

"Give me the electrical current meter and the wire stripper."

"Got it. Wait, which one's the wire stripper?"

"The pliers that look like they have teeth."

"Oh, there they are."

Jak picked up the wire stripper and handed it over to Damas.

"I don't know a lot about tools yet, sorry. Everyone always makes me destroy things. They think it's all I'm good for. The Oracles are kind of the only ones who don't get mad if I want to fix things instead."

"Geez, kid."

"Yeah, I know. It's not great."

Jak leaned over. "Why do you want the wire stripper?"

Damas pulled down two colorful wires where Jak could see.

"Because," he muttered, "this colorful stuff is insulation. And I need it off if I'm going to test the conductor with this other wire- hey, is the mouthy cacomistle mutant still out there?"

Daxter made an offended gasp, and Damas nodded.

"Good. Tell me if the lights come on."

Damas pulled a black wire and a red wires together and touched the bare ends together.

"Anything?"

"Eehhhhh...." Daxter flopped a hand back and forth. "Lights are on, nobody's home."

"Well, it's not the conductors then. Rot, that means the eco crystallized."

"Crap, really?" Jak scooted closer. "Man, that's a pain to break down."

"Tell me about it."

Damas adjusted the cart and shoved an arm up into the inner workings.

Jak watched, wondering about what he'd said. Was Damas implying that he could channel, too? Well it was about time he met some other channelers! Kor and Praxis couldn't have wiped them all out!

Maybe that's why people here were more open-minded about dark eco. Maybe there were enough channelers around here to use the light eco in the temple that they didn't even worry about getting unbalanced.

"Jak, I need your hand here."

Damas smacked his shoulder with the back of his hand and pointed.

"Hold that, and don't let it fall on me."

"Got it!"

Damas began to unbolt the resevoir frame to get to the eco. "We," he grumbled, "are going to be here a while."

"I'd offer to dissolve it with some dark eco, but I have no idea what that would do to your generator."

"Yeah let's avoid potentially possessed hardware," Damas said, "I'd just as soon skip a repeat of your little adventure on the beach with that...thing."

Jak winced and readjusted his grip on the frame. "...ah. You know about that, huh?"

"I'm the king, kid. I know everything."

It didn't cross his mind until much later that -- in spite of his misgivings -- he'd started treating Jak like any other Spargan. Nor had he considered at the time that he might have been setting a precedent. But when what should have been a simple repair job turned into an impromptu lesson on basic tool function, it seemed that Jak had lost any of the few reservations he had about Damas.

The next two weeks were filled with "what are you doing?" and "where are you going?", "can I come?" "Can I help?"

It was like Mar all over again, but as a skinny teenager!

There would come a day in the near future when Damas would look back on his choice of description with some very colorful swearing about the clarity of hindsight.

[alltheyoungmoons]

The Gift

G - WIP - Part 1/? - 1k words - ATYD timeline compliant.

Is this a fic? Because there's barely any plot. This is the first part of one single scene and it's already long as fuck, because I am nothing if not verbose. Based on this headcanon. Hopefully I won't drag it out too much. Enjoy and lmk what you think!

Sirius Orion Black the Third had heard his best friend singing the praises of one Lilian Jasmine Evans for so long that he never thought there would come a day when the two of them would amicably be having a private conversation. 

It’s not that he thought bad of her - they had just never seemed that compatible. She had been an annoying swot in their early years at Hogwarts, and she was friends with Snivellus of all people, which, in Sirius’ book, couldn’t be a good sign of character. Thank Godrick people change, and if he had been surprised when James and Lily finally got together, imagine his shock when he realised he had, in fact, grown fond of the redhead himself. 

Remus, of course, had predicted it. The bastard was always right.

The clever bastard was, incidentally, the topic of conversation that morning in the library. They had come back from Winter break a fortnight before, but the third years already managed to wreak havoc in the dungeons - Slughorn had previously confessed to the seventh years how the Slytherin-Hufflepuff third class was particularly inept this year. So class had been cancelled for that morning, as the Potions professor tried to take care of the sour batches before they exploded all over his classroom. Potter used the free hour to take care of some Quidditch business, and since neither Sirius nor Lily had other urgent plans, they decided to spend the time revising in the library. As he glanced at the freckly girl across the table, Sirius thought it was probably the first time they were spending time alone, ever. He couldn’t recall any other instance anyway. 

They had been sitting quietly for a while, reading, but the novelty of having a spontaneous hour off was evidently bothering Lily:

“Ugh I just can’t focus at the moment, this free has really thrown me off my schedule” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. Count on Lily to look at a free hour like a hindrance.

“That’s exactly what Moony would say” he chuckled. He found that now that all his friends knew, it was so easy to make comments like this, without worrying about the implications. Still easier with Lily, who was similar to Remus in many ways - both analytical planners, worryingly devoted to their to-do lists, but who crumbled under pressure if anything didn’t go to plan. Sirius and James, on the other hand, were the think-on-your-feet types. He privately thought they had all paired up quite well. 

Lily had blushed slightly at being compared to Remus; she probably thought it was high praise, and Sirius was inclined to agree. He could only have intended a compliment, if the other boy was involved. 

After a moment's silence, Lily’s eyes widened a bit, as if she had just remembered something, and leaned forward across the desk. Sirius put down his book, glad to be done with the pretence of doing something useful and instead turning his attention to something more exciting than the legislature around Veritaserum. 

“Speaking of Remus… his eighteenth birthday’s coming up,” Lily said, somewhat expectantly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at this. Sure, March was more than a month away, but did she think he didn’t remember?

“I know, he’s my boyfriend.” He stumbled through his defensive tone. It was the first time he ever referred to Remus as such, out loud anyway. He felt the top of his ears warm up - he had surprised himself with this choice of vocabulary. Lily’s cheeks had become bright red as well; it was new territory for all of them. 

“Of course, I was just wondering…if you have anything planned? Gift-wise?” There was a tinge of nervousness in her voice “I know we went all-out last year, but eighteen is when you come of age for muggles, and I thought he would maybe appreciate if someone put some effort to celebrate this…I know it sounds silly, but I would…” she shrugged. Sirius could see she truly cared about this, and that she was putting a lot of thought behind it. He always held in high regard all his friends who didn’t abjure their muggle origins, even more now, in the middle of the war. Moreover, any birthday was a good enough reason to spoil your loved ones, no matter the cultural implications of the age they were turning. 

“Yeah - I, um, already got him something, actually” he answered apologetically, remembering the detailed instructions he wrote to the Goblin goldsmiths. Lily’s shoulders slumped at this,

“Ugh, I should’ve known,” she looked very defeated “I have been wracking my brains for weeks trying to come up with a gift, but with everything that’s been going on I never have more than five seconds to properly think about it…” Sirius tried to now dwell on all the things "everything that's been going" could entail.

“Well… I’m giving him a cigarette holder” he supplied, expecting Lily to disapprove. She and James were always giving out to him and Remus for the terrible habit. 

“That’s perfect!” She gasped. Sirius was stunned. She then buried her doll-like face in her hands “That’s perfect for him. He’ll love it. I’ll never find anything as good.”

“Aren’t you putting too much pressure on yourself? I’m sure Moony will appreciate anything you give him.” This was true, but unfortunately didn’t sound as comforting now that he’d said it out loud. 

“I know he will, but it’s not just that… I want this to be special, you know? Something useful, yes, but also meaningful.”

Meaningful. Sirius was looking into Lily’s green eyes, her gaze tired but solemn. 

Since the Diagon Alley attack, meaning had been an elusive concept to capture. It wasn’t the same as purpose, it was much more fickle. In the face of the terrible evil that was making itself increasingly more present, meaning seemed to escape entirely. Asking "why" wasn’t an option anymore, if any answer to it seemed impossible to conjure. The lack of certainty in the present translated itself into an imbuing of meaning in the small, mundane things. Thus, a simple birthday gift could, and did, hold this much weight. 

He straightened up, a fire newly lit within him.

“Ok, let’s brainstorm.”

[starglasszodiac]

Hey everybody, I am thrilled to tell you that Starglass Zodiac is now launched! And on the project’s 9th anniversary too :D

I'll put more of my ramblings under the cut below, but here's the gist of what you need to know:

The first two pages are now live HERE

The next page is scheduled for July 22nd, 2024

The dates for future page uploads will be announced on this blog and on the site's homepage as each new page is released

The upload schedule itself will be determined at a later date, as I’m going at my own pace for the time being

The comic site is self-made with only my basic knowledge of website coding, so I will be improving it gradually over time

A cover for Chapter 1 is in the works, so stay tuned for that!

As for this blog specifically, I have the following planned in the coming days:

Updating the pinned post with this new info

General cleanup and updates to old posts, the tag system/list, links, pages, etc.

Checking for posts I forgot to reblog here and tagging them

I will be tagging the majority of prior posts/art with the tag #SGZ spoilers so you can blacklist it if you want to go into the comic completely blind. Note that some posts with this tag may not actually be spoilers anymore depending on how the project/story lore has changed since making them, but better to cover all the bases anyway

I'll decide soon how I will reblog the update posts, as I can do so on either my art blog @akysi or my personal blog @sweet-star-cookie, but I doubt I'll do all three to avoid it getting excessive for those who follow all three (thank you for that! <3)

As I said above, I’m going at my own pace with this comic to ensure that I’m satisfied with every page at my current skill level. That will likely mean a slow pace for uploads, and I am sorry for that ^^’ But, I’ve had this as a passion project for a long time and I want to give it the time and attention it deserves.

I’ve also realized recently that I’ve been subconsciously holding myself to arbitrary rules about how and when I distribute my work when it comes to comics, especially with prior attempts to launch this one. Knowing I don’t actually have to do that has been quite freeing, and I’m excited to go at my own pace like I do with my other work. I do hope to increase the frequency of uploads later on of course, with the ultimate goal being multiple times a week, but trying to do that right away just isn’t feasible right now. Regardless, I am SUPER excited to finally be doing this again, no matter how long it takes!

With having this project for nearly a decade, working on it has gotten me through many, many tough times. The amount of support and enthusiasm that I’ve received from all you lovely people over the years has been nothing short of heartwarming, so thank you all so much <3 I hope you like what you see, and look forward to more. :D Thanks for reading, friends!

[ask-barbatos]

POLL AT THE BOTTOM

Admin here! Hi! Thank you everyone who's been following this blog! I've been rolling out some posts based on the polling I was doing last month. I hope everyone has been enjoying the posts about tea, and I have several posts coming soon. I am putting together a schedule, which means PLANNING. (cue thunder strike, everyone is free to shiver in fear.)

As it stands, I have a lot of asks to answer, so I will be working on setting up a queue to fill the week up. But the plan is to put out one guide post every Friday, whether that is a recipe or about tea or game strategies. I want to put up the "daily diary" posts twice a week (I would love to do it Actually Daily but let's start small) , and I am definitely curious what days you all might feel is best but I find myself with a more pressing question:

I have been thinking about reblogging Barbatos art and fanfics that I pass. I read them and I Love them! And I desperately want to be a raccoon and reblog them to my little Barbatos blog.

This blog will always be an ode to Tea and the domestic arts, as it's my passion. So that should remain the main purpose. That it's also in character as Barbatos is also just my fun happy twist to it. However, if I do start to move past the Fourth Wall and post fandom things, it might be considered Out of Character. (???)

Thus, I would like to ask my followers what you would like to see.

As always, I remain your humble servant. You have my thanks for your consideration and reblogs.

[naumin]

november updates

ok so i know november ended yesterday, i did think about titling this post december updates but i know december will be a whole different beast for me... just let me have this... it's been a really long time since i sat down and talked about all my recent projects and goings on!!!! so in case you missed what i've been up to, read on... :)

the free Laios/Marcille fanthology I organised is OUT!!! no tall towers to climb (https://naumin.itch.io/laimar) came out November 10th, and erm only 5 days later than scheduled... it's a big boy at 112 pages with contributions from 14 fans !! I had so much fun organising this and was really touched by the love and care ppl put into their works... fans are so powerful... it's free to download and read digitally or even print and bind your own copy (I am really excited to see your printed and bound copies if you have made them please dont hesitate to @ me...) I love books.. i love making books...

I don't have plans to organise a Volume II however I did start writing a post of my process to maybe help and encourage anyone else who'd like to start a project like this one. It got really lengthy though and I wasn't sure if it was helpful to anyone lol so when I have a minute I really gotta go and edit that thing down

also nobody asked me but the title is based on a poem by 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji. i guess the tower reminded me of their dungeon misadventures hehe.

also did i mention it's FREE! !!!!!!!

7 months of subscribestar I've officially been making new posts on substar every single week since May ! It's been really fun tbh and I don't have plans of slowing down yet :) I really appreciate everyone who's visited and it makes a huge difference even just subscribing for 1 month or 2, just having that little extra to help out on months where I can't take as many commissions or I'm sick or away from home etc! You may have noticed I've added a tip jar tier ($2.5) for those who can't manage the $6 sketchbook tier... on principle I wanna make it lower but after fees it'd be zilch and I am kind of like if you have $2... maybe hold onto that. lol. maybe use that somewhere else. you can always make 1-time donations through substar or ko-fi (yeah, I have one...) my next projects...

Ballet Yuri Year One, the compilation book of one year of works on Ilze & Evangeline, whos 1st birthday was in September and I haven't had time to look at the files since October but I will look at them again soon-- last spot I left it, it was at least 30 pages... I think it will definitely be double that and could possibly be triple that (omg).

NERD SEX VOLUME III my annual NSFW sketchbook which traditionally comes out around January/February! I'm delusional that this one will be the simplest to put together and so it might be the next thing you see from me. It will be available for all subscribers as soon as it's ready. I also gotta remember to upload Nerd Sex I & II at the same time. for those who dont wanna subscribe, you can get 50% off Nerd Sex I & II in the meantime now :) also i forsee about 300% more lesbians in Nerd Sex III. It's the year of the dyke.

A collaborative NSFW anthology coming next year. This one has a longer production period to give everyone time to work and give me time to get organised lol. Hopefully you'll hear more about this one in the new year! It's for the boys and the ppl who love boys <3

the issues oh my god I've been having technical issues with my ipad the last month. I keep getting random lines and marks while drawing in procreate ! A lot of people said it could be my sweater or hand or case touching the screen while I draw but I don't think that is it, plus it's only started recently. It's not my pen and it's not my settings. it apparently COULD be a technical issue with my ipad model which would suck cuz I got this refurbished (from Apple still) so do i have like..... warranty? will they repair it for me :S? idk. I'll have to look into it though sooner or later cuz it's driving me bananas and slowing my output! AGH! I pray she heals on her own overnight. amen.

commissions I am NOT taking any new commissions in December (unless you are a $10 subscriber) but I am still doing the KISS YCH which also has a very cute wintery version up for this month only lol. same price! check it out if you wanna see your pookies under the mistletoe <3 would make a great present to you or someone u know...

alright that's all. thanks for reading my updates post. did anyone read this whole post besides me? thanks for being there for a while whilst i talked to myself before you presumably left and did something more fun and enriching. i love you.

[amanitaphalloides]

Please give me all your unemployment, job hunting, interviewing, etc tips!

hi unemployed community member <3

I am so sorry in advance for the length of this. I’m coming at this as someone who got laid off from a corporate job and is basically looking for the same job again, so ymmv with how relevant this is, but here’s a random array of tips I have found helpful.

MY GUIDE TO BEING UNEMPLOYED!

Getting your shit together after losing a job

Things you may need/want to do quickly if you have just lost a job (ie my week 1 unemployment to do list):

apply for unemployment benefits

review, negotiate, and sign your separation agreement

make an unemployment budget

take advantage of your final weeks of employer-sponsored insurance by having last-minute doctors appointments and getting your prescriptions refilled

look for new health insurance

contact student loan servicer to request a deferment/update your payment plan

More about this:

Unemployment benefits

If you’re eligible for unemployment benefits, apply to them right away. Different states are different, but you may need to have an in-person meeting at the unemployment office before you get any money. Scheduling this can take weeks. The world will look so much brighter if you have a little income. So if you qualify, do this first!

You will typically qualify for benefits if you got laid off or fired, but you also made qualify if your contract ended. Also you can usually freelance and still get benefits depending on how much you make.

Budgeting

Making a budget was really important to me so that I could concretely see whether I needed to panic about money and so I could give myself permission to relax. My goal was to stretch my severance and unemployment as far as possible while also doing stuff I enjoy.

Here's my budget template just in case our brains work the same way. This template is based on an old budget of mine - there are items on here that I set to $0 once I got laid off. I literally did budget in movie tickets because that has a massive impact on my joy in life.

Severance

If you are getting severance, it is possible to negotiate how much you get! I was able to get a few extra weeks basically by saying “this is bad timing and my income also supports my family."

Negotiating severance is like negotiating salary in that your former employer will probably give you less than you ask for. It's unlike negotiating salary in that you usually have zero leverage so honestly you might as well do an emotional appeal. IMO

Putting together an unemployed life

Stuff I consider absolutely non-negotiable aka things I MUST do not to spiral:

Make plans with friends. Write all your social plans down in your calendar and treat them as seriously as work.

Do something other than job hunting. Pick up a hobby. Give yourself a really specific reading or movie watching challenge. Volunteer. This will allow you to feel like you have a life which is absolutely critical to your self esteem, your ability to socialize, and your ability to function. You are going to have days when you NEED to feel cool. That will be way easier if you volunteered a few days ago than if you haven't done anything joyful for weeks.

Try to take care of your physical health. Move your body, eat full meals, go to bed at a regular time. I have really realized that sometimes the difference between me feeling good and despondent is truly just like, have I slept well and eaten and exercised recently.

Do things you like doing. I think it is very common to become unemployed and feel like you have to strip away everything in your life that's not focused on the job hunt. But you cannot stop doing everything that brings you happiness and expect to be okay. You will love your life if you fill it with things you love and you will hate it if you don't.

More tips....

Make a list of free or cheap things you can do for fun and then do them! Being unemployed is a great time to go to free days at museums if there’s anything like that near you. It’s also a good time to try a new recipe, check out a new walking path, FaceTime with a friend, write your grandma a letter, make diary comics, listen to new albums, watch movies you always meant to watch... for me though getting out of the house is especially important. I am constantly googling "free things to do in chicago this weekend" lol it pays off especially in a city!

I literally make Google calendar events for myself that are like "free museum day." I need to protect that time and treat it like an appointment to make myself actually do things.

If you have friends who wfh, go hang out with them and job hunt while they're working!

Applying for jobs

Tell everyone that you are job hunting. Post it far and wide. A lot of people get referral bonuses so they'll be trying to help you!

Job boards I use most heavily: Idealist, Otta, Built In, LinkedIn

This is so obvious but a lesson I really learned recently: only apply to places if you would take the job. If you're like "realistically I would not do that for that salary range" do not apply. you are gonna get yourself in Situations @ me two months ago

If you have a 1st or 2nd LinkedIn connection at a job you’re looking at dm them and say you'd love to hear what they think of the company!

I have also had success messaging random people on LinkedIn. Basically following this format: "Hi [name]! I came across this job at your company - I'm really interested and I'd love to hear more about what it's like working with the team. I'm sure you're busy, but is there any chance you have 15 minute this week or next to chat with me about the company before I apply? Thanks either way!"

Not everyone will want to talk but sometimes people still give you good insight into the hiring process.

It is really important to me to have boundaries around my job search. This has varied a bit depending on my schedule but the best thing I've found is telling myself I apply to jobs 9am-12pm. At noon I am DONE.

Interviewing

My interview prep: practice my elevator pitch with a focus on why it lead me to this company, pick out a few anecdotes from my past jobs I can share (a time I messed up, something I worked on that had a good result, something that didn’t go as expected, a time I had to deal with conflict), read the job's website and any news items I can find about them, and do a little quick review of the industry.

Most commonly repeated questions I've encountered recently: what's a time you made a mistake, what kind of management style do you like, why should we hire you.

This is the first time in my life I've ever genuinely practiced an elevator pitch and I hate to say it but it's really helped

After an interview (especially a panel interview) immediately take a few notes on what people said so you can write personalized thank yous.

I hope something in that was helpful and if not I'm sorry for the wall of text LOL but hugs and kisses it is all gonna be ok!!!

[a-d-nox]

Heyy I just wanted to come on here to say that I reallyyy love your blog. I was just messing around and found an old post of yours titled "Pluto in Aquarius: what's to come" and I thought it was soo well written. I love the choice of pictures for the post as well. You don't even have to answer this ask. I just wanted to come on here and appreciate your work, that's all. Keep up the dedication!

pluto retrograding back into capricorn: a prediction of what's to come

hahaha too funny!!! "i didn't have to answer this" but it was so well planned! i was in the middle of drafting this post when this ask notifications popped up!! so thank you so much for the compliments and i hope you enjoy this one equally!!

house matters:

THIS IS THE FIRST OF TWO PLUTO RETROGRADES THAT WILL OCCUR - this one will last from june 11th to jan 20th, 2024. we likely won't see too much wildness because we only recently started experiencing what pluto in aquarius is like. we know the vibe of pluto in capricorn already and likely still feel comfortable with its predictability. THE FINAL RETROGRADE BACK INTO CAPRICORN will be september 1st, 2024 to november 19th, 2024. then we are full steam ahead with pluto in aquarius until march 9th, 2043.

live in the USA so my post likely will be slightly more focused there examples wise so i apologize in advance! feel free to comment, dm, or reblog with other examples from your country based on my prediction key phrases.

i personally am NOT a witch or anything wild, everything i am saying is purely theoretical - it is not fated to happen just because i am saying it. i am simply socially aware. i know what's up generally in the world today and what was up in world when pluto was in capricorn.

like last time i am going to start light and get darker so mentally prepare yourself for that (tw: COVID-19, assassinations, and other abrasive topics that may make people uncomfortable) depending on where they are currently reading from - but we are talking about pluto so... expect the unexpected?!

let's get to it!

time and schedule changes

in the US people have been saying that daylight savings hour should be concluded indefinitely because it is unnecessary. we don't need "daylight" like we used to because we have advanced technologically. there are more risks with keeping time change then there is with getting rid of it. i could also see this being about the 4-day work week because it was trialed at the beginning of the aqua pluto transit and it was a success. capricorn is a worker and can be about workplace efficiency too, so we could see the work week become "refined" to be 4 days only.

the rise of new non-tech and/or tech-intensive careers

where there are AI doomers, there is a market. we will see old-school businesses and professionals trying to justify and reestablish their career without AI involvement - ground zero for this prediction is real-estate (people fighting virtual or 3D-tour technology) and politics (look at the tiktok ban nonsense - i can see them saying their jobs are necessary 100% of the time... or they don't need to evolve...). capricorn again represent efficiency when it comes to working, so we could see people commingling with tech to make the most out of AI in new ways to make their careers and the work they do more efficient (and less time consuming to piggyback off of the 4-day work week prediction).

the collapse of dead space

there is a chance we will see some sort of conversation about what to do with places we no longer use - strip malls, movie theaters, mineshafts, etc. pluto retrograde makes me think of fear mongering (yes, i see the irony between that statement and this post) - i can see where with climate issue and the haze that is falling over old-money US currently that people might start talking about building bunkers in preparation of a mass natural disaster or "apocalypse." my logic behind this is that capricorn represents reliability, money, and underground places while pluto is demolition and extremes.

technology failures and setbacks

enjoy your air conditioning when you have it and if you have it - i sense that we will likely face more blackouts and rolling blackouts this summer than ever before. i also think we could see AI doomers in full swing or we will see that AI is monitoring more than it should and people will distance themselves from it.

extreme weather and climate shifts

as we have seen in the past few days, wildfires are on the rise across canada. pluto can represent extremes and electrocution while capricorn can be ashes, dryness, and old trees - people are predicting "dry thunderstorms" and stating that wildfires can occur because of these storm systems/conditions. while it is not winter here in the US this retrograde, the second retrograde will be near enough to the season: expect an extreme and EARLY winter. capricorn symbolizes cold, ice, and snow. the extreme of that being a blizzard, of course. this past winter in buffalo, new york we saw how bad it can get. where i live (almost three hours from buffalo) we had no solid snowfall... i don't think i will say the same in 2024 - the movie the day after tomorrow comes to mind.

repression of freethinkers

pluto retrograde can make people less likely to "fight against the patriarchy". we might see those who were fighting back being prosecuted or jailed (incarceration is pluto ruled). while aquarius welcomed change, shifting backwards into traditionally-minded capricorn can cause this silencing.

real-estate crisis

real-estate is starting to straighten out but i want to point out that when pluto initially entered capricorn in 2008, there was a huge scandal surrounding the housing market. the subprime mortgage crisis caused a recession to occur because the market crash and lenders couldn't return on their loans. we might see similar problems again. right now lots of homes are overpriced and if certain lenders are using the money on loan and we crash again we can see another market crash.

recession or depression

speaking of market crash... it's the roaring 20s. i don't think it is a coincidence that the Great Depression was in the 1920s, while the Great Recession was when pluto initially entered capricorn in 2008. could there be a Great Depression part two? MAYBE. considering pluto in retrograde typically indicates trouble with power dynamics and capricorn can represent business and the economy.

the death of politics and/or the church

2024 the year of the election - it's early to be talking about it for some of us, i know, BUT the campaigns are beginning. i want us to be aware that going between tradition capricorn and utopian aquarius during this time may cause some chaos... we have biden and trump again on the trial... two recent POTUSs... there are a lot of extreme people who are not happy with either of their times in office. i want to just put out there that JFK was just passing through texas on a friendly visit when his assassination occurred. pluto represents assassinations, so it might be in the stars during the retrograde seasons (hopefully not though). i feel like it will be someone close to the presidents if so because capricorn can be a "watchman" while pluto can be betrayal. since capricorn is the church, we could see the death of a pope or higher church official that causes havoc as well. alternatively, we could see people saying (towards the end of the second retrograde) / questioning why we even need a president.

capricorn terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: colds (COVID being labelled the common cold while it is mutating?), hair, hysteria (another outbreak? panic early in a presidency?), limitations (lockdowns? maybe for COVID or the air conditions because of wildfires?), minerals (running out of them), mining industry (the end of this industry all together and switching to renewable resources by the end of this cap pluto era), old age (the boomers are dying off? or are we going to make a discovery of some sort about aging or age related diseases), orderliness, responsibility, tile, afghanistan, greece, lithuania, mexico, and tombs (are we going to say goodbye to cemeteries?).

plutonian terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: aliases, alibis (governmental riffing similar to how no plan was in place when for COVID-19), cemeteries (removal of that method if too many are dying at any giving time - mass graves?), convicts (prison release due to overcrowding? the mega-prison of el salvador?), corruption (governmental likely?), earthquakes (more environmental issues on top of the wildfires?), liars, massacres (the rise of crime?), murder, nihilism (the rise of philosophy at the time of war?), ransom (war?), satire (rise of political satire?), stolen goods, and taxes (trump-esque no? likely to be brought up during the presidential campaign).

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic" button if you want to see a specific post or mythical asteroid next!

click here for the masterlist

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), AUGUST 2024

Hello, and welcome to my very last Ecommerce News update here on Tumblr.

After today, these reports will now be found at least twice a week on my Patreon, available to all paid members. See more about this change here on my website blog: https://www.cindylouwho2.com/blog/2024/8/12/a-new-way-to-get-ecommerce-news-and-help-welcome-to-my-patreon-page

Don't worry! I will still be posting some short pieces here on Tumblr (as well as some free pieces on my Patreon, plus longer posts on my website blog). However, the news updates and some other posts will be moving to Patreon permanently.

Please follow me there! https://www.patreon.com/CindyLouWho2

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy has banned gift certificates/cards sold by individual shops, as of Sept 15. Only Etsy Gift Cards are now allowed. The second quarter report press release says they plan on selling Etsy Gift Cards through third parties, but no official word on how and when yet.

Many Amazon Handmade sellers were unable to list new items after a site update on July 31 [post by me on LinkedIn]. While Amazon told sellers to apply for an exemption from the Product ID requirement, some report that is not working, or that they do not have the option to apply for one. 

Reminder that Canadian Etsy shops will be charged a 1.15% Regulatory Operating fee on the item price and shipping cost as of August 15. [I’ve set a bunch of things to expire. If Etsy isn’t profitable enough to pay its taxes, maybe they should consider cutting executive pay instead of squeezing microbusinesses even more.]

ETSY NEWS 

Etsy has updated its Privacy Policy, to take effect August 31. Changes include mention of biometric data. Note that some parts of the policy are screenshots, and therefore not easily searchable nor accessible to screen readers - I am not sure how they can get away with that. I used the Wayback Machine to do a comparison of the parts that software can actually read.   There’s also a new US regional privacy policy, which currently covers laws in several states.  

Etsy is promoting a Labour Day sale August 21-September 2, and has already set up the "Cyber Savings Sale" (November 18-December 3) for Cyber Week. You can schedule the official sales through links in the announcement.

Forbes covered Etsy’s sex toy ban [soft paywall; not safe for work photos]. To no one's surprise, plenty of the banned items are still found on site, including toys and vintage Playboy magazines. 

Etsy is accused of allowing shops based in “illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory” and profiting off of them. Etsy’s response: "[W]e have shared this information internally with the appropriate teams for review."

Etsy's promised program for buyers - Etsy Insider - will be rolling out as invite-only beta in September. It's a paid membership for US buyers and includes:

Free US domestic shipping on millions of items

A birthday bonus

Limited edition annual gift, designed by an Etsy seller

First access to special discounts and select merchandise

While some of the "special discounts" are paid by sellers, that is a voluntary program shops can sign up for here. That form also allows you to sign up to offer new items to Etsy Insiders first - “drops” - which does not involve offering discounts. Etsy has done these sorts of "offers" in the past, and I believe they have already reached out to sellers for the first round of offers in September (based on some emails I have received from shop owners).

You can now sign up for “Etsy Up”, the virtual sellers conference scheduled for September 10. However, despite saying they have announced “our agenda”, all that is provided is a vague set of topics (other than the fact they will be announcing the Etsy Design Awards Finalists). It makes me wonder if there are official Etsy announcements coming soon that they don’t want to reveal too early by posting the real agenda. If yes, around August 15 is a good bet, given that  Etsy’s Search Analytics will end that day, and many new policies kick in on September 15, just one month later.

The Etsy app is showing rectangular listing images in search for some visitors, but it appears to be a test [Reddit thread with screenshot]. I wouldn’t change anything at this time. 

No, Etsy has not replaced your listing tags. I covered that topic here on LinkedIn. 

I wrote about the new Listing Image Requirement policy and the email Etsy sent to some sellers on Monday July 29. [post by me on Patreon] And not everyone is being fooled by Etsy’s new Creativity Standards, but some acknowledge it will be difficult for Etsy to turn away factory-made goods at this point. [Disclosure: I am quoted in that article]

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

Amazon

Amazon’s second quarter revenue was below expectations, and the company predicts nothing better in the third quarter. 

In a surprising change, Amazon has decided to cancel overage fees for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory storage, retroactive to July 1. 

Canadian Amazon sellers will be subject to a new digital services fee as of October 1. This is due to Canada’s new digital services tax. 

In a case that may have an impact on other larger ecommerce sites, a court ruled that Amazon is responsible for recalls of products sold through Amazon, including through “Fulfilled By Amazon”. 

US Amazon shoppers can now link their Pinterest and TikTok accounts to Amazon to be able to buy directly from Amazon ads on social media. This is already available on Facebook, Instagram and Snap. 

Amazon is changing its refund policy for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) users: if sellers do not receive an automatic reimbursement for loss, damage and returns, they will now only have 60 days to apply for one.  A lot of ecommerce experts think Amazon is making a mistake in setting up a China to US section on the site.

eBay

eBay second quarter revenue and profit was higher than expected, but the third quarter projections are low.  

The eBay app has taken a lot of flack for inserting ads between each item in a purchase history. 

Poshmark

As marketplaces popular for pre-owned items compete for the best new stock, Poshmark is offering “rewards” for listing at least 1 item a week. 

Shopify

Shopify had a better-than-expected second quarter, and expects a decent third quarter as well. Getting larger businesses to use Shopify has helped the tech company, but I still wonder how that affects the small and micro businesses who used to be the target market.

Walmart

The Walmart Marketplace has added Chile as its fourth country, after the US, Canada and Mexico. 

All Other Marketplaces

Hundreds of business owners who sell on Temu held a protest at the marketplace headquarters on July 29. Fines for returns are one cited issue. 

Payment Processing

Credit cards issued by Chase in the US will no longer allow third-party buy-now-pay-later purchases, as of October 10. Conveniently, they offer their own option, Chase Pay Over Time. PayPal has expanded the quicker checkout solution Fastlane to all US businesses, which fills in customer information without a log in.