#but anyways back to the topic at hand. where is the fanart. i know someone on deviantart must have made it

[officialrapunzelfitzherbert]

watching the sarah jane adventures and i just wanted to say that if this show had been made just a few years later mr smith would have been a tumblr sexyman.......all the ingredients are there.......everything about him Demands humanized fanart of a twink in a suit w glasses on

[nonexistent-introvert]

Seat Partners

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x f!reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Content: Highschool au, miguel is a nerd who plays soccer, fluff?

A/N: Inspired by a fanart of Miguel's yearbook photo by @/blueastriz on twitter . I had so much fun with this

  You sighed inwardly as you searched for your name on the seating plan that was being displayed on the projector. When you finally did find your name, you inhaled, preparing yourself for your partner for the year. 

   Miguel O’Hara. You furrowed your eyebrows at that name. He wasn’t the worst person you could be assigned to sit next to for the rest of the year but he wasn’t the best either. This year would mark your fourth year of being in the same class with him. Despite that, you have never spoken a word to him before. Well, you had the whole year to cozy up to him anyways. 

    Miguel only briefly glanced up at his work out of curiosity to know who he was sitting next to. Not that it matters anyways, Miguel had the reputation of being silent. The kind of person who never spoke unless it was necessary, or about the work at hand. You let out a sigh as you put down your bag, you would actually lose your mind if you had to actually pay attention to the lessons now because Miguel didn’t seem like the type to entertain your comical remarks. 

   You sat down beside him, wrecking your head for a conversation topic. Miguel paid zero mind to you, his focus on the notebook before him where he was solving some math problems. You pursed your lips to prevent the groan from escaping you, you absolutely detested math. You watched enviously as the rest of the class talked among themselves, eager to get to know their partner. 

   “Quiet down.” Mr. Jones ordered, the whole room slowly fell into silence. Mr Jones cleared his throat, “There will be no change of seats unless there was a valid reason. This seating plan has been carefully thought out, being partners means helping each other out. Most of you will be sitting with someone whose strongest subjects are your weakest subjects and vice versa.” You glanced at Miguel from beside you, he was paying Mr. Jones no mind. His pen scribbling against his notebook as he solved yet another question. It was almost insulting sitting next to him. Miguel O’Hara, the straight A’s student and top of the class, next to you who was barely passing most of your subjects, your highest grade being a B. 

   “You’re staring.” You almost jumped at the sound of Miguel’s voice. You spun the pen in your hand, you never thought that Miguel would be the first person to talk between the two of you. “I hate math.” You told him, staring down at the equations in his notebook, free of errors. His lips quirked upwards but his eyes were fixated on his notebook. “It really isn’t that bad.” You scoffed at him, “I have literally never passed a single math exam.” You deadpanned. Miguel remained silent, his pen scribbling at a rapid rate again. You sighed, your first conversation with him ended in 3 sentences. 

====

    “What lesson is next?” You asked, mentally counting down the hours till school ended. “Math.” Your friend, Shannon replied. You cursed under your breath, an hour of not understanding anything. “You could always ask him you know? I mean Mr Jones encouraged everyone to seek help from their partners.” Shannon advised you looked at her like she was crazy. Before you could say anything, Miguel entered your vision. A towel around his neck while he casually leaned down to pick up his bag, stuffing the t-shirt he had worn to lunch to play soccer with his friends. He has already changed back into his white button-up, contrary to the other guys in your class who isn’t even back yet. Miguel picked up his spectacles case from his table and put on his rectangular glasses. It was shocking to witness his duality, how a simple glasses could turn him from the most skilled and charming soccer player in your school into the quiet nerd that most people knew.  When Miguel met your eye contact, you gave him a forced smile. “Um, your collar.” You gestured to his collar. His hands traced his collar before adjusting the part that was still upturned.  “Oh.”Miguel breathed out, “Thanks.” he muttered softly. Too bad the class was too noisy for you to hear him.

   You were trying your best to stifle the third yawn that was escaping you. The numbers on the screen made no sense to you, you had zero idea how the angle at one side was supposedly equal to the angle on the other side of the figure. Miguel was the complete opposite of you, he sat up straight, his eyes scanning the diagram on the board while his ears took in every word your math teacher uttered. His pen scribbling against his notebook as he tried to better visualize the problem. You lazily doodled on the blank page in your notebook, not even daring to start a conversation with Miguel when he looks so focused. Most people would appreciate a distraction from the math but Miguel, he looked entirely invested in the lesson. He looked like he would snap at you or find you annoying if you distracted him from his favorite class. 

 The hands on the clock seemed to be frozen in time. You could have sworn time paused and no one noticed. You have been sitting in this lesson for what felt like an entire day and yet only 30 minutes have passed. Your vision has slowly lost focus and your eyelids were threatening to close anytime. You rubbed at your eyes tiredly, taking sips of water to try to stay awake and yet nothing seemed to work. Your hand held onto your pen and yet you still felt your head slowly dipping down, as though it was getting heavier by the second. Soon enough, you were drifting in and out of consciousness. 

   Miguel couldn’t help but be distracted by your movement from beside him. His pupils moved to the side, he was trying to avoid having to turn his whole head to look at you. He watched from the corner of his eye as your head tilted to his side, head falling dangerously near to his shoulder before you forced yourself awake and tried to sit up straight. Miguel used one of his hands to cover the lower part of his face, trying to hide the amused look on his face as he watched your head oscillate from left to right while you tried your hardest to stop yourself from dozing off. He quickly averted his gaze back onto the projector when you rubbed your eyes, running your hands through your hair before eventually lying your head on the table. Falling asleep soon after. 

   The sound of your name being called out and the knocking against your table startled you awake. Miguel was staring straight ahead, as though he was avoiding your gaze. “Now that you’re awake. Would you like to tell me how you prove that triangle ABD is an isosceles triangle?” You let out a string of curses under your breath. Standing up from your seat to answer your math teacher, Ms Jane’s question. “Give me a moment.” You replied, eyes squinting at the projector. You rubbed the back of your neck, you were definitely not equipped with enough knowledge to know how to solve this question. You glance over at Miguel, giving him a helpless look, hoping that he would get the hint and help you. Miguel met your eye and gave you a blank look. You wanted to scoff at him, helpful my ass. You glanced at the notebook in front of him, knowing that Miguel would probably be at least a few parts already ahead, you could search for the answer in his notebook easily, especially when everything was already so neatly labeled like answers out of an answer key. 

   Miguel noticed your antics soon enough, he closed his notebook. “Bastard.” You cursed at him, you’re pretty sure he heard you from the exasperated exhale he let out. “Um,” You looked back up at Ms. Jane, “The most obvious answer is that triangle BAC already looks like an isosceles triangle.” You answered with a confident grin. A few chuckles echoed in the class, at least you made some people laugh. “Very funny miss, remain standing for the rest of the lesson” Ms Jane snarked. Ms Jane looked over to Miguel who sat beside you. “Mr. O’Hara, would you like to help out your partner?” Miguel stood up, you rolled your eyes at him. What a brilliant way to showcase to the whole class how the both of you were on totally different levels. Miguel looked over at you. 

    “I’m sorry Ms Jane but I don’t have an answer for your question either. I haven’t managed to solve it.” Miguel lied. You looked at him with your jaw agape, knowing perfectly well that he was at least on the third part of the question already. So why did he lie? Ms Jane stared at Miguel, “Oh I see. Then I guess you would have to remain standing along with your partner.” 

    Miguel O’Hara was like a dice roll. You had zero idea what was going on in that mind of his while he stood beside you. His eyes fixated on his notebook, almost finishing with the last part of the question already. And yet, he lied. “Did you want to stand, get punished or-” You asked, jaw still slightly agape at his actions. Miguel looked over at you, giving you a half-hearted hum in response. You looked at him for a few more seconds before realizing that he wasn’t going to give you a direct answer, you doubted he truly processed your words. 

   When the bell finally rang, you sat back down with a sigh. Relieved to finally be able to rest your legs. Miguel did too, swiftly packing up his things from his table. “Why did you lie?” You asked again. Miguel stuffed his books into his bag, ignoring your question “I mean you could have just given me the answer that you already solved for, so why did you-”

    “You wouldn’t have gained anything from me giving you the answer. You still wouldn’t have understood how to get the answer, definitely not how to solve for it in future examinations.” He answered like it was common sense. “Ok, goody two shoes. Then why did you lie?” “You would be doing wonders if you had as many questions about classes,” he remarked. You pursed your lips at his mocking remark. “Answer me.” You demanded. Miguel looked at you, pushing his hair back. “I didn’t want you to feel embarrassed for not knowing the answer. As much as you try to pretend that you don’t care, I know that you’re not immune to the opinion of others. People would laugh if you didn’t understand but they wouldn’t laugh if I didn’t get it too. Because, well, not to brag but I am at the top of the class.” Miguel stated bluntly. You scoffed, trying to hide the fact that he had hit the bullseye with his analysis. It was no wonder why some people found him egoistic and rude. He definitely had to sacrifice some of his EQ for the exceptionally high IQ he possessed. Miguel swung his backpack over his shoulder, “And you learned something today didn’t you? You’re a step closer to passing a math examination now.” he smiled at you. You felt your heart skip a beat at his smile, it wasn’t a big one, it was a really small one.  “So you got punished in an attempt to make me listen to class?” You laughed, it was such a foolish antic. Miguel didn’t confirm nor deny the fact, he simply chuckled. 

   “See you tomorrow partner.” Miguel waved before striding out of the class.   

[nostalgia-tblr]

I agree but also I don't? Let me think with my hands here for a bit...

There have always been short-lived fandoms and they tended to be the ones with a limited amount of, well, "content" (by which I mean canon content). Movie fandoms would usually be over and forgotten within a few months - I know this because as A Poor I would generally first see a film when the DVD was cheap enough in the supermarket and as a general rule by the time I saw a film its fandom would be long-dead.

The exception being a franchise like PotC, LotR or Marvel (& etc) where there are multiple films coming out at intervals that revive and feed the fandom with new stuff.

So everyone in the notes saying "Doctor Who" or "Star Trek" or even "Harry Potter" are still active because they're old is naming something with a large amount of canon content (massive, really, in the first two cases - you might never run out of new stuff to watch) and we can't really compare those to a Netflix drop of 6 to 8 episodes of something. Modern TV/streaming seasons are shorter which means we have less to work with when making fanworks.

Gifs... Look, I know gifmakers work hard but at the end of the day they're all giffing the exact same scenes with a faithfullness that fic and fanart don't require. Yeah all the popular (shippy, v often) scenes will be giffed within a few days, and unless the gifset is doing something fancy and artistic with it there's only gonna be so much demand for "the exact same shots as the gifset I reblogged 30 seconds ago except the colouring's a bit different maybe." Fanfic reuses tropes and so on, but two fics about such-and-such scene will never be as similar as two gifsets of that scene, purely because of how much the artist/author is being called upon to invent and add themselves.

In my experience tumblr is not a great platform for fanfic, even if you're just linking to it, because tumblr prefers visual works (which is valid!) and the reblogging and comment functions have never been ideal for discussion anyway. And AO3 is massive and you don't have sign in to drop a comment but in, say, the LiveJournal days you'd be commenting on a fic by someone you followed (most likely) so you knew them a bit and were more likely to feel comfortable talking to them, and there was sometimes a reciprocal transaction at work when they commented on your fic in turn. I may love someone on AO3 but their fanfic is literally the only contact I have with them. I don't know who they are, I have far less personal connection there.

If you go far enough back in fandom (even just to the 2000s) there was nothing we could offer each other but words and that made words our currency and so we wrote a lot of them.

Even fannish meta (now "Discourse" for some reason) isn't ideally-suited to tumblr as compared to LJ - no threaded conversations, no ability to lock to a limited audience, and oh my god the way some tumblr themes will fuck up a post to unreadable within even three or four reblogs with additions.

Add to that we're not "supposed to" add to the OP (like this!) but to use the tags to add our thoughts and as the complaints about "prev tags!!" remind us the tags are lost on a reblog unless you screenshot or copy/paste to add them onto a post yourself. So an utterly amazing insight can be lost so easily in the tags of a post and we're scared of getting told off if we splurge our thoughts in a format that can be preserved and passed along without effort from the next person along.

The ability to time-travel (archiving) is also a bit shit on newer sites, and the real-time focus makes commenting on older posts harder and scarier or even in some cases impossible.

LJ comments showed up in your email and LBR who didn't at least once get into a fannish fight there one night and wake up the next morning to replies on a topic you no longer gave a shit about? But if you *wanted* to keep up a discussion for a 50-comment thread then you could. And anyone joining in later would get neatly threaded within it.

I didn't unfollow on LJ because fannish posts were interspersed with more personal ones (helped by the friends-lock option where you could talk without everyone on the internet overhearing - imagine that!) so when they left My Current Fandom I might keep them cos I felt like I knew them, I'd read their lives and they were funny or whatever. Like there's a "moot" I have on DreamWidth that I don't think we've been in the same fandom together since about 2006... but I also followed along while they struggled with IVF and started a family and so by 2008 she was someone I felt pretty close to as internet relationships go. We had the chance to share our lives and often to have more in common with someone then Current Fandom. Tumblr is different because when I finally grow bored of gifsets of X And Y Do Something Cute In One Of The 12 Episodes Of My Current Show that's kind of the only thing I was sharing with that fandom's tumblr moots and so when I leave a fandom there might be no point still following someone for that sort of thing. And they feel the same way about me, which is fine! We don't have to marry each other to share a fandom for a while!

Short-form content generally doesn't appeal to me and can allow for limited creation or discussion (Tumblr is for gifs, Twitter is not much use for anything but Hot Takes, TikTok is for... I dunno I found it literally unusable so clearly that's not one for me) but I think the loss of long-form text content hosting is more the issue than the latest media/canons themselves. SPN gets a mention in the OP and aren't there about 15 seasons of that? So again it's about the amount of canon content we have to work with as fannish creators. We can only transform a work so many times before we run out of things to say about it and need to find a new one.

Not people saying “Fandom has always been like this” in that vent post I made. No. It hasn’t always been like this. Fandom has NEVER been like this until recently and if you were in fandom pre-tumblr purge, pre-twitter, pre-netflix boom, pre-tiktok….then you would fucking know it was nothing like this.

We still had the drive to create. We still sold prints and charms and made zines…but it was never like this.

The introduction of streaming, binge shows that drop all at once, tiktok and vine RIP i still love u vine but you were the beginning of a particularly ugly era) creating this bite sized, quick paced ‘content’ era of creation and it bled out into fucking everything else.

Fandoms didn’t die down when the show ended or the season was over. You didn’t mass unfollow artist, writers or moots just because they changed fandoms. There wasn’t this need to please the algorithm in order for your posts to get seen by people and enjoyed.

Fandoms used to last YEARS. Star Trek is literally the oldest running fandom out there and you got people in there that could care less about the new stuff and still have been happily prancing through their fucking fifty year old fandom today. Hell, even SPN after all it’s fuckups and shitshows has a dedicated fanbase STILL creating tons of art and fic.

There is no patience anymore. No calm feeling of taking in fandom and friends at a pace that which doesn’t make you stressed and is still fun.

Do I blame fandom for this? Of course not, but people are complacent with it and start changing their vocab to accommodate and end up making the situation so deep it cant be fixed.

We call Art & Fic Content now, completely stripping the value of what it is to a level of consumerism instead of personal entertainment & community bonding.

[saal-school-project]

Part 4

8th grade (2019-2020)

8th grade was special, in a bad way. It was the last year of middle school, thus the year of LGS. It's a high school entrance exam. Nice. It's a snippet of whats to come 4 years later, the real deal, the YKS (collage entrance exam, which braches out as TYT, AYT, and YDT), but lets not worry about that now. I kind of feel a little foolish for taking LGS so seriously. But the teachers made it seem that important, and all of my classmates studied, so I felt like I had to, too. I remember the Joker movie coming out. I watched it on the net and made an… unfinished fanart? I guess I just couldn’t find anything beter to draw.

Now that I look at it that hand is way too small.

I know this is a really bad picture of it and it looks like I cropped it someone else’s thing, but really I dont know where the drawing is now. Its been more than three and a half years, this is the only pic I could find of it.

I still wrote occasionally, despite my main focus being studying. Ugh, studying, yuck! And I think I started writing in English too sometimes! The middle of 8th grade was when COVID hit. Remember 2020? I can't believe it's already 2023; my sense of the flow of time got all messed up after 2021 for some reason. During the quarantine, I really didn't want to study, but I had to. I designed another character for my hybrid of a game. Back then, I still thought I could pull it off on my own if I learned Unity. Duh, I still have delusions of my own, but I'm over that particular one. Anyway, towards the end of it all, I started to feel like maybe I deserved to buy a Nintendo Switch and finally play Breath of the Wild once all this was over. So I just did that. I entered the exam, did my best, and didn't care about the rest.

My mom also forced me to take a talent exam at some fine arts high school, even though I wouldn't go there even if I won. Maybe she made me do it as a backup plan if I got a bad score from the LGS. Thats kinda sad now that I think about it. So when I went to the talent exam, I was all grumpy at first because I didn't even want to be there, but I left feeling pretty happy because it was pretty fun and a great confidence boost. Normally, I'm pretty antisocial, but I made friends with the kid who sat next to me instantly. He was pretty talkative, extraverted, and a bit clumsy, as he somehow managed to break both the eraser and the pencil sharpener given to him, so I let him use mine instead. He was pretty surprised when I handed him the unopened eraser, as it was way more than halfway through the exam and I hadn't used it yet. We talked about stuff. It's been years; I don't remember. It probably started with something like, "Yo, how did you make LGS? I didn't really care about that, but I also didn't have anything else to talk about at the moment, which made me feel kind of shallow. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for me, and I didn't really want to be reminded of it, but since we got along and I enjoyed the company, the topic must have shifted to something I actually liked at some point. While I was leaving, people who saw my art complimented it and said I would definitely make it into the school, which I did. but, like I said, I wouldn't go there either way. This sounds like I'm bragging, but actually, when I think about it, it makes me sad. I didn't have memories like these after middle school. It's like I'm a husk of what I used to be. Something went wrong somewhere, but I can't pin it down. (This is the existential crisis sprinkled in; it can be like that sometimes.)

I spent all of the summer of 8th grade cooped up in my room. more so than other summers. Well, the fact that my dad sold our summer house, where I spent my previous summers, is partly to blame for that. I didn't mind. I got my Breath of the Wild and played the hell out of it that summer. I also got Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Did you know that cartridges for the Nintendo Switch taste like trash? Because they are so small, it would be easy for a toddler to swallow them, so they made them taste bad so the baby would spit them out. or at least thats what I remember; again, I'm too lazy to actually check. Anyway, there's not much else to talk about in 8th grade, I guess. I just really wanted to enjoy myself that summer.

Pictures of my switch:

[absolutepokemontrash]

Kid!MC/Teen!MC Needs someone to go to Parent Teacher Interviews for Them and Guess Who’s Available?

Masterlist

The brothers being bad babysitters/dad figures is something I love very much, I bet you all could already tell that considering the Fic/Headcanon series I have going on. I would just like you all to know that Asmo’s section is based on a true story. Anyhoo~ onto the Headcanons!

Why? Why Him? (Lucifer)

Is MC really dumb, or are they just a kid? No one knows.

Obviously MC asked Lucifer, the only competent one in the house, the most professional, hard-working, controlled-

MC got their things together and gave Lucifer the run down on their teacher(s) before Lucifer got too absorbed in extolling his own virtues in an intense internal monologue.

News flash Lucifer, this isn’t a Shakespeare play, you can’t have a dramatic monologue or soliloquy about how great you think you are

At the actual meeting, if MC is in there, no, MC is not actually in there. Lucifer will speak to the teacher as if MC isn’t there. As someone whose not a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down kind of person, Lucifer expects the teacher to behave the same and not spare MC’s feelings.

Feelings do not deserve to be spared if MC is being a nuisance. No fake-kid/little sibling of his gets to be the class idiot!

If MC’s doing very well academically, he expects to be pointed at projects or tests they’ve done and the grade on it. It really makes him proud to see MC doing well.

Even if they’re not the best academically, if they’re not failing and they’re doing well in other aspects of school, he’s proud.

If MC really struggles in a school environment and just hates it there but they’re still keeping their head above water, they get a head pat of approval.

On the drive home, if MC came with him to the parent teacher interviews and everything went well, he just happens to turn onto the street that has a Baskin Robin’s or something of that caliber.

If they didn’t go, he picks something up on the way back.

No fun treats if MC is being a disruptive little heathen in class, no kid under Lucifer’s care is going to be the class Mammon. Not on his watch.

MC was busily stuffed their face with the treats that were gifted to them. Lucifer had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at the kid’s blatant disregard for basic table manners when it came to sweets.

“Is everything the teacher said true?” Lucifer asked, MC looked up at him with a smile.

“Yep!”

“Good, good.” Lucifer held out his hand and patted them on the head. “You’re doing well. Keep it up.”

“Geez,” MC mumbled as they continued to stuff their face. “Can you get anymore affectionate?”

“Don’t be sarcastic, MC. It’s uncouth.” Lucifer said sternly. “Besides, I’ll have you know that many people enjoy my headpats. I’m quite affectionate.”

“Really now? Name one person.”

Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He and MC stared each other down, one pair of eyes much more nervous than the other. Spoiler, MC was still calmly eating their treat as they maintained eye contact.

“…Cerberus.”

“If you’re reaching for Cerberus, you’ve already lost.”

…his pride was under attack. Right in front of his desert…

“You’re grounded.”

“Worth it.”

*Rides by on a Skateboard* School is for NERDS (Mammon)

Pff! Stupid human! He’s not goin’ to some lame parent teacher conference-

Wait! What’s with that face?! Ugh… fine. MC’s gone and forced his hand with those damn puppy dog eyes…

Mammon does not dress up for this event, he dresses like he would every day, maybe throw on some designer stuff to let all the parents and teachers know he’s hot shit.

If MC goes with him, he pulls up in his beloved car and takes up two parking spaces (pure evil.). Every parent present already hates him, but at least the other kids there are impressed with MC’s sweet ride. MC would have gained some street cred if Mammon hadn’t managed to trip up the stairs to the classroom in front of everyone.

He’ll act way to casual with the teacher, turning the parent chair backwards and sitting down so he can lean on the seat.

Mammon gets bored crazy quickly while the teacher lists and explains all the stuff the class is learning, so his eyes begin to wander to any and all displays in the classroom. Projects, annoying posters, class pet, anything is more interesting than this teacher’s explanation.

When MC finally becomes the main topic of the interview, he’s all ears. MC’s doing great in school academically? Ha! Nerd! Maybe giving MC a playful noogie and interrupting the whole interview wasn’t a good idea, but whatever.

If MC’s failing anything, or just isn’t that gifted when it comes to grades, it’s very much a “Aw man me too” from Mammon.

This teacher is speaking with the Great Mammon, the first demon in RAD’s history to fail three semesters in a row. If this teacher thinks bad grades will phase him, they’re dead wrong.

Grades don’t mean anythin’ about smarts anyway! I mean, look at him! He’s a fuckin’ genius but he can’t get through a history test without sobbing even though he LIVED THROUGH MOST OF IT.

MC gets treats no matter what’s up in class. Though, if MC didn’t go with him, he’s likely to forget and just order something for the two of them when he gets back home.

“Goddamn teachers and their rambling!” Mammon whined, grabbing a slice of pizza from the open box on his coffee table. “You owe me, MC! Ya really do!”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” MC said, they leaned over and rolled a pizza slice into a pizza-scroll then proceeded to eat it like a veggie roll. “How do you think I feel, listening to them every day? You know how long it takes to get to the actual class material?”

“Five years?”

“Ugh! Five years if I’m lucky! I swear, I know more about my teacher’s grievances with like… five of my classmates than I do about trigonometry, and guess which one’s on the test next week?”

Mammon winced in sympathy, then remembered he was supposed to be whining and went back to it. “School’s shit and a waste of money, ya should drop out as soon as you can and help me run my new business.”

“You mean your pyramid scheme?”

“It’s not a pyramid scheme, MC! It’s legit! It’s a multi-tiered marketing-”

“It’s a pyramid scheme.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SOCIAL INTERACTION (Leviathan)

Everyone else must have been sick or something for MC to have asked Levi. He’d flat out refuse to go otherwise.

So, Levi couldn’t exactly go to the interview in his usual “I haven’t left my room or changed clothes in eight weeks” look. With the help of MC, he was able to find his military uniform at the back of his closet.

Asmo nearly fainted when he saw Levi in the uniform, not because “oooo, a man in uniform~”, it was because the outfit was so crumpled and wrinkled that it made it physically painful to look at. No time to iron and wash, the conference was in an hour!

Levi (and MC if they went with) rolled up to the school in a less than impressive ride, but one look at the uniform and all the other people present went “yep, time to be respectful (tm)”

For the first time in his life Levi was more intimidating than Lucifer! And he wasn’t even trying!

When the teacher starts explaining the course material, Levi spaces off in horror as he realizes he remembers literally nothing from school (AND HE’S STILL IN SCHOOL!) all that’s running through his head is “A squared + B squared = C squared” and “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”.

The actual interview was the least interesting part of the trip, the real stuff happened when Levi passed by some art on display in the hallway and something caught his eye-

Those colours… that hair… that adorable smile..!

IT WAS HER! LEVI’S PRECIOUS RURI-CHAN IN ALL HER GLORY!

Levi immediately started fawning over the art class fanart and by sheer coincidence, one of the kids walking through the hallway happened to notice.

The kid asked MC if their… parent and or guardian liked anime. MC responded with “obviously.” Levi then asked the kid if they drew his adorable Ruri-chan. The kid said no, and that they drew the My Hero Academia fanart a few rows down.

Levi was absolutely floored that there were two anime fans in one class, then his entire world shattered when MC explained there was more anime art inside the art room and other classrooms.

H-hang on… did that mean that… a lot of people here… liked anime..?

Levi needed a while to process. No snacks on the way home…

Levi and MC were sat in the back of their Uber, Levi, the Avatar of Envy himself, was having his entire sense of reality warped. S-so much anime fanart… in a school of all places..! What did this mean for the future of anime?!

“Levi. Stop.” MC sighed. “If this were an anime, the camera angle would be doing that thing where it’s right on the bridge of your nose and dramatic music plays in the background.”

“S-so many kids in your class like a-anime huh..?” Levi stuttered, weakly trying to smile. “Must be nice..?”

“Oh, that’s just my class. The other classes and grades have their fans too.”

“Oh… really?”

“Levi,” MC stopped looking out the window and looked at the otaku that was having a full scale silent mental breakdown. “Anime isn’t even a niche interest anymore. It’s a pretty casual thing to watch now. At least a third of my class watches- Levi?”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH! ANIME! A THIRD OF THE CLASS?! ANIME… HIS PRECIOUS ANIME… WAS BECOMING A NORMIE INTEREST! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

“Levi?” MC waved their hand in front of their spaced out demon’s face. “Leviiiii? Okay he’s dead.”

The Know it All (Satan)

Ah, a smart choice, MC. Satan would be glad to help further their education. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure that the human’s brain is fed all that sweet sweet knowledge.

Satan can’t dress himself normally, MC had to coax him into a suit jacket, but he still only wore one sleeve.

MC was coming along to the interviews whether they wanted to or not, it’s important to hear what they need to improve on from the teacher themselves after all.

The two arrived pretty early, so Satan asked MC for a tour of the school. It was pretty tame until they reached the library. Satan was horrified at the state of some of the books…

Their spines lined with duct tape… pages missing and torn… someone apparently used a taco as a book mark…

The first thing Satan does when it’s time for his interview is demand the teacher take better care of the library, even though they’re not the librarian. MC tries to explain this, but Satan is too distraught to listen to reason.

He enjoyed hearing about the course material, but he made it known if MC thinks the assignments are too easy that they need to be given more challenging work. THEIR BRAIN NEEDS TO BE STIMULATED DAMN IT.

It was up to MC to either agree with Satan and nod to the teacher, or make frantic eye contact with them to try and communicate “NO DON’T PLEASE”.

Similar to (ugh) Lucifer, as long as MC is doing their best, he’s happy for them.

…but if they are in any way in the running for valedictorian he is HELPING THEM WIN.

He decided to stop at a cafe or bookstore to let MC pick out a “congrats on surviving your pitiful school” present after the interviews.

MC gleefully perused the shelves of the bookstore, there were so many books too look at…

“I’ll buy you as many books as you’d like, MC, just,” Satan shuddered slightly. “Promise me you won’t treat them like those poor library books…”

MC put their hand over their heart. “I swear on the duct taped book spines that I will never treat a book like that.”

“Good… good…” Satan breathed a sigh of relief and went back to looking at his book about cats.

“Are you… reading a Warrior Cats book..?” MC asked tentatively.

“Yes, why?”

“Satan, put that back.”

“I Will Seduce the Teacher For the Sake of Your Grades, Don’t Worry.” (Asmodeus)

Oh MC dear! He’d be delighted to go! Just let him get ready~

Asmo may not be the best choice, but he was at least going to be the best dressed person at that conference. (And MC just had to come too so all the other parents could be jealous of how well coordinated their outfits are)

He teased MC a little by saying he was going to flirt with their teacher to make sure they passed the class, but he was just kidding! …but he made sure to ask if their teacher was cute, he needed to know!

While waiting for his turn, Asmo flirts with some of the single parents, if he doesn’t see a wedding ring, they’re fair game.

Once his time slot arrived, MC realized that Asmo is one of those “my child has done and will do nothing wrong ever” types. This may have ended up working in MC’s favour if they were a class nuisance.

If MC is doing very well in sports, clubs, grades, anything, Asmo is fawning over them and gushing to the teacher about how great, smart and adorable they are.

Asmo surprisingly does not exactly flirt with the teacher, he was just teasing MC after all. But um… if MC’s teacher just happens to be cute and young, he may turn up the charm, just a little. Enough to make the teacher giggle and make MC cover their face in embarrassment.

After the interviews Asmo will probably schedule a nice day out for the two of them, shopping, a movie, mani pedis, something fun!

The real weird stuff happens in the months after the interviews… if Asmo did lightly flirt with the teacher, MC gets quite a few questions about their guardian. Questions that ask if Asmo is single in not as many words…

Oh lord, MC’s teacher developed a crush on Asmo.

Nail painting night was supposed to be a fun occasion, but MC was hopping mad and embarrassed. Asmo didn’t seem to notice as he continued to paint the little human’s nails.

“And then I told Phenex to get lost. The nerve of that little monster, right MC?” When MC didn’t reply, Asmo looked up and tilted his head. “MC?”

MC’s angry face would have been much more threatening if they weren’t just so adorable, but it was getting the message across.

“MC..?”

“Asmo.” MC’s glare deepened. “My teacher wants to know if you’re single.”

Asmo blinked a few times, before he hit his tongue to keep from laughing. “Really now~. I knew they’d be madly in love with me-”

“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIIIIIIIIIIIS?!”

Oh My Demon King is That a BAKE SALE?! (Beel)

Of course Beel said yes! He’d gladly go to MC’s parent teacher interview!

He even put on a nice outfit :D he ended up looking a bit like a secret serviceman guarding MC, the tiny president.

Beel stopped for McDonald’s on the way there, all the other kids were so jealous of MC when they stepped out of the car eating fries.

But a little something something caught Beel’s eye when he and MC walked into the school… was that a… bake sale?

MC quickly explained that the bake sale was fundraiser for their class trip that year and the snacks weren’t complimentary. He had to pay.

And pay Beel did. He cleared out the entire table. MC’s grade’s overnight trip was going to be decadent as hell. That was no longer a crowd funded thing, that trip was privately funded by a tall buff ginger secret service member and this tiny in comparison child.

Kids are incredibly blunt, just like Beel, so when a random kindergarten kid wandered over, looked up at Beel, and very knowingly said “you’re very tall”. Beel was like “yeah”. The kid then said “what’s it like being that tall?”

Beel’s response to this kid’s question was to pick them up and hold them for a few seconds before placing them back down. For just a few moments this kid knew what it like to be over 6’4. Of course, more kids swarmed in and asked to be picked up.

Sure it was cute, but Beel now has an army of kids ranging from kindergarteners to third graders.

Finally, the conference actually began. Beel snacked the entire time and dutifully listened to everything the teacher had to say.

After the interviews are over, he checks with MC to make sure everything the teacher said was true and that they weren’t lying. If all was well, the two made their exit.

They stopped at Wendy’s on the way home.

“I’m so full…” MC groaned, Beel held up a massive cookie.

“So I can eat this?”

“No. Gimme that.” MC took a very defeated bite out of it. “My stomach says no but my mouth says yes…”

“I don’t want you to get a stomachache, MC,” Beel said worriedly. “No more snacks.”

“It’s a little late for that. It’s past nine and I’m still eating, there’s no way I’m getting to sleep at a reasonable hour.”

“Oh…” Beel mumbled. “I may have not completely thought this through.”

“*Snore* Huh? Wha? MC’s Grades? Uh… Fuck…” (Belphie)

MC must be failing a class or something because why on earth would they pick Belphie otherwise.

They ask him to go while he’s delirious from just waking up from a nap, he sort of half nods and mumbles some gibberish before going back to sleep.

MC had to basically carry his ass to the school. Belphie drooled all over them in the waiting room, and when it was their time to go into the interview, Belphie had to be manually put into the chair and slapped awake.

He barely listens, he just sits and nods along with whatever the teacher is saying. The teacher could say MC brought an alligator to school and he’d just go “uh huh…” “mmmph… yep…” “really now?” then yawn.

The only thing that could possibly get Belphie to be interested is if MC is studying space. If they are, than boy howdy is Belphie suddenly interested in their education.

Other than that? *snore*

If MC is in fact failing or doing poorly, MC’s teacher asks to see another one of MC’s guardians at a later date. Their plan failed miserably.

MC drags Belphie out of the school and yells at him for not helping them. Belphie, still sleep delirious, tries to press the snooze button. MC does not have a snooze button.

“Belphie!” MC shouted, shaking the Avatar of Sloth awake. The House of Lamentation’s resident bastard was somehow sleeping standing up outside. “HOW COULD YOU?!”

“Eh?” Belphie half-snorted and looked around confused. “What’d I do? Where are we?”

“At my school! You said that you’d go to my parent teacher interviews!”

“…MC I don’t think I’d pass well for you.”

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO AS MY GUARDIAN!”

“Sheesh,” Belphie murmured while he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. “You humans are so noisy.”

MC looked up at their dearest demon friend, and gave him their best glare. “I’m going to take all your fancy temperature changing pillows and switch them with normal pillows you traitorous bastard.”

[hanniejji]

(Inspired by my experience going to a haunted house with my friends lol)

Imagine, you thought it was a good idea to bring Kazuha, Xiao, and Scaramouche with you to a haunted house attraction. You simply brought the topic up and the trio was excited at the chance to hang out all together. The thing is, the three of them had never been to a haunted attraction before. The moment you stepped onto the hayride trailer your heart dropped knowing scare actors with night vision would come rushing out of the forest, banging on the trailer and screaming behind your back. The very first jump-scare was right behind you with a clown rushing up to cackle behind you. You jumped so hard you landed on Kaz’s lap and gripped onto him with a death grip.

Xiao smirked well Scaramouche started hyena-laughing until an actor jumped onto the railing of the trailer between him and Xiao leaning over to banshee scream at the two. A shrill scream came from one of the two, but you couldn’t quite tell as they both had jumped. A chorus of screams continued through out the ride until you arrived to the haunted house placed right in the thick of the forest. In the line to enter scare actors were wandering around looking for victims. Your grip onto Xiao’s arm tightened when you noticed a very scary werewolf stomping your way. The Hollywood quality costume looked incredibly real in the low lighting, he was at least six foot completely covered in fur and bent legs.

The moment he snarled at you, you shrieked and shoved your face into Xiao’s chest hard enough you nearly knocked him back. The green-haired boy pet your back with reassurance until the wolf stomped off. Scaramouche was amused by everyone’s fear, Kazuha was staring off into space, and Xiao was pretty much your teddy bear whenever a creature got too close for comfort. In the haunted house though, everyone was on edge as the scares were rather good. Ghost girls bungee jumping from the ceiling just before you. Walking through a claustrophobic hallway one at a time with clawed hands reaching out to grab at you. A black -lit mirror maze with a couple clowns howling and heckling. A vibrating floor that shook beneath your feet the second you stepped on it.

Kazuha was squeezing Scaramouche from behind, the raven haired boy’s hands gripped onto the scruff of Xiao’s shirt, and you were unintentionally line leader up front clinging onto Xiao’s arm. At least five times you nearly fell onto your butt if it wasn’t for your grasp on the emo-boy. By the time you made it to the exit. Every time someone screamed another would creating a domino effect even if they didn’t see the scare.

By the time you made it to the end of the hell house, your voice was hoarse and you were sure your knees were trembling. Kazuha looked petrified clinging onto Scaramouche, the latter in denial he was ever scared even though the tear tracks on his face was evident. Xiao appeared the most cool and collected but the evidence was in his eyes scanning for any scary things and jumping whenever someone spoke. You definitely will have to go again next year… -🌻

WHY WOULD YOU TAKE THEM im looking at you scara IN A HAUNTED HOUSE ANYWAY, YOU WANNA HAVE A SCARE ACTOR PUNCHED ON THE FACE?

IS THERE LIKE A GENSHIN VERSION OF THAT FANART WHERE ITS LIKE A SCARE PIC WITH THE CHARACTERS CLINGING ONTO EACH OTHER ON A WALL XSNNHNGNH

i would love a xiao teddy bear though that sounds kind nice 😳

[helnjk]

A Change of Scenery - C.W.

Charlie Weasley x fem!reader

Requested: yes!

omg hi! I just saw the fanart of the oldest Weasley brothers(🥵🥵🥵) and was hoping you could do a Charlie x reader thing? Maybe the reader is a healer at the sanctuary and Charlie doesn't mind getting hurt because he gets to see her but she literally has no idea he adores her till he spells it out. With promt 42 of your list maybe? Totally cool if you want to leave it out 😁 love you and your work! -🍄

“what the hell were you thinking?”

Word count: 3.1k 

Summary: moving to romania for your absolute dream job, you did not expect to meet a cheeky, flirty redhead along the way. 

Warnings: mentions of injuries, food, & drinks. charlie is a dragon tamer, reader is a healer, of course he’s going to end up with a few cuts and bruises. 

A/N: god i love charlie weasley with all of my heart. that is all. 

prompt is in bold

-

Being connected to and living somewhere very in tune with the earth had always been a dream of yours. It just so happened that your new job had you transferred to the perfect place: Romania. 

Sure, it was quite far from England and had quite a different culture, but the beauty of the mountains and the picturesque scenery made up for it. The fact that you were also working in one of the best medical wings in the country, on a dragon reserve on top of that, was basically your dream come true. 

“Alright, and this right here is your station,” announced the head healer, who insisted you call him Gerry, gesturing to a decently sized office space. “You can decorate it anyway you like, as long as it’s appropriate. Most of the folks around here aren’t locals either, so we’ve got loads of photos up and lots of owls coming in and out everyday.” 

“It’s perfect,” you grinned. 

Gerry left you alone to get settled, and you didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but the first thing you did once he was out of earshot was to squeal excitedly and do a little happy dance. 

It was just all too exciting, really. Dream job, dream location, dream view even. After your burst of excitement, you spent a bit of time just staring out of the window, taking in everything. In the distance, you could even see the silhouette of a dragon peeking over the canopy of trees. The fact that this was going to be a regular occurrence just spurred even more delight in your heart. 

Later in the day, after most of the introductions were made and tours were finished, you could be found familiarizing yourself with the medical wing of the sanctuary. 

“C’mon Gerry, I’m completely fine!” you heard a gruff voice complain. It was coming from the hallway outside, but the accompanying footsteps sounded as if they were on the way to the wing. 

“You know it’s protocol, Weasley,” a very amused Gerry replied as they rounded the corner. 

Beside your boss was one of the most gorgeous men you had ever laid eyes on. With wind ruffled hair the color of sunsets and lightly tanned skin, you almost didn’t notice the small, almost inconspicuous limp he was sporting. It also took you a few seconds to realize that he was probably one of the dragon tamers of the reserve, the first one you were going to meet and treat, it seemed. 

“Ah, Healer L/N, perfect!” Gerry called out to you, “This is Charlie Weasley, one of our on-site dragon tamers.”

“Nice to meet you,” he smiled, holding out his hand for you to shake. 

“You too,” you said in reply, trying not to think about how warm and calloused his hand was in yours. 

“His leg got swiped by the tail of a Chinese Fireball,” Gerry explained as he motioned to the leg that Charlie wasn’t putting much of his weight on.

You could see the redhead roll his eyes, “Honestly, I’ll be fine! This has happened more times than you know.” 

Despite his best efforts, both you and Gerry managed to get Charlie to take a seat on one of the beds that lined the wall. With a sigh, he rolled up his trousers just enough for you to see the area of the wound. 

“Lucky for you, treating this doesn’t take much time,” you smiled. Swiftly, you took your wand out and muttered the correct incantation, “There. Good as new!” 

“If I get to be under the care of Ms. L/N here, I wouldn’t mind getting injured more often,” he flirted, sending you a cheeky wink. 

Gerry just guffawed a loud belly laugh, patting Charlie on the shoulder fondly, ���Don’t you go running off with one of my best healers now, Weasley. We just got her!” 

“Don’t worry, Gerry,” you smiled, “I think this one’s too injury-prone to run anywhere.” 

–

As the last work day of your first week at the reserve was coming to an end, you were surprised to see Charlie Weasley knocking on the open door to your office. 

“Hey,” you said, sending him a small smile.

“Hey,” he parroted, stepping inside. 

“Anything I can help you with?” you asked over your shoulder while putting away the last of your files and slipping out of your healer robes, “You’re not injured again are you?” 

Behind you, Charlie gulped as he saw the little sundress you wore underneath. His head spun at the sight of your exposed legs and he nearly forgot what he was about to say. 

“Nah I’ve got a better track record than that, thankfully,” he chuckled. Doing his best to keep the calm facade he had going on, he leant against the doorframe as he asked, “Got any plans tonight? I was wondering if you’d fancy getting a bite to eat.” 

You were caught off guard by how nonchalant and straightforward his invitation was.

“Is this your way of asking me on a date?” you asked, finally turning around to face him once again. 

He raised an eyebrow, “Do you want it to be? Because I just wanted to be a nice person and show you around Romania, but if you’re looking for a date…” 

“Oh shut it, Weasley,” you groaned, “The tab is on you tonight, then.” 

Charlie sent you a grin as you strode out of your office. Despite your faux-annoyance, you were happy to have someone show you around. Being a healer was your dream job, but it did have some setbacks. Obviously, you were needed at the medical wing of the reserve for the majority of the week and that didn’t give you much time to familiarize yourself with the town and the people. 

Because of how remote the reserve was, most staff and employees lived on site. There was a designated area for the many different cabins and living quarters. To give you more of a tour of the little Romanian town nearest the reserve, Charlie offered to side-along apparate you. 

You could feel heat creep up your neck and spread along your cheeks as you gripped firmly on to his muscular arm. 

The sun was just about to set and cast gorgeous hues of orange and pink across the sky as the two of you landed just outside the town. Charlie led you along, showing you where the most important areas were; you saw the town square, the little street bazaars, and the most popular eating places. 

By the time the pair of you got to one of his favorite restaurants, a quaint little place in one of the sidestreets, your cheeks were sore from laughing too much. After the initial awkwardness as you tried to navigate topics that interested the both of you, you found yourselves chatting away animatedly. 

“Yeah, Fred and George were an absolute nightmare when they were little,” he chuckled, fondly recalling the many times he and his older brother Bill were left to babysit their younger siblings, “But they’re great. They’ve got a shop in Diagon Alley now, selling prank products of all things. It’s wild.”

“Your family sounds absolutely lovely,” you said. It warmed your heart seeing how his eyes lit up talking about them. “It must be so hard being so far away from everyone.” 

He nodded slightly before taking a sip of his drink, “Definitely. My first year here was such a big transition. I’m lucky I get to go home every so often.” 

There was a lull in the conversation as you dug into your food, but it was far from the awkward silence you were expecting. 

Maybe working in Romania wasn’t going to be so bad after all. 

–

“Why is it that when you get hurt, I’m always the healer on call?” you sighed playfully as Charlie walked through the door of the medical wing. 

It was the fourth week in a row he had to come and get something patched up. They weren’t major injuries, thankfully, but you had come to learn that the dragon tamers were required to know how to perform the basic healing spells. The things Charlie would come in for were almost always resolved with a quick episkey. 

“You know me,” he joked, taking a seat on one of the empty beds, “Always so accident prone.” 

“Sure.” You rolled your eyes. 

Still, with your wand in hand, you gestured for him to show you where the injury was. 

“I’ve got two things today,” he began. You raised your eyebrows in response. “This is the first.” 

 Charlie quickly rolled the sleeve of his top, his toned arm flexing at the movement. In all the time you had worked at the reserve, which wasn’t that long at all, you still hadn’t gotten used to how fit he was. A quick intake of breath had you re-centering and focusing on the task at hand. There was a small burn on his forearm, not enough to cause too much concern. 

You cast the charm quickly so as not to be distracted further, “There, all done.” 

“There’s still one more place that’s hurt Y/N.” 

By the way Charlie spoke, you knew he was up to something. Inwardly you sighed, “Alright, let’s get to it then.” 

Your heart seemed to stop as he began to unbutton the first few buttons of his top. 

“What’re you doing, Weasley?” you asked, trying your hardest to keep your composure as you got a peek of his very toned chest. 

With a dramatic sigh, Charlie leant back and pointed to an area above his chest, “My heart hurts, Y/N.” 

For a moment you just stared at him, looking absolutely ridiculous in the position he chose to don, eyes blinking owlishly. Truthfully, you didn’t know whether to laugh or to send the strongest stinging hex in his direction. 

“Charlie Weasley, you thank Merlin and Morgana right now that I’m not hexing your balls off,” you said, rolling your eyes. 

“I’m being serious, Y/N!” he continued, “I don’t know if I’ll survive this!” 

“Pity, does that mean I’m losing my ticket to free weekly meals?” she joked, already turning on her heel to get back to what she had been doing before he entered the wing. 

There were sounds of shuffling as if Charlie had gotten back up on his feet again and then, “Definitely not! I’m banking on those meals, one of these days you’re going to be begging me for an actual date. You’ll see.”

“Keep dreaming, Weasley.” 

You sent the redheaded dragon tamer a sarcastic smile, but he just sent you a flirty wink in reply. 

–

“Code white. Need extra hands in the medical wing ASAP.” 

The shimmering white bloodhound soon dissolved into nothing as it delivered its message to you, early one morning. You had just gotten to work, not even in your healer's robes yet, when Gerry’s patronus appeared. 

As you rushed to the medical wing, another patronus made an appearance and rattled off what had happened and who was hurt. Your heart dropped the moment you heard who you were going to be treating. 

“Oh Merlin,” you whispered to yourself the moment you saw the state Charlie was in, “What did you get yourself into?”

In all the time you had been working at the reserve and as a healer in general, it was not unusual for you to treat severe injuries. In fact, you liked to think that when you were faced with someone’s life or quality of life in your hands, you worked even harder and smarter. However, seeing Charlie more battered and bruised than you had ever seen him made your heart pound loudly in your chest. 

“Healer L/N, you’re right on time,” Gerry spoke to you clearly, rapidly explaining the situation and what you needed to do. 

In a flash, you had your wand out and were muttering all the healing spells that came to mind alongside your head healer. You didn’t notice how you were holding your breath and clenching your wandless hand until you let out a sigh of relief when Charlie began to stir. 

“He’s stable,” Gerry announced and released a breath. 

You felt a soft pat on your shoulder as he left you to deal with the patient, deeming it alright for him to step out and get back to his other responsibilities. Carefully, you walked towards the redhead whose eyes were fluttering open. 

“What the hell were you thinking, Weasley?” you murmured softly, your wand sweeping over him one last time to check is vitals. A soft hand reached out to push the stray strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face and you felt him lean into your touch. 

“Y/N?” Charlie mumbled, his eyes still half-closed. 

“I’m right here,” you said in reply. 

“What happened?” he asked, trying to prop himself up but groaning in pain. 

“What happened,” you began, going to help him get to the seated position he wanted to be in. He smiled up at you and you could barely remember what you were trying to say. With a small shake of your head and clearing of your throat you continued, “What happened was that you were being an absolute idiot who absolutely did not call for backup when a nesting mother was going on a rampage.” 

Despite his obvious discomfort, Charlie had the audacity to chuckle slightly, “Sounds about right.” 

“Don’t you dare do that to me again, Weasley,” you admonished, pulling back and shooting him the dirtiest stare you could muster. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. When I got Gerry’s patronus, all I could think about was–” 

As if an electric jolt shocked you, you cut yourself off before anything else escaped your lips. 

“Was what, Y/N?” he asked softly. 

His eyes were shining with something you couldn’t quite name, but the sincerity in his face gave you pause. 

You shook your head, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” 

Instead of continuing to reprimand him for his foolishness, you busied yourself making sure he was comfortable and that everything was alright. The potions he needed to take later in the day and the different salves to be applied to his skin were placed on the bedside table. Pillows were summoned, fluffed, and placed behind him. 

As you shuffled around the room, purposely ignoring the redhead, his eyes were trained on you. 

The moment his eyes opened and he felt your hand brush gently across his face, he thought he had to have been dreaming. If it weren’t for the ache in his muscles and the sting of his burns, he would’ve believed that he was in some alternate reality wherein he woke up next to you every morning. 

He was tired of waiting for his fantasies to come true, he decided. 

“Y/N.” 

The way he said your name sent shivers down your spine. Your whole body froze for a microsecond before you turned to face him. 

“Yeah, Charlie?” 

“Look at me please,” he begged. 

With a deep breath, your eyes locked with his and you were almost blown away with the look on his face. 

Sincerity pooled in his eyes as they scanned your face, trying to see if your own expression gave anything away. You felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move or look away from him. 

“Tell me what you were thinking,” he whispered gently. 

It was now or never.

“All I could think about was how,” you gulped, taking a steadying breath, “How you could’ve died or gotten so hurt, when I hadn’t even had the chance to tell you how I felt about you.” 

You could hear Charlie’s sharp intake of breath and you had to look away, unable to face the rejection you were ultimately going to hear. 

“Y/N–” 

“And, and I know that you don’t feel the same–”

“Y/N–”

“But, just seeing you lying there–”

“Y/N!”

Charlie’s voice rang through the whole wing, a sharp contrast to the otherwise silent space. You sucked in a deep breath, surprised. 

“Y/N you have to know I’m absolutely mad for you,” he said clearly. 

You blinked furiously at him. 

“You-I, what?” 

Charlie tried to reposition himself so that he could face you properly, but you could see that he was still in a bit of pain. Instead of letting him maneuver himself uncomfortably, you placed a soft hand on his shoulder before taking a seat by his legs. 

Immediately, he went to take your hand in his. “I think you’re absolutely breathtaking, and talented, and passionate. I just haven’t had the balls to ask you out on a real date.” 

“Then what are you waiting for, Weasley?” You offered him a small smile, glancing back down at your intertwined hands. 

The smile he sent you left you breathless. 

–

“You ready to go?” Charlie asked, leaning against the doorframe with his legs crossed just like when he had visited your office that first week. 

A small grin inched its way on to your face at the sight of your boyfriend. His hair was just a tad bit windswept, adding to the rugged look he insisted he could pull off (and he definitely did, you just didn’t like feeding his ego too much). 

“Just about,” you smiled. “Let me get out of these stuffy robes first.” 

And, just like the first time he had knocked on the door to your office, you turned to shrug off your uniform and hang it up in one of the hooks beside your desk. Instead of keeping his thoughts to himself, Charlie grinned widely and whistled at the sight of you in your dress. 

Just as you were about to chide him for being inappropriate, strong arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you backwards. A small ‘oof’ escaped your lips as your back made contact with Charlie’s strong chest. 

“Charlie!” you slapped his arm lightly, “C’mon, I’m still at work!” 

“What so I can’t show my girlfriend some appreciation for being absolutely drop dead gorgeous?” he mumbled, pressing soft kisses on the joint where your neck met your shoulders. 

You rolled your eyes, “You know I love a good compliment. I would just rather you do it outside my place of work.” 

With a chuckle, Charlie released his grip on your waist. “Alright, alright.” 

“Just for that, the tab’s on you tonight, Weasley.” 

“Ah so the usual, love?” 

“Of course.” 

Charlie held his hand out for you to take, and unlike the first time he took you out, you allowed yourself to blush, take his calloused hand in yours, and press a soft kiss on his lips. 

–

General taglist: @expectoevans @george-fabian-weasley @gxthsanrio @slytherinscribbles @harpyloon @nuttytani @mesmerisedangel @amourtentiaa @sarcasticallywitty15 @lumos-barnes @cruciostyles @writingsomewrongs

Charlie taglist: @pinkypurplemagic @lifeofkaze @oldschoolkiddo

[turtletimewriting]

Tickletober Day 1- Teasing

Summary: Sokka just can’t take it any more and finally gives in to his curiosity.

Note: HAPPY T-TOBER!!! This is part of a mini AU I’m doing for Tickletober so this will leave on a mysterious cliffhanger, mwuahahaha!  Next Day!

_._._

It was a perfectly ordinary day. Nothing unusual or even noteworthy about it. Sokka got up at his usual time of noon and slumped over to the kitchen to make pancakes. He bickered about how his roommate Zuko must be eating his Nutella when he wasn’t looking despite knowing for a fact it was his secret chocolate toast at two in the morning habit. Zuko came in a bit later to grab a quick lunch before diving back into his room to copy up more notes. He then quickly did his seminar prep work before rushing off to his own seminar at two and had only just walked back in. There was nothing else to do but sit around and enjoy the free time. Again, nothing remarkable at all.

He was sitting in their living room with the television blaring as he scrolled through his phone. He paused as he heard faint mumbling through the wall. Ah yes, and it wouldn’t be a normal day without Zuko making his tickle teasing thing for his tumblr.

That, admittedly, had been a bizarre conversation. Zuko had meant to keep it completely hidden and so had exploded when he had questioned why he talked to himself in the middle of the night. He ran a blog dedicated to tickling. Yeah, Sokka didn’t even pretend to understand it. But hey, everyone has their thing! And out of all the things, tickling seemed the most innocent someone could have. I mean… it was a little bit completely adorable. Can you imagine! Boring grumpy pretending to be more emo than he is Zuko, liking tickling. Zuko would occasionally record teases for his following. It was clear that the tickling thing was a sensitive topic (get it! Like sensitive as in ticklish!) and so he didn’t tease too much about that. But that was never going to stop him from teasing Zuko talking about best times to post and how many notes he got. Zuko, the social media influencer! That was at the beginning of term he learned that weird little fact and it had since been three months?

 Surely that’s where the story ended, right?

Well… Sokka could admit to himself that he was starting to get curious. And didn’t that make his face burn. He hadn’t been tickled since he was only knee height. And even then, he remembered squealing and desperately running away. Surely, he didn’t like it, right? But it’s not like he could remember what it actually felt like. Surely, he wasn’t missing much! He knew he wasn’t missing much. Right?

But that curiosity slowly crept in. Surely, he was missing something though… Zuko liked it. And Zuko never liked anything! But Zuko clammed up whenever he tried to ask why he enjoyed it.

 It was only last week that Sokka gave in to that curiosity and ended up searching for tickling on Tumblr himself. It seemed… fun enough? He didn’t really get it still. It felt that bit too impersonal looking at gifs or fanart. That didn’t make him feel him anything! But yet…

 “Heh, what? What has you all giggly? I’m not doing anything! Just sitting here… I’m not even touching you… yet. Tickle tickle tickleee.” Zuko’s voice was already muffled through the wall and he was speaking softly and extra raspy anyway. But still it seemed to pierce through the living room. Sokka cleared his throat and slightly turned up the volume of the TV.

 It was a silly thing to think about. Totally not worth his time. It was just tickling! Stupid childish tickling!

 “Coochie coochie coo…”

 It was whatever. It was beyond stupid.

 “Tickle tickle tickle…”

 Wow, his television show was definitely so interesting…

 “Stop squirming…”

Sokka sat bolt up as he realised, he had been squirming around. His feet gently rubbing each other and him sitting up and adjusting constantly. Hah, that was stupid. He was just uncomfortable. Whatever. It was nothing. He definitely wasn’t getting a little flustered.

 “Or else. Try to hold still. Unless you want to uh… get t-tickled more… That’s dumb. Right, start again,” Zuko’s now awkward voice rattled through the room and Sokka now felt like he could breathe again.

 He sighed and buried his face in his hands. This was all so ridiculous. He opened up his phone again and tried searching again. Yep, none of the results made him feel anything like what he just did. There truly shouldn’t be anything he’s missing out on! Like a month ago, Katara tazed his side and he couldn’t say that he really wanted to feel that again. But that curiosity still lingered. That was surely his biggest flaw. Once a thought took hold, it would never leave until he satisfied it.

But what did he even want! Zuko to tickle him! That would definitely be weird. Zuko wasn’t the most affectionate open person in the world, that’s what made the first tickle conversation on this so weird. But yet… Maybe he did want to be tickled, just to finally move on.

 There was a moments pause. Sokka found himself holding his breath. What teases would he be doing now? He usually just focused on the word tickle. The way his raspy voice curled out the word was so… A lot. He could really see why people would follow for that. He felt more ticklish just listening in. But instead, Zuko’s door opened. Sokka felt his face burst into flames. He sat upright like a child caught sneaking extra cookies. Zuko walked in the kitchen like nothing was unusual at all.

 It was as Zuko was pouring himself a glass of water that Sokka snapped to. This could not keep happening. He had to grit his teeth and just face the music.

“Heeeeey Zuko, you up to much right now. Well, other than drinking,” Sokka spoke like the functioning human he is. Zuko looked over completely innocently.

“Not much. I’m uh… doing stuff for my blog. Sorry if that’s getting in your way,” Zuko answered honestly. “What were you doing? What you watchi-“

“Would you, like would it be… W-well talking of your blog… What would you say if… Like I just wanted to know,” Sokka tried to fumble about for the words as Zuko looked on. As if Sokka was actually going anywhere with any of what he was saying. Ugh, why did he have to have a nice roommate! “Like… listening to what you were recording… Not that I was like d-deliberately listening in! J-just like out of curiosity… why do you like ti-tickling so much?”

As expected, Zuko then also exploded into a blush. “Uh, I don’t know? I just guess I always did? It’s like… a fun thing.”

“Cool. Cool. Cool. I… guess all I wanted to say was you’ve now made me curious.” Sokka looked down and completely missed Zuko’s confusion.

“Curious?”

“Like… I even tried searching myself! So I guess… I don’t know. I don’t want to pressure you or do anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with.”

“Wait, are you asking to be tickled?” Zuko finally stepped out from the counter and sat next to him.

“Yeah?” Sokka responded casually like his voice hadn’t rocketed several octaves. “I-I don’t know. You know me, once I have an idea I need to…”

“Um. Yeah?” Sokka finally looked up again. Zuko looked extremely flustered but also vaguely optimistic, “That could be kinda fun? I… I don’t tend to tell people if they wouldn’t understand. But… if you’re curious then it could be fun to actually do… If you’re ever uncomfortable or want to back out then just say. There’s no shame!”

Sokka perked up, “Are you sure, dude? Yeah, that does sound ‘fun’,” He teased at his awkward wording, finally feeling his confidence pick itself back up.

“Sure.” Zuko finally smiled.

 (Stick around for day two!)

[insfiringyou]

BTS - A Chance Meeting (V & Ara)

Contains: Slight angst

*Alert for potential spoilers for fics not yet written in Jimin x Ara’s storyline*

Ara notices Taehyung sat alone in a quiet cafe and decides to stop by. 

You can find out more about our headcanon universe and ongoing storyline here and more about our headcanon girlfriends here.

To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook & our full masterlist of fanart and fanfictions can be found here

If you wish to follow all member’s storylines in chronological order from the beginning, you can find them listed here.

Content below the cut

Ara hesitated, before tapping lightly on the single-pane glass with her fingernails. She didn’t want to draw too much attention but was unable to stop herself from knocking. It was a surprise to see him after so long and she had double-taken in the street. His hair was a little longer, but that was expected. The last time he had just returned from the military and his short, closely-cropped cut made him seem more somber; years older than he was. Now it was back to a length she found more familiar but the dark, wispy suggestion of facial hair on his upper lip was new. He seemed lost in thought, sat in the back of the cafe with a small cup clutched between his fingers, staring into space. Despite her being gentle, the sound seemed to startle him and he looked up. Ara gave a tentative wave, hoping he recognised her. 

She tucked her fringe behind her ear, watching him pause before he raised his hand slightly in acknowledgement. Her bleached strands felt unfamiliar as she brushed the neck of her hair; the short, pixie cut still freshly blow-dried from the hairdressers that morning. She had asked Da-eun to do it for her but the young woman had refused, thinking she might get into some kind of trouble for it. Ara understood, after all, she had not yet spoken to her manager about a change in style.

Taking the plunge, she tucked her black purse beneath her armpit and walked around the corner to the entrance; the soft tinkle of a bell above the door signalling her arrival. She could not read Taehyung’s expression as she approached his table at the back of the small space but hoped she was not intruding. He was sat snugly behind a column which, luckily, seemed private. The cafe only had a small handful of customers but she looked around cautiously before joining in. 

“Hi…” She beamed, keeping her voice low. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you?”

He nodded, meeting her gaze. “I’m good.” His tone gave nothing away, but after a moment he gestured to the spare chair opposite. “Do you want to sit down?”

She slid onto the seat automatically. “I can’t stay for long. I’ve got an appointment.”

He blinked a few times. “You’ve cut your hair.”

Her replying smile was bashful as her fingers moved in response to her fringe which had once more come untucked. “It was too warm in the heat. It’s much easier to maintain now.”

“It suits you.” He said coolly. 

There was a long pause between them, though it wasn’t awkward. She had grown used to these drawn-out silences, from the time he temporarily took lodge in her and Jimin’s apartment and when her boyfriend had left for the military. It would have been a lie to say she had gotten a lot from his company. He always seemed absorbed in his books as well as his thoughts, but there always seemed to be something he was holding back; an aura of mystery she couldn’t quite place and at odds with Jimin’s usual openness. But Taehyung was tidy enough and greeted her when she came home, so she hadn’t minded having him around. 

She found herself wondering what she could say to him. It seemed polite to stop and talk, but this chance meeting now reminded her how little she knew about his life now. Eventually, she spoke. “How’s the baby?”

The corner of his lips twitched in a vague smile. “Toddling.”

Ara was silent for a moment, only just realising it had been longer since she had seen him than she initially thought. “How old is he now?” She asked, voice open and inquisitive. 

He took a sip of tea; it’s aroma fragrant in the small space. She tried to read the label on the tag but couldn’t make it out. “Almost two.”

Her eyebrows raised in disbelief. “I can’t believe it’s been so long. I keep meaning to go and see Cassandra, but I wasn’t sure where she was now. Is she still in Seoul?” 

Taehyung nodded, putting down his cup. It made a soft, strangely comforting sound against the china saucer. “She’s in Gangnam. Do you have her number?”

She thought for a moment, before nodding with a frown. “If she hasn’t changed it. She was kind of hard to get hold of for a while.”

“Gabriel had colic.” He replied with a shrug, as though that explained the years of absence. Ara thought the explanation a little odd, but did not comment. 

“Did you choose the name?” She asked. 

“It just seemed right.” He quickly murmured, not entirely answering the question. Ara thought the reply seemed rehearsed, as though he had answered it many times. She wondered if his family had commented on it and whether he felt the need to defend the decision. Jimin had not spoken much about Taehyung’s family, and she herself had never heard them mentioned in conversation. All of a sudden she found herself hoping they had been supportive; not just for his sake but for Cassandra, whom she had known for so long. 

Ara forced the thought away. “I bet it sounds lovely when she says it. Cassandra always had the most wonderful voice.”

Taehyung looked up from his tea cup. “She still does.”

Her mouth opened, forming an ‘oh’, thinking she might have gotten it all wrong. Or maybe things had changed in the past two years. She approached the topic tentatively. “Are you two…?”

“No.” He confirmed. “But we make it work.” He quickly added.

Ara settled back in her chair; understanding. She gave a soft smile which she hoped didn’t come across as patronising. “I can tell you care about her a lot.”

“She’s the mother of my child, Ara.” He said quietly.

She sensed the sadness in his voice; a longing he couldn’t quite put into words and she nodded. “Of course.” She changed the subject lightly, seeing there was nothing else she could say on the matter of her old friend. “You should get in touch with Jimin. I know he wants to see you.”

He appeared to wince a little but recovered well. She almost hadn’t noticed. “You can tell him he’s welcome any time he wants. He knows where I live.” He murmured. 

Ara fell silent, realising he didn’t yet know. “You really haven’t seen him in a while have you?” She asked, before pressing on. “We broke up.”

He met her eyes across the table and she saw the shock in his expression. “When?”

“A few months ago.”

Taehyung was quiet, pensive, before he asked. “Was it mutual?”

She smiled sadly. “I think he needed it too. We still speak sometimes.”

The man opposite nodded in confirmation. “That’s good.”

Ara watched as he leaned forward to pick up the cup, looking downwards as he took the last few sips. She realised how lonely he looked; how the times she had come home to find him seemingly preoccupied masked the fact he didn’t seem to have anyone. His fans, she remembered, always thought him something of an enigma. She wondered now if that was truly it. 

“Have you thought about dating again?” She suggested, making sure to keep her voice down low, should anyone else hear. 

He didn’t look up from his cup. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know…” She trailed off, figuring out how best to word it. “Being in a relationship seemed to suit you.” She shrugged. It seemed silly now she said it out loud. “As far as I could tell anyway.”

“Cass has moved on.” He murmured, frankly.

Ara hesitated. “I meant with someone else.”

Taehyung’s eyes snapped up, meeting hers purposefully and she let out an unexpected giggle. 

“I didn’t mean me.” She confirmed, shaking her head. It felt strange without the usual brush of hair against her shoulders. She settled down, her laughter subsiding, and gave a long, dramatic groan, anticipating how pathetic she must sound. “I’m still trying to find myself.”

He looked back at the table, picking up a napkin and twisting it absently between his long fingers. “I don’t think I could have that again.” 

“You never know.” She easily dismissed.

His brows knitted together, creating deep, frustrated grooves in his forehead as he mumbled, glumly. “Maybe some people are only meant to be with one person.” 

Ara raised a questioning eyebrow. “You never dated anyone before Cassandra?”

Taehyung looked up once more, answering quickly. “That was different.” He sharply declared. “I was young.”

“You’re still young.” She said, deliberately gently, seeing he was hurt.

He grew quiet and shuffled uncomfortably in his chair. Ara feared she might have crossed the line and she tightened her grip on her purse, getting ready to leave before he suddenly spoke. “I wouldn’t even know where to meet someone.”

Her hands stilled and she relaxed. “Well…” She held out the palms of her hands. “What do you like?”

He met her gaze. “In a girl?” 

She shrugged. “Or a guy.”

Half-expecting him to question this, he surprised her by remaining silent, meditative; thinking deeply. She wondered if he knew about her. Perhaps Jimin had told him. 

“Someone sweet.” He eventually said. “Someone kind.”

Her lips curled, simpering. “Is that all?”

“I’m not that picky.” He stated. 

She couldn’t help but scoff. “You dated the most European girl in Seoul.”

“She’s only half European.” He contended, entirely missing the point. 

“You know what I mean...” Ara shook her head with a grin and sitting back, she reflected for a moment. “What about looks?”

“Personality is more important.” 

“You must have a preference?” She challenged, suddenly curious. 

Once again he fell silent and Ara found herself a little impressed at how seriously he was taking this. “Dark eyes...soft and sweet.”

“The kind of girl you’d bring home?” She questioned with a smirk. 

“Someone I could marry.” He stated, a little dreamily.

Ara nodded, amused. He sounded strangely serious. “I know just the girl.” She teased, an idea already forming in her mind. 

He looked at her; eyelashes heavy, giving him a sleepy look “How about you?”

She stretched in her seat, realising she hadn’t thought about it much before and was surprised he asked. Smiling to herself, she blushed. “Smooth skin. Nice lips.” She giggled in embarrassment, adding: “No stubble.”

“So Jimin?” He challenged. 

The corners of her lips turned up and she looked away, unable to help the way her heart still skipped a little at his name. “I don’t know…” She admitted, drifting off and watching from the corner of her eye as he reached into his pocket, searching for his wallet. She took the opportunity to flick through her phone, typing a name and bringing up a familiar social media account. She swiped through the pictures with her manicured thumb before finding one which showed the girl in question at a good angle. It was taken at a company event, and the dress she wore was uncharacteristically short. The other girls on the make up team had talked her into wearing it but Ara saw the way she had tugged on it incessantly all night, trying to cover her pale knees with the frilled hem. 

“What about her?” Ara held out the screen, showing him. 

Taehyung squinted at the picture. “Do you know her?”  

“She’s my stylist.” She confirmed before tucking the phone back in her purse and closing the magnetic clasp. “You’d like her, she’s sweet...and single.” She added.

“What’s her name?” He asked casually. 

“Da-eun.”

She thought he was going to ask more, but instead changed the topic. “Are you going back on tour soon?”

“Once the new album’s out, we still have a lot of work to do. I’m meeting the producers this afternoon.” 

“That sounds good.” He murmured, sounding a little tired. She sensed the conversation was drawing to a close. 

“Are you working on anything?” She asked politely. 

“I was thinking about it.” The other man shrugged indifferently. 

“I’m sure your fans would really enjoy it.”

“I’d be doing it for me.” 

The steely tone of his reply took her aback a little and she found herself recalling the news headlines in the days following the birth. “Even so…” She drifted off weakly and checked her watch before drawing her chair away from the table. “I’d better be going.” She murmured apologetically, getting to her feet. “It was really nice bumping into you.”

His eyes followed her as she gathered her belongings and extended the strap on the purse across her shoulder. “You too. Take care.”

“I will.” She smiled, tucking the chair neatly beneath the table and turning to leave. 

“Ara?” He called softly and she spun back. He was silent for a few seconds but she waited patiently. “Your friend Da-eun…” He seemed a little embarrassed. “You can give her my number.” Another pause. “If you like.”

It took her by surprise but she nodded in agreement. “I will.” She confirmed, giving a gentle wave. “Goodbye Tae.”

***

Thank you for reading. To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga  /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook

& Our full masterlist of fics and original art can be found here

& Our masterlist of preferences/most likely to/quizzes and fun stuff is here

You can support us by buying admins a coffee here (if you wish). :)

[avenger-hawk]

Why do you like Kakasasu?

I waited to reply to this because I wanted to be sure it wasn’t a troll and it wasn’t a drama starting attempt (like this or this, gems found in the sasuke/KS tag) since it’s a subject I am very interested in.

I replied to Kakashi/Sasuke related asks, shippy or not shippy, here, here and here. More about them here, here and here. Put yourself comfortable cause this is gonna be long. Not putting it under a readmore cause I remember ppl complaining they coulnd’t open it on mobile phones (?). Also, moralists who are lurking: don’t interact, get out of my blog. Youll be blocked on sight.

When I started reading N*ruto I was into Bleach a lot, and the fact that the characters were a little older and looked older made me not get into Nar that much at first, because they looked like kiddies lol. I didn’t care about Nar as a character and his initial rivalry with Sas was cute but not enough to get me interested. Only when Kakashi got closer to Sasuke I started being veery interested in the story and in the characters. What I found intriguing was that Kakashi was older and an authority figure, but also someone to look up and who helped his students, BUT at the same time he wasn’t exactly a father-like figure or a big brother-like figure, because he had his dark side, that back then wasn’t well flashed out but that nevertheless showed a closed-off person who kept everything inside, not letting others get too close to him.

(then I started liking N*rusasu mostly because there were so many cool doujinshi especially Emi10/Rankai and Engawaken, while KS doujinshi were so meh, kinda in old yaoi style like Loveless, with tiny Sas who looked even younger hahaha, not my thing)

As those who know my blog and/or my writing know already, I am not interested in healthy, cute, positive dynamics in fiction. I might enjoy them, I might be happy when there are such moments, but I can’t like a whole relationship/dynamic/story only like this because I like to explore complicated ones in fiction.Because fiction is very useful for this, it makes you explore dark, taboo things, without affecting reality (no matter what idiots say), it’s cathartic, it’s a way to do, see, experience things without doing anything.

Back to topic tho, I found their initial dynamic very intriguing. A broken, traumatized yet extremely driven Sasuke, acting as confident and strong as he can, but showing his trauma in various occasions, otherwise being mostly aloof, lost in his own thoughts, and a differently broken Kakashi, acting chill but at the same time always ready to act when needed, yet always kinda distracted, aloof, lost in his owh thoughts (and later we’ll know he took Obito’s mannerisms because he was a stickler to rules). The way Kakashi takes a special interest for Sasuke, clearly the most driven, the best of the team, with whom he holds back much less (when he trains them, like when in the beginning, during the bell test, he fights with Sas and seeing that he almost took it, he overpowers him) while he is different with the others (Nar will have Jiraiya later). The way he protects Sasuke during the chuunin exams, while he’s in the hospital and Kabuto is trying to kill him.

Mostly, the controversial moments...like I said I live for these kind of things. where he both protects and threatens him...like when he does that seal to Sasuke, for his curse mark, and he tells him that if that curse mark takes over he’ll kill him. Or when he ties Sasuke up so he won’t join Orochimaru.

Before someone says bs like *you’re not Sas fan if you like that scene* (I know there are many like this and I want all of them out of my blog btw) uh, it’s not how it works guys. You can support a character and still be intrigued by scenes where said character is tied up/in a forcibly submitted position and so on. Guess what, some of those scenes are made for fanservice even (and Sas has many of these, so if you don’t see the appeal/refuse to admit that there is appeal, it’s you who have a problem). So even tho I disagree with Kakashi not wanting to listen to Sasuke’s reasons for revenge (and later supporting SHikamaru’s, I replied to this in one of the asks I linked) I do find that scene interesting...I mean Sasuke tied up in a very suggestive way and yet defying him and threatening to kill his loved ones and Kakashi opening up in a very weird way vaguely replying that he lost those ppl already? It shows a lot about them, their personalities, everything.

I am sticking to part 1 because there are more meaningful interactions between them, I wished there were more in part 2 but kishi shifted Kakashi’s ‘interest’ to Nar, making him one of Nar’s followers...even so, the intractions they had were very interesting. Their fight after Sasuke fights Danzo is one of my fave moments in the whole story tbh, much more than the later confrontation with Nar. Kakashi for the first time has an inner only, yet strong, emotional reaction, having to fight and supposedly kill his former student who became a rogue with a death sentence on his head...he realizes this is how Hiruzen felt against Orochimaru. It’s a strong realization from someone like him who was always so closed off and aloof that he totally lacked empathy.

On the other hand Sasuke is in a different mindset. He’s sort of high for having succeeded in eliminating the one who made Itachi suffer so much, he’s thinking about killing the elders and destroy the village, so he’s basically lost in the recent past of Danzo’s death and in the future plans he’s making, he’s not in the present moment almost...but he has to fight anyway, and it’s a cool fight, also because he’s weakened already and Kakashi is strong...and then he gets blind, totally, and it’s an amazingly intriguing moment, the kind of controversial stuff I’m interested in, because that’s when he could be totally overpowered by Kakashi, if the story didn’t have other priorities (putting Nar in the center of attention with their confrontation).

Their later moments, like during the war, are meh cause the interest shifted already completely, but their moments in jail (anime only ofc) and their Shinden interactions (only through messages) are interesting to me. Very much so, because they show power dynamics very well, with Kakashi as THE authority and Sasuke as the one submitted. In jail it’s even more evident with him looking down at the younger tied up and blindfolded...like, wow. It’s like fanfiction material (in fact I wrote one (ff.net/a03) and there was the coolest fanart inspired by it! here..there were more but this came on my dash today so).

You mentioned power dynamics...their dynamics are all power dynamics because Kakashi was never at Sasuke’s same level and he never acted like he was, and when Sasuke was stronger, during the war, they basically didn’t interact, and when the war was over and Sasuke was brainwashed and tamed into submission the power dynamic remained the same.

The difference imo between them and other power dynamics based pairings is that they are closer than what could be defined rare pairings such as Obito (they had a very interesting one tho, if only it was developed), Madara (the story was already developed in a pro Konoha-anti Uchiha way but it would have been so cool to have the 2 Uchiha interact more), or other older and stronger characters, so the dynamic could be written in a cool way in a fanfiction but in canon Kakashi created it already. So, while I can imagine something like Shisui/Sasuke, Obisasu or more, in my head, and I can come up with some AU or canon divergent/canon behind the screen (like when Sas stayed with Obito after the transplant), Kakashi and Sasuke had canon interactions that showed power dynamics already.

(Then there is Itasasu, which is a huge power dynamic based relationship, that also had amazingly strong feelings though, and those who know me know that for me Itachi will always be Sasuke’s most loved person, and that he was the same for Itachi. So ofc imo IS is a much stronger bond compared to KS but still. Also I remember in the beginning how many fics I read where Itachi was abusive to Sas and Kakashi stepped in lol. And it’s not a mystery that even though I think the IS bond is the strongest I find other pairings and character dynamics very interesting, so much that I like to explore them even more than IS, which, imo, is almost a given fact so I don’t always feel the need to explore it)

Another thing I find intriguing is that Kakashi always saw Sas at his ‘worst’...in Konoha’s terms I mean. When he wanted revenge in pt 1, after he killed Danzo and he was weak and so desperate and hysterical that they thought he got crazy, when he was jailed. It’s a big power he has, to be able to see someone like this.

Tbh it’s a pity that there were no post war moments (B*ruto shit doesn’t count) where they interact ‘normally’ cause I would have liked to see them, both as normal interactions where they get closer again, now that Sas is older, where they train and they get physical (and Kakashi has a lot of repressed anger, jealousy and possessiveness to let out on the one who betrayed his sensei and went to another...not my opinion but it could be Kakashi’s pov) because I think power dynamic would come up a lot, even from apparently cute moments.

I’ll end this super long essay hoping that you didn’t fall asleep lol, and adding that Kakasasu was the first Nar pairing I shipped, which it speaks a lot about why I get so irritated when someone mentions it negatively.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Most Hated Characters

As y’all can see, this week’s T5F is a request sent in by anon. I picked it because I guess at the time I thought it would be fun to explore some of TWDG’s least popular, and most hated, characters while also taking into account characters that I can’t stand. 

These are characters that the vast majority of us don’t like or downright despise for many different reasons. None of us are going out of our ways to defend most of these bastards, and anyone who is I get the impression they’re doing so for the sake of being Different™... though while looking around for info about these characters and what people were saying about them, I did find myself in some odd places.... come across, eh... odd fanart. 

But I guess this is the part where I say this is all in good fun and if you happen to be a legit stan of any of these people, that’s cool. Maybe you can answer some of my questions as to why??

5. Nate 

Okay, when I said that I found myself in odd places, it turns out that Nate actually has a bit of a fanbase. It’s not big or anything, from what I can tell, but big enough for me to question why because I was under the impression that we all agreed that this dude sucks.

Seriously, I would’ve put him higher on this list if I hadn’t discovered this handful of people making fanart for him and claiming him as a comfort character. While I find that an odd choice, you do whatever makes you feel comforted, y’know? Just would like to understand why. 

As for the rest of us, he’s terrible. Every time I go back to 400 days, he’s someone I never look forward to seeing. I’ve even tried not getting in the truck with him while playing Russell’s story, but in true Telltale fashion, you’re forced to drive along with this creep. 

Red flags start going off when Russell’s sharing his story about his previous group, something you can tell left some trauma with him, and Nate is just weirdly fixated on the girl Russell liked. Like yeah okay dude, I get it, it’s the apocalypse and you haven’t had any action for a while but oh my god. 

Then the whole walker thing that almost gets Russell chomped is annoying. Oh, and how could I forget about how it’s implied that he attacked the old couple before and was there to finish them off, which he does no matter what and it’s not great. 

Hell, he even uses the line Russell gave him but it’s worse because crazy eyes. And if you don’t say anything, Nate murders them right there without a thought and then continues to be a real creep. Fuck this guy. 

As the wise Eddie once said, “I don’t what that guy in my life, man!” 

4. The Stranger

Hey, have I ever mentioned how much this dude sucks? 

I don’t even have to tell you why he’s on this list. We all know the obvious reasons-- manipulated and kidnapped Clementine, which caused Lee to get bit by a walker and fucking die. No one here is white-knighting for this dipshit. 

Sure, it sucks what the Stranger went through. He lost his family and that would be enough to drive anyone up the wall. I mean, just look at Kenny. But this dude, okay. Look. Listen. I can only feel so bad for you when you lost your son on a hunting trip that your wife told you not to go on, then when you went looking for him, you literally left the car unlocked and running for anyone to come across. Then you come back and gasp. So your wife leaves you for being a moron... then when you find her dead, you cut off her head and keep it like a damn bowling ball because...??

At least that’s what I get from it. The writers probably should’ve done a better job with explaining what the hell happened but y’know. 

That’s not the only reason no one likes this guy. Oh no, you also add to the pile that the Stranger himself is dull. As a character, the dude is just.... boring. And I get that’s probably what they were going for with the whole “I’m just a guy, but you ruined my life and made me this way.” 

However, when you set him up the way you did with the talks over the walkie and the stalking, I was expecting a bit more personality outta this loaf of soggy bread. But no... boring yet crazy. Interesting combo and I’m afraid it doesn’t work. 

3. Larry

Larry?? On a list of most hated characters?? Nooo...

Yeah, surprise. Larry also sucks. Stop the presses. 

Larry is a pain in the ass to deal with for two episodes, constantly belittling the people around him and treating his daughter like shit. Oh, and don’t forget how he behaves towards Lee even if you try to be as nice as possible. Nope, he doesn’t care, he still thinks Lee is garbage and will continue threatening to reveal Lee’s secret to the group. Who cares if that could fuck up the dynamic and endanger the group? Larry sure doesn’t. 

Until the very end, this dude is just a splinter in the foot. By the time you get to the meat locker and he has a heart attack, you’re not gonna save him because you think he’ll be better if he survives. No, you’re attempting to save him for Lilly and Clementine’s sake, and if you don’t even care about that, you siding with Mr. Family Man to smash his head in. 

Not only is he a soiled diaper, he also don’t have much personality outside of asshole. He has maybe two moments where he’s shown to be just a bit chill? I mean, Lilly tells us that he has a lot of pain and that’s why he’s like this.... but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. 

Oh, and can’t forget that apparently he was obsessed with Lilly leaving the lights on so he let the power get cut, so Lilly couldn’t eat ice cream and had to let her hair air dry like a heathen. Unforgivable. 

So yeah, fuck Larry. 

2. Troy

Ugh, Troy. Fuck this guy. 

No really, out of all TWDG characters, this dude and my #1 pick are my most hated. Can’t stand Troy and the only reason I didn’t do a tie for #1 is because for a split second, Troy does show a tiny bit of humanity when Carver is beating down Carver, but blink and you’ll miss it.

Which had me a little concerned to find a handful of posts about having crushes on Troy and drawing fanart but.... again, I guess you do you? And if you can, please explain why because I honestly don’t understand. 

Just looking at the screenshot of him annoys him. He’s got one of those punchable faces, y’know? 

Anyway, when playing as Clementine, I’m always worried that he’s gonna pop up outta no where and grab her by the neck like he does later in ep3, even though I’ve played s2 a bunch to know that he’s not going to. 

But hell, he doesn’t need any excuse to smack anyone around, and there are a handful of times he can really hurt Clem depending on her choices. 

Not great, dude. 

Can’t say I’m too sorry that Jane shot your dick off. 

1. Badger

Yeah, you guys remember Badger. Y’know.... the man who murdered Mariana then laughed about it, claiming that he enjoyed watching her head explode and would do it again and again if he could? 

That’s what puts him at #1. He may not have the most screen time like Larry or Troy, but when he is around, he’s fucking awful.

He gets joy from killing Mariana, like it’s some sort of sick thrill for him to go around murdering children and other innocent people. 

Remember Francine? Caught her and used her as bait to try and get Javi to come down, and even went as far as to have some fingers cut off. Like, he gets off on destroying people, entire communities.

Shit, he seems to even get off to his own beat down. 

He’s fucking gross and outta everyone on this list, I haven’t found a single person being like “Yeah, he’s garbage but I like him kinda?” like no, you’re such garbage that even the Different™ crowd don’t want you. 

Fuck Badger. 

By the way, if you’ve never had Conrad kill him in your game, I suggest looking it up. It’s pretty good. Gives Conrad a little bit of closure after what happened to Francine, as well as give Javi some closure for Mari’s murder. 

Not a single soul wept for you, Badger. 

---

Dishonorable Mentions

-Joan. She’s boring, forgettable, and no one is out here gushing over her because most of the time, we can’t even remember her name. -Danny from Vince’s story in 400 Days. Y’know, the dude going to prison because he was convicted of SA. I’ll never understand why people go with him over Justin. Justin sucks, too, but not the same level Danny does.  -Lilly in S4. Ugh. That’s a whole other topic for another day. -Arvo, though I guess he has a bit of a following, too

---

Well there ya go. Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices for this list? Or have anything to add? I’m always down to chat.

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

---

Next week’s T5F Top 5 BROTPs

[yodawgiherd]

Incantation of Incineration

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Ok so this work is inspired by an INCREDIBLE fanart I've been blessed to see, do yourself a favor and check it out too - > https://twitter.com/NxngOna/status/1386048795595743239 Mwah, perfection Anyway, rating is M, so beware.

(It's also quickly cobbled together because its a heat-of-the-moment thing, so forgive me if you find mistakes :> I'm far from perfect.)

This had to work.

No, who was she kidding, this wouldn’t work.

It never did, no matter how hard Mikasa tried, how deeply she dug in the library, how much she searched on the internet. Magic was a myth, and it would never work, which saddened the goth girl to no end.

She was fascinated by the supernatural ever since she could remember, devouring magazines, tv-shows or books dedicated to the topic with unhealthy speed. Maybe she was a tiny bit obsessed, but that was okay. Her parents didn’t mind, as long as she kept her grades up, and because Mikasa was very bright that was not hard to achieve. In her free time she kept experimenting, she kept trying, she kept searching for a way to make it work.

To no avail.

No ritual worked. No spell changed anything. No incantation had any effect. Still, she wouldn’t give up. It carried her through high school and it stuck with her in college too. To Mikasa it didn’t matter that goth went out of style, that magic was a forgotten thing for all of her classmates. It was an ethereal thing, bigger than life, something that enhanced the mundane and boring existence.

And today, her faith was rewarded.

Mikasa was studying in a library by herself, having an exam coming up, when her session was interrupted. A small girl appeared, hair shadowing her eyes and an enigmatic smile on the youthful face.

“Hello,”, she said, “Do you like black magic?”

“I.. Uh…”, nervous, the goth pushed an unruly bang that escaped her pigtails behind one pierced ear, “Why do you ask?”

A frown entered her features when Mikasa realized that this was a college library, no place for a small girl.

“Wait, who are you? Where are your parents?”

The girl ignored all this, rudely.

“If you do like magic…”, she leaned closer, “Check the “Worlds Religions” section, the third row.”

“What are you talking about? H-hey!”

Not answering, the girl turned and walked away, disappearing between the bookshelves. Completely dumbfounded,  Mikasa sat for a while, wondering what kind of strange experience this was. Honestly, she should ignore that. It was a child, probably making fun of her because of the way Mikasa dressed. It meant nothing.

Maybe.

Most likely.

But what if…

“Screw it.”, two words that fell from between the goth’s lips and she was putting her stuff back in the bag, throwing it over her shoulder, and walking towards the religion section.

Deftly, her fingers ran along the covers as she searched, taking care that none of her rings scratched the books. Third row, was it? Eyes sliding over one book and then the next, Mikasa felt an uneasiness in her stomach upon finding nothing. It was a joke then. The girl….

Here.

This book didn’t belong here. Sure, it had a cross on the front, but that was the only marking. No title, no text, no explanation, only black leather and silver cross imprinted into it. Looking left and right, Mikasa made sure that she’s alone before grabbing the book and opening it, eyes widening immediately.

There were spells scribbled on the pages, strange words that made sense to her only because of the life-long obsession with the occult. Not that Mikasa didn’t see books like these before, but none of the spells in those worked. Yet this one – it appeared so suddenly, and the girl was so mysterious…..

Biting her bottom lip, Mikasa quickly stuffed the book in her bag, leaving the library right after. Studying could wait, her pursuit of magic could not. Nobody noticed her little thievery, nobody called out for her, and when she was walking home, a new hope was blooming in Mikasa’s chest.

Turning the key in its lock, she wasn’t surprised to see that her parents weren’t home. They worked long hours, days sometimes, and Mikasa was used to being alone. Kicking off her heavy leather boots she beelined towards the bedroom, shutting the door after herself. Bag dumped at the foot of the bed, Mikasa pulled out the book and sat cross-legged on the floor, truly studying it.

There were so many spells in the book, so many rituals, it made her head swim. Some were amazing, some terrible, some made her shiver, and other gasp in excitement.

“No point in getting worked up over nothing.”, she calmed herself, “If none of these work….”

A test then, a trial run of one of these, to see if this was real or yet another hoax. Randomly opening the book, her grey eyes slid over the text, taking in the chosen pages.

“A demon summoning ritual.”, she read out loud.

Okay, fine.

It was a fairly basic spell, and Mikasa had everything required. Chalk to draw a pentagram on the floor. Candles in each corner of the star. In the middle, a small bowl waited for her offering. Mikasa kneeled above it, as described in the book, a knife in one hand. Going by the instructions, she was supposed to cut herself, deep enough to bleed. That was fine, but the placement of the required cut was strange. Not a hand, as she usually did, this one had to be on her face beneath the right eye.

Well, Mikasa was determined.

Reading from the book, she began the ritual. The strange words made no sense to her, but it wasn’t the first time that she chanted something without understanding what. The spell was long and tedious to pronounce, luckily she had plenty of experience with speaking tongue-twisting words. Higher and higher her voice climbed until it was the time for the climax of the ritual. Gritting her teeth, Mikasa dragged the knife over her face, catching a few drops of blood into the bowl. Planting it back in the middle of the pentagram, she waited with bated breath, waited and….

Nothing happened.

Satan damn it.

A wave of sadness washed over her as Mikasa sat back on her heels, clutching the book to her chest. This was her best shot by far, and it didn’t do anything. Maybe it was finally time to accept that black magic simply didn’t ex…

A sudden explosion followed by black and red smoke threw her and Mikasa landed on her back, knocking her head against the floor. Her vision was swimming, but she could see that someone was standing in the middle of the pentagram now, a tall figure that angled its head back, a breathy chuckle coming.

“Damn, it's good to breathe air again.”

That voice. That damn voice. So deep, it rumbled through her entire being, tingled some parts that Mikasa didn’t even know existed. Pushing herself up on the elbows, Mikasa was about to ask what is going on when the being looked straight at her.

And she was lost.

Those green eyes pierced her, went right through any sort of mental strength, and dug into the deepest parts of her being. Not even giving her time to think the being moved, fast as a shadow, and suddenly her body was covered by someone. Falling back from the sudden assault with a yelp, Mikasa turned on her hip, still clutching that stupid book to her chest. Fearfully, she raised her eyes and finally saw what the hell did she just summon.

It was a demon all right. A man no doubt, naked from the waist up but (luckily) wearing black pants with multiple leather belts. Nothing strange on his body, at least from what Mikasa saw, but his head was quite a different story. There were horns on the top of his head, black and curved. Strange markings ran down from his emerald eyes, a bit like cuts, heading down the cheeks. Studying it, studying him, Mikasa realized one thing.

Their faces were damn close.

“So you are the one who summoned me?”, the demon asked, a smug smile crossing his admittedly very handsome features, “A girl?”

Mikasa’s throat was dry, so dry that she couldn’t even answer, but the demon didn’t seem to mind. He was looking at her too, eyes roaming all over her face and a certain satisfaction appearing. A strange ringing sound to her left, and suddenly there was a hand touching her, sweeping away hair that fell into her eyes.

He had claws, she realized, claws and torn shackles at his wrists. And while the claws did look sharp his touch was gentle, not hurting her in the slightest.

“A pretty girl at that.”, the demon continued his monologue, “Very pretty…. Beautiful …”

There was hunger in his words now, a primal one that made Mikasa shiver. She had to do something, otherwise this demon would devour her. Gathering all her mental strength, she clutched the book tighter and spoke.

More like squeaked.

“I-I am y-your master now! You c-came because of my c-calling, that ma-makes you mine!”

“Is that so?”, the demon wasn’t bothered by these words in the slightest, more like pleased if she read his face correctly, “Tell me, beautiful…”

Closer, closer he moved and now their faces were practically touching.

“Do you feel in power?”

Unable to speak, Mikasa shook her head as her lips trembled in fear. A single tear rolled from her eye, realizing that while she may have conducted the ritual, she had no idea how to control the demon. Yet before the tear could splash against the floor the demon caught it, a gentle claw swiping across her slightly bleeding cheek.

“There is no need to cry, pretty girl, I have no intention of hurting you.”

“Y-You don’t?”

“No, you are way too beautiful for that, I wouldn’t dream of tainting that. And…”, his nostrils flared as he took a lungful, “you smell wonderful.”

His head dipped low and suddenly it was on Mikasa’s neck. Lips parted and sharp teeth grazed the skin, making her think that despite the earlier words he might still hurt her. Instead of pain a soft kiss was planted on her neck, forcing a gasp from her throat. That sound pleased the demon.

“W-What are you doing?”, Mikasa choked out.

“I’m not going to hurt you, but you can’t expect me to come all this way from hell and want nothing in return….”, claws appeared again, this time on her upper thighs, dancing around the lace of her stockings, “There is an ocean of pleasure I could drown you in, my beauty, and I’m feeling generous tonight…”

Retreating from her neck the demon faced her again, the green eyes scorching with intensity.

“What do you say, mortal, want a taste?”

No! – her rational half screamed.

But…

He was so beautiful, so unreal, he was everything Mikasa dreamed about. Dark magic was real, it summoned a demon for her, one that was offering her pleasure. Those damn claws on her sensitive skin, the aftertaste of his lips on her neck, the delicious heat his body produced, pressed so close to her….

“Y-Yes.”, Mikasa found herself saying, unable to stop it, “I do.”

The smile that appeared on the demon’s lips, that was the epitome of smugness.

“Good.”

Without further ado, he crashed his lips into hers, finally kissing her. Mikasa was taken aback by this, head lolling back and jaw wrenched helplessly open. The demon’s tongue slipped into her mouth, abnormally long and dexterous, wrapping around her own in one slick motion. At the same time the claws moved, repositioning from her thighs to between them, pressing against her heat. Overcome at several places, Mikasa moaned out loud.

Black panties nudged aside, now the tip of the claw was teasing her wetness directly, building her frustration up. She couldn’t do anything, hands uselessly hanging on the side, the book cluttering on the floor. His tongue was everywhere in her mouth, taking it as its own home, even brushing against Mikasa’s throat. How long was that damn thing?

By the time he finally allowed her to breathe Mikasa was panting, eyes wide and cheeks boiling red. Observing the fruits of his labor, the demon noticed the blood still trickling down, his tongue sweeping out to lick at it.

“Delicious…”, he purred, gently caressing the tiny cut that was already healing, thanks to his tongue, “You taste wonderfully too.”

“P-Please…”, was all Mikasa could say, begging with her eyes more than with her words.

“Oh? Is there something you want?”, the rubbing grew even faster, forcing her to arch her hips and moan again.

“Please!”, she practically screamed, tilting her hips for a better angle.

Deciding that he had tortured her enough, the demon slipped a single finger inside her, exploring the fluttering walls. The penetration made her gasp wonderfully, eyes sliding shut from the intensity.  She was tight, tighter than he expected, making him frown.

“I don’t think that I can go all the way with you tonight, my beauty.”, he sighed, “It would hurt you too much.”

Summoning a single braincell to work, Mikasa cracked an eye open.

“W-What?”

The demon’s answer was a grin.

“Not to worry, I have many more weapons at my disposal.”

A second claw joined the first one, scissoring her open, and Mikasa lost control of her voice. With her mouth occupied by frantic breathing, the demon attacked the neck again, biting into the skin. She was so pale and colored beautifully beneath his teeth, and he chuckled inwardly imagining all the bruises that were sure to bloom on her.

There were wet sounds in the room, squelching as he fingered her, her body being such an amazingly reacting toy. Pulling his fingers out, the demon admired the trail of wetness that connected them to her twitching womanhood. Mikasa’s blood tasted wonderful, so how about….

The long tongue was back in action, she realized, watching as the demon licked his fingers clean from her essence, an expression of pure joy appearing on his features.

“Now this… This is something else.”, his eyes found hers, a wicked grin on the demon’s face, “I need to taste you properly.”

Faster than a snake he was gone, head appearing between her stockinged legs. With a quick swipe of his claw the demon snapped the waistband of her panties open, throwing the ruined underwear away. Grabbing Mikasa’s asscheeks he spread her open for him, planting his face exactly where she wanted it to be. Right against her throbbing sex.

If the abnormal demon tongue felt amazing in her mouth, having it down there was indescribable. Licking at her glistening outer lips first, he glided everywhere on the wet skin, cleaning it. And then he was inside. The long muscle slid into her, writhing around and Mikasa clasped her hands over her mouth just in time before a loud scream ripped its way from her throat. This was incredible.

Nothing ever came close to how the demon’s tongue made her feel. Never in her life did Mikasa experience this much pleasure because the tongue reached everywhere stimulating the entirety of her sex in long strokes and vibrations that she had no idea how he produced. Her eyes rolled back, her chest contracted, her legs clenched around his head. Relentless in his pursuit of Mikasa’s sweetness, the demon kept tongue-fucking her with a clear purpose in mind. To speed it up, to reach his feast faster, a single claw dragged over her swollen clit, pressing and rubbing and….

Mikasa lost it.

Complete whiteness washed over her vision as she came, her inner walls contracting wildly around the demonic tongue. She pulsed and pulsed and produced more of that delicious nectar that he eagerly drank in, not letting even a drop go to waste. Mikasa’s blood was delicious but this was beyond delicious, it was the best thing that he ever tasted and the demon couldn’t get enough.

When her body began to calm, a frown entered his handsome features.

“Oh no, this won’t do, I need more.”

Mikasa didn’t even get a chance to talk before the tongue slid inside her again and she screamed, eyes shutting and features contorting. Apparently once was not enough, and the demon was intent on making her come on his face again.

This was going to be a long night.

In the end, Mikasa lost count on how many times the demon made her cum. Not tiring, not needing a break, he kept pleasuring her, toying with her clit and abusing her sex. She was lost in an unending stream of happy hormones, drowning in that ocean of pleasure the demon promised her. His grip on her was firm and Mikasa’s hips were grounded, the demon didn’t allow her to move away from him, holding his prize close. Only when she was truly done and couldn’t do it anymore, when she whined in discomfort instead of pleasure did he pull back, sated.

For now.

Completely done and spent Mikasa was practically passed out, body unresponsive and eyes closed. Hands circled her, easily picking her up and carrying her a short distance. She was gently deposited in the bed and someone pulled the covers over her before a kiss was planted on her forehead. And then a heated whisper entered her ears, pushing its way into the brain even through the curtain of absolute exhaustion.

“If you want more, my beauty, you know where to find me.”, another kiss, this time on her lips, “I’ll be waiting.”

Finally, the darkness overcame her completely.

When Mikasa woke up, hours later, she thought that it all must have been a dream. That delusion lasted for only about a second before the rest of her body woke up, the ache in her lower regions demanding that she accepts the reality. Lifting the covers, Mikasa’s eyes shot open.

Her body was still fully clothed, as the demon didn’t bother with disrobing her, only her panties were gone. There were bruises, so many bruises on her upper thighs, the small part left uncovered by the stockings littered with bites. Her neck received a similar treatment, judging from the ache.

The pentagram was there, albeit the candles were snuffed out, the book lying innocently in the middle. Mikasa tried standing up to get it, only to realize that her legs refused to carry her and she fell back into the bed. Despite all this ache, despite all the unknown, Mikasa’s lips spread into a smile as she eyed the book.

The goth girl and her green-eyed demon are going to have so much fun together.

[wheresmynaya]

Cupcake Battles Ch. 1 | Brittana

I was inspired by the Brittana fanart circulating based on the Baking AU and as per usual the Discord had me out here binging Cupcake Wars until this happened! Hope this gives you a little smile. 

Also available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & below the cut!

The doors of the commercial kitchen are thrown open as the most dramatic action music the Foodies Network Channel has to offer begins to play. A well-dressed, guppy-lipped blonde enters the room in slow motion and gives the camera a confident pose before he’s taking off his sunglasses and tossing them off screen.

“What’s up, America!” The man greets excitedly with a point to the camera. “I’m your host Sam Evans and tonight we’re gearing up for an intense cupcake clash. Overseeing this battle are our esteemed judges: Kurt Hummel, owner of the first ever fashion design-inspired patisserie The House of Hummel.”

As the camera pans to Kurt Hummel, he adjusts the gaudy – and most likely stupidly expensive – hippopotamus brooch pinned to the lapel of his Marc Jacobs blazer and gives the camera a prudish smile.

“Hold up,” The beautiful brunette beside him nudges to ask, “Is that a woman’s blazer?”

Kurt lifts his shoulder in disregard, “Fashion has no gender, Santana.”

“Huh,” Santana looks impressed and points back, “I needz me one of those.”

“I know a guy,” Kurt stage whispers before Sam’s voice fills the kitchen again.

“And he is joined by the ever-witty, ever-beautiful-“

“Why didn’t I get those kind of adjectives for my introduction?” Kurt grumbles.

Santana only smiles proudly without breaking eye contact with the camera, “Get like me, Hummel.”

If he were wearing any – which surprisingly he isn’t – Kurt would’ve clutched his pearls at the statement.

“Santana Lopez, owner and founder of the world-renowned bakery Sweets by Snixxx,” Sam says and the camera soon pans back to the judges’ panel where Santana Lopez gives the viewers her signature smirk accompanied by a sexy wink.

“In just a moment,” Sam continues with the camera back on him as he walks down the aisle which separates the four kitchen stations, “Four bakers will compete in the ultimate show down to see who comes out on top so,” He pauses dramatically as the camera whirls around him then zooms straight in for a close. In typical Sam-fashion, he sings the rest of his line to a familiar rhythm all while he karate chops at the air, “Let’s get down to business and meet the teams!”

\\

The screen soon fills with two bright-eyed, young women sitting in front of a pastel pink backdrop. They’re dressed in electric blue baseball tees with their logo Batter Up Cupcakes scrawled across their chests. Their baseball caps are turned backwards and their hair is braided into pigtails and drape down over their shoulders.

They both wave excitedly at the camera before the shorter of the two blows the audience a two-handed kiss while the blonde pumps her fist in the air before it cuts to their introductions.

“I’m Brittany S. Pierce,” Says the tall blonde before she gestures to her side, “And this is my bestie Sugar Motta and we’re the owners of Batter Up Cupcakes in Lima, Ohio which is one of the only unicorn-friendly bakeries in Lima.”

The camera cuts to a cute montage of the two standing outside of their storefront while they alternate doing different poses that showcase their carefree attitude. Brittany can be heard doing a voiceover as the montage continues, “Sugar and I met when I first transferred to the Culinary Institute of America in New York and we’ve pretty much been inseparable ever since.”

We’re back in the studio with Brittany and Sugar sitting in front of the pastel pink backdrop as Sugar adds, “We just work super well together. We have a similar way of looking at things that is really unique but…there are some people out there that don’t get it.” Sugar then lowers her voice to a whisper and says, “Blaine and Tina.”

Brittany nods, “I think they’re jealous.”

“Because they’re lame?” Sugar asks behind a eye roll.

Brittany points to her friend and gives a single nod, “Yeah, that too.”

\\

The screen then fills with another team sitting in front of the pastel pink backdrop. A man with way too much hair product smiles proudly at the camera while the woman next to him gives a wave. They both wear button-up dress shirts and little bowties with cupcakes on them as they go to introduce themselves.

“Hi, I’m Blaine Anderson,” The gel man says politely before wrapping his arm around the woman next to him. She melts into his side as he says, “And this is my lovely partner Tina Cohen-Chang.”

“Business partner…,” Tina corrects before her voice lowers slightly as she looks disappointedly to the side, “Not like a life partner, I’ve tried.”

“Yes, yes you have,” Blaine continues on before it gets any more awkward, “So together we own Baking Dreams Come True in Lima, Ohio.”

Off-screen a voice asks, “Oh, same as our other competitors: Brittany and Sugar of Batter Up Cupcakes?”

Blaine and Tina visibly grit their teeth before Blaine sucks in a deep breath and plasters on a smile, “Yes, one in the same. It’s such a small world, we actually attended the same culinary school too. They were…quite the eccentric pair.”

“It’s true,” Tina adds, “They’re known for coming up with some pretty quirky combinations. We however take a more traditional approach to things, really focus on technique rather than flare.”

Blaine bobbles along to everything Tina says, “That’s correct. They like to claim that they’re the first LGBTQ-friendly bakery in Lima but I’m pretty sure we filed our paperwork before them.”

“They say they’re unicorn-friendly, which doesn’t make any sense. Unicorns aren’t even real. It gives a mixed message,” Tina explains with an air of annoyance.

“It does, but people go there anyway,” Blaine replies with a shrug and his proud smile falters as he adds, “We’ve kind of been rivals for years now. Always trying to one up the other, it’s…awesome.”

\\

Suddenly we’re back on Team Batter Up Cupcakes where Brittany gives a bored look to the camera and says plainly, “Honestly, with a name like that they’re not a threat to us.”

“Baking dreams come true?” Sugar chuckles, “Not today.”

Brittany giggles along with her and they both high five.

\\

The camera is back on Team Baking Dreams Come True and Blaine’s looking like a puppy ready to wet himself with excitement, “We’re just here for fun.”

“It’s that attitude right there, Blaine,” Tina says tiredly before narrowing her eyes at the camera, “We’re here to settle the score once and for all.”

Blaine smiles hesitantly, “We love a little friendly competition.”

\\

Back to Team Batter Up Cupcakes and Sugar is looking directly at the camera with this determined stare as she punches her small fist into her palm, “We’re going to crush them.”

Brittany nods proudly, “Totally.”

\\

“So here’s how the competition’s going to go down,” Sam announces as he walks back to stand in front of the judges panel, “One by one, teams will be eliminated as they are judged by taste, presentation, and in the final round the last two bakers standing will have to bring it all together into one cheer-worthy cupcake display. The winner gets to have their creation as the centerpiece of the Annual Cheerios Breakfast Benefit and walks away with $10,000.”

The camera pans to Team Batter Up Cupcakes and Team Baking Dreams Come True to catch their reactions before panning to the two remaining teams to be announced.

\\

The camera cuts to the third team that will be competing. Another couple dressed in matching flannel shirts is seated in front of the signature pastel pink wall but the camera dramatically adjusts to fit the insane height difference of the couple before anyone starts speaking. A chipper brunette smiles and waves while her dopey counterpart slowly does the same.

“Hi, I’m Rachel Barbara Berry,” The shorter one says with perfect enunciation before resting her hand on the forearm of the man next to her. She cranes her head back to stare up lovingly, “And this is my husband Finn Hudson. You might be wondering why I’ve kept my last name, well-“

Suddenly someone off-screen cuts her off, “No, no one was wondering. Just continue with your backstory, your baking-related backstory.”

Rachel looks a little peeved but waves it off, “Right. Well, I’ve always loved baking and my husband here loves to eat. Before my Broadway dreams were unfortunately-“

“Rachel, please stay on topic.” The voice says again which makes Rachel grumble.

“Fine! Finn and I started a home business called Gold Star Bakery. It’s taking a little while to get off the ground purely because someone keeps eating our clients’ orders-”

“Babe, you have to label it or else I’m just going to think it’s up for grabs.” Finn responds with a frown then looks back to the camera, “She’s a great baker and we’re just looking for our big break. This money will really help out a lot, maybe we can open our own place?”

“You mean that?” Rachel’s suddenly so overcome with emotion that a tear trickles down her face. Suddenly she’s breaking character and looks to someone off screen, “Did you get that? I can cry on command.”

Finn smiles proudly, ��She’s great isn’t she?”

\\

The camera cuts to the last team that will be competing and the man and woman smile brightly for the camera. They’re wearing matching purple t-shirts with their logo across the left pocket in blocky letters before they cut to a montage of the team showing off in their area.

“I’m Mercedes Jones,” The woman says and tilts her head to the man next to her, “And this is Artie Abrams and together we run AJs Bake Shop. We have worked together for years at various restaurants before we decided to team up and do our own thing. We’ve been killin’ it in L.A. ever since. ”

“Mhm, that’s right!” Artie nods with a sense of pride, “We’re top dogs where we come from so we thought we might test our skills and see what we can really do.”

“We’re here to win,” Mercedes says as she gives the camera an intimidating stare, “We’re not leaving without that trophy.”

“Wait, I thought it was money?” Artie asks with his brows furrowed.

Mercedes just shrugs, “We’ll take that too.”

\\

Back in the kitchen, Sam stands by the judge’s panel to reveal another judge sitting with Kurt and Santana. A fierce older woman sits among them, dressed in a red and white track suit, and gives the audience a steely gaze.

“Tonight’s special guest judge is Coach Sue Sylvester,” Sam announces grandly, “She is the founder of the Olympic-winning cheerleading team: the Cheerios! Welcome to the battle zone, Coach!”

“Glad to be here,” Sue says slowly without any emotion whatsoever and continues to stare down the competitors, “I can’t wait to see everyone rip each other to shreds.”

Kurt and Santana exchange looks of confusion while Sam tries to reel in his worry and get back to his hosting duties, “So anyway, for tonight’s theme we’re thinking breakfast. For Round One, we would like to see our teams whip up something that encompasses the Sweet and Savory side of a classic American breakfast. Remember bakers, this is a timed challenge.”

The camera pans to the teams’ reactions and everyone looks a mix of surprise and anxious. Everyone, expect for Team Batter Up Cupcakes where we find Brittany looking in deep thought with her finger tapping at her chin while Sugar narrows her eyes and purses her lips, almost angrily.

“Looks like Brittany and Sugar weren’t expecting this one,” Kurt comments lowly to Santana and the two look in their direction as the team continues to stare off.

Santana’s eyes settle on the blonde and for a moment, she forgets she’s on camera as they start to roam. Santana has met many contestants during her time on the show, but none have been as attractive as the blonde baker before her. She’s not sure what it is about the woman, maybe it’s the backwards baseball cap that is alerting her inner lesbian or maybe it’s the baseball tee that’s doing it, but Santana really can’t stop staring.

Brittany is stunning, she thinks, and she begins to tune out the sound of Sam’s horrible impressions as she watches.

“Santana,” Kurt snaps and nudges Santana out of her daydreaming in time to hear Sam announce the start of the first challenge.

“Man your stations, bakers, and let the battle begin!” He says with the wave of his hands as if he were one of those flag girls at race.

Santana rolls her eyes at his antics and looks back to find Kurt staring at her. She scrunches her nose, “What are you looking at?”

“You know,” Kurt says with an all-knowing look and begins to smirk, “I saw you.”

“Please. You saw nothing,” Santana brushes off and tries to keep her eyes roaming the room to watch as the bakers – all the bakers – set off. She tries her hardest to give everyone equal attention, but she can’t help the pull that has her glancing over to Team Batter Up Cupcakes more so than any other team.

\\

“You look nervous,” Sugar notices just after Sam had announced the start of the challenge, “Why do you look nervous? We don’t do nervous.”

“I’m not nervous!” Brittany says defensively before relenting with a sigh, “You know how I feel about breakfast, Sug. It’s impossible to understand.”

“I know, remember that one time you got into that argument with the waiter about eggs benedict?” Sugar frowns and Brittany lets out another defeated sigh.

“He was wrong then and he’s still wrong now,” Brittany huffs.

“Obviously,” Sugar agrees then perks up, “But the challenge is sweet and savory so there’s no way we can mix this up again. We can do this.”

Brittany’s worry is replaced with a determined smile, “You’re right and I think I’ve got the perfect mashup idea.”

Sugar claps her hands excitedly as they began to brainstorm.

\\

Unbeknownst to Team Batter Up Cupcakes, every other team has decided to make two different cupcakes which will showcase a sweet and savory aspect individually.

The judges have taken notice of that which makes it even harder for Santana to keep her eyes off of Team Batter Up Cupcakes. They speak amongst themselves about the team’s decision and wonder if they just haven’t started on a second cupcake yet or if they’re really going with just one offering.

“Dear God, what is going on at Team Gold Star Bakery’s station?” Sue frowns when a bellow of black smoke emits from the oven.

Kurt looks in horror as Finn pulls out the crisp cupcakes.

Santana smirks at the sight, “Yeah, those are gonna be dry as hell.”

\\

“Why is the oven set to 500 degrees?” Rachel practically yells while Finn throws away the ruined cupcakes.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t even know oven temperatures when up that high!” Finn argues but Rachel just shakes her head.

“Trouble in paradise?” Mercedes calls over with a chuckle. She and Artie are quietly working away in their own station but tune into the sound of some juicy gossip.

“No!” Rachel frowns at her and looks to Finn, “We need to start over or else we’re not going to have anything for the judges. Time is running out!”

“Okay okay, we’re fine. We just need to get our heads in the game!” Finn looks more determined than ever but then his face falls when he sees the judges stand. He spins around so fast that he nearly knocks Rachel over, “Crap, they’re getting up to make their rounds.”

“Already?! They’re going to think we aren’t prepared!”

“Well…I mean we aren’t,” Finn says plainly.

“Finn!” Rachel chastises and begins rushing through another batter.

\\

“Alright judges, here’s our first team: Blaine and Tina of Baking Dreams Come True!” Sam introduces as the three judges approach their station. Blaine and Tina smile politely and greet them all as they continue to move around each other.

“Wow, what an…interesting name,” Santana comments, losing the battle of hiding her judgement. Not that she ever actually tries to, that’s kind of what makes her a fan favorite.

“So take us through what you are working on,” Kurt says after shooting Santana a glare.

Blaine goes on to explain the complex flavor pairings they will be using which Santana points out isn’t actually all that complex. Tina’s working on some intricate detailing while Blaine pipes frosting, but they both stop to stare at each other with dropped jaws.

“I’m just not seeing any wow factor,” Santana shrugs.

“Well, don’t count us out just yet,” Blaine counters which causes Santana to raise a brow. It’s rare that any contestant ever talks back to her. “Tina’s fondant work is really out of this world.”

“Sugar’s better!” Brittany calls out from across the aisle where she’s busy hand-whipping something. She sends a smirk their way – which of course Santana doesn’t miss – and adds, “She has beaten you in every competition ever.”

“You suck so much, Tina!” Sugar chimes in as well from behind Brittany.

Sue cracks a hint of a devilish smile, “Love a bit of trash talk.”

Santana would have to agree, “It’s something we don’t see here too often. I think we’re in for an interesting battle.” Then she looks to the team again, “Good luck.”  

Blaine and Tina just stew in their annoyance as the rest of the judges bid them good luck and travel across the way to Team Batter Up Cupcakes.

\\

“The second team competing today is Brittany and Sugar of Batter Up Cupcakes,” Sam announces for the judges. Sugar gives a wave of her fingers and flashes a bright smile, while Brittany literally does a double-take when she finds Santana smiling at her.

She has seen the show on tv before and she of course is aware of Santana’s prestigious backstory – and sure she might have a tiny crush on the star too – but she wasn’t quite prepared for the unabashed beauty she was going to be smacked with upon seeing Santana in person.

Miraculously, Brittany manages to give her a confident smile despite the flips happening in her belly. She says without a trace of nervousness, “Hey, I’m Brittany. That’s Sugar.”

“So I’ve heard,” Santana replies coolly through a smirk with her deep brown eyes twinkling.

“What’s the tea between you and the other team?” Kurt asks, giving Santana a slight nudge back into professionalism.

“We’ve always been rivals; grew up in the same small town, attended the same culinary school, even started bakeries in our local area. We’re just better than them and they can’t come to admit that yet,” Brittany says it like it is, “Hopefully they’ll finally take the hint when we win.”

Santana laughs at that, “I like your confidence, Brittany.”

“Of course you do,” Brittany says without thinking and it surprises both Kurt and Santana but she rolls with it anyway, “Going back to Bland and Tacky over there, isn’t their lame bakery name a mouthful?”

“Wanky,” Santana smirks and Kurt swats at her arm. If he had a spray bottle on him, that comment would’ve earned her a spritz.

Brittany – on the other hand – just smiled back before continuing with her work, her tone arms flexing as she whisked vigorously.

Santana licks her lips at the sight, her eyes dipping down to the bowl in Brittany’s hands then back up, “Tell us what you’re working on.”

Brittany wonders if she’s imagining things or if she really just saw Santana Lopez eye her up and down like she was a fresh glazed donut hot out off the belt. No matter, she takes a breath and goes to explain, “So we’re doing something with maple bacon for that sweet and salty factor and it’ll add a little crunch. Sugar’s working on a white truffle frosting and this is the start of a jalapeno-infused pancake cupcake for a bit of spice.”

“You’re putting all of that in one cupcake?” Kurt asks, wide-eyed. He looks a little nervous and it makes Santana snort while Sue is equally intrigued.

Brittany and Sugar shrug nonchalantly, “Totally.”

Kurt looks to Santana somewhat worried but Santana’s looking at the team with interest. It’s an odd combination, but she can see what they’re aiming for and it’s pretty out of the box. With competitions like this, contestants usually stick to the basics so she has a little soft spot for those who like to take risks.

She also has a soft spot for smokin’ hot blondes.

“I think it sounds interesting,” Santana says with a smile, “I can’t wait to taste.”

Blue eyes darken with the way the last word rolls off of Santana’s tongue. It gives Brittany this boost of confidence because Santana is known for being a pretty hard judge to please yet here she is handing out compliments.

“You won’t be disappointed,” Brittany tells her earnestly.

Santana chuckles and it comes off as the best combination of sexy and cute, “We’ll see. Good luck.”

\\

As the judges move on to the next station, Brittany’s eyes linger on the sway of Santana’s hips as she goes. That dress she’s in does amazing things for the woman’s slim figure. It’s hypnotic and she probably would’ve overwhipped if Sugar didn’t break the staring contest she had going on.

“Britt!” Sugar gasps and swats at Brittany’s arm, “She was so flirting with you. Santana Lopez, flirting with you!”

“Why did you say it like that? Like you couldn’t believe it?” Brittany pouts playfully then laughs Sugar off, “She wasn’t flirting with me. It’s just her character, it’s all for show. I’m sure she’s like that with everyone.”

“Yeah bullshit,” Sugar scoffs and goes back to frosting, “She didn’t even acknowledge me and I was standing right next to you!”

“Well maybe you should step your game up then,” Brittany quips as she knocks her shoulder teasingly into Sugar’s before she heads over to pull out the cupcakes to cool.

“I don’t think it’s my game she’s interested in,” Sugar counters.

\\

“Alright bakers-“ Suddenly Sam is slipping on his shades again and doing a terrible Justin Timberlake impression, “You’ve only got 4 minutes, 4 minutes!”

“He should be fired,” Santana scrunches her nose.

Kurt shrugs, “The viewers like him.”

“Shh, Madonna is iconic,” Sue hushes them both as she watches Sam continue to sing and dance.

\\

Brittany’s somewhat nervous as she and Sugar approach the panel with their finished cupcake.

They’ve been watching the two other teams before them – Team Baking Dreams Come True and Team AJs Bakeshop – get judged when they realized they might have a bit of competition here. As per usual, Santana has found flaws in each other their cupcakes though and it doesn’t seem like anyone’s pleased her yet but Brittany has faith that she might be able to change that.

In more ways than one as Sugar not so discreetly put it.

“Did you forget one?” Sue asks as a single cupcake is presented.

“No. We decided to do something a little different, it’s something we’re kind of known for,” Brittany explains as the final plate is given to Santana who sits the furthest away from her. “Instead of creating two separate cupcakes, we thought we could combine those flavors into the ultimate sweet and savory breakfast-inspired mashup. This is our take on a classic – although, I’m not exactly sure what counts as a classic since America is a melting pot of cultures and breakfast looks different for everyone – “ Brittany pauses to wonder while Kurt and Sue stare back in confusion.

Santana is the only one that seems to understand her point of view.

Sugar interrupts Brittany’s wondering to and finishes her previous train of thought, “We hope you enjoy!”

Then Sugar goes to explain their thought process and the flavors used while the judges dig in.

Brittany has shifted to being too preoccupied with the way Santana licks frosting off of her fork to offer Sugar any assistance. It’s quiet and they wait anxiously for someone to speak. They took a huge risk by only presenting one cupcake, but their flavors are there and they’re really the only ones that tried something different so that should count for something.

“I’m actually really enjoying this,” Kurt says, “I had my doubts, but you’ve perfected the balance between sweet and savory. My only complaint is the cake itself might’ve been a little too spicy for me.”

“Really?” Santana looks surprised, borderline offended.

“What? I’m not use to having jalapenos for breakfast, Santana.”

“Yeah and it shows,” Santana says with a roll of her eyes before looking directly at Brittany. Her annoyance is suddenly replaced with delight, “Color me, impressed. Aside from Kurt’s ridiculous compliant about spice, I agree with everything he said. You’ve knocked the ball out of the park for me. I really admire the risk you took by focusing on combining the sweet and savory aspect into one cupcake instead of keeping them separate. Sheer genius.”

“Wow,” Sam says and suddenly the camera is on him again, “Such high praise on the first round, the other teams need to watch out for Team Batter Up Cupcakes.”

Sue goes on to say her comments too, but Brittany doesn’t hear them. She’s too captivated by the fact that she was able to impress the Santana Lopez, the Queen of High Expectations. She feels really, really good now.

“Thank you ladies,” Sam then waves his hand to their station, “Please return to your station. Team Gold Star Bakery, you’re up!”

\\

While the last team goes up for judgement, Sugar and Brittany try to contain their excitement after getting such great feedback on their cupcake.

“We rocked it, Britt!” Sugar cheeses then waggles her brows, “And did you see how Santana was eyeing you up there? She was practically undressing you with her eyes.”

“She was not,” Brittany laugh dismissively.

“She totally was, I’m telling you! She’s into you,” Sugar assures her, “Look, she’s staring at you right now!”

Brittany spins to look and sure enough she finds Santana smiling at her with that same cocky grin from before.

Brittany rolls with it and gives Santana a wink before turning to Sugar, “That’s nothing. She’s just being nice.”

“If being nice means she wants a piece of you then, yeah! She’s being really nice.”

Brittany can only laugh at her friend’s comments, she’s been known to try and set her up with randoms. She wouldn’t actually be too upset though if Sugar ended up being right about Santana though, but she’s not giving into that just yet. Once Sugar is on a roll, she’s a little hard to reel back in.

“She’s super hot and successful which is the perfect combination for my dream girl,” Brittany starts, “But I don’t think anything will happen. We’re too different.”

“Seriously? You guys would be the perfect mashup!” Sugar lets out a heavy sigh but decides to drop it for now and focuses back on the excellent praise they received. “Knocked the ball out of the park,” Sugar mimics Santana’s earlier words, “That’s amazing.”

Brittany’s back to smiling proudly, “We didn’t even have to get to any of the bases first,” Then she starts to pout, “I was kind of looking forward to that..”

“Okay, you can’t get on me for thinking that you guys would be cute together then say something like that,” Sugar groans, “Let me be your wing-woman!”

Brittany shakes her head and smirks, “We crushed the first round, huh?”

“Yeah, we did!” Sugar beams and while the cameras were busy on the judges’ panel, she sticks up her middle fingers and flips off Blaine and Tina, “Suck it, losers!”

“Oh my God,” Tina frowns as Brittany joined in on it too. She’s looking completely offended as  she pulls Blaine from watching Finn and Rachel. He’s confused but looks to wherever she is pointing.

“Awh, come on guys!” Blaine sighs upon seeing them, “Don’t be like that. We’re just here to have fun.”

“Spoken like a true loser,” Brittany calls over and sticks her tongue out at them while Sugar forms an L with her fingers and lifts it to her forehead.

Blaine just shakes his head at them and forces Tina to look elsewhere, “Don’t mind them, T. They’re just trying to get into our heads like always. We’ll get them in Round 2.”

\\

“Okay. So after some deliberation the judges have come to a decision,” Sam starts and the music suddenly turns ominous as he deeps his voice, “The winner…of Round 1…goes to…”

Brittany and Sugar are hanging on to each other’s hands, their knuckles going white with how tightly they’re holding on. Brittany’s stomach is full of cartwheels and fluttery butterflies as Sam takes an excessive amount of dramatic pauses.

“Brittany and Sugar of Team Batter Up Cupcakes!”

Brittany’s jaw drops at the sound of their names being called before they’re bouncing up and down excitedly in each other’s arms while Sam continues to speak.

“Although you are the only team who presented a single cupcake for this challenge, you were able to balance the flavors of sweet and savory so well that the decision was unanimous.”

Santana watches on with a proud smile as she and the rest of the judges clap for them.

“Congratulations ladies,” Sam says then the ominous music is back, “There is one team that won’t be so lucky and that team…will be…Rachel and Finn of Team Gold Star Bakery. Your fight is over at Cupcake Battles.”

“No!” Rachel cries out dramatically and falls to her knees like she’s been shot.

Unfortunately that means she’s out of the camera’s view, but she must realize that as she squirms out from behind the station, sliding along the floor like a worm until she’s back in view and continues to cry out right on the floor.

Finn looks like he doesn’t know what to do with himself but he gives the camera this gassy-baby impression before he’s trying to pick Rachel up off the floor, “Come on Rach, we’re better than this.”

“I can’t go on! The failure is too great,” Rachel says dramatically, “Just leave me here…”

Santana watches the scene with her jaw dropped slightly. Never in the history of the show has anyone reacted like that after being kicked off.

“I-I just want to know why…” Rachel asks through her tears as Finn finally brings her to her feet.

“Yeah, we were trying to get to that before the – uh – theatrics started,” Santana quips.

Santana’s words spur another outburst of cries from Rachel.

Kurt tries a more sensitive approach and looks to Rachel and Finn apologetically, “You both are so passionate and we…really appreciate that but execution is really important when you’re up against such talented bakers and you…just fell short.”

“That’s short person discrimination!” Rachel says suddenly and this time Santana can’t help but laugh out.

“What in the hell?” Santana whispers to Kurt, “Where did they find her?”

Kurt just shrugs as Rachel continues to rant. Santana’s had enough though and swiftly cuts them off.

“Alright, listen…Rachel, Finn, your cupcakes sucked,” Santana now had her infamous glare zoned in on them as she spoke, “They were overcooked, the frosting was way too sweet, the cake itself lacked depth, not to mention the fact that they didn’t rise at all yet you still put it on the plate and tried to pass it off as pancakes like we wouldn’t notice…would you like me to continue?”

Rachel stammered while Finn just looked down in embarrassment.

“Ah-ah, that was a rhetorical question. I don’t actually want to hear anything else you have to say, you’ve wasted enough time as it is,” Santana says and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Now get the hell out of my kitchen!” Sue chimes in.

Kurt and Santana exchange a look before Santana is speaking up again.

“Uhh, your kitchen?” Santana challenges. Thankfully, Kurt is sitting between them and is already trying to get her to sit back in her seat. “You’re here for like what? Five seconds? And you think this is your kitchen? Please, you’re just a guest here. This is our house, we invited you.”

“Okay!” Kurt claps overly-excitedly, trying to break the tension, “Sam? Back to you.”

Sue just rolls her eyes as Sam dismisses the Rachel and Finn.

Brittany was oddly turned on as she watched that whole thing unfold. Seeing Santana give it to someone straight like that was glorious in person and she looked so hot doing it, but it also assured her that she never wanted Santana to have that kind of reaction to anything they put up.

Now, that would be a disaster. But they were off to a good start and the just needed to keep that momentum going for the next round.

“With our first challenge done and dusted and our first round of winners and eliminations out of the way, we’re on to the next challenge!” Sam announces he looks to each team and asks, “You ready, bakers?”

Everyone yells out an enthusiastic yes!

“Awesome!” Sam cheers then turns back to the camera, “Stay tuned for more Cupcake Battles, Round 2 is sure to leave you in high spirits.”

[lovecre]

this is a disaster lol

hi this is a double date fic feat. @honeycombscereal and their f/os… umm yeah

    “hey, how do you feel about double dates?” eden asked suddenly. 

 angel blinked in surprise. “where did this come from?” 

“well, it’s just…” eden sighed. “volks, cole, and poe really need to be more social. except for maybe volks, they’re been isolating themselves lately, and i’d like for them to meet nimh and stirling. maybe they’d get along?” 

angel hummed thoughtfully. “i’ll bring up the topic to them. i mean,” they continued, “it sounds like a good idea! we’ll see how it goes.” 

eden tapped his hands on the table the two were sitting at. they both had to take a break from their respective partners, and decided to meet up at a small bakery to chat. 

“actually, i’ll call up nimh now!” angel decided, dialing her timid lover’s number on their phone. 

“and i’ll text… cole, maybe?” eden pursed his lips. “yeah, cole.” turning his attention to his phone, he began to type. 

me: hey cole!! i have a question for u :O 

cole (🖤): Oh? Ask away. I’m curious now. 

me: sure!! umm how do you feel about double dates >_< 

cole (🖤): Double dates? I’m not too familiar with them, but they sound nice enough. 

cole(🖤): Why do you ask? Although, I do have a sneaking suspicion. 

me: yeap!! angel and i were like omg what if we did double dates… so i wanted to ask everyone starting with you!! <3 

cole(🖤): I’d say I’d be fine with it… As for the others, however I’m not so sure. 

cole(🖤): Perhaps it would be best if you took only I along instead. The others would simply be a hindrance…

me: yeah nice try. since ur there can u ask the others for me?? <3 and NO LYING ok <3 i WILL know 

cole(🖤): Alright, alright. I’ll ask them. 

meanwhile… 

“hey, nimh, what do you think of double dates?” angel asked over the phone.

“uhh… oh, gosh, this is sudden…” nimh stammered. “they- they’re alright? i mean, i wouldn’t mind going on one, if it was with you…” 

“is that a…yes?” 

“um! yes, that’s a yes… yes.” 

angel stifled a laugh at nimh’s unintentional antics. “okay, could you as stirling the same question?” 

“s-stirling?” nimh squeaked fearfully. angel could practically see him trembling. “er, uh… y-yes! i can… ask him!” his voice was unnaturally high-pitched. “right. i’ll just… go ask… the scary vampire man… i mean! i’ll go ask. stirling. right now. yes.” 

“…you don’t have to—“ angel started gently.

“no! no no no, i’ll do it!” nimh responded. 

“… alright, if you say so.” 

“so, how’d the convo go?” eden asked. 

“could have gone better, but i’d say it was a resounding ‘yes.’ what about you?” angel replied. 

“same here, although volks said he didn’t want to go. something about not wanting anyone else to see his ‘feral eating habits.’” eden squinted. “which is weird, because he usually doesn’t care about that. at least, not around me.… actually, now that i think about it, he does still have some ‘wolfish’ tendencies.” 

“…yeah, i wouldn’t want anyone to see that either.” angel laughed. 

a few days later, the group had decided to go to a fairly cheap restaurant, because god knows how much everyone would eat all together.

eden was waiting at one of the larger tables with cole and poe, when he spotted angel entering with her partners. 

“hey, angel! over here!” eden waved both his arms in the air. the trio made their way over to the table, sitting down. 

“hi! i’d like you all to meet eden,” angel turned to nimh and stirling. “he’s my friend, and the one that came up with this idea.” 

“um, hello!” eden waved awkwardly. “it’s… nice to meet you!” 

“uh, hi! it’s nice to meet you, too…!” nimh responded in a similarly awkward fashion. 

“a pleasure to meet you.” stirling nodded at eden, a bit distracted by all the people bustling around in the restaurant. 

eden, in turn, faced his boyfriends and gestured to angel. “and this is angel! they’re my friend, and these are her partners.” 

“uh, hey. i’m poe.” poe waved halfheartedly. 

“and i’m cole.” cole greeted shortly. 

“hello!” angel smiled at the two. “so, what kind of restaurant is this? like, what kind of food do they serve?” 

eden paused. in all the excitement of going on a double date (and getting to meet a REAL LIFE VAMPIRE), he had forgotten to check what kind of food the restaurant served. he internally prayed it wasn’t a vegan restaurant. both he and cole would have problems with that, and a hungry cole is a cole no one wants to meet. 

“i… uh.” he stalled. 

“how about we take a look at the menu?” cole quickly jumped in. “you know, it’s a bit strange that a waiter hasn’t come up to us yet.” 

as if on cue, a pink-haired girl popped up from seemingly nowhere. she smiled brightly at the group, and pulled out a notepad. 

“hey, i’m wendy, and i’ll be your server for today! now, does anyone want any drinks?” 

everyone proceeded to order their respective drinks, (except for stirling, who pulled out a suspicious bottle of red liquid, which he assured everyone was “definitely just fruit juice”— no one believed him.) 

angel got lemonade, poe and eden got soda, while nimh and cole just ordered water. 

cole was gripping eden’s hand tightly underneath the table, making it difficult for him to handle his drink carefully— it was a heavy glass, and he didn’t exactly have much muscle, okay? 

“cole. i need both hands.” eden muttered to the taller man. cole hesitated, and reluctantly let go. 

poe was listening to music on his phone—presumably something edgy—while scrolling through social media. eden elbowed him gently. 

“poe, manners!” he whispered fiercely. 

“hey, i didn’t ask to be here. i only came because you wanted me to.” he mumbled back. 

meanwhile, nimh was practically hyperventilating— there were so many intimidating people… cole kept shooting glares at him, poe had so many piercings and tattoos… not to mention STIRLING. nimh was still scared stiff of that man, and he practically has to see him every day now that they both were dating angel. angel was having to constantly pat him on the back to reassure him that she was there. 

cole and stirling kept being passive aggressive to each other, which definitely was not helping the vibe. 

“so…  you’re a mystery solver? my, that must be… quite the profession.” stirling sipped his ‘fruit juice’. 

“yes, quite. and… what’s your job, again? oh, right, figure skating.” cole replied. “i can’t imagine how… brave that must be, to wear such costumes, and showing off for everyone. oh, i mean, performing.” he finished coldly. 

stirling gritted his teeth. “goodness, thank you so much for the… compliments. you know, for someone so… plain-looking, you certainly are bold.” 

eden cleared his throat loudly. “AHEM! so, what’s everyone ordering?” 

“mashed potatoes,” poe said, not paying attention at all. 

“…wait, what? that’s it? just mashed potatoes?” eden stared at poe.

poe shrugged. “all i need.” 

“…alright… uh, what about you, nimh?” 

“h-huh?!” nimh practically jumped in his seat. “oh! um! yes! food! i’m getting… uh, o-oatmeal…?” 

“…oatmeal.” eden echoed, deadpan. 

“…uh. yes.” nimh wished the earth would swallow him up right then and there. he was stuck with eating oatmeal for lunch. did they even serve oatmeal?

“i’m having a burger, if you’re curious, eden.” cole butted in. “i’ll gladly share with you as well, my dear.” 

“ah, no thanks, i’ll stick with tomato soup.” he politely declined, causing cole to frown. 

“personally, i see eating things such as burgers so… how do i say? atrocious?” stirling sniffed. “all i need is my bl— uh, fruit juice.” 

“…anyway, i’ll probably have a sandwich, or something.” angel said, shooting stirling a warning glance. “who knows, i might have to smack someone with it if they keep being rude.” 

once the food arrived (thankfully for nimh, they did indeed serve oatmeal) the tense atmosphere had died down somewhat. stirling was managing to ignore cole’s backward insults, and instead focused on casually chatting with angel and eden. 

“so, you say you draw? do you ever draw, say… horror? perhaps surrealism?” stirling asked eden. 

“oh! um, not… not really…?” eden wasn’t quite sure how to explain that he mostly drew fanart. “i draw… people. and cute things.” 

stirling nodded. “i see… ah well, it cannot be helped.” 

“stirling. be nice.” angel muttered. 

nimh glanced over at poe’s screen, only to see a strange surreal meme. something about “stonks”. he decided to no longer look at poe’s screen and stick to sadly eating his plain oatmeal. angel noticed this, of course, and mentally noted to buy him some cookies afterwards. maybe a carrot or two. 

overall, the experience was… unique. maybe eden would bring volks next time, or maybe nimh wouldn’t be so paralyzed. maybe the restaurant wouldn’t be so weirdly ambiguous, or maybe cole wouldn’t be so… like that. who knew? definitely not eden. or anyone else, actually. i don’t know how to end this but this is the end . yeah<3 bye 

[bewaretheidesofmarchyall]

Prinxiety: A Beginner’s Guide

Hello, and welcome to the Sanders Ships: A Beginner’s Guide series! 

Back when I was new to the shipping world, I had no way of knowing where to go. Heck, I didn’t even know multi-shipping was allowed. 

This led to me rushing headlong into AO3 like a blind rhinoceros, and accidentally discovering some fun treats, like an E rated Padme/Jar-Jar fic that single-handedly peeled away what was left of my soul like an orange rind. 

Anyway, things that haunt my nightmares aside, I kind of wish I’d had some sort of guide to the ships of the week and their flavors! And I’m currently obsessed with Sanders Sides, so that’s what this series is going to be about.

I’ll be discussing the ships based off of Canon Moments, Popularity and Reputation, Fanon Interpretation, and Acclaimed Fics, as well as providing some links to fan-art.

And now, without further ado, PRINXIETY!

Canon Moments: 

Prinxiety is one of the larger ships largely due to the abundance of Canon Moments. Here are some highlights*:

Roman: If you had to have a New Year’s Resolution, what would it be?Virgil: Probably to find darker eyeshadow to match my soul.            Roman: You are an emo nightmare.                                                      Virgil [taking it as a compliment: Thank you.                                              (A New Year of Lying to Myself... In Song!!, 6:26.)

Pretty much their entire sinking out scene in The Dark Side Of Disney (beginning at 5:14)

And the end-credit scene of The Dark Side Of Disney (5:45)

Pretty much all of The Dark Side Of Disney, to be honest.

Roman: What’re you laughing at, Hot Topic?                                              Virgil: Aww, you think I’m hot.                                                                      ALLOW ME TO REPEAT THAT                                                                  Virgil: Aww, you think I’m hot.                                                            (This momentous event occurs during Alone On VALENTINE’S DAY!, 7:34)

The end credit scene of Alone On VALENTINE’S DAY!, beginning at 8:18. THEY HOLD HANDS.

Roman calls Virgil his “Chemically Imbalanced Romance” at 1:07 of Am I ORIGINAL?

Yogurting                                                                                                       (Am I ORIGINAL?, 3:52)

“You’re just too darn cute!”                                                                            (Making Some Changes!, 6:14)

Everyone Loves The Villain, the figurehead of this ship.                       (Becoming a CARTOON!, 5:23)

Roman: Anxiety is the fairest of them all!                                                     (Becoming a CARTOON!, 7:28)

Roman’s “You Make Us Better” speech in Accepting Anxiety Part 2            (7:07)

“You...rescued me!”                                                                                      (Accepting Anxiety Part 2, 8:35)

MOVING ON, Part 1, 12:28 (it’s an overlooked one, but a good one)

Roman’s FACE when Virgil sings his line in The Sanders Sides 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! (8:46)

When Virgil tells Roman that no one hates him in Learning New Things About Ourselves (28:12)

When Roman says that making fun of things is how he shows his love in the first Sanders Asides and then you re-watch everything and scream internally because he’s in love with Virgil (and also Logan, but that’s another story for another day)

Finally, Sally’s Song existing on Virgil’s playlist (although that has also been interpreted as Anxceit).

Popularity and Reputation:

Prinxiety is the #1 most popular ship in this fandom at 4,200 fics on AO3 (the runner-up is Logicality at 3,331 fics). 

The combination of Prinxiety and Logicality are considered the biggest ships of Sanders Sides. They’re often the first ships to be shipped for a new fander as well as the overall most popular.

As with any popular ship, there are people who will dismiss it as “basic”. Though it is often the first step in a fander’s shipping journey, some people will choose it as their only step, and that’s fine! 

Pizza’s a basic food too. Pizza’s also a gift from the heavens! (Although if you don’t like pizza, that’s okay too. Don’t harass people for liking or not liking pizza, kids.)

Fanon Interpretation:

Here’s the Fanon Recipe™️

3 cups of Rivals To Friends To Lovers

1 1/2 tablespoons of Nicknames (additional witty banter can be added, it’s up to taste and how witty the author is feeling (by which I mean “Did The Author Get Enough Sleep”))

1/4 teaspoon of Height Difference (can be for either of them, often Virgil)

2 teaspoons of Watching/Debating Disney Movies Together (add Virgil bringing up Black Cauldron and Roman laughing about how much of an emo nightmare he is to taste)

A couple pinches of One Is Popular And One Is Not (be warned: this is a volatile ingredient. Use with caution. Or just toss an entire container of it in, because it’s fanfic and there are no rules)

Add Belief That Their Love Is Unrequited Due To Misunderstanding to taste

Acclaimed Fics:

When I say “Acclaimed”, I mean that these are the fics that have received the most public approval. That doesn’t necessarily mean that any of these fics are better than less recognized fics (they could be, but that’s unconnected to the public viewing). 

Anyway, these are the five most kudoed fics!

#5, Keep him Safe: This fic seems to be some kind of detective au based off of the description. At least, there’s definitely crime involved. 

It is 34 chapters long and a work in progress that was last worked on on May 12th.

IT IS RATED E, KEEP THIS IN MIND. I have not read the fic, only the summary and tags, and so cannot tell you exactly why it is rated E. However, I can tell you that it is tagged with Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Abusive Relationship, and Rape/Non-Con Elements. 

Basically, proceed with caution. Read it HERE

#4, To Make A Home: This seems to be a high school AU.

It is 29 chapters long and a work in progress that was last worked on on August 22nd.

It is rated M. Keep this in mind. It is tagged with warnings for Eating Disorders, Minor Character Death, Car Accidents, Panic Attacks, Underage Drinking, and Attempted Sexual Assault. Keep these in mind.

I’ll also note that it’s tagged as Angst, yes, but also Angst With A Happy Ending. 

Read it HERE

#3, Powerless: I have to say, this fic kind of has a reputation as The Fic of this fandom. And you know what? It deserves the title.

Sorry. As someone who’s supposed to be presenting fics based on acclaim instead of quality, I should be objective. But it’s just....it’s stuck with me.

Anyway, it’s a Superhero AU where approximately 0.04% of the population doesn’t have superpowers. Surprise, surprise, a good chunk of the main characters are Unabled. 

It’s 21 chapters long and a completed work. It is rated T. 

Read it HERE 

#2, Probable Theorem: Read it HERE, this fic is a sequel to the #1 fic on this list, which is [drum-roll please]

#1, A Lesson In Practicality: This fic is also a Superhero AU (those are a bit of a theme for this ship).

It’s 25 chapters long, and a completed work. 

It is rated T, and tagged with Graphic Depictions Of Violence.

There’s some Logicality on the side, and it’s the slowest of burns.

Read It HERE

Fanart

Here’s some links to fanart**!

FANART, FANART, FANART, FANART, FANART, AND MORE FANART!

In conclusion, Prinxiety is a widespread ship with lots of canon moments and a fun rivals-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, buy Prinxiety today!

*All of these are more shippy when watched than when transcribed. Thomas is very good at showing emotions in his face.

**I wrote this fairly quickly, and so have not contacted the artists of these works of art. If you find your fanart on this post and would like it removed, tell me and I’ll remove it, no questions asked.

[lutrain2020]

Meet the Creator!

Introducing: Squido!

Commission:  I haven't and don't really intend to. I don't want to take anyone's hard-earned money. Just ask me to draw things and there's a good chance I will.

Social Media:  Tumblr: @sky-squido​ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_squido/pseuds/sky_squido

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Call me Squido! I love to draw and write but I'm also super extraverted and I love interacting with humans so always feel free to chat with me! Aside from drawing and writing, I just love being outside and have a tumblr sideblog dedicated exclusively to nature photos I take. I love mountains, the ocean, the sky, and just about everything else in this beautiful world of ours! If you ever feel like having an internet stranger give you a thousand word rant, ask me why my favorite color is blue and you will not be disappointed!

What got you into creating? what inspires you to keep creating?

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember and can't seem to stop, though I take long breaks sometimes I always seem to come back to it again. I try not to have anything in mind when I draw, but to start sketching and let the drawing happen. Sometimes I find that what I'm trying to draw is not what my drawing wants to be (if that makes any sense) and change what I'm making halfway through. It makes drawing a really relaxing and carefree therapeutic experience! Writing is different. I've always enjoyed writing, but I didn't write much and never shared my writing with anyone because I thought it was super pretentious. It wasn't until entering High School and joining the literature club and making a deal with a friend that we'd share our writing with each other that I actually gained any sort of confidence in my ability and sought to improve it. Being in that club and sharing my pieces at the open mics was a really encouraging experience! I invite everyone to share their writing, even if it's with some random internet stranger (I'm open anytime!) if they're unsure of their abilities. A little encouragement goes a long way! Now that I'm on Discord, ao3, and tumblr, I receive so much more feedback than I ever have before! It's been super encouraging! What inspires me most is definitely nature. Even if my ideas aren't directly related to the outdoors, I get my best ideas there. Fandoms are also a great idea generator. The sheer volume of headcanons and prompts is enough to make me dizzy with ideas!

What's your creative process like?

I love sketching. My favorite thing about drawing digitally is that I can sketch as much as I like and never worry about wasting materials! Often times my sketches turn themselves into drawings without permission and other times they stubbornly remain sketches for all eternity. I always dive right in because I have no patience and the idea I started out with generally isn't that great but in the process of pursuing it, it spirals out of control and sometimes the idea gets better and sometimes it gets worse but I just kinda roll with it. Creating is a really chill process for me and while I regularly scream stuff like "I'M DRAWING ON THE WRONG LAYER NONONONONONO" or "NO HECK FRICK SHOOT IT SMUDGED HECK HECK GET THE ERASER QUICK," the creative process is a great way for me to unwind. I'm the same way about writing. I never plan or outline and just kind of roll with things. I mean I generally have the basic jist in mind, but I try to not have a plan so I can keep the story driven by the characters and not force them into acting the way I wanted them to in the outline I made hours or even days ago. Creating is my opportunity to break free so I don't really see what good a plan or outline does me. I'm a pretty spontaneous person!

What kind of mediums do you like to use?

I like to take pictures, but it's not really my main focus. I've been mostly digitally drawing—I use my iPad Pro and Procreate—but lately I've been pencil sketching with just your average everyday mechanical pencil (I'd forgotten how nice the texture of paper was! Clearly I spent too much time drawing on my iPad!). I have these Stabilio chalk pastels I love to pieces, but have also spent a great deal of time with watercolors. Digital is my primary medium currently, though.

Is there a specific scene wrote that you are particularly proud of?

"Sky’s golden scales are glowing with reflected light from the sun while beneath them, the same pulsing blue in her mane runs like a river as her very skin is alive with electricity. The sun’s beginning to dip, fading through the color wheel from yellow to deep orange to scarlet and the world is bathed in watercolor and hue shifted through the rainbow until all that was blue becomes red. This new alien world begins to darken as red fades to deep purple-pink, the clouds catching last vestiges of gold in their pillowy folds, yet Sky continues rippling with lighting, the bright blue flowing like blood through her veins and the gold shimmering in the eerie azure glow. We weave through the winds and zephyrs and I close my eyes and let the breeze caress my hair and when I reopen them, I’m standing back on the ground again in a world long since darkened by night. I place my hand over my beating heart where Sky is still laughing with joy and smile because once you’ve awakened your dragon, you don’t need wings to fly anymore."

Is there someone who inspires you and your writing or art?

Every fanartist and fanfic writer that posts their stuff online is an inspiration to me. Even if their stuff isn't very good—especially if it isn't very good—it's a huge testament to the courage of the creator and their bravery in expressing themself! I sat on fanfic and fanart for years and never shared it and here were kids half my age putting out art that was their first experiment in a new medium and a little shaky but it was still out there and they were still being supported by the community and that really inspired me to reach out and stop lurking in fandom and actually get involved!

is there something that you struggled with that made you grow as a creator?

I feel like everyone has these periods where they were just gaining confidence in their artistic ability but suddenly everything they make is trash and they're not happy with any of it and they feel so down and worthless and "where did all of my hard-earned ability go? Will I ever get it back?" I think this is a pretty common experience and when I find myself there, I find it most helpful to share what I make anyway, even if I hate it, with someone who I know will give it to me straight because they'll point out the deeper problems—the root of the issue—that I hadn't even noticed and I can use that information to grow as an artist. Bad pieces are just as valuable as good ones. There was also a time where I had a lot of trouble developing a style. I did a lot of experimenting and never found anything I liked. What happened is I just kept drawing and whatever popped out eventually evolved into my style. I used to get frustrated that I couldn't draw anything without a reference, but after years and years of using references and drawing some of the same things over and over again, you won't need the references anymore. I mean, they're great and you should always feel free to use them, but over time, you won't need to look up a picture of every little thing you try to doodle.

What got you into writing or art?

My silly twitchy fingers can't ever seem to stop drawing! Same with writing. Words and ideas follow me around, little plot bunnies pestering me until they get written down somewhere. I was greatly inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis in my writing, especially his Cosmic Trilogy. My art style was aided by Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist, which was a valuable stepping stone in developing my own style. Other than that, it was my own insatiable desire to MAKE THINGS that spurred me onwards. I don't think I could stop if I tried!

What's your favorite part of the creative process?

After you've got that first paragraph and you've found a flow and you've got a topic and you just GO. I get into the zone and the story starts happening on its own and I'm not an author anymore, I'm just a channel between the world of the piece and the page. That's my favorite. I love watching things take shape. I love shading a sketch for these same reasons. The whole drawing comes together and becomes A Thing and it's the most exciting time to be a creator. Something else inside you has taken over and you're just along for the ride. I have no idea if my experiences are common at all but this is what it's like for me!

What's your least favorite part of the creative process?

EDITING. I HAVE ZERO PATIENCE. THE THING IS DONE. WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP LOOKING AT IT. CAN I POST IT YET. This leaves me with a lot of holes in what I make and I can't do a very clean, super detailed drawing unless it's for an art class and I'm forced to keep working on it. I have a terrible habit of never proofreading my things!

What's your favorite type of scene to write?

AAH hard question! I love writing description and places where I can really let my inner 19th century romantic be unleashed but I also love a good emotional moment between two characters. Something tense. I like fight scenes, but I try to keep them brief and interesting. Sometimes I find scenes where I have no idea what's going on and I try to avoid that, but it's really hard sometimes.

What's the hardest for you to create?

I have so much trouble with endings. I can generally figure something out, but there's always a moment of panic before the end like "heck I wrote everything I wanted how do I wrap this up????" That's probably a byproduct of me planning nothing XD I sometimes have trouble with characterization and making sure everyone acts the way they actually would. The hardest part is continuing after you have an "oh heck what do I do now" moment that breaks you out of your zone and all of your ideas and plot threads turn invisible or evaporate or go wherever it is they go when you're looking for them.

What's your favorite genre to write?

ANGST ANGST ANGST ANGST. Wellll... scratch that. I love something adventure-y and plot driven with a lot of really meaningful character interactions. I've always had trouble putting my writing into genres, but I guess that kind of speaks for itself in a way.

What fandoms do you enjoy creating for?

Linked Universe is the fandom I have created and posted the most for by a LONG SHOT. I found LU shortly after making my tumblr and I joined the Discord shortly thereafter. Since then, it has been nonstop inspiration and creativity for me! I tend to get sucked into one fandom and it consumes me for a few months before I silently drift out of it and never think about it again. LU is the fandom I've been the most active in EVER though—and it's still going—so there's a good chance I'm never getting off this ride.

What's the work you are most proud of?

AAAAAAAAAAH MY BABIES. okay um here's the first and only fanfic I've ever posted anywhere but I'm really happy with: https://sky-squido.tumblr.com/post/618964544219463680/turn-back-time-a-linked-universe-fanfic I have a lot of other pieces kicking about, but they're not fandom so I haven't shared them yet. I probably will after I touch them up a bit.

Do you have any fics inspired by real life stories?

Not really? I don't really know where my ideas come from to be honest!

Where do you post your finished works?

my tumblr. I tag stuff #squido writes and #squido draws so you can find them easily. I also put them on the discord but they get lost in the stream of other works pretty quickly so stick to my tumblr. I also have an ao3 now! https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_squido

If you have any fun stories about the pieces you made, please do share!

Turn Back Time was actually live written in the Discord, but entirely unplanned and in the #angst channel! It was just a headcanon but then I started describing it and like 2 hours and 5k words later I'm sitting in the Discord like "what just happened??"