#but i’m excited. i’m trying to be anyway. i was at apple today getting the ipad and the guy and i were talking about college

[mangoisms]

so the plan is to Briefly pause my work on the nikolai fic and turn around to finish those oneshots i was talking about. Have been talking about for the past. two weeks. id LIKE to finish them today but i have no idea if that’s possible. realistically i suppose today and tomorrow i’ll work on them. id like to finish them today just bc i do have stuff to do tomorrow (see: reading that 90 page article for an assignment due on wednesday) and it would definitely be After i did that. so. we’ll see

[lu-dao-writes]

The Sound Of Your Voice (Geo Oogami)

Warning(s): Geo being emotionally constipated, gn!reader, can be read as platonic or romantic.

A/N: Geo has taken over my brain and it’s all thanks to @vibelladonna lol. Seriously, I love how she writes Geo, and it’s hilarious how his little gag game came out yesterday after I finished writing this. This is also me trying to see if I can write him well enough. Anyways, enjoy! REMEMBER THAT THIS GAME IS 18+ ONLY. RESPECT THE CREATOR’S WISHES.

That tell-tale ringtone cuts through the calming silence Geo was basking in, those aquamarine eyes slowly sliding open and a rush of air surging out from his nostrils.

Geo knows fully well who it is that was calling him, and he knows that his two hour meditation session is now promptly over with. He’s in no hurry to get his phone, knowing that if he does miss it, you’ll just call him back anyways.

“Hey, Geo!” comes your exuberant voice and energy slamming into him with full force.

“What is it now?” he asks flatly, beginning to clean up his setup as you begin to describe every little big and small detail about your day.

“Classes were so boring and the day was so long!” you whine.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep. I was also given two projects that are both due next week! Ugh, I swear these professors have it out for us!”

“You can say that again,” Geo mutters, prepping the tea kettle for his after meditation tea.

“We missed you today at lunch, by the way. Oh! You missed Britt scaring the absolute shit outta Deryl! Poor guy’s soda shot straight outta his nose!”

“Gross,” he mutters with a barely there chuckle.

“Yeah, pretty gross,” you snicker. “But also hilarious. Just disappointed it wasn’t captured on video for memories.”

“Wouldn’t want to see it anyways.”

The phone call goes well into the late evening with Geo still willing to entertain you, even though he had many other productive things he could be doing. Your conversation drifted from events on campus to other topics that appeared in that head of yours.

Somehow you managed to even rope him into watching some silly drama show you were currently obsessed over.

Geo isn’t one to do phone calls; it’s just not his thing, and he doesn’t ever like wasting his precious time or breath on useless things. But he makes an exception for you because he’s found that he oddly… Enjoys it.

Not that he’d admit that, or venture into why he does. Hell no.

Geo tells himself it’s because he’s bored and he tolerates you, or that you pitifully couldn’t find anyone else to hang out with and used him as a last resort.

He shouldn’t care.

He doesn’t care.

“Why do you constantly call me?” he asks bluntly, his words cutting through your ramblings.

You sputter and Geo finds himself waiting without a word, his patience slowly burning away like a candle wick.

“I… Well…!”

“Well, what?” he asks, his tone sharper than he wanted it.

You then sigh and Geo listens as you swallow down the liquid left in your can from your beverage of choice. “I just like the sound of your voice,” is your answer. It’s genuine with only a hint of vulnerability. “And of course I just like talking to you.”

Geo, to his embarrassment, doesn’t know how to respond, as if his train of thought ran into a brick wall and shattered into millions of pieces.

“I know you’re pretty unsociable,” you start with a tease, and his lips pucker into a small pout, eyes narrowed into a mostly harmless glare. “But I’m surprised you’re even indulging me with this. I thought you’d just ignore my calls.”

His Adam’s apple bobs slowly, his swallow slightly audible. “I’m bored and I tolerate you and your nonsense,” he finally replies, cool as a cucumber.

Geo hears you giggle and the urge to scowl and bitch at you begins to rise.

“Alright, Geo,” you continue to chuckle. “You down for one more episode?”

He sighs with faux annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against his pillows. “I guess…”

“Yes!!” you cheer, and Geo can’t stop his lips from twitching at your excitement.

decor credits to:@/dragonscale-lunaris, velaazuretail, necroangelz

[mummyemmatojames]

35. A Fussy Toddler: Naptime to the Rescue

Hello, lovely community! Emma here, your Mummy-in-training, with an update on our MDLB and FLR journey after an interesting day with James. He was a fussy little toddler all morning, and after trying to manage it, I stumbled onto a solution that worked wonders—a surprise nap. It’s added a great new tool to my Mummy toolbox, and I’m excited to share how it played out!

A Morning of Fussiness

Today started off rocky—James was fussy from the moment he got up (after I went to get him, per our new morning rule). He kept asking for things in this whiny, restless way that’s rare for him lately. First, it was access to his phone—I’d locked it to 4+ apps, but he wanted more, so I gave in and let him have it for a bit. Then he asked for a biscuit, even though he knows he needs my permission for snacks and I’d rather he have fruit. Next, he begged to play Call of Duty, which he knows Mummy doesn’t like—it’s too grown-up and intense for his little space. It went on like this—pushing one boundary after another, his tone getting grumpier each time I said no or redirected him.

I could tell he wasn’t himself. Normally, he’s pretty good about our rules, but today, it was like he couldn’t settle—everything was a battle, and I was starting to feel worn out. He wasn’t tantruming, just persistently fussy, like a toddler who’s overtired or out of sorts. I tried distracting him with his train set, then a little nursing session, but nothing stuck. That’s when it hit me—maybe he needed a nap.

Naptime Without Warning

I decided to act without overthinking it. Around 11:00 AM, after another round of “But Muuuummy, why not?” about something trivial, I took his hand and said firmly, “That’s enough, sweetheart. It’s nap time.” He looked surprised—no warning, no negotiation—and I led him straight to bed. I grabbed one of the formula bottles I’ve been using to top up his feeds (since I’m not producing enough milk), warmed it up quick, and tucked him in with it. “You’re going to rest now,” I told him, popping the bottle in his mouth and pulling the covers up. He grumbled a little—“I’m not tired, Mummy”—but didn’t fight me hard.

I left the room, turned on the baby monitor, and watched. To my amazement, he was asleep within 20 minutes, bottle half-finished, curled up like a little boy. I’d planned to leave him for a full hour anyway, just to be sure he got a proper break, so I let him stay there, checking the monitor now and then. When I went back at noon to get him up, he was just stirring, rubbing his eyes with this soft, sleepy smile. “Hi, Mummy,” he mumbled, and I could tell the fussiness was gone—he was so much happier, like a reset button had been hit.

A Happier Afternoon—and Bedtime Too

The rest of the day was a dream compared to the morning. James didn’t fuss or complain once after his nap—he played with his Lego quietly, asked for a snack (an apple, which I happily cut up for his safari bowl), and even thanked me without prompting. It was like the grumpiness had melted away, and he was back to his sweet, cooperative self. I’d worried the nap might throw off his early 8:30 PM bedtime—since he already gets plenty of sleep with his 7:30 routine start—but it didn’t. Tonight, he nursed, took his formula top-up, and fell asleep as usual, no fuss at all. The nap seemed to slot right into his day without disrupting anything.

A New Tool in Mummy’s Box

This was such a revelation—a nap as a tool for handling fussiness! I know James gets enough sleep with his early bedtime, so I hadn’t thought he’d need more, but today showed me that even a well-rested little boy can get out of sorts sometimes. That 20-minute snooze (and the full hour of quiet) turned his mood around completely, and it gave me a break too—I sipped tea and regrouped while he rested. It’s definitely going in my Mummy toolbox now—not an everyday thing, but a go-to when he’s fussy or pushing boundaries like he was this morning.

I love how it fits our dynamic too—leading him to bed with a bottle, tucking him in, and checking the monitor felt so natural, like I’m caring for my toddler when he needs it most. It’s another way to guide him, reset him, and keep our day on track. I might even try it again next time he’s cranky—maybe with a little warning so he’s not so surprised, though the no-discussion approach worked well today.

What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear from the community—have you used naps as a fix for fussiness in your dynamic? How do you decide when it’s time, especially if they already sleep early like James? For those with bottles in the mix, does it help settle them for naps like it did for him? And if you’ve got other tricks for turning a fussy day around, I’d be so grateful—I’m always eager to add to my toolbox!

Thank you for being here as we discover these little wins. Seeing James happier after his nap made my day, and I’m so glad this worked out.

With all my love,

Emma (aka Mummy) 💕

[mamawasatesttube]

as per the poll results, i wrote around 2k of timkon autumnal indulgence today 🌾🍂🥧

The midmorning wind is brisk, and Tim is glad for the scarf he stole from Kon’s wardrobe earlier. It’s cozy and warm, and it smells like him, and every now and then, when Kon’s busy charming a customer,  Tim buries his nose in it just to indulge. Gertrude catches him pressing the end to his cheek once and titters again, and he looks away quickly under the guise of restocking the pickles on the end of the table.

Pretending to be Kon’s boyfriend for the morning shift at a farmer’s market isn’t the worst thing—it’s not like it’s a date, where Kon’s attention would be on him the whole time, and he’d be overthinking every brush of their fingers. It’s easy to fall into step working by Kon’s side, just like on the battlefield; he handles the cash and the logbook, helps Kon keep the tables fully stocked and neatly arranged, and refills the stand of business cards when they run low.

Kon handles most of the talking—he’s the one who can answer questions about the fruits, veggies, eggs, and the farm in general, and the regulars who swing by all already know him. Tim mostly gets to just smile and wave, nibbling on some carrot sticks between refills from the enormous Thermos of apple cider Kon made for them this morning.

It’s surprisingly peaceful, overall. Sure, it’s fast-paced work, especially when bigger groups come through, and it’s not boring, but Tim finds himself taken aback by how serene it is to stand here in the parking lot of the Smallville Community Center, listening to Kon ramble about chickens (“Hennifer and Leon S. Hennedy got into a fight over some squash pieces the other day, and when I went in to break it up, they both unionized to bite me! Can you believe, the audacity of it all!”).

Penny catches his eye from her camp chair, tipping her styrofoam cup of coffee at him with a knowing glint in her eye. “Honeymoon phase, eh?” she chuckles. “When you can’t stop looking at him and swooning. Everything he does makes you melt, am I right?”

“What?!” Tim is not—he’s not swooning. Or melting, or—or anything of that sort! He’s just standing here. Normally. Suavely, even. “That’s not—I’m not doing that!”

Penny laughs at him, actually slapping her knee as if that’s the funniest thing she’s heard all week. “Sure you’re not, sonny. Oh, you have it bad for Conner. I can’t believe he didn’t bring you ‘round sooner!”

Yeah, well, he only asked Tim to be his fake boyfriend last night, so big surprise there. Tim gulps down the last of his cider as the memory replays in his head for the millionth time.

Right before bed, as they were settling down for the night, Kon plopped down next to him, looking oddly uncertain. He was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, Tim remembers; it stood out at the time, too, because that’s something Kon always does when he gets antsy.

“Hey, Rob,” he said, cheeks pink. “So y’know how there’s the farmer’s market tomorrow? Well, the stall next to ours is run by these two ladies—Gertrude and Penny, they’re super nice, but—well, they keep trying to set me up with Penny’s grandson, and I—man, it’s getting awkward! And, I mean… you’re, you know… you’re my—you’re you, like…”

He trailed off, then, ducking his head, and then reached over and grabbed Tim’s hand. Tim blinked at him, scooting closer, and sleepily lay his head on Kon’s shoulder, and Kon relaxed again at his side.

“So, whaddya say we call tomorrow a date?” Kon’s laughter was nervous, but sweet. “I know, a farmer’s market stall isn’t, like, the most exciting date spot, but we’re in Smallville, so I dunno how high you can set your expectations for that kinda thing, anyway, and hey, it’d get Gertrude and Penny off my back by Bingo next Sunday, so…?”

And Tim’s heart did some weird, flip-floppy, delighted-but-dismayed maneuvers in his chest, because Kon was asking him on a date just to get some old ladies to stop pestering him about his love life. If only it was for real, because he wanted to date Tim, but… Tim will take what he can get, he supposes.

So he said yes, because of course he said yes—how can he ever say no to Kon, when Kon looks at him with those big, soft eyes all full of hope and warmth? Ugh. It’s no fair how cute Kon can be without even trying.

And now here Tim is.

Pining. At a farmer’s market.

[mizuki-herazaki]

TWST How the characters say Happy Birthday to MC part 2

Back again with part 2 this includes Savanaclaw and Pomefiore!! Enjoy! Part 1 part 3!

Ruggie and Leona 

Yuu is in their next class and sees Leona and Ruggie walk in. Leona completely ignores Yuu and sits behind them. Ruggie sighs and says “Come on Leona at least say happy birthday! Jeez, anyways Happy Birthday Yuu!” 

“Thanks Ruggie!” Yuu say with a smile and then Ruggie continues talking

“I didn’t exactly get you a present but I can share some secrets with you on how to get discounts or smuggle food!” he snickers.

Yuu laughs  with him “That’d be nice!”

Ruggie then sits next to Leona and leans towards him with a grin “Sooo~ Leona what’s your gift gonna be? I’m sure you got some pricey items!” He says jokingly.

Leona scowls “Nothing! Now shut it!”

Yuu crosses their arms with a pout and Leona starts to feel kind of bad but ignores it. 

At the end of class as Yuu are leaving Leona pats their head as he walks away in front “Have a good day herbivore. It’s all yours” he says without looking back at them. Yuu smiles at his back watching him leave.

Jack Howl

It’s time for gym and Jack is doing push ups until he spots Yuu. He gets up excitedly with a smile “Happy Birthday Yuu! I Have a gift just wait 5 seconds here” 

He runs across to the other side of the track, picks up a box, and runs back, seemingly actually timing himself. He celebrates actually doing it within five seconds and then holds out the box to Yuu “Here you go!”

Yuu goes to grab the box but gets a bit shocked by the weight of it and stumbles. Yuu carefully places the box down and opens it to reveal an adjustable weighted vest.

“U-umm thanks~!” Yuu said with a polite smile.

Jack excitedly smiles back “Right! Come on, try it now! It’ll make gym class much more of a challenge and more fun too!”

Yuu smiles awkwardly but cannot say no to his genuine excitement. 

*Gym was exceptionally tiring for Yuu this time around*

Rook and Vil

After gym ends Yuu get a break before you’re next class. While sitting on a bench outside of the school building Rook and Vil are seen walking in your direction. Vil Eyes you up and down with a disappointed look “Oh no honey you look like  a wet poodle, we can’t have that on your birthday” He says simply. Rook Happily shouts from behind Vil before getting closer “Happy Birthday Mademoiselle” *Mwah Mwah* he says while kissing the sides of your cheeks and then continuing “We shall make thee look Magnifique today! As it is your special day!” He shouts more, yuu basically seeing a raining rose filter surround him.

“Thanks Rook” you respond. And then you are basically dragged off to Pomefiore Dorm.

MAKEOVER TIME! They dress Yuu up in a super nice outfit and Vil does your hair, finishing up the look with a crown and makeup.

“PERFECT 100 POINTS!!!” Rook shouts

“Yes spudling you actually look presentable for once, but of course since I dolled you up” Vil says with a satisfied smile, proud of himself.

Vil then gives you a nice looking bottle “Anyways here is your gift, It’s a skin moisturizing spray. Use it daily and your skin will be as smooth and soft as mine…one day anyways…maybe”.

Yuu laughs and thanks them as they get ready to leave.

Epel Felmier

As you are about to leave Pomefiore Epel spots Yuu and runs over “Hey wait up Yuu!”

You turn around to see him and stop “Hey Epel!” You smile.

Epel freezes as he looks at Yuu “...Woah you look beautiful!”

Yuu laughed a bit and then responded “Thanks! Rook and Vil just finished helping me out”

Epel laughs too “Sounds like them! Anyways, here's your gift handmade by yours truly! Mee mah taught me how to make them!” He says happily showing Yuu a crochet brooch in the shape of an apple.

“Aww~ so cute!!” You look at it in awe.

“Haha Thanks! I really tried hard” He attaches the brooch to your jacket with a smile. “Well happy birthday again! See you later!”

“Yep Later!” You say waving goodbye.

[twelverriver]

heyy :) so I saw your post about the new willemijn podcast interview and the translation thing and was wondering if you could dm it to me cause I really want to know what she said and I don’t have Apple Music cause I’m poor lol 😂

hello :)

I decided to just write a whole transcript of the thing because there are probably more people wanting to read it so I put it in a google doc and also down below if u dont wanna open links i hope this doesnt crash my post <3 tell me if there's any problems with it ! anyway i ALSO dont have apple music i was able to create a free try month so i don't have to pay for it 🙏

link to the episode + the translation below!

Notes: The Interviewer’s name is Jenny btw bc I will be using her name instead of Interviewer in the transcript :) Also WIllemijn mostly talks in like one really long sentence with pauses in between and I’ve tried to stay true to that, but sometimes it just works in German, but not really in English when you’re trying to make it make sense of it with the different syntaxes, so I added more periods to the sentences. Sometimes, her flow of speech is not exactly how I put it down here but I tried my best to convey it like she said it! 

Jenny: Hey, my name is Jenny and welcome to a new episode of “...listens to” today with Willemijn Verkaik, and I’m very happy you all tuned in for it. You know how this works, we always ask our favourite musicians what they listen to privately, and I’m very excited about today’s guest. Hello!

Willemijn: Hello, I’m happy to be here.

Jenny: I’m going to introduce Willemijn now for everyone who might not know her. She’s a real power woman, and she’s truly one of the best voices in the musical scene of our time. She already charmed audiences all over the world in Wicked and in her iconic role as Elsa in Frozen, and she’s not just fantastic on stage, but she’s also a great inspiration for everyone, who dream big themselves. Now you can be excited for exciting/thrilling insights and especially into the music she listens to most in her own life. I’m excited to hear what you chose for the first song, what is it?

Willemijn: Something that maybe no one expected, and thanks for this introduction, that was really kind, thank you. What many people don’t expect from me, just a very happy song from Wham! I grew up with that, and I’m a big fan of George Michael and this is “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” 

Jenny: That’s definitely a song everyone immediately knows and everyone knows it just gets you in a good mood, so I would suggest just starting with the song before we say too much right now, and then we will talk about the song more later on. Here is Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

The song plays -

Jenny: What a song! What does it make you feel when you listen to it?

Willemijn: I want jump up and get on a chair and dance… I was nine years old when it came out, and it is so fun, it gets you in such a good mood and energizes you, and yes, now that I’m a few years older, I still want to jump up and dance to it. 

Jenny: Amazing. Which song from your list is next?

WIllemijn: Next is a really special song, that is “Annie’s Song” from John Denver and I chose it for this list because it’s very close to the heart. We always went everywhere with the car with the whole car, really everywhere and my dad always put on this song, this music on the radio and I think John Denver is such a special musician and has such a wonderful, warm voice and then this song, Annie’s song, that is very special to me because I am also a person who loves nature and these metaphors that he’s always using, to compare love and life with nature, that is just so beautiful and with such a fantastic melody, I can always listen to it, my heart feels warm, and I get … what is it called? Tingles over my skin (she was looking for a German word here) 

Jenny: Chills 

Willemijn: Oh yes, exactly, I get chills all over and I can always listen to it, every day, every hour. 

Jenny: I’m very excited because we all also want to feel what you just described. Get ready because here is Annie’s song by John Denver now.

Song plays - 

Jenny: I immediately knew what you meant with the way your heart grows warm, the song is so…-

Willemijn: Yeah 

Jenny: so comforting somehow when you listen to it-

Willemijn: Yes.

Jenny: and I can totally feel what you feel, what you described. 

Willemijn: Very good, because the song is a bit older of course, because the youth of today hasn’t listened to it, doesn’t know it as well, but I would recommend listening to a few songs of his because they’re really… really beautiful. (she’s using a really informal tone of voice/language here, like she’s talking to a friend when she addresses the audience here)

Jenny: The next song you brought with you is one that has a special meaning for you, I think, I believe, and it is from a musical that made into the cinema again-

WIllemijn: That’s true (but more used like an agreeing yeah here).

Jenny: and it has fans over the whole world and it’s a really big thing, it’s a song from Wicked - the Witches from Oz. (that’s the German title for the musical)

Willemijn: Exactly.

Jenny: Tell us more about it, what song did you choose, why did you choose this song and what meaning does it have for you?

Willemijn: Yeah, the song is called “Frei und Schwerelos” in German ((Defying Gravity German Version. The translation of the German title would be “Free and weightless/gravityless”), the song has so much meaning for me because in 2007, I heard that I will play the main character in Wicked, the main character, Elphaba, a girl who was born green and was ostracized and hated because she was born green, from her family but also her environment, and she decides anyway to fight against wrong doing and yeah, it is an unbelievably beautiful story that she tells and now there’s a movie in cinemas and I really hope Wicked gets a boost again, also in Germany, because it is a very beautiful story with amaaazing music by Stephen Schwartz and Defying Gravity is at the end of the first act, where she says Hey I’m strong enough, and I can fight against injustice and I feel free and weightless, and I will fight for that.

Jenny: Yeah, and I really like that Wicked is now on the big screen and Wicked gets a boost and people are enchanted again [by it], so let us listen to it now, here’s “Frei und Schwerelos” (Defying Gravity German Version) sung by you. 

Song plays -

Jenny: It feels immediately like you’re in a different world, like I totally forgot that we’re here recording an episode because you’re immediately so immersed in such a magical world. Do you still remember all the words to this song, that it’s just so powerful that you’ll never forget it or are you more a project-to-project and then the lyrics are gone person?

Willemijn: I’m actually more of a project-to-project focused person because I feel like it’s better for my brain, but just this song I have sung so many times, not just in the musical but also on concerts and I still remember these lyrics well, yeah, I think. 

(They laugh)

Jenny: That song will probably always be a part of you and a part of your being and-

Willemijn: Yeah, exactly.

Jenny: the next song has equal importance because I just think it’s a song, a play/musical, a movie that has excited people all over the world, and it’s Disney’s Frozen. I think it has captured so many little girls and women and boys and also adults, the whole story, and what does the song mean for you and which song is it? 

Willemijn: It is, of course, Lass jetzt los (German Let It Go) and I am incredibly proud that I was allowed to sing Elsa’s voice back in 2013. When I sang it in the studio, I knew hey that’s a beautiful song and it’s going to be successful, but that it is going to be SO successful and that children who can’t even speak their own language yet can already sing the song… and that is captivating young and old people the same, that is so beautiful and I’m so proud of being a part of that, it’s really great and that I was in Hamburg last year on stage in the Theater an der Elbe playing Elsa on stage was a full circle moment and kind of the cherry on top, I would say.

Jenny: Let’s listen to it again and here it is, Lass jetzt los by Willemijn Verkaik. 

Song plays - 

Jenny: I think the song is so touching, you’ll cry instantly when you listen to it, I don’t know what it is about, can you explain that or what the song makes you feel?

Willemijn: I hear the song in a different way, I hear myself sing, and I think about different things of course (they laugh), but I could never really explain it, because many people ask why is this song so… why is this song, this movie so successful and I uhh.. I also don’t know. I once asked the writers what is your magic, what is this and they said we just started writing and that is so beloved is a gift for us as well. They’re just brilliant, the authors who wrote this. 

Jenny: For the last song, I think it’s really crazy that we’re almost through because the time runs so fast, and I think we learn so much about your career alone from your playlist because it is so insane to see what you’ve done. You have one last song for us that relates to your current musical, what is it and what are you doing now?

WIllemijn: I play Anne Hathaway in the musical & Julia right now, that is a feel-good music, a party and I get to play the role of the wife of William Shakespeare, her name is Anne Hathaway, and she thinks, hey, the Romeo and Juliet, it could deserve a better, more beautiful ending, and what happens if Juliet doesn’t kill herself, what happens then? I start with this idea and William and I write that story during the musical, we write that while the show plays, and it is really fun and emotional, it’s really beautiful. 

Willemijn: I sing this song in the second act and I try to reassure Juliet, hey, maybe living is not that easy, and it doesn’t always go your way, but we get through it, and we can do it, us great power women. (She laughs) 

Jenny: And the song we will listen soon, in which part does it appear or in which situation can we imagine it? 

Jenny: That’s great! Here’s That’s the Way it is by Celine Dion.

Song plays -

Jenny: That’s a really nice song to end with, a song that gives you a push and really gives you power. Do you have some advice for us for the new year, something that’s like That’s The Way It Is because I think you as someone who lives their dreams, who goes through life with a lot of power, you can give us some advice. 

Willemijn: (she Laughs) It is really nice to be seen as a power woman and I am really proud of that, but I really think it is just important to be true to yourself and know that power is not always necessary to be a power woman and I think that’s really important. Sometimes you can just be very sensitive and very bescheiden and then you still have a lot of power and thats really important for the new year.

Jenny: Yeah, that the power is in vulnerability and being true to that and not pretending when you don’t feel like it. 

Willemijn: Yeah, exactly.

Jenny: Thank you for being here and sharing your songs, I feel like i learned so much about you and I really like the songs you chose for this and thank you for being here.

Willemijn: I really liked being here.

Jenny: See you soon, bye!

[caramel-catss]

comma flirting

on ao3

word count: 4.4k

a collection of letters between link and ravio; ravioli falling in love

Mr. Hero,

I’m writing to inform you that your rental on the Sand Rod has expired. My assistant, Sheerow, has come to collect this item, and it will be available for re-rental at 50 rupees.

Best,

Ravio

Ravio,

I’m in the middle of assfuck Desert Palace and writing this on your envelope. Enclosed is a purple rupee. I have the rod.

Link

Mr. Hero,

Sheerow is coming again to pick up my Hookshot. Please don’t wrestle with him this time.

Best,

Ravio

P.S. Please visit the shop for purchases you make.

Ravio,

I’ll be there tomorrow.

Link

Mr. Hero,

Don’t worry when you open this letter - no rentals are due - though I’m sure you will anyway. I’ve been meaning to ask this since they’ve been in season for a while, but you haven’t been around recently. Is it alright if I harvest your apples while you’re out? You can trust me not to sell them, heh.

Thanks,

Ravio

Ravio,

Go for it, I won’t be home anytime soon. Juicer’s in the basement. Sell them and I’ll kick you out.

Link

Mr. Hero,

Since my retirement, I’ve been moving away my tables and letting the actual house part of your house take over. I’m excited for you to see the place! 

Your orchard produced beautiful apples, but there’s so many I’m not sure what to do with them. I’ve never seen so much fruit in my life! I’ve learned some baking recipes from the locals, so I’ve been trying a few of those. Let me know when you’re heading home soon so I can make pie!

Stay safe.

Ravio

Rav,

I’m fine; that gash from last month is just a scar now. I’m as safe as possible. I’m going home next week to pay you for that red potion even though you refuse.

Link

Link,

Don’t pay me back for that red potion. You were unconscious from blood loss.

Do come back home though, before Sheerow gets into the pie.

Ravio

Ravio,

I’m on my way right now. Note the purple rupee in this envelope.

Link

Mr. Hero,

You’re insufferable. I’ll see you soon.

Best,

Ravio

Ravio,

I’m writing this in case your stupid bird manages to find a portal before I do. Hylia knows he will. I miss your apple pie.

I hope Lorule’s doing okay. I hope your Triforce is actually back. It’s finicky. The Goddesses don’t like to fully honor wishes I wonder if you hold Courage.

I’m sorry. This is stupid. This is a stupid letter. You’re never getting this.

Link

I changed my mind I need to keep writing before I go insane

Zelda wants me to move into the castle. I don’t want to but every time I try to bring that up I feel like there’s sand in my throat. Like that one time at the Desert Palace. I still have that letter from you. I can’t believe I always wrote on the envelopes.

She’s officially queen now and says I should retire from being Hero and reveal my princehood to the public. Fuck, I never admitted that to anyone. It’s not like you’ll see this letter. Are you Hilda’s brother too? Nevermind.

I really, really hate the castle. Is that a selfish thing to think?

My uncle died there

I’m running out of parchment so I’m throwing this away. Goodnight, Ravio.

Ravio,

I guess you’ve become my diary now. Writing things out helps, I think.

Zelda and I fought today. I think I pissed her off. Who am I kidding. I pissed her off. I told her I’m already figurehead enough as the Hero and being a prince is too much shit for me to handle. She got real butthurt and almost sad? I don’t know. I’m bad at this shit. She kicked me out of the castle and said we could talk about it later. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

I never actually told you about the brother thing, did I? We found out a while ago. My first adventure, I think. Been a while.

I know Lorule needs its Triforce but please don’t rely on it to solve everything because it doesn’t.

I need to get a notebook or something. Or just suck it up and buy more parchment in Kakariko. I’m harvesting more apples tomorrow because it helps me not to think. I miss your apple pie. I miss you. I miss not being alone in that house.

Maybe I’ll just write more letters. Oh well. Goodnight.

Link

Ravio,

Kakariko was out of parchment for a while so it’s been a month since I’ve written things down. Zelda and I worked out the prince thing, I guess, because we didn’t discuss it any more after that day. As it stands, I’m still the asshole who saved the country more than enough times.

I’ve been reading up on these legends about Heroes. I wonder how it was like for them.

Other than that it’s been boring. I decided to juice half the apples and sell the rest. You better show up soon so I don’t have to sell the next crop.

Zelda says there’s a disturbance by the Sacred Realm entrance. Almost like there’s a crack between worlds there. By the Goddesses, Ravio, what are you and Hilda doing? Just don’t be stupid and don’t get yourself killed.

Please.

Link

Link,

I can only imagine your embarrassment when this letter reaches you. The thought makes me giggle, which I know will make you more embarrassed, which makes me giggle more.

Sheerow flew through the crack as soon as Hilda and I opened it. He arrived back to me a few hours later with three envelopes that I don’t think you intended to send.

I miss making pie, and baking in general. Retirement didn’t last long after I returned home to my post serving Hilda. I hold Wisdom, not Courage, and the Triforce is doing wonders for Lorule. I’m sorry it hasn’t treated you well. You deserve better than that. I’m sorry about your uncle, too.

I’m proud you stood up for yourself. No, I’m not blood related to Hilda, as far as either of us know. But you’ve been living life fine without being a prince, you’ll continue to live fine without it. Just stay safe in your Hero business. And for the other Heroes, I don’t know. Lorule has no Heroes, other than you. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them, though.

I’m sending Sheerow back with this letter before I officially leave Lorule with Hilda. We’ll both be in the castle. I’m sure Zelda has discovered the crack, but if you may, please tell her we’ll arriving with Lorulean soldiers and nobility. I’ll visit you as soon as possible. I miss you too.

Sincerely,

Ravio

Ravio, you bastard,

I will be at Hyrule Castle at the asscrack of dawn and if you aren’t there I will fight you.

Link

Dearest Link,

This letter hopefully won’t arrive to you via Sheerow as I’m leaving it in your pack. Inside is food, weapons, the rings you asked for, and other items that you needed. Thank Lolia your bag has an expansion charm, because even my amazing packing skills wouldn’t have cut it. For the love of the three, stay safe out there. It’s been months since you’ve last been on a journey.

As Lorule’s ambassador, I’ll be at the castle most days, but I’ll take care of the house and continue baking. Zelda has been teaching me recipes from the castle kitchens, and they’re quite lovely!

Also as Lorule’s ambassador, I request you send reports on the happenings in Hytopia so that we may bring sufficient aid. As Ravio, I need to know if you’re safe; you know how much I fret.

Please write.

Sincerely,

Ravio

Dear Ravio,

You’re the craziest worrywart I’ve met, and Queen Zelda is my sister. I’m happy to supply reports, both of Hytopia and my own health, but I promise you that I’m fine. This is either my sixth or seventh adventure. I genuinely lost count.

As the Hero of Legend, I report that Hytopia is suffering from a “fashion crisis”. The two others operating with me are sufficient in their help, and I am currently confident in our quest to save Princess Styla. I estimate six months, maximum, will be spent on this journey. I will reach out if foreign aid is needed.

As Link, I need you to know with utmost honesty that this place is fucking crazy. There are two bitches following me anywhere, and by the Goddesses are they amateurs, claiming to be the Hero of Legend. I’m so tired of them. The princess is crying and hiding around town because she’s wearing a fucking brown jumpsuit and she can’t take it off. I feel like I’m slowly losing my sanity as each day passes, but what else is new? 

The fights are fine and easy. I’ve had to wear a skirt for the past week for complicated reasons, but I’ve found that this shit is actually practical. Who would’ve thought?

Write me back so I don’t go insane.

Link

Dearest Link,

I cannot deny that I’ve had to read your letter multiple times over to get through it without laughing. You never fail to take any boredom from my day, even when all I do is talk to nobility and worm my way through politics. 

I’m not sure what to write about. I’ve tried apple turnovers for the first time, but they haven’t come out the best. I’m spending time with the castle’s baker and pastry chef whenever I can. I’m sure you’ll be happy once you’re home. Speaking of home, Sheerow’s starting to relieve himself in the house again. I don’t think he likes the bird cage, but I haven’t had time to fix this problem yet. Please give me your blessing to let him fly free again.

Stay sane,

Ravio

Dear Ravio,

Make that bird promise to stop shitting on my carpet and you have a deal. 

I’ve had to wear more green in the past month than I’ve ever had to in my life - they made me dye my hair, for Goddess sakes - and I’m ready to never see that color again. Can you burn down the forest for me so the grass is brown? Don’t do that, Zelda will have our heads.

Apple turnovers aren’t too hard, I’m sure you’ll get it soon. Send one over if Sheerow can fly fast enough.

I’ll be home before year’s end.

Link

Dearest Link,

You’ll be pleased to hear that the forest is gone and we’ve both been banished to the Dark World. 

I’m kidding. I’ve been discussing with Zelda on the prospect of me gaining Hyruleian citizenship, and Hilda says she requests you receive Loruleian citizenship as well, seeing as you’re our Hero. The process for both is very complicated and apparently the Queens can’t just write us down for both without backlash from nobility, enough that it won’t be worth it. I’ve been looking for the easiest ways, and including the benefits on tax, marriage ironically comes up. I’ll keep searching.

I got the turnover recipe down; Sheerow should be arriving with a package of them for you and your “hero” friends. Enjoy!

I’m glad you’ll be home soon, even though it’s only summer. Stay safe out there, as always.

Sincerely,

Ravio

Dear Ravio,

I don’t know Hyrulean law well but I think you can keep citizenship after divorce. I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t give a shit. We could marry for the benefits and if either of us sorry fucks finds someone, we divorce.

Link

P.S. Those were the best turnovers I’ve had in my life. Keep making them.

Dearest Link,

It’s a decade of marriage before citizenship becomes unconditional, so if you’re fine with that, I don’t mind either. I’m glad you liked the turnovers, I’ll send more once the orchard produces more apples. Also, how are you doing in Hytopia?

Sincerely,

Ravio

Dear Ravio,

I’ll be dead within the decade, so fuck it, let’s do it. I’m leaving a ring in the envelope. For my ego, please pretend like this is the best damn proposal you could have ever dreamed of. 

Hytopia is doing well and Princess Styla is back to normal. I’m avoiding the ports and taking the scenic way home, so I’ll be back in two weeks.

Link

Dearest Link,

Don’t joke about that, please. I’m glad you’re on your way. I’ll see you soon.

Your proposal has had me swooning and I spent three days in recovery at the castle. On a real note, Zelda and Hilda are both confused and slightly furious at us. I believe we simply found a unique situation to this problem.

Sincerely,

Ravio

Rav,

I’m at Kakariko this morning to pick up bread. I didn’t want to wake you up. I should be back by noon.

Link

Link -

Emergency call from the castle, some monster invasion. I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon.

- Ravio

My Ravio,

Killing the monsters you had a meeting about yesterday, then Zelda wants me at the castle for wedding stuff. I’ll see you tonight.

Link

I have a dinner tonight so I’ll be gone when you get off work. Pie is in the oven for you. “My”?

- Ravio

We’re getting married, aren’t we?

Link

Link and Ravio,

I wish you the sincerest congratulations on your marriage, though the circumstances of it are definitely exploiting a loophole that I’d have half a mind to fix. Regardless, may you both be blessed with peaceful and long lives. My brother, I am so proud of you for how far you’ve come. My brother-in-law, you are an amazing friend, and I’m excited to be family with you. 

Peace and prosperity for you both!

Sincerely,

Zelda

Ravio and Link,

I am amazed that this is happening, for multiple reasons. I suppose it is my fault for being surprised, however, knowing my advisor. Hero of Hyrule, I request you take care of Ravio; Ravio, I request you take care of Link. Perhaps your personalities are only compatible with each other after all.

Best wishes for you both,

Hilda

Link,

It’s been a week with no word from you, and I’m beginning to worry. I’m sending Sheerow off with this letter but I’m unsure if it’ll reach you, so if it does, I can only beg you to write back. These new monsters, the black-blooded ones, have been retreating some. Zelda is recruiting small forces of people to make them back off from towns, and it’s worked so far. We are all worried about you. Zelda and Hilda have been asking me where you are, and I don’t know how to explain that I don’t know.

I can only assume you’ve ended up in one of those portals they’ve emerged from. Your pack is missing, as well as some of your rings, armors, and gears. You left your extra pair of boots behind, I have them for you. I have your extra weapons, too. Please come back for them. Please come back.

I miss you. I hope you’re okay. Sheerow is pissing on the carpet again.

Yours,

Ravio

Dearest Ravio,

Time travel is fucking weird, so I have no idea when this’ll reach you. I’m fine. I’ve been pulled into another adventure, this time with my own kin. When the portals spit us out back home, I’ll sit down and have a long talk with you. We promised not to keep secrets from each other, remember? I trust you, but I have limited parchment so I can’t write it all down right now. 

In summary, though, I’m with other Links from around history. I met my fucking descendant. It’s crazy. They call me Legend; there’s 9 of us. I’m the veteran, apparently.

I’m sorry this is short. I hope I’ll be home soon. I miss you. Tell Sheerow to stop shitting himself, and while you’re at it, tell Zelda to stop shitting herself too. I’ll be okay.

Yours,

Link

My dearest Link,

I’m relieved you’re alright. Zelda laughed when I passed on your message, and she’s in a better mood now. Hilda also seems relieved. I’m awaiting your coming home soon. 

Your descendant? I expected those portals led to different dimensions, not across time. What is he like? I would consider you a veteran in your field, Link; you’ve saved more than 5 separate nations.

I made Sheerow promise not to piss on the carpet anymore, but I don’t think a bird will hold his word well, haha. 

We all miss you. If When you and your traveling companions come by, I’ll be here to welcome you all. I’ll see you soon.

Yours,

Ravio

Dearest Ravio,

Stop worrying about me, damnit. The Goddess will keep me around long enough to keep running errands for her. Sheerow, you stupid bird, it’s cage for you if you don’t shit outside. I’m glad Zelda and Hilda are okay.

We call him Hyrule, the Traveler. He’s some centuries down the line, the next Link, and I’ve been to his world. It makes me worry about the future. Rav, I’m really, really worried. I don’t think I’ve done enough 

Stay safe.

Yours,

Link

My Link,

You’ve done enough. More than enough. Never forget that.

If Hyrule falls, then at the very least, you defended it with all your life. You gave it precious time to be prosperous. You’re the Hero of Legend for a reason, Link.

Zelda wanted to include her own message on this letter when she heard that you’re distraught, so I’m leaving the rest of the space to her. Stay safe.

Yours,

Ravio

Link -

Hyrule’s history consists of both golden and dark ages. The Heroes of past all fought hard and performed their duty, and sometimes, the Kingdom falls regardless. However. Hyrule always rises again. I understand your worry for us, for Hyrule; but even when we fall in the future, a new Hero arises, right? Hyrule will be okay. You’ve done everything asked of you, and that is more than enough.

My doors are open if you need comfort or advice. Please, if you need to, seek me out. I’m here for you, like I’ve always been, always remember that.

Your sister,

Zelda

Dearest Ravio,

I’m sorry I worried you. I’ll be home soon. I’ll tell you everything then.

We’re in my Hyrule right now. I can tell from the magic, but we’re far out from the kingdom. Prepare ingredients for 9 - we have a cook, don’t worry - and expect me home within week’s end.

Yours,

Link

P.S. Zelda, we need to talk. There’s a curse. I’ll be at the castle promptly.

My dearest Link,

Please note the package attached to this letter. There’s two apple pies for you all, rupees for the Smith’s payment, and the Captain’s scarf which he couldn’t grab before you were all whisked away. Zelda has also left rings with protective charms for the others with none.

One more thing. The hibiscus plant is flowering, but I forgot to pick one for you earlier. I placed a stasis charm on it, so I hope it’ll be okay when it reaches you. I tried to pick the best color from your description; I hope I did her justice.

Best wishes for you all!

Yours,

Ravio

Dearest Ravio,

The hibiscus is perfect. Thank you.

The Captain thanks you for his scarf (he was whining like a toddler without it), and the Smithy sends you back your change. Pass on my thanks to Zelda for the rings. Your pies are delicious, as always.

Nothing much has happened lately, nothing worth writing about. We’re in the Champion’s Hyrule, and it’s so large that I feel grateful for the distance between our Kingdoms now. I never want to walk again.

Yours,

Link

My dearest Link,

I, once again, am entirely unsure if this will reach you. I’m writing from my bunk. It’s been an interesting past week.

I’ve been thrust through a portal of my own, thankfully able to prepare first. I met the Captain again; I can see why he recognized me now! I’m doing okay, and I’m fine and safe. I’ve run into Wind, too, and a boy who almost looks like Time. 

Link, I think I met her too. She matches everything you described, hibiscus and all. I don’t know how she’s here, either. She’s kind.

I’ll write as much as I can - it should be more exciting, now! - and I hope we’ll both be home safe soon.

Yours,

Ravio

My dearest Ravio,

Excuse me, you’re fighting in the fucking War of Eras!? Tell Warriors if he puts you on the front lines I’ll kill him. Slowly. By the Three, you better not get killed or hurt or ANYTHING along those lines. And you need to get home safe as soon as possible so the chance to is gone.

I don’t know what to say about her. I don’t know how she’s there, either, but be kind to her. And tell her I say hi, I guess, if she remembers me. Don’t let her go ba

Don’t open any time paradoxes, I know I’ll be the sorry fuck who saves you. Stay safe, damnit.

Yours,

Link

My dearest Link,

You never fail to make me laugh. And you call me a worrywart! I’m fine, don’t worry. Everyone is sweet and they take extra care to keep the ones from other times alive. Unfortunately, I think informing Mr. Captain Hero Sir of your threats would create a time paradox, as he doesn’t know you yet. Feel free to threaten him after-the-fact in your group, though!

Marin remembers you. She tells you to stop being a grump, and that’s only after my few descriptions of you! She also congratulated us on our marriage, though it’s been a year since. She appreciates the hibiscus plant and your pursuit of music when you’re home. She also says you should retire.

I understand why you care for her, Link. Really, you are a sweet person.

Yours,

Ravio

My dearest Ravio,

The Captain laughed in my face, because he’s an asshole. I would bet on my life that he’ll keep you safe, though; he’s captain for a reason. And maybe I do worry too much, but I have good reason to.

I’m glad she’s alive. This is selfish, but ask her if Koholint is doing okay, please. Tell her I’ll retire when the ladies upstairs let me.

I don’t know how to reply to your last line, Rav. But thank you, I guess. It’s hard to be kind in this world.

Yours,

Link

My dearest, Link,

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write for a while. Sheerow went missing, and with no time traveling postbird, I haven’t been able to send letters. The war has also kept me busy and the paper has been scarce. I miss you so, so much.

I’m home. I don’t know how long it’s been for you, but it was around a year and a half for me. Sheerow is safe; he’s been at home this whole time. I’ll be waiting for you here again.

I like to think I discovered a bit of courage for myself while out there. Maybe the amount you rubbed off on me finally paid off, yeah? I’m really tired, I’m going to stay here for a while and rest. This is all over the place. I’m sorry.

Marin went back to Koholint. I don’t know if she’s alive there, but I’d like to hope she is. I’m sorry you two didn’t get to meet again. I’m apologizing a lot.

Have you been around? Our house looks the same as ever. I hope you did get to visit, at least for a little, in the time I’ve been gone.

I pray for your safety. I miss you, Link.

Yours,

Ravio

My dearest, Ravio,

I can’t put my relief into words. I’m still out, but nearing the end of this adventure. I can feel it coming to a close soon, and this one feels final. Maybe I’ll actually be able to retire.

I’ve missed you so much. I thought you were dead, or hurt, or Sheerow was dead or hurt, and I swear I couldn’t sleep for months. I’ll never let that damn bird out of our sights again. Please rest, Rav. I understand how you’re feeling right now. I’ll be home to help as soon as I can - you can’t recover from something like that alone.

Marin being alive or dead is more of a discussion if she is real or not real. I find that thinking over those kind of questions too much will only lead to feeling worse. It’s better to just accept that she’s gone. I’ll be there for you.

I’ve visited some, not as much as I wish I could. There’s never much time to relax, and our house feels wrong without you there.

Never apologize again, that’s a threat. I’m so glad you’re okay.

Yours,

Link

P.S. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you flirting with me? “My dearest, Link,”?

My dearest, Link,

Thank you. I’m harvesting apples from the orchard again, and I made pie for the first time in a while. Sheerow is carrying it over for you. 

It’s been hard, this past week, but I think I’ll be okay. I just need time to re-adjust. Don’t rush your adventure for me, okay? I’m glad you’ll be home soon, though.

I’m looking forward to see you again.

Yours,

Ravio

P.S. I can’t help but notice that you also placed a comma after “dearest”. Besides, aren’t we married?

My dearest, Ravio,

The portals have begun to place us in our own times, and we’re having our final goodbyes. You’ll be happy to hear that I’ll be home within a fortnight. I’m excited to see you again, finally. I love your pie; it’s amazing, as always.

I’ll see you soon.

Yours,

Link

P.S. We are married, and we’ve signed off as “yours” for over a year. Are you surprised that you’re my beloved?

My dearest, Link,

Hurry up and get home, you flirt. First you propose over letters, now you confess?

Yours,

Ravio

My Ravio,

I’m in Hyrule, three days out from home. Don’t you forget that you initiated everything. 

I can’t wait to see your face again. I love you.

Your husband,

Link

My Link,

I won’t bother to send you this letter, because I’ll tell you in person, but you can go ahead and find it on our counter when you arrive tomorrow.

You said “my Ravio” again, like you wrote on a note before our marriage. Don’t think you’re not as much to blame for this as I am.

I’m waiting for you, dear. I love you, too.

Your husband,

Ravio

[syrikif]

Gamer Etiquette

Kodzuken x Streamer!Y/N

Pairing: Kenma Kozume x Fem!Reader

Genre: SMAU, Written Elements, Strangers to Lovers, Romance, Fluff, Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Streamer/Youtuber AU

Upcoming content creator/streamer, Y/N, has gone viral for lots of things. Her infamous dumb moments, her blended cookie recipe (which tastes better than it sounds), the way she rages at her friends during games, and about a hundred more.

But her most recent viral moment? Accidentally knocking famous streamer, Kodzuken, off the Bedwars map and making him lose his two year winning streak.

Now with more attention (and hate) than she ever asked for, her only option left is to go to the source: the man himself, Kenma Kozume.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Chapter 4 (b): Guilt

Word Count: 2659

To be honest, Kenma is doing this entirely out of guilt. 

Sure it isn’t technically his fault that people have no self control and don’t know how to mind their own business, but his fans were probably the main root of the problem. So he felt some sort of responsibility towards her, regardless that they’d never met before today. 

“Are you loaded in yet?” He waits a few seconds, almost impatiently so, his eyebrows slowly raising as he waits even longer. “Y/N?” 

A soft sound of movement, a throat clearing, “Sorry, what?” 

Kenma sighs, “Are you loaded into the game yet?” 

“Oh- yeah. I mean almost, my wifi’s being weird.” She laughs then and it’s so painfully forced that Kenma physically feels himself cringe. He has to give the girl props though, she’s doing a lot better acting excited than he is despite the fact that she seems more nervous. 

He’d only asked for her discord on complete impulse, not really considering what would happen if she agreed until it was too late. Don’t get him wrong though, he isn’t upset about it; finding new people to play his favorite games with is always enjoyable for Kenma. 

But he also isn’t looking forward to this being any more awkward than it already is. 

“Are you on the server already?” 

Kenma shakes his head, “No, I’m waiting for you to be ready so I can start streaming.” 

“Oh,” she says and Kenma only then realizes that he’s been treating her like he treats everyone else, even though they know essentially nothing about each other. “Sorry, I’ll be done as soon-.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” And now he’s interrupting her; great first impression, Kenma. “I’m trying to finish eating right now anyways.” 

She doesn’t say anything for a moment and then, almost out of nowhere, “What are you eating?” 

Funny thing about that though is that he’s not. 

“Ummmmm-,” he trails off, desperately searching his brain for some sort of response. “Apple pie,” he finally manages to say. 

“Wait really?” Y/N suddenly sounds much more genuine than she had mere seconds ago. 

Kenma hums in confirmation, head nodding even though he’s currently lying straight through his teeth. 

Why? Who knows. Kenma definitely doesn’t. 

“I had apple pie too,” she goes on to explain. “Literally like ten minutes before I turned on my PC.” 

Kenma isn’t actually eating any apple pie right now, so it’s not as much of the insane coincidence that Y/N seems to think it is. But it is one of his favorite desserts, so he did have some fairly recently enough for it to be considered at least a bit strange. 

“You’re kidding,” he tries to match her enthusiasm.  

“Do I look like the type of girl to joke about something as serious as apple pie?” She’s teasing him now but his mind is slow to pick up on it, unintentionally leaving her in awkward silence as he processes her words. 

“I don’t know,” he drags out the last syllable. “You sound like someone who would.” Kenma has never actually seen what Y/N looks like - and sure he might be comfortable lying to her about eating apple pie - but joking about her appearance without even properly seeing it first seems like a line he shouldn’t cross. 

She scoffs then and Kenma can almost picture the exact face she pulls in the process, having frequently seen the same expression on his own roommate’s. “I have literally never been so offended in my entire life.” 

Kenma subconsciously shrugs, “I have to keep everyone humble somehow, you know.” 

~~~

“I got some stone,” Kenma tells Y/N as he runs over to drop a Stone Pickaxe in front of her. Although, this time he does it close enough to ensure that she doesn’t have to move to pick it up. 

“Oh thanks,” Y/N herself is busy collecting wood, but she’s definitely mining more than she really needs at the moment. 

“I know I explained this a bit earlier but we wanted to stream together just to clear some stuff up,” Kenma says when he notices how confused everyone still is in his chat. “Like how we actually don’t know each other. Right Y/N?” 

Y/N’s character suddenly turns to him in game, mimicking a head nod. “Yeah, I have no idea who this guy is. What’s your name again? Kenny?” Kenma admits that he has to stifle a laugh as she starts running around him in circles. “Well I guess I wouldn’t know because I don’t know you.” 

Kenma rolls his eyes, “You know what I mean.” 

“Yeah,” she easily agrees. “Just like how we didn’t know each other during that game, I also totally didn’t mean to kill you either.”

“Oh yeah definitely not,” Kenma nods, looking over at his chat for a brief second as Y/N stops before a random oak tree to start collecting even more wood. 

Why is y/n mining so much wood???? 😭 😭

y/n’s skin is so cutteeee

I love how Kenma’s just watching her run around lol

But Kenma’s attention is suddenly brought back to the game when he hears the sound of something being attacked, only to see his health two and a half hearts lower and Y/N standing suspiciously far away from him.

“What did you just do?” 

“Huh? What?” She plays innocent almost too well. “What do you mean?” 

“I’m beginning to think you killed me on purpose,” he teases as he starts making his way towards a cave he spots in the ground. 

She gasps, as though she genuinely feels betrayed by his words. “Of course I didn’t mean to, I would never do something like that.” 

He nods as he enters the cave, immediately running towards a vein of coal embedded into the wall. “Oh right of course. Because I totally didn’t see you aiming that fireball at me or anything the other day.” He shakes his head light heartedly as he begins collecting the coal with his own stone pickaxe. 

“See I’m glad you agree with me, Kenma,” Y/N joins his side in the cave, mining the stone beside him before placing down a crafting table. 

His head subconsciously tilts, “I thought you didn’t know my name.” 

Kenma watches as she places a furnace next to the crafting table, “That was before.” 

“Before what?” He opens the furnace when he sees it light up, his curiosity satisfied when he realizes that she’s cooking some Porkchops. 

“Before I knew it. Obviously.”

“Oh duh,” Kenma makes a show of facepalming, adjusting his hand just enough to look into the lens of his camera. “Should’ve known. How could I be so dumb?” 

“You tell me,” she says nonchalantly. “Isn’t that like your forte?” 

Kenma pauses at her words, shifting his gaze back to his monitor as he uses his mouse to slowly turn and look at her. “What?” 

“What?” 

LMAOOOOO

y/n has no chill lol

STOP CUS I LOVE HER

“Did you just call me dumb?” He’s definitely hearing things, because there’s no way that the girl who was fake laughing twenty minutes ago is now teasing him like they’d been friends for years. 

“What- no- I would never- I mean-,” she’s stuttering practically on purpose at this point. “Oh, iron!” 

Kenma turns his character in the direction that Y/N is looking towards, eyes squinting as he leans forward in his seat to try and spot it. 

And then he hears her giggle. 

“Ha! Made you look!” 

He sighs, rolling his eyes half-heartedly as he leans back against his chair. “You’re literally a child.” 

Y/N manages to stop laughing for only a brief second, “I can’t believe you-,” her voice suddenly breaks off with a gasp as she tries to catch her breath. “Fell for it,” she’s barely even able to finish the rest of her sentence, too busy practically cackling.

Kenma finds himself chuckling along with her, even though she’s entirely making fun of him right now. But he doesn’t care, not even a little bit. 

Because for the first time since they’ve met, the interaction feels real. 

~~~

An hour later, Kenma’s stuck in a cave and Y/N is doing who even knows what on the surface, when his roommate walks into the room. 

Y/N is in the middle of telling some elaborate story about the first time she ever played minecraft when Kenma hears his door open. He doesn’t really react at first, only glancing at his viewfinder to confirm that Kuroo’s walking into the room. 

“And then-,” she abruptly stops. “Did I just hear a door open?” 

Kenma would have thought that his microphone (or even discord for that matter) wouldn’t be able to pick up such a soft noise. He’s been proven wrong a lot today though. 

“Yeah sorry,” he confirms as he turns to actually look at the person now entering the room. “It’s my roommate, just give me one second.” Kenma mutes himself in discord but keeps his stream’s audio on, trying not to censor Kuroo as much as he wants to. He then just decides to leave the world, knowing there’s really no way to pause an online game. 

“You? Apologizing? Since when,” the older man snorts. 

Kenma closes his eyes with a sigh, “Shut the fuck up.” 

“That was unnecessarily harsh.” 

The streamer adjusts in his seat, turning in his chair to face his roommate. “I’m still streaming, what do you want?” 

His best friend frowns, “I’m bored and being swarmed by cats out there.” 

“Did you get in the catnip again?” He briefly gets distracted by the sound of Y/N saying something in his headset, but isn’t able to understand anything she’s actually saying because Kuroo is speaking at the exact same time.

“It was only like this much!” He makes a small gesture with his fingers to further prove his point. 

Kenma stares at the distance between his pointer finger and thumb for an unnervingly long amount of time. “Only that much huh?” 

Kuroo suddenly hides his hand behind his back, “Hey don’t look at my fingers like that, you perv.” 

“It’s not my fault you just happened to measure the exact length of your di-.” 

“AHHH!” 

Kenma flinches as he’s cut off by a blood curdling scream, his pulse skyrocketing as he frantically turns back to the game. 

He somehow manages to unmute himself, his fingers clumsily controlling the mouse to log back into the world. “Holy shit are you okay?” 

“Fuck- yeah sorry!” Y/N is still being loud but it’s nothing compared to the way she’d yelled only a second ago. “Jesus, I’m so sorry; that scared me so bad.” 

Kenma feels himself relax against his chair, mentally sighing as he glances back at Kuroo with a clear expression of relief. “She’s good?” 

“Yeah,” he nods, swallowing unsteadily. “Fuck, did you hear her?” 

“Are you kidding? I think the whole street heard her,” he jokes and Kenma can’t help but smile. Leave it to his best friend to be able to relieve such a massive amount of tension with one simple sentence. 

“Your roommate heard me?” Her voice practically exudes embarrassment. 

He chuckles, “Yeah, I think you both gave us a heart attack.” 

“Oh no,” she groans. “I’m seriously so sorry.” 

“What even happened?” (Translation: what the fuck made you react like that?)

“I was just focused on building a house and then a bird or something - I don’t even know what it was�� - slammed against my window.” She pauses and Kenma can hear her release a deep breath. “It scared the absolute shit out of me.”

“Okay I guess that’s fair.” He feels something tap against his shoulder and turns to look at Kuroo’s questioning expression. “A bird hit her window,” Kenma elaborates for him. 

His roommate suddenly laughs, “I think chat was more worried than we are.”

Oh noooooo

Poor Y/N 😥

She needs therapy after that 💀

“They like her more than both of us combined,” Kenma confirms. 

Y/N makes a disapproving noise, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” 

“Here wait,” Kenma says to pretty much no one as he grabs his headphone splitter and the second headset he always has on hand. After plugging everything in, he adjusts his microphone and wheels in another chair so that both men will be able to talk to her. “Okay, my roommate can hear you now by the way, Y/N.” 

“Oh. Hi there roommate!” 

Kenma frowns as he turns back around in game to start heading for the surface, “Why didn’t you sound that chipper earlier?” 

Y/N doesn’t get a chance to respond before Kuroo does for her. “Because I’m better than you.” 

Complete silence. 

“You’re not even going to try to deny it huh?” He shakes his head, still trying to find his way through the maze of a cave he’d somehow managed to trap himself in. 

“I don’t know; I’d feel mean if I did,” she responds without an ounce of hesitation. 

“Yeah why are you forcing her to do stuff, Kenma,” Kuroo suddenly chimes in with a teasing tone. 

“Fuck you Kuro. No one asked you.” 

Kuroo reels back in his chair, as though Kenma had physically slapped him in the face. “Um wow okay. I can really feel the lo-.” 

“Finally,” Kenma (accidentally) interrupts as he sees sunlight shining down into the cave. “I’m coming up by the way.” 

“Wait, already?” Y/N sounds strangely panicked. 

Kenma nods slowly even though she can’t see him. “Why,” he can’t help but feel suspicious now after her reaction. 

“I haven’t finished building yet.” 

He begins towering his way out of the hole, “I’m sure it’s not that ba-.” He suddenly stops as he sees a building in the distance. 

“I’m sorry, you said you aren’t done?” His roommate says beside him, basically voicing Kenma's exact thoughts as he sprints towards the house. 

“What the actual fuck this is amazing.” Kenma marvels as he opens what he can only assume is the front door. “How did you do this in two hours?” 

Her character suddenly runs over, crouching in front of him and dropping something on the ground. “I might not be super amazing at PVP, but I’ve been building since I was in elementary school.” Kenma scoots forward to pick up the item, his eyebrows furrowing when he realizes it’s a bed. 

“What’s this for?” 

“I wasn’t sure which room you’d want so I just decided I’d let you pick,” she explains. 

Kuroo nudges Kenma's shoulder with his own, “That was really nice of her. Right kenma?” 

But he's strangely at a loss for words because he just can’t get over the fact that, “She made it red.” His head tilts, “Why’d you make it red?”

“Oh,” she seems surprised by the question. “I don’t really know. I just thought it suited you, I guess.” 

“Hm,” he hums in acknowledgement, making his way over to the first room he sees and placing it beside the purple bed already placed against the wall. “Why don’t we just have the same bedroom?” 

“Ooohh,” Kuroo drags out. (Kenma had completely forgotten he was there.) “Putting your bed next to her’s huh?” 

Apparently they both decide that it’s better to ignore him this time because all Y/N says is, “Why would we share a bedroom?” 

Kenma blinks, he thought the reason was obvious. “So then we have more room for other stuff in the house instead of constantly needing to build for more space.” 

“Oh. Okay yeah that makes sense.” 

His best friend suddenly reaches over to press his mute key for discord, “Kenma’s got moves guys.” 

“Shut up.” 

~~~

Kenma enjoys streaming with her that night. He really, really does. 

But again, he’s doing this out of guilt. 

Or at least that’s what he tells himself when he ends up messaging her again that very next day.

Taglist: @crazy-people-are-here, @existential-traveller, @peachesncats, @royalz658, @musicluverr

Any names in bold are unable to be tagged.

[zoropookie]

Hey so uh could we get a soft sweet moment of ynkiss and hhab scara in the orchard I mean always thought they got a poetic vibe to them romantic too idk maybe we got something like that already I don't remember lol sorry if that's the case maybe like resting on each other shoulders or like smth brief like that please please please whenever you have the time make it happen (iam the English not my first person Soo uhm if anything seemed vague sorry also really love your ficss)

Besides the modernity of how the two of them lived, the orchard spreading in longevity. Woven from its threads of a later summer, rows and rows of apple trees standing tall, branches heavy with the vow of their harvests. Air rich with the scent of the ripened fruits they have yet to pick.

Kuni and you walked down the path between the orchards trees, and his gaze drifted upwards towards the sky. He observed the way the light of the sun filters through the leaves while the shadows below them did a dance with the grass. For once in the years that he stayed here, has he realized how peaceful they were. Every gnarled branch of older trees, stretched wide like the arms of an old friend.

The stillness settled in him, eased tension that had been a companion for as long as he could remember. The elation he felt watching you, a few paces away picking apples and gathering them into a woven basket, was similar to a cool weight. You looked ofer, a small smile playing at the corner of your lips. “Hey! I was getting the red ones ready for sale, but I saved some really good ones for our picnic.”

His lips twitched upward, there was a soft blooming that grew in his chest as he watched you carefully pluck them off the tree. “We’ve never done that.”

“Right? I never realized how many stuff we just don’t do as a couple. Why not start?” Your eyes were bright with a quiet excitement, going back to the task. “There’s nothing for both of us to do today. How many times are we going to get this chance, Kuni?! I wanted to take advantage of it, anyway. What do you think we should get? Do you want sandwiches?”

His eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing. “Yeah.” He drawled, a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “This is weird. I don’t know how to feel.”

“You could feel grateful,” You suggested, your eyebrows rising with a slight tilt of your head. “Maybe…elated that I’m an amazing partner? That’s so willing to do things for you? Unfathomably?”

“All of the above…” He felt disjointed watching you, almost trying to gauge you actually having a genuine outlook on him. It was still unbelievable, he couldn’t properly articulate what was happening right now. Especially from how uncomfortable he was. “But stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

He paused, struggling to find the right words. “That. The prepping for the picnic, you’re supposed to let me do all of it. I’m the provider.”

Your eyes dulled. “I can help too.”

“You don’t do it like I do.” He watched you, severely skeptical but softening with every word. The way the light caught in your hair while it was swaying from the leaves. The sincerity in your eyes— it disarmed him from anything else. If they were to be in severe danger, he’d be too enamored to pay attention. “Alright, but only because you’re working hard.”

“Does it make you nervous? You barely have anything to say right now.” You asked, your tone playful.

“Yeah.” He walked closer to you while you’re picking apples, holding your waist as his eyes stared at your back with internal longing. The feeling of an adoration was warm and unfamiliar, but with the foliage and greenery of the garden around the two of you, you looked royal to him. “I’ll adapt with you if you plan on putting some more weight in.”

“I don’t know about all that, I still know my place here.” You said with a dull tone.

[nyxindustries]

Wonderful | Tony Stark

Fandom: MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Pairings: Tony Stark x reader, X pregnant reader , x Tony Stark X Fem reader.

Warnings: None, Just happy Tony with new pregnant Wife!! Fluff!

Request: “Can you write wife reader telling husband tony that she's pregnant with a cute surprise? And a very very happy tony ”

| Masterlist |

Lately you’ve been super sick, you didn’t know why but you had a feeling but you weren’t so sure that you wanted that to exactly come true. If you’re pregnant it would change everything, it’s a change you wanted badly since you got married four years ago.

You’re a working women, you take care of Stark Industries and you get the work done as also being an offical spokesperson for the Avengers and SHIELD, it’s a busy job, a busy life. Same goes for your husband is also a working man and a hero known as Iron man and he’s always love the fact that he worked and is always busy.

Somehow you knew having a kid or kids would fit into your life especially with Tony. It filled with joy, just knowing you could be pregnant, it’s made you feel amazing and excitement filled you somehow.

As of right now your, you’re throwing up your guts in your bathroom toilet at 7:30 in the morning, trying not to wake your sleeping husband with the noises. Worse fact is you haven’t gotten your cycle either in a good two months.

You knew Tony noticed because you haven’t thrown any tampon or pad boxes at him or asked for some greesy fast food but instead has been asking for pickles, creamcheese and takis with mustard or apples with lemons, and peanut butter.

Grabbing some toliet paper as you wiped your mouth as you heard the bathroom door open, making you sigh as you slowly got up.

"Are you okay? Are you done? I could hear you" He asks and you nod as you held onto the sink countertop as you grab toothpaste and brush.

"I’m fine Tony. Go back to bed" You quietly as you began brushing your teeth

"No, Y/n, it’s not fine…you’ve been so sick lately. I don’t know what to do. " Tony says in genuinely concern.

"Please…I’m fine I think I just have some stomach flu or something. I’ll make an appointment with my doctor soon." You say and Tony nods.

"Okay, I’m just worried for you." He says as he kissed your cheek gently as you smile while you rinse your mouth with water and spit it out, then wipe your face.

"Let me know if you need anything, take the day off today." He says and you nod.

"Thank you Tony, get some sleep, you were up all night basically working on invention." You say as Tony walks out and you sigh out as you watch him make his way to bed.

"I’ll go schedule a doctor appt." You say as you walk out and grab your phone off the side table and walk away as he watches you full of concern.

Walking out as you went to the livng of your house. That’s right, Tony and yourself decided to move out from the compound after getting married to have more privacy.

Walking down the stairs softly but they freaked and groaned anyways. Heading towards the spare bathroom, as you close the door, then going underneath the sink cabinets to find some pregnancy tests from a pregnancy scare you had a few months ago.

Sighing out as you pull the test out , as you read the instructions again and again, your thoughts began racing as your heart began beating just but more faster than usual.

Taking the test as you cover it and place it on the counter as you flush the toliet. Looking at the test, as you waited as you paced back and fourth in the bathroom.

Sitting on the bathroom now knowing the time up for the test but you still haven’t looked at it. Swallowing hard as you grab the test, seeing two lines, looking to the words next to the two lines.

| | = Pregnant

| = Not Pregnant

Staring the at the test as you felt your heart in your stomach but your stomach danced with excitement, it bubbled in you , opening the cabinet again grabbing another test, you had couple tests in here, only two sticks one and then a digital clear blue one.

Grabbing the one stick test as you opened it and did the test as you grabbed the clearblue one next as your did that one too.

You couldn’t believe you, You’re filled with joy but terrified as well. What will Tony think?

Waiting for the two test to be done as you stared at the first one. Looking at the others as two lines appeared again and the word pregnant appeared on the other.

That’s when you broke down in tears of mixed emotions. You didn’t reliaze that you were in the bathroom for so long and not upstairs with Tony, he went looking for you, all over the house but didn’t find you until he heard your crying from the bathroom.

Tony walking to the bathroom as he knocks on the door.

"Y/n?" Tony questions as you went quiet

"Y/n??…Y/n? Are you okay? Open up" Tony says as he knocks again as he tried the doorknob and it’s open.

"Is it okay for me to come in?" He asks as you sigh out.

"Yeah, it’s okay." You say as you look at him as he shares a look of concern.

"What’s wrong?" He asks and you began smiling at him as you just handed him the three pregnancy tests.

"Im so happy right now but I don’t know why I’m crying either!" You say as you look over at Tony who had an unreadable expression.

"You’re pregnant?" Tony asks and you nod.

"Yeah and I think I have been for couple weeks, it explains the sickness and the werid foods I been asking for and I also haven’t had my period. I just couldn’t believe it." You say and Tony began crying.

"You’re pregnant!!" He says as he smiled widely.

"I’m going to be a dad??" Tony asks and you nod as you smile.

"Anthony Stark, you are going to be a dad…we’re going to be parents!" You say and Tony hugs you tightly.

"Oh my god, we’re going to be parents…we’re going to be amazing parents!" Tony says as he began crying even more making you cry a lot more.

"This is absolutely wonderful, I always wanted to have kids!" Tony says as he looks at you and drop to your stomach as he looks up at you and lifts your shit a bit.

"I’m surprised you didn’t noticed early, you have a small baby bump going!" He says as he gently touched your belly.

Smiling as you laugh.

"I was trying not to believe it, I’m possibly two months along, Tony. I put off taking a test." You say and Tony sighs out, you can see the pure content on his face.

"And that’s okay….I just know their going to be beautiful." He says as he kissed your belly gently, making you smile even more.

"Well I guess now I do need to schedule an appointment with my doctor." You say and Tony nods.

"Yes! yes! And we need to tell your parents, the team and we need to go shopping and I need to make the spare bedroom a nursery or switch the office out and make the nursery, and- and we need to look at names boy and girl! I’m fine with either!" He says as he began rambling on and on and you smile as you look at him.

"Tony! Tony…." You say as you grab him and push out the bathroom as you got out and looked at him.

"One step at a time! Doctor appointment first, let’s officially confirm it and start on proper maternity care. Then my parents and everything else!!!" You say as your excitement shines through making Tony smile even more.

"You’re right, you’re Right!" He says as you kiss him softly.

"We’re going to be awesome parents!" You say and Tony nods.

"Yes! we are!" Tony says as you then grab your phone and then dial a number.

"I need to schedule an appt now." You say as you called your obgyn doctor office.

-Few weeks later-

Standing in front of your parents front door of the small two bedroom house you grew up in. Your parents weren’t that fortunate, your parents didn’t go to college and worked with what they had with you along for the ride.

Swallowing hard your belly showing but lucky you’re still able to cover it with some of your clothes you had.

Seeing your parents open the front door as you smile and Tony held you closer.

"Y/n! Tony!" Your mom says and you smile at her.

"Hi mama!" You say as you hug her tightly.

"Daddy!" You say as you hug him next as Tony made his rounds of hugs with your parents.

"Tony! Glad to see you’re doing well." Your dad says and you smile at them.

"We brought presents!" You say as you held up two gifts bags.

"First let’s have dinner, I got excited when you called me to say you were coming! So I cooked and I baked!” Mom says making you smile as you out th gifts down long with your purse.

"Come help me sweetie!" Mom says as he reaches your hands out and you grab it as your mom drags you to the kitchen.

"So son, how are ya?" Your father says to Tony and he smiles.

"I’m great! More than great!! So your watching the game, whose winning?" Tony asks as he sees a baseball game on the tv.

"Oh! like you care! So tell me what the newest invention your working on?!" Your father asks with excitement making Tony laugh as he grabs something out his pocket to show your father.

"Dad! Momma wants you set the table!" You yell from the kitchen as you step out to the small living room that has a small sofa and your dad favorite reclining chair.

"In a Second! Your husband going me his new invention! It’s a cube that lights up!" Your dad yells making you laugh as you look at your mom.

"Its a proton atom converter for his iron suit, he doesn’t even use anymore!" you say and your dad looks at you.

"You never know!" Tony says and you roll eyes playfully at him

"What is that? You two with your smarts!" Your father jokes as you laugh.

"Its fine I’ll set the table, show him what it does." You say as you kiss your father cheek as you walk to the kitchen and through a archway as you grab plates, forks and everything to set the table.

Setting the table as you fixed the napkins while your mother began placing some pans on the table.

"Dinner!" Your mother yelled to the boys in the living room as you walked into the living room to see your husband and your dad laughing.

"Dinner!" You say and your dad gets up

"Yeah!yeah! Your like your mother naggin!" Your father jokes as you gave him a look as Tony laughs.

"Don’t agree with him, Tony" You gasp out as your mother steps out the kitchen.

"Leave her aloneee! Dinner or it’s gonna get cold!" She says making you smile as you walk to the dinning room.

Tony catching up with you as he pulls your chair out, making you smile as you sat down and Tony takes his seat next you.

"Oh! Looks wonderful!" Tony says as he smiles.

"Dig in!" Mom says as tony grabs your plate and began serving you as you smile at him.

"Thank you Tony." You say as he nods

"Ladies first, do you want some salad?" He asks and you nod.

"Yes please."

Tony putting salad as everyone engrams being yourself as tony put a plate in front of you, of all your favorites things.

"Oh red wine! You have to try this! Its soo sweet!" Your mom says as you shake your head but she’s already pouring you a glass like always at dinner.

"Mom, I didn’t want…that. " you say and Tony grabs the glass as he smiles at you.

"I’ll drink it!" Tony says as you sigh out of relief.

"Well okay! Do you want water?" Your mom asks and you shake your head.

"Mom, I’m okay. If I want anything, I’ll get it. Eat ." You say and your smile with a nod as began eating.

The dinner falling into a peaceful silence.

"The macaroni salad is really good!!" Tony says as he take the spoon and serves himself more.

"I’m glad you like, secret recipe and ingredients!" Your dad says

"He makes it himself!" Your mom says as you nod as you continue to eat and the conversation flowed between your parents and Tony. Your parents absolutely adored Tony especially after they got to know him. It was a rough patch for them when you first brought him home for a couple of reasons.

Seeing everyone finish eating as you smile.

"I’ll go get the cake I baked! It’s coconut surprise!" Your mom say’s excitedly.

"Oh! the presents! I’ll get those!" You say as went to stand Tony makes you sit down again.

"I’ll get them." He says as you nod as you stood again and Tony eyes you.

"Just getting the dishes." You say to him and he nods as you shake your head.

"How’s work, Princess?" Your dad says as he helps you as you laugh.

"Dad! Princess, Really?" You say and he nods.

"Yes! Your still our baby!" Your mom yells from the kitchen as you clean up the place quickly.

"Works great! I love it, I’m just struggling to come with a new energy plan, and the city wants a new plan before the end of the month….so I have to start searching areas where we probably have to put new energy plant somewhere." You say and your dad nods.

"Thats good, sounds stressful" he comments and you nod.

"It is, like where am I going to be an energy plant in New York City?!" You ask as you put the dishes in the sink as your dad grab small dessert plates and fork.

"Mhm thats a good question!" Your mom says and you sigh out.

"Yeah I been googling mapping half of New York!" You somewhat joke as you grab water from the fridge and Tony comes back in with the bags.

"Well, how about the old farm area, you use to go to after school for free classes or something , that’s abandoned now." Your dads say and you look at him.

"That’s actually really smart, dad! I’ll check it out!" You say and smile as you walk to Tony as your mom places a cake in the middle of table.

"Okay! Presents or cake!" Your mom questions.

"Presents! We should let the food go down first!" Tony says and you agree as you grab the new bags and hand them it.

"You know! You don’t always have to bring us things!" Your mom says and you laugh.

"I have to make up for letting you guys let me crash here for 24 years of my life and then college!" You say with a huge.

"Plus it’s important!" Tony adds on and you nod as you both watch them unwrapped tissue paper to see cute little baby onesies outfits with a pregnancy test attach.

Your mom looking confused as your dad stares at it.

"Surprise!!!" You and Tony yell at them as your mom looks up, shocked.

"Grandma?!" He questions as you smile.

"Mom, dad, I’m pregnant! We’re pregnant!" You say and your mom instantly screams out.

"OOOOH! NO YOUR NOT! OH MY-" She yells as you nod and you push your shirt back a little for them to see a baby bump.

That’s when you heard crying, looking over at your dad.

"Daddy." You say as you walk to him and hug him tightly as he cries.

"We’re going to be grandparents! You believe that!" Your mom says as he hugs Tony and your dad didn’t let go of you.

"Dad! It’s okay! You’re going to be a grandpa!" You say as he nods as you began tearing up.

"Oh honey! You big baby!" Your mom says as you dad pulls away laughing as he smiles at you.

"Son! Come here!" Your dad says as he hugs Tony tightly.

"We’ve been wondering, when you two are going to have kids, always caught up in your work!" You mom says as you smile.

"Youre going to be wonderful parents." Your dad says letting go of Tony as he walks to you.

"This baby going to have awesome parents and awesome grandparents!" Tony says and you smile at him brightly as your mom laughs.

"Yes yes! And we’ll take the child one the weekends and any day! We can have a room just for them here, your old room!" Your mom says as he hands you piece of cake that she just sliced.

"Looks delicious!" You say and grab a fork and began eating it as your mom pass out slices of cake to your father and your husband.

"I can’t believe it!" Your dad says

"Oh! Boy or girl!" He adds on.

"We don’t know yet, we just had an appointment last week but it’s too early to tell, I’m hoping boy, Tony hoping girl but it doesn’t matter, we’ll love them regardless." You say as you sat down with Tony.

Soon the conversation leaned off of you. It’s late now, your walking out your parents house with a bag full of leftovers, parents smiling.

"Dinner was wonderful, mom." You say as you hug her tight and then your dad.

"Thank you" you say to them as Tony hugs them.

"I love you, get some rest mom, you’ve been cooking and baking all day. You deverse it" you say to them as your mom laughs.

"Says the one, whose has baby in them. Make sure she gets rest, Y/n doesn’t sit down for anything!" Your mom says and Tony nods.

"Oh I know!" He says and you shake your at him.

"I’ll call you when we get home mom, and we have to go out dinner soon, my treat." You say to them and your parents nods.

"Drive safe! Love you!" Your dad yells as you wave, as you get to the car in the driveway, Tony opening your car door as you smile getting in as he shuts it for you as he gets into the driver side.

Tony buckling up as he pulled out of the driveway and began driving away.

"I’m scared." Tony says as you look at him.

"Why?" You question.

"I don’t want to be like my dad…" he says and you sigh out quietly as you grab his hand softly.

"You’re not, you’re not going to be like him. You, Anthony Stark is going to be better because you know what it’s like to want something you could never get, this baby is going to need you. I’m going to need you and you’re already there. It’s okay, but I don’t see you turning into him. Just like what my dad said, we’d going to be wonderful parents, I just know it!" You say and Tony looks over at you with a nod.

"Okay, we’re going to be wonderful parents, together." He says as he kisses your hand.

[negasonicimagines]

Placebo

REQUEST: Hey! Listen i loved the omega verse requests. But then I was also thinking what about the opposite? Like R is an alpha taking suppressants. And unknowingly she gets off it around the same time yukio is in heat. So Ellie is like this is a shit show and is trying to help R who’s panicking and yukio who just wants both alphas (cuz in yukios mind she’s like finally I can get double the pleasure)

SYNOPSIS: You're the ultimate alpha -- that's your superpower. The downside is, most suppressants are no match for your instincts and urges. You've found a solution in the form of an experimental suppressant being tested on yourself and others like you. Just as you've gotten used to your newfound peace, the meds suddenly stop working. What's worse? Yukio's in heat.

Warnings/Notes: A/B/O, Yukisonic x Reader, Porn With Minimal Plot, Your Past Sexual Experiences are Dubiously Consensual, I Don't Care What Typical A/B/O Dynamics Are - I Do What I Want, Reader (Accidentally) Self-Harms, Lots of Oral, Penetration - Yukio!Receving & R!Receiving and Giving

The ultimate alpha. Stronger, faster, better hearing, better sense of smell, stronger smell, more in tune with your natural instincts… That’s your mutation. Pretty lame compared to reading minds, healing touch, or wings, but it’s yours, and it’s enough for you to be looked upon with distaste by the anti-mutant crowd. 

Normal suppressants don’t work for you – they’re only meant to bring an alpha down to socially-acceptable levels of their innate traits. For you, that would only put you at the level of an alpha without suppressants. Thankfully, though, there’s hope. You’re part of a medical trial with some other alphas who have overactive traits. None of the others are quite at your level, of course, but it’s working nonetheless, and it has been for the past few years. 

You take your pill as needed, no more than one every four hours. Today, though, you’re two hours in and you’re ready to claw Ellie’s eyes out for having your omega the way you’ve always wanted her. 

For omegas, suppressants can cause infertility if they don’t take a break every three months or so, so every now and then Ellie is lucky enough to get to help Yukio through her heats, while you stay away in your old bedroom for the week. You’re too afraid to lose control and give her your bite, something she wants to wait for until marriage, or in the case of the three of you, a commitment ceremony. You’re in full agreement on that, in fact, you wish you didn’t have the bites you do from that period of your life before medication where you had little to no self control. You wouldn’t be surprised if you had a kid or two already, though no one’s reached out. 

It’s the last day of her heat. You sulk in the kitchen. You hoped eating would distract you, but the apple in your hand has been crushed. You eat it anyway, trying to ignore your disgust at its new texture. 

Ellie strolls in, a little flushed and reeking of Yukio’s sweet scent. She smells so much like an omega that you almost want to mount her right then and there. 

“Babe, are you alright?” she asks. “You know you can join us, right? I’m willing to keep an eye on things. ”

“I- I think something’s wrong,” you realize. “It’s not- The medicine’s not- I need to be locked up or something, like before.”

“Really?” Ellie rushes to your side, pressing the back of your forehead. “Fuck, you’re burning up.” She blinks, looking dazed. “You smell, like… Oh, shit, they’re not doing anything at all, are they? It’s so strong, even I want… Shit.” 

She racks her brain for a minute or so, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“We should take you to the bedroom, okay?” she decides, surprising you. “I got something for you a while back, but, I don’t know, you started talking about hating being an alpha in general and I didn’t think you’d want it.”

“What is it?” you wonder.

“A muzzle,” she nervously says, adding with tentative excitement: “No bite risk.”

“Well, that is the number one hurdle,” you admit, feeling your member already starting to extend with her proximity to you. “But then, there’s you to worry about. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I can handle myself. I’ve thought of more than a few ways we could share that you’d like. Let’s… Let’s give it a shot, okay?”

You can smell her fear. Fuck, it smells so good, like fresh strawberries. You can taste it. You cover your mouth and nose, your eyes watering with tears full of shame. You love Ellie, her terror shouldn’t appetize you. 

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispers. “Come on. I’ll grab some more water, then we’ll go.”

Despite her anxiety, she leads you by the hand to the bedroom. You’re trembling. It’s everything you ever wanted and yet you’re so filled with self-disgust for feeling that way – your instincts make you hate yourself for being okay with sharing, your love for them both makes you hate yourself for being such an animal. 

She knocks softly on the door. 

“Yukio, I’m back. I brought a surprise for you,” she tells your shared mate as she opens the door. You hesitantly enter after her, and Yukio’s mouth falls open. “Easy,” she warns, but you’re not sure who she’s warning until she continues: “Y/N’s medicine isn’t working. She needs our help. Your help especially. Are you up for that?” 

Yukio nods as Ellie opens up the black chest where you all keep your collection of toys. She reveals the muzzle, and a growl rumbles in your throat. 

“Sorry, sorry,” you quickly say. 

“I’ll do it,” Yukio offers, getting up from the bed. Sure, you’ve seen her naked before, but never dripping slick down her thighs and radiating pure need. She takes the muzzle from Ellie, meeting your eyes with a sad smile as she approaches you. She caresses your face first. You shudder, torn between closing your eyes and enjoying the sensation of your omega touching you and keeping them open to look at her pretty face. You’re painfully hard. 

The muzzle is more of a leather cage, so thankfully you’ll still be able to smell and maybe even taste certain things, as a finger can fit through the holes. Yukio gently presses it to your face, and you secure the straps. 

“I almost don’t even want this,” she says softly. “Putting this on you like you’re some sort of reactive dog feels wrong.”

“I’d feel worse if I bit you,” you disagree. “It’s okay. It’s kind of comforting, considering- I’m so close to losing it, I-” You don’t know what to say next, thoughts are escaping you one by one as you look into your omega’s eyes. You feel like one or both of you is gonna die if you don’t get started soon. She nods in understanding, stepping back before reclining on the bed. 

“Do you need help with the condom?” Ellie asks, extending the box to you. You take one out, but it looks a little smaller than you remember. Well, they’re supposed to be stretchy. 

You hurriedly take off your pants and underwear. Both of their breaths hitch. You unwrap the condom before attempting to roll it on. It’s uncomfortably tight, but it’s whatever, her safety comes first. Once you get closer to your base, it tears. 

“Uh, shit, sorry, it’s been a while,” you apologize, noticing their wide-eyed stares. 

“And I wear mediums,” Ellie reminds you. “Fuck, it’s been so long since I’ve seen it, I forgot you’d need a bigger size.”

“It’s okay,” Yukio says quickly. 

“No, it’s not,” Ellie reminds her. “You may be on birth control, but it’s safer if we double up.”

“It’s safer right now for Y/N to be inside me. Look at her, she’s trying so hard, but it’s not gonna last forever. If you’re that worried about it, go get some in the right size while we…” Yukio trails off, a smile growing on her face. “Yeah.”

“Totally not gonna let that bruise my ego,” Ellie remarks. “Fine. Just- Be careful, you two, alright?”

“Always,” you breathe. You don’t know how much more of this you can take, Yukio’s propped wide open for the taking. You’re surprised Ellie isn’t already knot-deep in her right now. Her self-control is something you’ve always envied. 

Ellie nods in understanding. 

“C’mon,” Yukio encourages you. You join her on the bed. You want nothing more than to be decent, to cover her in kisses, to lick and nibble on her everywhere she’d let you, but… The muzzle. She sighs sympathetically. “Why don’t you lay down?”

Another growl from you makes her shiver, but you don’t smell any fear, only adoration and a touch of pity. 

“What, you don’t like the idea of knotting my mouth while Ellie fills me up from the other side?” she teases. Oh, oh, that could be good. So good. A trickle of precum dribbles out of you as you smell Ellie’s arousal. Yukio giggles. “That’s what I thought, alpha. You can lay down or maybe even sit up a little right there,” she instructs, and you obey – some might consider it a little odd, but following the whims of your omega isn’t too much of a deviation from your natural instincts. “And Ellie can stand at the foot of the bed. I’ll be bent over it.” 

Now that you’re all in your positions, you assess the situation. Ellie’s behind her, able to keep an eye on both of you. Yukio’s between you, already drooling a little at the sight of you. And you’re… Surprisingly okay, the scents of your mates seem to be soothing you into a more stable state. 

While Ellie undresses, Yukio licks a stripe up your member and you cry out. It’s been so long. You can’t even bring yourself to masturbate, your shame and self-hatred making it hard to maintain an erection. This is different, though. Their acceptance makes living with yourself a little easier. 

She continues to tease you with her tongue before taking you into her mouth. You can smell her wetness so strongly that if you close your eyes, you can almost believe you’re inside of it right now, which would be perfect if you weren’t having to dig your fingernails into your thighs to keep yourself from grabbing her ponytail and thrusting. 

She pulls off of you, lifting her head with a smile. 

“Good girl,” you sigh. “Is it too thick?”

She shakes her head. 

“No, I just forgot to mention that I don’t have a gag reflex,” she chirps. “You’re so sweet, but you’re already holding back enough for me just wearing that.”

“And, uh, just let me know when it’s okay for me to start,” Ellie awkwardly adds. 

“Go ahead, I’m… Just being here with you two is really calming me down,” you share, almost worried that saying it out loud will somehow reverse the effect they’re having on you. It’s never been like this before. Normally, another alpha being near your mate would make you angry enough to strongly consider murder as a viable option. Even the idea of Ellie being with her like this has stressed you out. Seeing it, though, being involved… It feels better. Not just better, but right. 

You watch with bated breath as Ellie eases in. Her shoulders sag with relief, her hands wrap around Yukio’s hips like they were made to be there. And it’s okay. It feels good, even… Maybe because a part of you knows that if you told Ellie to pull out, she would, and she’d understand. She’s still subservient to you on some level, as your lover. 

It’s then that you recall the evolutionary purpose of female alphas such as Ellie and yourself. You still have functional vaginas, so that if there were ever a shortage of omegas… You could breed. You pulse at the thought of being inside her, or her, you. 

“Sweetie, you’re drawing blood!” Yukio yelps, pushing your hand away from your thigh. 

“What’s wrong?” Ellie quickly asks. “I’m sorry, you were staring at me, but you didn’t look angry, so I thought we were doing good. Should I-?”

“No,” you snarl, cutting her off as she starts to back away from Yukio. “Stay right there. I just… We- My thoughts drifted.”

“Is this alright?” Yukio asks, just as concerned despite the need she’s surely having to ignore. 

You nod fervently. 

“I- You guys know I didn’t come here ‘til I was an adult, so I don’t know how comprehensive your sex ed was, but there’s something Ellie and I can do that not a lot of people like to talk about. I started thinking about it.”

“Oh,” Yukio squeaks, her eyes widening. “Oh,” she repeats, lower, with a grin. “I’d certainly like to see that.”

“I- I’m sorry,” you stammer, noticing Ellie’s apprehensive expression. “I’m sure you’d much rather be inside-”

“Wait, you want me to-? To-? You? That’s- That’s totally fine, I’ve just never had anyone or anything in me before. You’re pretty big, so I was more nervous about that, not that I’m against it or anything. I just know we’re having a lot of firsts here and I don’t want to take away attention from you or her.”

“I mean, you can smell it, can’t you? On both of us? We can all take turns being the center of attention. Speaking of, though, we’re not being very attentive to our dear omega. Is there more we need to talk about?”

“I think we’re good,” Ellie agrees, slowly moving her hips back and forth.

You tentatively hold on to Yukio’s ponytail while your other hand grasps the sheets. She bobs up and down your length, taking you both so perfectly. Her increasing moans match the increasing pace of Ellie’s thrusts. Your hips buck, and she groans hungrily, sucking harder. You decide to sync up with the two of them, and the three of you unravel in no time. Yukio takes deep breaths through her nose as your seed pumps down her throat. Ellie’s stays trapped in a condom, of course, but she’s locked inside of Yukio all the same. The latter reaches up underneath your shirt, massaging your breast. 

“Trying to make it go faster?” you tease. “Don’t tell me she hasn’t been feeding you. Is this all you get to eat when you’re in heat?”

Yukio attempts to speak around you, but it’s no use. 

“I make sure she eats, jerk,” Ellie huffs playfully. “She’s just taking advantage of the opportunity. You don’t really let either of us touch you, even when we’re making out.”

“I know,” you sigh. “I just- Ah!” Yukio starts moving her tongue. “I just- Fuck, worry so-ho much about ha-hurting you or going too far, fuck, Yukio, you’re… Perfect, don’t stop, please.”

“I didn’t realize how much she’d like this, every time you moan she squeezes around me,” Ellie informs you, looking a bit winded herself. 

Yukio gently scrapes her teeth against you and you lose it all over again, including your balance this time. Ellie chuckles, before slipping out of Yukio and stepping over to you. She takes the muzzle off.

“El-”

“Someone’s gotta clean this up, and Yukio’s mouth is a little occupied. Wanna help me out?” 

It’s a flimsy excuse – once the condom is off, there won’t be a hint of Yukio on her. She slides her finger against her length before sliding it against your tongue. It tastes like honeysuckle nectar. She pulls the condom off, offering herself to you. If it was literally anyone else’s, you’d bite it off. 

“Never done this before,” you remind her as you prop yourself back up. “Might not be any good.”

“It’s you. That makes it good.”

You’re burning up, so you finally take off your shirt. She bites her lip before she lines herself up with your mouth as best as she can. It’s a little sideways, but at least that prevents it from going too far in too soon. You carefully take her into your mouth. She gives a pleasured sigh in response, stroking your hair and brushing it out of your face.

“That’s it. You like that?” she murmurs.

“Mhm,” you hum. She shudders, her hand tightening in your hair. You feel Yukio’s mouth leave you, but not longer after, you’re inside her once more. You find yourself clinging to Ellie as waves of pressure roll through you. You swallow around her and she chokes on air, holding onto you for dear life. 

“Hol-y fu-cking sh- I’m- That’s so…” Yukio moans, bouncing on you harder. 

“That’s it, baby, touch yourself,” Ellie encourages her, before pulling out of your mouth. 

“Did I-?”

“No, any more of that and I was gonna knot your mouth. Figured you wouldn’t be a fan of that. Besides, your omega needs you,” she clarifies. 

You turn to Yukio, who’s furiously stroking her clit with her eyes forced open and her mouth agape. 

“God, that was so fucking hot,” she whines. “My alphas, so good to each other, so good to me.”

“All for you,” you groan, she’s practically milking you with how tightly her insides embrace you. “Close your eyes, baby, focus on your own-”

She shakes her head. 

“I don’t wanna miss a thing. Needed you like this for so long,” she insists. She smells so good, like petrichor – a euphorically relaxing rainy day wafting through the air. She feels like- Like her, so beautiful and perfect. 

You flip her onto her back and start drilling into her in the blink of an eye, one hand tangled in the hair at the base of her head and the other gripping her hip as you force her to meet your thrusts sooner and sooner. You keep your mouth shut, focusing on that just as much as your other actions. “Oh, fuck, I- Holy fu- Ah, so hard, never- Sorry, fuck, I’m gonna-” her whole body tenses up, a high-pitched noise squeaking out of her like a muted scream. 

“Way to show me how it’s done,” Ellie remarks before giving you a playful smack on the ass. “Didn’t realize you liked it like that, Yukio.”

“Not sure I knew that either,” Yukio pants. “Holy… Wow.”

You beam with pride at your omega’s approval, jaw still clenched as tightly as you can manage. She reaches up, massaging it. 

“So good to me,” she repeats, her hand drifting to the curve between your neck and your shoulder. You’re ashamed as she feels the layers of scarring. Eventually, they’ll fade - they already have significantly, some are no more than marks on your skin. “All mine. I know it’d be hypocritical of me, but-”

“Yes,” you know what she’s asking and you answer without hesitation, leaning even closer to her. 

“Oh, Y/N, I don’t… I don’t want to take advantage of you like they did. Let’s wait until my heat’s over and do it then. Tomorrow, okay?”

Of course. It’s not a true rejection, but it hurts like one nonetheless. 

“I think I know of a way we can prove that she really wants it,” Ellie says, trailing a hand up your back. “Would you want me to bite you, too?”

You nod fervently. 

“At the same time,” you add. “One on each side.” 

“Okay,” Yukio agrees. Ellie gets behind you, leaning forward on your back and wrapping her arms around you. She smells amazing, too, like the sweet smoke of a campfire.  

That’s when it hits you. It’s not that she’s subservient to you – all of your alpha instincts are in overdrive. You want to be subservient to her. When you had her in your mouth, you wanted her like Yukio wasn’t even there, but she was, so it was even better. This is the only kind of relationship that can satisfy all of your urges, isn’t it?

Why didn’t you ever feel like this before? You’ve never had the urge to mate with another alpha… Then again, Ellie’s unique – she has the doe eyes, round cheeks, and petite physique more commonly associated with omegas, the balanced approach of a beta, and the strength and confidence of an alpha. She’s as perfect as Yukio, just in a different way. 

“You’re shaking,” she murmurs. 

“It’s you,” you whisper, scared to admit it. “I- I can’t explain it.”

“Do we need to stop?” she asks, clearly alarmed by your vague declaration. 

“No, I mean… My- I-”

“It’s what she said earlier, about you two doing what alphas do when there’s a shortage of omegas,” Yukio realizes. “With your mutation, you feel it anyways, don’t you? You need her.”

“I- I do, but it’s not like I don’t recognize that you’re here. I love you, and I’m so glad you are. It’s like it’s… Coexisting, even if it’s contradictory.”

Ellie hugs you tighter. 

“Then we better get to it, alpha,” she whispers before pressing kisses to your neck and finding her place. “Right there?”

“Oh, god, yes,” you find yourself begging. “Please.”

Yukio takes the spot you offered to her, and they both sink their teeth in. You gasp in pleasurable pain, hips twitching forward as Yukio flutters around you. 

They guide you out of her and onto your back.

“Wow,” Yukio says softly. They can feel you better now – your needs, your worries, everything. 

“Jeez, your knot’s still pretty full. Wait, Y/N, do you not…?” Ellie trails off, digging in the box for a new condom and rolling it on as quickly as possible. 

“What?” Yukio asks. “I just thought it was bigger, since, y’know…”

“There’s no way you can call her dick bigger than mine nicely. It’s a fact. It’s fine,” Ellie huffs. “Anyways, no, proportionally, it still hasn’t deflated as much as it should be if she’s emptying it regularly. Why haven’t you been?”

“I- I just can’t,” you confess. “I try, but… Please, don’t- I can’t-” If you cry right now, you might actually die of embarrassment. “I hate it so much sometimes, the way I feel.”

“Baby,” Yukio coos. 

“Don’t- You’re in heat, Yukio, I should be fawning over you, not-”

“We’re mates, Y/N,” she argues. “And since I go into heat regularly, it winds down a lot faster. It’s easier to keep a clear head. As your omega, I’m asking you to let us take care of you right now.”

“And as your alpha, I’m demanding it,” Ellie insists, her eyes burning into you. You relent, avoiding them and nodding. 

“That’s it,” Yukio hums. “Relax. It’ll hurt if you don’t.”

Ellie circles to the end of the bed while Yukio remains by your side. The former carefully pushes a finger inside you once the latter starts stroking your member. Oh, wow, that feels so- She curls the finger inside of you and you jolt. Both gasp. 

“Well, if you’re that sensitive, we’ll have this worked out in no time,” Ellie remarks. “You think you can take another finger?”

“Yes,” you agree breathlessly. She pulls her finger out of you, adding another. Your eyes shut tightly, sight is a sense that’s no longer necessary – in fact, it’s too much. “Ah, that’s… Oh.”

“Good?” Ellie offers, chuckling. You nod, your teeth worrying your bottom lip. It’s almost too good. Yukio’s hand tightens around you as she increases her pace. 

“F-f-f…” 

Ellie inserts another finger, preparing you for what’s to come. Is this how omegas feel? It’s spectacular, being so full of someone you love and need so much, knowing they feel the same way. You know you have to treat Ellie to this one day. 

“Ready?” she asks, clearly just as excited about this development. 

“Yeah,” you confirm. She pushes inside you and the dull pain of the pressure is nothing in comparison to the ecstasy of feeling her inside you. Yukio’s hand slows to a stop. “Move, you can move.”

“Goodness…” Yukio mumbles, like something’s in her mouth. You open your eyes to find one of Ellie’s fingers there. Ellie pulls away, cleaning the other two. 

“It’s like… Peaches, or nectarines…” Ellie murmurs. “Right?”

Yukio nods. 

“So good,” Ellie groans, her hips finally rocking. You can feel every inch of her. It’s bliss. The only thing that compares to this is being inside Yukio, whose smile widens as she feels your thoughts drift to her. She starts stroking you again. If what was happening before was bliss, this is indescribable. 

You can’t help the moans and whines being ripped from you as your eyes roll back. They’re downright pathetic, but they seem to fuel both women. 

“Yukio, I want- You’re not gonna feel left out if I…?”

“No, have your moment. I should be touching myself anyways, to get the rest of it out of my system. I get the feeling I won’t last long… My two alphas, gorgeous. I’m so lucky.”

Yukio’s hand leaves you as she leaves the bed, opting for the chair at your shared desk. You whimper, but her hand is quickly replaced by Ellie’s as she adjusts her position, hovering over you. 

“Can I go faster?” she pants. 

“Yeah,” you confirm. 

“Look at me,” she demands. You open your eyes to meet hers. There’s so much love in them. “My alpha,” she breathes. “So strong, taking me so well.”

“My alpha,” you echo. “Feels so good, don’t- Oh, don’t know how I lived without it.”

“I don’t know how I lived without this, either. All of this,” she replies. “How could I even breathe in this room without you here?”

She snarls, angry at her past self’s negligence, before she starts absolutely pounding you. You’re seeing stars in the best way, your hips still lifting to meet her thrusts as she jerks you off. Your hands, paralyzed by surprise, now find themselves clawing at her back hungrily. You get the urge again and redirect your focus to clenching your jaw shut. 

Ellie notices quickly, now bearing down on her elbow to bare herself to you. 

“Do it,” she says.

“But-”

“Do it,” her alpha voice comes out. Its effect ripples through you like nothing you’ve ever felt before: you feel protected, loved, euphoric, but it’s on a completely different level. You pull her impossibly closer, getting a mouthful of her and biting down hard as your pleasure peaks. It’s a good thing you did it, too. The sounds you’re making right now would likely alarm someone unaware of the situation and the last thing you need right now is for someone to bust down that door and rescue you from this. 

You pull away to catch your breath. 

“Good alpha,” she sighs, removing her hand from your member to caress your face. She slows down, but it’s clear she’s not done yet. Evidence of your orgasm is splattered across your chest and hers. She trails a finger up yours, grazing your nipple teasingly. You spasm, and she smirks, tasting you. 

“Can I just say…? That was super fucking hot,” Yukio comments, clearly pleasantly bemused.

“Come here,” you tell her. “I wanna taste you.”

“Oh, uh, our other alpha might not take too kindly to that. Looks like she’s enjoying having both of us as her willing slaves.”

“Please, Ellie,” you beg. “I want both of you inside me.”

“How can I say no to that?” she lifts her head to look at Yukio as she replies before cutting her eyes back over to you. “And how could I deny her your mouth when I know how good it feels?”

Yukio rejoins you on the bed, mounting your face. You explore her folds with your tongue as both girls rock their hips. There’s no word that better describes all this than perfect. Yours, Yukio’s, and Ellie’s moans fill the room as much as your scents do, swirling together in a blend that was meant to be. 

You find yourself clawing at Yukio’s back now. It’s just enough to satisfy your urge to mark her, and she knows it, praising you between whines and whimpers. 

Ellie finishes once more, and you follow. Yukio’s last, Ellie holds her up and keeps her from falling as she quakes. 

“I think… I think that was it,” Yukio pants. “I’m good. You two?”

Ellie nods, as do you. 

“Time for a cuddle pile, then!” she cheers. Each of them nestle in your side as yours and Ellie’s members retract. 

“That was…” you take a much-needed breath. “Perfect.”

“Agreed,” Ellie replies. 

“I’m sorry you were excluded for so long. I know it was mostly your idea, but we should’ve fought for you,” Yukio says. 

“It’s okay. I just hope I can figure out why my medicine stopped working,” you reply. “I mean, I can go off of whatever suppressant I end up trying next for your heats, if you want, but it completely stopped working.”

“Oh my god,” Ellie blurts in realization. “You just got that refill yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, how’d you-?”

“I keep track,” she cuts you off. “They’re placebos, Y/N. Your medicine still works.”

You sigh in relief. 

“I’ll give them a call later and see what can be done,” you decide. “For now, as Yukio said: cuddle pile.”

[pettyrevenge-base]

I will physically explode if I don’t tell someone about this right now.

It’s random and not that serious but I am DYING and have to get this out lol.

Got my first big tattoo today, I’ve been planning it for years and was really excited about it. My family aren’t super into tattoos but I sent it to our group chat anyway. My mum (who is often nasty for no real reason) responds ‘How much did that cost you?! Send me my money.’ I never borrow money - I just needed physical cash a few days ago and my mum had some so she gave that to me and I bank transferred her. She obviously didn’t see the transfer, ok, but is it hard to ask nicely?? I was so salty lol. But I politely point out that I actually sent it already, she ignores me, no worries but I’m still quietly annoyed.

About an hour later, she messages me asking how to log in to my Apple TV. I’d recommended a tv show and gave her my login details last week but she was having issues logging in. I didn’t open the message and instead chose to sit in my little petty satisfaction bubble.

After a few frustrated messages I stop hearing from her. Check my Apple TV app and see that yes, she managed to log in, and had started watching that tv show. I’ve watched it and I know that it hooks you GOOD in the first 15-20 minutes, on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what’s happening kinda thing.

So…. I wait until I know she’d be right into it. Log into my account. Change password. Log out of all devices. Not even two minutes later, she’s messaging me on all platforms trying to get me to help her log in. Like fully blowing up my phone with messages lol.

I haven’t opened a single message, stayed inactive on all platforms, she’ll think I’m asleep. I’m really sitting here kinda scared (?? I don’t know why) but fucking exhilarated.

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[bruiseslikeblueroses]

The State of my Unions

I rediscovered Tumblr. Switched over to Bluesky. I feel like a social media refugee. I feel bad for the real refugees in Los Angeles. It seems like the city is burning to the ground. I’m really worried about my bestie. She sounded panicked when we talked last night.

As far as things go, I’m fine. Missing my new husband terribly. I can’t wait for him to move in here, Only three more weeks. This bed and end tables gets switched out for his larger set, which I am all for. My previous domestic partner died on this bed. It’s just too sad. A fresh start is a good thing.

My father wrote us up a dream lease, at least I say this without having seen it yet. Casey, bless him, will be paying 90% of the house expenses with his larger income and I will be taking care of food and tradwife stuff. That sounds quite agreeable. I don’t mind being a housewife at all. I do that anyway, because I like living in a clean house. Eating decent food

The words are coming easier now. She was right, Jami Attenberg's 1000 Words of Summer. This is a good exercise. 200 words without really thinking about it. Of course I am all hopped up of Cold Brew from Casey’s forgotten appliance. That is may secret summer survival tool. I forgot how caffeinated this stuff was, also. Two pint glasses and I’m ready to write the great American novel spew. It feels good.

Now I’m a forth of the way through. A good feeling. There is a lot of history I have with Tumblr. I am happy to see familiar faces there, as well as on Bluesky as people flee Threads. Some are staying, like I thought I’d stay at Twitter/X. I haven’t posted anything but cross promotion there is what feels like years. At least a year. 

Time moves differently now. Faster. It’s 2025 and I’m throwing away cans of food in my pantry that expired in 2019. Trying to get the place cleaned out for Casey. I love him. I love him so much. We want to get old and grey together and I am all about it. I pamper him because he is such a jewel. I made him an apple pie the other day. It’s still siting in the fridge, looking lovely. Should be delicious. He loves my cooking. He’s so nonjudgemental and loving. He’s the one.

415 words. Anything else? It’s two am. Suddenly there are so many more interesting things to do then play video games. It feels like coming alive. I could really use a bath, a nice morning soak. But I’m flying on caffeine and don’t really want to sit still for that long. At lest my hair is okay. Doesn’t need to be washed. I cut my bangs a lot shorter. They look a lot better.

I cut my own hair, I’ve been doing it that way for years. Since I moved to Reno and stopped spending a fortune on my hair and nails. The right thing to do.

Sure, the high life with Larry was nice, but I love Casey so much more. He is so much better in so many ways that I feel like we can really be happy together into old age. I am actually excited about spending the rest of my life with him.

I’ve had many lovers, paramours, wives, booty calls, but Casey is my special loving husband with the same value structure I have. That means the world. I am so happy about him moving in at the end of the month.

Today the cleaners comes and do a deep cleaning on the place. I am so glad. I am so very thankful to my parents for paying for this. I should be awake. I have to be awake, actually. I will have to find various strategies for rooms to hide out in. As the weather is chilly. Near freezing, lately.

I take out my meta glasses. Ask them the forecast. It’s 29 degrees right now. Below freezing. I wonder if it snowed tonight. I got a warning on my phone that it might. 

For some reason my glasses will only play podcasts. I fiddle with them until my Spotify Upbeat Mix comes on. Lady Gaga, Born this Way. The morning seems even more sparkling now. Music is everything.

The changes in Meta’s policies as they try to appeal to the upcoming Trump regime are disturbing. I have no stomach for bullying. As they are explicitly targeting LGBTQIA and mentally ill people, I am going elsewhere digitally for a while.

I can’t afford to leave Reno, Nevada. My psychiatric medication, my wonderful house, my five cats. My new husband. Everything is wonderful except Los Angeles is on fire and the incoming. regime I strongly disagree with. 

Hopefully I can fly under the radar. Keep my head down. Survive.

Yes, I am a bisexual woman who chose to marry a man after two wives did not work out. He’s not my beard, although he has a nice dark beard. We met on OK Cupid. It was all over once I’d read his profile and we started talking. I cleared my schedule till our first date and put on my Bettie Page heels.

I’m listening to Todrick Hall, a regular on Ru aul’s Drag Race. He makes amazing dance music. Casey said I listed to gay club music and he was not wrong. Broadway musicals, Lana Del Rey and remixes they might put on at the Abbey on underwear night. 

Discovering Violet Chachki’s musical output was a revelation. Dominatrix disco.

Since The Vivienne passed, I’ve been watching that All Stars All legends Season. Drag perfection. The Viv turns amazing looks. She looks so radiant and animated on television, it’s hard to accept that she’s gone.

Death, aging, time, change. I have no solution for my fleeting middle age, except don’t stop. Don’t stop writing. Creating. I need it more than ever now.

[luneski]

oh my goodness i was so excited to start this blog. this first post is going to be talking about how to be healthy, vitalize resources, and senshi’s job in delicious in dungeon!! well, i guess it isn’t a job, im not really sure bc i haven’t actually read the manga and i zone out while watching the show a lot. the wiki doesn’t say it’s his job but it’s how he knows a lot of people- through his vegetable trading!

so, why do i mention this? well he establishes why the vegetable trading and golems are so important, and that can be applied to real life too!! you can eat organic and healthily for cheap- you, yes you!! 🫵 do you know how useful online government resources can actually be? look up “every farmers market near me” or “is there a farmers market in (location) today” or something similar to those until you find something similar. chances are your local county or library page has a list of all the ones in your area. if not, add “reddit” to the end. no, i’m serious. reddit more than likely has a subreddit for your town, maybe even your neighborhood!

another thing you can do is look up “public community gardens in (location)” for your county, town, or even neighborhood. if you’re in an apartment complex you can ask if they have a community garden or know if they’re allowed in any of the nearby neighborhood gardens. you can also look up community gardens on google maps and contact those neighborhood officials, or once again just add “reddit” to that search bar and see what they say!

a lot of people don’t have access to organic food for a lot of reasons, mostly finances but also because of location. making connections and learning how to prepare food are some of the healthiest financial and social decisions you can make. talk to those people selling food on the side of the road, follow those ^ guides and even try to see if you can tour some local farms. get to know them, their story, why they work so hard and what they care about. (off topic, this is perfect timing- i’m watching episode 4 and senshi just said “Who’ll fix the golems if they fell apart?” this is exactly my point! this isn’t just good for us, we have a responsibility to ourself and our neighbor!) get cards and scan those qr codes, some people post deals and coupons on their websites/social media or send out notifications! they can get you connections with other people who grow/sell/make food too.

however, i know all too well even that isn’t an option for a lot of people, for a lot of reasons. so what ELSE can you do to eat healthy on a budget? (oh and here im at the first part where senshi uses his trading connections to talk to the orcs!! perfect!!) i’m down south so aldis if there’s one in your area, but ofc other discount stores near you work fine too. dollar general and trees sometimes have frozen vegetables and fruit. also, cook from homemade when you can! follow budgeting accounts on social media, look up walmart budgeting food tips online to see accounts who will show you tons of great recipes and exactly how much they cost. i’ve seen accounts with 50+ recipes all under 10$ that are pretty cheap. it’s best to make homemade if you can get organic, but try to get lessen the cost where you can like with cans. sure, organic apples are expensive, but how much are organic canned apples or even organic frozen peas? most of these tips ARE for america so as always be careful about how “organic” canned things and other preserved foods actually are in grocery stores. honestly id personally trust something frozen over canned in america to be organic but that’s up to you, im not a professional. either of these options are great anyways, because they’re perfect for crock pot meals, and crock pot meals will SAVE YOUR LIFE! but i’ll change your life with crock pot meals some other time. just know that meal prepping and being able to just buy ingredients instead of premade meals is a lot cheaper (for me at the very least, i’m sure there can be exceptions!) and i promise there are tricks to make it possible for your busy schedule!

also, see if you qualify for food stamps or other government assistance programs, and if not then see if any of the local colleges/neighborhoods/libraries do. most apartments and universities have a food drive at least at holidays! some churches do food drives too- if you’re not christian or you’re a minority, i’d warn caution as always.

autism blog post #1 tldr connections will get you far in life, and there are lots of ways to eat cheap but still be healthy. use the resources you’re given and don’t be afraid to make friends.

love, senshis #1 fan

[kittysimp-daycareauart]

My Sun doodles are finished! I like how this turned out! I think I did a good job with Sun holding the barrel; hands can be so tricky! Like I did with the Moon doodle, I used Clip Studio Paint for this. I’ve only been using doodle mode so far, but I’m really liking it so far! I’m excited to explore more of what this app can do. ^ ^

Anyways, moving from sounding like an ad sponsor (which it’s not), I’ll tell you a silly, and probably a relatable, story that happened today, because why not? I’m mean, you’re sitting here reading it anyways. So, today I got up from out of bed and immediately tried focusing on getting the doodles of our favorite sunny boi finished, since I had fell asleep in my bed laying on my drawing tablet listening to GTLive the night prior, lol. So, I got up, went to go get something quick to eat and started to try to get to work. I guess today just was not a good day for me to focus because I swear I got distracted about million times before I finished this! After I finally decided to move away from YouTube shorts and put on a GTLive video for background noise, I realized my apple pencil was gone. My first thought was along the lines of, “It’s either on my bed somewhere or oh shit, it’s under my bed.” Now I need to say, I haven’t actually cleaned under my bed since last summer, so who knows what’s under there! And I’m deathly afraid of spiders, and it’s getting to be spring again and I know there’s got to be some spiders under this bed. And I was right, there were. Now I can personally live with a spider under my bed, as long as I have no idea it’s actually there. But when I saw this mother trucker, I was like, nah, I’m getting the broom. And of course when I did that, I did find my apple pencil down there, thankfully with no spiders attached. But I know that I’m either gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight, or something is gonna distract me enough to where I forget before I fall asleep. I’m hoping latter personally. I’ve certainly learned to keep a better eye on my apple pencil now! I wouldn’t want to have to replace it since I’ve seen the prices on them.. Too much.

Well, moving on from the mini story! I hope you enjoyed the art and silly story that came with it. ^ ^ I’m not sure what I’ll post next really.. Probably some random art stuff and then most likely do some doodles of my AU’s Eclipse then Blood Moon. I don’t why, but sometimes when I do pieces like these I feel like have to do one of each character. So it’ll probably end up being something like that. =w=

[booksbydlwhite]

Leave the Thrillers, Take the Romance: A Mid-January Update

Hey friends! Welcome to episode 107 of The Bookcast. I'm recording today with a bit of a cold, so I sound funny, but I'm here and that's all that matters.  I  had to come in and share a mid-month update on my latest reads, writing efforts and author wins with you. Also, it snowed in Atlanta, a thing that only happens every few years, so there's that.   

Book Report

I have read 14 of 100 books. I'm well ahead of my challenge and as per usual, I'll re-evaluate mid year. SO FAR it looks like I am going to be bumping up the goal much earlier. I just love reading. Here's what I've read so far this month- note I was on vacation for the first six days of the month.  I'm trying something new by tracking on both Goodreads and StoryGraph. I don't personally enjoy storygraph but I want to stick it out to see if I get good reporting at the end of the year. Goodreads is very social but not good at reporting. 

Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh (Bree Taggart #10)

A Winter Crest Christmas Reloaded: Mia and Zen by Cordae

One More to Die by Joy Ellis (Audible Original)

Tell Her Story by Margo Hunt (Audible Original)

The Family Lies by Angela Henry

The Setup by Falguni Kothari

Lacey James series by Chris Patchell

Shooting the Moon by Brenda Novak

Westmoreland Legacy series bundle by Brenda Jackson: 

The Rancher Returns

His Secret Son

An Honorable Seduction

The Secret Witness by Victor Methos

More Than Friends by Reese Ryan (Love and Music Suite #3)

Writing Updates:

Currently working on a Valentine's Day story titled Rules in Romance

Calculated Risk is with my editor and due end of February

Missing Persons is complete but needs editing

Still plugging away at my Berkeley Sisters trilogy

Writing fan fiction on my Substack (short fiction by dlwhite.substack.com)

I ended the episode asking how you all are planning to get through these interesting times ahead. Drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you!

Support the show

Support this show with a recurring gift at bookcast.buzzsprout.com. Follow my substack at authordlwhite.substack.com Buy books by DL White at https://payhip.com/booksbydlwhite Buy Merch by DLWhite at my spreadshop. Find the Bookcast on booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast or your fave podcast app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify |Overcast | Podlink| Youtube

TRANSCRIPT

DL White [00:00:14]:

Hello. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Happy Sunday or whatever day or time of day you might be listening to this podcast. Welcome back to the book cast. I am so glad you are here, boos and bros, book pals, fans of the written word. I'm a little bit loopy.

DL White [00:00:34]:

I know you can hear it in my voice. I got a lot of nasally things going on. I do have a cold. I think I am on the end of it, but I am very coffee, sneezy, sniffly, and I have not taken any cold meds because I'm weird. So I think after I record, I may actually take cold meds. So, anyhow, welcome back to the book cast. I am DL White, your host. I am an Atlanta based author of 15 published novels, 16 written ones that you'll hear about calculated risk later this year.

DL White [00:01:14]:

Actually, I think it's more than 16 because I have also finished missing persons. I don't know. I've lost count now is where I'm at. I know I'm not at 20 yet. Anyway, novels, short stories, fan fiction, I write them. I also read. I'm a reader first. So we begin with the book report as always, and then we talk about writing and topics of the day.

DL White [00:01:40]:

I no longer plan out this podcast, so that's why I'm rambling. And perhaps I should go back to planning out the podcast, but, honestly, I feel like it goes so much better when I'm just I get up. I look at the my my, book report information, my Goodreads challenge mainly, figure out where I'm at for the month so I can report, look at my sales to see, like, do I have anything to talk about? Yes? No? Maybe? Is it exciting, or is it meh? Look at my writing stats. How's that going? And, and then I I press record. And I was using Riverside, and I still have my my I still have, like, a login there, but it's just like an extra step. Like, all I need is Audacity. I just open Audacity, and I start recording. So I feel like it's going a little bit better, actually.

DL White [00:02:36]:

I don't have to script out every word I need to say. So, you know, we're gonna do what works until it doesn't work anymore. Anyway, I don't think this episode is going to be long, but who knows? Because I didn't script it out. So it could be 40 minutes of me yammering about books. Who knows? Anyhow, so let's get rolling. We're gonna have a little coffee break. And And then after the jump, we're gonna talk about books and writing. Today is Sunday, January 12th.

DL White [00:03:07]:

It is 8:11 AM. There is snow on the ground here in Atlanta, which I'm very surprised about. I actually figured it would be gone, like, by tomorrow, but it is cold outside. I took some garbage out this morning, and, it's it's it's chilly. Hopefully, we get above 40 degrees today and this stuff starts melting because Monday Friday are work from home days for us. But if this stuff is still on the ground on Tuesday, I ain't going nowhere. Nowhere. Anyhow, let's have some coffee and then come back to talk about books.

DL White [00:04:22]:

Okay. And we are back. Let us begin with the book report. Let me get to my tab because I didn't write any of this down because I'm smart. We are 12 days into the year, and I haven't done an update since January 1. So we are just gonna call this, like, for the year at, 14 books completed. I am 11 books ahead of schedule. My goal is, of course, set at 100 books as always.

DL White [00:04:55]:

I always set it at a 100 on January 1, and we see where we are by, you know, midyear, like the end of June, I'll evaluate. Maybe I will raise it to 150, 175. Last year, I ended up with 225 books. I had a lot that I needed to hide from, and, that worked out really well for me, actually. This year, I'm doing a little something different. I'm trying trying to duplicate my books on the StoryGraph because I wanna see, like, all the pretty graphs and whatever. There's a lot that goes into, tracking a book on StoryGraph, and I literally I just wanna track the book and the dates that I read them. I don't I don't wanna fill out all this extra information, so I'm really not doing all that.

DL White [00:05:51]:

So I don't know how pretty my charts are gonna look, but Goodreads doesn't do very good reporting to me. And I like numbers, and I like reports and graphs and pie charts and bar charts. So I am not actually a big fan of the story graph. It's too plain for me. Like, it it simultaneously does too much and not enough and, that I don't like the interface. I can't see what all my friends are reading. It's not very social. Goodreads is, like, very social.

DL White [00:06:24]:

I can see what everybody else is reading, what everybody else is reviewing, what everybody else is, you know, adding what, you know, what, what do they call them? What, shelves everybody's adding their books to? Like, Goodreads is very social to me, and I've been saying this for a long time. I'm not giving up anything that makes my life easier and enjoyable. I do not care what Jeff Bezos is doing. I don't. He owns 8% of Amazon. 8. If I'm not participating in Amazon stuff, like me not sending him 14 99 a month for Prime isn't going to make him less of a billionaire. So I'm not making my life harder to stand arm and arm with people who can't even get in the booth with me.

DL White [00:07:10]:

I don't I don't care. So that's my stance on it. I'm at Goodreads. I enjoy Goodreads. I'm duplicating at the story graph so I can participate in a couple of challenges that are hosted there and also just so I can see, you know, what my reading year is gonna look like graph wise. So I'm at 14 books for the year. A lot of that is audio, I'm pretty sure, and let's just take a look at, what I have been reading this year. Melinda Lee, track her down.

DL White [00:07:47]:

This is number 10 in the Bree Taggart series. Bree Taggart is a, like, of course, a female sheriff out in the northwest. I believe it's the, Oregon area. I love this series, and I've been gobbling them down. I need Melinda Lee and Kendra Elliott to write many, many books much faster. And then I, caught up a little bit on some holiday reading, A Winter Crest Christmas Reloaded, Mia and Zen by an author named Cordae. This was, I think this was like a, like, a urban urban romance is what they call it. It's one of those, like, you can tell by the cover, by the font, and how they're it's all, like, shiny and whatever.

DL White [00:08:34]:

One of those, there was a lot of sex in it, so there's that, if that's something that interests you. It's a thing that doesn't really interest me much anymore. Like, I like reading sex in a novel as much as the next guy, but after, like, the first two scenes, I get it. They like each other. I'm I'm good. Like, I I like that it's there. Like, if I wanna go back and read a sex scene, I know where to find it. But, I don't read books for the sex, so I wanna know how like, does the plot sizzle as much as those bedroom scenes sizzle? And sometimes, the plot don't be sizzling the plot don't be sizzling.

DL White [00:09:17]:

So, like, a lot of times when I I write, I write the story to make sure the story has legs, and I already know, like, this scene is gonna lead to sex. That scene's gonna be, like, suggestive, but I can close the door that one. But I already know which scenes are gonna have sex in them, but I leave that out. And then in draft 2 is when I go through front to back. I'm writing, I'm rewriting, I'm fluffing, I'm adding, and every time I go through that book, I am adding more to each scene so that it's full and it's fleshed out. That's how I do it and, like, you know, I know I am not one of them popular girls out here, but I feel like my books like, they work out it works out good for me. I wanna make sure that the the story is about the story and the sex is an added benefit. That's an obvious part of a modern adult relationship.

DL White [00:10:23]:

Anyway, I picked up 2 Audible originals, 1 More TO Die by Joy Ellis and Tell Her Story by Margo Hunt. I honestly don't remember what these books were about. They were short, like, 2 hours and whatever. I read those on the second or listened to those on the second. And then The Family Lies by Angela Henry, I believe publishes January 14th. So this coming up, so I had this as an arc. Like, this was really good until it was not. Angela Henry is a new to me author.

DL White [00:10:59]:

I think I started following her on TikTok around, like, 2023, and she had, it's not her first book, but the first book I know by her called The Perfect Ties or something like that. And that book was pretty good, but she gets to a point in her book where it kinda jumps off a cliff, and then it just becomes entirely too complicated, and I can't follow the story. This story, it was it was actually it was actually pretty good about a woman that gets a job managing, the, personal library of this very wealthy family. And there's just, like, a bunch of, like, not creepy, but, like, weird stuff that's happening in the house. Like, she has to live in the house. The dude that, owns the house and is, like, the patriarch of the family, I guess, that hires her. He's got, like, some weird stuff going on. It was, like, it was really good, and then, like, the last 4th of the book was just a lot of what? Wait.

DL White [00:12:07]:

What? What? So I think I gave it 3 stars. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't, like, the most amazing book I've I've ever read. The Family Lies by Angela Henry. And then I listened to The Setup by Falguni Kothari. This was pretty good. This was like it was an audible original about I believe they are a Daisy family and grandpa, I believe, or an uncle, I couldn't I I can't remember, is trying to set a young woman up with, a man so she can get married. And at first, they don't like each other, and then they start to grow on each other. It was really cute, and it was, you know, it's an audible original, so it was pretty short.

DL White [00:12:58]:

Then I stumbled upon this series, and I ate it all the way up. The Lacey James series by Chris Patchell. Lacey James is a I believe she's a young, investigator, detective. And, I found the first one, which I think is, find her, and it's been, I don't know, 10 days since I read this book, so I don't remember the exact, the, you know, the synopsis of the book. It's a police procedural, which is my absolute catnip. I ran through all 4 of the books in this series, in 2 days, which I'm want to do. Hello, Robert Dugoni, Kendra Elliott, Melinda Lee. I'm all over it.

DL White [00:13:52]:

So this series is really good. I really, really enjoyed it. All of these books, I believe, are available on Everand. If you are a member, I think they're also at Chirp if you wanna just buy them outright. I think I borrowed them not borrowed, but think I got them at Libro. I don't remember. Or maybe it was Everand. I don't know.

DL White [00:14:13]:

Can't remember. But Chris Patchell, really good series, and I think there is another coming out in that series in a few weeks, so I'm excited about that. And then I grabbed Brenda Novak shooting the moon from NetGalley. This is an audible, audio arc, and I take all the audio arcs I can get because I wanna keep getting more. This is a audio release of an old Brenda Novak book, and it showed it did not age well. It was rather uninteresting, but, it was a story about a guy who comes back to his hometown to claim the son that he, quote, unquote, left behind. The mother of his child died in a car accident, I believe, and his, mother's the the mother's the child's aunt has been raising him, and grandparents have, like, been taking over since the child's mother died. Like, way way back when they were dating, he was quote, unquote bad news from the other side of the tracks, and dad paid him to go away.

DL White [00:15:34]:

And he comes back like, hey. I need access to my son. And yeah. It's I mean oh, gosh. Yeah. White author's romance doesn't hit me at all anymore. It just doesn't it just doesn't do anything for me. But I listened to it.

DL White [00:15:56]:

I got all the way through it. Gotta send my review off to NetGalley, and we're done with that. And that's that's just gonna be the last that we're gonna do of that. And then I got Brenda Jackson released the first three books in the Westmoreland legacy series, The Rancher Returns, His Secret Son, and An Honorable Seduction in 1 bundle. So this was like a long listen. This took me, like, a couple days to get through. I put this on Blue Sky. Whenever I think that I have put too much sex in a book, I am just going to refer to Brenda Jackson romance because I promise you once her characters start having sex, it's sex in every chapter.

DL White [00:16:48]:

But the thing that miss Jackson does is that story is tight. There is a beginning and there is a climax and there is an end. That story is tight. The sex isn't like, the book the this the story isn't the sex. The story is the story and the sex enhances. There just is a lot of it. So I just sometimes, like, I I'm reading and I'm like, again? Oh my goodness. Whoo.

DL White [00:17:17]:

Lord. So I'm to the point where I kinda skip through a lot of that, and I just I just wanna know what happens in the story. Thankfully, there's so much pleasure in reading the story itself. So those 3 I got through. I can't say I will ever listen to 3 audiobooks in one bundle at a time ever again, but Brenda Jackson is not a bad way to spend a couple of days. And then had a couple days off from reading because that was a lot that was a lot of reading in 9 days. And then yesterday, I, picked up on well, actually, Friday, I picked up, The Secret Witness by Victor Methos because I was want I wanted to read book 2 then realized I hadn't read book 1, which was the secret witness, so I picked that up. It wasn't the best book I ever read.

DL White [00:18:11]:

I like Victor Methos, and I see why I started this and then stopped reading it because it was a little bit boring. But I did wanna read book 1 before I read book 2, so now I'm gonna pick up book 2. I don't even remember what the name of book 2 is, but I got that out of the way. So I can pick up book 2 now. So I got that, and then I read yesterday. I I have been so deep in thriller, suspense, mystery since January 1. I needed some romance. I woke up yesterday like I need a romance immediately.

DL White [00:18:44]:

And Rhys Ryan just released book 3 in the Love and Music Suite series. I believe this is her 1st self published series, and she's doing such an amazing job with it. I'm like I am so pleased and proud of this work that Ries Ryan has been doing. More than Friends is this, friends to lovers romance. And it's a second chance because they dated in high school and decided that they would rather be friends, except one of them did not really want to stay friends. And hence, like, that's how friends to lovers always is, which kinda ticks me off. Like, one of them is always, like like, hanging out in the cut, hoping the situation will change. Meanwhile, I will just take your friendship as a consolation prize.

DL White [00:19:32]:

It's never that they're, like, actual, like, friends. And then one day, they look at each other and they're like, hey. So, why haven't we ever like, that's the Friends to Lovers I wanna read. That's a Friends to Lovers I would write. So I got that read yesterday. It was excellent. Excellent. Like, when I am reading and talking back to the book and highlighting things, it's a good, good read.

DL White [00:20:01]:

I really, really enjoyed it. It's fun. It's set in Atlanta, which I like, a lot, and, I just really enjoyed it. It's very good. More Than Friends, A Second Chance, Friends To Love is Romance by Rhys Ryan. Like, I love a Rhys Ryan book. She is like a Sunday afternoon snuggle down with a book kind of author for me. I have several of those, like, Synthia Williams, Delaney Diamond, Sharon c Cooper, Nia Forester.

DL White [00:20:27]:

Like, if I have a Sunday afternoon and I need to fill it with a book, I will dig through their catalog for something I haven't read. Turn on, like, the fire channel on YouTube, or lately, I've been listening to, like, this lo fi channel and grab me a snack, a beverage, and I'm out. I am out, and that is the best day for me. So that was the 14 books I've read so far in January. I am, of course, not done reading because come on. But it's been a good look so far. I've been I've been happy with my reading. So moving on super quickly to books.

DL White [00:21:07]:

Sales have dropped considerably since the holidays. Of course, things really slow down when the kids go back to school and the earth catches on fire and or freezes. There's been a lot going on, so sales have been a little slow. I'm not promoting as much. There's not there's not a whole lot going on, but it'll pick up hopefully toward, like, the second half of the month. My books are in a book funnel promo. It's an indie sales promo, which is gonna move a lot slower, I think, than a, like, a giveaway, but this is definitely, geared toward supporting indie author sales. So that's at BookFunnel.

DL White [00:21:49]:

I'll be talking about that in my newsletter this week. Also, in my newsletter, I will be talking about, I think I told you guys I wrote a newsletter magnet, like a little a short little story that you can only get in my newsletter. You can now also get it if you are a paid subscriber to my short fiction substack at short fiction dot substack short fiction by dlwhite.substack.com. That's also loaded up there. If you are a paid subscriber, you have automatic access to that as well as my weekly serial. Same time next week, which is actually almost done. I have maybe 4 chapters, which is, like, 2 days worth of posting. That's almost almost done.

DL White [00:22:33]:

So if you were waiting to subscribe until same time next week was already all loaded up, you might as well go and subscribe now. It's $5 a month. Short fiction by dlwhite.substack.com. Get into it, same time next week is a serial. It's a interracial I should actually say it's, yeah, it's a interracial rock star romance that I wrote. It was fan fiction, and then it was original fiction, and I unpublished it because it's interracial. And I'd be writing black on black Negro nosed romance. So, I brought it back as a serial because, it's already written, and I have been publishing it twice a week in theory on my short fiction substack.

DL White [00:23:17]:

It is, paid access only. I do have some free stuff on there. I also have a fan fiction story that I started writing. I actually started writing it in August and kinda lost the plot and stopped updating. And then I got a email from a reader that said they had started it and wondered if I was going to finish it. And I was like, what? So I went back to the archive. I was like, oh, yeah. I did start this, and then I started getting ideas.

DL White [00:23:46]:

And so I have been updating that, and so that's really fun. And that one is that is a fun one about a woman named Zoe Chapman. She is an aspiring songwriter, and, she gets a chance to attend a songwriter's retreat with, JC Chasez. And this is a thing that he does, except I think he usually does it in Nashville. The story is called Music on My Heart because it was the only song title I could think of, which is weird. I'm trying to bring it up so I can, so I can read the synopsis. When aspiring songwriter Zoe Chapman joins JC Chasez's exclusive mountain retreat, she's looking for a musical mentorship, not to fall for the man behind the legend. But as the late night studio sessions blur the lines between professional and personal, they discover their hearts might be writing a very different song.

DL White [00:24:44]:

So, I started writing this in August, and I picked it up in December. It's just like some fun fan fiction stuff if you have any interest in in single whatsoever. I, almost exclusively write JC. He's just a very interesting character to me, especially JC in his forties as opposed to JC in his teens and twenties. It's been very fun to watch him grow as an artist, as a writer, as a person. And so writing this older, more mature mentor type person who still is susceptible to meeting someone amazing that they should probably avoid but can't. I like it a lot. So that's going on my short fiction substack.

DL White [00:25:36]:

Fan fiction is always free, and I have a couple I do have some fan fiction stories that are written there. And, I also I have the serial that's there. I believe I have one serial that's free there on the short fiction substack. That is the story of Kate, which I really, really, really loved writing. And, like, writing that really helped me write missing persons because I needed to kinda turn I just needed to turn my brain toward something that isn't so, like, lovey dovey soft place to landy. So there's the story of Kate that's up there. I really enjoyed writing. The photograph is, up there.

DL White [00:26:17]:

That's a 4 part series that I wrote for the podcast last year. Really enjoyed writing that, and all of those really helped push me toward writing missing persons, which is done, but I do need to go through, like, edits and rewrites and fluffing and adding and verify things I just made up because it sounded good. So very exciting things going on on the substack, but I was talking about book sales. So I'm at 5446 for the year. Sales are spread across basically Amazon and Draft2Digital, then I have 21/21 sales through book funnel, which is direct sales. So 21 sales through my, channels. But a lot of those were free, copies of The Guy Next Door. I was giving that away in audio.

DL White [00:27:08]:

For some reason, I can't remember. So most of those are giveaways. The sales through Amazon and Draft2Digital are, sales that have actual royalties attached to them. Biggest sellers this month are Leslie's Curl and Die in audio, The Guy Next Door, an ebook Home for the Holidays, like, 11 I sold 11 copies of Home for the Holidays in January, which is darn good. A thin line dinner at Sam's, and then I have a couple of sales of pearl at Black Diamond Bay and Elysium Black Diamond Vacation Romance. Those are both part of the Black Diamond series. And then a couple of straggler orders for a second time around, the guy next door and the WANSA brunch. That's kind of how my sales are.

DL White [00:28:00]:

And then, like, a couple sales, I guess, for hay lovers. So that's kinda how my sales are breaking down for the month. Not too bad. I mean, not great, but, like, not too bad so far. I am it's before 15th. So, like, if I hit if I hit $50 before 15th, it bodes well for the rest of the month. So I'm at 54.46. I'm just honestly, I just try to make a $100 a month.

DL White [00:28:29]:

That covers a lot of the subscriptions that I'm paying for, although I subsidize a lot of that with my own money. And then I have a I have, like, my Substack subscriptions and my BuzzFeed subscriptions that helps also pay some costs. But a lot of the costs of being an author and running a podcast, I am paying for out of pocket. And so what what I'm getting in royalties and subscriptions is actually reimbursing me for stuff I've already paid for. That's neither here nor there. You know what I'm saying? Get out of my pocket. So that's what's going on with book sales. Writing wise, it's been kinda slow.

DL White [00:29:15]:

I have been trying to write this Valentine's Day piece for a minute, and it's kinda not coming together. And I'm a little upset about it. Like, I I keep keep keeping changing the title because I can't even decide what the title should be, but I I don't know. We'll see we'll see how it goes. It just is not it's not really coming together. It's kind of a jumbled mess. I'm on, like, chapter 3, and I just keep going back to chapters 1 and 2 and fixing things because if it doesn't start right, then I I set off again on the wrong foot. It's currently called Rules in Romance.

DL White [00:29:53]:

It is kind of an opposites attract grumpy sunshine kind of thing. It's set in Atlanta in the tech space, which I really enjoy writing because I just like writing smart people. And, my characters happen to meet in the cafe at the co working space where they both work at. Sterling has just relocated to Atlanta from New York, and Simone lives in Atlanta. And she works for a tech company, and it's her job to, put together this hiring platform that her company is, putting together, and they're gonna premiere it at this big gala. And, Simone is very much an introvert. Probably not as bad as Esme in the Neverlist, but as an introvert, I do find myself writing introverts because I know them very well. So it's like like, I I want to write it.

DL White [00:30:45]:

I want it to come together, but I also want it to be short. And it just in my mind, it just keeps I feel like when I write short, I leave so much out, but I also don't want to write a 75,000 word novel. You know? I just want this to be like a cute short that's gonna be out for Valentine's Day. I'm gonna take a look at it later. We'll see how it shakes out. I might just need to give it some time and, you know, hit it really hard, toward the end of January. I don't really have time. I don't have time.

DL White [00:31:19]:

I don't I don't have time really to get it to my editor. I needed to be reading writing this in November in order for her to have it in January, but here's where we are. So I don't know what I'm gonna do about that. I know she listens to the podcast. This is not any pressure. This is not, an editor Kai problem. This is a d l white problem. So I may not get it written in time.

DL White [00:31:46]:

It may be something I write and shoot out, and, y'all just have fun with all the typos in it. I'll I would never do that, maybe. I don't know. I I just wanna be I I wanna write more. I wanna publish more, and I just wanna be less rigid about how it has to come out. You know? Like, it doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be edited to the nth degree. And editing is editing is not terribly expensive because I have a very good editor who is cognizant of how much indie authors have to put their own money into their writing.

DL White [00:32:25]:

This is not absolutely not sucking up to my editor. We have had this conversation. But, also, I wanna reserve those funds for my full length projects that desperately need an extra eye. So these things where it's gonna be 5 or 8 chapters, you know, and I'm gonna sell it for 99¢. I'm not gonna spend on editing it. I'm just I'm I'm just not. And, you know, sue me, but I'm just not. So that's kinda where that is.

DL White [00:32:58]:

It's currently called rules and romance. Maybe I'll switch the maybe I'll switch the order and it could be romance and rules, but I don't like that. The idea is that it's kind of an opposite to attract kinda thing, and so I wanna I wanna play on the two sides of this equation. Like, you know, it's a it's a very grumpy sunshine kind of thing. So I may change the name again. I I don't know. So there's there's there's that. The other thing I'm writing is the fan fiction story, and I just published chapter 7 on Friday.

DL White [00:33:35]:

I don't know that I have another chapter in me this weekend. I wanna think about what the next chapter entails. It's a little bit of a field trip, and I just need to I need to think about it and put it together. So I'm probably gonna think about that this week and probably write it Thursday and post it Friday. That's used to be my old, fan fiction publishing schedule. I usually write on the weekends, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, then I edit, think about what I'm gonna write post. So that way, readers always have a week to, like, read it, react to it, you know, offer comments and feedback, etcetera. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about and writing the next chapter.

DL White [00:34:21]:

And I kind of have adapted that also to writing my books and my commercial fiction. So there's that. What else do I have going on? Let me open up Dabble here and see what's popping. I do have, the Berkeley sisters, which is the sisters trilogy I've been yammering about for, like, 2 years now. Missing persons, which I still need to get into. Calculated risk is in here. That's with the editor. I have to turn that in at the end of February.

DL White [00:34:49]:

Again, that's part of a group project. Still I arise, I haven't touched. I did add, like I don't know. I tried to do some editing on it, and I, like, I feel like I added, like, half a chapter to that in the last year, but it's still on the docket. And, I also was trying to do an epilogue to the never list, and I can't even tell you the title because that would be a spoiler. But, I wanna dig back into that and see if I could just do a fun little 5 chapter update to that story because I just love Esme and Trey, and I have the perfect little update to that couple. I just gotta I just have to get it out of my brain. You know? So that's what's happening over here.

DL White [00:35:36]:

Ain't nothing going on with the rent is what my mama would say. Yeah. That's what's happening here at Books by DL White. I am reading a lot. I am writing a lot. I am you know, I'm just trying to make it. I'm just trying to make it over here. I feel like I'm doing better than I was in November December, but I am kind of dreading the back half of January.

DL White [00:36:02]:

I just know I'm gonna be digging hard into reading, into writing, working, getting the work done. I'm somewhat unmotivated. It could have a lot to do with this cold, but also, like, that vacation was long, and it was really, really needed, and I hated to come back. Even though I really like my job, I hated to come back and, like, dig back into work and meetings and scheduling things, and the emails were flying. I definitely just eased eased real slow, nice and slow back into the year. So it is Sunday. I have coffee. I went through my, my planner and all of my streaming channels, and I wrote down all of the things that I have saved in my watch later cues and wrote them all down.

DL White [00:36:56]:

So I have lists on lists on lists of things I can be watching besides the news, things I can be looking at besides doomscrolling on all the social media sites, things I can be reading, writing, or watching for this next however long. That's how I'm gonna be making it through. I am so very interested in your plan for the next few years, how you are going to be pulling yourself through what I feel are gonna be some very interesting, and by interesting, I mean terrible times. So feel free to shout me out a holler. This episode will be on my website at books by d l white dot bookcast.com/107. You can also hit this episode on my substack, or you can shoot me an email. It's author d l white at books by d l white dot com. I'm sorry.

DL White [00:37:54]:

It's author d l at books by d l white dot com. I welcome your comments, questions, feedback, what have you. That brings us to the end of today's show. So I will bid you adieu, but not before thanking you so much for joining me for today's chat. I really enjoy having you here. Again, I welcome any comments or feedback at books by dlwhite.com/bookcast/107. You'll find full show notes, links to all the things I talked about if they're relevant, and a transcript for today's show. Please share the podcast if you really enjoyed the sound of my voice as I appear to.

DL White [00:38:37]:

And if you listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Substack, give a girl a rating, a comment, a hand clap, a re a repost, restack. I really appreciate it. Do not forget, you can support this podcast with your book purchases at payhipdot com slash books by dlwhite by spreading the good word, like repost all my social media, what have you, by joining the newsletter or the substack. The links will be on my website at books by dlwhite.com/linkinbio. You can also buy you can also throw some coins in the hat at book cast.buzzprout.com. Thank you so much to my monthly supporters. Your gift covers my Buzzsprout subscription. I really appreciate the support and as a thank you, I have added you to comped users at short fiction by dlwhite.substack.com.

DL White [00:39:31]:

So people who support the pod people who support the podcast with their funds are automatically added to subscribers on the short fiction substack, so they get access to everything that is available to paid subscribers over there. I figured that would be a nice little perk. The broadcast is written, produced, and edited by me, d r White. Our theme music and any sound effects are provided by. I will be back next week. Until then, please enjoy your weekend. Have a superlative week, and we'll chat again soon. Bye bye.