#changed his face up a bit and switched some skin details

[kissyck]

under the moonlight ‧₊˚ ☽ ⋅

[thevampclaudia]

Backstage Pass

Rockstar Lestat de Lioncourt x Fem!Reader

Summary:

“Here,” you said, your voice so low it was almost a whisper, “Lie back and let me fix your makeup, baby.” Slowly, Lestat laid back on the couch, and you positioned yourself on top of him. Still straddling him, you leaned in close with makeup and brushes in hand. You looked down at him through eyes that were heavy-lidded with lust, and he returned your gaze with equally all-consuming need. Your lips were mere centimeters apart and you ached to close the distance, but not yet…no, the show must go on.” A short, smutty fic inspired by the revelation that Lestat was wearing a DRESS (!!!) in the IWTV season 3 promo.

Word count: 1,964

Warnings: MDNI - 18+ only, explicit sex, rough sex, teasing, biting, marking, switch!Lestat, unprotected sex, crossdressing, some very mild degradation.

a/n: reader is afab but no description is provided; this is shamelessly inspired by this photo that has lived rent free in my fantasies for YEARS lmao

“Everything okay in there?” You asked, fidgeting nervously on the plush sofa in Lestat’s dressing room. He had gone into the bathroom to change; not like his usual exhibitionist self, you thought, stifling a grin. At least 5 minutes had passed since he had disappeared into the cramped bathroom, and you were beginning to worry just a bit. What worried you most, however, is that for a whole five minutes, he had remained completely silent - even more out of character for your beloved silver-tongued exsanguinator.

“Lestat?” You called as you rapped softly against the bathroom door. Just as you leaned closer to press your ear against the door, it swung open, and you jumped back in surprise with a little shriek. You played it off with a laugh and took a moment to collect yourself before turning to him. “Shit, babe, you scared me-” When you turned, you breath caught in your throat and your words escaped you - immediately washed away like the tide as you took in the glorious, libertine, fucking hot sight before you.

The statuesque blonde vampire stood haughtily in the doorway, looking you up and down. A knowing smile spread across his lips as he watched your cheeks flush, just at the sight of him. He stepped closer to you, and you took your sweet time admiring him, drinking in every little intoxicating detail.

He was all ready for the night’s show, but tonight he was trying out a different look than usual. Lestat wore a long, black dress made of sheer fabric that hugged every curve of his body.The dress was sleeveless with a low, plunging neckline that showed just enough of his bare chest to be perfectly obscene. As your gaze traveled down his form, you saw that the dress had two long slits running all the way up each side. They exposed every inch of his pale thighs, and your eyes followed this tempting expanse of bare skin all the way back up over his hips, to where his Adonis belt peeked out from underneath his skirt.

Smoky black eyeliner rimmed his light blue eyes, giving them even more definition. It was all too much for you to handle - this maenadic beast before you, commanding every ounce of your attention and holding all your desires right in the palm of his hand. Fuck. His face darkened into a debauched, hungry smile, watching you struggle to form a coherent thought. He knew exactly what he was doing to you, and you almost hated him for it. Almost.

“How do I look?” He practically purred, slinking past you to lie on the couch with long, outstretched legs. You quickly sat beside him, your heart hammering wildly in your chest. Lestat reached out and pulled you closer, placing one hand on your thigh with a low chuckle.

“You look fucking…amazing,” you breathed, and reached up to run your fingers through his long, honey-blonde curls. He leaned into your touch, and you took this as an open invitation to trail your fingertips down his exposed chest. This earned you a heady sigh from him, and you took no small satisfaction in seeing him react to you so shamelessly. Usually he at least tried to feign disinterest for a little bit…after all, he loved a good cat-and-mouse chase. But this was different. His desire was palpable, and it charged the air between you with an irresistible electricity. And then you realized.

Oh.

It wasn’t just for you. He liked the outfit too.

“What do you think?” You asked, stroking his hair before groping his bare chest yet again, with more urgency this time. He groaned and let his eyelids flutter shut momentarily, exhaling shakily. “Look, baby,” you urged, tilting his chin up to look at himself in the dressing room mirror, “Look at how fucking hot you look right now, Lestat.” He did as he was told, never one to turn down an opportunity to admire his own reflection. You smiled, enjoying the way he eye-fucked himself so openly. It was strangely endearing.

Suddenly, he gripped the back of your head roughly, dragging you closer to him until your lips met in a feverish kiss. You settled yourself into his lap, straddling his hips as he slipped his tongue between your parted lips. He groped at you needily, palming your breasts and letting his hands roam over your curves. A small moan escaped your lips, and you broke the desperate kiss for just a moment to catch your breath. When you looked back up at him, you saw that both his lipstick and yours mingled in ruddy smudges on his face and around his lips. You giggled at the sight, smoothing his tousled hair - which he then proceeded to tousle even more - before wiping away the smudged lipstick from his face.

“Here,” you said, your voice so low it was almost a whisper, “Lie back and let me fix your makeup, baby.” Slowly, Lestat laid back on the couch, and you positioned yourself on top of him. Still straddling him, you leaned in close with makeup and brushes in hand. You looked down at him through eyes that were heavy-lidded with lust, and he returned your gaze with equally all-consuming need. Your lips were mere centimeters apart and you ached to close the distance, but not yet…no, the show must go on.

You grabbed a tube of corally pink lipstick from his vanity table and leaned in close, softly dabbing it across his lips - all while never breaking eye contact with him. “Oh, this color is much better for your complexion, amoureux.” You murmured playfully, and he scoffed at you, rolling his eyes. You took his distraction as a chance to skate a free hand down the length of his chest, his torso, slipping under his skirt to cup his groin. He gasped, and you felt his swollen cock twitch.

You let out a delighted groan as you traced your finger along a thin elastic waistband, feeling the sheer fabric of his black lace thong. You groped him greedily, and felt his bulge straining against the lace. The faintest whimper slipped past his parted lips, and he bucked his hips against you. “I need you,” he panted, and you grinned as you felt him twitch again.

“But I just fixed your makeup.” You protested. The vampire rolled his eyes once more.

“Bordel de merde,” he muttered impatiently, flipping you without warning and pinning you beneath him on the small sofa. You cried out in protest, but he quickly shut you up with another urgent kiss, his lips crashing against yours, claiming you. You caressed his hips, cupping his ass in your palms before digging your fingernails into the supple flesh. He whined as he began helplessly grinding against you, and tugging your lower lip between his teeth. Lestat bit down, drawing blood that he quickly lapped up with an obscene, guttural moan. You kissed him again, tasting the traces of your blood on his tongue and shivering.

You couldn’t take it anymore. You tugged at the waistband of his thong, yanking it down his thighs and letting his throbbing, hard cock spring free. You gripped his shaft, giving it a tug and running your thumb over the glistening head, smiling in delight as you felt precum already dripping there. He gasped at the sensation, before grabbing you by your wrists and pinning them above your head with supernatural speed.

You were completely at his mercy now, and he reveled in every second of it. Lestat let out a low growl, and roughly spread your legs apart with his knee. He could already feel how wet you were, and the growing heat of your arousal through the crotch of your panties. You blushed as he teased your clit through the damp cotton fabric,coaxing you to moan out his name. With his free hand, he pulled your panties aside, entering you with one long, deep thrust. “Fuck!” You cried out, and you felt yourself stretching around him.

He nuzzled against the crook of your neck, teasing the sensitive skin there with little kisses and nips that he soothed with his expert tongue. He thrust into you slowly at first, savoring your warmth and wetness before gradually increasing his rhythm. As he pushed himself deeper into your aching cunt, you felt him moan against your neck. His fangs grazed your delicate skin, sending a sick thrill through your core. Suddenly, he bit down, nearly pushing you over the edge. He fucked you savagely, and the cramped room filled with a vulgar symphony of moans and obscenities. Lestat made an indecent slurping sound as he drank deeply of you, and it was almost too much to bear. When he had his fill, he lapped at the fresh bite mark with his tongue, long and torturously slow licks that threatened to push you over the edge. Your thighs began to tremble as you crept closer to the brink of orgasm.

“That’s it, mon cher, give up that tough facade.” He goaded, with a sudden, deep thrust that made you throw your head back and scream. “I know what seeing me dressed like this does to you. I could see it all over your face,” Another achingly deep thrust, “I knew I could break you.” That was all it took. His words, his voice, his eyes on you…his hands holding you down so helplessly….that dress…and the way he rolled his hips into you, fucking you like he was determined to ruin you for anyone else. You came, hard, crying out his name and quivering as wave after wave of bliss racked through your body until you were spent. He kept going, only slowing his pace slightly. In and out, in and out, again and again. He released his grip on your wrists, and you tangled one hand in his long hair, using the other to drag your fingernails down his back. You felt him shiver at the sensation, and he let out a long, low groan. You tightened your hold on his hair, and he buried his face in your neck. He breathed deeply, trying to muffle the needy whimpers that betrayed just how close to coming he was.

Lestat’s brow furrowed, and he swore under his breath as you clenched yourself around his cock. In and out, in and out, he tried to keep going, but it was too much - he was barely holding on. He gripped your hips hard enough to bruise, fucking harder and faster until finally, at the very last moment, he pulled his cock out of you with a profane, wet sound. Shamelessly, all while maintaining eye contact with you, he stroked himself to completion into the soaking wet crotch of your panties.

“Keep these on for the entire show,” he growled in your ear, trailing kisses along the crook of your neck and across your jawline before gripping your chin in his hand, forcing you to look directly at him, “And don’t you dare change, mon coeur. I’ll know.”

“SHOWTIME, MR. LIONCOURT!” You heard his stage manager yell from outside the dressing room. His makeup and hair were utterly wrecked; anyone who saw him would immediately guess what had just occurred in this cramped little room. You both laughed, and he pressed a tender kiss to your forehead before flashing you a devastating smile as he bounded out the door, making his way to the stage. “This isn’t over, you know!” He called over his shoulder, always needing to have the last word. You took a moment to compose yourself, smoothing your hair and quickly fixing your makeup, before running to take your seat in the audience, just as the stage lights came up.

Read on Ao3 here.

[aoioozora]

Romantically sharing a bed with the Ghosts

I wrote a platonic version, and so, why not a romantic version? Enjoy the fluff ;))

Logan Walker:

Once the two of you are alone and it's only one bed, you can bet he'll drop all his stuff and tackle you into the bed

He's tired, but has enough energy to tackle you

"Hey!" you exclaim, giggling, and he just stuffs his face in your chest, happily hugging you

Holds you like a koala and doesn't let go

He doesn't let you change into comfortable clothes, and neither does he change; he's already asleep

You just smile and run your hand through his hair before falling asleep yourself.

David 'Hesh' Walker:

Gets in bed first and opens his arms to you

"Come here." He doesn't have to say it twice. You're already crawling in bed and laying your head on his chest

He puts his arms around you and gives you a squeeze.

As you fall asleep, you can hear him softly singing a song and rubbing his thumb on your cheek

He is warm and cozy like a hot chocolate on a cold wintry day, you feel so safe with him

He gives you a kiss on your forehead <3

Thomas Merrick:

He's used to sleeping alone, and so sharing a bed with you is always a pleasure

He sees you laying on the bed, and he carefully gets in.

"Hey Tommy," you giggle when you see him and you open your arms out for him to come closer. He rolls his eyes. "Don't call me that," he says, but moves closer to you.

He wraps his burly arm around you and pulls you close, careful not to put his weight on top of you and accidentally crush you in the process

He rubs your back and your hair to lull you to sleep.

You gratefully give him a peck on his lips and you hear him shyly grumble

Keegan Russ:

"Why are you so far away? Come closer," he demands. Clingy man. He doesn't like being even 2 meters away from you.

If you don't close the gap, he will.

He'll spoon you and bury his face in your neck, giving it a couple kisses before falling asleep in your hair.

At some point at night, he will put his leg over your hip

You gotta be careful not to let him crush you under his weight

Kick:

Normally a bit frisky but when he's dead tired, he's just adorable

"Sleeeepy," he whines and then proceeds to get tangled up in bed with you

Has you in a vice grip like he's a cobra around a mouse and you have to beg him to loosen up so you can breathe

Holds you like you're a body pillow

Will drool over you so be careful lol

Alex 'Ajax' Johnson:

He has you sleeping on top of him, wanting you to use him as your personal bed

He loves having your weight on top of him

He gets to hug you like you're his teddy bear

If he does need to switch positions after some time, he'll make sure to move you very gently so as to not wake you up

When he sees you fall asleep, he has to fight off his cuteness aggression and his urge to punch a wall to feel manly again because of how cute you look asleep

Elias 'Scarecrow' Walker:

Elias likes to have his face in your chest (Logan has to get it from somewhere), arms around your waist, and your legs around his hips.

Halfway through the night, he'll make sure it's your turn to lay on his chest.

Loves to rub your back, your shoulders, run his fingers through your hair-- just loves giving you gentle massages. It's soothing to you and to him.

You can be sure you'll find his hand under your shirt, rubbing your bare back and your waist. He likes some skin-to-skin.

He's your personal whisper ASMRtist. Expect sweet nothings and him grumbling a quiet "good girl"

BONUS - Gabriel Rorke:

Cannot keep his hands off you once you two are in bed.

He'll pull you to his chest and have his arm around you, rubbing your arm and your shoulder

If you can't sleep, he'll begin to talk to you in excruciating detail about some science or military related topic until it bored you to sleep

He's a chill cuddler, not too clingy, but just enough to let you know he loves and wants physical closeness with you

When you're asleep, he'll gaze at you admiringly like you're a work of art and then give you a tender kiss, either on your forehead or your cheek

[petite-siren06]

Owl hybrid BF who is obsessed with you and your chubby cheeks. [Fem Chubby Reader 🎀]

CW: Some NSFW stuff in middle part of the HCs, Talks about pregnancy in a fluffy manner.

⋆˙⟡♡ Banner by lynn on Pinterest ❤︎₊ ⊹

At first he was very curious about your cheeks. The texture of them, squishability, etc.. At first it was a simple pinch of your cheek with his sharp talons. He made sure to not poke you with them; he couldn't stand the thought of hurting you just for his own curiosity.

It then turns into a full on observation he would trace his fingers around your soft jawline, your pretty smile lines, the apples of your cheeks, every little detail he was looking and storing it into his memory.  

If you have any facial features on your cheeks like beauty marks, moles, scars, vitiligo, etc. Expect him to ask about it. He loves you very much and would love to hear facts about anything related to those facial features and how you got them or if you were born with them.

If you ever feel insecure about any part of your face/body expect him to come to wherever you are and be greeted with kisses and reassurance that he loves you and doesn’t want you to change if you don’t want to do it for yourself and besides he likes your chubby face and body way too much.

I could see him nuzzling his feathery cheek against yours. It's very soft and a bit comforting. Plus he loves the feeling of your skin against his more feathered one.

˚₊‧꒰ა NSFW STARTS HERE ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

He’s a bit of a switch; he doesn't mind being dominant but he also doesn’t mind being submissive. As long as he gets to see your cute expression, the feel of your body against his, and the adorable noises you make, that's all he needs.

He loves seeing the way your belly grows a bit bigger as he pumps you full of his cum. He praises you for being so good to him and he couldn’t imagine living without having you in his life. 

Also seeing your cheeks filled up with his cum after he made you suck his cock drives him crazy with love and adoration for you and your cute little cheeks.

˚₊‧꒰ა NSFW ENDS HERE ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

He sometimes wonders if he were to get you pregnant would the hypothetical children have your adorable cheeks. The thought of it makes his heart flutter in his chest.

He loves you so much and would literally cry if you wanted to lose all your chub. He loves you right now; he doesn't want you to lose all the features that he finds adorable. You had reassured him that you just wanted to exercise more and you had promised him that you would stay his chubby little princess.

He loves preening you even though you don’t have feathers he still takes care of you like helping you take care of your hair or helping you pick out outfits to wear. He loves helping you look like the best version of yourself. Cause if he’s confident about himself and how he looks he’ll definitely help you find your confidence as well.

He loves spending quality time with you whether it be cuddling in his makeshift nest of pillows and blankets, watching one of your guys favorite movies on the couch, cooking/baking together in the kitchen he's all for it. He just loves getting to see you. It's one of his favorite things during the day. The first would have to be waking up next to you.

He’s definitely let out a happy hoot once when he was cuddling with you one time. You’ve never let him live it down. He also sometimes playfully nibbles on ear sometimes. It’s a weird affectionate thing he does.. according to him.

๋࣭ ⭑ All in All birdbrain [Affectionately] loves you very much .𖥔 ݁ ˖𓅓‧₊˚ ִ☾.

-------˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹ 𐦍 ˖⁺. ༶ ❤︎ ⋆˙⊹-------

[Pic by Hel. On Pinterest]

[solivan-brugmansia]

I'm the anon who sent the request for comfort of a lonely reader and idk if this is allowed and and you're probably tired of fluff but what about a Shadow Milk x Y/N who is suffering from gender dysphoria?

I really loved how you wrote my other request, and since you requested an emoji, can I pls be 🐰🐱 anon? Thank you so much for writing my asks!! You're very skilled and nice :D

OMG!!!!!! HI 🐰🐱 ANON, I MISS YOU MY CHILD!!! okay guys all of my anons are children now. I do kinda want some angst but I also love fluff so dw about it!!! Since you didn’t put in your ask about what y/n is transitioning too, I’m going to write that reader is afab (a female at birth) and is currently non-binary, if you want me to switch this up please let me know 🙏🙏

Warning:fluff, a bit of angst??, FUCKING OUT OF CHARACTER. “Shadow Milk Cookie isn’t nice” WOMP WOMP

“YOU MAY NOT SEE IT, BUT I DO.”

You are non-binary! And honestly, it’s one of the best things you have figured out in your life. The world just seems clearly to finally just accept who you are as a person. Everyone in Crispea is probably supportive of you too, even if they don’t know you. Well, a lot of people do.

You are ALSO Shadow Milk Cookies partner. How couldn’t you be so known after dating the BEAST OF DECEIT? Trust me, as soon as you guys started dating, he made it KNOWN. Like, C-MAILS (Cookie form of Gmail I made up) going to the commonest of cookies. Plays upon plays have been written for you, and you got to see them all.

When you transitioned and told him about it, well, he was the definition of supportive. He immediately understood the change and made a PROMISE that he would only call you by what you would prefer to be called. And if he ever broke this promise, you could break every single one of his fingers.

“I pinky promise.” He said, a silly but truthful look on his face. “And how do I know you’re not lying, hm?” You spat back, playing along like you knew he wanted you too. “I’ll let you break all of my fingers.” As soon as he said that, your pinky finger swooped in to make contact with his, and your mouth gained a smile. “Deal.”

But even once you accepted your gender, you couldn’t just stop yourself from picking out the small little details that made you look more feminine. Your big breasts were still visible, and it didn’t matter how much binding tape and binders you put on them. You had big hips, no matter how baggy your pants were. Bigs lips, smaller chin, rounder eyes, everything was a mistake. You couldn’t stand to stare at all of the mirrors in Shadow Milks palace, and there were a bunch. It felt like everywhere you looked, all you could see was a stranger, someone so distant yet so familiar.

One day, while changing into some clothing, you couldn’t help but too stare into your only mirror in your room. It was small one, but big enough so you could see your upper half. You looked over all of your features, from your face to your chest, and you could feel your cheeks heat up. Not from only being in a binder and some boxers, but from angry. You couldn’t FATHOM why the witches made you look like this.

As the feeling of rage consumed your mind, you suddenly PUNCHED your mirror, “SHIT!” You screamed. Glass shards went everywhere, into the floor, and some cut open your skin. You yelped in pain, and clutched your fist. You know you had some bandages in your room, but as you were scanning around, a blue jester cookie rolled in loudly.

You assumed that he already knowing what happened to your fist, since your scream was pretty loud.He flew over, and held your bleeding hand in his. “Aw.. my poor doll. Let’s go get your hand wrapped up..!” He mumbled, trying to still act silly, possibly to cheer you up.

He gently swinging you around and started dragging you by your wrist, trying to not to hurt you more then you are. Once at the palaces medical center, (trust me, you were shocked once you told out he had one) he basically shoved you into a blue chair. It was similar to ones in nurses offices, but this one was softer.

Shadow Milk grabbed some of those bandages wraps, and starting to put some over your now starting to bruise knuckles. You could feel his eyes on you, like he was trying to read through you, and why would do such a thing.

“Sorry for uhm..” You stop, trying to decide if you should apologize, “breaking your mirror..?” You whispered, it sounding more like a question than an apology. It was true that it was his mirror that he gifted you, but you also knew it was true that he said he could remove it if you wanted him too..

“Nonsense. I really don’t care, actually!~” He said, but then continued. “Well- about the mirror, I do care about you still.” You knew he still cared about you, but you found it funny that he still had to make it clear.

“But.. why DID you punch it?” He questioned. You knew he would see straight through his lies, so you were just gonna come clean about the truth. You just hated that you had to.. talk about all of this.

“Uhm.. Gender Dysphoria..?” You answered, with a slight giggle to your voice. You then continued after, thinking you should explain yourself a bit more. “I just HATE how my body looks so..feminine? I just feel like I’m not a real enby..”

Shadow Milk Cookie, shoved his silly attitude OUT the window. He himself could relate to all of this. With all of his shape shifting, it is just hard to pick a gender. (Shadow Milk is genderfluid canon)

He sighed, and finished wrapping up your knuckles so he could cup your cheeks like you were a little baby. Then, he spoke, “My little star. You need to realize that your appearance doesn’t change your gender, and it never will.” Before you could respond though, he ‘magical’ shape-shifted into a girl. He had a long silky dress, and his hair was all long and dressed up. “See?” He stated, and you couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.

“Can you stay like that?” You asked, and he nodded his head. “For as long as you want.” He added on. Your mouth earned a smile as you stood up from the chair and clinged your arms around his torso, trying to pull him in for a hug. He didn’t deny the embrace, but he actually pulled you closer. “Thank you..” you whispered, as you closed your eyes in his arms.

A/N: GOD, this took long. Still healing from my surgery but atleast my writers block is gone, hope you guys like this one!

P.S; I don’t experience gender dysphonia often, even as a trans person. I’m sorry if I wrote it wrong!

[another-lost-mc]

Can we hear about Simeons missexts please? I love chaos

➤ adventures with technology: sexting | simeon

nsfw | gn!reader | other characters briefly mentioned

cw: mentions of (attempted) dirty talk/messages; sending/receiving dirty pics (badly)

— He likes to use proper spelling/grammar when he texts, but he'll get more lax about it when he's too horny to care.

— It takes him a while to realize that the software autocorrects things. He's texted I wanna duck you so bad more times than you can count which is a bit of a mood killer.

— (He gets flustered when you send him random duck emojis to tease him about it later.)

— He switches the keyboard to one of the demonic languages by accident. He can read some of the old tongues, you can't read any at all. It's really embarrassing when he hands his phone over to someone to fix it for him because he knows what they'll see if they peek at his message history to you. (It's usually a variation of where and how he wants fuck you.)

— He's bad at taking pictures. His selfies are usually blurry and out of focus.

— His sexy selfies and dick pics are even worse. He has trouble getting the angle right, or he leaves the flash on and it illuminates his cock in a harsh light that isn't very appealing.

— Sometimes when he tries to take a dick pic, he turns the front-facing camera on by accident so instead of his glorious angel cock, you see a blurry shot of his face, brows furrowed and hair falling haphazardly across his face while he concentrates.

— He forgets how to send you the pics/videos. He's too embarrassed to ask anyone else for help. You wrote up a little how-to guide in his Notes app, but he forgot how to access that too.

— The next time you see him, he hands you his D.D.D. and lets you look through them in-person.

— (This has the added benefit of having you within arm's reach when you get a little hot and bothered after you look at them together.)

— He likes it when you send him dirty voice messages or recordings of yourself, but he forgets how to adjust the volume on his D.D.D. so sometimes it starts blaring through the speakers. (He stopped trying to listen to these anywhere but the privacy of his room.)

— He has sent photos to the wrong contact in his phone by accident. He has also sent them in group chats too.

— (Mammon keeps a betting pool going about how long it'll be until Simeon's next dick pic screw-up.)

— As a joke, the others will sometimes mess around with Simeon's phone settings on purpose when he asks them for help with something else completely unrelated. He still can't figure out why it sends you 🍆 emojis whenever he types the word cock.

— One evening they changed your contact name in his phone to Michael for a laugh. The next morning, Simeon sent "you" a detailed text about what he dreamt about the night before:

Good morning, love. You looked breathtaking at the dance last night. I wish you could've spent the night here with me. I woke up hard just thinking about how gorgeous you were. Your skin is so soft, I'd love to feel your thighs squeezing around my cock right now. Tpying wit one hand isso tedious, can yoou call me ijnstead? I want you to hear me when i come

— He thought "your" reaction was an attempt to be coy and teasing at first, until he realized he wasn't talking to you at all. Needless to say, no one else has tried to pull that kind of stunt again.

— (The archangel is also growing increasingly concerned about the Devildom's influence, and yours, on Simeon.)

[cuddlepilefics]

Like a record, baby - whumperless whump event day 3

Fandom: Ateez

Sickie: Yeosang

Caregivers: mainly Yunho

Prompts: Vertigo / Struggling to stand / “Is the room spinning, or is it just me?”

@whumperless-whump-event

No one’s POV.:

When Yeosang woke up the to the darkness of his room, he felt like he had been hit by a train. He was hot, skin prickling with sweat. His breath came fast and scratchy, making his throat itch and ache. Groaning, Yeosang rubbed his face and tried to lift his head off the pillow, only to be hit with an intense dizzy spell. He weakly dropped his pounding head back on the pillow and took a shaky breath. Water, he needed water.

Taking a few minutes of steady breathing, Yeosang tried to prepare himself for getting up but he still felt so incredibly weak when he finally managed to sit up. He sat slumped on the edge of his bed, miserably resting his head in his hands. The kitchen was so far away that getting himself a drink seemed impossible but Yeosang would at least try. He didn’t even notice how he swayed, gripping the edge of his nightstand to push himself up. Yeosang panted as he struggled to stay on his feet despite his legs feeling like jelly and his head swimming. With ringing ears, he collapsed back onto his bed and pressed the balls of his hands to his eyes.

Yeosang had to hold back tears when he realized he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. With how dry his throat was, he doubted he’d be able to call out to his dorm mate loudly enough to wake him. No, Yunho wouldn’t wake up if he tried to yell for his help. Yeosang fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, his hands trembling so much, he barely managed to type his message. The older wouldn’t be getting up for another couple of hours but that was still better than fainting in the hallway if he tried to get out of bed himself.

Yunho yawned, grumpily feeling around for his phone to turn off his alarm. When he blearily checked the time, he found a message from Yeosang. Wow, it had been sent three hours ago. What was his dongsaeng doing up in the middle of the night? Water? Why couldn’t Yeosang get water for himself? Scratching the back of his head, Yunho shuffled to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before going to check on the younger.

The air in Yeosang’s room was stuffy and Yunho switched on the reading lamp as he took a seat on the edge of his dongsaeng’s bed. “Sang?”, he asked softly, rubbing Yeosang’s arm to rouse him, “I’m sorry, I saw your message just now. Is everything alright?” Everything was not alright and Yeosang didn’t feel the slightest bit better when he was woken up for the second time. The only change were the goosebumps on his arms and the droplets of sweat on his forehead. His vision was foggy when he looked up at Yunho and mumbled: “Don’t feel so good, hyung. Is the room spinning or is it just me?” Gently pressing the backs of his fingers against Yeosang’s forehead, Yunho hummed: “You’re a little warm. Is that why you texted me last night?” – “I was thirsty but couldn’t get up”, Yeosang yawned, closing his eyes again.

“Don’t fall asleep on me”, Yunho chuckled when Yeosang remained quiet after that, “I got you some water but if you can give me some more details on how you’re feeling, I might be able to help.” The boy’s arms shook as he tried to prop himself up, rasping: “Jus’ need some water.” – “You look like you need a whole lot more than just water”, Yunho sighed as he slipped his arm around his dongsaeng’s shoulders to sit him up. With the other’s help, Yeosang was able to drink a few sips of water before having to lay back down. Reaching for his phone, Yunho smiled: “I’ll let hyungs know what’s going on, yeah? There’s no point in dragging you out today.” – “Could you – could you help me to the bathroom first?”, the younger asked hesitantly, “I-I kinda need to go but….”

After helping Yeosang out of bed, Yunho was shocked by how hard the younger was struggling to stand. “I feel like jelly”, Yeosang whimpered, clinging to his hyung’s arm. He was already panting from the strain and they had barely made it out into the hallway. When Yunho scooped him up without any warning, Yeosang’s head was sent spinning again and his heart raced with panic as he tightened his grip on the older. Yunho muttered a quick apology, carrying his dongsaeng to the bathroom. He carefully set Yeosang down and helped him sit on the closed toilet lid, humming: “I’ll be right outside. Will you be able to take it from here without hurting yourself?” Flushing bright red, Yeosang gave a tiny nod and waited for the door to close behind his hyung.

Hongjoong stopped by Yunho and Yeosang’s dorm not long after Yunho had called him. In the meantime, Yeosang had insisted on at least trying to get himself ready if his fever wasn’t too high, so he sat slumped on the closed toilet lid and waited for Yunho to take his temperature. Standing in front of his dongsaeng, Yunho let the younger rest his head against his tummy and carefully inserted the in-ear thermometer. He gently carded his fingers through Yeosang’s hair while they waited for the beep. Seeing the numbers, Yunho bit his lip. Yeosang’s temperature was barely elevated, which would make it hard to convince him to stay home to rest, no matter how miserable he seemed. Luckily, nobody could win when Hongjoong played the leader card.

“I don’t care about your temperature as much as you think I do”, Hongjoong denied when Yeosang tried to argue that he had no fever, “If you can’t stand by yourself, you’re most definitely in no shape to work.” Noticing how his dongsaeng’s eyes started to water, the leader added: “Seonghwa-hyung and Wooyoung-ah will come by to check on you soon too. If need be, we’ll take turns staying with you.” – “Hyung, I’m not even really sick”, Yeosang whispered, a single tear trailing down his cheek. Seeing how much effort it took for the younger to sit up, Hongjoong let him lean against his chest and sighed: “Fever is not the only way to determine if someone is sick. You’re not feeling well, that much is obvious, and your vertigo is enough to render you unable to work today. If you’re lucky, you might be able to bounce back after a day or two of rest. Just try to get some sleep today and we can discuss how we’ll go about tomorrow when I get off work tonight, yeah?” Yeosang gave a defeated nod, mainly because his energy was fading fast and he was quite certain he’d fall off his seat the second Hongjoong stepped away.

Yunho had carried Yeosang back to his room and helped him sip some more water before he lay back down. “I have a dance session with Wooyoung-ah now, so I don’t think you’ll see him until later today but Seonghwa-hyung texted that he’d be over soon to keep you company until his vocal lesson later”, Yunho smiled and the younger was grateful for the phrasing. He knew that the eldest would stay back to take care of him because they didn’t trust him to be able to handle himself but Yunho at least left him the dignity of not saying it out loud.

It didn’t take long for Yeosang to accept that having his hyung stay with him was for the best. His headache had gotten progressively worse and he really wanted to take something for the pain but couldn’t even get up to grab some medicine. Seonghwa not only brought him medicine, he had also cooked some jook, so Yeosang wouldn’t have to take the pills on an empty stomach. They had stacked Yeosang’s pillows, so he’d be propped up without the risk of falling over but Seonghwa sat next to him anyway, one arm securely wrapped around the younger’s shoulders. In his other hand, Seonghwa held the bowl of jook, making it easier for Yeosang to just focus on eating.

“Good thing you’re taking medicine now”, Seonghwa frowned, his palm flat across Yeosang’s forehead, “That’s a proper fever now. Do you want me to get the thermometer?” Yeosang tiredly shook his head and sniffled: “Doesn’t make a difference if I know the numbers. I feel like my temperature’s up and I guess I gotta thank Hongjoong-hyung for making me stay back. Everything aches.” Seonghwa handed him the pills and steadied his wrist, so he wouldn’t spill the water on himself. “You look exhausted”, Seonghwa whispered, lightly stroking his dongsaeng’s hair, “Try to sleep a little? Can’t promise you I’ll still be here once you wake up but Wooyoung-ah will trade with me later. You won’t wake up alone, someone will be here to keep you company, so don’t worry.” With that promise, Yeosang drifted off in a matter of minutes.

Like Seonghwa had predicted, he had to leave for his vocal lesson while Yeosang was still asleep but as chaotic as Wooyoung was at times, the eldest knew he could leave Yeosang in his best friend’s care without any concerns. Wooyoung knew how uncomfortable Yeosang tended to be when it came to drawing attention to himself due to being sick, so he was glad that his schedules could be shifted, so he could be the one to stay with the older. Yeosang too was grateful for that because he could trust his dongsaeng to be there without judgement or teasing. When he woke up from his feverish nap, Wooyoung sat quietly at the foot of his bed, playing games on his phone. “Hey Woo”, Yeosang rasped, catching the other’s attention, “How long have you been here?”- “Half an hour, maybe”, Wooyoung smiled as he put down his phone. Reaching over to feel his hyung’s forehead, he hummed: “How’re you feeling? Did the nap help any?” – “Not really”, Yeosang yawned with a soft pout, “Still feel like I’ve been hit by a train, everything’s spinning and it’s making my tummy feel funny.” Wooyoung studied his friend’s pale complexion in the dim light and frowned: “Do you feel like you need to be sick? I could get a bucket, just in case.” Lightly shaking his head, the older whispered: “I’ll be okay. Could we cuddle though?”

Wooyoung got up and picked up the water bottle from the nightstand, deciding: “Of course, we can cuddle but ease have some water first.” The other grimaced. Sitting up so that he could have a drink sounded like far too much work. On the other hand, he really wanted cuddles. When Wooyoung noticed how much Yeosang’s arms shook from the strain of propping himself up, he helped him sit and steadied his hand. “Good job”, he praised, getting into bed next to Yeosang once the older laid back down, “Get comfy, hm? Maybe you could take another nap.” – “I don’t think I could sleep”, Yeosang muttered as he closed his eyes, nuzzling I to Wooyoung’s chest, “Just tell me something.”

That was how Wooyoung ended up recounting funny memories they had made together with Yeosang slowly drifting off in his arms.

[humbledragon669]

S1E3 – Hard Times Write Up P4 - London (1941) and Soho (1967)

So, was anybody actually fooled into thinking that our angel was really working for the Nazis in this scene? It was a little confusing at first I’ll grant you, but the moment we see him giving away books, particularly first editions, and especially first editions of books of prophecy, that should have given the game away to all and sundry. I do love how much Aziraphale is enjoying himself in this scene though, like it’s all just a big, exciting game that he’s winning at.

His use of the phrase “our side” is interesting to me, particularly if we take into account the conversation he has with Crowley about sides at the end of this episode. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In truth, I’m not sure whether he uses the phrase as part of his own Heavenly cover story or because he really does believe that his “side” is now with the Allies in the war. If it’s the latter, it would suggest that his allegiances sit more squarely with humanity in deference to Heaven at this point. That said, he very quickly switches to it being “your people” when he realises he has no control over the situation. I’d just like to take a moment to appreciate the extreme reaction we see on Aziraphale’s face at that point – it actually feels like it’s over-reacted to the point of falsity, but it’s clear from the following dialogue he was not aware he was being double crossed. I can’t help but laugh every time I watch this little clip:

Ah, what a surprise! Crowley has arrived to save Aziraphale at exactly the right time, despite not having seen or spoken to each other since their disagreement over the holy water in 1862 (as confirmed in the Script Book). It’s like he somehow knew exactly where the angel was and that he was getting himself into trouble… Not only that, he’s putting himself through some severe discomfort to come and save the day. (Side note: anybody else find the image of Crowley walking on a hot beach in bare feet extremely amusing?) Aziraphale genuinely appears surprised to see him, so as with Paris I don’t think he knew the demon was within his proximity - although there is a look of recognition on his face as he realises who it is walking down the aisle towards him (and what a cute image that is), his first question is to demand to know why he’s there.

Crowley is more than happy to declare that the ONLY reason he’s in that church is to stop the angel getting into trouble. No excuses, no stuttering, just a flat-out statement – I am here for you. I’d really like to think that we might get a bit of backstory about how Crowley is always in the right place at the right time for Aziraphale in season 3 – it’s just one of those little bits of canon I’d like to have more detail about (I know, I know: “what and see”).

I have to hand it to Crowley in this scene – he still has the dignity to be insulted at the suggestion that the Nazis are working for him even, not lose his temper that the suggestion has been hurled (rather thoughtlessly) at him by his only friend, and reiterate that his reason for being there is for Aziraphale, all whilst trying to preserve the skin on his feet. Having seen how quickly the demon can lose his patience (and temper), this feels like it would have taken quite an effort to achieve.

We find out two things from Glozier here: first, that Crowley is “famous”, presumably amongst the Nazis, though we don’t find out what he’s famous for. Whatever it is, it’s not so impressive that they’re not prepared to kill him. Second, that he has changed his name again – retaining the “Crowley” as a last name, implementing a first name (Anthony) and a middle initial (J). I’m sure I’m not the only one that enjoys the lovely bit of small talk that goes on between them both as Crowley hops around, as if discussing this bit of news were the only thing on either of their minds. I also love that the demon seems genuinely invested in whether Aziraphale likes his choice or not, and Aziraphale’s response that he’ll “get used to it” says so much about how he feels about their relationship at this point. He actually doesn’t look particularly impressed with the new name, and perhaps it’s telling that we never hear Aziraphale refer to him as Anthony (even though he did adapt the new name when it was changed from Crawly).

Crowley’s realisation that there’s a whole font of holy water, completely unguarded, serves as a poignant reminder of the previous scene, despite the fact that he’s still hopping around in a now vaguely irritating way. It makes me wonder if this is where he gets the idea that he can get hold of his “insurance” without Aziraphale’s help by robbing a church (as will be seen in 1967).

We’re back in the land of hidden communications in this next exchange:

This feels like the angel and demon partnership that we have, so quickly, come to love. Teamwork, understanding, and a little bit of sacrifice to achieve a common goal, without the need for explicit declarations of intent. It’s so very different from the strained conversation we saw in 1862, but this definitely feels like it’s a truer representation of their partnership.

I want to take a moment here to talk about something that feels inconsistent to me in the scene that follows the explosion. I had initially wondered about the fact that the ground no longer appears to be consecrated after the bomb has hit the church (Crowley has stopped hopping around like a madman), but having done some (very shallow) research it would appear that churches can only be considered consecrated if they are suitable for worship. Seeing as that bomb pretty much obliterates the building, I think we can probably declare the ground now deconsecrated. My brain however is focussed on that font of holy water. When the church was blown up, that font, including its contents, would have gone everywhere. And I mean, everywhere. There’s no way that Crowley was getting through that explosion without some of it getting on him, or something that he touches (like the book bag he’s about to tear out of a dead Nazi’s hand). I have supposed that there is a possibility that it would have evaporated in the heat, but I’m not sure that fixes the problem – water evaporated becomes steam and Crowley would likely have inhaled some of it. So we’re left with two possibilities here – either Aziraphale did something that would cover these eventualities in his own miracle or Crowley actually can come into contact with holy water. Not that he’d ever be able to test the latter theory of course, it’s a pretty deadly experiment for a demon to be carrying out. I think the former of the two possibilities is probably the right answer, even then it seems like a bit of a stretch – what exactly did Aziraphale’s miracle do?

Moving on, we have another instance of Aziraphale calling Crowley a name that the demon would not wish to have as a label – “kind”. And as with Paris, the reaction is a very different one from what we see from him at Tadfield Manor, this time simply attempting to brush it off but this time the exchange happens without his glasses.

Not only that, there’s a little smirk on Crowley face suggests he’s actually rather pleased with the outcome of his actions.

Aziraphale seems very humbled by Crowley’s intervention here too, which is not something we’re used to seeing from him. I suspect he knows that he was in genuine danger during the meeting with the Nazis and is well aware of what a huge favour he’s just been afforded. And I’m sure he’s probably thinking about how badly things ended between them the last time they met. He also knows that thanks and appreciation are not something that Crowley does, so tries to make light out of it pointing out the most trivial of the consequences that this act of kindness has granted him – the paperwork.

But Crowley’s not done with his gifts, is he? If we set aside the question hovering around how he even knew there were any of Aziraphale’s prized books to be rescued in the first place (no seriously, how does he know? Maybe he saw them on the table before Harmony bundles them into the bag in the church, but he doesn’t seem to be paying that much attention), there’s no doubt that this is probably the most thoughtful gift someone could ever give the angel. And Crowley knows it very well – the relish on his face when he knows he’s about to deliver something that will give Aziraphale so much joy is absolutely previous.

And here we are. You all know what’s coming. In fact, there has so much coverage been done of the rest of this scene, that I’m not even going to bother talking about it.

What kind of fan would I be if I didn’t gush about the finger touch and Aziraphale’s look?! I’m going to try not to spend too much time on it though, purely because it really has been talked about by every single person before me, and will continue to be discussed by many.

So, the things I love about this are everything the fact that neither of them flinches when their fingers touch (this despite us not having seem them physically touch in any of the previous historical scenes); that they establish and maintain eye contact for the touch; and (last, but most definitely not least) that Crowley actually lifts his thumb to stroke Aziraphale’s finger when their digits meet. Seriously, that last one really gets me – it says so much about his knowledge of his feelings and his intent with the saving of the books. In all honesty, I watched that GIF about 10 times before moved on with the rest of this write-up, this tiny moment genuinely makes my heart sing. I also happen to love the extreme nonchalance of Crowley asking Aziraphale if he wants a lift home, as if none of the previous 5 minutes has just happened. Side note: this will be the first time that Aziraphale will meet the Bentley. He likely doesn’t even know that Crowley has a car, so being asked if he wants a “lift home” will be a first in their 6000 years of friendship.

And then of course, there’s Aziraphale’s look as Crowley leaves the scene.

He’s so adorable isn’t he? Only finally realising how important he is to Crowley, and that the feeling is mutual, after he’s been handed a bag of old books prised from the hands of a dead Nazi. Silly angel.

So the first thing I’ll point out about this scene involves a bit of gazing into the future (as far as the series was concerned anyway) – the pub that Crowley meets his cronies in is the Dirty Donkey. Which means he was conducting this meeting directly across the road from Aziraphale’s book shop. And has probably been hanging around in the general area of Aziraphale’s book shop. Like, a lot. It’s never talked about (or not yet anyway) so we have no idea of how frequently Crowley is in the area or why he picks this particular pub to conduct his criminal activities from, but it’s certainly worth noting.

Let’s give David Arnold another tip of the hat for his treatment of the theme tune for scene setting. This time we hear it in the stripped back tones of a 60s guitar sound, not so dissimilar to Buddy Holly’s style (apologies, that’s another bit of future gazing, unless you’ve read the Script Book, in which case you’ll know that Buddy Holly should have featured very prominently throughout season 1). Holly actually died in ’59, but that doesn’t stop this piece of soundtrack doing what this soundtrack always does so beautifully – enhance the setting of a scene.

I also quite enjoy the fact that the format of this scene appears to mirror the one from 1941 – opening with just one of our heroes, who appears to be getting themselves into potential danger, with the other coming to rescue them. There’s also a symmetry in the giving of gifts – Aziraphale’s presentation of the holy water mirroring Crowley’s saving of the books. It’s a lovely way to communicate to the audience that we are meant to view them as equals, and that they balance each other out (just as Crowley says way back in the Kingdom of Wessex).

We shouldn’t be surprised that Crowley refuses to tell his “employees” what exactly it is they’re going into the church for – I should think they would consider there to be something highly suspicious about breaking into a church to steal holy water after all. And I would dearly love to know what it was that Shadwell spent time in prison for, I mean I know he’s a distinct oddbod, but criminal? I wouldn’t say he had it in him. And for the record, £300 (the amount being paid to each criminal to do this job) equates to about £5.5K in today’s money. Not a bad little earner.

Let’s talk geography for a moment, shall we? Specifically, I’m talking about the alleyway that Shadwell has squirreled himself away down. Which looks suspiciously like the alleyway that runs down the side of Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death in season 2 (again with the crystal ball, I know. There is a point, I promise).

The picture doesn’t make it painfully obvious, but the ramp, steps, and barrier that you can see on the left-hand side of the alleyway are a match – 1967 on the left, season 2 present day on the right. Not only that, we get a glimpse across the street from the alleyway entrance when we see Crowley turning towards his car.

Knowing what we know about Whickber Street from season 2, the positioning of the Bentley would appear to be directly outside Aziraphale’s shop, though the shop fronts tell a different story. What would seem to confirm that Crowley has in fact parked his car directly in front of the angel’s shop is the entrance to the corner unit – again 1967 on the left, season 2 present day on the right:

Perhaps this is just “the magic of television” and the need to re-use the same set for multiple different settings for cost purposes. I’m not so sure about that, but it seems almost too obvious for Crowley to be hanging around Soho in such a blatant way if he was trying not to be seen by Aziraphale. After all, the angel has been in the Bentley in 1941, so would know what it looked like, and it’s not like they would have been a common car in 1967.

I also want to take a quick moment to consider that Shadwell is hanging around an area in London that is painfully at odds with his views on sex workers, as we see in the way he speaks to Madame Tracey later. Perhaps those views are established later in his life, maybe even as a result of his spending time in London’s Red Light District (or at least, it was in the 1960s).

If you didn’t know something was about to happen as Crowley opens the car door, you should perhaps feel a little ashamed of yourself because… it’s the magical miracle noise! We know it’s not Crowley doing it because we can see him getting into the car, so I think it’s fair to say we should be assuming it has something to do with Aziraphale before we see him on camera. What I don’t understand is why he apparates inside the car. Or possibly why he bothers to apparate at all – as he’s about to point out, he works in Soho so it would be easy enough to simply approach Crowley on the street at any time. Perhaps it’s to ensure that the demon can’t make a hasty get-away? That doesn’t make a lot of sense in the declared canon of the series at this point. However, it’s my belief (and that of most of the fandom I think) that something happened between them after the scenes we get to see of 1941. I also think Aziraphale got spooked by it and left sharpish (more of that in the 1941 apology dance fanfic when I get to it). If we take that as canon, Aziraphale’s cautionary tone and covert apparition, along with Crowley’s look of surprise and longing at Aziraphale’s appearance make a lot of sense all of a sudden.

It looks as if Aziraphale is really struggling to say what he knows he must here, and the way Crowley reacts when he realises that the angel knows exactly what he’s planning makes it pretty clear that he’s not exactly comfortable with the topic of conversation either. I actually find it painful to watch this whole conversation (and I don’t think I’m the only one, though it’s not as tough as some we’ll come to later in both seasons). From the subtle revelation of how much Crowley has taken Aziraphale’s refusal to provide him with the holy water to heart (seeing as he knows exactly how many years have passed since that disagreement), to the searching look Aziraphale gives Crowley after he hands over the thermos (almost as it he’s trying to memorise his face), and everything in between, this is the most emotionally available we’ve seen the couple being with each other. And it takes its toll on them both – Crowley is rendered speechless and Aziraphale almost in tears, breathing heavily to try and stave them off. The angel is making a personal sacrifice to ensure Crowley stays out of danger here and Crowley knows it. What really is there to say, other than “thank you”? Alas, Aziraphale draws the line there (in a vaguely symmetrical fashion to what we say in Paris, when he asks Crowley if he can say thank you for the rescue), so he has to come up with something else. It’s such a desperate little gesture too - the only thing that he can offer to show any sort of favour in return is to offer Aziraphale a lift.

There’s a little reflexive noise from Crowley in response to Aziraphale’s refusal of his offer that really does convey how disappointed he is, and for once the angel is paying attention. I suspect he tells him not to look so disappointed because he finds it very hard to deny Crowley anything when he knows he really wants something. He even offers an alternative, something with promise and future in it, something that sounds suspiciously like a date.

Perhaps one day we could… I don’t know… Go for a picnic… Dine at the Ritz…

Crowley’s not done though, he’s going to keep trying to string out this meeting as long as he can. Let’s just bear in mind that his offer to take Aziraphale anywhere he wants to go is rather a moot point – they’re in Soho, a very small area of London, which is where Aziraphale works and lives. Even if we ignore the fact that the Bentley appears to be parked within 6 feet of the door to the book shop, there really wouldn’t be any need to drive to get from one place in Soho to another place in Soho. As such, I think this offer is simply Crowley wanting to spend time with Aziraphale, and it’s something he wants so much that he almost pleads with the angel to reconsider the invitation.

Tiny side note: the bullet holes you can see in the driver side window are referenced in the book. They’re actually a sticker, tied to a James Bond film promotion. The only time Crowley has ever put fuel in the Bentley he did to get it.

Aaaaaand we’re here. At the line. You all know the one.

Hnnnnnnnnh.

The first time I watched this show, I was only half paying attention and I just thought he was talking about Crowley’s driving. It wasn’t until I rewatched prior to bingeing through season 2 that I realised he really isn’t, and I can tell you it hit me like a tonne of bricks. If we assume it’s likely they haven’t seen each other since 1941, which makes sense if we’re also assuming that something happened between them at that time, Aziraphale has only been in the Bentley once before this (well, maybe multiple times in one evening, but you get the drift). What’s to say that one experience was typical of Crowley’s driving? Decades have passed since that evening, so it’s not out of the question to consider that his driving style might have changed in that time. And why not just say “yes thank you, but do you think you drive a bit slower”? Or even for Crowley to offer to drive slower on his behalf? No, this heartbreaking line has nothing to do with the driving at all, and Crowley’s lack of resistance to it and look of resignation says he knows it but has no idea who to talk the angel down from his position. This scene ends in the Script Book with Crowly driving away and Aziraphale watching him go, but my head canon has given me a different outcome here (which fits with what we actually see in the show), which I’ll be writing a fic about in the future.

This one has run a little long (hardly surprising given that it covers the 1941 AND 1967 historical scenes). I toyed with the idea of splitting into two parts but that felt excessive, particularly given I still have to deal with, what I think, is the first of the ineffable divorces later in this episode. As always, questions, comments, discussion, all welcome!

[wings-of-ink]

I don't know if this has been asked previously, but I was wondering:

Assuming the RO's are romanced, and MC is cured, how would the RO's react if one morning, for whatever reason, they woke up not as themselves but on MC's body? And MC, of course, is on the RO's body. Does it change depending on what gender the RO and/or MC is? How open would the RO's to experiment life with this new predicament?

Let's assume they find a way to reverse it (and swap again, if they so wish) the same day the swap happens, so there isn't much angst about the situation.

You’re in luck, Anon; this has not been asked yet. I could see a lot of mischief happening with a couple of the ROs…

Oswin: He’s having a bit of a freak-out. Though it’s no fault of his own, he feels like he is totally invading MC’s privacy even though they are an item. Just taking a piss would make him feel bad at first. The reaction is the same for any gender of the MC as well. How he resolves his feelings on it would depend on the MC’s reaction to it. If they are chill about it or even curious, it would help Oswin adjust and calm himself. If they were stuck that way for a while, he’d grow more okay with it. If given the option to switch any time, Oswin would be hesitant, but could be convinced by an MC who was curious and having fun with it.

Zahn: Having a great time. Beyond the initial surprise of it, they think it is great fun. Their mind immediately goes into differences between them. Like if MC is taller or shorter, has a different eye color or skin color, different hair type, etc…they are taking in and marveling at all these details that they get to see on MC but not experience. It brings a new kind of appreciation for them in regard to their partner. They are suddenly very much deeper in love. If MC is calm about it, Zahn wants to talk about it. They want to feel what MC feels sort of thing - get a bit experimental maybe. Zahn is very down for switching back and forth at will, especially if MC’s gender is different.

Duri: Very similar to Zahn’s openness for it. They are still them no matter what body houses them and the same goes for MC. They may crack jokes about MC being exceedingly gorgeous that day in particular. Gender differences wouldn’t really matter for them though, the experience as a whole is what matters. They are totally down for switching back and forth if MC is. They want the MC to enjoy their body as well.

Rune: This would freak them right the heck out. They are the most likely to have a lot of panic over it. Being looked in the eye by their own face startles them. They have some misgivings about themselves and this is like waving that in front of Rune. Being in the MC’s body would be a comfort in a way, since they find their lover to be a source of strength. It’s seeing their own body outside from their soul that is distressing. That and with having someone they love forced out of their body and into theirs just tears Rune’s heart up. They would not want to switch back and forth ever, and would not even compute any gender difference during the ordeal.

???: Honestly, probably not the strangest thing that’s happened to him, lol. As long as MC is taking it well, he wants to have fun with it. He wants to use the opportunity to see what he looks like to other people, or do things like style his own hair. Other…physical things come to mind and he’d love to test those out too - he's motivated by discovering what the MC's body likes first hand. If there is a gender difference, it doesn’t really phase him. He is down for switching as much as MC wants to.

Thank you for the fun ask, Anon! ^_^

[olenvasynyt]

5, 8, 10, 24 writers ask game

5. Do you like constructive criticism?

Yes I love constructive criticism, I feel like it can be really important for me to have if I’m struggling with something.  I think if a person can give you criticism, then that means they respect you and want to help out.  Having constructive talks like betareads and stuff are things I want to do more of because I’m too much in my own head.  I don’t really think about reaching out to ask for help or even a “hey I’m thinking of you while writing this, what do you think?” because idk I’m just not a person who does that.  I isolate, write, post, and wait for nice comments lmao

Don’t like unprompted criticism in my comments though, I think it’s inappropriate unless it’s a hey there’s a small spelling error in this paragraph (and even then).

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Ooh it depends on if it’s a big project or not!  I think I like the end of long projects more.  I’m thinking of ACOEAS: I started writing the entire fic because of the ending.  I got sooooo many later scenes I’m so excited to share because I think people are going to go crazy, and idk I worked so hard on laying down some foreshadowing and easter eggs.  But idk I like it all!  I like the feeling of the middle where everything is coming together and building more and more.

10. Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

Okay I had no idea what this meant at first lmao I thought  “blinks” was like a reaction meme or something, plus the first WIP I tried didn’t have the word blink.  But my WIP for an angsty Jesminda x Elain x Lucien dream sequence threesome technically has it yay!

This is a summary I wrote, it’s not actual writing that I’m going to include.  The part I wrote based on this summary is different but you get to see the BTS.

Elain and Jesminda kneel before Lucien and make out while he watches.  Their faces seem to morph together; Elain has Jesminda’s hair, beauty mark, shimmering skin, and the crinkle of her upper lip when she smiles.  Jesminda has Elain’s splatter of freckles of her nose, her honey brown hair, and brown eyes.  When Elain blinks, she has Jesminda’s opal eyes.  She blinks again and it switches to her fawn brown.

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

This has a bit of drama / vagueposting I’m sorry lmao but hopefully its entertaining and the majority of the people reading this won’t know who I’m talking about. 

It wasn’t exactly advice, it was just an issue they had: in ACOEAS I changed Eris’ age so he was 100 when engaged to Mor, I think the whole age thing is one of the biggest inconsistencies in SJM’s writing and it pisses me off, plus I really liked the idea of Eris being an Autumn general during the human war so we can have his POV for that time.  But the person I asked to betaread did not like that change and said I could have made it a bit different where Beron had a wife before LoA and Eris is the son of Beron’s first wife.  They said they read it and wanted to give me a longer, more detailed list of thoughts for the chapters they read, but they never messaged me again and then made a petty comment on a video I made that pissed me off and talked about if I had any evidence that Eris was a general in the war, and it made me block them.  

Idk man, you can have theories and headcanons about what you personally think, but my fanfic is about doing whatever I want. I don’t care about what SJM wrote.  If I think she’s got inconsistencies, then I will gladly ignore them and do better than her and I will not change my entire plot based on what you personally think could have happened in canon. So I guess the bad advice I got was stick to canon and canon theories while writing fic lmao. You don't have to do that at all, and I actually recommend against it while writing ACOTAR fic because SJM is annoyingly inconsistent.

Thank you for the questions!

[wind-up-thancred]

Hey I saw ur Thancred face mod and wanted to say…thank you so much!!!! And I miss his old face 🥺 do you think it’s possible to ever get it back? I’m tempted to learn modding just to fix up my boy bc they really massacred him 💀

hi anon! im glad you like the mod. yeah i dont blame you for missing the old face lol, i took one look at it in textools when the patch dropped and went "wtf did they do to my boy... 😢" i think it depends on what you mean by "getting his old face back":

-if you want to start with the 7.0 base face, you could probably open it up in blender next to his old face and use the sculpt tool to physically sculpt his mesh to be closer to what it used to be, but i think past the lips there isn't too much else on the actual geometry to change— maybe his nose and jawline? but to me it feels like a lot of the change also happened to his normal maps, which are the textures that add extra shading detail and volume to the face. the old textures cant be ported over because the new mesh isn't laid out for them, buuuut im aware of a tool being developed currently in the ffxiv loose texture compiler for automatically transforming the old textures to match the new mesh layout. will that work for thancred's unique face? i'm not sure, but it could be worth a try— im fairly certain his unique sculpt is an edited version of one of the male midlander faces, so once that specific face is supported in the tool, it might work. if not, you can always manually adjust the new normal map while referencing the other one. -if you want to start with the OLD 6.58 base face, i believe there is a blender script going around (i saw it in the textools discord last iirc?) for converting old face sculpts to new ones. this is necessary because the new faces have QUITE a few new bones in them that need to be rigged, or else the face will not animate. from there, you MIGHT have to convert some of the old textures as well, but i'm not 100% sure, i think it depends on how well they work at baseline for 7.0. i know there's still a legacy skin shader in the game for older faces since not all of them have been updated yet, so you might be able to switch it to that so that the old textures still work. if that sounds like A Lot, uh... i dont blame you 😅ive been learning xiv modding for about two years ish now so ive got a lil bit of know-how under my belt, but if you want somewhere good to start, i would recommend joining the textools discord, there are multiple channels there for people to ask questions about how modding works, how to mod specific things, lots of tutorials, etc, and im sure therell be something in there to help you along. buuuuut in the meantime, i HAVE seen two other existing mods so far on XMA that do both of the things i mentioned before: https://www.xivmodarchive.com/modid/109670 this one seems to be a very good version of the first fix, where they went in and sculpted his new 7.0 face to be closer to the old one to a higher extent than i did, with his lips, jaw, and nose tweaked. it doesnt have heterochromia or scruff like mine does but i think you should theoretically be able to do that easily— feel free to send another ask if you want me to explain how i did it on my mod. https://www.xivmodarchive.com/modid/109665 this one, meanwhile, is the second fix— they ported the old face model over the new one. it has stubble and no heterochromia but again, if you want to change either of those, id be happy to explain how i did it. i have not tested either of these myself so i have no clue how well these work in-game but im sure they work fine!! i hope either of those help you out and if not i wish you good luck on your modding journey.... esp learning blender ^^" its a pain in the ass at first but trust me it feels really really good once youve figured stuff out!

[ace-does-words]

will you bite the hand that feeds / will you chew until it bleeds

i have once again brought puppy seth to the club, this time with a sprinkling of attack dog energy. contents include: biting, hand kink, oral focus, and average amounts of sexual tension for cmrollintyre! hope ya enjoy! Word Count: 1,140 Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63812146

Seth bites.

Punk told Drew he'd do that, but truthfully, Drew didn't take him seriously.

He was such an obedient pup, why on earth would he be violent? He wasn't even provoked!

He just took one look at Drew, and when offered an affectionate hand, bit. Not very hard, but hard enough to get across a point. He's not a pushover, even if everything has proven the sentiment otherwise wrong, he likes to make it seem like he doesn't buckle before he breaks.

Even now, with a collar on his throat, he still tries to get across that futile point. It's endearing really.

Punk can't help but laugh at Drew's shock. "I told you he bites, didn't I?"

"I didn't think you were serious," Drew answered with, cradling the sore flesh with his other hand. "He looks to well kept to be a biter."

"I can do a lot more then bite." It's muttered under his breath, not meant to be heard. Nothing he says in this state is meant to be heard.

Drew catches it.

He raises a brow, "Can you now, dog?"

He leans in, posturing himself in such a way that makes Seth feel so very small. Tiny, weak, cornered. It's easy to rouse base responses out of him, he's easy to downplay to a dog. (A cared for dog, of course, but a dog is still a dog)

Before Seth can do so, Punk speaks.

"You really think I'd keep him around if all he could do was bite? I'm offended."

"You seem the type to have a masochistic streak, Punk," Drew mused right back at him, absently, eyes still on Seth. He takes in every single motion, as small as they may be— inspecting him. Taking in each detail of Seth Rollins the mutt.

Punk scoffed. "I think you're going on a tangent, Drew. Go on, touch him. He won't bite." The tone is aimed at Seth. Almost a challenge. There'll be a consequence if he does bite.

Drew lays his hands slowly on Seth's jaw and neck.

And Seth reacts loudly but also quietly. Every way that he would react to it is all boiled down to a murderous glare and hackles raising visibly. His silence is deafening as he allows Drew to touch him.

Fingers toy at his mouth, pry at his lips. He keeps his teeth bared, lets Drew glide a thumb over the smooth enamel and the gums. His breath is hot on Drew's skin.

"Seth," Punk starts with.

Eyes immediately dart over to him.

"Open up."

Seth doesn't move his jaw at all.

"Let him, pup."

The demand to his tone is overwhelming, leaves Seth feeling like he's drowning. Punk looks at him expectantly, an urge to just do it already because it's not that hard.

There's a beat before Seth lets Drew pry further into his mouth.

Drew is methodical about it, loosening the jaw, being careful not to dislocate it or rip the skin of his lip. It'd be hard to do that, yeah, but the caution is tangible. He doesn't press hard. Doesn't dig as much as Seth thought he would. Just lets his fingers rest in Seth's mouth.

The gag reflex moment never actually comes as Drew prods at the inside of Seth's mouth. Warm, soft, damp. He doesn't get why Seth is so incessant on always trying to get his hands in his opponents mouths, probably a fixation of some sort. He does sort of get it when Seth teases a bite, slight pressure, to fingers.

"I thought you said you'd be good?" Drew hushed out. Almost a threat, but not quite.

He's answered with a tongue lapping at his digits, the switch in motion is almost instantaneous to him finishing his sentence. Seth's expression doesn't change, his posture does a bit though, forward, closer to Drew. If he still had a gag reflex he'd definitely be feeling nauseated with how much of Drew's hand is in his mouth.

Drew retracts. Nothing but intrigue is on his face.

Seth doesn't wipe off his lips, just closes his mouth and looks up at Drew expectantly, waiting for him to move again. He looks predatory like this. It's foreign, well, not entirely foreign. He looks like this in the ring, when he's primed to fight, when he's in a place where he can look like a carnivore.

Here?

Here he is meant to Punk's little dog. Nothing more than that. A pup that'll roll over and expose it's vitals willingly. The dog of the relationship usually does that.

But no, Punk had to go for a rabid creature instead. Hard to tame, hard to calm, hard to deal with- Drew supposes he can understand that. The enjoyment of a toy that needs to be broken in first.

Punk just refuses to break Seth in, to work him, to make him buckle and bend but not quite break. He likes a collared attack dog better, one that has more bite then bark. Of course Punk likes sleeping with someone that's dangerous instead of someone that's so pleasantly high on life when your hands are on him and you command him with ease- of course he does.

That's just the kind of guy that Punk is.

Seth's little whine is what drags Drew back to the moment.

"I might've told him you'd treat him right tonight," Punk said. He stated it neutrally, not giving full eye contact to Drew, the weight of the world was on those words.

"Really? You told your mutt that I'd give him special treatment?" Drew asked, amusement to his tone. Flattered endearment rested underneath it, the amount so small Punk barely gleans a second of it's presence.

He's still watching Seth, watching as his eyes narrow at being called a 'mutt' instead of any other demeaning names.

"Afraid he'll bite you again?" Punk answered with, he sounded so smug about it, challenging. He pressed and prodded at Drew with his words. There was a lack of precision, but the breadth of the pressure was enough to make up for that.

"I can bite back." Drew speaks quietly, mutters it under his breath really as he returns his hands to Seth's mouth.

Seth bears down on the meat of Drew's hand until he can feel the blood pulse under his teeth. The skin is left unbroken as Drew pulls back his hand and looks down on it. Definitely human teeth marks, he hopes that they'll fade out fast.

It kind of feels like a mindfuck when Drew stares down Seth. He knows that he's trying to dig under his skin, sink into this mindset, pry it apart from the inside out. Break Seth's disobedience, turn it into blind saccharine submission instead.

Drew tries his hands again.

Seth bites again.

Punk takes no step in intervening.

[oogieswife67]

You are Hunting the Seven Seas...

Oops another drabble that hit me super late into the night involving Fellow Honest again. Yes, I will try to do more God Fellow, but I wanna write this down.

WANTED:

THE DREADFUL FOX WHALE

DEAD OR ALIVE

They were asking for so much money for this catch. The beast was known for taking down ships indiscriminately. No one knew how he was doing it, but he was to be stopped after he was said to take down a cargo ship that held valuable spices and fabrics, and the rich man who owned that ship added money to the bounty, almost triple of what it was asking!

You're not going to pass this up, even as you will have to share with the crew you're a part of.

The seas you were sailing through were calm. Strangely calm. The sky was blue with very little clouds. It was usually never a good sign. A storm may have been coming soon, so you and your ship mates were getting the boat and your supplies (and haul) ready for the worst.

The captain was keeping an eye out, keeping his monocular on one eye while his second in command switched between keeping an eye out as well and how you and the crew were doing your jobs.

One of your crewmates was in the crow's nest, also keeping an eye out, especially when there was some rocks sticking out of the seas. He was about to dismiss it, as the sailing master also saw the rocks and was going to turn away, but then heard the crewmate shouting "There's someone there! On the rocks!" they said.

The captain aimed his monocular at the rocks, and sure enough- there seemed to be a young lad! It was hard to see all the details, but it didn't matter. "Go for the rocks!" the captain called out.

The sailing master agreed and headed for the rocks. Once close enough, you take the emergency boat and go right to the rocks. You finally get to see the lad in question- And realize he has cat ears and tail! You've seen beastmen like him before, and most usually don't go out to these waters. You would have to wonder what he was doing out here later, as he was soaking wet and looked like he had been stranded for some time.

You bring the cat beastman back to the ship. The crew wrap him up in a blanket as he was shivering quite a bit, as well as slowly gaining his senses back. His clothes were torn and old. You learn quickly he's unable to talk, so you stick to simple yes and no questions.

"Have you been on those rocks for long?"

Nods

"Are you hungry?"

Vigorous nodding

You go to grab some dried meat that the crew still had plenty of, when the ship suddenly started to shake, as if something hit it! The entire crew panics. You turn to see what was going on-

WHACK!

You get knocked out by the beastman you just saved! The last thing you see is something rising from the seas as the crew screams and grab their weapons...

You'd come back around. Your head hurts. You don't see anyone at first... But you could hear-

GULP!

You get startled and look to where you heard that noise-

There he was...

The fox whale.

The bright over should length orange-haired, fair skinned fox man greeted you with a sly look on his face, staring at you with his bright orange eyes, and his green eyeshadow shining in the sunlight. You found it strange that he was wearing a green vest and long, white sleeves and gloves... Then you realized the "sleeves and gloves" were actually patterns on his skin, then saw a patch of blue on his left shoulder, like he was wearing a cape, while there was a patch of skin that matched his face on his right pinky finger that made the "glove" look torn.

The size of the beast was nothing to joke about. He was much, much bigger than you thought he was. You could swear he ate some whales himself to get to the size he's at. In fact, you realized... The ship wasn't in water.

The ship was balancing on the beast's bloated, fat belly.

You look at the beast in fear for a while, but then change focus when the cat beastman you saved was now on deck, finishing up some dry meat he had in his mouth. The fox whale noticed the beastman, and started to reach for him.

"You get away from him-!" you shouted, but then see that the cat beastman went into the beast's open hand with some dry meat he still had in hand...

And he was transformed into a merman! He still had his top on, but his legs was now a beautiful, shiny purple fish tail with patches of yellow on it. The cat fish gave you a sly smirk as he would be brought to the fox whale's shoulder. "Another excellent catch, Gidel!" Fellow said happily and eats the dried meat Gidel tosses into his mouth.

As the pair seemed distracted, you couldn't help but look over the ship to get a better look at the mass the ship was balancing on-

!!!!!

The green coloring that covered the beast's belly revealed to you what happened to the captain and the rest of the crew, when you could see small divots and movements! You could barely hear them screaming for their lives!

"What? A basic ship?" Fellow asked Gidel, who just nodded. "Just food and weapons, and all the food is gone. Well..."

The pair looked down at you, as you stumbled back in fear. You could see how hungry the fox whale still was... The look reflecting on your eyes... The last thing you'd see...

"Except for this one."

[nami-moittli]

I’ve been very hyperfixated on JoJo’s for awhile now, and oh my god, @starry-blue-echoes ‘s AUs have been like finding water in a desert lol

As such, I’ve done some fan art for one of my favorite AUs of theirs, Star Swap! I was originally going to post it once I finished all of the JoJos, but I wanted to put this out there since I’m done with these three for now. Hopefully I can get the rest done soon!

This was fun because not only do I have to figure out how I want to draw Giorno, Jolyne and Josuke, I have to figure out how to draw Joseph, Jonathan and Jotaro, as them! I’m having a lot of fun so far though

Giorno Giovanna Joseph Joestar

First off, I wanted him to have a playful expression on his face, one Giorno wouldn’t be caught dead making lol (at least, not until after years and years of therapy lol-) So Joseph has a big ol’ grin on his face!

I also don’t think that he’d have any fucking clue on how to do Giorno’s hair donuts. He tried, he really did! He just wasn’t strong enough. And I am pretty sure I just stole the ladybug hair clip from this one Haruno Higashikata AU I’ve seen, but it’s also there because of the fact that Joseph’s been buying Giorno a bunch of little presents like said hair clip, and he just so happens to be wearing one of them for himself right now

Another person when drawing for this AU gave them all their original eye colors instead of the eye colors of the body they’re in currently, so I decided to do that too! I do think that most likely in universe the eyes don’t change color, simply because people would probably notice, (tho it is jojo so who knows lol) but it’s still a fun detail! Eyes are the window to the soul, after all, right?

Finally, this is more of a Giorno head canon, but I think due to having a vampire dad he’d probably be on the paler side, and his, idk? Shading color? For his skin, I can’t think of a better word lol, is more of a purple-ish cool tone to add onto this! I know that in canon Giorno doesn’t have any real vampiric features, but I do wonder how Giorno and Joseph would feel being in each other’s bodies due to this. Just, “hm. I feel colder/warmer than usual. Weird.” I also think that Giorno’s the slimmest of the JoJos, but I accidentally made that honor go to Josuke lol

Jolyne Cujoh Jonathan Joestar

I barely have any idea on how Jolyne’s hair works, which means Jona definitely has no clue on how to do his new hair lol. He definitely got some help from Ermes in order to braid his hair. The bangs also look more like how Jona’s does compared to actual Jolyne.

He has a small smile, because he’s very uncomfortable in a woman’s body, though I don’t think I went as fully into “uncomfortable” territory as I could have though. Also I don’t think he’d wear any lipstick like Jolyne. I played with the idea of giving him some lip gloss at least, but even that seemed a little too much.

For a final Jolyne headcanon, I think that due to being from Florida she has a bit of a tan going on. You can even see some tan lines near her clothes! Poor Jonathan, having to be a man from the 1880s stuck in a woman’s body-

Josuke Higashikata Jotaro Kujo

I feel like I remember it once being mentioned that Jotaro would wear his hair in a bun of some kind, so, he has it up in a loose bun kind of style! It’s particularly based on how I think Josuke’s hair would look while down. I think that he actually has some pretty long hair while down lol

4taro gave Josuke!Jotaro some charms that he switched out for Josuke’s normal pins. He’s also wearing his jacket fully open, instead of just the little bit at the top

I think I accidentally made it look like Jotaro has some sort of white lipstick on his upper lip, but it’s actually supposed to be a sort of frowning face lol. It’s just that he’s got that signature part for lower lip lol

That’s all for now! Idk if you’ll even see this, but I wanted to put it out there for now! Hopefully I’ll be able to finish the rest soon!

[theendwhereibegin]

Universally meant. Earthly bound

This part will be slightly more complex as I will switch between Pedros and Olivias POVs. There will also be the inner monologue that Olivia will have.

I will not go into details of abuse, as I do not want anyone to be highly triggered by those parts as this story is about how love was meant to be, and less about how abusive the past was, but in order to set some main traits that Olivia will have throughout the story, you do need to understand where it`s all coming from.

Hope you enjoy this part!

story line

inner monologue

*Pedro`s POV*

*Olivia`s POV*

Part 4

*Olivia`s POV*

I couldn`t contain my smile after what just happened, but at the same time my heart ached from the whole sensation. It felt like I didn't belong in a fairy-tale world, but rather in a dark and obscure weird story that doesn't have a happy ending, or doesn`t have an ending at all.

I had so much emotional baggage, but I have gotten so used to carrying it on my own, that I never wanted to put this burden on some else`s shoulders. Pedro clearly didn`t deserve to face the consequences of who I was forced to become because of how my life played out before him.

I can still remember the 3 a.m shouts. The way his words crawled under my skin and into my veins, making his hatred be the only thing that was still pumping the blood in my body. I still remember the silent tears and the way I would look at the ground every time he would be drunk telling me how I will never be enough for anyone else, because I wasn`t good enough for him. He made it sound like he was my saviour and the fact that he accepts me as his partner, which should be enough in order for me to idolise him. He made me believe he was my lifeline and that without him I would be nothing.

9 years of my life played out like a broken record in my head making me sick to my core and making me believe, once again, that I wasn't enough. I wasn`t enough for any man, let alone Pedro and before I knew it a sob escaped my lips.

*Pedro`s POV*

What happened was magical. It was almost like an invisible thread was pulling me back to her. My mind was in a blur and I could still feel her soft and trembling lips on mine.

She was scared and I could feel that. Someone from her past managed to break her spirit into a thousand little pieces and I will not stand by and watch her deny herself happiness just because of that. She didn`t have to mention that to me, because I already understood that after the pizzeria incident.

I felt like I might have pushed her to open up to me a bit too much and she almost crumbled in front of my eyes. She needed to know just how much she`s changed my view on life in just a day.

She was special. Her smile was like a summer breeze. She didn't smile only from her lips, her eyes smiled as well when she was really happy. She was passionate about her job, her family, even about her favourite TV shows, movies and music. It would seem that nothing could get in her way, but I think this is the new Olivia trying to bury the old Olivia without trying to lean on anyone for help.

I certainly didn't want to get in her way of her healing, but I knew that I could help her with the process. I could help, but only if she wanted me to. I wouldn`t want to overstep my boundaries.

While being caught up in my head, I passed a flower shop that had the most beautiful lilies that I have ever seen and once again her beautiful smile appeared in front of my eyes. I felt like I had to buy the flowers and go back to her, because it felt like she was never courted properly by any man and she deserved just that.

I wanted to make her feel just as special as she made me feel so I picked the flowers and made my way back to hers.

But as I reached the door something stopped me from knocking, a soft, yet audible sob.

*Olivia`s POV*

I didn`t even realise that 20 minutes have passed and I was still in the same place, unable to move as my body ached. It was as if I was still there, not 3 years later.

Trying to regain my composure and get myself off the floor, for the millionth time today, I heard something outside my door, like shuffling and a sigh.

Looking at my Ring camera app, I could see Pedro`s back as he was pacing slightly, looking like he was trying to decide whether he should knock or not.

Next, I did something I never thought I would ever have the courage to do, and I opened the door only to find myself face to face with him, lilies in one hand and a sad smile on his face.

"I was just walking home and I passed this flower shop, and I have no idea if you even like flowers, but I`ve seen these and thought of you. So, here I am again, for the second time tonight." he said rather timid.

I looked at him then at the flowers, and then back at him again. No one has ever done anything like this before for me.

Sounds like a pattern, doesn't it? Never had the door opened for me or the chair pulled out. Never had a guy buy me flowers because he just wanted to make a nice gesture. Feels like I dated the worst guys ever, doesn't it? Truth is, I probably had a very bad track record when it comes to guys, but not because I wanted to, but because I just seemed to love a project, instead of a normal loving relationship. Or maybe it was just because I refused to see the red flags and always wanted to see the good in everyone.

"Thank you Pedro. Those are beautiful." With the flowers in my hands I debated in my head if I should invite him in, or was it a bit weird to do that. I have never done the "courting dance" before any relationship and at this point I have been out of the dating world for quite some time.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked hoping that he wouldn`t read it in a bad way.

"Sure, but only if I don`t intrude."

"Come on in, I could fix us up something to drink if you'd like. It`s not like I have any plans."

*Pedro`s POV*

As I walked into her house, I couldn`t help but notice that she was a comic book fan, particularly Marvel ones.

She also had some Star Wars merch in her living room, but that wasn`t a surprise seeing how we actually met earlier today.

She loved her family, that was for sure. So many group photos, but the one that caught my eye the most was her next to, I would only assume, her grandmother. Both of them were smiling big while holding each other in a tight hug.

"That`s my granny" said Olivia while placing a cup in my hand.

"She is in her 90s now, but still as sharp as she was in her youth. We all love her dearly, but us two have a more special relationship. She`s simply my best friend and my world." she was talking while taking the photo in her hand and gently hugging it close to her heart.

"You must really miss them. You must really miss her"

"I do. Every day. Lets sit down. I think we`ve both been on our feet today for quite some time now." she said while guiding me to her corner couch.

After the kiss we shared, I would have thought that she would sit next to me, but she didn`t. She sat on the far end facing me and clearing her throat.

"Look Pedro, you are such a lovely man. You`ve done more for me in one day, than others have done in years, but .." she trailed off and I could sense she was getting caught up with the thoughts that were now running freely through her head.

"I heard your sob. I didn't mean to. I was just about to knock on your door and I heard it. I can only hope that it wasn't because of me. I couldn`t live with myself knowing that I hurt you in any way." at this point I felt helpless and a bit panicked. Before she said "but" I was pretty confident that she wanted this as much as me. Right now? Not really.

Her eyes were glued to the ground and her hands kept picking at each-other. The same way they did on the street before our kiss. I knew she wasn`t feeling comfortable so I decided to stand up and put my cup on the coffee table.

"I think its better if I go Liv. I don`t want you to feel like this. I don`t want to trigger your anxiety"

*Olivia`s POV*

While hearing him saying that he wanted to leave, my head shot up and my eyes were staring into his. I was unable to form words until something told me that if I don`t speak now, he won`t be coming back any time soon and I might lose him.

Sure I only met him today, but the way we connected cannot be denied by anything in this world. It was almost like two puzzle pieces falling perfectly in place.

He was 16 years older than me, but at the same time he wasn`t. It was like our paths were supposed to meet now, not earlier, not later, but now.

My brain was going at 100 miles/hour and I only manage to say "Stay" and I saw him take his seat back on the sofa, with his arms resting on his knees while his body was leaning forward on them. His eyes never left mine for a second and that`s when I knew that I would have to tell him something about my past, anything, to make him understand that it was never his fault, only mine.

"When I went to the bathroom at the pizzeria whenever you asked me how life got in the way. You deserve the truth so you can make up your own mind on all this" I said while pointing between the two of us." I was scared, but he deserved to know what went on, what broke me, because if he chose to pursue us, he needs to know what he might have to deal with.

"I met this guy after my Chile trip. A friend invited me to a pub and I met him. I was 20. He didn`t look a day older than 25, but he was 31. I got caught up in his charming ways. I was foolish and young and desperate to have someone, anyone, as my friends were either in long term relationships, some even with kids. I felt like I was falling behind in a way. I know it sounds stupid" I said while taking a deep breath.

I could see his demeanour soften while he was listening to every word I said.

"Its not stupid. You just wanted love. Someone to come back to. Its not stupid. It`s human."

"It will be stupid in about 3 minutes, trust me P. I was love bombed. I told you no one ever acted like you with me, but I was lying partly. He did in the first year, but after we split I understood that his gestures were not genuine at all. The first year was amazing, but then it went downhill from there. By the time little things started to go wrong, I was in too deep. I was already in love with him and I literally neglected all the red flags that were shown to me. I think I need something stronger to drink. Want some whisky? " I asked while trying to keep my composure as best I could. He nodded yes and I grabbed us two glasses and the bottle I had in my kitchen. Poured us both drinks and resumed my spot on the couch.

"I neglected red flags for 6 years, and then 3 more, while we were married" at the mention of this Pedro`s eyes were wide and shocked.

"So you were married? Not anymore?"

"No. I filled for divorce in 2020 after spending too many months trapped in the house with him. That`s the year that opened my eyes. I`ve started seeing his patterns, his true colours."

Pedro nodded and told me to continue, but to stop if it gets too much for me.

"On the Chile trip, my friend, Alejandra took me to a local, I could call her fortune teller or something of sorts. I didn`t want to go but she was convinced the old woman will be able to tell me my future, that I just went with it. We were sat in this very weird room and she kept saying about the fact that I will find happiness and love in the weirdest of places. She kept saying how she will make sure that forces of good will work for me and that I will find my happily ever after. Me being dumb and young I thought he was just that so I never gave up in trying to understand him and mould myself into what he needed. It was that bad that I completely discarded of who I really was. " I took a big sip of my drink.

" You refused to believe he wasn`t your soulmate?"

"Pretty much that. I told you it will sound stupid at some point"

As I said that he moved closer to me, but not close enough as in to be invading my personal space. He wanted to let me know that he was there if I decided to say anything more, but at this point I felt unsure.

"I was basically emotionally abused for the most part of my relationship. I never seemed to dress girly enough. I never seemed to cook well enough, clean well enough and the list just goes on. He made sure that I would emotionally rely on him 100% by that point. The here and there emotional abuse, became more frequent. The yelling wouldn't stop until the early hours of the morning. I just never left, because I actually believed that he was my only choice in this life, that no one else would want me." the tears in my eyes couldn't be contained anymore and started falling freely.

He was hugging me the next second, his hand stroking my back and his lips firmly pressed on the top of my head.

"Did he...did he do anything else to you? Did he get physical? Did he..." his voice was filled with concern.

I couldn't say anything anymore and I just nodded yes and that`s when my crying turned into shaking. His grasp became tighter and his free hand found its way to my cheek trying to wipe away the tears.

I leaned into him seeking the warmth of his embrace. I just unloaded all of that on him and he was still here. He didn't storm out. He didn't let go, he caught me once again.

"If I ever get my hands on him he will understand just how much he was wrong about you. Liv, you are simply amazing, and after going through all that you still had the power to reinvent yourself and keep going. Do you know how much strength is needed to do that? My sweet girl, you are enough. You are more than enough for anyone in this world. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend or romantic partner. You give your all in everything and that speaks volumes. How dare he make you feel like you wouldn`t be liked by anyone else?" at this point I knew he was becoming mad as well, but her never let go of me.

My head went up and my hands found his teared stained cheeks. We both didn`t even realise that his tears were now falling freely on his face as well.

"I didn't want you to want to be with me and not know why I flinch or why I am jumpy in certain situations. I am trying my best to reinvent myself, but I know I still have a bit more to go. This will never leave me. I will always have these scars and I want you to understand that it will never be you at fault. That`s if you still want me." i said while looking in his eyes. I didn`t want to look away in fear that this was all just a dream and he would vanish the second my eyes aren`t on him.

What he did next left me speechless and warmed my heart and soul, because I knew all of the emotions he had poured into the words he said next.

"Why would I not want to be next to an amazing woman that turned my life upside down in just 24 hours. From the moment I saw you in that Starbucks, and later in the photo studio, I knew you were special. I knew you would be my shot at happiness. I don`t know why. I don`t know how. Maybe we should go visit that old fortune teller from Santiago" he said the last part jokingly.

The kiss we shared was something out of this world. It was even better than the first couple of kisses. It had so much emotion in it. He was protective and caring at the same time. I didn`t want this to end but something in the back of my head told me that maybe going back to the fortune teller wouldn`t be such a bad idea, or would it?

She did tell me that I would find happiness and true love in the weirdest of places, that forces of good will work for me to find those things. Wait. What?

Part 1 Here

Part 2 Here

Part 3 Here

Hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know what you thought!

[starrygalazy]

It's been a while since I've posted anything big on here BUT I made a concept for Mei's Mythic skin that I am OBSESSED with. The theme I chose is "Holiday Village", and I made Mei a "Towne Baker" skin and a background for it (if you don't wanna see Christmas themed stuff in September yet I suggest keep scrolling lol):

There exists a village where snow falls and golden lights hang year round, a village where the warm hearts of its occupants brighten the frigid nights. The Baker makes her rounds daily, creating a seemingly infinite amount of sweet treats for all her friends. With her special companion by her side, she works endlessly to make and deliver the best desserts and baked goods to all within the village.

Here's the specifics and customizable options too (some of these aren't set in stone yet):

Hair: I was completely obsessed with braids for this, they just fit the holiday vibe too much imo. I also do think her glasses would change but i forgot to draw them so ill just say them here. Her hairstyles are as follows:

Two braids on each side and hair pulled into a ponytail with a bow + full moon glasses

Simple bun wrapped with a braid & bell hairpin (didn't draw the pin bc I only just remembered it) + half rim glasses

Half-up-half-down hairdo with braid pulled back & earmuffs + think rectangle glasses

Shawl:

Fuzzy neck short cloak with strings & cotton balls at the end

Similar to option 1 but instead of fuzzy, it's a bit more refined w/o the strings and has a button clasp in front

Not a shawl at all, but rather a cozy, long scarf

Weapons: These aren't set in stone, especially not the 2nd option (and obviously Snowball counts bc if we can't customize him, imma be so upset)

Gun: Piping bag gun that'll probably change to a more 'gun' style, and Snowball: Muffin Snowball, obviously a baker needs her baked treats!

Gun: I tried incorporating the style of a hand mixer, I like the concept but want to change it. And it's hard to see well, but Snowball: Literal display tray with a glass cover! How that would work with his face, I have no clue, but he'd have a cake or cupcakes inside that you could see.

Colors: Finally we got colors. The only consistent outfit colors for her would be the white fuzz (and maybe her sweater?).

Red for main, light brown for accent (i.e.: Corset & gloves), and brown for hair (so just normal hair here) + gold details for metal

I switched the accent and main colors, so light blue for main, teal for accent, and white for hair. Very much a winter, frozen look. And ignore the "gold", that's meant to be silver.

Dark red main, green (forest green) accents, and black hair with silver metal, fits more with Christmas colors in general.

Finally I'll show you her ice tank, which I think is genius:

It's literally a portable oven with cookies & a giant vat of icing, and an ornament as a charm.

I'll try and draw the actual hair styles or revise the weapons eventually, but this is what I have and I'm very, very proud of it