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lemoncrushh · 5 months ago

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The Entertainer II - Track 07 - With Bells On

Summary: What if it wasn’t the end? What if Sky did actually see Harry at the Forum in the early 80s, and he saw her too? What if fate took hold of them both, and they realized their journey was not over? Set in 1981, Harry and Sky’s story continues with more music, more romance, and a few more twists and turns.

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Track 07 Word Count: 4k+

Read The Entertainer

“Nobody gets too much heaven no more It’s much harder to come by, I’m waiting in line…”

I hummed along mindlessly to the Bee Gees as I sifted through a rack of dresses.

“Sky. Hello, Earth to Sky Jones!”

I took a deep breath and blinked, turning towards my friend, her hand waving in my face.

“Sorry…um did you say something?”

“Jesus, Sky,” scoffed Halo. “Are you in Harryland, or what?”

“Sorry,” I blushed. “I guess I was.”

“And have been all morning,” Halo chuckled. “Boy, you got it bad.”

Harry had left my apartment early that morning, just five hours after he’d arrived. He’d left me in bed with a kiss, whispering that he had some things to tend to and errands to run before rehearsal for tonight’s show. I’d drifted back into dreamworld for maybe an hour until I had to get up myself to meet Halo for our shopping day. His scent lingered on my sheets, the feeling of his warm mouth on my body as I’d tried my best to step down from the cloud I was on.

“Donna says I daydream at work, too,” I remarked, draping a dress over my arm. “I guess I need to snap back to reality.”

“That’s the beauty of it though, isn’t it?” remarked Halo. “This is your reality now. You’re actually dating him.”

I followed Halo into the dressing rooms where I tried on my one dress that I really had no interest in. Halo had five.

“Did I tell you about Greg?” I heard her ask through the wall.

“I don’t think so. Who’s he?”

“Greg Cassio. He’s one of our artists we showcase at the gallery. He’s smoking hot, and I’d been dying to find out if he’s gay or married or anything. Anyway, he came in this week, and he was totally flirting with me.”

“So…what did he say?”

“He was leaning over the counter, checking out my rack, and I asked him when we might be getting any new pieces from him. He winked at me and said I could get a piece whenever I wanted.”

“Um…okay.”

“Okay, so maybe that doesn’t mean anything, but did you catch the double entendre?” Halo asked.

“Yeah…kinda creepy if you ask me,” I remarked.

Halo and I had been friends long enough that we could be honest with each other. She knew I wasn’t crazy about her new preference in men, but she also knew I would stick by her.

I heard her exasperated sigh just before her door opened.

“Alright, tell me what you think of this,” she called.

Opening my dressing room door, I saw her standing before me in a stunning black strapless dress.

“Oh, Halo, so pretty!”

“Truly?”

“Yes!” I sang. “You look like Princess Diana.”

My best friend laughed and twirled around. She was going to a holiday party as well, but one a bit more formal than mine.

“Okay, it’s your turn to find something,” she announced. “Are you getting that?”

I looked down at the simple frock I’d chosen, more like something I’d wear to work.

“Nah,” I shook my head. “I want something sexy.”

“Atta girl! Let’s go have lunch, and then hit Rodeo.”

With a huff, I pushed open my apartment door and heaved my haul of shopping bags onto my kitchen table. Halo soon followed, closing my door with her elbow.

“Every year I say I’m not going to wait ‘til December to do my Christmas shopping, and every year I lie,” remarked Halo with a sigh.

“We got some good deals, though,” I said.

“I say that every year, too.”

With a laugh, I walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

“You got anything harder than that?” Halo asked as I ran the tap.

“It just so happens, I do have a little of that scotch left from your birthday,” I nodded.

“Oh goodie!”

“Harry and I had some, but there’s still plenty left.”

I took down another glass from the cupboard and poured some for Halo. Then I added a splash to my water.

“What did he think of your apartment?” she asked me when she took a sip.

“He liked it. He said it was very me. And he laughed about me not having the itchy couch anymore.”

“Oh God, he remembered the couch! What a guy!”

I didn’t tell her all the other things he remembered. Some things I enjoyed keeping to myself.

As if he knew we were talking about him, the phone rang. Already knowing it was him calling, I answered with a smile.

“Hello?”

“Hi, baby.”

“Hi.” I must have either said it in a certain tone or with a look that gave me away, because Halo rolled her eyes and leaned back against the sink, her arms crossed.

“How was your day?” I asked.

“Great, how was yours?”

“Good. I just got back with Halo. We’ve been shopping all day.”

“Oh yeah? Did you-”

“Hi, Harry!” Halo called into the phone and grabbed her glass from the counter.

Harry chuckled, “Hi, Halo!”

“He says hi. And he can’t wait to see you,” I told Halo.

“Hey, babe, I just wanted to make sure you know where to go tonight.”

“Oh yeah, definitely.”

“I don’t want you to get stuck in the queue to get in, so I’ve put you and Halo on the list,” explained Harry.

“On the list?”

“Yeah, remember that bouncer out front? His name’s Tommy. Just tell him you’re Sky and Halo, and he’ll let you in.”

“Oh cool. Thanks, baby.”

“Oh! I get a ‘baby’ now?” Harry asked.

“Sure, why not?” I shrugged.

Harry made a sexy sound before he mumbled something that sounded like “so fucking cute.”

“What?”

“Nothin’ babe,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you tonight, yeah?”

“With bells on,” I sang.

Harry laughed harder. “I’d love to see that. Bye, angel.”

As I returned the receiver to its spot on my kitchen wall, I heard Halo groan, “If you two were any sweeter, I might gag.”

“Help me, Halo, I’m in love.”

I said it matter-of-factly, but also as an honest plea for help. Catching the look of desperation on my face, Halo embraced me like only a best friend could.

“Oh, sweet Sky,” she said as she rocked me back and forth. “You didn’t have to tell me. This is Harry Styles we’re talking about. The only guy I’ve ever known to make you feel this way.”

“Kinda pathetic, huh?”

“Not at all! I love teasing you because you’re my friend. But in all honesty…I find this all incredibly romantic.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now, let’s go start getting ready for this gig tonight. We’ll get you all dolled up so he can’t stand to look at anyone but you. And we’ll make the other girls jealous like we used to do.”

I gave her a huge squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Halo.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?”

I turned on my stereo and we sang along to every song while we got ready.

“When will you see me, my salamander Don’t try to tell me, oh no don’t answer…”

“What do you think that means?” I asked Halo. “My salamander?”

She laughed as she danced. “Who the hell knows? I think Paul McCartney is one of those people who can just get away with making up rubbish and it still sounds good.”

“You’re probably right,” I giggled.

“Harry’s like a Paul, isn’t he?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, besides being incredibly handsome, and British, he was in a successful band, and now he’s trying out the solo thing.”

“Yeah, good point,” I nodded as I slipped into my shoes. “But the other Beatles have solo albums too.”

“True,” Halo agreed, then paused as she brushed her hair. “But he’s definitely a Paul.”

“I’m getting closer to your heart…”

Not wanting to have to worry about parking, Halo and I took a cab to the club. When it dropped us off in front, I noticed a line had already formed down the street.

“Jesus,” I muttered as I stepped out onto the curb.

“Sky, look!” Halo, poked me in the shoulder and pointed up at the marquee that read HARRY STYLES.

“Wow.”

We made our way up to the front where I remembered Tommy being the last time. Relieved when I spotted him, I half hoped he recognized me, though I was sure he wouldn’t.

“Line’s back here, sweetie,” I heard a woman call, but I just smiled and pretended I didn’t hear her.

“Hi,” I said nervously when I approached Tommy. “I’m Sky, and this is Halo. My boyfriend said we should be on the list.”

“Your boyfriend, eh?” Tommy smirked. Then he picked up his clipboard and scanned it. “Oh yeah, Sky and Halo, I remember now. Harry did give me your real names because I gotta see some ID.”

“Oh. Yeah. I forgot about that, sorry,” I cringed, digging into my purse.

“Just standard policy, sweetheart.”

“I understand.”

I handed Tommy my ID and passed Halos along as well.

“Alright, thanks,” Tommy grinned. Then he lifted the velvet rope. “Have a good evening, ladies.”

“Thanks, Tommy,” I waved as I crossed the threshold.

“Oh, Harry told you my name, did he? Nice kid, that one.”

I beamed with pride as Halo and I made our way through the club.

“He was nice,” she yelled into my ear.

“Yeah. I wish they were all like that.”

“Helps to have boyfriends in high places,” Halo laughed.

Just like Harry and I had done, we stopped at the bar to grab drinks. Halo had just taken a sip when a Billy Squier tune came on.

“Shit, I love this song!” she screamed, her arms in the air.

“Lonely is the night When you find yourself alone Your demons come to light And your mind is not your own”

I smiled as I watched Halo sway on her stool. How I’d missed sharing my love for music with her. She would have had fun with me at the Journey concert. The last time we’d done anything like this had been well over a year ago.

“One glimpse’ll show you now baby What the music can do…”

“I missed this,” I commented when the song ended.

“Me too,” Halo agreed.

I knew that she knew I meant her, but also Harry. And anything else that had to do with music. Music was in my veins, in my blood. Although I’d never really let it go, I had allowed myself to step away from the lifestyle a little bit, thinking it was no longer for me.

“You didn’t like Alan, did you?” I suddenly asked.

“What?” Halo leaned towards me. “Alan? He was a dick.”

“I thought so,” I nodded.

“What made you think of him?”

I shrugged. “I was thinking about how wrong he was for me. Not just because he was kind of a jerk. But because at the time I’d thought he was what I needed.”

“He was dull as hell,” groaned Halo, making a face.

“I know,” I laughed.

“Look how Harry lights you up. Alan never did that, Sky.”

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

Just then, a short, bald man tapped me on my shoulder.

“Excuse me. Is one of you named Sky?” he asked.

“I am,” I replied.

“Hi miss, I’m Carl Peterson, I’m the manager here,” he offered his hand.

“Oh, yes, hello,” I shook his hand nervously.

“Mr. Styles reserved a table for you over here, if you’ll follow me.”

My jaw open, I slid off my stool and grabbed Halo’s hand, following Carl to the same booth Harry and I had sat in the week before.

“Thank you,” I told Carl as I slid into my seat.

“Thank you ladies for coming,” he smiled. “If there’s anything you need at all, please let me or one of my waitresses know.”

“Look at you!” Halo exclaimed when Carl was out of ear shot. “This is the big time now! VIP!”

I shrugged out of my jacket, feeling warm already. I wore similar jeans from last time, but paired them with a cute off-the-shoulder peasant style top, gold sandals and a gold belt.

As I looked around the room, I quickly noticed how much more crowded it was than the prior weekend. All the tables were taken, and within just a few minutes, the rest of the area was filled with people as well. The waitress had to squeeze through to get to us, but she managed to bring us fresh drinks right before the lights went down.

As soon as the overhead music came to a halt, the crowd began to cheer. Carl took the stage, a spotlight on him. Already, I got the idea this was a much more special event than Stargazer had been.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced. “Thank you all for coming tonight. It is my honor and privilege to present to you…Harry Styles!”

I felt my heart leap from my chest and into my throat. The noise in the room grew thirty decibles when the band walked onto the stage. I caught a glimpse of the new bass player and drummer; I smiled when I saw Mitch take the guitar pick from his mouth and begin to play. But then my eyes zoomed like magnets to the tall, long-haired rocker at the microphone. Just as if I’d gone back in time to 1976, the sight of Harry Styles singing in front of me hit me in the chest like a bolt of lightning.

He addressed the crowd at the start of the song, like he always did, waving and getting them to scream louder. By the second verse, he seemed to search the audience, seeking out someone particular. That’s when our eyes met, and he gave that amazing smile that was only meant for me.

When the first song ended - a hit from Wildfire's first album - the band went straight into “Only Angel”. I screamed and cheered just like before, but it was even more exciting hearing him sing it with his own band, and not Hunter Howe’s. And just like before, Harry singled me out, pressing his hand to his chest, as if to say I was his. I caught a few heads turning and eyes glaring at me, but I didn’t care.

“Make ‘em jealous, girl, make ‘em jealous,” Halo yelled in my ear.

I turned and looked at her, a knowing smile on her face.

“He loves you,” she mouthed.

I simply nodded, returning my focus on Harry. He strutted on the stage like a rockstar in all his glory. I cheered like I used to, like he deserved.

During the middle of his set, Harry sang the acoustic ballad that got me emotional. I felt myself tremble, wishing I didn’t let music affect me so much. But Halo, being the good friend she was, held my hand and swayed with me. When it was over, she was the first to stand and hoot and whistle, enough for both of us since I could barely move.

The band didn’t give me much time to wipe my tears before they kicked into the next track, but I was grateful it wasn’t another heartbreaker. Afterwards, Harry introduced the rest of the band - Danny Mercedes on bass, Bret Alkin on drums, and of course Mitch Rowland on guitar.

“And I’m Harry Styles,” he grinned and the crowd erupted once more. “Thank you so much for coming.”

Harry turned back to the band, said something, then addressed the audience again.

“This is something new.”

Wide-eyed, I stared at Halo who stared back at me. Something new? Harry hadn’t told me he was working on any new songs. But, then again, I hadn’t thought to ask.

It was a fantastic song, a rocker. I didn’t take the time to really listen to the lyrics, however, as I was more focused on how amazing Harry looked. He was the perfect showman, completely in his element. The audience loved him, and he loved them.

“Um…Sky?” Halo nudged me in the middle of the tune. “I think this song might be about you.”

“What?” I glared at her incredulously. “No!”

Halo raised her brows, nodding her head to the melody as the chorus came around again and sang along to the line…”she’s all I want, and I can’t get enough. I’m drunk on her.”

I made a face. “That could be about anybody.”

Halo side-eyed me. “If you say so.”

She continued to dance in her seat, clapping her hands to the beat. I had to admit, I started paying more attention to the lyrics after that. But I couldn’t really find anything that was obviously in reference to me. It just sounded like any rock song about a guy who had flipped over some woman. I really liked it though, regardless of who it was about.

The audience cheered louder than ever as Bret ended the song with a flourish and Harry bent back, giving one of his signature rockstar moves. When he stood up straight again, his hair had fallen over his eyes, and I instantly felt that little twinge in my stomach.

“Hell yes!” screamed Halo, rising to her feet.

I joined her, yelling for my boyfriend - my favorite front man. As he combed his fingers through his hair, I caught the lopsided grin I loved so much. When his eyes met mine, he smiled even brighter, then blew me kisses. As I blew some back, he pressed both hands to his chest and mouthed “I love you so much.”

The band kicked into another hit from their last album as I stood dead in my tracks. Had he just…?

“Oh my God!” Halo yelled in my ear, grabbing my arm. “He said he loves you!”

“You saw that too, huh?”

“I told you!”

“No…” I furrowed my brows and shook my head. “No, that…that wasn’t for me. It was for us, right? Like he does with fans? He was just saying he loves his fans.”

“He was not looking at me,” Halo laughed. “Or anyone else. That was straight at you, Sky!”

“No,” I argued again. “I don’t think he would have done that. Not in front of everyone. That was just a love for his audience thing.”

Halo shrugged, clearly in disagreement. “Maybe so, but…it sure didn’t seem like it.”

Letting it go for the time being, Halo and I continued to enjoy the show. The band ended with one of their bigger hits, and we both stood and danced along. Then Harry gave one more round of waves and kisses, and expressed his thanks into the microphone.

“You’ve been absolutely incredible,” he said, getting a bit choked up. “I really truly appreciate this. It feels so amazing to be back. Thank you.”

The crowd cheered, whistled, hooted and hollered as the band exited the stage, and the noise continued long after they’d left. It wasn’t until the stage lights went out and the club lights came back on that everyone began to disburse. Halo and I stayed in our booth as people walked past us to get to the door. I saw several sets of eyes glaring at me, some curiously and some just plain jealous.

“Wow!” Halo exclaimed, throwing her head back. “That was so fucking fantastic! I’m kind of bummed we didn’t go see them on tour.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered.

“But who’s to say you’d be here now,” my friend added with a shrug. “Maybe it was for the best.”

“That’s what I keep telling myself.”

“Hi, ladies, did you enjoy the show?” I heard a male voice ask.

“Oh my God, Mr. Irving!” I squealed.

Irving Azoff chuckled as he approached our table. I quickly slid out of the booth, ready to give him a hug. Then I worried maybe that seemed too presumptuous.

“Do you remember me?” I asked hesitantly.

“Of course I do, dear. Well…I didn’t at first. But Harry refreshed my memory.”

I smiled at the idea that Harry and told Mr. Irving about me.

“This is my friend Halo,” I gestured.

“Yes, I remember now,” he nodded as he took Halo’s hand. “You two came to a lot of shows when Wildfire was just starting out.”

“That’s right,” Halo and I sang in unison.

“Harry thinks a lot of you, and I can appreciate that,” Irving nodded.

My face flushed with pride. Just then, Carl walked up and addressed Mr. Irving. When he noticed us, he smiled.

“Let me show these ladies backstage, Mr. Azoff, and then I’ll be right with you.”

“Of course. Have a good evening, girls.”

“Bye,” I grinned as he patted my arm.

Halo and I followed Carl to a side door that led backstage. Before I was halfway in the room, I heard his voice.

“There she is!”

“Who, me?” I beamed as Harry walked up to me.

“Who else?” he replied, sliding his hands around my waist. I squealed when he pinched my behind.

“Damn, I thought you were talking about me,” I heard Halo mock behind me with a giggle.

“Halo! C’mere love!” Letting go of me, Harry embraced Halo in a tight hug. “You look bloody fantastic. How’ve you been?”

“Thanks, I’ve been great! You guys were so good!”

“Yeah?” Harry looked from Halo to me and back. “Did you like it?”

“God yes, the new band sounds incredible, Harry.”

With a smile, Harry eyed me, though he was talking to Halo. I merely nodded. “What did you think of the new song?”

I heard Halo say something at the same time I murmured, “loved it.”

“I’m glad,” said Harry.

His hand found mine by my side, and he tickled the back of it with his finger, his eyes still staring at me. My chest rose and fell as I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding, and I heard Halo clear her throat. Casting her a glance, I caught a glimmer of knowledge on her face as she raised her brows at me.

“I don’t believe it!” a voice called from our left.

Halo turned with shriek.

“I thought I recognized that voice,” said Mitch as he approached. “I knew it had to belong to the one and only H-A-L-O.”

“Mitchell Rowland, come give me a hug!” Halo yelled.

“You didn’t tell him?” I whispered to Harry.

“Nah. I reckoned I’d take the piss.”

I shook my head and laughed at his British phrase. After Mitch gave me a hug as well, I left my best friend and Harry’s guitar player to begin their reunion.

“Oh Sky, let me introduce you to the new members of the Harry Styles band,” he announced proudly as two other guys entered the room.

With a smile, I graciously shook hands with Danny and Bret. Because I had been so focused on Harry during the show, I hadn’t really gotten a good look at them on stage. Danny was tall and dark with a mustache. He reminded me of Tony Orlando with long, curly hair. Bret, a little shorter than Danny and Harry, had blond hair that kissed his shoulders, and a smile that could rival Harry’s.

“Damn, Styles, you didn’t tell me how gorgeous she was!” he exclaimed when he took my hand.

“I’m most certain I did,” Harry chuckled, cleverly sliding his hand around my back.

“Ah well, y’know,” Bret said with a wink, “you don’t always believe it ‘til you see it.”

I looked up at Harry who merely rolled his eyes, making me feel a little more at ease. But as Bret and Danny moved on to greet Halo, I couldn’t shake the strange way Bret made me feel. Maybe I just wasn’t used to being ogled over by someone else.

“Sorry about that,” Harry leaned into me. “Bret is…kind of a flirt.”

“I can see that,” I nodded as I watched the drummer introduce himself to Halo.

“He’s harmless though. And they all know how I feel about you.”

I widened my eyes in question. “How you feel about me?”

“Yeah,” he said, as if there was no doubt.

As he leaned in for a kiss, I thought about how he’d confessed his love on stage, and whether or not it had been meant for me alone. When our lips touched, however, I decided not to ask him about it. At least not yet.

Songs mentioned:

Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven

Wings - Getting Closer

Billy Squier - Lonely Is the Night

Taglist: @fkinavocado, @daphnesutton, @freedomfireflies

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

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hotd-bigbang · 1 year ago

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Hello all,

The first edition of House of the Dragon Big Bang was brought to a close on Friday. Now that I’ve had the weekend to decompress, and everyone has (hopefully) had a chance to catch up with everyone else’s entries, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for all for the hard work you’ve put into this event. Each and every one of you should be proud of what you have contributed, and I can’t thank you all enough for taking a chance on this (and by extension, me!)

The good: I’m astonished by the talent that has graced the event this year. The writing has all been fantastic, and the effort that everyone has put in has shone through. I’ve also enjoyed the variety; I was anticipating drowning in Aemond content, but was pleasantly surprised at the diversity - Jacelaena and Jacegon were the standout ships of the event for me! The artists have all outdone themselves, and the array of differing mediums has been great; from stunning moodboards and expertly detailed digital art to lovingly crafted hand drawn pieces. Last but not least, are our event beta readers - keeping people motivated when they feel as though they're flagging, or just tidying up grammar and punctuation where needed - you've been absolute superstars. I really hope everyone is pleased with and proud of what they’ve collaborated to produce.

The bad: This is the first event of its kind for this particular fandom, so it has not been without its teething issues. Ensuring everyone sees all of the updates and instructions, and is kept informed of what’s happening has been a struggle. Not everyone is comfortable joining a Discord server, Tumblr only allows for 20 tags per posts and even then is spotty with notifications. For next time, on the sign up sheet, I will include a contact preference option and push out notifications via email newsletter, Tumblr and Discord, targeted specifically to who has selected which options, so everyone is kept up to date. I will also implement check ins to ensure everyone has what they need and is able to manage their workload effectively to meet the deadline.

The ugly: I received a rather unsavoury anonymous ask on the Big Bang Tumblr account, slating me as a person and how I was running the event. Considering the first fic had yet to even go live, I was a little shocked by this. When I posted about it in the Discord, they sent a follow up, but forgot to toggle anon, so I saw who it was. I won’t put you on blast, but I hope now that the event has drawn to a close your opinion is a little less sour. If not, perhaps you’ll have a better experience next time, or find another event that’s better suited. C’est la vie!

I am aiming for these to be bi-annual events. We will absolutely go again, and come back bigger and better. I plan to launch this again in May, so the sign up and pairing process will begin around the end of January, to ensure people have sufficient time to prepare. Keep your eyes peeled on the Big Bang Tumblr page for details.

In the meantime, we will be running another writing prompt event in December - much like September’s literary prompt event - so if you’re looking for more writing challenges then please get involved when this launches.

I’ll be creating a masterlist of everyone’s Big Bang entries, which will go live by the end of the week.

Until next time!

Ange (@ewanmitchellcrumbs) xoxo

#hotd big bang #house of the dragon big bang

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littlecritterz · 2 years ago

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Urusei Yatsura Art Book Review!

Before I get into the review, I want to gush about how much I adore this book, the series as a whole, and its characters! I started watching the 2022 anime, after seeing a clip of it. The art style is so cute and very colorful!

Prepare for a long read!

I've been keeping up with this series a lot lately, I recommend it if you like slice-of-life mixed with some silliness (and great animation)! Recently, I started watching the original series, which is just as amazing as this one- there's also things that weren't shown (yet?) in the 2022 version of the series. I would like to read the original manga soon, too!

Alright,

Time for the book review! Please note that I'm not showing things in any particular order, and that I'm mainly going to be talking about how cool stuff is lol. I got the book from Ebay (that's what I use the most), and it arrived safe and sound a few weeks later.

The cover art is really cute, especially with the two chibis on the bottom left! I really love how they went about shading Lum's hair in this iteration of the character. I don't have any translations for anything in this book, unfortunately, but we can still appreciate the art!

Upon opening the book, there is a poster that unfolds- above is the front:

And here is the back! The art on both sides is really charming, and the backgrounds are absolutely stunning, especially in that front image. There's just something about it that I really like, from Ataru and Lum's interaction, and the lighting: it works together so well!

On the flipside, all of the characters running is really fun to look at- each character is running (or flying) in a different way, it's subtle, but it shows a small piece of their personality, in a sense.

This is the page before the character design section of the book, which is absolutely stunning: The artists use a lot of patterns and shapes, and I'm all here for it!

Here are some snippets from the character design portion:

One thing I really enjoy about character design is the expressions, and the various outfits the characters are drawn in. Each character has their own unique sense of fashion! I like Ataru's clothing choice, it's stuff that I could see myself wearing- comfy long sleeved tops and simple, cute button downs!

The expressions are so cutesy and cartoonish, I can't get enough of it! As a character artist myself, these pages are great references on how to go about fleshing out my own characters.

Here is Lum's character sheet, as well as the expression part of Mendo's- his expressions are extra silly so I added them!

This art for the Highlight and Staff Interviews are super cute! Lum's outfit with the suspenders is adorable- and the fact Ataru's outfit is coordinated makes it all the more cute!

The visuals for the opening and endings are stunning- I have to sit and watch them each time, plus the music that accompanies it makes it even better! I need to go back and watch it frame by frame, its a masterpiece~ I can't get over the use of color in this series, it's amazing!!! Take a closer look at the visuals here, it's worth it!

You know what, watch the first Opening/Ending here

And the second Opening/Ending here

And check out the channel I got these from (UruYatsu Sensei), they've got full episodes of another series by the same creator, Maison Ikkoku, and a few Urusei Yatsura episodes as well. I appreciate them uploading these, because all the other ones were those interpolated 60 FPS nonsense (ugh).

That's all I got for this review, I hope you enjoyed reading/looking at all the art here, If you're an art book enjoyer like me, I recommend getting this book! And check out the series (OG and 2022 ver.) if you're interested!

Thanks for reading! (Back of book illustration below)

-Imp

#lilcritterz book review #urusei yatsura #art book #concept art #character design

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stepswowdsen · 6 months ago

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【FGO】 Beautiful Carnivore, The All-Ridiculing 💚🐈‍⬛

And here's the other batch of colour tests I did

Ashiya Douman doodle 💚 🐈‍⬛

OG + playing around with gradient maps (18 total)

The 1st one is the OG!

I'm just testing rough colours for now so it's super messy and not refined yet

I already loved the colours of the OG that I chose but the other are so cool to see. The way low opacity gradient maps shift the colours in subtle ways WHOAA

If you're curious, check out the Ashiya Douman vs. Dioscuri anthology comic here! Popular FGO fan-artist and official artist AU (@delete_au) has such gorgeous art~

Rambles

I've been obsessed with Ashiya Douman, the evil clown cat since December 2020. Didn't even take me a week to be obsessed. It took 5 days. Sen's Limbo December Descent 🙌

LimGuda is my comfort HC NBLNB ship 💚🧡 They've been one of my top fave ships since December 2020. The spice of a gay evil clown demon who hates humanity, with a karmic relationship of love/hate with the human they're in love with, is unparalleled.

I can’t get over how much I adore Douman. They’re simply the best. This chaos clown is a forever fave of mine~ I love how in-depth and nuanced this hot evil jester onmyouji is. The emotional nuance and complexity of this chara…

“WANTS TO WATCH THEM FALL TO HELL BUT UNWITTINGLY FALLS IN LOVE WITH THEM.” I’M DEVASTATED ABOUT THEM

The amount of detail that went into Douman's character and design is insane to me… Hasendow AKA Showichi Furumi (Douman's character artist/illustrator) has such a huge brain 🤯

My LimGuda collection is my pride and joy 🤭 When Douman first released on FGO NA in November 2022, this was my Douman pentagram setup. Douman merch summoning circle catalyst! We did summon an evil demon into my Chaldea~ Welcome home! You are now reunited with your WIFE 🫶

The clean up's gonna be hell with how detailed Douman's design is, but I love working with their colours! I wanna draw LimGuda in matching green and red Áo tấc so bad!!! Matching couple clothes~ 💘💞

Douman loves them with curses… LIKE A CAT TIPPING OVER VASES CUZ THEY WANT TO BE PAID ATTENTION TO. The whole “Limbo gets defeated/is overwhelmed by the power of feelies and their S/O’s Candid Sincerity" trope I love to see in their ship works that I wanna draw eventually btw… I wanna draw them lots!!!

Cinna said “Douman just reminds me of that ‘cat reacts to separation anxiety by trying to maul their owner’ thing I saw one time” LMAO

Ashiya Douman vs. Dioscuri Anthology Comic by AU

The Ashiya Douman vs. Dioscuri anthology comic has such beautiful art by AU (@/delete_au). Douman invited Ritsuka to fall into hell with them & now they're the one inviting him. Douman tells them that the two of them are "bound by unbreakable/inseparable fate." JAW DROP??? THIS IS GAY AS HELL 🏳️‍🌈 LIMGUDA IS REAL!!! 💚🧡

AU (@/delete_au) is a popular Fate/Grand Order (FGO or Fate/GO) fan artist that's been commissioned to draw official works for Fate (including official merch)

TYSM to Carli (@/carlikun) for translating it... I got stuck on some parts reading the JP version cuz of Douman's difficult, esoteric and archaic vocabulary... I got to clear things up reading the VN fan-TL, and it was interesting to see how it was translated in Viet, but yeah the EN fan-TL cleared up so many things for me.

They drew the Ashiya Douman vs. Dioscuri chapter in one of the FGO anthologies. LIMGUDA ALSO INTERACT IN IT, AND THERE'S TONS OF LIMGUDA FOOD HEHEHEHE... Their art is so gorgeous. They're one of my favourite FGO artists, their works are stunning.

THE WHOLE THING IS SO DELICIOUS SO I'LL JUST SHOW A COUPLE PAGES FROM THE END, BUT OH MY GOD???

I LOVE THEMMMMMMMMMMM LOVE IS REALLLLLLL

Douman is gigantic. Ritsuka's 200 cm tall (~6"7) bf that loves them!!!

AU'S DOUMAN COMIC FROM THE FGO ANTHOLOGY COMIC WITH DOUMAN AND RITSUKA IS MAKING ME SCREAM WTF /pos /endearing

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sigynpenniman · 1 year ago

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My winning band recommendations from my 72 hour power metal fixation adventure

Plus other opinions I don’t have near the knowledge to have, various other thoughts and a link to Spicy Metal Takes: the google sheet; or, Girl who has only ever listened to Trans-Siberian Orchestra listens to other metal for the first time: Getting a lot of "Trans-Siberian Orchestra" vibes from this

I've never really listened to metal before. But Kenny got me listening to Versailles, and suddenly I'm considering for the first time in my life that I might like metal, or at least some metal. Then a couple days ago I got introduced to Gloryhammer (by a random suggested reddit post I think?), and then Alestorm. Very amused by the existence of incredibly seriously presented dwarf legend and pirate music, I combed threads of related bands, and someone recommended Rhapsody of Fire.

Here's the other thing you need to know about me: I love Trans-Siberian orchestra. Like, really love. I listen to TSO on repeat from September to January of every year. Few things on earth inspire the joy in me that Wizards in Winter does. So when I hit play on that first Rhapsody of Fire album and got hit with...well, Rhapsody of Fire, my whole world shifted on its axis. You're telling me this whole time there's been more Trans-Siberian Orchestra out there, without the Christmas, and I just didn't know about it because I don't listen to metal?

(this is why I am forever seeking out new music - statistically, the thing you are going to love most in the world is something you've never heard of yet)

Completionism, autism, and an academic fascination with music in general, and hungry for more of this magic, and the next thing I know I'm on Encyclopedia Metallum, Reddit, and Apple Music, scrolling related artist lists and suggestion threads collecting the very best of power metal. It ended up being so many bands I had to make a spreadsheet.

I've spent the last couple of days working my way through the spreadsheet and taste-testing all of the recommended bands. I figure out that the term for what I enjoy is Symphonic Power Metal, so that was my focus. My criteria was fairly simple: do I enjoy listening to this, would I listen to it on purpose, and does it make me start stimming happily the way TSO does.

So here's my fixation-fueled list of recommendations. I'll include a link to my actual google sheet at the bottom so you can all read my spicy metal takes and maybe laugh at me if you like metal and think my taste sucks (which it probably does, and I absolutely do not care if you think so).

RHAPSODY OF FIRE - If you like books with maps in them, can I interest you in a band who put maps in their CD BOOKLETS?

And their approximately 27 related, spinoff, and reboot bands. If you want to get into Rhapsody, check out this illustrated guide to the ROFECU (Rhapsody of Fire Extended Cinematic Universe) that a kind soul made on Reddit here. There is a huge controversy and drama among fans of the band about which is the "real" Rhapsody but I absolutely could not care less. They're all good, don't worry about it.

A film score orchestra handed several electric guitars. TSO on steroids. I don't even know how to do ROF justice in description alone.

youtube

Compositionally stunning, complex, gorgeous, orchestral and symphonic masterpieces overlaid with power metal, prog rock, and sometimes medieval music.

Here's the icing on the cake: ROF live for the concept album, and their dozen-plus album discography comprises at the moment 2 complete (and a 3rd still being actively recorded) Lord-Of-The-Rings level fantasy sagas told over 3-5 albums each, complete with MAPS IN THE CD CASES. These guys are NOT FUCKING AROUND. There are multiple long reddit threads and google docs detailing the plot outlines and timelines of each saga, including this 201 page behemoth. I've only scratched the surface here and I genuinely can't remember the last time I was so excited to have so much of something still ahead of me.

TWILIGHT FORCE - Can I copy your homework?

We're not Rhapsody of Fire, we promise! (and I mean this as a compliment.)

youtube

Twilight Force is a newer band, and therefore have a bit of a newer sound, but it's the closest thing to ROF out there - probably not by accident, since one of the band members was in one of the ROF spinoff bands. I haven't dug into their lore yet, but the music is spectacular, epic and sweeping and gorgeously composed.

VERSAILLES - Immortal vampire neoclassical VKei with a twist of Gender

If you haven’t ever heard of Versallies…now you have.

youtube

A really incredible, absolutely delightful visual kei band with a commitment to their very self-aware bit that takes them to the next level, Versallies make incredible, headbanging, neoclassical metal. Lead vocalist Kamijo has one of the most incredible voices you’ll ever hear, and the whole thing is enhanced greatly by their visuals - sumptuous costumes, full on anime hair, an a general Victorian-meets-rococo aesthetic that takes gender performance to a space of high art. There’s lore for the band too, but I don’t speak Japanese at all, so I haven’t gotten to all of it yet.

MALICE MIZER - high art VKei pioneers

youtube

90s Visual Kei band Malice Mizer are the foundational text of much which came after. You can really feel the effect of Dead or Alive’s Pete Burns here (who, legendarily, had an influence on the emergence of VKei due to his popularity in Japan) and everything happening is just beautiful. The least “metal” of everything on this list, Malice Mizer have more of a metal-flavored new wave sound. I highly recommend checking out these guys’ filmed concerts - the visual is half of the fun with VKei, and the number & broadness of the influences here is incredible - you can feel the push and pull of classical music, new wave, prog rock, metal, rococo aesthetics, goth, mime - it goes on and on. I haven’t gotten to spend as much time with this band as I want, and I feel like there’s more to understand, appreciate, and analyze than I’ll ever have enough hours for.

ALESTORM - Pirates. Yaar.

youtube

What do I even say about the kitsch pirate band other than that they’re a pirate band. And they’re…really, really good. Sea Shanties in metal form, metal music full of accordions, aggressively Scottish, and delightfully committed to theme. It's hard not to smile listening to this.

AVANTASIA - Opera Time

More rock operas than albums.

youtube

The other close-to-a-TSO clone on this list, Avantasia make symphonic rock operas. Another band I need more time with, there's some REALLY good stuff here if you like rock operas (which, clearly, I very much do).

KAMELOT - Pure Power Metal

youtube

Slightly less symphonic than the other choices (though there's still some violins in here), Kamelot is a more metallic and classic rock/epic rock sound with some killer vocals. There's something a little dated about their sound, but I mean that as a compliment.

POWERWOLF - Dad music

youtube

There's something delightfully 80s about this sound. Feels lifted directly from classic rock. This is your dad's music, and I mean that as a compliment.

STRATOVARIUS - Barely not Journey.

youtube

These guys go back and forth between being metal and sounding like Journey, but it's good. I approve.

AYREON - The English language is insufficient.

youtube

It feels like no matter which song I put here, it's going to be wrong - because no single song you listen to is going to give you a good picture of whatever the hell Ayreon is. The songs have a metal influence, but every song feels like a different genre - I would describe the overarching genre as closer to Prog Rock, but oh man, it is all over the place. The strangeness and all-over-the-place nature of it is fascinating. I was gratified to find that my inability to describe or even decide how I feel about this band is reflected in the band's actual Wikipedia article, which includes this incredible comment from a music reviewer:

"Idk man this shit defies description."

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Epica - Incredible operatic vocals combined with black metal growls over a heavily orchestral metal background.

Opera Magna - these guys really only have the one album but it's heavily classical and really good.

Fairyland, Deridian, Dragony, Dark Moor - All very similar sounding "symphonic power metal but not quite as good as ROF"

Sabaton - some really good power metal around historical war themes. Well made, but I am not super interested in the thematic content so it doesn't hit.

MY ACTUAL SPREADSHEET:

Tier: classic tier list tier - S, A, B, C, D, E, F

Library Tier - a simpler, more subjective system I added for myself - would I save this into my music library, would I only put it on a playlist for a specific mood, or do I just not plan to listen to it again?

A complete list of the bands I taste tested with my ratings and notes. I have literally no previous knowledge of this genre. My taste and opinions might be bad, they might be awful, I do not care. I hope you all enjoy them anyway.

#Youtube #long post

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monk-of-figaro · 9 months ago

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Fanmerch: おじゅ (Ohju/ouka)

Early in December 2023, one of my favorite artists posted that she was going to be selling a 2024 daily calendar for the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI.

I was so excited for this that I immediately went through the processes of setting up a shipping account for purchasing items from Japan to be shipped to the US.

The calendar arrived last week and I'm ecstatic. For lots of reasons. I don't even know where to start.

First, let me say that this artist - whose handle is Ohju (おじゅ), and whose store name is Ouka (追歌) - is an absolutely delightful and generous person. It's because of her help that I was able to learn how to set up the process of shipping to the US. She's fielded some of my weird (but hopefully respectful) questions, and has overall just been extremely kind and patient when she didn't need to be. A very sincere and appreciative どうもありがとうございます to her. ❤️

Okay, the next amazing thing is that she sent me more than just the calendar. In fact, the package I received included the following items that I was not expecting:

3 postcards (one of which is a GORGEOUS illustration of Hydaelyn from FFXIV)

3 sheets of stickers

1 sheet of stamps

4 sheets of stationary

A mini zine she made named Relic Hearts that features illustrations of various FF6 accessories (this is akin to her amazing art depicting FF6 weapons for SWORDTEMBER 2020)

A handwritten envelope with a handwritten note inside it. HANDWRITTEN, people! That's a touch of love right there!

Here are some pictures of these delightful extras. The first picture is how everything was packaged when it arrived.

(I didn't realize until later that my dog can be seen in the picture below. Whoops! 😂)

Here are a couple of pages from the Relic Hearts zine:

To reiterate, these are all things that were sent in addition to the calendar, which I haven't even talked about yet. I was truly blown away and became giddy like a child, like they were a bunch of surprise birthday gifts. THANK YOU for all these extras, Ohju-san! 🤩

So - the calendar itself. The first part is a 36-page booklet that contains empty spaces labeled with a month and day. The second part is a small, prism-shaped desk display containing seven sets of peelable stickers. The stickers are similarly labeled with a month and day, and the idea is that each day you peel off the current day's sticker and put it in the matching space in the booklet.

Her illustration on this depicts the process much more clearly than my bumbling text.

The dates in the empty spaces in the booklet are sometimes sequential, but sometimes not, so you can't always predict how the stickers are going to line up.

Each page in the calendar also contains some reflections and thoughts from Ohju-san herself about FF6, detailing some of her own history with the game as well as some of her own headcanons.

The calendar doesn't "start" until April 1st, 2024, so for now I'm just holding onto everything. I'm honestly a little scared to even use it; everything is so beautiful that part of me wants to just preserve it in its packaging forever. But that's not what Ohju-san intended, so come April 1st, I'll peel my first sticker to put into the booklet, and will then have another 364 days to look forward to.

Finally, a few other artists also contributed pieces to the calendar. I haven't seen any of their pieces yet, but six pages of the calendar are dedicated for their stickers, so I know which dates will be theirs.

I'm intentionally limiting the pictures I post in order to respect Ohju-san and the other artists' work. But here are a few pictures of the calendar materials.

There's even a guide sheet for where everything goes, just in case you get lost (which I absolutely will).

Anyway, this is one of the most amazing collections of fan merchandise I've ever seen. I'm extremely grateful to Ohju-san, and I can't wait to start using this calendar.

Please check out all her other artwork. Honestly, everything is stunning. She can be found:

https://narche.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/ojup

Once again, どうもありがとうございます, おじゅさん (@narche)! ❤️

#ff6 #ff6 fanmerch #ohju #ouka #おじゅ #追歌

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importantangelbird · 11 months ago

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Best Hair Style Salon In Shalimar Bagh. Call For Hair Style Services

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#hair styles #haircare #hair styling tools #hair stylist

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incorrect-missionimpossible · 3 years ago

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Uh I don't know if you're still taking prompts but I'm dying to read something where Ethan finds out Benji has tattoos (just likes Simon's) and Ethan is all ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡(ӦｖӦ｡) I even have some fanart in my blog or at Instagram @ biablioteca xoxo

hi!! thank you for the prompt :D this took me a while to answer, my apologies for that hhhhhhhh. the fanart is here if anyone wants to check it out, it's really good!!

without further ado, the fic, 1448 words long. enjoy!!

read on ao3!!

[---]

tattoos [that i didn't know you had]

“Hey,” Benji whispers. Ethan tilts his head towards Benji, acknowledging him. They’re curled up in the back of a van with Jane; Will’s driving and Ilsa’s sitting next to him. Jane is asleep on Ethan’s shoulder, the white bandages around her leg bright in the dim light of the van. They’re returning from a mission, a long, exhausting one and it required all of Ethan’s team, excluding Luther, who was on his honeymoon.

“I think I’ve been shot,” Benji tells Ethan quietly, and Ethan jerks up, all thoughts of sleep forgotten. Jane groans as he dislodges her.

“What?” Ethan hisses. “Benji-”

Benji understands. “Bullet went through me. I’m bleeding quite a lot. Um, it was numb, but not anymore. I’ve got a cloth bunched up against it.”

Ethan knocks on the sliding door between the storage and driver’s seat. “Will,” he says loudly. Ilsa slides the door open and pokes her head through.

“What?”

“Benji’s been shot. Drive faster.”

Ilsa’s eyes widen; she’s clearly too tired to police her emotions. She nods and a moment later, the van moves faster with a screech.

---

Benji’s almost passed out by the time they reach the safe house. Ilsa helps her girlfriend limp inside the house, while Will rushes inside to get the first aid kit ready. Ethan half carries Benji, stumbling through the cold night air into the house as lights flicker on inside.

Jane’s collapsed on a chair, her face pale and sweaty. Her bandages need changing, and Ilsa notes Ethan’s glance at them before grabbing a pile of bandages and handing Jane a flask of whiskey she downs in a gulp.

Ethan winces as Benji moves away the bloody cloth he’d been clutching to his side, revealing his bloody flannel. It’s soaked through.

“How did it take you so long to tell me about this,” Ethan asks, concealing his anger.

Benji shrugs. “Jane was shot. Her wound was more lethal. Forgot about mine.”

“You forgot- how did you-” Ethan runs a hand through his hair, frustrated beyond measure. How did Benji just, forget about his fucking gunshot wound. Ethan wants to punch something.

Will enters the living room, carrying a tray with needles, thread, scissors and alcohol. “Remove your flannel,” he says testily. He looks harried, in a way Will rarely does.

Benji looks up at Ethan, and Ethan, helpless in the face of his eyes, removes the flannel gently. He blinks in surprise at what it reveals, Benji has tattoos.

Ethan stares at them as Will stitches Benji up, Benji’s hand crushing his. They twine around Benji’s left shoulder and the top of his arm, not going beyond where a shirt would. They’re designs Ethan can’t quite make out, but they’re gorgeous. There’s another on Benji’s collarbone, surrounding the delicate bone. It’s partially covered by Benji’s tank top, and Ethan shocks himself with how much he wants to see the rest of it, and any other tattoos Benji might be hiding.

“Done,” Will interrupts Ethan’s train of thought, and Benji lets go of Ethan’s hand, his head falling back, exposing the long line of his neck.

“Fuck,” he breathes out, and Ethan lets out a chuckle. “I’m never getting shot again.”

“I think that would be a bit difficult, with our line of work,” Will says, amused. He lets out a yawn, and so does Benji.

“Bed?” Ethan asks softly. Benji nods. Will takes his leave, heading up to the room he’s claimed as his own. Ilsa waves at them before picking up Jane, who’s too tired to protest, and climbing up the stairs.

Ethan presumes they’re heading to the second bedroom. He smiles at Ilsa and moves to the sofa, pulling it out and working on turning it to a bed. “I didn’t know you had tattoos,” he starts, keeping his voice as casual as he can.

Benji starts. “These little things?”

Ethan wouldn’t call them little, exactly, they cover Benji’s shoulder and collarbone, and there’s another one on Benji’s right arm. “Yeah.”

“I got them at Oxford,” Benji says, a light smile dancing on his face. “Stupid dare. Asked the artist to do them so they’d be covered by my t-shirts. Looks like he did his job pretty well, huh? The best spy in the IMF didn’t know I had tattoos.”

Ethan grins at Benji, enjoying the twinkle in his eyes. “Not my fault I’ve never seen you in anything but geeky shirts and flannels.”

“You just had to ask,” Benji says, careless as anything, before turning bright red. “I- not that I would just undress for anyone, I mean, like, it’s-”

Ethan pats Benji’s shoulder. “Benj,” he says warmly, and Benji stutters to a stop.

“Thanks,” Benji says, relaxing.

Ethan helps Benji up and into the bed, before sliding in next to him. “I think they’re cool,” he whispers.

A flush overtakes Benji’s face. “Thanks,” he replies, sounding pleased.

Ethan offers him a small smile, before leaning over to flick off the lights.

---

The second time Ethan sees Benji’s tattoos, they’re on a mission slash vacation in Costa Rica. Ethan’s team had been sent to track the movements of an American on the CIA’s Most Wanted list, but he’d left before they could catch him. The hotel they’d booked was for a week, and Ethan managed to coerce the IMF into allowing them to stay and make use of the money that went into the mission.

Jane and Ilsa had their own room, of course, and Will claimed a single for himself. Ethan and Benji had a double to themselves, with two queen sized beds.

“Heaven,” Benji groans, from his bed. He’s sprawled out on it, his shirt riding up a little, revealing a sliver of skin. Ethan swallows and looks away.

“I’m going to hit the beach,” he tells Benji, who makes some grunting noises, not moving from where he looks like he’s trying to bury himself in his bed.

Ethan chuckles and shakes his head, fond, before heading to the bathroom to change and gather his things. He leaves Benji, who’s curled up in a little ball on the bed, to his own devices, and thinks he deserves some sun and a good hour or two with his paperback.

---

Ethan’s about 40 pages into his book when he sees Benji. His eyes widen, and his mouth drops a little, because, well, wow.

Benji’s shirtless, and he’s built [which isn’t a shock, really; Ethan’s always been able to see the lines of his lean body under his tighter t-shirts], but it’s the tattoos that take his breath away.

They cover his entire torso and chest, curving around the muscles carefully. Ethan is pretty sure the tattoos are vines, and they look stunning in the sunlight, enhancing Benji’s build. Ethan is up and moving towards Benji without a second thought, and Benji grins at him.

“Hey,” he says, once Ethan is in earshot. Ethan doesn’t say anything, and Benji’s smile turns a little bemused. Ethan stops once he’s close enough to Benji that if he took one more step and leant forward a little-

Anyways.

His hands flutter around Benji’s skin, not touching, just, hovering. “Little?” Ethan breathes in disbelief.

Benji realizes Ethan’s looking at his tattoos. “Oh. Yeah. Those ones happened later. Took me about five sessions to get it done. Extraordinarily painful.”

Ethan exhales slowly. “Can I-” he moves his hands jerkily. He’s just understood how close to Benji he’s standing.

“Yeah,” Benji nods, studying Ethan with a small frown on his face.

Ethan touches the beginning of the first vine with a finger, and when Benji doesn’t say anything, he continues, tracing the path of the twining plant around Benji’s body. He’s careful, avoiding the scars and bruises. Ethan ends up on the design on his collarbone, and he looks up, into Benji’s eyes.

He can’t read them; he doesn’t know what Benji is going to do or say. Ethan moves to step back, but Benji whispers “Ethan,” and he stops.

Benji slides a hand under his chin [their height difference makes it easier for him to do that,] and tilts Ethan’s head up a little.

Ethan gives in to his impulses. He leans in, and presses his lips to Benji’s.

Benji kisses back immediately, sliding his hands around Ethan’s waist and closing the tiny distance between their bodies. Ethan gets a hand on Benji’s cheek and another pressed on his chest

Later, Ethan will trace the tattoos again, Benji will tell him the stories of how he got them, and Ethan will place a light kiss to all of them. They’ll share a queen-sized bed.

But for now, they stay there, kissing deeply, the sun burning the back of Ethan’s neck.

[---]

yes i KNOW the ending isnt very great hjfhkjshdsjk but here u go anyways :)

thanks for reading!!

#benthan #mission: impossible #mission impossible #mi #benji x ethan #ethan x benji #my writing #prompt answers

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wayward-dreamer · 4 years ago

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A Man of Action

Square/s Filled: Intercrural Sex (Kink Bingo), Director!Jensen (AU Bingo)

AO3 Link: Read Here

Pairing: Director!Jensen x Female!Actor!Reader

Word count: 6,516

Rating: Explicit - 18+!

Summary: While directing his episode of Supernatural, Jensen and Y/N, the female guest star of the week, can’t hide their attraction for each other any longer. A little fun in his trailer is nearly over before it starts, but they find ways to keep each other satisfied.

Created for @spnkinkbingo, @spnaubingo

Warnings: Swearing, Dirty talk, Smut: Oral Sex (Male and Female receiving), Intercrural sex, ‘Sir’ kink, Implied protected sex in the future.

A/N: My first Jensen one-shot! *cue nervous laughter*... A HUGE thank you to my sister from another mister, my twin @downanddirtydean for being beta on this one! I love her to bits and she really helped me get over my lack of confidence in this one-shot. I hope you guys like it! Happy reading and enjoy! :)

Dividers by @talesmaniac89

Y/N lightly bopped her head along to the slow melody playing from her earphones, as she flicked the page of the book she was reading. Crossing one leg over the other, she steadied the folding tall chair she was sitting on. Glancing up from her book, she smiled as she looked around at the set, waiting for the signal that they were ready to resume.

Y/N watched the crew, hard at work as they fixed lighting, checked the sound and redressed parts of the bunker. Her eyes scanned over the many people who worked tirelessly to make this show, feeling grateful to be even a small part of it herself.

This was her second time on the Supernatural set. She had guest starred in an episode last season, with Kim Rhodes who played Sheriff Jody Mills. Kim had quickly become a great friend, showing the ropes of the set, as did everyone else. She laughed as she remembered messing up her first scene with the stars of the show, Jared and Jensen, and how they quickly reassured her that she didn’t do anything for them to be mad at. They loved to have a laugh as much as the next person and were more often than not the ones who did most of the messing up of takes on purpose.

The first time was quite civil, but considering this was her second episode, Y/N was no longer off limits from the guys’ antics. Jared in particular was a giant goofball, doing everything perfectly on his coverage, and then purposely being bad on hers. Jensen was a little subdued this time around, as he was the director for this episode, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t had any fun.

There was an attraction between them. She felt it from the moment she laid eyes on him when she walked onto the set the year before. He was incredibly kind and absolutely hilarious, and not to mention insanely good-looking. They had talked and laughed about so many things in those 8 days, and she felt herself beginning to feel things for him she probably shouldn’t have. This time around, he may have been directing, but they still talked a lot. He showed her different parts of the stages during lunch breaks, walked her to lunch every day for the last 7 days, and made her feel so welcomed.

Y/N sensed that maybe the attraction wasn’t one sided as she often caught him looking at her, but she couldn’t be too sure and didn’t want to make a fool of herself in case she was wrong in her assumptions.

Y/N smiled as Frida, one of Supernatural’s assistant make-up artists, approached her. Her make-up bag, as well Jensen and Jared’s, were all hanging off of her as she returned a genuine smile to Y/N. She took out her earphones and closed her book, shifting in her chair to face Frida properly.

“Touch up time, already?” she asked, pushing her hair back slightly.

“Yep, we’ll be good to go in about 5,” Frida replied, taking out a brush and running it lightly through some powder. She applied it to Y/N’s face and then worked a little on the touching up the eye make-up. “Looking forward to it?” she added with a laugh.

Y/N cringed, lightly shaking her head. “Dear god, give me strength to get through it.”

“Get through what?” she heard a familiar voice ask.

Y/N’s eyes flicked up to look at Jared as she sat down in his chair, next to her. “To get through your unrelenting need to ruin my coverage.”

Jared laughed, clapping his hands. “It’s just too easy.”

“I know how Misha feels now,” Y/N laughed, closing her eyes as Frida worked on her eyelids.

Frida laughed along with her, nodding. “And Alex too.”

Trish, the head make-up artist, came up behind Frida and took Jared’s bag, getting him ready for the next scene.

“Pretty sure he’s still scarred from that time everyone was out to get him to crack, even Misha,” Trish added, chuckling.

“We’re up and running in 2!” they heard one of the assistant directors call out.

Frida finished up with Y/N as Trish finished touching up Jared’s make-up, allowing Y/N to get up and walk over to the war room set. She walked past crew members and smiled at them, a quick ‘hey’ to each of them as she did. She loved this set more than any other she had worked on. It was only her second time here, but it felt like home, with everyone always welcoming her back with open arms. She didn’t think she would be back a second time, but she was incredibly glad that she was. She loved her character, Lyla, so much and she was over the moon to explore her again.

Y/N felt the butterflies in her stomach erupt as she spied Jensen, in a deep conversation with Bob Singer as they looked over some of the dailies on the screens in front of them. He looked amazing, dressed as Dean in his black t-shirt and blue jeans, the white and black flannel draped over a chair close by. He was frowning but nodding along as Bob explained something to him, his scowl making him look even hotter if that was possible.

Suddenly, Jensen turned and walked towards her, his frown immediately morphing into a genuine smile as he approached her. She felt her heartbeat pick up, but she tried to calm herself down as she turned to face him.

“Okay, so we’re getting your coverage first, then Jared’s. I know he’s meant to go first, but making him wait tends to make him cooperate,” Jensen informed her, laughing lightly.

“Going easy on me, huh?” she joked, smiling up at him.

“A little, but you’ve handled it pretty well so far,” Jensen said, folding his arms across his chest. That gesture had killed her every time he did in the last several days, and this time was no different.

“Meh,” she shrugged, laughing. “I can throw it back at him if and when I need to.”

Jensen gave her nod, smiling with an approving look. “I won’t even try to stop you.”

She laughed as she shook her head, Jensen’s relaxed laughter joining hers.

She cleared her throat as she calmed herself, looking up at him. “Do I look okay, Mr. Director, sir?”

Jensen looked into her eyes, finding himself getting lost in Y/N’s beautiful features. He certainly wasn’t good at hiding his feelings for her, not the first time he met her and definitely not now. She was stunning, but she was also open and generous, kind and a total badass. He really wanted to ask her out and see where things went between them, but considering they were in their last day of filming, and she was more than likely leaving the next day, he knew he had missed his chance.

“You look great,” he told her, honestly and hoping she’d see how he meant it as more than just a director approving of her look for the episode.

Things moved pretty quickly from there, as Jensen left to sit behind the screens at video village, the cameras turned on and framed Y/N in the shot with the rest of the war room behind her, Jared stood to the side making sure to hit the mark and be in her right eye line. Everyone buzzed around them before José came in with the tail slate and called the take.

“Action!” they heard Jensen call out.

Y/N instantly fell into character, looking at Jared as ‘Sam’ and smiling. “How does Dean feel about this?”

Jared didn’t move considering the camera wasn’t on him, but he delivered the next line. “It took him a while to get used to the idea of Jack, but he got there eventually.”

Y/N nodded, staying in character. “You know what you’re doing, teaching Jack the ropes of this life… that’s amazing.”

Jared scoffed. “It didn’t exactly work though.”

“He’ll come back, Sam. He will. He just has to figure out what’s going on with his powers and he’ll come back to the bunker.” She finished the line but frowned, thinking it over. “Wait, sorry. Is it “come back to the bunker” or something else?”

One of the crew members quickly looked over the sides, and then shook their head. “It’s ‘come back home.’”

“Fuck, okay,” she groaned, annoyed with herself. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine, Y/N. Just take it from the same line,” Jensen reassured her, and she took in the patience in his voice. He was so damn good at this and she felt incredibly safe with him as a director and as an actor. She recalled how many times someone was awful to her just for messing up slightly, and how crappy she felt afterwards. She had never felt that on the Supernatural set, and she was so thankful for that.

“Let’s keep rolling,” Jensen informed everyone. “Y/N, when you’re ready.”

She nodded. Waiting a few seconds, she then continued. “He’ll come back, Sam. He will. He just has to figure out what’s going on with his powers and he’ll come back home.”

“It’s ‘to the bunker’,” Jared said, trying to be serious as he tried to mess her up.

“You’re an ass,” she laughed, shaking her head.

Jared laughed that mad laugh she had actually come to love very quickly, and she joined in. They descended into a fit of giggles, knowing full well it wasn’t that funny, but it somehow got to them anyway.

Jensen watched the screen in front of him, his eyes never leaving Y/N. Her laugh was infectious, and she looked even more beautiful when she did, making his heartbeat wildly in his chest. Knowing he had to break up the laugh fest, regretfully, he stood up from his chair.

“Alright, we’re good on Y/N’s coverage. Let’s move on and then we can break for lunch,” he announced.

The bell sounded as every present crew member hurried around the set, getting set up to shoot Jared’s coverage.

Y/N looked up and saw Jensen glance over at her. He smiled that smile she found herself wanting to see every second of every day, making her feel lightheaded and the butterflies flutter in her stomach again. He truly was a sight to behold and she only hoped that something more came of her time on Supernatural.

They managed to get through Jared’s coverage pretty quickly, Y/N doing off-camera dialogue for him as he had done for her. The bell sounded again, and Jensen called lunch. Everyone walked towards craft services, chatting about different parts of their lives. Jensen was talking with Bob, but after quickly making some decisions, he moved away and walked up to Y/N.

She looked up at Jensen as she felt him next to her, smiling brightly. They walked side by side through the lot, past all the pick-up trucks, SUVs and large trailers that housed the different departments of production. For the last 7 days, this had been a regular occurrence, him walking her to the lunch tent. On the 8th and final day of filming, it was no exception. She could feel the attraction between them, and a part of her hoped that he might ask her out, but she would even settle for a casual hook-up at that point.

“Ah, fuck,” he muttered, as he suddenly stopped short while looking down at his phone. “My phone’s about to die. Mind if we make a quick detour to my trailer so I can charge it up?”

“Lead the way,” she said, smiling as she gestured for him to go ahead. She followed him to his trailer, stepping in behind him.

As he looked around for a charger, she turned to every angle of the trailer, taking it in. It was big and spacious, with a large flat screen and comfortable couch, a bed at the other end and a nice kitchenette, but that was it. There was nothing outlandish and unnecessary in there.

“Nice to know there’s no aquarium in here,” she laughed, folding her arms.

Jensen scoffed a laugh as he shook his head. “Yeah, they really went overboard with that one.”

Finding a charger, he plugged it in and put his phone on charge. He turned to her, arms out as he brought attention to the trailer.

“So, this is it,” he said, his hands coming down and straight into his pockets. “As glamorous as you pictured, right?”

“Oh, much more than I was expecting,” she said, pretending to be serious. They looked at each other and laughed, as she shook her head. “I like it. It certainly doesn’t scream lead of a TV show slash on and off director.”

“What does it scream then?” he asked, looking down at her as she moved closer to him.

“Just a regular guy underneath all that star power,” she replied, her hand coming up and softly grazing his covered bicep.

She looked at him, her eyes never leaving his. It was clear to both of them that there was something between them. The minute she stepped onto set earlier than week, Jensen knew he was done for.

“Can I ask you something?” he wondered, his tongue darting out and licking at his lips, nervously. That little gesture had nearly sent her to her knees so many times that week, and in that moment, she felt like she would if he did it again.

“Shoot,” she told him.

His hand came up and took hers, his fingers intertwining with her delicate ones. “When can I see you again?”

“I don’t know. I’m leaving at noon tomorrow,” she said, moving closer to him and taking in the smell of his cologne.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he whispered, his head dropping forward to rest his forehead against hers. “Tell me I’m not fucking insane, and you feel something for me too.”

“You’re not,” she whispered in return, shaking her head against his. “The only thing fucking insane is that we didn’t do anything the minute we met.”

That was the only in Jensen needed. His hands cupped Y/N’s cheeks and pulled her face up, his lips pressing into hers in a rough but sensual kiss. Her hands roamed his chest, fisting his black t-shirt in her hands, trying to bring him in closer. They pulled away for a brief moment, breathing into each other heavily as they tried to catch their breath. They quickly stripped out of the clothes they were wearing, careful not to tug harshly as they were the costumes they’d have to put back on. Cupping her face again, he smirked as he moved them over to the couch.

“On your knees,” he instructed.

She huffed a laugh as she grinned. “Yes, sir.”

He quickly unbuckled his jeans and pulled them down, sitting back on the couch as she moved down to her knees in front of him. She tugged at his boxers and pulled them down, his hard cock springing free. She gasped as she smiled, her hand slowly wrapping around the shaft.

“Put my cock in your mouth, baby,” he demanded, his hand coming up to her hair and wrapping into it, tugging her closer.

She hummed as she moved closer, her tongue licking a stripe up his shaft. “You gonna direct me, sir?”

He groaned as he bit his lip, smirking. “Yeah, and if it’s anything like it is on set, I know you’ll hit your mark.”

She sucked at the tip of his cock, her tongue circling the head before she moved down, taking his length into her mouth. She bobbed her head, her spit coating his cock as she built up a rhythm.

“Fuck,” he growled. “Your mouth’s so fucking perfect, Y/N.”

She looked up at him, taking him deeper into her mouth.

“Hold still, darlin’,” he muttered in his sudden Texas drawl, his hand gathering her hair into his palm, the other cupping her face.

She stilled her movement, as he began thrusting up into her mouth at a fast pace. His cock hit the back of her throat, causing her to moan each time it did.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, looking down at her. “Look so good with my cock between your lips.”

Her saliva covered his cock, the glugging sound loud as he slipped in and out of her mouth. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening from the pressure of his hard cock against the back of her throat. His hand pressed down on her head, making her take his length into her mouth all the way to the base, holding her in place. She moaned to avoid gagging, thankful she didn’t have a gag reflex. He pulled her up, his cock leaving her mouth with a wet pop, a harsh breath leaving her lips as air came back into her lungs.

“Can’t wait to fuck you,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and bringing her lips to hers.

He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, throwing her down on it. She squealed as she bounced on the mattress, a naughty smile on her face as she looked up at him.

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” she muttered, as her eyes raked over his body.

“I should be saying that about you,” he smirked, getting onto the bed and holding himself up above her.

He leaned down, kissing her passionately, before trailing down her jaw, neck and down to her breasts. His flicked his tongue over her nipple, his hand coming up to roll the other between his fingers.

“Fuck,” she moaned, as his felt his other hand move down her body.

He smirked as he sucked her nipple, feeling the slick between her legs. He released the nub and looked down at her, his fingers running through her folds and finding her clit. She moaned loudly, forgetting where she was for a moment, as she felt his fingers circle the bundle of nerves.

“Shh, baby,” he whispered, as he looked down into her eyes. “Can’t let the crew hear us.”

“Jensen… fuck me,” she whimpered, as she cupped his face.

Taking one of her hands off her face, he pinned it to the bed above her head. A chill ran down her spine as she looked into his eyes, now dark with arousal.

“Say it properly and I will,” he ordered, his voice gravelly and demanding.

She gulped but smiled tentatively. “Please fuck me, sir.”

“Good,” he said, before he leaned down and kissed her lips, once then twice.

They continued their passionate embrace, Y/N’s arms wrapping around Jensen’s neck as one of her hands combed into his short hair at the nape of his neck. Their lips moved against each other’s roughly and sensually, as they became desperate to feel more of each other. He held his cock and ran it along her folds, her wetness slicking his shaft and a clear sign that she was more than ready for him. However, his movements suddenly stopped as an unfair realization came to him.

“Shit,” he muttered, pulling his lips away from hers. He looked down at her as an annoyed expression graced his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, suddenly worried she had done something wrong.

“I just remembered… I don’t have any condoms,” he replied, grimacing as he held himself up above her. “I don’t do this… well, ever. So, I don’t have anything.”

Her frown matched his. “I’m not on the pill right now, either.”

He nodded, trying to smile reassuringly and hide his disappointment. She knew that he was though, because she was too. She was desperate to feel him against her and inside her.

“I guess we better get to lunch, then,” she muttered softly, pushing herself up on her elbows. Her face was close to his, causing her to lean over and kiss his plump lips, softly.

“I just want to feel you,” he whispered against her lips, leaning in.

“Me too,” she said, in an equally hushed tone before his lips claimed hers again.

An idea suddenly came to him and he just hoped that she would be okay with it.

“Trust me?” he asked, softly as he looked into her eyes.

She smiled up at him, nodding slowly. “Yes, sir.”

He smirked as he helped her lie down on the bed again, bringing her legs up to rest her ankles on his shoulders. He shifted back until he was standing, her behind now on the edge of the bed.

Jensen smirked as his eyes darkened, taking hold of his cock and slapping it over her mound a few times. He moved Y/N’s thighs closer together, until they met around his cock. Slowly, he began to thrust, sliding his cock between her thighs in a gentle and sensual pace. She moaned softly, the new sensation of feeling his shaft against the skin of her inner thighs awakening something within her. He groaned, biting his lip at this new found arousal as he continued to move between her legs.

“How do I feel, sweetheart?” he asked, looking down at her.

“So good,” she moaned, looking at him. His ‘sweetheart’ gave her Dean vibes, which was definitely something she was adding to her list of kinks.

He picked up speed, his thrusts between her legs now a moderate pace. He gripped her thighs tight in his hands, which would no doubt leave bruises that she would get to admire later.

“Fuck,” he growled, his jaw clenching as he felt the pressure around his cock. “You feel so fucking good, baby.”

“Shit,” she hissed. A small laugh left her mouth as she shook her head. “If this is anything to go by, I can’t wait for you to fuck me.”

He chuckled as he nodded. “Can’t wait to fuck you either, Y/N. Can’t wait to feel you around my cock, taking me so well.”

“Jensen,” she moaned softly. She remembered to keep quiet in case of wandering ears of crew members.

His hand came up and back down on her thigh, smacking her hard enough to make her yelp and get her attention. He looked at her with his darkened eyes, stern and somewhat frightening, which only aroused her more.

“Last time I checked, I’m still your director,” he groaned, grasping her thighs tight. “Touch yourself.”

She moaned as her hands came up to her breasts, her fingers tweaking her nipples as she looked up at him. He grunted as he watched her, one of hands slipping down between her legs. His fingers found her clit, rubbing them in tight circles around the swollen nub.

“Fuck! Jensen,” she moaned, breathlessly. “Make me cum.”

He chuckled as he shook his head, his fingers slowing down to a torturous pace. “Not yet, baby.”

“Please,” she begged, her chest heaving with her shallow breaths.

“You have to ask better than that, Y/N,” he informed her, the smirk still on his face.

“Please,” she whimpered. She moved one of her hands down, trying to touch her clit but he smacked it away, not giving up the control he had in that moment. “Please, sir… please make me cum.”

“Let’s make a deal, baby,” he suggested, an eyebrow raised as he continued to thrust between her thighs. He groaned, knowing he was close to his own release. “Make me cum first between these perfect thighs, and I’ll let you cum… all over my face.”

She moaned loudly, nodding frantically. The idea of his mouth on her where she wanted him most was too much to bear.

Pressing her thighs together firmly, Jensen’s thrusts became quicker and erratic, getting closer to falling over the edge. He growled as the pressure around his hard cock built, feeling it pulse with his impending release.

“Fuck,” he groaned. His hips faltered as he gripped tightly at the flesh of her thighs. He threw his head back, as he let go of her legs, and grasped his cock in his hand. He pumped his hand along his shaft, biting his lip as he looked down at her spread out on his bed. She sat up on her elbows, smiling up at him as she moved his hand away, taking over for him as her hand moved up and down along his cock.

“Oh fuck, Y/N,” he let out a guttural moan as her hand picked up speed. Ropes of his cum spurted out of his cock, landing on her stomach. She continued to pump him, making sure he gave her everything he had, relishing in the warmth of his release against her skin.

He breathed heavily, his hand cupping her face as he smiled at her. “Your turn.”

Moving his hand to her shoulder, he pushed her back lightly, smiling as she laughed. He got down on his knees, grasping her hips and pulling her to the edge of the bed. Y/N laughed as she slipped down, moving her hands up to her breasts and pinching her nipples. He smirked as he looked up at her, his tongue licking a stripe up her folds. He moaned at the taste of her, feeling how wet she was already from just fucking her thighs.

“Oh fuck,” she moaned loudly, as she felt his stubble against the inside of thighs. She bit down on her lip, trying to keep herself quiet as he continued to run his tongue along her folds, the vibrations of his moans running through her.

“Taste so fucking good, Y/N,” he muttered against her mound, looking up at her. “So perfect.”

He moved his mouth to her clit, moving his tongue in tight circles around the nub. Her hands came down and grabbed his short hair, clenching tightly as she pressed her lips together. His hand came up, slowly inserting a finger into her wet entrance, moving it in and out of her. He added another finger and began to thrust them back and forth, the pads of his fingers hitting her g-spot every time. She whimpered as he picked up speed, his perfect mouth sucking at her clit as he continued to move his fingers.

He released her clit from his mouth, kissing her inner thigh as he moved up her leg.

“So fucking beautiful,” he muttered against her skin, placing small nips along the inside of her thigh.

He looked at her, the smile never leaving his face. She pushed herself up on her elbow, her other hand still in his hair. Leaning up, he kissed her roughly as he continued to thrust his fingers into her. She moaned into his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue. She felt the familiar feeling of her release approaching, the coil winding tighter and tighter.

“You ready to cum for me, sweetheart?” he asked, his breath fanning against her lips.

“Yeah,” she gasped, nodding as she looked into his eyes. “Make me cum.”

“Make me cum… what?” he asked, his voice gravelly. A deep rumble erupted from his chest as he laughed with a mischievous grin.

She whimpered, gripping his hair harshly. “Make me cum, sir.”

“Good girl,” he praised, moving his head back down again.

Jensen moved his mouth back to her clit, his fingers picking speed as he hit that sweet spot inside of her with precision. Y/N looked down at him, still leaning on her elbow to give her a better view. She held his head in place, fearing he’d move if she removed her hand. He licked at her clit, the sounds of her wetness and his ministrations reaching her ears and causing a string of soft moans and whimpers to leave her lips. His mouth sucked at her, his tongue moving around the nub tightly and his fingers thrusting, faster and faster. She bit down on her lip, nearly drawing blood as the coil in her belly snapped. A harsh, strangled whimper of his name left her lips, as she came hard on his tongue and fingers. He lapped at her folds, taking in her juices before he moved his head away, smiling at her.

With a quick kiss to Y/N’s thigh, Jensen got up and fell back on the bed next to her. She breathed heavily as she looked at him, trying to catch her breath. Turning his head, he looked into her eyes. He turned onto his side, moving closer to her. His lips hovered close to hers, his eyes flicking between all the features of her face. She moved in the rest of the way, kissing him softly. Their lips moved passionately against each other’s, not wanting to let go. As much as he didn’t want to let go, he knew they had a schedule to keep today before they wrapped later that night.

“We only have 20 minutes left,” he mumbled, regretfully against her lips.

She nodded, sadly. “We should go.”

They both got up from the bed, cleaning themselves up and getting dressed again in relative silence. The only sounds were the rustling of fabrics and shoes on the floor of the trailer. Y/N fixed her hair as much as she could in the mirror, her eyes continuously flicking over to Jensen as he did the same, fixing the mess she had made of his short locks. With one last look at each other, Jensen opened the door of the trailer and looked around, letting her out first when he saw that no one was around. They walked to the lunch tent, receiving a few questions on their whereabouts. Jensen was quick to tell everyone he took Y/N to see some of the fan favourite props of the show, and Y/N was glad that people believed him, for the most part.

They ate quickly, both of them silent as they sat across from each other. Y/N didn’t know if they weren’t talking because they are was awkwardness after what happened, or whether it was because he didn’t want to accidentally say something about it in front of the crew. Quite frankly, she was fine with not talking about it just yet. She wasn’t sure where they go from here. Did Jensen want to see her again? If so, would it be just to sleep together finally, or did he want more?

She didn’t think she wanted to know the answers to those questions. Not yet anyway.

Little did she know, the same questions were running through Jensen’s head. He enjoyed what happened back in his trailer, but sue him if he didn’t want more with her. He wanted to go the full home run with her, but if he was being completely honest, he wanted to see her again and again. He wanted to ask her out and see where they go from there.

He knew he had to take a leap of faith and ask her before she left town, because who knew when she would return.

They were back on the bunker set, this time in the war room to shoot the last scene Y/N would be in. It was interesting that Y/N’s character leaving at the end of the episode was the second last scene they were filming, but that was where it happened to land. It was like it happened organically, which was rare for their set during filming.

Jensen was standing at the head of the map table, Jared next to him as Y/N stood across from them. Video village was set up at the other end of the library, giving them more room in the war room for lighting and boom mics. Things were quiet as they fell into their characters, Y/N slinging the duffle bag over her shoulder, as the assistant director called ‘action’.

“Thanks for your help. We really owe you one,” Jared said as ‘Sam’.

She smiled at him, shaking her head. “You really don’t.”

Jensen gave her that signature ‘Dean Winchester’ look, the one that said he was thinking about how to approach a subject. “You know where to find us if we do.”

“You’re buying the six-pack next time,” she said, chuckling slightly.

“Done,” ‘Dean’ said, smirking at her. She smiled at Jensen, finding that her genuine smile to him seeped into the scene.

“See you boys around,” she said, nodding at them. She turned on her heeled ankle boots, walking towards the staircase. With one glance over her shoulder, she gave them a small wave which they returned. She took the stairs all the way up, hearing the AD call ‘cut’.

“Alright, let’s see,” Jensen muttered as he walked over to video village.

Y/N walked down the stairs and over to the map table and placed the duffle bag on it. She waited to hear whether they would have to do another take or not.

“Alright, check the gate! Moving on!” Jensen called out. “That’s a wrap on Y/N Y/L/N!”

He quickly came out from behind the screens, walking over to her and Jared. All the crew around her clapped, as she gave them a small curtsy, laughing as Jared came over and hugged her.

It wasn’t the usual treatment of guest stars, as they usually came in and did the work and then left but considering there was buzz that her character might make a return, they wanted her to feel at home with all of them. They were kind to people with even the smallest of roles, so Y/N always knew she’d be in safe hands with the Supernatural crew.

Y/N hung around to say goodbye as they shot the last scene between the boys. In that time, she sat with her laptop, hoping she could change her flight to leave in a few days. With luck, she managed to find one leaving Vancouver in 5 days’ time, giving her plenty of time to stick around and explore these feelings she had for the handsome green-eyed actor. She couldn’t wait to tell him.

Given that Jared and Jensen had such a great shorthand with each other, they worked quickly to get the work done. Jensen called a wrap on the episode, and they all congratulated him on the amazing work he did. Everyone began to pack things up, the make-up ladies heading to their trailer as Y/N walked with them. She removed all her make-up, freshened up and then got changed into her clothes she wore to set that morning.

Y/N said her goodbyes to Trish and Frida, followed by the rest of the crew and Bob Singer. Jared swooped in for another big hug, nearly breaking her in half with the pressure of his arms around her.

“Jesus, you don’t know your own strength, you know that?” she said, cringing in slight pain as she turned and twisted, trying to get feeling back in her body.

“Hey, not my fault you can’t handle it,” he laughed, patting her back. “Alright, I’m out of here. I hope I’ll see you soon.”

“Me too,” she smiled, as he enveloped her in a softer but still warm hug. She decided to leave out the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere just yet, wanting to tell Jensen first.

Jared walked towards the parking lot, heading for the SUV that Cliff was waiting by. They were no doubt waiting on Jensen, who had been finishing up some paperwork after wrapping the episode. Y/N slung her bag over her shoulder, walking towards his trailer in search of him. Reaching the door, she knocked a few times and waited. The door opened, a tired but smiling Jensen greeting her.

“Hey,” he smiled, leaning against the door frame.

“So… I have some news,” she told him, a smile playing at her lips.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, his eyebrows raised as he folded his arms across his chest. His arms were exposed thanks to his black t-shirt, and she suddenly felt like her skin was on fire. She tried not to show her disappointment when he put on his jacket and grabbed his backpack, shutting off the light in the trailer as he closed the door.

She nodded, stepping down from the stairs to the trailer and turning to him. “I changed my flight. I’m leaving in 5 days.”

Jensen felt his heart skip a beat with that news. He nodded, the smile growing bigger on his face. “Well… you want to come over tonight? We can pick up where we left off.”

She bit her lip, nodding slowly. “I’d love to.”

Keeping up the pretence that there wasn’t anything going on, Jensen went back home with Cliff driving him to his apartment. Y/N called an Uber, knowing that if she had joined them Jared and Cliff would question what was happening. She and Jensen hadn’t spoken about it, but they both knew that there wasn’t anything to say to anyone until they figured it out themselves. For now, she wanted him in ways she’s never wanted anyone else and she was more than ready to see what he was capable of.

Reaching Jensen’s apartment, Y/N went up to his floor and down the hall, knocking on his door, noting that it was the right one from the text he had sent while she was in the Uber. The door swung open, and she grinned as Jensen smirked at her, letting her in. She took in the apartment, with its beautiful view of the city lights twinkling at night, a large screen TV and comfortable couch, and his guitar on the wall closest to her. However, as nice as it was that wasn’t where her mind was in that moment.

Turning around, Y/N looked at him, his eyes reflecting the same things she was feeling. They moved towards each other, their lips meeting in a rough, but sensual kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other. Pushing and pulling at each other’s clothes, their lips continued to move against each other, not wanting to stop.

“Thank god you changed your flight,” he mumbled against her swollen lips. “I can’t wait to fuck you.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked, grabbing his shoulders and jumping up, wrapping her legs around his waist.

His hands immediately supported her as he carried her off to his bedroom.

By the time they came up for air, the sun was rising, and Jensen had to leave to go to work for the first day of the next episode. With a promise of returning later that day, he told Y/N to stay at his apartment, telling her she could use whatever she wanted before he had to leave.

As she stood on the balcony and looked out at the view with her morning coffee, she had never been more thankful to a job she had taken. She made some great friends already, there was a buzz that she may come back for more episodes, and she had met the most incredible man who she couldn’t wait to explore more with.

She found herself repeating Jensen’s words from the night before as she smiled into her morning cup of caffeine.

Thank god she changed her flight.

-x-

If you’re crossed out, I couldn’t tag you :(

Tags: @deanwanddamons @winchest09 @downanddirtydean @jensengirl83 @wonder-cole @that-one-gay-girl @flamencodiva @ellewritesfix05 @roonyxx @akshi8278 @hobby27 @michellethetvaddict @spngirl05 @kyjey @halesandy @440mxs-wife @stoneyggirl @deanswaywardgirl @redbarn1995 @marianita195 @babypink224221 @deans-baby-momma @parinarain @thoughts-and-funnies @mandalou29 @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @superaveng @supernatural-love14 @vicmc624 @prettyboyswow @lunarmoon8 @supernatural-bellawinchester

#spnkinkbingo #spnaubingo #jensen ackles x female!reader #jensen x female!reader #jensen x reader #jensen ackles one shot #jensen ackles smut #jensen ackles fanfiction #director!jensen #actor!reader #supernatural one shot #supernatural smut #supernatural fanfiction

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alisonsfics · 4 years ago

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reconnected

pairing: shawn mendes x reader

request: “hello. i was wondering if you could write where y/n and shawn met at school or on vine or idk at a coffee shop. both of us were young new artists and bonded over that. as both of us start getting popular we lose contact. a few years later we decide to collab on a song and that rescinds a spark of friendship and maybe something. but of course, I wanted to at a bit of drama. while you try to catch up on, you know life, the paparazzi are sure you two are together, shawn's ex is stringing up trouble and all your friends and family keep on bothering you two about each other” - @iwishiwasyuri

word count: 2.7k

It had been a peaceful day. You had woken up early and started a day of productivity. You were currently drinking a cup of tea and replying to a few business emails.

It was peaceful. Birds were singing outside. It was early, and it felt like the world was not awake yet. This moment of serenity almost felt like the calm before the storm.

Then, your phone buzzed and shook your desk in the process. You were taken out of your thoughts.

You glanced down at the lit screen. You noticed a text message had popped up on your screen.

Woah.

You hadn’t seen that name in years.

Shawn.

Shawn Mendes.

You and Shawn had known each other for years. You both bonded over being singers and the rest was history.

You two had a beautiful story, much like a fairytale. The way you both met felt like a page out of a novel.

You had been at your local coffee shop, way before you had become successful in the music industry world.

It was back when you uploaded videos of yourself singing covers on YouTube. It was simple and seemed mediocre now, but at the time you loved it. You were singing all the time and it was your dream, even though you made virtually no money. You still loved it.

You jumped up into the seat at the high table. You pulled out your laptop to edit your most recent video. You sipped on your warm latte. It made you feel warm and cozy, as opposed to the freezing weather outside.

You plopped your headphones over your ears and started to edit the video. Within seconds, you heard a voice talking over your shoulder.

“So you’re a singer?” The voice asked. You jumped, almost managing to fall out of the chair. You felt a pair of strong arms catch you and keep you from falling.

Finally, you got a chance to look at the source of the voice. You had been prepared for it to be some creepy guy, but you were wrong.

So wrong.

The guy was cute and had the most perfect smile. You were speechless. You froze, and your brain shut off.

“Hi, uh sorry about that. I’m Shawn. It’s just, your headphones are unplugged. I was going to tell you and I realized it was you singing. I’m sorry I scared you” he said, kindly. You had to pinch yourself to realize this was all real. “I...uh hi. I’m Y/N. I was just zoned out, it’s not your fault. But hi, I’m Y/N” you rambled.

His smile made your stomach do flips. You felt like you were on a rollercoaster.

“Yeah, you said that already” Shawn said, chuckling. It was endearing. He wasn’t laughing at you, he was just amused by the cute girl who was stuttering over her words.

You didn’t know it then, but he thought you were adorable.

You thought the exact same thing about him.

The story went on. You two became great friends. You never got the courage to mention your little crush on him, but time went on.

As you both got busier, you started to drift apart. Eventually you just stopped talking. Any time you heard his songs on the radio or saw an article about him, it just pulled on your heart strings.

But now he was texting you.

Hey, Y/N. I know it’s been a while, well maybe longer than a while. It feels like forever. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up and talk. I really miss you

You were stunned. You could barely comprehend what you were reading.

It felt like a crazy dream, and you were about to wake up any second now.

You picked up your phone and tried to come up with a reply. It was harder than you thought it would be. How did you put years worth of feelings into just a few sentences?

Hi! It has been forever, I miss our late night runs for ice cream. I would love to hang out and catch up. I want to hear about all that I’ve missed. I hope you’re doing well!!

You pressed send and your heart leaped out of your chest. You could hear your heart thumping in your ears.

As you sat there waiting for a reply, it felt like years. In reality, it was probably five minutes.

Then, your phone dinged.

Awesome! You want to come over to my place in like an hour?

You almost jumped out of your chair. You couldn’t believe you were finally going to see Shawn after all these years. You sent a quick reply and then headed to your closet to get dressed.

You grabbed some clothes to change into and then proceeded to change your outfit four more times. Finally, you had settled on the best option. You checked the clock and saw that it was time to go.

You grabbed your phone and your keys and then headed to Shawn’s apartment.

You found yourself outside his front door, unable to move. You wanted to pick up your hand and knock on the door, but you couldn’t. Every time that you got close, you chickened out.

It had been years since you had seen Shawn. What if he changed? What if he didn’t like you anymore? What if you embarrassed yourself?

Every time another one of thoughts popped in your head, it became harder to try to knock on that door.

You took a deep breath and tried to still your shaking hands. You felt a small moment of confidence. Before it went away, you quickly knocked on the door.

Your pulse quickened. You felt the extreme urge to just run away. Before you could do that, the door opened.

There he was.

He looked different in person. Magazines and social media had been the only place you saw him for years. Now, three feet in front of you, you were almost shocked that he was three dimensional.

“Hi” was all you get out.

You were absolutely frozen.

“Hey” he said, slowly. He seemed to also be at a loss for words.

You looked him up and down, taking in all of his features. His hair was longer now. His shoulders were broader and he was so much more muscular now.

You were almost drooling over his arms in the tight shirt. Your lingering gaze left his body and you met his eyes.

Small smiles appeared on both of your faces. He grabbed your hands and pulled you into a hug. His tight embrace was comforting. His strong arms around you made your heart swoon.

After a while, you both pulled away. Once again, you couldn’t get rid of the grin on your face. “So how have you been?” He asked, looking into your eyes.

You started to tell him about major changes in your life that he had missed. While you were talking, his hand naturally slipped into yours. He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze as you spoke.

Your heart was racing at the speed of sound. It felt like a dream. There was no way you could really be standing in front of Shawn after all these years.

“It’s so good to finally see you again. I’ve actually been wanting to ask you something” Shawn said, after you finished talking. You were immediately intrigued, but also worried.

“And what is that?” You asked, rocking back and forth on your feet. “I was wondering if you would want to collab on a song sometime. I really love your music, and it would awesome to work with you” he told you, honestly.

You were taken aback. “I would love to. Is that why you invited me? To use me for monetary gain?” You teased him, giggling. He chuckled and shook his head. “No, that’s not why I wanted to see you again” he said, with a certain sparkle in his eyes.

You started gazing into his eyes, and it became harder and harder to stop. You didn’t notice, but you both started to step closer together. What you did notice was Shawn carefully placing his hand on your waist. He did it so lightly that you almost thought you imagined the lingering touch.

Before you both started to lean in, there was a loud commotion outside the front door. You both quickly jumped away like teenagers caught doing something mischievous.

Shawn sighed and headed towards the door to check who it was. He looked through the peephole and then quickly backed up. You were confused by his urgency.

“Who is it?” You asked, curiously. He didn’t answer you right away. He walked over to a wall and quickly closed the curtains. “The paparazzi are here” he said, walking back over to you.

“Well then I guess you’re stuck with me until they leave” you said, smiling as you walked over to the couch. You plopped down on the couch, and Shawn joined you seconds later.

“So do you want to watch a movie because you’re going to be stuck here?” He asked you, grabbing the remote.

You nodded and leaned your head on his shoulder. He didn’t expect you to do it, but he leaned into your touch. He pressed play on a movie and then put his arm along the back of the couch.

Slowly, as the movie continued, his arm moved from the couch to your shoulders. The way he transitioned was so natural, like he was used to having his arm around you. It felt good, and was definitely something you could get used to.

The movie became dull, and you glanced up at Shawn. You found yourself admiring his features as he watched the screen.

Then he caught you.

He looked down into your eyes. You felt your cheeks heat up as you were caught. “Hi you” he said, sweetly. You just smiled and then cuddled further into his side.

“Hey wait. I wanted to ask you about something?” Shawn said, pausing the movie.

You looked back up at him. It was hard to not smile. You always felt happy when you were around Shawn.

“So, I know that we haven’t seen each other in years, but there’s been something I’ve always wanted to tell you. Since the day we first met, I have—” Shawn started to say before he was interrupted.

Your phone loudly started ringing. It distracted you from what he was saying. You glanced down at your phone. It was your mom calling.

“I’m so sorry. It’s my mom, I have to take this” you said, apologetically setting one of your hands on Shawn's. He nodded. He was always so understanding.

You quickly answered the phone. Before you could say hello, your mom started interrogating you.

“Are you and Shawn finally together?” She asked, very quickly. You were taken aback by the question and also how fast she had asked that. “Uhh...no. Why would you think that?” You asked her, confused.

“The pictures are everywhere. It’s you walking into his house, and there’s a picture of you two hugging. All the tabloids are saying you two are together. I know that I shouldn’t trust tabloids, but I’ve always wanted you two to date. You are both so great together. Plus, he’s very handsome. So, you have good taste” your mom rambled, only stopping when she ran out of breath.

“Woah woah woah. Slow down. I promise you, Shawn and I are not dating” you assured your mom. Only then, Shawn started to listen to what you were saying. He had been trying not to listen or eavesdrop, but you were right next to him.

He just smirked at you. You saw it and rolled your eyes at him, as you tried to hold back from laughing.

Eventually, your mom said she believed you and hung up the phone. “I’m sorry about that. She started listening to the tabloids” you explained to him. He chuckled as he looked at his own phone. “That’s okay. All my friends are texting me about it too” he told you, smiling.

“Well then I guess you’re stuck with me as your fake girlfriend” you said, sticking your tongue out at him. He put his arm around you and then you leaned your head on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you” he said, softly.

You started to trace shapes on the back of his hand. “I’ve missed you too” you said, at the same volume.

You felt Shawn kiss your temple and you felt the heat rush to your face.

“So what were you going to ask me before?” You asked him, giving him your full attention. Just as he was about to tell you, there was a loud knocking at the front door.

Shawn groaned and then stood up. He walked over to the door. He looked through the peephole and just sighed.

“Hang on a minute” he said to you. Then, he opened the door. You couldn’t see the door from where you were sitting. “Hey there sweetheart” you heard a girl say, and your blood ran cold.

Did Shawn have a girlfriend? You had never even brought it up. You felt so stupid. Of course he had a girlfriend. It had been years. You had been sitting here hoping he would make a move, but he was taken. He was gorgeous, any girl would be lucky to date him.

“Ashley. What do you want? We broke up. Stop acting like it didn’t happen” Shawn said, sternly. It threw you even farther off guard. You didn’t want to get your hopes up, but it seemed like Shawn was actually single.

“I just saw on Twitter that coffee shop girl was here before. If you are dating, I want you to know that you can do better. I’m still single and you know I’m hotter than her. Just come here and kiss me so all those paparazzis will know you’re mine again” you heard Ashley said.

You felt disgusted listening to her talk. She was being really rude to both you and Shawn. “Goodbye Ashley. Go ruin somebody else’s day” Shawn said, closing the door.

He walked back over to you. He looked defeated. “So that was...?” You asked. “My ex-girlfriend. I know, bad idea” he said. You didn’t know what to say.

Shawn cursed under his breath. He looked furious. You stood up and walked over to him. “Hey it’s okay. It’s no big deal. We’ll just move on. You don’t have to worry about it” you said, trying to console him. You didn’t know why he was so upset of all a sudden.

“No, it’s not okay, Y/N” he snapped at you. You jumped away from him. You visibly flinched. His eyes softened when he saw you back away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted, it’s not your fault” he said, hanging his head low.

“It’s just— I’ve tried to kiss you three times today, or at least just tell you how I feel. Every time that I try, something gets in the way. I haven’t seen you in years and I just want get this off my chest. I feel like we have something special. I don’t know if you feel it too, or I’m just crazy. I really just want to kiss you, but I’m afraid something will get in the way if I try” he confessed.

You were shocked. This was the last thing you expected him to say. You had always wished that your connection was more than just friends, but you had always second guessed it. You always assumed that you were just making it up.

“Well, there’s nothing stopping you now” you said, coyly. He quickly looked up to meet your eye contact. He looked unsure, so you made the first move.

You walked towards Shawn and placed your hands on his chest. “What are you waiting for?” You asked him. That was all the clarity he needed.

He instantly connected your lips and wrapped his arms around your waist. It felt perfect. That sounds cliche and unrealistic, but the mixture of years of feelings and yearning made the perfect combination.

You both pulled away and couldn’t look away from each other’s eyes. “I guess I should call my mom back and tell her I lied” you said, giggling.

taglist: @laurakirsten0502 @miraclesoflove @nathaliabakes @millipop18 @azghedaheda @shyinadarkplace @ashwarren32 @impossibleapricotlampbat @lukes-orange-beanie

Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist for all my imagines or for a specific character/fandom!!

Requests OPEN

#requested #shawn mendes x reader #shawn mendes #shawn Mendes imagines #shawn Mendes fanfiction #shawn Mendes reader insert #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes request #requests open #taglist open #fanfiction requests #shawn mendes fluff

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wolfstarlibrarian · 4 years ago

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Welcome to the fifth installment of Beyond The Shelves!

This month’s creator spotlight is on the truly unique and amazing @mlim8. Mel has brought new life into fandom with her stunning art and comics that can make you laugh and cry. She's also the artist behind the Padfoot you can pet on the Librarian's home page (desktop) and the Moony gif on the Help Desk page. Now let's get to know this incredible artist!

Name: Mel is fine :D (she/her)

Where can people find your art?/Support you?

I'm only on Tumblr! @mlim8 (I tried getting a Twitter but I got confused so it's an account in limbo~). My Wolfstar/HP Masterlist is here (links only work on mobile)

What's your favorite thing about Remus & Sirius?

I'm a biggggg sucker for the 'childhood friends' trope. As well as pairings that scream mutual pining, but on the other hand, can be pure fluff. I like pairings where the couple can play off each other, can support each other, who might not always see eye-to-eye but have also been with the other for so long now, they know what they’re doing to make sure they still work, because in the end, they LOVE EACH OTHER. Somehow, Remus and Sirius can tick off all these different boxes and I love them for it uwu And then, there’s also just so much mystery about them in the books and therefore, so much freedom to interpret them, given how little we actually have to go on - it’s so cool to see them in an assortment of AUs, tropes, canon, non-canon fics and see them fall in love over and over and over again… So ultimately? I guess my favourite thing is that it’s so damn obvious how in love they are with one another that the Wolfstar fandom is as big as it is :)

What do you think your signature style is?

I think I’m known for fanfic comics, cute fluff, and my chibi style. You will also see a blush on my characters’ cheeks like 98.9% of the time. I can’t help it… it belongs there lol

What inspires you?

Fanfics, usually. I actually came back to drawing on tumblr because of some beautiful fanfics that I couldn’t get out of my head and needed to draw them. Afterward, it would be songs, videos, memes, conversations with friends, posts from friends, etc - it’s not difficult to take something and go “Do it again, but as Wolfstar.”

What advice would you give new artists?

I guess some obvious ones would be to practice, practice, practice. Use references and 3D models, they help so damn much. Video tutorials and other art tutorials are there to help you make things easier, there really is an endless pit of things to learn and techniques to master. Some other things that people might forget: drink water, do stretches for your wrists and neck, get up once in a while to get blood flow in your legs. But most importantly, even if you want to practice a lot, don’t forget to TAKE. BREAKS. Your body and mind will thank you.

You also don’t need anything super fancy to draw: traditional art is just as valid as any digital art (more so because you don’t have a CTRL+Z function and it drives me insane, so power to you!!). Cheaper $50 art tablets can do what you need them to, as long as you know how to use it. With art programs, there are tons of free ones that you can get your feet wet before committing to any expensive programs (I’ve used Paint Tool SAI for years in the past and I know artists that use FireAlpaca and GIMP with amazing results as well :D)

Lastly, and this is gonna be a hard one: Don’t compare yourself (or your progress) to other artists. People take years (decades??) to make art that they love and develop a style/technique that they’re proud of and it’s not worth the stress. You’re only in a competition with yourself and that’s challenging enough already!

What do you use to create your art?

I use a Wacom Bamboo Fun Pen & Touch - it was a birthday gift from waaaay back that I’ve had for a decade now :’)

For art programs, I’ve been using Clip Studio Paint for about 8 months now and I use Photoshop for stitching larger GIFs together uwu

What's a favorite piece you made and why?

Oh my God, how to decide… there’s been a ton that I’ve been proud of but my favourite (spelling with a u because I’m Canadian, eh) would be the recent Candy Heart Post I did a couple weeks back now. Just a lot of love and effort went into it, not just the art itself but trimming the song, all the editing and timing of each frame. I wanted so hard to tell a story and I think it came out the way I wanted it to :)

Pick one of your own pieces/AUs and give readers a little note about it. What inspired it? Why is it a favorite?

Okay, so this is probably an obvious one for those that have been on my blog for the last few months - but I have an AU called ‘Rembus and Hunter AU’ that is about an incubus demon, Remus, and a Demon Hunter, Sirius. The demon, affectionately called Rembus, is surprisingly sweet and adorable. In short: HE IS BABY. And when Hunter comes to the Village of Gryffindor to get rid of him, he learns that there’s more to demons than he’s known through the church and his family.

It’s just a really stupidly cute AU, despite the premise, and I’m so excited to share their story with everyone (one day, haha I’m a slow artist -)! Here’s Part 0 (the info card), if anyone is interested :)

It was created when I came upon an outfit ( similar to what Rembus wears) and thought “Okay, but Incubus!Remus.” - and that’s it. That’s usually how my AUs come about. The smallest inspiration and I spiral out of control with a backstory. This AU was fleshed out a lot with the help of Whippy, who was great to bounce all these ridiculous ideas off of lol

Make sure to check back later today for a list of works and recs from Mel herself!

#beyond the shelves #creator spotlight #mlim8 #wolfstar #remus x sirius

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buckyswintersoldiermask · 4 years ago

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ι’ll love yoυ ғorever; нello

Bucky Barnes x powered reader, platonic Shuri x reader

Summary: Bucky comes out of cryo and Bucky and the reader spend their first together.

Bucky Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist ~ Series Masterlist

Word Count: 1287

Warnings: just fluff?

A/N: I wrote “goodbye” and felt like there should be something after it so here’s “Hello.” I wanted to give the reader powers in the first part but didn’t know how to fit in so I just put it in the second part. (I’m not too confident about the backstory and how it’s executed). !!constructive criticism is always welcome!!

After a few long months, Shuri did it. She got all of HYDRA’s brainwashing out of Bucky. Shuri healed him with the traditional stuff that was learned from their ancestors, along with some tech with his mind. He was finally free. He could finally move on from his past.

“(Y/N), are you ready to see Sergeant Barnes?” Shuri asked, leading you to the medical ward.

“You know I am.”

Since you stayed in Wakanda after Bucky went back into cryostasis you had a lot of time to get close to Shuri. You tried to help her in the lab as much as you could and just be a good friend. You also had a lot of time to learn new things about your powers.

You made it to the medical ward where Bucky was kept. Doctors all around his capsule awaiting instructions. Shuri goes over to Bucky looking at his panel which shows his vital signs and has the button to take him out of cryostasis. “(Y/N/N)? Want to do the honors?”

Stunned, she asked you, you walk over next to her and she guides your hand to the button. “Whenever you’re ready.”

You take a deep breath, your hand slightly shaking because of the adrenaline. You get to see Bucky again. Not just check up on him from the outside of the capsule. You get to hug him, kiss him, cherish him.

You didn’t know you were crying until you felt a teardrop fall on your hand. You look back at Shuri smiling, in a split-second decision you press the button and wipe your eyes.

At an instant, the tube began to defrost causing your throat to leap. Shuri pushes you closer to it so you can be the first thing Bucky sees when he wakes up.

It finally opened all the way and Bucky’s eyes immediately found you. “Hi there.” You say voice cracking, tearing up a little.

“Hi, Doll.”

You missed him, you missed the way he called you, you missed his pet names for you. You missed his sarcastic comments, you missed feeling him in your arms. You missed him so much.

The doctors unstrap Bucky and he gets out pulling you into his arms. You melt into his touch as he cradles your head in his hand. “I’m here. I’m back.”

You let out a sob you were holding back. The room cleared as Bucky led you to some chairs, helping you to sit down.

You and Bucky spent time catching up. He wanted to hear all you did while he was on ice. You told him how you and Shuri became closer. You told him about how you were learning more about your powers. You told him about the beautiful Wakandan hut you were staying in that will become both of yours.

“It’s away from central Wakanda. It’s very peaceful and calm. I think you’ll like it.” He smiles kissing your hand.

“I’m sure I will.”

Shuri comes over with a huge stack of books and drops them on the table next to you. “Self - help books.”

Bringing your attention back to Bucky his eyes are wide at the number of books she brought. “I can read some of them to you.” Bucky nods directing his attention back to you.

After you spent some time catching up, Shuri had to check Bucky. Everything looked well and he was free to go. Bucky decided not to get his metal arm reattached. There was no danger, no one to fight so he didn’t want it just yet.

You lead him to your tent carrying the books Shuri prescribed. “So this is it.”

Bucky goes in and looks around, seeing all your drawings and the artwork you’ve done since he’s been gone. Paints, pencils, paper, brushes, practically any art materials Wakanda had, all over your desk.

“I’m glad you’re still a good artist.” He teased, smirking at you.

“Well, I did have to do something to pass the time.”

Putting down the books on the bed, you and Bucky see his dog tags there. You grabbed them smiling at Bucky. “Shuri gave them to me while you were on the ice. Here you go.”

Bucky shakes his head, “I told her to give them to you, you can keep them.”

“Really?” Bucky nods, cupping your face in his hand.

You smile putting them around your neck. “They look better on you anyway.” He flirts.

You and Bucky stare into each other’s eyes just taking the moment in. Bucky takes his hand pulling you closer to him, his eyes glancing from your eyes to your lips. You lean forward placing your lips on his. The kiss was anything but innocent, it was violent and hungry, and left you breathless. You were making up for the lost time. Taking in every moment of that kiss. Being away from Bucky wrecked you. You fell hard for James Buchanan Barnes. He’s your home. Bucky pulls away so you can both catch your breath.

“You really missed me huh, doll?” You nod resting your head on his chest wrapping your arms around him. “Of course I did.”

“I won't ever leave you like that again.”

You sat there in silence until you pulled away, “Let’s get you settled, okay?” You put the books down in a neat row on your desk, cleared some space around the room so your things aren’t all over the room. Bucky snoops around on your desk and finds a journal, curious about what it is, he scans the pages.

“You’ve been practicing new things with your powers?” He questions looking back at you. You grab your journal out of his hand. “Maybe.”

“Can you show me?”

“I guess just this once, you’ve always been my biggest fan.” You smile as you turn the bed and the desk invisible with a single touch. “I can also stay invisible for a lot longer now.”

For as long as you can remember you had invisibility powers. When your father was young he had experiments done on him, so his mutated genes were passed on to you. Your father liked to tell you that you were chosen to have powers to do a greater good.

You hid your powers for years until your mother’s life was threatened. That put you on the map. Next thing you know Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff are knocking on your door asking you to become an Avenger. You accepted feeling that this is what your father wanted you to do, use your powers for a greater cause.

“Wow, doll. You’re incredible I remember when we first met-” You cover Bucky's mouth with your hand before he could continue . “No, No not that cursed time. That was so embarrassing.”

After you joined the Avengers you helped Steve find Bucky, you used your powers to the best of your ability. You needed a lot more training and work. You hadn’t used your powers in years so you were very rusty. Your first encounter with Bucky was one to remember.

Bucky gets out of your grip laughing so hard he has to sit down. “You bumped into me while helping Steve find me and you got so nervous that half of your body became invisible.”

“In my defense, I was very untrained,” you say with your hands on your hips. “I know, doll. You were so cute though.”

“You just came back and you’re already bringing up embarrassing stories about me.” you groan facing the door.

“Someone’s gotta do it, and that someone is me.”

You roll your eyes and take a look outside, the sun is getting ready to set, “Want to watch a Wakandian sunset?”

“With you? Anyday.”

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated :) ~ Mak

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader soft #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #bucky imagine #bucky one shot #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky fic #bucky x y/n #buckyswintersoldiermasksfics

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postmodernmulticoloredcloak · 5 years ago

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So I hear that the symptoms of coronavirus include interest in making virtual visits of museums, apparently. Here are some museum websites that can fulfill your thirst for virtually-visitable art. The asterisk means I have been there. This is by no means an exhaustive list. I don’t even know why I am doing this.

- Pinacoteca di Brera - Milan *

Brera is the art academy of Milan and the most iconic museum, which contains Italian artworks from the renaissance to modernity including various masterpieces. I also recommend visiting it in person because the neighborhood of Brera is the art district of Milan and it’s really pretty although having lunch there in slightly overpriced, but then what isn’t (really if you are in Milan skip the touristy food places, have Chinese or Japanese, trust me). There’s also a lovely little botanical garden tended to by the botany students. Long story short when you come to Italy visit Milan instead of overcrowding Venice.

- Museo del Novecento - Milan *

This is a stunning exhibition and you also should go there (it’s in Piazza Duomo you can’t miss it) but in the meanwhile visit the website, that contains a selection of masterpieces. They opened a few years ago and it was free to visit for a while as a gift to Italian people, which was really nice of them. It’s not expensive now either and it contains a lot of works by very important artists of the XX century so it’s very worth it.

- Museo Poldi Pezzoli - Milan

Can you believe I’ve never been there? But there’s a lot of stuff in there. The website is not complete yet apparently, but there’s already some interesting things already, including little Japanese sculptures that now I want to go and see.

- Pinacoteca Ambrosiana - Milan

Leonardo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Raffaello, Tiziano... they’re also digitalizing ancient manuscripts, and there’s also a fuckton of drawings and manuscripts by Leonardo. [Everybody liked that.] I fucking need to go there.

- MAUTO (Museo dell’Automobile) - Turin *

Guys. This is so fucking cool. “But I don’t like cars” you might say. Yeah, me neither. But the ancient cars are so fascinating. If I remember correctly there are also things such as the driving license of the first ever woman in Italy to get a driving license. Visiting the real place is better because the halls are very well done so if you happen to be in Turin drop by.

- Museo Egizio - Turin *

Listen this is the biggest Egyptian museum outside of Egypt and it’s awesome, although the site is sort of confusing but I’m pretty sure there are digitalized resources so if you’re into ancient Egypt try it. Right now the museum contains a temporary exhibition called Archeologia Invisibile (invisible archaeology) and it’s possible to make a virtual tour of the exhibition which is really cool. It focuses on methods and techniques used to study mummies and other kinds of artifacts. Just click on the link and you’re yeeted inside the exhibition.

- Musei Reali - Turin

Actually a group of museums, there’s an online catalogue. There’s a museum of antiquity, modern paintings, even the royal armory (armeria reale). Yeah there’s swords. You can study the blade now.

- Palazzo Madama - Turin

An array of Italian art through centuries.

- GAM - Turin

The gallery of modern art. Weird stuff. Memeable.

- MAO - Turin

Sick of Italian art? Yeah, understandable. Then it’s time for the museum of Asian art! Stuff from all around Asia, from the Middle East to Southeastern Asia. I want to go there. Let me go there, virus.

(Palazzo Madama, GAO and MAO also offer virtual tours with Google Arts and Culture but idk how that works. Links here, under “scopri”.)

- Galleria degli Uffizi - Florence *

The Uffizi Gallery is the quintessential Italian art museum and you really want to check it out. If you visit it in person, make a booking, queues are infinite. (People with disabilities skip the queues in all these museums though, if you are disabled and intimidated by these places with superqueues don’t be, just approach the personnel and you have the right to just get in.)

- Galleria dell’Accademia - Florence *

You might have heard of a lil statue called David by Michelangelo. Yeah, it’s there. But there’s also other things, although since the David is so famous no one really cares about those. Give them some love.

- Actually there’s an online catalogue of most museums in Florence, several of which sound super interesting, but it says they’re having technical problems and the picture don’t load. Maybe save the link, forget about it, and then after some time discover it again, idk. Or consider visiting Florence in person after the coronavirus goes away, I guess. Do yourself a favor and save up and get a real Florentine steak.

- Gallerie dell’Accademia - Venice

I have been in Venice for half a day and just a little tip: you (or someone that travels with you) are in a wheelchair? Consider making a plan for visiting Venice that includes this: go in fact somewhere else. In the meanwhile visit this site, although I can’t figure out how to turn it into English, but I’m sure you can handle a little Italian.

- MUVE - Venice

Actually it’s possible to make a virtual tour of various museums/palaces in Venice with the Google Arts and Culture project, which sounds great. You figure out how it works, the link should explain. I’ll do it myself one of these days.

- Peggy Guggenheim - Venice

XX century artworks, including some by the most famous artists like Picasso, Magritte, Dalí, Kandinsky etc etc.

- Musei Vaticani - Rome *

Did I call the Uffizi the quintessential Italian art museum? I stand by it, but. I mean. The Vatican Museums, you know? It’s a place you should visit at least once in your life. All of Rome actually. They say it’s too big and chaotic but don’t listen to them, listen to me, you must visit Rome when you can. Ask someone for tips on where to eat that is not a tourist trap, and you’re fine.

- Musei Capitolini and all the civic museums - Rome (at the top of the page, click on “all the museums” and you see a whole list, for each museum you can visit the collection)

All collections online, by rooms or subject. The Musei Capitolini is the main museum in Rome except the Vatican, but I also recommend the Centrale Montemartini which is a collection of ancient artifacts located in a repurposed thermoelectric center, which must be fascinating to see in person. I’m planning on visiting it the next time I’m in Rome. (I’ve only been twice, briefly, okay.)

- Museo Ebraico - Rome

It’s located by the Tempio Maggiore, in the neighborhood that was the Jewish ghetto in Rome. There are many other Jewish museums in Italy but I have been right outside this one. It was closed though.

- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - Rome

Apparently the largest gallery of contemporary art in the galaxy or something. Worth checking out I think.

- Galleria Nazionale Barberini Corsini - Rome

This contains some super famous paintings, by Caravaggio and others.

(There’s like 285375 museums in Rome I can’t check all the websites but I’m pretty sure I checked the major art ones.)

- Museo della Resistenza - Bologna

Feeling like nurturing your antifascist spirit today? Good.

- Museo Archeologico Nazionale - Naples

Good pictures, very interesting stuff. Statues, mosaics, epigraphs, and so on.

- Museo di Capodimonte - Naples

Very interesting although I don’t think you can browse the site in English. Then again it’s mostly pictures, so.

There’s literally a billion museums in this country and some have very confusing websites which are giving me a headache so I’ll stop here.

A few outside of Italy I can recommend:

- Archaeological Museum - Athens *

I was there and we had a slightly eccentric guide and it was very interesting.

- Museo del Prado - Madrid *

Physically, it’s huge and the halls are numbered in a confusing way that forces you to back and forth and by the end we were exhausted. Maybe online it’s less vexing...

- Museo Thyssen - Madrid *

I loved this museum. Loads of famous artists and interesting stuff.

- Museo Reina Sofía - Madrid *

Yeah we had a lot of time to visit museums in Madrid. This is where the Guernica painting is, you might have heard of it.

- Musée d’Orsay - Paris *

Awesome museum, they have those in Paris, what can you do. I haven’t visited the Louvre because we didn’t have the time, but it also offers an online tour.

- National Gallery - London *

Lots of Italian artworks, actually, and more.

- British Museum - London *

Well, there’s everything from everywhere, because of reasons.

Okay I mean there’s plenty of hyper-famous museums with online resources and you can find them just as much as I can find them, so. Have fun.

#museums #art #italy #blabbering me #idek

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writings-of-a-hufflepuff · 3 years ago

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A Piece of My Soul

Fandom: The Mentalist or rather the Marcus Pike fandom

Collection/Series: N/A

Pairing: Marcus Pike x GN! Artist Reader

Writer: @writings-of-a-hufflepuff aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long

Rating: G

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Lots of fluff, but there’s that undercurrent of angst as the reader has been hurt before and made to feel less than important so if that’s too much right now that’s okay!

Summary: Marcus has always known that you protect your art, that it is a reflection of your soul and something you guard after being hurt one too many times. He never expects you to share your sketchbooks with him, assumes he will never have the honour and he’s okay with that because he’s happy to just have you. Until, one day, you show him just how much you trust him.

Notes: For me, I always feel like when I share my art with people they’re very meh about it or they are backhanded or even mean. I’ve not had the best experiences when sharing my sketchbooks or my work with people in my life and the idea of someone being so wholly awestruck just by the trust and openness of sharing something like that gets me. So here we go back on the Marcus Pike train because if I could ever explain what I want in a husband, he’s the man.

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Marcus had known of your love of drawing from the first date. You had been a little shy when he’d asked about your hobbies and interests, when you’d quietly and cautiously told him you liked to draw. When he asked for more detail, the mediums you used, the style you preferred, it had opened you up just a little more, his interest making you preen a little. Although still cautious, gauging his reaction to your answers. It had been like seeing a part of your soul that you kept hidden from people, it had made him simultaneously proud and angry.

Proud because you trusted him, from that first moment, to take you seriously, to listen to your interests and passions and not dismiss them. Angry because at some point, at some time, it was clear someone had dismissed you, made you feel like you weren’t worth listening to, weren’t worth investing time in. It was maddening to think that anyone could make you feel like that, like anyone couldn’t see your worth.

It was baffling because he found you captivating in all your passions and quirks. The way you ranted and rambled on for minutes, sometimes even hours, about something you were passionate about, never failed to draw him to you like a moth to the proverbial flame. The way you managed to trip over anything and everything, clumsy to a fault, was as endearing as it was concerning and he found himself eager to compensate, to pre-empt you going flying because of a step or a crack in the floor. He found the small things, not just the large things enthralling and enamouring, the concept that anyone might think different was just unfathomable.

So he worked to cultivate that trust, to show you that he was interested in you and all the things that made you up. He listened when you talked, never told you he was bored or showed a shred of disinterest. He remembered things you mentioned or were interested in, brought you books on the subject or sent you a link to an article he’d seen.

Watching the way that trust bloomed, the way you opened your heart and soul up to him in little pieces was nothing short of amazing. Still, he knew your art was precious to you, a piece of your soul. Your interests, desires, thoughts, opinions, and preferences are all laid out in pages and pages of thick white paper and red pencil marks. He never pushed it, never asked to see what you were working on or to show him your art, not because he wasn’t interested but because he respected the intimacy of it. You were not some famous painter who put their work on display for the world to see and scrutinise. You were just you, just someone who used art as a form of stress relief and self-expression, someone who guarded their work like they guarded their heart.

So the little trickles of your soul that you shared with him were enough, it didn’t matter if you showed him it all or only select pieces, anything was enough to tell him you cared, that you trusted him, that you wanted his approval. Not because you needed him to give it, not because he was that fundamental or important, but because recognition from him made you smile, made you feel important. You were important whether he liked your work or not.

He still remembers the excitement you exuded, happiness blinding and bright and so brilliant, when you’d finished a new painting and bounded to show him. You’d bundled it up safe and made the drive to his house, rushing up the steps so quick, he’d heard you trip before he heard you knock.

You’d been bouncing on the balls of your feet, painting kept within a folder, nondescript, the sort you kept your certificates in. The wide grin on your face, the shine of your teeth, and crinkles at your eyes had him smiling the moment he opened the door to you, leaning a shoulder against the door frame to watch you adoringly.

“I finished it! It only took me 20 hours but I finally finished it!” You’d rushed inside, pulling him by the arm so fast he had to laugh as he nearly tripped over his own rug. You’d been so excited and so proud as you’d sat him on his couch and carefully pulled the A4 piece of watercolour paper from the folder, plain back to him.

He’d been patient, watching you with the softest of smiles as your eyes flicked back and forth between him, sat with hands clasped between his thighs, elbows on his knees, and your painting. As you grappled with the gravity of showing him a piece of your soul and not knowing how he’d respond, how he’d behave. Patience was the least he could think to give you, and it had brought the best sort of ache to his chest when you’d shyly turned the painting around to show him.

20 hours of work and you looked away, eyes focusing on a plant he had in the corner of his living room rather than on his expression or what he might think. You’d been so nervous to show him and he’d taken the time to truly look at your painting. The colours, the composition, the subject, it didn’t ultimately matter to him whether he truly liked it or not, although he did, because he’d love it anyway. He’d love it anyway because you’d chosen to share it with him, when you were oh so private and careful with your art.

“Sweetheart…” You’d been prepared for rejection, to face the fact that your boyfriend didn’t like your painting, your art, that it was something you just shouldn’t share with him in the future. “It’s amazing! 20 hours? Can I?” He’d gestured to take it, to hold it and get a better look and you’d let him, a little stunned, but overjoyed that he liked it, that he wanted to look at it.

That had been the starting point for you sharing more little bits of your soul with him. You’d bring him finished paintings to look at, occasionally the odd doodle here or there that you completed at work. Not everything, and never your sketchbooks. Those were off limits, something he’d respected because he knew they were more than just a tiny piece of who you were, but quite a large one. Pages and pages of you sat for perusal and to have that rejected would hurt more than anything. So Marcus had been grateful for what little pieces of your art you did choose to share with him.

He’d always made it a point to show how much he liked your art, to shower you in praise and to make you feel listened to, seen, important. Your art was amazing to him. He was an art history major, he loved art, hence his job, but he wasn’t an artist. He’d never had the patience to sit and develop the skill set and so he focused on the work of others, yours was quickly becoming his favourite. You had your own unique style, something he found hard to describe or explain, but that he’d know if he saw your work. He’s almost certain he’d know if someone tried to pass a fake off as your own and if anyone asked who his favourite artist was he’d probably change his answer to you.

Still, he had hoped that one day you’d share that last bit of yourself with him. He hadn’t expected to actually happen, just a hope, a little dream, something he thought about at night before falling asleep.

Certainly not something he expects on date night.

He’s cooking dinner for the two of you, your favourite main and dessert, because he hasn’t had the chance to see you in a good week due to a hectic case, when he hears the tell tell sound of keys in the front door. He’d long since given you your own, letting you come and go as you please, with the excuse that when he was away on a case it meant you could keep an eye on the place and make sure he didn’t get robbed. In truth he liked having you around, liked that you came over just because you wanted to, that you felt welcome and at home and if he wasn’t so dead set on not scaring you off, he might have already asked you to move in. But, he wanted to take his time, not rush it.

“Marcus?”

“In the kitchen, honey!” He’s wiping down the side quickly, hiding the fact he’s a messy cook, when you walk in a heavy looking tote bag over one shoulder. It peaks his interest and from the little laugh you let out you can see it on his face.

“Are you busy?”

“No, it needs a good half hour before I have to check it again, why?” You watch him wipe his hands with a towel and brush at a small stain on his white t-shirt, the one that clings to his arms just right.

You're nervous, you know he can tell from the way your hands grip the bag straps tight over one shoulder to how you bite your bottom lip. He’s always been able to tell. One of the beautiful things about Marcus was the attention he gave to people, not just people he cared about, but people in general. He learnt everything he could about them, stored it away in his mind, and used it to show them how much he cared, how much he knew them, really knew them.

“I...I want to show you something.”

You grab him by the hand, the same way you always do whenever you want to share something, and begin pulling him towards his living room. It’s cosy in here at this time of night, warm light from a couple of lamps, soft blankets thrown over his couch, the ones he’d brought after realising how much you loved a good blanket. It’s a calming thing, to be in here, with him, somewhere you associate with home.

It often seems so silly to you, just how nervous you get about sharing something with Marcus, but you know it’s not. Know it’s not his fault either. Marcus has never given you any reason to doubt him, but other people have, so you push past the nerves because you do really want to show him and watch his face light up like it always does.

You sit him down in his seat, and curl up next to him, kicking your shoes off and placing the bag on the ground. He’s so warm and for a moment you just lean into his side, enjoying the warmth of his body and the way he nuzzles a kiss into your temple, nose tracing little lines gently for a moment. He brings you peace and it is that, that gives you resolve and has you reaching down for the items in the bag.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by you that Marcus places his hands at your waist, worried you might take a tumble off the couch, something you’re prone to. It warms you inside, that he cares so much, that he’s so casual with his affection and so concerned with you and your safety. Even something as simple as making sure he can catch you if you start to fall.

You come back up with a couple of books in hand, plastered with stickers over the front and a little dogeared at the corners. Marcus doesn’t remove his hands from your waist, just pulls you firmly back against his side and watches as you anxiously smooth your hands over the cover of one of them.

“I..I wanted to show you my sketchbooks, or well...the two most recent ones anyway. I...I don’t really show people them...but I want you to see them.” Your eyes are so wide and earnest when you look up at him, that he can’t help but cup your cheek in his hand and rub his thumb across the apple of it. God, he never thought...he never thought you would. Always thought you’d keep this little part of yourself private, separate, guarding it like a dragon guards a horde of gold. But, here you are, so earnest, so nervous, so open, telling him that you want to share this piece of your soul with him and he can’t stop himself from pressing his forehead against yours. Can’t stop himself from the gentle nudge of his nose with yours or the slow press of his lips against your own.

It’s a surprising reaction from Marcus, the way his nose presses into your cheek as he presses a firm but still tender kiss to your lips, the way his hand slides down to cup underneath your jaw, thumb pressing into the hollow there. It’s so surprising that it distracts you for more than a moment, to the point your eyelids take a little bit of time to flutter open after he breaks away, you leaning further into him.

“What...what was that for?”

“For trusting me.” He’s so warm and earnest, but still, he’s patient. He doesn’t grab for the books or open them himself, instead he waits for you to pull back and pick one up, settling it between the two of you.

He waits as you find the courage to open the cover and turn to the first page and every breath leaves him at what he finds there. It is a sketchbook and so it is messy, that’s the nature of it, it is practice and experimentation and you enjoying yourself, and it’s so clear, as each page turns, that this is you in book form.

Each page is either a confirmation of a fact he already knew about you or a new discovery. It tells him little things like how you prefer to draw certain subjects and the colours you lean towards when you reach for markers or coloured pencils. He’s reverent in the way his fingertips brush the paper and trace over the lines, in awe of the way your hands have worked in tune with your mind to put these things to paper and he can’t actually help the tears that start to well up in his eyes. Because you trust him so much, you’re opening the last part of your soul up to him with only a hope that he will not crush it or throw it back at you, that he will not abuse it.

“Baby, why are you crying?” You’re so concerned for him, hands pawing at his cheeks, brushing the rivulets away and cupping his jaw to make him look at you. Brown eyes watery but so happy, so in love and he hopes that you can see that, see how desperately he loves you. “Are you okay? Did...did I do something wrong?”

It hurts him so much to know you assume that you’re at fault. That his tears are bad or that they are a product of you doing something wrong, when they’re a result of just how much he loves you and just how happy he is at the trust and faith you have in him, the love you have for him, that you’ll bare your soul. It’s those moments that make him angry at the people before him. Family, friends, lovers, people who took your trust and crushed it, bent it out of shape and tossed it back malformed and damaged.

“Nooo, no, no, honey. Sweetheart, I'm crying cause I'm happy,” He covers your hands with his own, pulls you impossibly closer, “I’m happy because you trust me enough to show me this and I...I never thought I'd earn that.”

“Oh...well, I love you.”

“I love you too.” It’s said with a laugh, but not at you, the sort of laugh that’s just a bit of a huff of happiness, that comes from being overwhelmingly happy. It’s enough for him that you come to his house, that you share little bits of yourself with him and that you love him enough to do that at all.

While dinner cooks, you keep an eye on the time more than Marcus, he continues to flick through the pages. He comments, sweet little things. How something looks cool or how he likes the colours on a page. Each comment thrills you, fills you to the brim with pride and joy, to the point your cheeks ache from smiling. Perhaps to some people it seems understated, boring, the sort of date night that some would hate, but to the two of you it’s more than just date night. It’s a bonding experience, a sharing one. He feels impossibly lucky to look at your work, to have you there leaning on his shoulder, pressing kisses to his neck, impossibly lucky to have a piece of your soul right there in front of him.

It’s that moment that he knows; you’re it for him. He’s certain. You’re the person he’s going to grow old with, with your sketchbooks in a dedicated bookshelf and he’ll die saying his favourite artist is you.

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