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Chapter Length Tips/Guide
Despite me writing for five years now, I still find myself struggling to make sure my chapters are the right length and size. I never really realized how short my âchaptersâ usually are. And when I finally glanced over at the final draft of the chapter, the word count would only be a little more than 500 words (thatâs around four minutes). So, if you also struggle with chapters that are too short, then worry not! Thanks to Reddit user KaraNCTSâs answer on a post from r/AO3, we have an answer...
â...3000-5000 base count per chapter and then you can always adjust in editing, moving a scene to the next chapter or combining two chapters if it feels like one long chapter.â
When I read this, I had to try it for myself. On Google Docs, I use the font âPangolinâ at 12px for the main text, and âCroissant Oneâ at 20px for my chapter titles. I try to aim for the midpoint: 4000 words per chapter. If I need to add a few more words or finish at less than 4000, I can. Each chapter in Google Docs averages out to about 10 pages per chapter, which is a mighty amount!
However, thereâs no need to stress about your word count. Iâve made short stories that are around only 1000 words, and theyâre still wonderful to read. In other words, your quality of your writing should be put first and foremost over the quantity of your word count. If you make your scenes in sections (I do this), then combine them to make a full chapter. Take note that your chapter should have an overall themes, meaning that your scenes should try and align with your chapter theme.
Hopefully, this guide helps with making the length of your chapters consistent. Feel free to post an ask if you have questions about writing! Iâll be happy to answer and and all questions. No matter how silly you think your question might be, a question is not useless if it helps you to learn!
#writing#writers on tumblr#writing tips#writing thoughts#chapter word count#word count#tried and tested#quote from reddit#ao3#r/ao3#creative writing#personal experience#have fun with your writing!#ask me questions
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To illustrate this post by @mayahawkse I would like to visualize to you the difference:
A post in 2023:
A post in 2014:
A zoom out of the same post:
This is what a community looks like.
See how in 2023 almost all of the reblogs come from the OP, from their few hours/days in the tag search. Meanwhile in 2014 the % of reblogs from OP is insignificant, because most of the reblogs come from the reblogs within the fandom, within the micro-communities formed there. You didn't need to rely on tags, or search, or being featured. Because the community took care of you, made sure to pass the work between themselves and onto their blog and exposed their followers to it. It kept works alive for years.
It's not JUST the reblog/like ratio that causing this issue, it's the type of interaction people have. They're content with scrolling and liking the search engine, instead of actually having a reblogging relationship with other blogs in their community.
Anyways, if you want to see more content you like, the only true way to make it happen is to reblog it. Likes do not forward content in no way but making OP feel nice. Reblogs on the other hand make content eternal. They make it relevant, they make it exist outside of a fickle tumblr search that hardly works on the best of days.
If you want more of something, reblog it.
#i said i wont ever rant about this bc it's unseemly but HONESTLY.#you simply cannot complain about not having enough of A or B or C and then never reblog / interact with the content you love.#If you LOVE something you cannot just leave a like and silently wait for more to happen#I know countless of content creators that simply stopped doing art/writing fic/making edits#You need to understand that fandom content is made FOR the fandom FOR the engagement FOR the entertainment and fun it makes.#If a content creator does not have fun IN the fandom-- why would they spend the scares free time they have on making this content?#And we're not talking about things that you don't like-- no one expects you to reblog things you don't like.#However I think it's safe to say that when a post has more than 5k it's not some random shitpost with no value.#tumblr issues#tumblr#content creators#buns.txt#something something please don't starve your local clowns
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#đď¸đď¸đŤľ#isat#in stars and time#myart#fanart#loop#this was gonna be in response to a tag#where someone wanted loop to tell them to write their fic#but i realized this is way more powerful on its own#get off of tumblr and do those things/go to bed#feel free to use this for pvp#among your friends#not strangers having fun in the tags#đď¸đď¸
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monologue
#they said i couldnt have a worse speech bubbles to image ratio and i said 'bet?'#isat spoilers#in stars and time#in stars and time fanart#isat fanart#isat siffrin#isat loop#two hats spoilers#isat#lucabyteart#sifloop#not rlly but it gets the tag in case ppl r backscrolling my tags on my blog for some reason#anyway this dialogue has been kicking around in my files for about 2 months as it is known to do & i wanted to play with typesetting#'write a fic if you like words so much' absolutely not . what if it was pictures instead. and also i wanted an excuse 2 loop gradient#but yeah uhhhh this is very . very loosely the result of me thinking about the 'island is trapped in the fucking future' theory.#like if so. would it just like. reappear. when the rest of the world catches up w where it was stuck in time. like . 20 more years on.#and thus the q: god wait at what point would sif be older than the age they last knew their parents to be. theyre nearly 30 now so like.#you can see my logical path thru these thoughts yes? anyway i think its fun when these two put their braincells together to realise#the horrors. and kind of exclusively the horrors. wahoo!!!#anyway food for thought re: island reappears and to the islanders it's not been any time at all. but its been like 30 years for the rest#fuck do you do: your boy returns 30 years older plus a family (maybe even a child) and minus . a fucking eye.#also theres a fucking angel with them? update. thats also your boy what the fuck. wait fym theyre married. hold on. wait--
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đ¸My Super Long Hopefully Fun Character Ask Game:
đAppearance
What is your character's favorite physical trait they possess?
What would your character wear if they were told they had to gussy up?
Is there something about your character's appearance that they would change if possible?
Does your character have a favorite material they like to wear?
What are your character's opinion on scars?
How much interest does your character take in trends?
Is there someone your character tries to look similar to?
Does your character have a physical trait that they're known for?
What does your character smell like?
If your character could splurge on a particular garment, what would it be?
Is your character's favorite color a color they wear often?
Has your character gone through major stylistic or physical changes?
What is something your character would refuse to wear?
Is there a style your character is afraid they canât pull off?
Would your character wear something someone else picked out for them?
Is your character's appearance more telling or deceiving?
What are your character's thoughts on wearing costumes?
Does your character have a favorite outfit?
If your character had to get a tattoo what would it be?
đŚObjects
Is there an item your character doesn't like to leave without?
What gift would your character give to someone they didn't like but felt obligated to?
What type of object is likely to catch your character's attention?
Is there an item your character liked that they canât get back?Â
Would your character ever try to haggle?
What is something your character is proud to own?
Does your character ever spend more than they have?
What would it take for your character to give up an item they really like?
Does your character prefer to give or receive gifts?
Is there a type of object your character doesnât like?
What might an acquaintance think is a good gift for your character?
Does your character personify objects?
What does your character most enjoy shopping for?
Is there an item your character is embarrassed they own or want?
Would your character prefer something bought or made personally?
Is your character willing to ask for things?
What is most important to your character when shopping?
đ˝ď¸Food and Drink
What flavor would your character say their personality is?
Would your character prefer baking, cooking or mixing drinks?
Is there a food or drink your character is unwilling to try?
How big is your character's appetite?
Does your character consider eating fun?
Would your character eat or drink something they didn't like to appease someone?
Is there food that has made your character sick?
What is your character's favorite food group?
Does your character like to try new foods?
What is a childhood meal your character cherishes?
Is your character food motivated?
Which mealtime is your character's favorite?
How much does your character care about wasting food?
Does your character prefer restaurant food or home cooked food?
What food or drink does your character consider a treat?
Is there a food texture your character doesn't like?
What kind of drinks does your character prefer?
đ¤ď¸Weather and Nature
What would your character do if they were suddenly caught in the rain?
Has your character had a meaningful encounter with an animal?
What season would your character say they're most similar to?
Is there a natural phenomenon that scares your character?
Has your character ever had an animal phase?
Would your character enjoy sky gazing?
Does your character have a good sense of direction?
What type of environment does your character like best?
Is your character good with animals?
How would your character react to snow?
What part of nature would your character most resonate with?
Could your character survive in the wilderness on their own for a week or more?
What element best represents your character?
Does your character prefer hot or cold weather?
Is there a creature that scares your character?
What celestial body would interest your character the most?
Is your character good with plants?
How willing would your character be to nap outside?
What animal would your character say best represents them?
đ¤Community and Relationships
Does your character prefer company or solitude when sick?
What is your character's favorite kind of social event?
How comfortable would your character be singing and dancing in front of others?
Is your character upfront about their feelings?
Who would your character first seek if they needed medical help?
How willing would your character be to go to a party with people they don't know?
Who is your character most honest with?
How likely is it for your character to initiate a friendship?
Where is your character's comfort place?
Is there a habit your character has that they learned from someone else?
Does your character have people they think would worry about them if they got injured?
How would your character react to being put in a position of leadership?
Would your character be good at providing medical assistance?
Who would your character say knows them best?
Is there a person your character would turn to for backup in a fight?
Who would your character most want to sign their cast if they got one?
How well does your character work with others?
What is your character's favorite form of affection?
Does your character enjoy celebrating holidays?
What would it take for your character to get into a fight?
đMind, Body and Soul
What is a habit your character has that others might find cute?
Are there particular sounds your character is fond of?
Is your character more prone to fight or flight?
Does your character believe in myths and fairy tales?
What words could tear your character down?
How well does your character act under pressure?
Is your character good at practicing self-care?
What scents does your character find comforting?
Does your character have any allergies?
Is your character a light, medium or heavy sleeper?
Does your character have strong willpower?
Is your character more likely to give advice or seek it?
How does your character relax?
Is there a secret thing your character longs to hear?
Does your character have a sleep routine?
Would your character feel confident in a fight?
Is your character more energized in the morning, afternoon or at night?
How often does your character have nightmares?
Are there scents your character dislikes?
Is there a fear your character wants to learn to overcome?
If your character had to act in a play what role would they think theyâd best perform?
Does your character have a high pain tolerance?
đ˛ Hobbies and Activities
What kind of games does your character most enjoy playing?
Does your character have a secret hobby?
What is a talent your character wishes they had?
Is there an activity your character used to enjoy that they now dislike?
Which does your character try to prioritize more, work or hobbies?
Does your character work better with creative or technical endeavors?
What is a talent that your character is proud of?
Is your character more outdoorsy or indoorsy?
What is a topic your character would be excited to talk about?Â
Is there a skill your character doesnât know theyâre bad at?
Does your character have any injury stories?
What kind of music does your character enjoy?
Has your character ever made something for themselves or someone else?
What is your characterâs opinion on cheating in games?
How good is your character at following through on projects?
Whatâs an activity that reminds your character of someone else?
Does your character prefer music or silence?
What is a topic your character wouldn't want to talk about?
#oc asks#oc ask game#oc#ocs#writing#writing prompt#ask game#I acknowledge that I have not shared as much about my ocs as I would like to have#so if there's anyone worried about reblogging this without sending me stuff#this is your pass to use this guilt free have fun!#its-a me portfolio!
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got a worm nibbling my brain. can someone help me find a piece of obscure media?
webcomic/indie comic from the 2010s. basically a sci-fi short story about a young girl (with red hair?) who was being raised by scientists as part of an experiment. she receives a haircut/has her head shaved, in preparation for her annual brain scan/testing. it is revealed that while her body is human, her "brain" is artificial, made of computer implants throughout her skull and spine. at some point her biological mother (also a scientist on the same campus?) encounters her and is repulsed, viewing her as a machine who has murdered her daughter.
it was very poignant and it bruised my heart and i can NOT find it anywhere
#i thought it was made by the creator of 'O Human Star' for some reason but apparently not?#goddammit goddammit goddammit#'i don't have to write down the title of this piece of media i encountered in my formative years bc i'll always remember it'#*cut to ten years later frantic googling*#fun fact 'a.i.' is now a completely useless search term#google in general is useless#and stuff i read 3+ years ago regularly vanishes from the internet#bookmarks are not enough! if you like indie media--download that shit! buy digital/physical copies while you can#save it to the cloud back it up and organize that shit!!!#keep a list of the stuff you read (organized by date/media type and possibly with keywords if you want it to be useful longterm)#(or a spreadsheet even if you're like me and rabidly consume short stories/comics like a pack of amnesiac piranhas on a feeding frenzy)#(that stuff PILES UP over the years ok. if you wanna make sure you'll be able to find it again a decade later--curation is key)#because art WILL touch your soul and then vanish into the void leaving naught but a 404 Error in its wake#i am an old man shaking my fist at the kids on my lawn but the kids on my lawn are me and my longterm digital planning skills circa 2012
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another one that I'm not super happy with, but continuing to mess with it isn't going to help! so here he is! đŚ there was a lot I was trying to get across in this one, so uhhhhh hopefully it reads.
we're almost out of unique magics now...just Ace (and maybe Grim?) left!
#art#twisted wonderland#twisted wonderland spoilers#twisted wonderland episode 7 spoilers#twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers#unique magic posters#drawing lilia slightly more on-model than i usually do feels so wrong#i just want to draw the tallest spikes#lilia: (writing down his height) 5'6â...5'2â in a hat#(actually i'm pretty sure he would just write 'fun-size' but i digress)#anyway lilia. hey lilia. your magic is not cradle-specific so WHY is it called that#did it come in like 'so in like 500-ish years we're going to have a significant moment with a cradle. just trust me bro.'#'in the meantime enjoy having the weirdest magic name ever'#probably came in useful for raising kids though#don't put that in your mouth don't you know where it's BEEN#because i do#(long stare off into middle distance) i know where it's been
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Danny often felt tired, as of late.
He wasn't certain as to why he did, though. It happened after his, apparent, coronation as the Prince of the Infinite Realms and after finally getting a boyfriend out of that damsel in distress who made him into one.
Which was unfortunate, because though he may try, it was very hard to pay attention on dates when Danny felt he just came from using the Ecto-Skeleton and no amount of sleep would make it go away. Fortunately, however, Billy was very understanding and accommodating of his plight, letting him sleep on him whenever he wanted and having their dates be less mentally/physically demanding things.
Man, Danny loved his boyfriend.
Unfortunately, he was away on one of his Justice League mission things.
Another thing he noticed, is that he liked to sleep in more cold places now. Very, very cold places.
So much so, that he genuinely debated moving to the Far Frozen if not for his parents turning his room into a literal walk-in freezer for him.
Did he ever find out why he needs to sleep so much? No, not really. But man.
Danny could go down for a nap right now.
---
Pariah was having a good, very good day.
He woke up, stretched, ate some food he didn't actually need to, did some light exercises after aeons of not using his sword and just fighting in general and sat down for some tea.
Even had a letter from the Master of Time with a P.S that two humans would be busting down his door!
Wait what-
"Ghost King!" Came the rather loud, effeminate shout accompanying the loud slam of his castle doors. "Where is our son!"
Honestly, Pariah is impressed by the lungs on that human.
"You heard her!" He looked down calmly at the... Actually, what in the infinite is that? Since when did humans go walking around with cannons??? "Tell us where our son is our so help me! Ghost King or not we'll exorcise you right where you stand!"
Pariah blinked slowly, very, very slowly.
Then took a sip of his favorite ghost blend then calmly placed the cup back down.
"You must be the boy's, human, parents I presume?" He asked calmly, gaze sweeping over them both. They seemed to be prepared for war, a burning fire in their eyes as they stared down the very King of Infinity and saw only an obstacle.
Oooooh, how that made the part of him that longed, sung for battle purr in sheer delight.
"Why don't you join me for tea?" He said, waving a hand and conjuring forth two extra, human sized, chairs on the opposing end of his table alongside two more tea cups. "And explain whatever is going on, while you're at it."
The two shared a glance between each other, then slowly lowered their weapons down to a point where they could still draw them at a moment's notice, yet not actively antagonizing the king at the same time-
Oh, he just loves these types of mortals.
-before slowly making their way to their seats, which were right next to each other of course. Married and whatnot.
"Tea?" He flicked a finger, filling their cups with the same that was in his cup but before remembering. "Ah, right. Human and your mortality." He casually mentioned, flicking his finger and changing the liquid to one of the few mortal blends he could still recall. "Worry not, for they are not poisoned." He chuckled lightly.
Honestly, doing such a thing would be beneath him, especially when faced with mortals of such fire.
"Now," He brought his cup to his lips. "Why don't you inform me as to what, exactly, has brought you to my doorstep prepared for battle?"
They, once more, exchanged a glance between each other, making sure the king was still in sight before Maddie opened her lips.
"Our son is missing."
---
The summoning was a success.
A terrible, terrible success.
One that the Justice League, One John Constantine especially, had valiantly attempted to stop.
But, unfortunately, once it got going it seemed to be incapable of stopping.
Faced with an entity being summoned from the Infinite Realms, they had called all of the heroes who were capable that weren't occupied. Shazam, unfortunately, was one of said heroes occupied.
Superman and Wonderwoman? Were not. So, at the very least, they had two of their heaviest hitters available.
The circle glowed a toxic green, growing and growing in glow until it reached its zenith.
Then was snuffed out as brightly as it glowed.
The air stilled, followed by a chill that rivaled the chilliest of snowstorms as if they were standing within one that very moment.
The next moment?
Ice.
Pure, unflinching, jagged pillars of ice rose from the circle the same moment it glow returned. Sticking out from the circle haphazardly and nearly impaling those that stood too close.
Mist, thick, blue mist. Rolled from the pillars of ice, descending down onto the floor with a gentleness that was almost deceptive if not occupied by such cold and being completely and utterly unnatural as it was.
The Justice League readied themselves.
#dpxdc#dc x dp#dp x dc#dcxdp#dp x dc crossover#dc x dp crossover#ghost prince danny#Man why did I write this#I don't know#Just got some inspo ig#Hope you have fun with it tho :3#You can read the Pariah and Fenton part as#Like#A ship thing if you want#Or don't idrc#Why is Danny sleeping/sleepy so much?#I had a vague idea about him slowly becoming the ancient of space or something which is why he resting in preparation for such sheer#Vastness or something#Or it could be something to do with his role as Prince#But honestly you can pick and choose a reason at your leisure idc#May or may not be in my Danny/Billy/Phantom/Shazam arc#idk#Okay I'll stop yapping now
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Sylus gets a headache | ao3 | other fics in this 'series'
Summary: Sylus has secured the promise from you that he can use your place as a safe house if he's in the area and needs it. Sylus's definition of "need", it turns out, might be different than your own, as illustrated by the first time he shows up unannounced at your door.
Sylus x gn reader, Sylus x mc, no use of y/n. This story contains: fluff, banter, Sylus has a hard time keeping his hands to himself, legal arguments, bad puns, self-indulgent writing, repetitive finger caressing, insomnia that Sylus is determined to vanquish by any means, Xavier is an innocent victim in all this and has no idea, except has Xavier ever been innocent in his entire life? CWs: insomnia, consumption of alcohol, profanity SFW, mostly. With some filthy innuendos at the end. It's Sylus, after all.
It has been a few days since you had the best nightâs rest you can remember on the back of a certain miscreant crime lordâs motorcycle, and youâre once again preparing for a long, torturous night of staring at the ceiling and trying to catalogue all the classes of wanderers in an attempt to lull yourself to sleepâNeroâs suggestion. You have your doubts about whether it will work, but he gave the advice so earnestly after overhearing you talking to Tara about your insomnia that you feel obligated to give it a go. Sylus would probably scoff and say something about âpeople pleasing,ââyou shake your head. That man does not get to live rent free in your brain, no matter how suspiciously kind he was the last time you saw him.
The kettle squeals, and you pour the boiling water into your chipped âWorldâs Greatest Hunterâ mug that Caleb had gifted you once you were admitted into the Associationâs ranks. The hot liquid steams soothingly into your face as it drowns a chamomile teabag, and you try not to think about the last time you saw him, when he was smiling. Patting your head. Whole, and so, so vibrantly alive. You take a deep, shaky breath.
After a suggestion from Tara, you add some honey and then slice a lime and squeeze the juice into the tea, absently stirring the spoon and gazing out your balcony window. Youâre home early for once, and the sun is only just setting. You canât see it through the high rises around you, but dusk filters down into the streets below your flat. The gentle sounds of the city moving into late evening drift up, the traffic like waves crashing on the shore, laughter and shop bells tinkling, a dog barking somewhere.
Suddenly, your doorbell chimes through your apartment and startles you out of your reverie. Did you forget that you had ordered something to be delivered today?
Without thinking too hard about it, you take your still piping-hot tea and pad to the foyer to answer the door.
Only to have your sense of calm shattered as you fling the mug out of sheer, instinctual self-preservation that Zayne accuses you of not having, when you see who is standing on the other side.
Quicker than your brain can actually process Sylusâs presence outside your flat, scarlet-night tendrils have prevented the mug from shattering on the floor, but have failed to stop the liquid from continuing its projectile path right onto his red, standing collar shirt and black vest.
âThe fuck, Sylus?â
âYou really, and I mean really, need to work on your greetings, kitten,â he tells you calmly, evol delivering the mug into his waiting hand while he holds the suitcase he has in the other hand away from his body to avoid being dripped on by his now soaked torso.
âSorry, you were the last person I was expecting.â You wince, heart still threatening to beat its way out of your rib cage.
âOh, expecting someone, are we?â he lifts a dark silver eyebrow.
âNo, but least of all⌠you.â You flap your hand in his general direction. âWhat are you even doing here?â
âHow about,â he drawls, âyou let me in, and Iâll tell you. You wouldnât want your neighbors to get curious and come to inquire about the mess Iâm making on your doorstep, would you?â
You stare at him for a moment longer, trying to think of a way out of having him in your space, again, but youâre tired at the end of another long day, another long week, another long month and this whole entire fucking year. Trying to get rid of him will take more energy than just letting him do what he wants so that heâll go away again. You run a hand down your face and shuffle aside.
He enters, and the scent of him fills the small foyer, warm and mouth-watering. He sets the briefcase and mug on the floor, removes his dress shoes and places them neatly by your own hastily-kicked-off boots next to the step leading into the rest of your flat. He then picks the mug back up and reads whatâs written on it.
âWorldâs best hunter, indeed.â He snorts softly, eyes flicking from your face to your thin tank top and sleep shorts covered in grinning little bounce, bounce planet blobbus, to your bare feet. âIs this how the worldâs greatest hunter always answers the door to unknown visitors?â
âIt was a gift,â you say defensively, snatching the mug from him and cradling it to your chest. âAnd the only people who would be at my door this late is Xavier borrowing a cup of sugar for some doomed baking experiment, or a delivery person. Iâm sure theyâve seen much worse than this,â you sweep your hand down your body in a dismissive flourish.
âOh, Iâm sure theyâve seen much worse.â Sylus frowns slightly.
âYeah, so if they donât like it, theyâre welcome to move on to their next delivery.â
âOr buy their own sugar,â Sylus murmurs, reaching out to run a finger along your knuckles as you clutch the mug. âAnd who gave you this highly accurate mug?â
You hesitate, knowing that his face is going to do something complicated, like it always does, when you mention your family. But fuck it, he asked. If he doesnât like the answer, he can also move on to whatever his next nefarious errand is. âSomeone who was like a brother to me.â
âBrother, huh,â he says softly, still gently stroking your skin. âWell, he wasnât wrong in this.â His hand falls back to his side. âInvite me all the way in, kitten. With your words,â he commands.
âAnd why should I do that? The deal was to let you come in. Youâre in now. You donât need to come in any further. Now itâs your turn to honor the deal. Why are you here?â You glare up at him, your foyer feeling minuscule with his big body and presence filling it.
âYou offered me your place if I ever needed it,â Sylus narrows his glittering eyes. âI needed it today before you flung steaming liquid all over my clothes. And now I need it even more.â He looks pointedly down at the still-dripping clothes in question.
âWhat did you originally need it for?â You stall, the guilt of throwing a mug fullâhalf! Half full! of tea at him starting to creep in.
âHow about you invite me all the way into your home, with your words, help me take care of this mess you caused,â he waves a lazy finger at his torso, âand Iâll tell you.â
âBut you already promised to tell me why youâre here in exchange for the initial value of me letting you in, and I let you in. I already paid. You canât make me pay twice for the same goods,â you protest.
âRemind me to take you with me the next time I have contract negotiations. Youâre more useful than my own legal counsel.â He pauses, considering you. âCircumstances have changed. Force majeure prevents me from fulfilling my original promise without requiring additional time and means to fulfil that promise. You owe me the opportunity to successfully deliver what I owe you.â
âWhat, exactly, is preventing you from telling me why you originally came to my home right here in my entryway?â
âThe consequences of an unforeseeable natural disaster,â he answers with a little helpless shrug. âNamely, the trauma of nearly getting drowned in tea following almost being taken out by a mug launched with your god-like strength. Kitten, your assault is the equivalent of an act of god, and I canât be responsible for the fact that I now need a dry shirt and a safe place to recover from the shock of almost being murdered by your tableware.â
You canât help it. It has been so long since youâve actually laughed out loud, so the noise that comes out of you doesnât even sound human. Youâre laughing, and you canât stop. The affronted look on Sylusâs face in response to your ugly-snorts, causes you to laugh even more, and youâre suddenly bending over, holding your knees, laughing like you might die if you stop.
After a long moment, when you are finally able to breathe again, you straighten and find Sylus looking at you with a soft expression, one corner of his wide mouth slightly lifted⌠which is alarming. But youâre too filled with gratitude for the relief of laughing that his absurd exaggeration just gave you, so you refuse to think about anything at all too hard right now. You give in.
âSylus, would you do me the honor of coming into my home? You can tell me what the hell youâre doing here after I find you a dry shirt.â You sarcastically bow as low as you can, your arms uplifted to gesture him forward.
âI suppose I canât refuse such a graciously extended offer,â he says, as if resigned to a terrible fate, but his smile is smug and he wastes no time striding into your living room while unbuttoning his vest. He gently lays it over the back of your couch, and begins unbuttoning his shirt. You force yourself to stop staring as the pale skin slowly being revealed with each flick of his long fingers and head to your bedroom.
You paw through your chest of drawers, trying to find a shirt that will fit his broad shoulders and chest, but all you manage to do is make even more of a mess in your barely organized drawers. You stand, remembering the hoodie Xavier leant you after a recent, particularly messy battle on a chilly night. You move to your closet where you had hung it carefully to remind yourself to give it back to him after having washed it. You pull it from the hanger, turn around, and squeal loud enough to shatter glass.
Sylus is standing right behind you, chest bare, black slacks hung low around his narrow hips, and you did not heard him come in.
âI thought we were past the terror stage of our friendship, sweetheart,â he says, cocking his head, the same ruby stud earrings he was wearing at the club flashing in the light. âBut thatâs twice today that Iâve frightened you to the point of violence. Am I really that scary?â
âYou keep⌠appearing, out of nowhere. A little warning would be appreciated,â you huff, heart pounding. You donât know why youâre so nervous around him. Really. It has nothing to do with the broad expanse of creamy skin and pillowy man-tits shoved in your face at the moment. âAnd honestly, considering the fact that our friendship started with you choking me out and keeping me captive for days, itâs a wonder that Iâm not more scared of you,â you flare, because yeah, how dare he act like you should be over the absolute shit-show of your first encounter, when youâve hardly had any time to get to know him. Thatâs why youâre nervous. There is no other possible explanation. A couple friendly interactions do not make up for how much of an evil bastard he was when you first met him.
âWould you like me to wear a bell when Iâm here, then?â he asks, conveniently ignoring the reminder regarding how he treated you not so long ago.
âHow about you just stay out of my bedroom and stay where I can see you at other times,â you snap, feeling violent again at the intrusive thought of Sylus wearing a collar around his thick neck, cute little bell dinging every time he moved.
âIâll do my best,â he says absently, clearly distracted by his thorough inventory of your bedroom as he takes in the tumbling plants in mismatched pots on floating shelves hanging over the unmade bed, the army of plushies scattered over the bunched up mountain of duvet and pillows. Your bed used to be your sanctuary. The place where you could find rest and relaxation after exhausting battles and long days squinting at the computer filing incident reports. Now it just gives you anxiety. You try to pull his attention away from the chaos of your former safe space by holding Xavierâs hoodie out for Sylus to take.
âHere, this might fit you.â
Sylus looks down at your offering, crosses his arms, and takes a step back, as if the hoodie is so offensive that it warrants recoiling physically from it. âThatâs quite a big hoodie for you, even for days when you want to be comfortable,â he says evenly.
âItâs not mine, but itâs clean, and Iâm pretty sure itâs the only thing I have right now that will fit you,â you say, shaking it a little in the universal, impatient gesture of just take it already for fuckâs sake.
âAnd who is its actual owner?â
âXavier.â
âIn the habit of wearing your partnerâs clothing, are we?â he asks, still staring at it, the disdain now plain in his assessment of the sweatshirt.
âUh, sometimes? We were on a mission recently and my jacket got torn to the point of uselessness, and it was cold. He let me wear his hoodie so I wouldn't be cold. It's been washed since then, so it's clean. Iâll just wash it again when youâre done using it before I return it. Iâm sure he wouldnât mind.â
After what seems like a ridiculous amount of time for him to apparently make some mental calculations that only he will ever understand, he finally takes the soft hoodie from you, fingertips brushing yours as he grasps the fabric. You canât figure out why he he suddenly looks more smugly evil than youâve ever seen, with his lips curved up in a sardonic smirk. âOh, of course, Iâm sure he will not mind at all.â He pulls the hoodie over his head and shimmies a little as he drags it down is body; itâs a little tight around the shoulders, but you donât think itâs tight enough to permanently stretch the fabric.
After itâs on, he tugs the collar up to his nose and inhales deeply.
âWhat are you doing?â you ask, as if you canât see perfectly well what he is doing.
âIt smells like you,â he answers, shameless, as if that is a perfectly reasonable answer to your question.
âWell, I did wear it, and wash it with my normal detergent and it has been hanging in my closet for a while, soâŚâ your voice trails off.
âAnd soon it will smell like me too,â he continues, letting the collar fall with a satisfied flick of his fingers.
What even is this conversation? âCan you just be normal? For once?" A look of boredom is all the response you get, so you continue. "Now get out of my bedroom. Come tell me why youâre here in the first place.â You stride past him, making your way into the living room.
He follows you obediently and plops down on the couch, and just like last time, spreads his legs wide. This time, he is able to rest his arms on either side along the back of the couch, effectively occupying the whole damn thing. He sits quietly, looking at you expectantly.
You stand, arms folded, a safe distance away from the couch near the kitchen island.
âWell?â You prompt.
âItâs customary to offer your guest a refreshing beverage upon receiving them in your home. I believe I offered you wine the first time I hosted you in my own home.â
âHosted?â He canât be serious. âWhat a generous euphemism for âunlawfully imprisoned,ââ you bite out.
âPo-tae-to,â he says serenely, âPo-tah-to.â
âSylus,â you warnâabout what, youâre not sure. He wants a beverage? Okay, perhaps youâll fling more hot tea at him if he doesnât start talking.
âKitten.â He continues gazing at you, clearly in no hurry to move things along.
âIf you donât tell me, right now, why the hell you showed up at my place unannounced, I will report you as a burglar and have you removed by the authorities.â
âBut then how will you explain to Xavier why Iâve been arrested wearing his sweater?â he asks, eyes wide, all concern for what your partnerâs thoughts on the matter would be, and what they would mean for you.
âBurglars have been known to be creeps and go rooting through their victimsâ closets and wearing their clothes! Iâll just say you were wearing it when I got here. Maybe heâll be worried that itâs him youâre actually interested in harassing,â you snicker, trying to picture Xavierâs reaction.
As youâre speaking, Sylus pulls out his phone and fiddles with it with a bored expression on his face. Â
âOh, Iâm sorry, am I boring you? Perhaps you should go find something more interesting to do and leave me in peace,â you grind out after youâve finished and notice his complete lack of attention.
Your irritation is interrupted by a notification on your phone. Since Sylus is so busy messing with his, you grab yours from where it has been lying on the counter since before Sylus interrupted your peaceful evening staring out into the city. You see that you have a new message from⌠the man currently oozing across the entirety of your couch, head lolled to the side and watching you with a hint of amusement curving his mouth.
You open the chat, and your eyes widen at the conversation that never fucking happened currently loading into your chat history, with time stamps corresponding to when Sylus showed up at your door.
You: Oh Sylus, my big, handsome partner in crime, I think thereâs an intruder in my flat and Iâm so scared!
The Sytuation: What makes you think theres an intruder in your home, kitten? Im on my way.
You: There is sugar missing from my pantry! I just bought a new bag yesterday, and itâs gone! Oh please, my dark knight, come protect me from the sugar thief who should buy his own sugar and stop coming to my place to pilfer mine!
The Sytuation: Of course, sweetie. Go wait by the door, Ill be there in 5.
âWhat. Is. This. Fuckery,â you demand, thrusting your phone in his face.
He shrugs. âYou threatened to lie about why Iâm here in a bid to get rid of me. Did you not expect me to counter your move to ensure that no one will believe you?â he pauses, and then narrows his eyes. "Did you really save me in your phone as 'The Situation,' with a Y?"
"Punny, right? My phone doubles as my work phone. You really think I'm going to save your real name in my contacts? I might as well just save you as 'Sylus Qin, leader of Onychinus, most wanted criminal in the N109 zone," you grumble. "And trust me, that's the nicest name I could come up with."
"Punny," he repeats derisively, unimpressed.
âAnd don't derail. What is this nonsense about a sugar thief?â You wave the phone again.
âYour colleague should learn to stock his own pantry if he wants to engage in⌠what did you call them? Doomed baking experiments?â
âHow did you even⌠why does it look so real?â You gaze down at the texts that look so authentic that if they hadnât been filled with such bullshit, youâd be doubting your own sanity about whether the conversation had really happened.
âYouâre really surprised that faking evidence, alibis and dirt on my opponents is a part of my vast skill set? Iâm hurt that you underestimate me so.â He looks at you like heâs disappointed, a little pout pulling down his stupid beautiful mouth.
âFor fuckâs sake.â Youâre done. The longer you resist, the longer Sylus will be in your flat, driving you up the wall. âFine. Fine!â You set your phone down again and throw up your hands. âWhat do you want to drink, Sylus?â
âTwo fingers of gin, if you have it. Or brandy. Or vodka.â He thinks for a moment. âIâm not feeling too picky tonight.â
âI donât keep hard liquor in my house, you alcoholic. I have a half-open bottle of rosĂŠ in the fridge. Will that satisfy his lordship?â You turn resignedly to trod your way to your fridge.
âWhat vineyard and vintage?â he asks, perking up.
You open the fridge and pull out the bottle. You squint at the label. âI dunno. It has a cute fish on the label, so I bought it.â
He looks at you like you just murdered Mephisto, and you begin pouring the pink liquid into another mug. This one says UNT on the side in big block letters, matching the size of the handle so that when you hold it, the handle looks like a matching C. You walk back to where heâs sitting, and you think that maybe your smile looks as smug as Sylusâs usually does when you hand him his drink.
He takes the mug from you, snorts when he reads the side, and then look at its contents dubiously for a moment.
âYou taste it first,â he finally says, looking back up at you.
âWorried I poisoned it?â Youâre still grinning.
âAs you say,â he says, tilting his head.
âPerhaps you shouldnât demand beverages from people you donât trust then.â
âI trust you, just not your taste in wine after learning you choose bottles based on the cuteness of the label. Indulge me,â he murmurs. âProve to me that youâre willing to drink it, and that itâs not just swill youâre trying to get rid of by offering it to me.â
You take the mug from him and lift it to your lips, taking a sip, watching him over the rim as you swallow. His nostrils flair, and he lifts his hand in a gesture for you to return it to him. Instead of giving it back, you take one more big gulp, and his brow furrows. Only after you've slowly swallowed again do you comply, relishing the warmth spreading through your body as you lower the mug for him to take. He brushes your fingers again as he takes it back. He turns the mug, so that his mouth hovers where yours just was. He then closes his eyes and inhales, gently swirling the liquid inside. Eyes still closed, he takes a sip.
After a moment, he sighs. âThank you. This is actually not bad, for a rosĂŠ.â
âYouâre such a snob,â you smile down at him, irrationally pleased that he seems so pleased.
âLife is too difficult, and too short, to waste on inferior experiences. I only like tasting the best,â he says, bright red eyes opening and fixing on you.
He looks up at you like you should be able to draw some deeper meaning from his words, but youâre tired, warm from the wine, and despite how much he winds you up you were just moments ago, right now youâre strangely relaxed for the first time in days.
âTell me why youâre here, Sylus,â you say quietly.
âYou told me I could use your place when I needed it,â he says, just as softly. He takes another drink, rolls it around in his mouth. Swallows, his adamâs apple dipping.
âAnd why did you need it this evening?â
âI had some negotiations regarding a business acquisition that Iâm considering in this part of Linkon City, and they were abhorrently boring. By the time they were over, I had a splitting headache, and the sunlight didnât help. It would have been unsafe to operate a motor vehicle under those conditions, so I thought Iâd come and wait for it to pass in my newest âsafe house,â he answers gravely, as if getting a headache was a perfectly logical reason to crash your evening and take over your couch. âWouldnât want to endanger the innocent citizens of Linkon City with reckless driving, now would we?â
âArenât all of your shady business deals done under the cover of darkness? Why were you here at a meeting during the day?â
Heâs holding the mug in one hand by his fingertips now, along the rim, slowly swirling it. He crosses one long leg over the other and answers languidly. âYouâre assuming that todayâs business was âshady.ââ
âSo your business today was legitimate?â Youâve been standing for awhile now, and begin to shift from bare foot to bare foot.
He hums in acknowledgement. âMy business interests are as varied as they are successful. You insult me by looking so surprised.â
âWell I would never want to insult you,â you drawl. âSo thatâs it? You got a headache and decided youâd crash my evening?â
He nods, touching his temple and grimacing. âItâs still pretty bad, to be honest.â
âThe daylight bothers you that much?â you ask, genuinely curious. You have always assumed that it was the nature of his occupation and perhaps just a proclivity for being a night owl that explained his nocturnal existence, but now youâre wondering if itâs not something deeper that has him avoiding it as much as possible.
You finally decide to give your tired feet a break and perch on the little corner of couch cushion that has been freed for use by Sylus crossing his legs. âIf sunlight bothers you that much, what could possibly be so important to come out in it today?â
âAre you really asking about the details of my business ventures, sweetheart?â he asks in what you suspect is feigned astonishment.
âAnd if I am?â
âThen Iâll tell you,â he responds easily.
âThen I am.â
âIâm in discussions for acquiring a chain of entertainment venues in Linkon City.â He leans his head on the couchâs backrest and lets it roll to the side to keep looking at you. He catches the look of disgust that is no doubt obvious on your face.
âEntertainment venues,â you say flatly.
âYes. Is there something wrong with that?â
âWhat kind of ⌠entertainment venues?â you ask, hating yourself for wanting to know. Itâs his business if he wants to buy porn shops, or strip clubs, or brothelsâyour stomach twists, and you refuse to consider why.
âWhat kind of ideas are racing through that fascinating brain of yours?â he asks, reaching up and running two of his fingers along your temple, brushing your hair away from your eyes.
âNothing,â you bite out, turning your face away from his touch. You normally dislike how you have a hard time concealing how youâre feeling, but you particularly hate it right now.
âMmhmm,â he murmurs. âThen, to answer your question, itâs a chain of arcades.â
Your brain grinds to a halt. Did he just sayâ
âArcades?â
He nods, and winces, closing his eyes. Youâre starting to believe that his head is actually hurting him, and you feel bad for throwing dishware and hot tea at him and refusing to offer him more than the one drink he asked for.
âWhy would you be interested in acquiring an arcade chain?â
âEven for odious crime lords, itâs always wise to have a diversified business portfolio.â
You have called him a lot of things both out loud and in your head, but youâd never call him odious. Odorous, perhaps, when heâs sweating heavily after being riddled with bullets. But you have to suppress the urge to chastise him about talking about himself that way.
âWhich chain is it?â
âYou probably donât know it,â he says, as if bored with the question. âItâs not a very large chain, but large enough for my interests.â
âTry me! I love going to the arcade when I have some free time. I mean, youâve seen my plushie collection now that you invited yourself into my house,â you bounce a little on the couch.
âYou invited me, kitten. Youâve had a choice, each and every time.â
âDonât deflect! Answer the question!â Youâre quite excited about this. Maybe if itâs a place you know, that has a location nearby, heâll give you a discount if he ends up buying them? Like an employee discount or something. Is that ethical? You should check the Associationâs employee handbook for conflicts of interest.
He squints, as if preparing to evaluate your reaction, and names your favorite place to play the claw machine.
âFor real? Youâre really going to buy them?â
âI still have to review the contract that was proposed during todayâs discussions with my legal counsel, but if negotiations are successful, then yes,â he says, casually examining his nails.
Your excitement is hard to contain, but you suddenly have a troubling thought. âYouâre not going to change anything, right? Like, that place is perfect as it is, and the employees are all really friendly and helpful and clearly work hard to keep it really nice,â you rush out, worried that heâs planning to reduce the staff or try to jack up the prices for a larger profit margin.
He turns to look at you again, and doesnât answer for long enough that youâre really starting to worry. But then he says softly, âNo, Iâm not going to change a thing.â
âOh? So theyâre doing well? Itâs a solid financial investment?â Youâre so relieved, safe in the knowledge that your plushies will continue to be accessible, insofar as claw machines by design allow them to be.
Sylus laughs softly. âYes, the financials all look good. Considering your interest in the nature of binding agreements, would you like to look over the purchase agreement with me? I have it with me.â
âIâd actually really like to, but Iâm starting to get really tired,â you yawn, the relief you were just feelingâthe relief of knowing that Sylus wasnât up to anything that would leave a blood trail today, relief that he didnât come tonight to try to force you to resonate or finally kill you for refusing to do so, and most importantly, relief that he wasnât going to acquire and ruin one of the little pleasures in your lifeâall of it is now drowned out by a heavy feeling of pleasant drowsiness.
âThen Iâll read it to you, until you fall asleep.â
âHuh? You want to stay?â
âYes,â he says, hauling himself to his feet and offering you his hand. You take it in confusion, and he lifts you to your feet as well. He sets the now empty mug on your coffee table, and then places his hands on your shoulders, gently guiding you from behind to your bedroom.
âWhy?â you ask, not even thinking to object.
âHeadache, remember?â He pushes you gently by your shoulders so that youâre sitting on your bed.
âHow can you review legalese when youâre suffering from a headache?â You sink into the softness of the mattress.
âWhy donât you let me worry about that?â he says, nudging you until youâve scooted to the middle of the bed. âDonât move. Iâm going to get my tablet out of my briefcase.â He disappears through the doorway, and youâre left sitting on your bed, surrounded by all of your plushies, and you have no idea whatâs happening. Youâre just too tired to argue with him. You really did miscalculate by spending all of your energy trying to get rid of him when he first arrived.
But just because youâre bone-tired, doesnât mean youâre going to let him boss you around. You get off the bed and pad into the kitchen, passing him as he snaps his briefcase shut, tablet in hand.
âI distinctly recall telling you not to move,â he gripes, pushing up an elegant set of gold framed glasses perched on the uneven bridge of his nose with a middle finger. Huh, you didnât know he needed glasses to read. He looks almost ⌠cute wearing them, a little less feral. Like a leopard wearing a monocle.
Suppressing the thought of Sylus and cute in the same sentence, you ignore him, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. Then you rummage through your most chaotic kitchen drawer for a few moments, before triumphantly pulling out what you were looking for.
You pad back over to where heâs still watching you, and offer him the glass and the half-used blister pack of over-the-counter painkillers you fished out of your chaos drawer. âHere.â
He looks down at your hands, offering him what you hope is some relief from his headache. His face is impassive, and youâre worried he assumes youâre trying to poison him again. But then he tucks the tablet under one arm, and reaches out with both hands to grasp the glass and the pill packâexcept he doesnât take them from your hands. He envelops yours with his, and pulls you gently closer to him. He somehow manages to pop two tablets out of the pack with his thumb, and they drop into your curved palm. Still holding your hand, he leans down to sweep them from your skin with his tongue. In a complete daze, you watch him lift the glass that youâre still holding to his lips, and he takes a long pull of water, washing the pills down, all the while holding your gaze with his. When heâs done, he slowly lowers your hands again.
âThank you,â he murmurs âFor the benevolence of your heart.â He says it gravely, as if youâve just saved his life instead of giving him some headache medicine.
âYouâre welcome,â you whisper, feeling like youâve been struck by a truck after⌠whatever that was, feeling the warmth of his tongue in the palm of your hand like he was still licking it. Sylus then turns and heads back to your bedroom.
You set the glass and the now-empty pill pack on the kitchen island, thinking youâll clean up tomorrow if you manage to sleep tonight, and follow him.
In the bedroom, Sylus sits, leaning back against your headboard, having needed to gently scoop some plushies out of the way to make room. He stretches his legs out in front of him with a sigh. He looks so soft, wrapped in the white hoodie, silver hair rumpled, surrounded by pillows and cute little plushies.
Itâs getting increasingly difficult to remember that the man currently sinking into your duvet and wiggling his sock-covered toes in contentment is the same man who straight up exploded the man who dared kidnap you, and then proceeded to kidnap you himself after choking you to the point of passing out. You try to hold both of these truths about him in your mind at the same time, but the image of Sylus dancing you gently through a press of bodies, of the way he caresses your fingers at every opportunity, the soft slide of his tongue along your palmâthese images are conquering every other version of him that you know to be true in your mind. You wonder briefly if this is part of some larger scheme of his, and what his endgame could possibly be. But right now, youâre too fucking tired to care.
âWhat is even happening,â you ask. Youâre exhausted, but you still have enough mental reserves to question how you got here, in this situation, with this man migrating from vanquishing your couch to a large part of your bed. âIs the coffee table, or kitchen table insufficient for your needs? Why are you going to review the paperwork here, on my bed?â
âDonât think I didnât notice how quickly you fell asleep on my back on the motorcycle the other night, sweetheart. Iâm just reading you a bedtime story featuring limitations of liability and allocation of risk so that you can finally get some sleep again.â He pats his thigh. âHere.â
You just stare at him. âDonât make me repeat myself,â he warns, tapping his thigh again with one long finger. Just for that, you glare mutinously at him and fold your arms over your chest.
He sighs again, this time in exasperation, and leans over, firmly lifting you and setting you down so that your head is pillowed against his meaty thigh. He begins to run his fingertips gently up and down the middle of your back. He returns his attention to his tablet. âNow listen carefully,â he commands, before flicking the screen with his thumb and beginning to read in his softly in his deep, rich voice.
But of course you don't. You fall asleep as the skyscrapers light up like a dragon's hoard of jewels in the night sky outside your window, to the sounds of Sylusâs quiet recitation of indeed, a terribly boring contract, and the whisper of his fingers along your skin.
When you wake up, there is another black feather on your pillow, and you are alone. You yawn, once again feeling unbelievably rested despite the chaos Sylus always brings to your door and into your life. You stretch leisurely, spreading your arms wide and turning your head on the pillow, when something catches in your earlobe. You reach up and run your fingers along a stud earring that was not there when you fell asleep. You feel your other earlobe, but it's empty. You grab your phone from the nightstand, knocking over a semiautomatic hand pistol with scarlet flames engraved along the grip that you also don't remember owning onto the floor. You stare at it briefly, ready to commit murder if you check it and find that the safety isn't on. But first things first: you put the phone camera in selfie mode and lift it to your face, but quickly lower it again after confirming that it is indeed a ruby stud in your ear, sparkling cheekily in the morning sunlight.
Later, you're relieved to find that Sylus did actually leave the safety on on your new little ... toy, and you'll find that the mugs have been washed and set neatly away, the empty pack of painkillers placed in the recycling bin. You also see that various takeout containers and other debris that had piled up on a lot of surfaces in your place are also gone, and the countertops are clean, the coffee and kitchen table gleam in the early morning sunlight. You don't notice that the white hoodie is nowhere to be found, until you meet up with Xavier later in the day. He's wearing one that looks exactly like it.
"Thanks for returning the hoodie," he yawns. "But you really didn't have to."
You pause, feeling a thread of panic start to wind its way through your stomach. You decide to just... go with it. "Oh? You found it okay?"
"Yeah, but why did you just leave it hanging from my door handle? You could have rung and come in. I had a new limited edition bag of those cookies you were looking at in the corner store last week. I would have shared some with you... but now I've eaten them all," he admits sheepishly, big blue eyes shimmering with guilt.
You try to think fast. Did Sylus give back the hoodie without washing it? What the fuck was he thinking? He could have been seen! Does this flat have surveillance footage? Does Xavier suspect anything? You realize that you still haven't answered Xavier's question as your panic spirals. "Oh, you know, didn't want to wake you up," you flap your hands, as if you can flap this entire situation right out of your messy life.
"Well, I don't know what you did to it, but it feels brand new. As if it's never even been washed. And you somehow got out the bbq sauce stain that no matter how much I sprayed it with that stain remover stuff would never come out. So you're going to have to teach me some of that laundry magic," he says contentedly, snuggling further into the entirely new hoodie that you now realize Sylus must have somehow, over the course of the night, had hand-delivered to Xavier's place. "Uh huh," you say absently, pulling out your phone to furiously text Mr. Asshat when you see that he has also changed his name in your contact list.
You: What the hell did you do with Xavier's hoodie?"
My Sy: It doesnt matter who it belonged to before me. All that matters is that its mine now.
You: It doesn't even fit you properly! You're too big for it!
My Sy: Nothing a little size training cant fix.
Your jaw drops. He cannot be implying what you think he's implying. This is your filthy mind at work. You decide that you will simply pretend this conversation never happened. Absolutely nothing good can come from trying to figure out what the fuck is going through Sylus's head at any given moment.
You: And 'My Sy?' Really?
My Sy: Its not punny, but it rhymes. And its accurate. Gotta put the phone down for a bit, kitten. Business requires my attention. Ill be seeing you soon.
You stare at his last message for long enough that Xavier asks if you're okay. You're not. You're not okay. You couldn't even bring yourself to ask him about the other earring, or the gun. You just slowly slip your phone back into your cargo pants pocket and try very hard to stop thinking, for the rest of the day.
#love and deepspace#love and deepspace sylus#lads sylus#l&ds sylus#sylus x reader#sylus x mc#love and deepspace fanfiction#my fanfic#did i spend time in glint just to make a photo of sylus touching his temple for this post#to go with today's theme#yes your honor#i hope someone finds this enjoyable#i'm having fun writing and fixating on this king
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Happy Valentine's day! đ
(comic continues below) ⤾
Dazai proceeded to almost pass out while trying to tell Chuuya to take that thing off before it kills him.
Bonus đ
#HOLD UP I FORGOT TO SAY THANK YOU TO REMI FOR CO-WRITING THIS#yeah you get the make up your own context and conclusion on this one have fun :)#suggestive#<- barely. that's not the point but the outfit is there.#cutesy pink frills and ribbons and ruffles are not chuuya's style. to say the least.#bsd#bungo stray dogs#bungou stray dogs#bsd fanart#bsd chuuya#bsd nakahara chuuya#bsd dazai#bsd dazai osamu#skk#soukoku#nawy's comics
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I was thinking what to write here but the dog just ran away with my marker. Anyway I love taking stories with potential for lots of angst and making it lighthearted. AND THEN plunge into the depths.
#I was trying to be more dynamic#drawing shorthand when you barely know anything about anatomy is hard#the lamb is confused and scared and nervous and trying to cover it with the funnies. on the other hand narinder is intriguing to them#so they end up having some fun anyway#narinder is beginning to regret his choice of vessel. fool. youre stuck with them#narinder#the lamb#cotl#cult of the lamb#narilamb#cotl narinder#cotl the lamb#cotl fanart#cotl lamb#cult of the lamb fanart#cotl au#text#writing#doodle skadoodle
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Also have another âfirst words spoken to you are on your skinâ soulmate AU idea where Kara is a journalist assigned to shadow the controversial CEO of L-Corp for the day. Itâs a big deal for her to get this assignment, so of course she trips the second sheâs near the other woman and tries awkwardly to redeem herself.
The CEO stares at her almost in shock, and then says nothing. At all. Ever, for the entire day.
Kara spends hours following Lena Luthor around trying to fill the silence, but no amount of questions get her to talk. Lena almost seems to be running away at some points - like sheâs trying to lose her? - and the few times sheâs managed to catch her actually talking to someone she goes silent the second she sees Kara.
She asks around if Miss Luthor is usually like this and everyone looks at her like sheâs crazy. Apparently sheâs the only one who gets the silent treatment. By the end of her first day shadowing sheâs walking away with half a page of observations and not a single quote. Miss Grant is going to kill her.
But thatâs okay. Itâs fine, this isnât over. She has four days of shadowing ahead of her and sheâll be damned if she doesnât finish this with a quote from the woman herself. Itâs only a matter of time.
#what if you were an over stressed billionaire who feels like your existence must be a constant apology for the sins of your family#and youâre about to be followed around and studied by some no named baby reporter sent from a fashion magazine#youâre battling the migraine of a century you have five crises to settle all at once and also that baby reporter just said your words#the ones youâve carried for the last decade - the ones youâve feared and hoped for ever since#and itâs wonderful probably - this is what people dream of - but the problem is you just donât have time for this#you canât have your big soulmate moment#not right now. definitely not with this reporter. itâs not the right time#so I guess those words will just have to wait until it is time#if you can someone manage to resist. itâll be hard#she does seem like someone itâd be really easy to talk to after all#good luck to you both#soulmate AU#Supercorp#fun shenanigan that I shanât be writing#mine
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some of the right words
#akia art#olba#baxter ward#olba mc#maggie fighting for her life (colorized)#girl went into step 3 a casual dater and it took all of two (2) moments for her to accept she was screwed#doubly so bc it was supposed to be seasonal 𤣠it's such a fun premise for how it engages the mc's own complexities#i wonder how long it took baxter to fall on his ass tbh#i feel like he was self-aware enough to know it was happening but there had to have been an element of frog in boiling water to it#what w all that 19 yo emotional constipation LMAO#and the writing's preoccupation w coexisting dualities#the recoil of refusing to perceive until perceiving happens beyond your control must be insane#anyway i was also fighting for my life trying to draw a mouth kiss and that's why i've avoided them until now#tell me why it's giving the slobbery make out meme đđ¤Ł
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Unpleasant Revelations - DPxDC Ficlet Idea for the Stillborn Au
"Have you met my youngest, Damian, Mr. Masters?"
Its only from twenty years of long, hard experience and practice that Vlad doesn't increase the room temperature from 'borderline uncomfortably cool' to 'unbearably hot' the moment Bruce Wayne pulls his youngest and "only" biological son out in front of him.
He puts only in quotations because twelve year old Damian Wayne looks scarily, uncannily like one Daniel Brown. Jack and Maddie's foster son, second victim of their foolishness, and only other halfa in existence. Second only to him.
It's nauseating how similar they look. From the scowl and terrible glare on the young boy's face, to his brown skin -- which was only a few shades lighter than Daniel's, the shape of his nose, and even the strange winged edge of his eyebrow. Something that Vlad has long since come to find endearing on the child he considered a son of his own. The only difference was that Damian had dark, sharp green eyes.
Daniel's eyes were blue. The same glacier shade as his father's, who stood behind Damian with a proud, oafish smile on his visage.
It was infuriating how similar they look. Vlad might not have rapidly swung the room temperature from one extreme to the other, but he can't stop himself from letting the fury burning within his core from slipping out and raising the temperature up a few degrees.
Because it really only meant one thing.
Damian Wayne and Daniel Brown were related.
Damian Wayne and Daniel Brown were brothers.
Standing in front of him, it was clear as day. He can already picture a phantom image of Daniel standing beside Damian, the same scowl written on his face, the same glare carved into his eyes. The only difference being the dark, exhausted circles beneath them that seemed to be permanently painted onto his skin. The only thing missing being the permanent loneliness and vigilance permeating his being like a scar.
This, if revealed, would be enough to ruin Bruce Wayne's reputation. Or, at the very least, darken it quite a bit. The great philanthropist Bruce Wayne with another secret blood child? One related to his youngest? One that had been put into foster care? Seemingly thrown away?
It would be a firestorm.
One that Vlad is not keen on starting.
It would ruin Bruce Wayne's reputation, yes. But it would hurt Daniel in the process -- the harassment he would face alone might just be enough to break that fragile child completely. That was just not something he could allow. Or, even worse, bring him into his biological father's care and custody -- something Vlad was even less willing to allow.
It's not out of kindness to Wayne that Vlad will keep mum about this.
His grip on his champagne flute tightens, just a bit. He's still aware enough of the world around him to not let it shatter in his hands. His plastered, pleasant smile tightens around the corners, and he forces his focus to slide from Damian to Wayne.
"The resemblance is uncanny, Mister Wayne." He says, slanting his smile to the side slyly. Although he's not talking about the resemblance between Wayne and his son. Rage simmers beneath his skin, burning coal and embers in the core of his chest, nestled between his lungs, as he meets the man's eyes.
Wayne swaggles his head proudly, his ditzy smile widening as he squeezes his son's shoulder affectionately. Bastard, Vlad wants to spit.
He breathes in through his nose, and exhales out through his mouth. The champagne in his hand cools, and stops its unusual bubbling.
The Damian boy scoffs under his breath, his mouth still coiled upward into a scowl. With the revelation of his blood relation to Daniel evident, Vlad's not sure if he should find it endearing or not.
He is not Daniel, so he decides that it's just simply irritating. He decides to ignore it.
"And you said he was your only biological son?" He asks, voice lilting and head tilting. He knows its a suspicious question at worst, insulting at best. But considering Wayne's past proclivities, he can hardly call it an unexpected question.
Damian puffs in great offense, face twisting angrily. It reminds him of Daniel when Vlad insisted that he was wrong about something or other, and for a moment his heart swells, fond.
But this is not his child, and so the feeling quickly crashes and burns, simmering back into rage. This was not Daniel -- this was his replacement. A replacement that Wayne was free to keep.
Wayne chuckles, idiotically, as if he'd said some funny joke. Vlad's other hand, the one gripping his cane -- something he's required ever since he was dispatched from the hospital all those lonely years ago -- tightens instead. He grinds his teeth -- him and Jack Fenton would get along like a house on fire, he hates it.
"I can understand why you'd ask that, Mister Masters," Wayne says, squeezing Damian's shoulder again, "but yes, Damian is my only biological son. Although that doesn't mean I don't love my other children any less."
Bastard.
For all his posturing and flouncing about caring for his city and his children, Vlad never would have thought the Prince of Gotham capable of abandoning one of them.
But, well.
They all have their dark secrets.
And what one man throws away, another man picks up. If Bruce Wayne didn't want the treasure child that was Daniel Brown, then Vlad Masters was more than happy to take him instead.
"I see."
#dpxdc#danny fenton is not the ghost king#dp x dc#dpxdc crossover#dp x dc crossover#dpxdc au#danyal al ghul au#dpxdc ficlet#dpxdc fanfic#i was hit with this idea two hours ago and was hit with the intrinsic need to write it down#parental vlad masters#protective vlad masters#vlad is currently going 'OH? OH YOU ABANDON AND REPLACE **MY** SON??? MURDER. DEATH. BEES UPON YOUR FAMILY'#but he's also still like. evil. much less of a creep! but evil. so he comes off a bit possessive. which was intentional.#vlad's reaction is kinda valid if it was accurate and bruce DID willingly and knowingly abandon danny. except he didn't. he has no idea#danny is even alive. vlad doesn't know that tho. we all love a good reasonable misunderstanding :]#hc that vlad needs a cane as a human because the ecto-acne that killed him fucked his nerves up a bit as a result and now he's got a bad le#and is also immunocompromised. which had a slight hand in his 20 year isolation thing.#stillborn? no still born au#stillborn danny au#stillborn danny#vlad masters#this may or may not be canon to the au im still thinking about it#vlad acknowledges that danny is formiddable but he's also not wrong that a media shitstorm like that would hurt him considerably.#diamonds are the toughest known material to man and yet it still shatters like glass when put under pressure. vlad's right he's fragile#ummm anyways yeah Vlad finds out first and promptly decides to go 'oh okay so fuck you personally actually. keep your replacement child'#he has No Plans on telling Danny what he learned mostly for the obvious selfish reasons and also bc yeah. this is gonna hurt danny#ITS NOT FUN IF IT ISNT A LITTLE TOXIIIIC#i absolutely know that vlad only swears in deserts which is why its important that i have him call bruce wayne a bastard directly.
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Thank you all for an incredible 500 days of love and support. I offer you: answers to questions that no one has asked.
(As always, more can be found in the tags <3)
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#wei wuxian#a-qing#jin ling#wen ning#jiang cheng#âHey wait this feels like there should have been way more content for questionsâ Yes. There was.#I was not strong enough to redraw *all* of what was lost. Rest in piece the original (lost to tea related accident)#But I'll tell you all the fun other things that would have been drawn out right here in the tags!#Did you know my longest posting streak was 61 days? And my longest hiatus was 6 days?#Did you know I missed posting on 92 days of those 500 days - meaning I posted 82% of the time on a daily basis?#I'm normal about collecting data. I have so much data on this blog for normal reasons. I'm also so normal about art. The normalest.#Honorable mention for the character rankings: Lan Wangji! for âMost improved in rankâ.#Sorry Lan Wangji fans but until the audio drama I honestly was...pretty indifferent towards him.#I think a huge part of that was due to the fact he's constantly paired up with WWX; who has *so* much charisma and steals the scene#But I've really come to like him a lot more since starting this project. He rose from mid-tier to being in the top ten!#Dishonorable mention: Nie Huaisang. Who fell out of number 1 spot and out of the top 5.#He just hasn't shown up a lot! And my rankings are fickle! They will probably change once I finish the third season!#My favourite comics are: A lot of them! And the ones I have yet to make!#I'm very sleepy at the moment while writing this but I do want to give a huge shout out to YOU.#Yeah! you reading this! Thank you! If you've been here since the first week or just started reading: THANK YOU!#If you've only ever lurked and never even liked a single post but still read my comics: THANK YOU!!#In creating this blog - I have found 500 days of more happiness that I could have ever imagined.#Thank you for joining me on this journey. Thank you for giving me your time and your support.#It means more than any 'thank you' could say B'*)
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