#having a tea party with his current partner + his partner's ex + the ex's current jealous boyfriend

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics that both have A/B/O dynamics and are soft and fluffy! If you enjoy our rec lists and would like them to continue, please like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Seven, Seven | Not Rated | 1,877 words

“Hello, baby girl,” Harry says as soon as the nurse places the bundle of joy into his arms. “We’ve been dying to meet you.”

2) Send Me Your Pillow (The One That You Dream On) | General Audiences | 3,187 words

Harry is embarrassed to realize he's nesting but can't stop stealing Louis' things for his nest.

3) Whisk Me Off My Feet | Explicit | 5,054 words

When Louis locks himself out of his apartment in just a pair of novelty underwear, he hopes his new neighbor can come to his rescue.

4) Purr And Shout | Not Rated | 5,274 words

The sound that escapes Harry's mouth couldn't possibly be a purr. He's an alpha, alphas don't purr. Or do they?

5) Take Me To The Stars | Explicit | 5,840 words

Staring at his darling daughter, in the middle of the pasta aisle, Louis found himself on the edge of a neurotic breakdown.

"It’s your birthday tomorrow! And your papa better not do anything to muck it up! Because your dada worked very hard to organise it! And all of your aunties and grannies and granddads and friends will be there!” Louis continued in a sweet sing-song voice that seemed to get increasingly frantic as he continued. “And if your papa is in rut, then what? What’ll we do, honey girl? Your dada will be too busy! And your papa will be too horn-”

“Louis,” Harry interrupted, touching Louis’ arm. “I’ll be okay. It’s probably not even my rut. I can appreciate you… all of you… even when I’m not in rut.”

Louis looked at him skeptically, imagining the shitshow that would be Harry in rut, surrounded by family and friends, at their child’s first birthday party. “I hope you’re right, H.”

6) Young And Sweet | Explicit | 5,894 words

Louis sees his ex at the carnival and thinks that he must be the solution to his problem.

7) Glistening Under The Sun (You're My Honey Soaked Love) |  Mature | 8,996 words | Sequel

The cottagecore fic we all needed, featuring Petal the overprotective bunny, mummy Louis and alpha Harry that lives and breathes for his omega.

8) I Will Cover My Eyes (For If The Dark Returns) | Not Rated | 9,582 words

Alpha Harry asks omega Louis out and things progress from there.

9) When Tomorrow Comes | Explicit | 11,111 words

When Louis and Niall are partnered up to complete a project on Omega scents and how they effect the nesting behaviours of Alphas, little does Louis know that the course of his life is about to be forever altered.

10) Butterflies, The Beautiful Kind | Explicit | 18,401 words

Prompt 36: Louis is a single parent with a child who is terrified of doctors. However, one day, the kid gets sick. Thankfully the new pediatrician, doctor Styles, has wild curly hair and green eyes and a soothing deep voice that the kid immediately grows attached to.

11) Tiger Lily | Mature | 20,155 words

I worked next door and when he walked in, my whole world turned on it's head.

12) This Love Is Ours | Mature | 21028 words

“I told you to call me Harry.” Harry looks amused. It’s not funny. Louis throwing up because of him isn’t funny.

“But I’ve been calling you Mr. Styles for so long.”

“And now you’re carrying my baby.”

13) Swept Me Off My Feet (Took My Heart And Took Me Down) | Explicit | 25,447 words

When Louis had decided to reopen his mother’s bakery, he never thought a charming alpha would walk in through the door, let alone fall in love with him over tea, dessert and music.

14) Raise a Glass to the Four of Us | Mature | 25,470 words

Louis stared at his luggage.

Well. Apparently not his luggage, because the clothing he was looking at currently was a: worth more than everything he currently possessed, b: not his size at all, and c: more suited for a fancy ass lawyer than a holiday in NYC with his best mates.

“Ooh, nice loafers,” Niall said as he pulled one out of the suitcase. “I love the rainbows.”

“Okay,” Liam began. “What do you want to do first? Eat, shop for new clothes, or spend hours on the phone with the airline?”

Louis continued to stare at the luggage.

15) Yours To Lose | Mature | 25,472 words

“I think I know the person that matches your descriptions of your dream alpha.”

“Who? And oh not my dream alpha, god you’re making me sound like a teenage school girl. I’m a mum, H.” They laugh as they watch kids gather in front of the verandah, getting ready to go back to the orphanage.

“Well, you’re gonna have to find out.” Harry winks before standing up to start cleaning their spot.

16) Feeling Peachy, Take A Bite | Explicit | 25,654 words

Prompt 570: Omega Louis works at a cupcake shop. He makes the prettiest cupcakes and loves his job. In comes beefy alpha Harry who absolutely loves to eat Louis’ cake. Inspired by Louis being a cute baby girl handing out cupcakes. (no a/b/o necessary, but Louis has to be feminine).

17) Confections Of The Heart | Explicit | 25,877 words

Louis is a single mom, Harry is a pastry chef, and Oliver just wants his mom to be happy. With a teaspoon of love and a sprinkle of fate, the three might just find a home in each other.

18) I Know How To Whisk (But Teach Me Anyway) | Mature | 32,113 words

Louis scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t understand. Unmated alphas don’t just go into a rut out of nowhere. Unless…”

Louis grabbed onto Niall’s arm in desperation. “Am I a homewrecker? Does Harry have a mate? Oh my God, was he not flirting? Did the change in his scent not have anything to do with my smell yesterday? Did I just make that up!?”

Louis let go of Niall and dropped his face in his hands. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“You’re an idiot,” Niall stated. Louis looked up to find Niall rolling his eyes. He snapped his laptop closed and moved to stand up. “I need to get some work done. Why don’t you stay here and think back to ABO dynamics 101.”

With that Niall hopped off the couch and headed to his room. He stopped and turned to Louis before he made it to the hall and said, “Oh, and Lou. You may want to reconsider your outlook on soulmates.”

Louis yelled after him. “Soulmates aren’t a thing, Niall!”

19) Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat | Explicit | 34,572 words

Harry is 98% sure Louis hates him. So he feels like his bewilderment is justified when the omega offers to help him through his rut.

20) I Found A Love For Me (Darling Just Dive Right In) | Explicit | 46,652 words | Sequel

Louis, an omega with very little control. Harry, an alpha with a lot of emotion. Neither of them have any idea what do to with this little thing called love, but they’ll be damned if they don’t put up a good fight.

21) Gallery Of Us | Explicit | 55,782 words

Harry knew what he was doing in life, everything laid out in black-and-white, each day pleasantly predictable. Cue lively art student, Louis, trying to find his place. An almost insufferably happy person who sometimes forgets to hide the way they feel meets the person who is diligent enough to notice and determined to make a difference.

22) Love Me Until The End | Mature | 207,053 words

“Dr. Styles there’s an emergency at the maternity ward. The head nurse called for you, he needs you there as soon as possible.” The trainee tells Harry over the phone, catching his attention. Louis Tomlinson, the Louis Tomlinson is calling him? He lowers his clipboard and nods his head, getting up from his chair.

“Tell Mr. Tomlinson I’ll be there right away.”

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[nyandereneko]

Snowflake

Word Count: 600 Summary: “Eyes forged from the same gold as the sun found solace in the dark depths of his feline companion’s midnight gaze, and the retired Adeptus promptly enveloped his partner in the confines of his needy embrace.” Author’s Note: Switching gears a little because I just got back from a con and also things are really bad brain wise right now, but that latter point has nothing to do with why I swapped prompt lists. So, I found this other yume event on twit and I figure I should post in both places, so new prompt list for the next 12 days it is! Thank you for reading as always!

*****

The freshly formed flakes that heralded the first snow of the season flitted down from the dense sea of clouds eclipsing the rich blue expanse of day. It was a tranquil, crystalline display that never failed to steal one’s breath away. Nova was no exception as she watched the brisk breeze whisk a few puffs of her frigid exhales away in its current. Her star-flecked ears twitched in delight as some of the lingering bouts of fog drifted through the air, their haze punctured by the twirling, swirling crystals that continued cascading down from the frozen, heavenly expanse above. 

“If you’re not careful you’ll catch a chill out here,” Zhongli greeted as he joined his partner on the porch of their humble countryside abode, settling one of his lined and layered coats around her slight, shivering shoulders. “Enjoying the view?”

“Of course I am!” she enthusiastically replied, pulling the lapels closed over her chest. “Even more so now that you’re here,” she added, bumping her head against his arm and nuzzling the sleeve as she guided the appendage into her hold.

The ex-Archon took pause and blinked deliberately at her words, finding himself simultaneously amused yet stricken by them. A wave of self-conscious warmth seeped up his neck and bled into his porcelain cheeks like ink dyeing parchment, and the woman found herself enchanted, mesmerized, incapable of tearing her eyes from the riveting sight before her. Zhongli was a masterpiece, her masterpiece, the light and love of her life that she longed to spoil and cherish with every ounce of her being.

If she could have assimilated him into herself, perhaps she would have. And if he could have been assimilated into her, well, perhaps he would have eagerly submitted himself to such impulsive whims.

Soft, steady fingers traced the curve of her ear before diving into the swimming strands of her radiant locks, rolling and wrapping and running them through his smooth, lithe grasp. Nova sighed contently and relaxed against her partner, nuzzling his sure, love tinged touch as a low, distinct purr rumbled in her throat. She snaked her tail around one of his legs, allowing the fluffy tip to tap and twitch freely against the silky fabric of his pants.

The Exuvia extended his free hand, offering it to the wintry winds as he captured some of the finicky, fleeing flakes in his waiting palm. Melting in the warmth of his touch, the fresh liquid soaked into the thin cloth of his steaming glove. Eyes forged from the same gold as the sun found solace in the dark depths of his feline companion’s midnight gaze, and the retired Adeptus promptly enveloped his partner in the confines of his needy embrace.

“Shall we move our viewing party back inside?” Nova suggested through shaky breaths as the gilded man’s lips brushed the back of her ear, trailing down until he transitioned from fur to skin. She could feel the prick of his fangs poking playfully at her nape, and the stinging heat that bloomed in her cheeks only made her want to hide away. But there was nothing she needed to hide, not where Zhongli was concerned. “If you’re still worried about catching a chill and all…”

“Well, I do have a fire and some warm tea waiting in the parlor, if you’re feeling so inclined,” he replied as the warmth and fluffiness of his own feral features tickled her cheek. 

“That sounds wonderful,” she agreed as she slipped one of her hands into his own, pressing a kiss to his soft ear before leading them both back inside.

[savethelastdan]

SessKagu Week Day 5: Comedy/Fake Dating

Note: This fic is set in a demons-included version of early 1900s Japan. 

“Sorry I’m late. Were you waiting long?”

Her future client’s jaw softens in shock as Kagura marches up to the table. Giggles from the customers dotting the front of the tea shop follow; it makes sense, considering she is currently dressed in a kabuki dance costume. 

Fighting the weight of the costume’s skirts, she signals to the waiter (her usual) and sits. Then Kagura’s brain notes the features of the man across from her and she realizes how bad this looks. 

“Shit, I’m not dressed like this because of you - because you’re a dog demon!” She slams her headpiece on the table with slightly more force than is necessary, in her desperation to explain before he can take his big fancy wallet and run. “My latest target is starring in Renjishi at the downtown theater. This - it’s not - I’m supposed to be the Spirit of the Parent Lion.” 

One unbearably awkward silence later, he swallows and offers an impressively neutral expression. “Ah.” 

Assuming that now is probably a good time to regain some sort of professional pride, Kagura launches into her usual spiel. “As you probably heard on the call with my assistant, I can find my way into any aspect of someone’s life. Just like the wind - I can go anywhere, and disappear just as quickly. You need somebody to dig the skeletons out of a closet, I’m your best option.”  

He takes her in, head to toe. Claws tap on the table’s surface between them steadily. “Are you?”

As if on cue, her headdress nearly rolls right off the table. Kagura lunges for it; he remains calmly seated, the rich jerk. 

The waiter arrives with their tea to provide a truly heroic distraction. While the man studies the brew with a distrustful expression, Kagura collects a few more inferences to stash away in her mental briefcase: 

Old-fashioned but pristine clothes - he’s traditionally minded but prideful.

Long claws and visible markings means he only moves about in demon circles, and/or he doesn’t care about making humans nervous. 

Butterfly sticker on his tie…that’s 0.05% chance he has a secret sweet side, and 99.95% that he’s got kids. Wow, they’re just letting anybody procreate these days…

“Do you like green tea, Mr…?” 

“Lord Sesshomaru. And it’s fine.” 

He brings the cup to his lips. Kagura mirrors the action with a smile - experience has taught her that such things can make all the difference. Even though what she actually wants to do is roll her eyes. ‘Lord’. Puh-lease. 

“Who is it that you’re trying to find information on? A current romantic partner, or an ex?” 

The half-moon marking on Sesshomaru’s forehead wrinkles as he frowns. “Neither.” 

Kagura waits. 

He returns to tapping on the table in clear discomfort. “I have a half-brother called Inuyasha. He sent word a few days ago to inform me that he is engaged. The wedding is planned for a month from now.” 

Kagura hums. One hand folds under her chin; she remembers too late that her face and neck are painted with stage makeup that is no doubt smeared all over, now. “Gosh, that is suspicious. Why not save the money and elope right away?”

Sesshomaru sighs like she’s actually serious. Perhaps he’s never heard a joke before? 

“Due to various circumstances, our relationship as siblings has only recently become stable. I have never met his fiance.” 

“Ah.” Kagura smirks. “You’re suspicious of her motives for the marriage?” 

His head shakes back and forth slightly, as though she’s missing something obvious. Reaching under the table, he brings forth a pair of black-and-white photographs and a letter. Kagura takes the letter first. 

It is a quick scan, the only note of interest being the incredibly casual way that Inuyasha addresses his brother (‘Kagome wants the engagement party to be here in the village. Don’t bring Jaken, you asshole, or I’ll kick ya both out!’). But, because she is a professional, Kagura makes a mental note to go over it more carefully later. 

The photographs are next. Kagura selects one and pointedly ignores the buzz of electricity when their fingers touch, as she plucks it from his grasp. Better to keep things professional, especially with uptight people who literally pay to be nosy. 

“That picture came with the letter,” Sesshomaru explains. 

“Is this Kagome?”

“Yes. All I know about her is her name, and that she is a miko in training.” 

It’s a classic lover’s portrait: two people standing side-by-side with bashfully happy expressions. One has light-colored hair and dog ears atop his head, marking him as Sesshomaru’s brother. (He is also clearly a half-demon, making Kagura wonder if that is what he meant by ‘‘various circumstances’). The other is a pale-faced, dark-haired human woman with a bright smile and the absolute weirdest outfit Kagura has ever seen. 

Which is saying something, considering she herself is in full kabuki costume at four in the afternoon. 

“Okay, so she’s dressed like she’s on her way to the bathhouse and also a Shinto temple at the same time, but maybe she’s just eccentric. Humans have weird taste in -”

The excuse dies in her throat, as he hands her the other photo. 

Kagura blinks once, then twice. In this picture, Inuyasha looks a bit younger, rougher, but still recognizable. His fiance, however, stares slightly to the left of the camera with a much colder expression than in the previous photograph. Her hair (hanging heavy down past her waist), clothes (traditional miko wear) and even her aura seem to drag within the camera’s lens. 

“Were they having problems in this one?” 

Sesshomaru shakes his head. “That is not Kagome. She is my brother’s previous girlfriend, Kikyo. As far as I know, the two of them broke it off years ago, and she passed away shortly after. She was a miko as well.” 

Disturbed, Kagura holds the photos side-by-side. “Um. Why do they have the same face?” 

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrow in a full-on glare. “An excellent question. I will pay you to find out the answer.” 

Same face, same profession, same boyfriend…but different people. She can see why Sesshomaru is weirded out by the whole thing. It could be something as simple as his brother having a type, but there’s nothing wrong with making sure. ‘Peace of mind’, after all, is a luxury. 

 Nodding, Kagura folds the photographs into the letter and stashes everything in her purse. 

“I’ll accept. But a month-long timeline is going to be tight. If you don’t have any kind of existing relationship with this woman, it’ll take more effort to just find out the basics of her lifestyle. Who she hangs out with, what she’s into. Those kinds of things.”   

“I have thought of that.” The teacup returns to his lips, hovering long past the time it takes to swallow. It’s suspicious; what does he have to be nervous about? “As it states in the letter, they are hosting an engagement party this weekend. It would be no trouble to bring you along. Then you can meet Kagome directly, and her friends and family as well.” 

“You can’t talk to them yourself, and report back to me?” 

Sesshomaru leans back in his chair. His gaze travels to the ceiling as he attempts to form an answer. Finally, he says, “Things with Inuyasha are still tense. I do not wish to risk damaging what little relationship we have, by appearing as though I don’t approve. And…it would be a shame if I were to unintentionally leave out information that appears innocuous, and limit the results of your investigation.” 

Well, well, well. It never got old making people admit that she was the actual expert here. Rolling the tea cup around in her hand, Kagura pushes further. “What if they ask how I know the bride and groom? Or why I’m asking so many nosy questions? I don’t like playing the secretary.”

This, of all things, he says with direct eye contact and a completely straight face. “I will tell them that we are in a relationship. Then they will see your behavior as an attempt to join the family.” 

Kagura can’t help but to laugh. “You’re serious?” 

“Yes. It is the simplest excuse.” 

“Uh, I hate to point out the obvious. But don’t you think your entire family is going to be pretty shocked that you have an entire girlfriend you never bothered to mention?” 

Something that could be a smile crosses his face; one blink, and it’s gone. “On the contrary. It is exactly the kind of behavior they would expect from me.” 

Well, that is unsettling. And the kind of secret she wants to dig her teeth into - though maybe not right now. “You really think that’s gonna -”

He sighs, then leans forward until they are practically cheek to cheek. Notes of warm spice hit her nose. Even though Kagura isn’t the kind of woman to be flustered over a man, she admittedly shifts just a bit closer.

Just because she can. 

Sesshomaru mutters a number into her ear. To the rest of the teahouse, it probably looks like he’s whispering some kind of salacious compliment. It kind of feels like one, if the shiver running up her spine is anything to go by. 

Kagura picks up her drink, feigning unaffectedness. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It is what I will pay you as both a deposit and a closing cost after you finish the job.” 

“Really?” In her shock, Kagura flings her teacup halfway across the room. 

The resounding crack of porcelain on wood has every other customer turning their head. Sesshomaru has the decency to sit back in his seat without comment, although it is probably just his reputation as a stuck-up grump that keeps him from laughing. 

Kagura mouths an apology in the waiter’s direction (from that dark look, she isn’t getting free refills next time). Her head can’t stop spinning. That much money - it’s more than she’s ever made on a single job. It could be enough to buy her freedom. 

“Do we have a deal, then?” The dog demon’s voice is steady, but his forehead is smooth of tension. Oh, he is definitely laughing at her internally. 

Leaning over the table, she grabs his face in between her hands. The way he freezes, pupils dilating, is positively delightful. 

“Absolutely, but you better be prepared. I don’t do these kinds of things halfway. Darling.” 

-

“So you have different mothers,” she yells over the train whistle. Sesshomaru’s hand warms the small of her back as he guides her through the bustling station; in order to stop thinking about it, Kagura has chosen to focus on the details of the engagement party’s guest list. “But you don’t know if either of them will be at this party. Inuyasha’s two best friends will be there, and they’re dating each other?” 

“Correct.” Wrinkling his nose as the train’s horn blares once more, he turns to head down a flight of steps. Kagura has to twist awkwardly to avoid smacking her purse against a clearly-very-late fish demon passenger’s head. 

“You really don’t have any idea which of Kagome’s friends or family will be there?” 

“I do not.” 

“Great. Just great.” 

Of course it isn’t. Because Sesshomaru doesn’t even have a last name for the girl, Kagura’s contact at the records office hadn’t been able to compile a school and housing history. Kagura was forced to guess her age and, using the village’s borders as a location, spent her week going  through pages and pages of records. 

She came up empty on a birth certificate or graduation record. There was a notice that listed Kagome and Inuyasha as inhabiting a particular house in the village, where she and Sesshomaru were now heading towards for the engagement party; but none of the paperwork attached to the rental agreement was attributed to Kagome herself. As far as things went legally, Kagome had literally popped out of a hole somewhere, already full-grown, to win Inuyasha’s heart. 

Just to be thorough, she’d looked through the same records for anything on Kikyo. That had been much more fruitful: birth and death certificates, a local news bulletin listing her services as a priestess who could “purify demonic entities and cleanse spiritual spaces”, and a registration for membership in a local archery group. 

Sesshomaru finally stops touching her as they reach the bottom of the stairs. Kagura glares at him, wishing he didn’t look so nice in the robes she’d picked out. (“It has to complement, not match, the yukata I’m wearing. So we look cohesive, but not obvious.”) He already warned her that they would have to walk the rest of the way, and combined with the heat of the train and the frustration of having no real leads, she’s sweating like a boar demon. 

“Kagura?” 

She spins around on her heel, ‘who wants to know’ already halfway formed on her tongue, before startling as Sesshomaru clamps a hand around her shoulder. 

“What are you doi -” 

“And Sesshomaru! What a small world!”  

A pair of humans break through the crowd. The one in front is dressed in blue and purple robes which contrast greatly with his mischievous smile. Behind him, looking for all the world like she’d love to disappear, is a well-muscled woman with a demon-bone boomerang strapped to her back.

Kagura recognizes them both immediately. “Oh, shit.” 

Sesshomaru raises an eyebrow at her, but the obvious question falls to the wayside as the man runs up to him.

“Who would think that we’d arrive at the exact same time!” His voice pitches in excitement; Sesshomaru leans back with a visible grimace. “Sango and I were worried that we would be the last ones to arrive for the party; you have saved us quite a bit of social discomfort!” 

Oh, just wait, Kagura thinks privately. The woman catches her eye and blushes, so obviously that Kagura wants to kick her. “Long time no see, Miroku.” 

“Indeed! Oh, Sesshomaru, this is Sango.” Cheerfully, Miroku wraps an arm around his companion’s waist; her blush darkens even further. “Inuyasha’s best-woman, my one and only woman, and the most esteemed demon-slayer in the country.”  

“Inuyasha’s said a lot about you,” Sango murmurs politely. 

“Nothing flattering, I’m sure,” comes the dry reply. 

In spite of everything, the demon-slayer’s lip quirks. “You’d be right about that.” 

“But how do you know Kagura?” Miroku waves a hand towards her, before returning it to his side in a sharp movement. She wonders if it is a slip-up in his old habit of proposing to absolutely every woman with a pulse, or the way Sesshomaru glares at him, that causes it. 

“I could ask you the same question, although I suspect it is the usual answer?”

“No!” Both Miroku and Sango blurt at the same time. Staring up at the sky, Kagura wishes it would start raining so she’d have an excuse to disappear into the crowd. 

“Kagura was a volunteer at the shrine I used to work at,” Miroku explains, pulling Sango closer as a quartet of mean-looking kappas stomp down the stairs past them. “We chatted often, but lost touch after she quit. How fortuitous to run into you again!” 

 “Certainly is,” she says quickly, patting Sesshomaru’s arm as though to brush dust from his robes. Why does he look so sour? For Miroku, this is clearly just being friendly, not flirting. 

Which, since he is in good spirits, must mean Miroku still doesn’t know that Sango hired her to follow him in the first place, all those months ago. 

Not that Kagura judges her. What else could a woman do, when her beloved returns home at strange hours, covered in bruises that he won’t talk about? 

(Luckily, the answer had been neither an affair, nor a dangerous amount of debt: Miroku simply kept performing under-the-table exorcisms for rich noblemen. After passing the information on, Kagura never saw the results of what Sango did after that revelation…) 

“How do you two know each other?” Sango’s gaze travels between Kagura and Sesshomaru with more than a little curiosity. Is he a client, or the one being followed? 

“He’s my boyfriend,” she says, a little too loudly. Wrapping her arms around the dog demon’s waist, she beams up at him in a way that hopefully looks authentic. “We already have friends in common, doesn’t it seem fated?” 

He stares down at her in confusion. After an excruciatingly long pause, he awkwardly pats the top of her head. “Quite…” 

Sango snorts, quickly adding a fake-cough to cover it. Miroku blinks several times in rapid succession; he is not equipped to fully comprehend the situation, and seems to know it.  Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to dampen his spirits. Circling his heavily-robed arms in rapid succession, the monk herds the group towards the station’s exit. 

“Well, once we get to Inuyasha’s house, you can tell all of us how your relationship came to be!” 

“Oh, I’m sure no one will be interested in that,” Kagura says quickly. “After all, it’s not our engagement party.” 

“Indeed, we will have far more questions for them,” Sesshomaru adds. His bitter tone is entirely too obvious, and combined with what she already knows, Kagura fears that Sango will soon put the whole puzzle together. 

Which, considering she’s the groom’s best friend, will probably result in the both of them getting thrown out. Which means no money. 

Oh, gods, this whole fucking thing was probably a mistake…

[simpingforsoftboys]

Too Little Too Late

ft. IwaOi

G/N reader

TW: Neglect, manipulation, toxicity in general, swearing

Read this first

tysm for the request anon! It’s about time Y/n stood up for themselves don’t you think? That’s the thing about relationships like these. It’s so hard to get out of them once you’re in deep- even if you can see every single red flag clear as day.

Also I’ve decided that since these are lengthy- there will be separate parts for Kuroken, SakuAtsu, and OsaSuna in the future.

 This one is something I actually turned into a two shot: part one and part two. So same plot line, just goes more in depth on the “break up” part.

This was it, you were finally going to do it. After two decades of following your soon to be ex boyfriends around, it was time for you to step out of their shadow- into the limelight of independency. Still, you felt like a coward- leaving them while neither were even in the country. It was petty perhaps, but deep down within your heart- the vindictive, evil, and cruel part of you whispered that this was what they deserved. You were nearly finished packing- two suitcases stuffed to the max with your clothing and any small, expensive purchase you bought for yourself. Now all you needed to do was shove anything else that could fit into your duffel bag. 

This wasn’t a new idea. Leaving them that is. In fact, you’d been thinking about it for years already. Honestly, you doubted you’d have even begun noticing just how unbalanced your current dynamic with your two “lovers” was, until a stranger- turned friend had pointed it out. 

His name had been Miya Atsumu- he had gone to Tokyo University just like you and was the starting setter for their volleyball team. He was flirty at first, acting like a stereotypical frat boy. Despite telling him you had not one- but two partners- he hadn’t left you alone at that fateful party. 

“Wait... yer datin’ that newbie setter from Argentina? AND Iwaizumi... the one who’s boutta transfer over to that American university?” Atsumu questioned incredulously, nearly doing a spit take, he leans over your figure and places his red solo cup down on the counter behind you. 

“Yeah... I know it’s not a normal relationship-” You begin, already used to defending you and your lovers. 

“Nah, that’s not what I’m sayin’ darlin.” The blonde replies, his words make him seem as though he’s hitting on you but somehow there’s an undertone of genuine concern. “Neither of em have even spared ya a glance since ya got here! Seems like they’re the ones in love- not the three of ya.”

You had frowned at his words, shaking them off easily. The three of you were in love, besides, no stranger could have deduced that at first glance- if anything he was just trying to meddle in your happy relationship... so why did his words continue to plague you that night, and for many nights after that? 

Looking back on it now, you should have listened to Atsumu sooner. 

You had countless discussions with Hajime and Toru after the night of the party. They had seemed genuinely sorry and made an effort to be more inclusive. However, they slowly fell back into old habits- time and time again- as if they had forgotten the promises they had made. 

There would be no more discussions, no more nights staying up, waiting for them to come back home from their date. 

There would be no more of the three of you- just Hajime and Toru. 

That thought prevented you from picking up the framed photo on your bedside- the one of you three. It had been taken at a children’s festival that the three of you had taken Takeru too. It was probably the last photo where you had been so blinded by your love for them that you completely glossed over the fact that the only people they were looking at were each other. 

“Y/n... what are you doing?” A raspy voice called from the bedroom’s doorway, startling you from your memories. Body shaking, you turned around to face the owner of the voice. “We came home early to surprise you... only to find you packing your bags?” 

The same two people that you didn’t want to see stood before you. Both toted suitcases and smelt like the airport. You couldn’t find it within yourself to look them in the eyes, fearing that if you did you’d lose your strength, turn around, and begin unpacking.

“Y/n... prince(ss), what’s going on? Talk to us.” Toru whispered, speaking to you as if you were a cornered animal. That analogy wasn’t wrong per say but it did nothing to help you calm your nerves. 

You knew it shouldn’t have but for some reason his tone had made your heart skip a beat.

“Yeah babe, let’s put the bags down and take a seat... we can talk about this right after me and Toru shower.” Hajime agreed, his poor choice of words stirring anger within your soul- intense and smoldering like Zeus’s lightning bolts.

“No!” You cry, tears of pent up anger, hurt, and every other negative repressed emotion, begins to well up in your eyes. “I’m going to say this one last time- then I’m going to leave. We won’t talk. I’m not going to... to wait until you finish showering. I’m sick and tired of this- this absolute fucking BULLSHIT!” 

They stare at you wide eyed, not quite knowing how to respond. You don’t even give them the chance to think about how to do so- instead you opt to continue your rant. 

“I love you two so damn much. So, so much- to the point that it hurts me.” Your gaze flickered between the two of them. “Loving you... it breaks my heart. I can’t do it anymore Toru, Hajime. I wanted too- God knows I do. But I can’t keep doing this-”

Toru lets his carry on drop to the floor and races over, attempting to embrace you in a hug. Every bone, every fiber, literally every part of you is begging you to stay trapped in his arms. He’s warm and he’s here. It’s all you’ve ever wanted. 

Too little too late.

You shove him off, biting back sobs. Hajime hurries behind him, catching the taller male as he falls. 

“Y/n calm down what’s going on? What did we do?” Olive green eyes flit over to meet yours, they’re just as lovely as they have always been. But you notice that they’re also cold, like jade bracelets and old watered down matcha tea. 

“It’s what you didn’t do Haji.” You say and they can see the heart ache on your face. “I love you but you don’t love me- not as much as I love you at least.” Both of them look like they want to argue but you shake your head- effectively silencing them. The picture on the night stand stares back at you tauntingly- ignorance was indeed bliss it seems. Grasping it lightly you place it on the ground and kicked it gently, letting it slide over to where Toru and Hajime are still seated on the ground. The brunette takes it in his hands and examines it. 

“This was when we took Takeru to the children’s festival!” 

“Yeah... we were so happy then... where did that go wrong Y/n? When did you stop smiling like this?” Hajime whispers. 

“I stopped smiling like that when I realized the truth- about us.” They watch as you take a deep breath, composing yourself. “It took me a long while, but I’ve been coming to terms with it.” A choked gasp escapes your lips, leading you to quickly spill the rest of your well kept insecurities. “This... this thing we have going on- it’s a toxic, endless cycle. There’s no us- it’s just Hajime and Toru plus Y/n.”

Toru’s expression morphs from empathetic to down right murderous. He’s offended that you would dare imply something like that. Deep down, you’re sure he knows you’re actually right, and he’s just acting like that to save his pride. A pang of shame hits you- when had you begun thinking mean thoughts like that?

“How could you say that?” He spits, tone devoid of sweetness, now replaced with lethal venom. “Everything we do is for you. We give you money, this nice home, space, time- our love. And you have the fucking gall to say we’re ostracizing you from our relationship? What the hell are you thinking Y/n?” 

You’ve never seen him this angry- not in all the years you’ve known the setter. It sorta terrifies you. Hajime doesn’t bother to reprimand Toru for his tone like usual, instead he looks like he agrees with him. 

“He’s right Y/n, everything we do is for you. Are you mad because we didn’t take you to a wedding? Guess what- that’s just business. Stop being so damn jealous for no reason. You can’t be selfish in our sort of relationship. Didn’t you know that in the first place?” 

They don’t- won’t see things from your point of view. Honestly, what were you even expecting.

“When have I EVER been selfish? I cook, clean, and practically orbit around the two of you. I’m not mad just because of a FUCKING WEDDING! I’m upset- and hurt because you can’t ever see from my eyes. Don’t think I haven’t seen the differences between the looks you give me verses each other. The date nights you forget to include me in- the stolen kisses in the morning you give each other without even thinking about me. Even when I try to initiate something I’m ‘too clingy’ or you’re ‘too busy.’ FUCK THAT. I deserve better. So I think I deserve to be selfish just this once- because this is something I need to do for me. Not for you.” 

They’re stunned, unable to speak. So they say nothing at all, watching you zip up your duffel bag and single handedly take all your baggage out into the living room by yourself. Neither of them say anything when there’s a knock on the door and they can hear your best friend enter their home and help you take your stuff down to their car. 

There’s nothing they can do. So they go to bed without showering, thinking about the things you said and reflecting. You made it quite clear to them. It’s over- the three of you.

[lyranova]

The ‘Boyfriend’

Hi Guys~! Here’s another Yamichar fic I’ve been working on ☺️! I actually enjoyed writing this one and I hope it’s ok, hopefully you guys like it as well. It’s a Modern AU! So I hope that’s ok.

Genre: Fluff? I think.

Word Count: 2,776

Warnings: None

————

Charlotte could not believe she agreed to this. Her ex-boyfriend had been texting her begging too see her, even though she had told him she was seeing someone else. The thing was though, Charlotte had lied about the ‘having a boyfriend’ part. She thought it would deter him, not make him want to meet the new man who had ‘claimed her heart’ as he put it! She had tried to get some of her fellow CEO’s to do it, but sadly they were either married or seeing someone. Except for one.

“ Why don’t you ask Yami Sukehiro?” Dorothy Unsworth, the CEO of C.P.C., had told her when she heard Charlotte was asking around for someone to go with her. Charlotte had frowned at her.

“ Yami Sukehiro? As in the CEO of the Black Bull Corporation?” Charlotte asked and Dorothy nodded.

“ Yep that’s the one! If I heard correctly he’s single which means he doesn’t have to worry about making a partner jealous. I’ll tell you what, I’ll give him a call and see if he’ll do it! You two would make a great couple.” And before Charlotte could say a word Dorothy had left the conference room.

Charlotte wouldn’t hear from her for the next three days. A small part of her had hoped Dorothy had forgotten about it, until she called that morning with a shocking announcement.

“ Yami said he’d do it but on one condition.” Dorothy said, sounding somewhat proud of herself. Charlotte couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this. “ You have to buy him dinner afterwards. An expensive dinner.”

So here Charlotte was, in a café waiting for this Yami guy to appear. She had heard of him and his company for a few months now, he was a rising star according to all the magazine articles she had read. But he was also criticized, mostly for how he and his team would act. The articles claimed they were all loud, brash, and very intimidating. Charlotte was not one to believe everything she read or heard, only what she saw with her own two eyes and so far...he was thirty minutes late. Which was not a great first impression. Charlotte sighed and began to pull out her phone to call Dorothy and tell her that he didn’t show when she heard someone speak.

“ You’re Roselei right? Charlotte Roselei?” The speaker asked and when she looked up her heart jumped to her throat, the man was tall, muscular, had short and somewhat messy dark hair, and a beautiful pair of grey eyes. There was no way this could be him, no way!

“ Y-Yes,” she cleared her throat as she realized it had gone dry. “ I’m Charlotte and you’re?”

“ Yami Sukehiro. Sleeping Beauty said you had a job for me and to meet you here.” He explained before gesturing to the seat across from her, only sitting down after she nodded.

“ Sleeping Beauty?” She asked confused before it dawned on her, apparently that was the nickname he had given Dorothy, she did have a tendency to fall asleep during meetings so the nickname was quite appropriate. “ Ah you mean Dorothy, I thought she already explained it to you?”

“ She did. But I wanted to hear it from you myself.” Yami said as he leaned back in his chair.

“ Well, I have an ex boyfriend who keeps trying to get back together. After I told him no he still wouldn’t stop, so I told him I was seeing someone else and he didn’t believe me. So I decided to prove it.” Charlotte explained as she took a sip of her tea, Yami looked at her with a curious gaze. “ What?”

“ The CEO of Blue Rose Inc. doesn’t strike me as the type who needs help taking care of a problem.” Yami explained. “ From what I’ve seen, you’re more than capable of handling this by yourself.”

Charlotte blinked at his statement, when had he seen her ‘take care of a problem’? She for sure would have remembered seeing him at a work function or at a convention? Seeing the confused look on her face, Yami snorted before leaning forward.

“ It was last summer, at the annual CLOVER party in Osaka. All the subsidiaries were there, including me even though I hadn’t signed with the company yet. I remember you looked completely bored,” he chuckled and Charlotte’s cheeks turned a small shade of pink. “ and some random dude from the P. Orca group tried to flirt with you and, if I remember right, you cut him off at the knees.” Charlotte let out a small laugh at the memory, she hadn’t even raised her voice at him and yet the poor fellow looked like she had. She had only told him that she was already in a relationship and didn’t take kindly to men assuming because she was alone meant she was single.

“ He never assumed again now did he? I say that was a lesson well learned.” Charlotte said as she took another sip of her tea. “ The thing is, I don’t remember seeing you there Yami.” He shrugged a shoulder at this.

“ I tend to stick to the shadows, I prefer to see others than to be seen.” He answered nonchalantly. Charlotte nodded in understanding.

“ You’d rather get to know the real people you’re working with. Instead of the ones the present themselves as.” It actually made sense and Charlotte couldn’t understand why she hadn’t come up with that idea.

“ Exactly. They act one way when they want to butter you up and get you to invest or to form a partnership, and then the minute you turn your back to them.” He trailed off.

“ They put a knife in it.” Charlotte finished for him before taking a sip of her tea. She had been the victim of back stabbing many times, as have many of the women who worked for her, and some of her friends as well. It was a kill or be killed world out there, especially if you were a woman. That’s what made her want to start her own business, one where women were in high level positions, where they were treated and paid equally. Charlotte had been doubted and even laughed at when she had spoken to people about her idea, and yet here she was, in the top 9 companies in the country. ‘Who’s laughing now?’ She thought to herself with a small smirk. She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as Yami spoke.

“ You still never answered my question.” Charlotte blinked, having already forgotten about his question. “ Why did you need me to help you get rid of your ex?” He asked leaning back in his chair again but folding his arms, she could see his muscles flex under his shirt and she felt her face flush. ‘Why does he have to be so good-looking?!’ A voice screamed in her head before she shook it away.

“ I...” Charlotte trailed off, brows furrowed in thought. Why did she need him? She wasn’t afraid of her ex by any means, she was annoyed by him. They had broken up amicably from what she could recall, so why?

“ It’s ok if you don’t have an answer, sometimes we just do things for the sake of doing.” Charlotte looked up at him in shock, was he giving her an out? “ But hopefully by the time your ex gets here you’ll have an idea.” Nope. He wasn’t giving her an out, only buying her more time to come up with an answer.

——

“ So Mr. Sukehiro, what is it that your company does exactly?” Charlotte asked him after that had sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, her ex was supposed to be there around 6:00 and it was now 5:30. She had decided it would be best if she knew a bit more about the man who was her current ‘boyfriend’.

“ First off; don’t call me Mr. Sukehiro. It makes me sound old. Secondly,” he took a sip of the water he had ordered. “ we do the jobs no one else wants to do. Either they’re dangerous, troublesome, or somewhat illegal.” He shrugged a bit.

“ So essentially you’re doing everyone else’s dirty work.” Charlotte clarified and Yami nodded.

“ We’re a small enough company that no one even notices, unless one of my screw ups makes a big mess of the job. Than I’m the one that has to go behind them and clean up their mess before it draws too much attention.” He sighed and rolled his eyes, apparently that was a common occurence. He looked at her. “ What about you?”

“ Me? Well, my company tends to handle the marketing side of CLOVER. It's actually quite boring, but me and my girls are the best at what we do. We could market snow to a snowman if we wanted.” Charlotte said, she had been very proud of her girls they always worked hard and, on occasion, play hard as well. They got things done even when it seemed impossible, they never took no for an answer, and would prove to the rest of the companies that women could do the same work as men could.

“ Sounds boring if you ask me.” Yami stated and Charlotte glared before folding her arms on the table and leaning forward.

“ I’m sorry not everyone has such an exciting and dangerous job as you. But I enjoy my job and am very proud of the work my girls and I do!” Charlotte stated defensively, he held up a hand in surrender and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with the other.

“ Sheesh calm down Prickly Princess no need to get all upset about it. It’s just not the type of job I’d want.” He muttered before they went silent again. But this time, it was an uncomfortable one.

It would be a while before Yami would decide to break it, he knew he shouldn’t have said that about her work, a lot of people got defensive and were quick to anger if you so much as critiqued their jobs. But he was just being honest, and maybe that was a habit he would have to curve if he was going to be working for CLOVER Industries.

“ Why’d you break up with your boyfriend?” He asked curiously, at the shocked look on Charlotte's face she wasn’t expecting the question. “ I’m supposed to be your boyfriend right? I think that would be something you would tell me.” Charlotte sighed before answering.

“ We drifted apart, according to him. We were changing as people and going in different directions, so he felt it was best that we both moved on and I agreed. It was completely amicable.” She stated before sipping her tea. Yami raised an eye brow as he looked at her curiously.

“ That doesn’t sound like that’s all it was.” Charlotte nodded before looking down and staring at her nearly empty cup of tea.

“ If I’m being completely honest, I think he was jealous.” She tilted her head slighty as she began to think back to their relationship. “ When we started dating I was an intern at a small marketing group, I had tried for years to get promoted in the company and I was always passed up, even when I did the same or more work than some of the men I was passed over for. It became frustrating, so I started my own comapny. At the time he was very supportive and would occasionally help out if I needed it. But as my company grew and became more successful, the more I noticed he began to pull away. I’m not 100% sure that he was jealous and that’s why our relationship ended, but I feel like it was a contributing factor.”

“ Sometimes,” Yami said after he seemed to contemplate what to say for a moment. “ I think guys, not all but a few, have a problem when their girlfriends or wives or partners become more successful than them. It kinda bruises their egos. But there are a lot of guys out there who love strong women and don’t mind being in a relationship with them.” He shrugged as he reached for his bottled water, Charlotte looked up at him.

“ Are you one of those guys?” She asked him softly, her face began to turn a shade of pink as she realized what she had asked him. He seemed to be taken aback by the question for a moment, he looked down at the table for a moment before looking back up at her and Charlotte's heart nearly stopped at the sight. Yami’s eyes had softened, they looked warm and even somewhat gentle. Which was the complete opposite of what she had seen the entire two hours they had been sitting there.

“ Yeah, I’d like to think I am.” He stated with a small smirk before finishing his water, Charlotte felt her face heat up even more at the soft tone of his voice. ‘How could he be almost two completely different people at the same time?!’ She thought incredulously before a small chime dragged her out of her thought, it was her phone going off.

“ Ah excuse me.” She told Yami as she grabbed her phone out of her purse, Yami nodded in understanding before pulling out his own. Charlotte’s eyes widened and her brows furrowed.

“Hey Charlotte, sorry I’m not going to be able to meet you and your boyfriend today! I’m stuck in a business meeting. Raincheck?” Was the text she had received and she was immediately annoyed. ‘Seriously?!’ She sighed before looking up apologetically at Yami.

“ I apologize Yami it looks like I’ve wasted your time,” Yami looked up at her. “ He’s stuck in a meeting and won’t be able to join us I’m afraid.” He shrugged at her before he began to stand.

“ No worries, I didn’t really have anything else planned for today. Although,” Yami turned to look at her. “ you still never answered my question.” Charlotte had secretly hoping he had forgotten about it, she had been trying to think of the answer the entire time they were sitting there. She noticed Yami was staring at her expectantly, she was out of time.

“ I guess, I wanted to show him it was ok to move on. That he needed to find someone who made him happy, maybe I needed to prove that to myself as well.” Charlotte told him softly, it made the most sense and she knew deep in her heart that it was true. She didn’t want him to waste his life thinking that she would suddenly go back to the Charlotte he knew before because he had been away for six months. Yami smirked and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“ That’s a lame answer.” He told and instantly she glared at him.

“ I’d like to see what your answer to that question would be!” She said as she crossed her arms, Yami huffed out a small laugh before turning and walking towards the door.

“ Eh I’d probably be able to come up with a good answer if I was given enough time. Anyway, see you around.” Yami gave her a short wave as he opened the door to the café, suddenly he paused, a nice little thought coming to his mind. He turned to face her again and found her digging through her purse for her wallet.

“ Hey Princess,” Charlotte looked up at the door. “ what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” Charlotte frowned in confusion at his question.

“ I don’t have any plans, why?” Yami smirked as he leaned against the open door, he wasn’t quite ready to say good-bye to the blonde haired woman yet.

“ Funny, neither do I. How about we go have a decent meal and you can come up with a better answer.” Charlotte blinked, was he blushing? She couldn’t quite tell from this distance. Charlotte smiled softly, apparently she wasn’t the only one wanting to spend more time together.

“ Sounds like a good idea.” She agreed as she put a tip on the table and stood up. Following Yami out the door she made a mental note to thank Dorothy for introducing her to Yami Sukehiro.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, I’m sorry if it fell apart towards the end 😅! But this was so much fun to write, I hope you guys liked it too and thanks for reading! If anyone else wants to be added to the tag list please let me know! I hope you all have a good day~!

Tag List: @eme-eleff

[hermionetickledthedragon]

Fan Fiction Recommendations Part III

Sooooo here are the next two categories, the fifth and sixth one.... 

Do give them a read.

Smut Fanfics

•Smutfest fanfictions

1~Every day, A little death by Lovesbitca8 ~Mature ~Summary: It has become common knowledge that Hermione Granger cannot have an orgasm. Many have tried, none have succeeded. Can Draco Malfoy offer his assistance? ~Site and Words: AO3, Fanfictionnet, 11 Chapters, and 69,214 words ~Note/tw:  8th Year AU, Complete, Draco's POV in 3rd person, Humor, angst, smut to the brim.

2~Thirty Times Lucky by galfoy ~Mature ~Summary: "Granger, I can't hire you on any longer," Draco said. Hermione stared at him. Losing her job might actually mean losing the War, and she had to bargain, but there was literally nothing she had that he would want. Or was there? ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet, 2 Chapters, and 7,128 words ~Note/tw: Post-war, PWP, non-con, Complete.

3~The Unofficial Diary of an Omega by Mrsren ~Mature ~Summary: Hermione is certain this heat cycle will be the same as always. Except Luna Lovegood, close friend and fellow Omega takes it upon herself to create a service that matches Omegas with compatible Alphas. What Luna fails to mention to anyone at all, is the aspect of the soulmate bond. ~Site and Words: AO3, Fanfiction.net, 9 Chapters, and 29,178 words ~Note/tw: Wizarding au where Voldemort died in the first war, Wizarding tinder, smut, creature fic, Omega Hermione, Complete.

4~Bond by Mrbenzedrine ~Mature ~Summary: What happens at "Bond" stays at "Bond" -Hermione is taken out for drinks at club "Bond", an establishment that can offer you anything from some alcohol and dancing to SO much more. When she, quite literally, falls into Draco Malfoy's lap, will she open up her mind and explore sexual desires she never knew she had? ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 6 Chapters, 51k words ~Note/tw: BDSM kinky fic. NOT NON CON

5~Problem by katatonic25 ~Mature ~Summary: "I'll kick your arse regardless, Malfoy," I murmured. He chuckled again and I arched into him. "Then get on the bed," he said and watched my hips sway as I walked to his large bed. "This is going to be a long night, Granger." ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 14 chapters, 34k+ words ~Note/tw: Co-workers trope, smutfest

6~Switch by RZZMG ~Mature ~Summary: It was only supposed to be one night - a set-up with a hot guy at a fetish club in Muggle London for some mind-blowing, no-strings-attached sex where Hermione would play the submissive role. However, when her amazingly skilled and sensual partner, Draco Malfoy, kept sending her tickets and roses to return to the club to meet again and again, how could a single, sexually-experimental girl say 'no'? Hermione's about to learn the hard way that the sins of the flesh can prove to be too tempting for the body - and the heart - to resist. ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 18 chapters, 43k words ~Note/Tw: BDSM smutfest with amazing plot

Married Life Dramione

•From fluffy to sad, here's some fanfics on dramione married/getting married

1~Happily Divorced by writerspassion18 ~Mature ~Summary: A hug here. A kiss on the forehead there. Nothing bad could come out of being on good terms with your ex, right? ~Site and Words: Fanfictionnet/ 31 Chapters, and 102,558 Words ~Note/tw: Post-war, angst, fluff, humor.

2~The Revenant by atalanta84 ~Mature ~Summary: Sometimes fate brings us far from home, and sometimes it brings us back again. When a friend’s mysterious death causes Draco Malfoy to return to Britain, he is finally forced to face his past, and the love he left behind. A story about second chances. ~Site and Words: LiveJournal/ 10 Chapter, and 68,000 Words. ~Note/tw: Post-war, angst, hurt, comfort, mystery, complete.

3~Quirks by empathapathique ~Teenager ~Summary: Sometimes, it’s the odd, little things that make up the whole picture. Because being married is weird like that. ~Site and Words: AO3, Fanfictionnet/ One-shot, and 7,694 Words ~Note/tw; Post-war, fluff, DHr, humor, complete.

4~Wait and Hope by mightbewritting ~Mature ~Summary: “Harry,” Hermione began, voice very controlled, but she could feel the blade of panic slicing at her vocal cords. “Why was Draco Malfoy just screaming bloody murder about his,” and the word almost strangled her as she said it, “wife?” Harry's green eyes blew wide. Healer Lucas pinched the bridge of her nose, painfully displeased with the recent series of events. “He was referring to you, my dear,” she said. “That was the other question you got wrong. Your name is Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy.” Hermione had to be sedated again. ~Site and words: Fanfiction.net and Ao3, 96k words, 12 chapters ~Note/tw: Smut can be skipped, AMAZING plot, emotional roller coaster with a happy ending. A Draco's pov prequel named 'Beginning and End', currently WIP is out.

5~Special Invitation by Shotahime ~General Audiences ~Summary: You are cordially invited to Lyra Jean Malfoy’s special tea party. Please dress formally. ~Site and words: Ao3, 1 Chapter, 2.7k words ~Note/tw: Fluffy oneshot, complete

6~Mayhem Before Christmas by Runningquill ~Mature ~Summary: Christmas is not a season of peace for everyone. Certainly not for Hermione, who finds herself on the doorstep of her house on a cold winter night after she is kicked out by her own husband, a week away from Christmas! ~Site and words: fanfiction.net, 12 chapters, 26k words ~Note/tw: humourous, crack fic, happy ending, did we mention HILARIOUS, the best Theo and Blaise you’ll find out there, a must read.

Fanfiction recommendations are a LOT fun...

Anyways, the next two categories will be up soon AND our next fakescene will be on *drum rolls* HERMIONE’S BIRTHDAY. 

AHHHH DONT WE ALL JUST LOVE HER.

Aight Imma head out now.

[dearophelia]

self indulgent grey’s spy!au

so i’m watching madam secretary again and it’s reminding me of the grey’s spy au i was frantically texting @evil-redhead about last year

(first of all, and i did the research to learn that this isn’t actually possible, but it’s fic so who cares: please imagine with me addison as elizabeth’s surgeon general. thank you and goodnight)

second of all, and this is just copy/pasted from text messages with some very light editing:

-one-

The kill order comes in over encrypted text just after 2:30am Kaliningrad local time. Addison knows the logic: take him out and the whole supply chain through the Baltics collapses. She also knows the reality: taking out gun runners in former Soviet states is like playing whack-a-mole with a baby hammer. Eventually someone in the Company will figure that out and change tactics. In the meantime, she has orders.

She speaks flawless Russian with zero accent, which helps when she steers the arms dealer out of the party and up to his private suite. She pretends she’s from the same village as his grandmother, tells stories about a local borscht variant. He compliments her tits and her legs and everything else he can see. What he doesn’t see is the way she twists around her ring and flicks open a hidden compartment with her thumb while she’s pouring the vodka.

Addison watches as he eagerly takes the shot and then turns an interesting shade of purple. He’s dead within ninety seconds.

She takes a shot of clean vodka, wraps up in her black trenchcoat, and slips out the back entrance into the night.

There’s a pay phone four blocks down. She calls her handler and leaves a message about the museum being closed tomorrow, code for mission complete. She checks out of the hotel and is on the next flight to Helsinki away from here.

-two-

Addison likes Mark Sloan, she does. He’s a good asset and a great fuck and she doesn’t at all mind that their schedules sync up in Helsinki more often than she syncs up with anyone else anywhere else. Helsinki’s a good place to lay low for a few days, even easier when she’s hardly getting out of bed.

But he’s DIA and she doesn’t trust defense guys farther than she can throw them. Goes out of her way to avoid them, usually. But Mark’s good company, great fun, and nothing they do in this hotel room ever happened the moment one of them leave. So she’ll let the DOD thing go as long as it doesn’t interfere with her own work.

He’s making breakfast and trying to tell her a joke he overheard. This never ends well, but she indulges him. It falls apart in the translation – “You’d find this hilarious if you heard it in the original Czech,” he proclaims, setting a plate of eggs in front of her.

Addison eyes him over a forkful. “Since I don’t speak Czech, your odds aren’t looking good, Sloan.”

Mark’s still telling his joke and she smiles as the sun rises over their tiny hotel room.

36 hours and then she’s off to Paris and meeting a DGSE contact she can hardly stand. Then, armed with that information, back to former Soviet listening posts. Maybe this one will be inland.

-three-

Addison takes the right hook like a champ, luring the goon into a false sense of security. She drops down, grabs a broom from the floor, and lets the guy have one last laugh at the pretty girl with the stick before she comes whirling in and knocks him flat on his ass inside five seconds. Another goon runs out of the shadows and she cracks him across the skull so hard he actually skids across the floor.

“Impressive,” her contact says in dripping French. He sips his tea.

“The file?” she holds out her hand. No one does intelligence theatrics like the French. Not even the Russians.

With an irritated sigh, the DGSE agent drops a USB drive into her hand. “It self-destructs after 24 hours. Would not recommend keeping it in your suitcase.”

Addison gives him a tight smile and returns to her hotel room.

Derek, this time.

(Mark is Scandinavia and the former Soviet states. Derek is Western Europe. Alex is usually somewhere in Central Asia and Jake is in the Mediterranean.)

She waves off his concern about the shiner blooming over her eye and slides the drive into her laptop. “Order room service,” she tells him as she pulls her shirt off, changing out of bloodied and ripped clothes while waiting for the drive to load.

It’s not his fault he hovers. He’s an embassy doctor, bouncing around Western Europe for the State Department. Last time he got into a fight was probably high school. Last time he had to do anything classified on his own was probably never.

He orders – including red wine and extra ice, which she’s sure makes the kitchen worker on the other end say a few choice things about Americans – and her laptop chirps ready.

Volgograd this time. Not a weapons dealer. A physicist. A nuclear physicist. “Oh boy,” she says to herself.

She books a hotel in Volgograd and then places a same-day Amazon delivery for post-its, a portable printer, tape, and other supplies. She and Elizabeth call it the conspiracy theory order, though she skips the red string.

While Derek’s setting out dinner (and sets a bag of ice intentionally – and somewhat aggressively – in her direction), she sends a secure text to Alex.

gonna be in vgrad for a minute. you nearby?

Dinner’s over before she gets a response.

yep. even have some intel for you.

Addison puts her phone away and turns to Derek. “I’m fine,” she says, gesturing to the cuts and bruises.

“I know.” Still, he wraps his arms around her in a gentle hug. “I worry.”

She hugs him back. They haven’t been married in a long time. “I know.”

He gently maneuvers her to the couch and opens his bag. Addison went to med school too – though the CIA scooped her up during her residency – and a few of the cuts need butterfly closures for a couple days. She lets him work.

“How are Meredith and the kids?”

-four-

“Lox and two chives,” Addison orders at the counter, as she has the last ten days. “And the bathroom key, please.”

The cashier slips her a key. She pays and disappears down the hallway with the bathrooms, but opens the supply closet instead. Past shelves of paper towels and cups and cocaine (not her problem, not today), she pauses at the second door. The handprint scanner flashes blue then green at her palm. The door unlocks.

Bright lights overhead, several whiteboards shoved up against the walls, photographs and maps taped up everywhere. The single desk in the middle of the room is covered in folders labeled TOP SECRET, most of them open. Alex puts a cup of coffee into her hand. She finishes half of it before she even takes her coat off.

Spy work isn’t all glamorous. It’s mostly sitting in dark dank rooms filled with boxes of moth-eaten paper, trying to connect two dots. Alex is a good partner for it though. The fact that he’s CIA too doesn’t hurt – she doesn’t have to play the alphabet agency paranoia game with him.

Hours pass. Another day, another half step closer. The bagel shop closes and they slip out the back by the dumpsters.

“You want to grab a drink?” she asks as she has every night.

“We could skip drinks,” he suggests.

She looks at him in the flickering parking lot light. Normally he says yes, they get drinks and dinner, talk shop, part ways at her hotel.

A small smile graces her lips. Addison doesn’t need to be a spy to pick up Alex’s meaning.

Volgograd is fucking boring. And she and Mark have an exclusive-when-we’re-in-the-same-city agreement, not exclusive-everywhere.

The smile shifts into a smirk. “Yeah.”

-five-

This is a bad idea. This is a really bad idea. This might be the worst idea she’s ever had. And yet.

Flicking her eyes up to the rearview mirror, she gets a read on the car following her. Scratch that – cars. Plural.

She slams on the accelerator and calls Elizabeth.

“I need a favor,” she says as soon as Elizabeth’s picked up the phone. Addison hears several small children laughing in the background.

“On it,” Elizabeth says, once she’s heard the situation and the favor. “Give me ten minutes.”

Sure. She’ll keep leading a high-speed car chase through Southern Turkey and try not to accidentally make a left into Syria. She can keep this up for ten minutes. Why not.

She has the final piece in a USB drive hidden in her shoe, but this extremely stupid idea only becomes worth it if she – or, she supposes, her shoe – can get back to the agency. Which is where Elizabeth comes in. Addison’s nowhere near Ankara and the embassy, driving into Syria is an even worse idea (and she’d run out of gas long before hitting Damascus anyway), and so she needs an exit. Now.

Seven minutes and Elizabeth calls back about an airfield fifteen miles away. A Blackhawk will be waiting there for her, but she has to clear a couple layers of airfield security first.

Addison looks back up in the mirror. Three cars now and she thinks she sees the silhouette of someone hanging out the window with a gun. She’s going to have to have a discussion with Derek about suitable conversations he has with his current wife about his ex-wife the CIA agent and international spy. It’s not Meredith’s fault; GRU’s been tailing Derek since they were the KGB. Addison makes a mental note to remind State about that, maybe have someone sweep his house for bugs on a more regular basis.

But that’s a later problem. A much later problem. The more imminent problem is that she’s being shot at and still has seven miles before the airfield. “Can I just drive through security?” Addison asks, making an abrupt right down a skinny unlit street.

“Sure,” Elizabeth says. “It’s our airfield, do what you want.”

“Not the first time I’ve destroyed US government property.”

Elizabeth snorts. “Call me if you need anything else.”

The call drops as another round of gunfire shoots past.

“You’re really bad at this,” she mutters at the car behind her. They haven’t even managed to blow out the back window yet, not that she’s complaining.

By the time she hits the airfield, they’ve shattered the back window, blown several holes in the trunk, and they hit one of her back wheels just as she slams through the first security gate.

The second gate guards are a little more prepared and already have the gate lifted. They drop spike strips behind her to trap her pursuers. She jumps out of the car to the sound of many tires being violently punctured and the sound of angry Russians being thrown out of their cars and onto the ground.

The Blackhawk lifts off into the dead of night. Addison runs her fingers through her hair and texts her handler that she’s on her way back to Istanbul. She’ll hand off the intel to people who get paid a whole lot more than she does and move on to a new case.

Maybe South America, this time. Let some heat die down before bringing her back to Europe.

Once it’s all settled and she’s in her state-sponsored room, showered and sitting in a fluffy bathrobe, she checks her messages. One from her brother, about Thanksgiving logistics. One from Elizabeth, making sure she made it out okay.

And one from Mark.

Case is taking me to Venezuela. Gonna be a while, Red.

Addison grins. Her new orders came in just before dinner. Turns out there’s some worrisome news in her area of expertise coming out of the South America desk and the Company’s shipping her off to Caracas.

Maybe not. My flight leaves in a couple days. Buy me a margarita?

[agent-cupcake]

Could you do a Felix x reader where Felix calls their relationship a waste of time but when reader stops seeing Felix, he actually misses them hanging out? Love your work :D

Here is a tiny smol story because this is too cute ^-^ 

I thought I’d have so much time this weekend to do important stuff (aka, write) but instead it was chores and watching Fire Emblem Three Houses voice actor videos and spooky stuff ⊙﹏⊙

//

Felix wasn’t concerned with something so trivial and cheap as romance. That, he knew, was an absolute and undeniable fact. Such frivolous endeavors hardly even crossed his mind, buried by far more important and relevant things such as combat strategy, training, and the very present threat looming over Garreg Mach. Relationships were pointless, distracting, annoying-

And it was your fault he was thinking of such things at all.

It was your fault for infecting his mind, your fault that his shoddy attack was easily knocked aside, that his stance was thrown off and balance corrupted. Felix’s opponent quickly followed up with a series of strikes his dulled reflexes were just barely able to catch, nearly toppling backwards as he played the part of poor defense.

“That was sloppy,” Byleth noted, backing off to allow him to regain balance and catch his breath. Felix lowered his sword and rolled his shoulders, shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the inane thoughts that plagued it.

“I know,” he bit out through his teeth, frustration made obvious in the displeased growl. Obviously his attack had been sloppy, anyone with a set of eyes could see that his performance was suffering greatly, but he didn’t need the obvious stated, he needed to focus. He needed to stop thinking.

“Are you feeling alright?” Byleth asked, either oblivious to his internal struggle or far too perceptive to it. Either option only meant unwanted concern. Very unwanted.

“I’m fine,” Felix snapped, the reaction making the professor blink in subdued surprise. 

That annoyed him, too. Behind that somewhat vacant stare, Felix didn’t doubt that Byleth never struggled with thoughts like his. Yet another infuriating area in which he found himself at a loss compared to the ex-mercenary.

“Something on your mind?” Byleth continued to push, aggravatingly astute as ever. Felix scowled, tension running a harsh current through his shoulders and back no matter how he tried to find a comfortable stance.

“I said I’m fine!” Felix reiterated, voice raised slightly too loud. He quickly recovered, speaking in a more reasonable volume so as to regain some composure. “Enough. Raise your sword, I’d like to try another round.”

Yes, fighting. Fighting was good, fighting was what he knew best. The only thing that mattered to Felix was the rush of blood in his ears and the harsh song of metal clanging against metal, the dance of careful footwork between him and his opponent and the intimacy derived from knowing the mind of the one facing against him and the means to take them down.

Not you. Not your wide, hurt eyes when he told you that he cared nothing for the relationship you desired or the feelings you expressed. You were a fool for getting your hopes up for such a thing with him, anyway! It was hardly his fault. To the very core of his being, Felix was nothing but violence and blood. All he was, and would ever be, was a fighter. To expect anything more was an exercise in futility.

That thought brought solace, or at least quelled the calamity of his mind for the moment. Another fight, that’s all he needed.

“I’m afraid I can’t anymore tonight, I promised to have tea with Ashe,” Byleth said, sheathing their sword.

Felix almost snapped. He could have argued by pointing out how ill suited the late hour was for something as superfluous as a tea party, could have done as the flare of irritation dictated and told Byleth how careless it was to indulge in such an unimportant pastime when threats were boring down on the monastery from every angle and training for disaster was absolutely paramount. 

Instead, he drew his mouth into a silent line. The professor could not be dissuaded from tea, no matter how irrational. Besides, some part of Felix’s brain could acknowledge that the way he felt had nothing to do with his teacher or the way they chose to spend their time, and that the energy he was thrumming with was far too unwieldy to be properly utilized in combat. Felix was restless and upset, and it had nothing to do with losing to Byleth yet again or the lack of proper sparring partner now that they were departing.

It was all your fault.  

“Farewell, then,” Felix forced himself to say. Byleth shot him one last stare, an intensely searching look that made his skin crawl, but merely wished him a good night before leaving. 

Felix wiped a hand across his brow and sighed, scanning his surroundings. The rest of the training grounds was distinctly unappetizing, a scattered array of students who barely knew which end of the sword to hold and withering teachers who had more in common with the dusty tomes in the library than the extraordinary professor. 

All of them seemed so unimportant, so absent. The feeling Byleth had left in their wake wasn’t loneliness, to even think that Felix felt such a thing was unfounded and ridiculous, but there was something. A void. For the past few weeks, the later hours of the day were ones he’d spent with you. 

He sighed again, resigning himself to going over basic routines in an attempt to clear his head.

Unfortunately, routines like this only brought you to mind. He had taught you how to perform them, how to execute them perfectly, in the way he was taught as a child. You weren’t amazing with the sword, never managing to best him once in the dozens of times the two of you had crossed blades, but you were good enough to be worth his time. Even if you couldn’t win, your defense was enough to make it difficult for him to score any actual victory, and you always tried. That, Felix told himself, was what he missed. A training partner. A valuable resource.

Not romance, not a relationship, not your company. Certainly not your company. It wasn’t as if you were annoying, or even unpleasant, but you were always so positive and happy, it was unnatural. It didn’t even make sense that you want to be around him. There had to be something more to it, and Felix had far more important things to worry about than your motives or feelings. Hundreds of more valuable thoughts to entertain than that of tears forming in your eyes, your bottom lip trembling as you tried to play off your reaction to his rejection. Or that smile, weak and false and infuriating because even after he hurt you, you tried to tell him it was okay, that you understood, but you didn’t. How could you, soft and excitable and hopelessly naive, possibly understand what he was?

Felix finally fell still when muscle memory failed him midway through a footwork exercise he’d had memorized since before he could remember, a frustrated sound that could only be classed as a growl making its way from his throat. This was useless, his movements were all wrong, made awkward by an uncomfortable stiffness lodged in his limbs and an ungainly inability to find good footing. 

Irritable and unhappy, Felix admitted defeat. There was nothing for it, really. Sloppy form, terrible balance, mediocre attacks, all because of his whirling thoughts and inability to focus. Because he was weak.

All because of you.    

What nonsense.

[lemongrasskiaiyo]

( booboo stewart, 26, genderqueer ) I just bumped into [ LEMONGRASS "LEMON" KIAIYO ] the other day while walking down [ EAST ] Kingsboro, where [ HE/THEY] live. I hear they can be [ PURE HEARTED ] and [ DAFT ], but when I think of them I immediately think about [ PLAYING GUITAR AT A BONFIRE, HANGING OFF OF THE ROOF OF A SKYSCRAPER FOR FUN, THE SMELL OF FRESH CUT WOOD ] ( ella, 26, they/them, est )

{ fire tw, death tw, missing child tw }

FULL  NAME  ,  NICKNAME(S)  : lemongrass sochi kiaiyo

AGE  ,  DOB  ,  ZODIAC  :  twenty - six , june 28  ,  cancer

HOMETOWN  :  elmon cape, marshall islands

GENDER  ,  PRONOUNS  :  genderqueer,  she / they

ORIENTATION  : pansexual  ,  panromantic

OCCUPATION  : courier / artist

LANGUAGE(S)  SPOKEN  :  english  -  fluent  ,  marshallese - fluent , spanish - fluent , arabic - fluent , russian - fluent , mandarin - conversational , french - conversational 

FAMILY LIFE: born on a deep-sea research ship somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean, lemongrass is the oldest of three. when he was two years old, just before his sister sage was born, his parents moved to an international research center in the elmon cape of the marshall islands to study the local shark population. when lemon was thirteen, their little sister saffron was born. the three siblings were inseparable, just as much best friends as they were family. {tw: fire, death} when lemon was sixteen, he and his friend were trying to make homemade fireworks, and caused a fire that killed three people, including his parents. {end tw}

PRE-KINGSBORO LIFE: lemongrass and his sisters were sent to live with family in america, and lemon soon learned that the american high school system was not made for kids like him. he began to act out, skipping school to smoke weed in the woods behind a taco bell, making friends with the wrong people, and eventually dropping out of school all together when he turned 18. one night, lemon snuck out of his bedroom window to go to a party. he didn’t know that saffron, almost six at the time, had followed him out into the street. {tw: missing child} when he returned in the early hours of the morning, he was met by police officers. saffron had never made it back into the house, and hasn’t been seen since. {end tw}. he stuck around until the police stopped investigating, and then took off, using his inheritance to travel the globe. 

KINGSBORO LIFE: it’s been eight years since he left home, and lemon is ready to find a new one. he landed in kingsboro by mistake, about six months ago, when they got off the greyhound to grab some food and missed getting back on. so, a strong believer in fate, they decided to stay. they’ve found freelance work as a courier for people they probably shouldn’t be working for, but as long as they’re fast and quiet and never ask questions, they make decent money. they’re looking for a more permanent job now that they’ve decided to stick around kings for a bit.

DREAMS & GOALS: lemon is a creative, passionate artist. while most of their work is abstract paintings, they are currently working on a portrait series highlighting missing children forgotten by the american justice system. they are hoping to one day get a chance to have the paintings hung in a real gallery with an audience of people who have the power to help, but for now they post them anonymously on an instagram account dedicated to the project. he also has a second anonymous insta dedicated to photos he’s taken at the top of skyscrapers, where he likes to risk death for the perfect photo.

PERSONALITY: lemon is...very, very dumb. they are a good, sweet child, but very dumb. except when it comes to languages. they grew up surrounded by many different languages, and so from a young age, was always able to pick them up quickly. lemon can be an immature, childish person, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders and will always do the right thing. he seems to have been born without the ability to feel fear so he is pretty much always doing something dangerous.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

PARTNER IN CRIME; one might call them best friends, but with the amount of trouble they get into, partners in crime is more fitting. they’re the first person lemon goes to for everything, including dank memes, this wicked dog he saw on the street, and this cool new song he heard. ( @claudiafernandez96​ )

BAD INFLUENCE;  lemon is easily swayed to the dark side, he’s reckless and impulsive and is pretty much down for anything. he needs someone to corrupt him a little and get him into even more trouble. 

GOOD INFLUENCE; lemon is a soft boy, but he can be very hard on himself. he needs someone in his life who will encourage him to drink water, sleep more than a few hours a week, and maybe even eat a vegetable. they support and encourage each other, cheering each other on. ( @booknerdaurora​ )

SPOUSE-ISH; they met, married, and parted ways all in the same alcohol-fuelled weekend. they were extremely drunk and got married quite suddenly, but by the time they sobered up, all they has was the memories and the rings, no paperwork to be found. nobody is actually sure if they’re legally married or not, but lemon likes to teas them by calling them his spouse anyway.

CASUAL HOOKUP/FWB/ONE NIGHT STAND; lemon has literally zero game but somehow people still find his dorkiness charming. well, that and the fact that he’s gorgeous and yet somehow doesn’t realize it. 

CLOSE FRIENDS; lemon is just now starting to build and maintain solid, lasting relationships with people he otherwise would have eventually lost touch with. each friendship is different, but it’s time for lemon to have a circle of people he can rely on; a new family. ( @codyhq, @travhq​ )

EXES; because he had little interaction with people his own age until he was sixteen, lemon can often miss very important social cues, often leading to any relationships or flirtationship breaking down unexpectedly. he also doesn’t like staying in one place for too long, and has probably left a trail of broken hearts around the world.

he’s very open, please feel free to message me at any time for more!

[highchalowwis]

eden grace honey: facts and figures

the first in the collection of facts and figures about my characters: stats, relationships, current situations

facts:

level 5 fey wanderer ranger / level 3 arcane archer fighter (eden multiclassed after training with one carter highland. we’ll get there)

12 str; 18 dex; 15 con; 16 int; 16 wis; 16 cha (i rolled. supremely well on stats! and changeling gave +2 cha and +1 wildcard which I put into wis for ranger reasons)

at level 4 she took sharpshooter for her longbow, which came in handy in the last fight when she could fully shoot the bbeg from 300 feet down

assigned colors: green and gold and coffee brown

figures:

other party members! 

ember (basrar’s boy) was a fire genasi arcane chef and eden’s best friend at camp; they’ve both been at camp bumblebark for about ten years and are both now counselors together and fiercely protective of its members

calluna, a new junior counselor firbolg barbarian from a long line of firbolg druids. her younger brother hilly is the best npc ever and she is one of my best friends - sweet, kind, and incredibly dumb (in the most loving way possible)

camellia! a half-dwarf druid and the newest senior counselor for dryad cabin. truly the sweetest and also i love em so much. shoutout to camellia for un-poisoning eden like Eight Times jesus Christ. has a pet mouse whom eden hates

crow! the newest jc for eden’s cabin, a fire genasi bard and former drug dealer. the token traumatized kid. she simply just needs love. has a pet crow (duh). eden’s partner in crime in winning capture the flag

other (important) camp figures:

hilly: aforementioned little brother. built a dragon gun (dragun). won the end of year talent show (as he deserves)

carter: eden’s sort-of ex from last summer, who she started out the year pretending to hate because she regretted her treatment of him the past fall when she ghosted him due to not thinking she deserved to date because she takes care of her sisters and the family coffee shop and she chose them over him. he is an idiot and came along with the party so many times that eden had to get over herself, heal him, and fall back in love with him. they are currently happily dating in their senior years at aguefort (eden) and hudol (carter)

hornwallace: the camp director! a gnome druid and possible distant descendant of the camp founder, hickory bumblebark

lorelai ergan: an albino elf wizard. she rocks (and turns out is secretly old, evil, and kidnapping kids)

hugo rowland (hugh): minotaur camp safety director. an old ranger. eden looks up to him so so much

hickory bumblebark: the camp founder. 2000 years ago sealed off a dangerous portal to the feywild alongside her party members, some of whom were lost in the battle and others of whom were secretly evil! (and eden’s mom, apparently)

there were simply so many counselors and campers what’s important is that the direwolf cabin (eden’s cabin) won capture the flag against all of them

family members:

mark honey: a human dad trying to raise his three “half-elf” daughters and run honeybee coffee, the best coffee place in town. a good solid dad. did not know his wife was a semi-immortal changeling from the feywild but we all make mistakes,

viola honey: also known as geoffrey gones, elenenguin lox, and luciana “lucy” lockley. hoo boy. until this summer, eden did her best not to think about her mom, because she thought her mom disappeared when she was three and left her three young daughters and loving husband to fend for themselves. this was technically true - what eden found out this summer was that her mother was in fact not a deadbeat elf mom, but a deadbeat changeling mom who had been LIVING IN ELMVILLE for the past fourteen years as a dwarven drug dealer named goffrey gones and a high elf named elenenguin lox, and that 2000 years ago was known as lucy lockley, the former lover of camp founder hickory bumblebark, and had been keeping herself alive for 2000 years by using young bumblebark campers in necromantic rituals alongside lori. she sucks, is the thing

ava elizabeth honey: eden’s 15 year old sister, who is currently going into her sophomore year at aguefort. she’s studying barbarian classes right now because she’s going through an edgy phase but will end up as a paladin because below an edgy exterior she loves her sisters and dad deeply. this summer, she’s spending a lot of time working at the coffee shop and pretending to hate it

ophelia grace honey: the youngest honey sister at 14, spending the summer at a dance intensive in bastion city with their aunt. in the fall, she’ll start monk and bard classes as a freshman at aguefort. the sweet baby sister. eden misses her so so much. i could talk about the honey siblings for hours.

features

the party are counselors or junior counselors at camp bumblebark, the leading secular camp in elmville of fantasy high fame! except, people start having weird dreams, campers start leaving in the middle of the night, and eden has freckles now?

over the course of a summer, our plucky heros discover a 2,000 year old plot to feed off the lifeforce of campers and reopen a portal to a dangerous region of the feywild, headed by the camp’s assistant director lorelai, a mysterious changeling who bears a suspicious resemblance to one eden honey, and a family of warlocks whose son is not good at capture the flag.

from cabins to coffeeshops to cottagecore to drug dealers to diners to dragging npcs along on wild goose chases, the chowder clams (named after the camp’s famous breakfast chowder) helped stop lori and co by destroying their final step to open the portal, stop the heterosexuals from going too far by setting camellia up with a hot air genasi rogue, and stop carter highland from dying by using the baby chain system (this did not entirely work out)

highlights include:

being put on the spot to name types of drinks at my family coffee shop and suggesting lime tea as an option

a picnic on the water, held up by a hot air balloon and a nat 20 and hope,

calling out your deadbeat mom for not remembering your middle name

and carter highland rolling nat ones every goddamn session

eden honey: she’d be bi if she weren’t so goddamn straight

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #287

“keep him tied - it makes him well / he’s getting better, can’t you tell?”

What are you favorite things to watch on YouTube? I like a pretty big variety now. I’d say I’ve been mostly into pet YouTubers lately, especially reptile ones. Oh, and WoW stuff. Can you pick out any constellations in the sky without looking them up online? Besides the Little or Big Dipper (idk which is which), nope. Are you religious? If so, what influenced you to start believing God? If you’re not religious, what convinces you there is no God? I wouldn’t call myself religious, no. I do believe there’s some kind of ultimate power, but hell if I know what it is, and I don’t actually worship it. I don’t believe any “good” god would demand kissing its feet in order for you to end at peace, among a billion other reasons. I believe there is something though because the odds of life and everything is just… too perfect. Plus I believe in the paranormal, so to me, there is obviously something beyond the mortal form. Is there any animal out there that genuinely terrifies you? Is this an animal you’re worried about coming across in daily life? I am terrified of ticks and parasites in general. They’re fucking disgusting. Maggots will also make me scream. Oh, and then there’s whale sharks. In my daily life, I wouldn’t say there’s any that I actively worry about crossing paths with. When was the last time you wore make-up? Around Halloween when Summer, me, and another of her friends did a witch-themed photoshoot. It really fucking sucks that it was so dark by the time we were done that the pictures came out absolutely awful. You can’t see shit, and of course on camera, I look absolutely awful. Have you ever worn colored contacts? No, but I’m totally not opposed for a cool photoshoot. Have you seen any of the Disney re-makes (eg. Aladdin or The Lion King)? What do you think of them? I’ve seen a good number, and I really like them. I think The Jungle Book remake was the best of them. How long did it take you to pass your driving test once you started learning how to drive? Ha, I still haven’t tried. When was the last time you went out for a formal occasion or event? Do you remember what you wore? Uhhhh… I have zero clue. Well, does my last job interview count? I just wore black sweatpants and some kind of formal top. How often do you have the TV on? is it more background noise or are you actually watching things? Y’all know by now that I don’t watch TV. Do you like any songs by Elvis Presley? Well of course. “Devil In Disguise” is my favorite. Do you ever answer the phone to unknown numbers? Nope. Do you eat anything special for breakfast on Christmas Day? Nah. When you go to theme parks, what’s your favorite type of ride? I haven’t been to a theme park in beyond forever, so idk. Are you afraid of falling in love? Ohhhhh yes. Expecting something to change in the next month? No. e_e What is your biggest worry in life right now? That Mom’s cancer will come back. Well, it IS going to eventually flare somewhere else, but no one can estimate when. Could be tomorrow. Could be years. Do you give up easily? It depends. With a lot of things, honestly, yes, because I get upset with my incompetence. What are you listening to? "Going To Hell" by The Pretty Reckless just came on. Is anything bothering you right now? Always. Were you ever made fun of? Yes. Are you currently jealous? I’ve been having episodes of it. Do you find piercings attractive on the opposite sex? I find them attractive on almost all people. Who was the last person you yelled at? I don’t know. Probably Mom. What do you say a lot? “Mood,” “lmao,” “can’t relate,” “same,” “oof,” “yikes,” shit like that, haha. What is your favorite place you have traveled? Chicago. Do you like ice cream? Yeah, that’s my comfort food. Do you like bananas? Yeah, but I don’t dare to eat one if I haven’t had my heartburn medication, because otherwise I get it BADLY. Do you like Paramore? A handful of their songs, yeah. I don’t know a lot though, honestly. Do you plan on getting married? It’d be nice. Ever been given a promise ring? No. Sexual orientation? Bi. Who do you text the most? Definitely Sara. Do you still talk to the person who hurt you most in life? Why or why not? No, because he wants nothing to do with me. I don’t blame him. Have you ever given your number to a complete stranger? Um, no. Well, besides in like, job applications. What color is your keyboard? Black. Your mouse? Mostly black, but it does have this crackled pattern that can glow blue or red. Desktop or laptop? I prefer laptops for mobility’s sake. Do you like sweet tea? I hate tea. How much sugar do you put in your tea? ^ Have you ever called someone useless? Wow, no. Do you have a wood or glass dining room table? Wood. Do you tend to get attached easily? HOLY GOD OF FUCK, YES. Is Joe Jonas really hotter than Nick? I haven’t seen either in god knows how long, but I remember I thought Nick was very cute. Favorite flavor pudding? Chocolate is the only kind I’ve enjoyed. Not that I’ve tried a lot. What are three words used in your area/dialect that many other areas/dialects wouldn't be familiar with? Oh, there are most certainly some, but I can’t think of any right now. How do you feel when your partner is talking to an ex? This would depend on a lot of things. What is the most expensive gift you have ever given? Received? Given, I’m really unsure. I answer enough questions sharing that I don’t have my own source of income, so a lot of times, my mom lets me use her money, but there is obviously a ceiling to how much I can use. Received, definitely my Sager laptop Jason got me one year. Do children like you? I’m always surprised that kids seem to… I don’t know how the hell to interact with kids, but parents tend to tell me that they do like me. If you found your child's diary would you read it? What if you found the diary of one of your parents? Hell no would I read that shit. Both deserve privacy. Have you ever stalked or killed a wild animal? Fuck no. Name something you are now prepared to reveal about yourself that you weren't ready to talk about in the past? The state of my virginity. Name a talent someone has of which you are jealous: I am soooo envious of talented and actually successful photographers. What would you most likely complain about in a hotel? Probably if the bed sheets seemed dirty. Is it possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time? Probably. I’m monogamous though, so I really can’t say because I haven’t experienced this. Do you often feel pressured by others? Society, yes. Should couples live together before marriage? I feel that it’s the better decision, yes. You may not blend well actually sharing the same house. You learn things about your partner. How would you feel attending the wedding of an ex? It would depend on the person. Girt or Sara? I would love to. As a matter of fact, I better be invited lmao. Jason? I couldn’t in ten trillion years. Fiction or nonfiction. I strongly prefer fiction. Can you can lie with a straight face? Yes, if it’s something little. Name three things you have experienced that would shock your parents: Probably just sexual stuff. Do you believe in using the silent treatment? No. I’ve sure done it before, but I’d like to think I’ve grown out of this. Communication is where it’s at. Your most embarrassing thought: *shrug* Your most prejudiced thought: I don’t know. I don’t think I’m very prejudiced. A shameful moment for you: The situation w/ Joel. The biggest gamble of your life: Deciding to drop out of college the last time. Who knows if that was a good choice or not… It’s too early to tell. What is your greatest weakness as a friend? Idk off the top of my head, but I’m sure there’s something. Do you feel better when you have a tan? Nah, I like being pale. I did go through a period in HS of using tanning lotion on my legs though because I was self-conscious of JUST how pale they were. Do you sometimes enjoy being mean? ”I don’t think so. Maybe like... in certain contexts. Like being mean in video games can be really fun sometimes, haha. And being a little mean in a kink setting can be fun too.” <<<< This. Are you high maintenance? Definitely not. Has anybody ever told you that you’re too young to be in love? I think my dad has, just indirectly. Did you learn anything from the last BIG mistake you made? Yes. Do you have a favorite brand of shoes? Yeah, Converse. Do you like rollercoasters with big drops? I’m afraid of rollercoasters so have never been on one. Do you have any inside jokes with your parents? Not really. Have you ever thrown a surprise party for somebody? I don’t think so? Do you know who your mom’s favorite singer is? Oh, she’s totally obsessed with James Hetfield/Metallica. What year were you born in? 1996. What is your favorite card game? Magic: The Gathering, even though I was never great at it or totally understood all the rules. I just adore the artwork, and I like the detailed tactics behind it. Have you ever tried to surf? Nah. Do you want to learn? Nah. Have you ever had a song dedicated to you? What was it? Let’s not with this. What color eyes does your best friend have? Brown. Have you ever been on a blind date? Nah. Which one of your family members do you wish you could see more often? My brother and his son. I got really close to my nephew the last time they visited for a few days. What room in your house is the messiest? Right now, the extra bedroom that I want to make my dayroom. A lot of our “extra” stuff is just shoved into there. Have you ever requested a song on the radio? No. Are you proud of your parents? Yes. Have you ever (accidentally or not) set off a car alarm? I think I accidentally have before. Do you have dimples when you smile? Yes, way more prominently on my left cheek though. Do you find graveyards scary? No. They’re peaceful to me. Have you ever carved anything into a tree? I don’t think so. Do you read those celebrity gossip magazines? Ew, no. Celebs deserve privacy. Do you give or get advice more often? Well considering I’m in therapy, probably get. Did the last type of shoes you wore have laces? No. Do you like the picture on your license/I.D. card? FUCK no. When was the last time somebody hit on you? Idr. Which one of your friends do you feel most comfortable around? Sara. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? Just pass me the rolls lmao. Who did you last spoon with? My cat lmao. What was the last video game you played? I don’t recall the last console game I played, so does World of Warcraft count, even tho it’s a computer game? When you’re in trouble, do your parents ever “middle name” you? Ha, my mom will sometimes. Does getting sweaty or dirty bother you at all? If so, has it ever put you off doing exercise? Very much so. I suffer (and I DO mean “suffer”) from insane hyperhidrosis, so I sweat my ass off if I so much as twitch, if even that. I just hate feeling gross. Have you ever thought about how you want to spend your retirement? No, honestly. It’s hard for me to imagine even *getting* to retirement. Would you describe yourself as healthy? Why or why not? No. I’m physically and even more mentally not okay. Do you miss anything about being a teenager? If you are a teenager, what’s your favorite thing about it? Yeah, some things. Though I really don’t even want to think about it. I look back on me being a teen with both wistfulness as well as bitterness. I don’t know which is stronger.

[mysticalmusicwhispers]

APH China Musings

When I start thinking about China, and sometimes countries in general, I get this total disconnect between how the anime/manga portrays the country (especially China) and how a lot of headcanons have them as, especially reading headcanons and art about ancient days. 

Ok China-specific content below (headcanons at the very end): Very long post warning

Most of the canon shows him as a sort of weird old grandpa who doesn’t really have all his nuts and bolts in his brainpan and pretends to be cool or whatever (when he’s really not) while his kids all mock him. That APH China has a soft spot for cute things and can’t really understand the others ig, which again kinda makes him a laughingstock for his kids. But, the headcanons I’ve read show him as a really manipulative, sly Old Man who enters contracts/treaties/friendships to benefit him, not for the sake of being kind, and doesn’t really see everybody else on an even level with him which... clashes somewhat to a lot with the canon. HOWEVER, this cunning, darker (?) version of him is way more historically accurate... I like certain things from both versions (and I also like being historically accurate as much as possible) and the fact that headcanons vs canon is so contrasting makes it kinda hard to have one concrete China for my headcanons, it’s like he has split personalities or something lol.

Side note: I’ve never heard/known of anyone Chinese ever saying -aru in English, so... It might be just a voice tic of Chinese people when speaking Japanese, but I sort of get annoyed when it’s added in every other sentence he says in a fanfic. He doesn’t talk like that in the English dubbed anime either, and it seems that the English translations of the manga have also omitted the -aru (except for one strip I believe, correct me if I’m wrong). So please don’t add it in fanfics unless you want the characters to all be speaking Japanese with their own unique voice tics.

However, I do like some parts of the canon portrayal, SUCH AS: his doing tai chi every morning, the portrayal of his relationship with Japan before the “betrayal”, and apparently how he “isn't one to waste a second of time” (from the wiki). So in my head, I try to meld the canon and Sly Old Man together, because I like some aspects of China that may not be explained by either the country’s history, culture, or stereotypes, and honestly I feel like some parts of a country’s personality can just appear spontaneously; you don’t need to be able to explain every part of you from your past experience or the people and country that you make up and represent.

Without further ado, the Headcanons!

- MORNING PERSON, does the whole tai chi thing in the morning with the birds in his garden or something, finds it very relaxing, and then goes back inside for an actual breakfast (I have no idea what he’d eat because Chinese cuisine varies A LOT from region to region, ex. in the north/Beijing region there’s usually soy milk, “Chinese oil stick” which is basically like salty fried dough sticks, and “tofu brains” <-- literal translation, it’s a sort of soupy thing with very soft tofu (very good). In the south, there’s a lot of sweet meats and dim sum, almost like a mini lunch sort of thing, etc.) He’d also drink tea, and never adds sugar (I don’t think restaurants in China ever actually give you sugar packets with tea)

- I feel like he’d be a CAT PERSON nowadays dogs as pets have become more popular in China but before, cats were more common (I think) because of their usefulness as pest control and the fact that they can get their own food; dogs weren’t really kept except to be guard dogs. I feel he’d have gotten used to cats, and also he’d enjoy a quiet pet’s company more

- ANCIENT DAYS/RELATIONSHIPS: He’d probably be slightly manipulative, and ENTER relationships for a trade benefit/power/control/good stuff, but if the relationship goes well and the person is charming (Rome cough cough), he’d slowly warm up and become real friends after a while.

- I agree with the Sly Old Man treatment of COLONIES/TRIBUTE STATES, he’d probably just protect them for the benefits instead of actual Love (but isn’t that what all countries do these days). I do see him as very patronizing to his underlings, because of a) his age and him thinking that he’s seen it all with his dynasty changes and wars and stuff and b) Confucianism, which said to respect your elders and all that, so I think it’d make him slightly full of himself and patronizing (the wiki says this is also his current attitude and I can see that). But I see a situation similar to the relationship one playing out here; as he gets more and more contact with a tribute state he actually grows closer to them in the Normal Human Feeling way, so that would explain his feeling of betrayal when Japan left (literally back-stabbing him), as well as his feeling sad (not just because he lost a trade partner and revenue maker) when Korea was taken. For his tribute states, my headcanon for their relationship is pretty much summed up in this post (esp his relationship with Korea, but also Japan a bit): https://stirringwinds.tumblr.com/post/119403708770/tsk-look-at-you-all-battered-and-bruised-its (patronizing but still caring)

- VERY PRAGMATIC AND EXTREMELY BLUNT. I have no explanation, he just seems like this kind of person (and according to the wiki, he “isn't one to waste a second of time”). Doesn’t care at all if he offends you, intentionally or not (unless he’s trying to impress, of course).

- VERY TRADITIONAL. He probably knows at least a handful of traditional instruments, pipa, ma tou qin, gu zheng, erhu, xun, etc. And will roast people on the internet if they play them wrong (a while back at some really fancy gathering, there was a performer who was in front, mind you, playing a yu (wind instrument) upside down and totally wrong, and that caused a huge firestorm in Chinese social media. I’d like to think China would have been one of those people to be like “what are you doing you know you just made a fool of yourself right?” Incidentally, there’s also an idiom related to the yu that is literally about playing it wrong (literally it’s something like one bad apple can be covered up in a sea of good ones but one by one, people will see you’re bad))

- TRADITIONAL pt. 2: good at calligraphy and also very good at guessing dui lian (apparently called antithetical couplets) hung up during the Lunar New Year. Also adhering to tradition, he gathers up everybody for every single big Chinese/Asian festival to eat together. I know Japan doesn’t interact much with China and China still feels betrayed by him in the manga (the Japanese and Chinese relationship nowadays still isn’t the greatest/closest for multiple reasons) but I’m going to take liberties (and my heart needs fluff). Also, if China invites/drags everybody but Japan to his house, I feel like that’s awkward and one of his kids/siblings would get Japan to come anyway. There would be a lot of arguing at the dinner, about food, politics, memes (from HK), trends, or anything really, but it’s all in good fun, yeah?

- MODERN POLITICS: still a bit of Sly Old Man, and probably very stuck in his ways. Some countries he doesn’t really respect. For example, he doesn’t see America as a fully respectable adult, probably because a) he’s still older and b) I think China agrees with his government’s structure to a point? Like with the way he suffered during the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (Boxer Rebellion, WWI, etc.) I think he’d take any system (including communism) that worked and improved people’s lives. At heart, I think China wants to do what’s right for the people, and at the time, the Communist Party promised that people’s lives would get better under their leadership, and for some, it did. That convinced so many people to take their promise, and I think China would have supported it at the time. As well as, I believe that country’s perspectives of their government is /somewhat/ influenced or warped by their people’s perspective, and /most/ people in China are /okay/ satisfied with the central govt. (not extending this to regional govts, that’s kinda a different issue). So I see China (as a character) being mostly satisfied, and America’s criticism and complaints about him pretty much bounce off, because China doesn’t see his comments worthy of respecting, especially because his govt. is doing ok from his point of view. There are definitely things that need working on, but he won’t take US criticism.

- SLY OLD MAN pt. 2: Basically the same as the tribute state thing, he’ll help you out initially to get your benefits, but if you last long enough, he’ll gradually grow friendship feelings. I feel like this is what real China is trying to do with the “Belt and Road”, basically spreading influence to less developed countries, although it may not be working out. Sort of like manipulation, which also fits in with the Sly Old Man thing.

- I can see why Hima originally designed China as being a bit cold, because I feel if he doesn’t need you, he won’t really talk to you. Although as mentioned above, I also see him start to care for somebody once he takes the effort to get to know you, and will probably care for his close friends long after they’re actually needed.

- I agree with the canon that he can GET ANNOYED EASILY AND SNAPS A LOT, but I see this happening only with people he thinks aren’t interesting enough, are below him, or don’t get him (or are just incessantly annoying).

- Also a bit EGOTISTICAL, but doesn’t show most of the time. Unless you happen to mention a recent achievement, and then he’ll go “Haha! I did that ____ (pick a number from 1,000 to 4,000) years ago!” or something and probably roast you

- SENTIMENTAL OLD SOUL: often reminisces about the past when alone, or with someone he truly trusts (that used to be Japan, but...). Slips into “how did the world get like this?” sometimes to a lot. Feels lonely sometimes too, and can be found stargazing on his front stoop at night

- RELAXING: if he doesn’t have work, he’ll just relax at his house, probably take a long bath/shower and just do nothing, maybe play some sort of instrument for fun, go into his garden and paint/walk around and enjoy the flowers, or watch some new addictive show. If he feels like working, he’ll cook dinner for all his kids/siblings and invite them over (this will also be done if he thinks one is overworking)

Ok those are all the headcanons for now, but probably will be more to come. My love for this Old Man is infinite <3. If you want, reblog/submit/comment your own aph China headcanons! Do you think I did him justice?

[ethandigby]

『 LANDON LIBOIRON ❙ GENDERQUEER 』 ⟿ looks like ETHAN DIGBY is here for THEIR SECOND year as a VISUAL ART GRAD student. HE is 27 years old & known to be DEDICATED, HONEST, STUBBORN & PESSIMISTIC. They’re living in NOLAND, so if you’re there, watch out for them. ⬳ drew. twenty-two. est. he/him. ethan’s pinterest

trivia:

he really likes white cholate & hot chocolate, often eating handfuls of white chocolate baking discs regardless of the time of day. 

visual art major --- tends to stray towards sculptures and installation pieces, though he does have a love for bob ross style landscape pieces. draws a lot of inspiration from older art, and many of his pieces are designed to look worn-out and as though they are missing pieces. 

perpetually exhausted --- for all his love of schedules, he has never managed to consistently get enough sleep and though he loves tea, that never seems to have enough of an impact to truly wake him up ---- a.k.a he is a yawn prone little fuck

doesn’t quite believe the local legends, though he doesn’t dismiss them outright either. the statue by wishing tree has, however, made it into several of his works ---- statues seem to have her facial features without him ever meaning to and he will swear to anyone that asks that in sophomore year of his bachelor’s degree he woke up one morning to her face staring at him from amongst the trees on a painting he had been working on. he will hesitantly add that it’s possible that he had just been thinking of her while half asleep, though ethan doesn’t really believe that

currently working as a TA for some of the freshman art classes, as well as overseeing the use of the different art studios from time to time. 

doesn’t believe in labels --- and that’s corny as hell, but he just wants to be able to be whoever he is in the moment and has had some harsher reactions when he uses umbrella terms, so he just refuses to label himself. relationship-wise it’s a whole different issue, he floats from one major relationship to another and often times will cycle back to one that’s already gone sour. 

has recently started going to a therapist to talk about some of the issues he has processing emotions and his fear of change ---- it’s been helping but he’s still very much on the verge of flight mode and will run away from situations that demand any real sort of emotional input from him on occasion. 

personality:

he is cynical, despite a desire to believe the best in people and the world - he has seen too much of the darker side of the world to ever truly believe it ---- this is reflected not only in his interactions with people ( he is open about expressing doubt and disbelief, he won’t believe a word you say, and he overanalyzes promises / invitations / declarations of love ) but also in his art and aesthetic which veers towards the dark and damned, a lot of his work is themed around broken things

stubborn as a mule ---- once he gets an idea in his mind, it can be hard to change his mind with logical arguments though an emotional appeal will have a better chance ---- he’s very set in his ways and struggles with questioning why things are the way they are, insisting that somethings should just be. loathes change and isn’t afraid to express this dislike --- tends to eat the same foods, wear the same clothes, go to the same places ---- despite a childhood dislike of routine, he finds it comforting nowadays, it feels safe.

loyal as all hell, you can hurt him a million times and he will still struggle to walk away and a genuine apology will win him back in an instant. he struggles to cut ties, even with those that he knows aren’t the best for him and has only successfully done so when it is possible for him to do so in a swift and permanent way. in most cases, he will eventually find his way back to those that he knows. 

friendly but not overly so --- he has no issue approaching people if he needs something, but he’s not generally one to approach you just to “chat” b/c he’s not big on small talk in general and honestly? he’d never say it but if he doesn’t know you, he doesn’t really give a damn how your day went or how you feel about the weather or current events. if he drinks, he becomes a little more sociable in that matter, but that often drifts into “ethan is going to info-dump about whatever has his interest in the moment and the only way to stop him is to like physically place something in / on his mouth” territory which is a whole different level of awkward. 

backstory:

growing up in a household where routine took priority, ethan spent a long time feel stifled by his parent’s demands that everything turned out perfectly ---- the neverending need to do things at just the right time, in just the right way. it was like fitting into a sweater that was just a tad too small, wrong in a way that is hard to explain

it’s in high school that he meets a true kindred spirit in the form of his art teacher ---- he helps ethan to realize his need for freedom and self-expression, and embraces his abilities in a way that he had always been afraid to. it’s a change that his parents are disapproving of, trying to reroute their son’s future to one of the paths that they would have approved of. but for once, he allows himself to rebel.

and after graduation, he leaves. running to new york, where he throws himself into the art scene head first without any real plans. for two years, he works multiple jobs as he cycles through sketchy roommates in his shitty apartment and equally shitty life partners, trying to discover things about himself that he hadn’t known before.

he’s still figuring some of that out, unsure of how to label his gender or his sexuality --- wishing more than anything that he could just be, a desire that he has long held onto since childhood that’s coming back to haunt them at last. 

that’s not the only thing that’s caught up with them as of late, the digby’s finally managing to track him down in new york and showing up at his apartment two years after he initially ran off. they came with open minds and a burning desire to see their son do something other than work minimum wage jobs and live in run-down apartments. they were quiet and subdued in a way that they never had been.

it took six months for them to convince him to enroll in college, and he eventually chose to attend radcliffe with an undeclared major. it was far enough from his hometown that his parents couldn’t reasonably drive up too often, but close enough that he could go home if he had wanted. a three-hour drive in the best traffic.

the distance proved to be the right amount --- though his parents certainly seemed to pop up over the first three months with containers of food and worries that their child would have run off, they eventually learned to trust him. and slowly, the wounds healed ---- ethan wouldn’t say that they’re close but they’ve learned to respect each other’s boundaries.

and he’s never seen them more proud than at graduation, except maybe when he told them that he was going to apply to grad school. it wasn’t the path that they had planned for ethan, but they had learned to be enthusiastic about his success, about his dreams and about his art.

doing his master’s degree - it’s been weird. being here is weird for him in general, he still misses new york even though it was a whole different kind of existence ---- he misses the stability of going to work everyday and being completely independent. here, he has to rely on his professors and classmates, he has people that expect him to check in with them and there’s more socialization --- mostly because he’s been trying to do better with that. 

connections:

good / bad influence: okay so traditionally, i think these would be separate connections but i think in this case, it’s more convoluted than that. for all of ethan running away from the environment his parents made, he’s very much stuck to those rules and expectations --- i would love for someone to start to break him out of that --- encourage him to party and drink and live life, and it doesn’t all have to be bad, it can be good too. you know, them bringing him to parties and him learning actually valuable lessons from it --- idk open to talking about their potential influence on each other, i think it could be fun

frenemies ( onesided or not ): i think a lot of ethan’s trust issues are a projection mechanism because he knows that in some ways that he can’t be trusted --- so i wld love for someone who they act like best friends when they’re together and then ethan just ... talks smack about them and doesn’t keep their secrets ( and maybe they do the same?? ) 

exes ( of all types / genders / whatever ): this one, my dear ethan, has gotten around a bit --- maybe they hooked up and now it’s awkward ---- maybe they dated for a while and keep circling back to each other despite knowing that they’re bad for each other ( a la unmiss you by clara mae ) ---- maybe they dated for a while and now they never talk so when they do see each other it’s just ... awkward as hell ---- open to literally anything with this one guys

art buddies: just two pals, palling around --- only prerequisite is that your character has some sort of interest in an art ( writing, theatre, music, film, etc etc ) --- and hey maybe they don’t get along but they put up a united front against the STEM majors who mock their choices in major? 

other: open to discussing dormates, coworkers, current love interests and literally anything else that you can think of --- does your character need someone over 21 to buy them alcohol? call ethan. for real tho, hit me up and let’s come up with some stuff!

[mishaandthebrits]

Hands Up

Plot: The Reader gets stuck in a bank robbery along side of Jensen, Jared and Misha. Warnings: Protective J2M, kind of bad, but I had the idea at work and really wanted to write it... more smut chapters will be posted soon!

"No, it really is my last word.", you sighed annoyed and ended the phone call with your boss. A few days ago you had sent him your letter of termination and he just wouldn't accept it. Another as you were you stepped into the bank in Vancouver where you currently were and headed to the end of the line. "You don't seem too happy.", a male behind you spoke and you turned around frowning. You saw blue eyes. Like really blue. Immediately your annoyance vanished a bit. "Just trouble with my ex boss.", you shrugged and the male nodded understanding. 

"Sound like theres some trouble for you.", he chuckled and smiled widely at you. The two males beside him smiled as well and watched you. "So, getting money for lunch?", one of them asked and you shook your head. "Not really, I'll get my last paycheck before my ex boss can request it back. And what are...", you started when a loud crash was heard before a gun was fired. "Okay! Everyone get down! Hands up and no one is gonna play hero today unless you want to die!", a male voice shouted. When you looked up you saw a man with a ski mask holding a gun and pointing it in the air. His eyes were evil and you stared at him before quickly dropping to the floor along with the three males besides you. The blue eyed man pulled you slightly closer to his body. Usually you would have frowned, but in the current situation you were too nervous to do anything but lay still. Before you could say or do anything the man grabbed your hand squeezing it lightly. "It's gonna be fine. Keep calm.", the slightly smaller one of the other two whispered. He somehow ended laying beside you on the other side and grabbed your hand as well. The robber watched you closely while his partner went to get the money, all of a sudden he turned nervous though. You listened closely and heard sirens somewhere outside the building. First you were extremely happy, but soon realized that this made the whole situation worse. In panic you squeezed the males hands and they looked at you worried. "T-the... the cops are coming...", you whispered shocked and their eyes lit up. "But that's good!", the tallest spoke quietly making you shake your head. "It... it will be a hostage situation...", you explained seeing their faces fall. "Okay! Everyone get up! Phones to me and you all walk to the back office. No panic or ill shoot you. No word or I'll shoot you.", the robber spoke coldly and while you felt yourself freeze the males besides you pulled you up with them. "Phone?", one asked and you nodded gesturing to your left jeans pocket. Once in the room the men sat you down in the corner and sat around you. It was a protective gesture and you wondered why they did it when they didn't even know you. "If I hear a sound I will shoot you all, get it?", the robber snapped before closing and locking the door. You sighed quietly letting out a breath you didn't know you were holding. "No windows, fuck.", one of the men spoke and groaned quietly before looking at you. "Hey, are you okay?", he spoke, his green eyes turning worried. You nodded not trusting your voice and fiddled with your fingers. "I'm Misha, these are Jared and Jensen. And you are?", the blue eyed man spoke smiling gently. He probably tried to calm you down, but that just wouldn't work this time. "Y/N.", you swallowed before replying making sure you were quiet. You looked around the room realizing it was only the four of you and two bank employees. "Haven't there been more people?", you mumbled and the men nodded. "They are in the room besides this one. I don't know why they separated us...", Jensen sighed making you shiver. Separation didn't sound good. "So Y/N. How old are you?", Jared asked crossing his legs casually as if he was sitting in the middle of a tea party and not a hostage. "I... I'm Y/A.", you mumbled and they nodded. "And you're here alone?", Jensen now asked before seeing you nod. "My mum and dad both died, so I am alone and yeah... ended the job.", you sighed then shrugged at the end. Unknown to you the males smiled at each other softly realizing their plan of calming you down by talking worked. "Why did you end it?", Jared asked curiously and leaned on his elbows. "I, well my boss was sort of really rude. He wouldn't pay me for cleaning or request I work seven days a week with ten hours daily but only pay for eight because that was what the contract said. He constantly yelled at me in front of customers and just overall was mean.", you explained watching for their reaction which went from mad to sad to confused. "And what are you going to work as now?", Misha asked and you shrugged. "I don't know yet, but I better find something quickly.", you sighed looking down. "Well, we are looking for a PA on set, if you want, you could have the job.", he smiled and you gasped. "R-really? But you don't know anything about me?", you frowned looking from one to the next and the next. "Extreme situations bring people close.", Jared chuckled before slapping his mouth shut with his hands when he heard shuffling in front of the door. Before anything else could happen your body was shielded by the three males around you, which also made you unable to see anything. When they relaxed you felt a weight lifted off your shoulders though. It wasn't the rubber or they wouldn't have relaxed. Moving around you saw three police officers step into the room, one of them arrested on of the bank employees while the other looked shocked, the other two took care of named second employee and the group of you four. "Are you unharmed?", he asked and you all nodded. You still felt slightly dizzy but relaxed when Misha pulled you closer to him. "Hey, were safe okay? I'm not gonna let go of you until you feel okay.", he whispered making you smile up at him and the other two. "Thank you three." "You're Welcome Y/N."

[solcordc]

{ FINAL FAREWELL } 

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal”  In loving memory of @katergaris​ Reno.  May the love of @siicariivs​ and @militvs​ be remembered fondly.

        Life is gentle, blessed even, for the ex SOLDIER. The woman who dreamed of revenge is gone, the man who became a puppet is gone, the tortured soul has become gentle--he is not who he was. Cloud Strife never thought he’d ever feel happiness again, but as he ran the sponge over a plate, he realized that he was living out that domestic fantasy everyone dreamed of. He couldn’t deny that on occasion he might wonder when he’d wake back up into a hell hole--but right now he only felt full; warm inside. His lips tugged into a small smile, something that came easy to him now. They didn’t leave extravagantly, not that either of them would have wanted that, but they lived comfortably. The apartment had a living room, kitchen, and one bedroom. It worked well for a family of four--well five now. 

           Glancing out over the small counter that separated the tiny kitchen from the modest living room he noted that a bag of spray paints kept by the door was missing. Pausing in doing the dishes, he wiped his hands on a cloth, and went to check. Neku’s shoes were gone as well--along with Sasha’s leash and he smiled in relief. Reno’s australian shepherd had taken well to the deaf kid he’d taken in off the streets and was very good at alerting him to danger, or calming him down if he got overwhelmed. The blonde’s heart felt impossibly large in that moment and he turned the affection on a small bundle of grey fur rubbing between his legs. The young man had always wanted a family, ever since his first had been stolen from him. Becoming Reno’s boyfriend--and then later his husband--it had been a long journey but until he felt more stable they’d known having a kid was out of the question. 

            Still, Cloud loved kids and he’d always felt a slight twinge every time he helped one back to their family. So for a very long time it had just been the blonde, his husband, Sasha, and the kitten Fenrir. Then he’d found the poor red-head laying in the street and his heart had gone out to him. It helped that where Neku was deaf, he was going deaf, and for him that had settled the whole affair. He knew ASL and in his opinion that made him the best qualified to take care of the young boy. He wrote Reno about him often and how beautiful his street art was. I can’t wait for you to meet him; I know you’re going to love him. He’d said once in a text--one his lover had actually been able to reply to. At that thought he wandered away from the door and over to where his phone was. When he had work he usually wore his hearing aids so it wasn’t difficult to hear the ringing of his cell, but on days off he preferred not to wear them so it was possible he’d missed something. 

              There wasn’t, well there was one text, but it was Neku just letting him know he was going out for a bit of fresh air. Nothing wrong with that so he just set it back down and went back to washing the dishes. A soft sigh escaped him, when was Reno coming home? The turk had been out on a mission for almost a month now and even if Cloud was ok, he still missed him. Things like this weren’t uncommon but the blonde couldn’t help feeling just a little bit touch starved--even for those energetic bear hugs he always got from the turk. Neku helped ease the loneliness; helped dull how loud his depression could get, but no one could replace his husband. Thoughts of dark hair and an easy smile flitted across his mind but he shoved that aside. Some loves were best staying forgotten. Besides, it was an old flame--one that he’d long since given up on. He was far happier with Reno in his current life than he ever had been before their relationship had gotten off to its rocky start. 

              A small laugh escaped him as he began rinsing and drying the dishes. Reno had asked him out--telling him that he needed to ‘loosen up’ now that he was ‘done saving the world’. At first he’d resisted, certain that after everything he didn’t deserver it--but in the end the turk was relentless. He just wouldn’t take no and kept asking until at last the ex SOLDIER agreed to gone on ‘just one’ date with the red-head. Much to his surprise when he was treated to one of the best nights of his life. Even if he came across as wild and a party-type guy, Reno had known that Cloud was still too wounded inside to handle letting go that much. The date had been at the turks apartment where he cooked a home-made meal and treated Cloud to some tifa-level drinks. 

             He’d walked Cloud home, hand warm around his waist--and left with a gentle shoulder nudge. He took his time courting Cloud--let the blonde come to him at his pace. Slipping the ring back on his finger, now done with the dishes, he smiled fondly at the simple band. That patience and care had stayed long into their relationship and it was pretty clear that despite his rowdy nature, Reno was an attentive lover in all things. Granted he’d been yelled at by his husband plenty of times like when he got his hearing aids--or wore his binder too long, but things like that were rare. He kissed the band gently, whispering into it like a prayer. “Come home soon Firecracker...” As if answering his call there was a faint thudding just edging into his hearing. Blinking in surprise he wandered toward the door, but when he opened it and saw Rude’s pinched expression, his heart sunk into his stomach. 

            “Um...let me get my hearing aids...” he offered quietly, before he turned, knowing Rude would see himself in and close the door behind them. His husbands partner didn’t like him at first, not that he could blame him. Cloud had been pretty messed up--but all it took was one look at Reno’s face as he held the others hand and he was satisfied. Of course he’d gotten the whole ‘break his heart I’ll break your face’ but he didn’t mind. ‘I’d like to see you try’ had been his reply and ever since they’d become pretty good friends. If Rude was here without Reno--that meant either he was wounded or in trouble...or worse, but he didn’t want to think about that. Slipping his hearing aids into place he reminded himself that Reno was stronger than that. He was probably pretty wounded, but otherwise fine. He had to hold to that. “Do you want anything to drink?” he asked, just trying to keep his hands busy as he paced back into the kitchen. 

              The turk watched him, his pained look growing as he observed the blonde. “We still have some tea--or if you want something stronger I think there’s brandy in the cupboard...” he was babbling, something he hadn’t really done before Reno. He supposed that was just a bad habit of his husbands he picked up. It helped--to feel as if his husband was near even if he couldn’t be physically. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, gripping tightly and he stopped, blue eyes looking up to catch the others gaze. Rude took his glasses off, tears brimming in his own eyes and Clouds breath hitched. “Reno’s dead...” the man said. It was quiet but those words brought the blonde’s world crashing down on him. “No...” he choked out, his own eyes filling with tears. “Cloud I’m sorry but--I was there. I tried everything...but he couldn’t pull through. I’m sorry but he died in my arms...I know that it’s you who should have had that. But you know--in his last moments he only talked about you. He loved you so much and you made him happy--so...” 

                Cloud jerked away, collapsing on the floor as he shook with shock. “No...no no no!” It’s just couldn’t be true! Sure people died all the time and it ached...but not his husband. Through thick and thin--through worse scrapes then he could have ever imagined, his husband had survived it all. So to be told that this time he hadn’t...it broke the ex SOLDIER. That was the love of his life--another person so dear to him that he’d lost. The tears burned as he sobbed, hands tangling in his hair as he shook with panic. To his credit, Rude just let him wail it out, didn’t touch him. When the panic turned to denial, to blame and he beat his fists against the others chest--shook him by the collar of his shirt--he let him. When he was done, when all that was left was tears and regret, those arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. 

                 “I didn’t even get to say goodbye...” he choked out between sobs. Rude had apologized over and over again for not being able to bring him home and when the turk handed him the matching wedding ring, they both cried. When Neku came back he had to explain it to him because Cloud just couldn’t get the words out. Rude stayed, if only to talk over their memories--to tell Cloud how to get his things--and that he would be back later to help him plan a funeral. It was supposed to be a small affair--but the whole of the slums came to pay respects. Cloud was a dear face in the community now and his husband was the bright light next to him--everyone had been fond of the young couple. There was no one who didn’t have tears in their eyes and as he placed the final flower on the coffin (silently thanking Rude for bringing his husbands body back so they could at least properly bury him) he knew he’d never be the same. 

              So in the moment he whispered those words they always said when Reno went on a mission. “Don’t go where I can’t follow...” he sobbed quietly into the coffin. For a moment he could swear he heard a voice whisper. 

                “There’s nowhere you can’t follow.” 

[lorentibbs-blog]

Manic Depressive

Manic Depressive.

Every morning he makes me a cup of tea.

Once he even delivered a Harry Spesh- one-part espresso, one- part hot water and one- part steamed milk, to me in the shower. I wondered whether Espresso Cartel could offer this service during alert level 3 in the current pandemic.

“I do not want a relationship”. He looked at me with eyes verging on panic. Our conversation before that had also put me on edge. I had introduced myself and he said ‘I know who you are. We are friends on Facebook’. It had made me feel uncomfortable to have been connected on social media with someone who I did not recognize in real life. He had even come to my flat to collect a costume from my flatmate before the party we were at and I did not recognize him then or now.

 A party on top of a mountain. Well because my life had become rather progressive and trendy from the outside looking in. My flatmates had introduced me into a world of polyamory, sophisticated and successful people who cared about the environment, radical self-acceptance ( I only understood it as a concept at this point), and drug use that took me to places I’d never imagined. Inside however, I was in absolute turmoil. I was very unwell and did not know how sick I was at that point.

We had laughed as he explained that we had matched on Tinder and I had insisted on communicating on Facebook. We had arranged to meet at Toad Hall for coffee but 10 minutes beforehand I had decided it was all too much for me. When I looked back on that conversation, Sebastian had responded eloquently to my crazed blow off message and even said that he had had a lovely morning at the market instead. He has this way of understanding and making you feel human for your flaws rather than an insane nut job. The jury is still out for me on that one

The party itself was too much for me. I had climbed a mountain on LSD with two amazing wahine and then stepped into the lodge which was full of equally astounding people. I was terrified. I made my way to a bunk and clung on to my safety duo, Clara, and Tess. We went through the motions, the costumes, dinner (more vegan options than not), excruciating anxiety, the drugs, the fashion show, and the sex pile. The fashion show had ended with my flatmate Ngairi, whose birthday it was, atop a human pyramid. I dropped some MDMA like most of the party goers had. I had hoped this would curb my anxiety and fatigue. It helped but I did find myself going back and forth between the main room and my bunk all night. At one stage I had been led onto another bunk by my other flatmate Ryan, who was Ngairi’s partner. They are polyamorous you see, and he had asked me if I had wanted to hook up.

I always feel so good the next day after MDMA. I should probably explore why this is. I guess when I am on the drug, I have all these revelations and then the next morning potentially I feel lighter?

So, after 12 hours of stepping into the lodge I was finally ready to introduce myself to someone. 

Sebastian was by himself pretending to look busy with a broom. I enthusiastically (probably the most energetic and social I had felt the whole time) introduced myself and the conversation flowed around depression, anxiety, and Sebastian’s house build. I had suggested that we go for coffee at Toad Hall like we had initially planned to 2 years before. This is where I was taken back with his response of “I don’t want a relationship” it was like he had seen my brain ticking off all the characteristics I was valuing as we spoke. “sensitive, understanding of depression, attractive, a Colgate worthy smile, built his own house, older than me, mutual friends and blue eyes that saw right through me”. Later I would tease him about his panicked response as if I were ‘just’ asking him to go for coffee

Getting to know Sebastian has been a remarkably interesting journey since then and has been the catalyst for much introspection.

As I walked down the mountain that afternoon, I did a lot of self-reflection. I was thankful that one of our trio had left us early and I was left just walking down with Clara Keel. I found it so easy to talk to Clara. I think she found it easy to talk to me too. Even in a manic-depressive episode I was able to make beautiful connections with admirable people. Her girlfriend suffered from major depression and anxiety and was on Venlafaxine. It was very enlightening to hear from Clara as a partner with someone with depression. Clara invited me to go snowboarding with her and her friends over the winter and we promised to see each other very soon. I did not see her again for a long time. Turns out she is outrageously hard to pin down. I am stoked about that though because Clara keeps herself busy with a lot of incredible environmental and political work. We stopped and chatted to various people from the party down the mountain. Our ride Mikey Clementine was running down the mountain and said he was happy to wait for us at the carpark.  We caught up with Sebastian and a crew he was walking with. We walked down with him and I was very aware of him positionally to me. I did not really talk too much. Id taken a mushroom and weed coconut concoction that my ex had made me and I was vibing with the trees and my surroundings. I was very appreciative of the conversation Sebastian and Clara were having and was happy just witnessing it

On the ride back, my mushroom trip was really kicking in. Mikey blew my mind when he described his interest in the dominant and submissive scene. He made a point I have never forgotten and in that moment a switch flicked in my head. He explained that with every sexual session all participants would sit down before hand and have a discussion around their expectations, wants, limits, and fetishes. If either party felt uncomfortable or did not feel like their sexual style matched, then nothing would go ahead. I felt like these conversations should be happening around any kind of sex. It would save so much miscommunication and boundaries being crossed. In the history of my sexual life these conversations were really lacking and had there been space for them that may have saved a lot of suffering. Interesting that this style of sex is viewed in quite a dark and risky light by most but could potentially be the safest kind in terms of discussion, boundaries and consent. Purely because a discussion is expected and is compulsory beforehand.

Ngairi was absolutely filled with joy after her birthday party. We chatted in the kitchen and she was fizzing about the weekend’s events. I began to tell her the story about Sam and I and our failed tinder meet up. She paused me mid-way through and vomited rainbows and unicorns over her experience of Sebastian that weekend. She described their rendezvous in the pile of costumed MDMA cuddle puddle participants. Ngairi was on top of Sebastian in the cuddle puddle.  “Ryan bounced up to me in his bunny costume and I was so happy to see him” she described their embrace as she disclosed into Ryan’s ear “Sebastian has a boner!”. Ryan and Ngairi both giggled and shared a cheeky grin as he bounced away. Sebastian was fingering Ngairi the whole time the interaction took place. As it turned out, Ngairi and Sebastian had fooled around in the cuddle puddle and had intercourse before Ngairi returned to her bunk with Ryan. Later Sebastian would tell me he thought I had known that him and Ngairi had slept together the night before when I asked him if he wanted to go for a coffee. ‘yeah I thought you knew and were still asking me out. I thought wow this polyamory thing is real eye-opening stuff

Ryan in turn had hooked up with a large percentage of the party, me included. When Ryan and I had hooked up I was taken back when he stopped our encounter and told me he was going back to the party. It was interesting to initially feel rejected he did not want to take things further like I thought we were going to. I am thankful for the experience of having someone stop me in my tracks sexually. Anyone can stop any sexual encounter at any time. I guess I was just flabbergasted momentarily as I have never had any male stop me before. I stayed in the bunk and rested after this. Ryan came back to check if I was okay. I was so exhausted, and my brain was very fuzzy at this stage.

I will not deny that I was disappointed when Ngairi had told me about her encounter with Sebastian. In fact, I will go as far as to say I thought “fuck you Ngairi, you have the best boyfriend can’t you be happy with that”. I reflected on this thought process and by the end of the week I was disappointed in myself for thinking this way.

Ngairi Newton chose to live her life this way. She was in a committed polyamorous relationship with Ryan Mcgregor This relationship allowed her to explore any other relationship in any way she liked and vice versa. I had found her perspective on relationships so exciting initially.  Polyamory was a new concept for me, and I had found myself in the household of the most exceptional and liberating relationship id ever heard of.

So how did I find myself in the position I was in? Unemployed, depressed, anxiety ridden and barely coping, living with two of the most inspirational and functional people I have ever met?

I was living with Ngairi and Ryan for the second time. The first time was only a three week stay while I was in between places. I am always in between places as you will find out. I am in between places right now as we speak. And will be 5 times over by the time this story is done.

Emilie my flatmate at the time had invited me to a Halloween party. Emilie was a very bizarre and unnerving woman but one that was difficult to say no to. I remember feeling instantly connected to her when I first viewed the room. We engaged in deep conversation incredibly early on, I mean I do not believe I was there longer than half an hour. We both identified our fathers as the cause of all the turmoil in our lives.  She did not hear me when I first knocked on the door even though I was bang-on on time (sat outside in the car for 20 minutes because I was early). She was on her kitchen floor pulling all the contents out of the cupboard. Her current flatmate had told her about a book that was about de cluttering your life (literally). She had just flown back from a disastrous 3-month trip in France and was experiencing some severe jet lag. She had just cleaned out her wardrobe and I left in a state of glee with all the gorgeous garments this exciting woman no longer wanted. Two weeks into moving in with Emilie I knew I had made a mistake. We found ourselves in a very messy situation in the end that was further complicated by my close friends taking the room I was not quite ready to give up.

 I had realized that I could not live with her. She had taken it to heart when I told her this and somehow my telling her I was thinking about looking for a new room turned into me giving her two weeks’ notice. I guess there may have been a miscommunication. Little did I know how scarce accommodation in Nelson was at this point.  Anyway, through all of this we managed to stay civil and she invited me, like the Gemini she is, to a party the weekend before I was to move out.  We found it difficult to find the party and when we did it was really humming. Turned out to be a party of a woman who I had met before. Again, on the path to finding the right accommodation.  Chrissie and I had met at Claudia’s house. Claudia owned a house I had fallen in love with, the room available was Christie’s room. I did not get the room. This party was a housewarming for Chrissie’s new place. I had enquired about this place as well.  Chrissie had told me over text that she was looking for a new house because she wanted to take drugs over the summer and have more of a party living environment. She then said that she thought it would not really suit me as at that point I had intense social anxiety. Since then I have befriended several people in a circle of friends that Chrissie and I now share. We have encountered each other a few times. Each of those times I have been unwell. She is beautiful, funny, Canadian and she is an engineer. Its hard not to be starstruck by her. I imagine Chrissie and I would get on like a house on fire if I were at my best when I ran into her, I always seem to be unwell though. Emilie is gone within moments of us entering the sea of costumed people. I make a bee line to the table of snacks. And I start munching on chips and dip as if my life depended on it. I am not sure how it happened but I found myself in a conversation with a woman in an amazing shiny pants suit, the blazer atop a sequined bikini top, her face was painted in a Mexican skull design and she had a platinum blonde bob. What a bad bitch. (id never actually say that in real life. Real hero behind a keyboard type stuff)

When Mel, a fellow volunteer from the Wellness Movement, suggested asking her if she would rent out her spare room, I was not picturing Ngairi as the woman in from of me.

I had imagined a 40 + year old slightly chubby Maori woman with a couple of cats. As it turned out Ngairi only had one cat named Espresso. I am fairly sure Espresso wouldn’t have had me if she had had a choice in the matter. Fair enough too as it turns out.