#he probably enjoys baking a bit more it is more precision-dependent and I like that in the show he bakes cookies and cupcakes : ) (for eddy)

[fish-bowl-2]

Edd is alright at cooking, but I KNOW he could make a mean charcuterie board.

[the-arts-of-being]

the ask game! for any oc

💛- how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any?

🍰 - what is/are your oc's favorite sweets)/ dessert(s)?

🤔- what are some of your oc's quirks/ mannerisms?

Long post ahead ::3 Answered for Pollux mostly with some other characters sprinkled in for one.

No art this time, sorry. Might reblog with some later !

💛- Pollux is the only character where this answer is interesting, ignoring Cy who is a self insert and speaks/is learning everything that I speak or am learning.

Pollux's family from his father's side are immigrants from another region of Flatland, hence the odd last name "Schwarz" that sticks out from between "Campbell", "Carver", "Smith" etc. Schwarz just sounded cool, there is no actual reference nor reason there. I do not think that they speak German or anything - German and English don't precisely exist in Flatland.

But different languages do exist, though mostly have been assimilated or only differentiated by their sound, and Pollux knows some of his family's mother tongue, though Hunter is much more fluent and Madelyn learned a bit of it to impress him. Pollux possibly quite regrets not learning more of it. Might know some bits of old dead tongues and ways of writing because he loves history! On that topic, he probably talks very awkwardly, more so than originally depicted, because he really loves those ancient styles and they mess with how he talks.

He also learns [post-TAoB] English and many Planiturth languages, also learns or helps create Exwhylian/Ypwherenian/Zetwhatian and other dimension's languages, and Thought Beyond Words for communication with those languages he doesn't know. He especially likes to learn old languages even now, even if that means older than time - would be funny to see the lil guy suddenly speak in the eldritch whispers of Voidspeak.

---

🍰- Pollux loooves anything he can bake. Well, except most normal types of cake. He prefers stuff like tres leches, cheesecake or flan over regular cake. He loves those! He also loves making them. While he'll gladly eat a slice of birthday cake or one or two cookies, I think he really prefers things with some moisture to them. Crunchy or dry things sadden him. He's a chocolate chip cookie enjoyer too. But I don't think he's fond of adding fruit to desserts unless its blueberries.

Bill isn't my oc but I gotta note that this guy considers pieces of drywall, entire handfuls of specifically powdered sugar, and gasoline as "desserts".

Madelyn loves anything with strawberries [sadly Pollux can't stand them] and possibly the same cake preferences as her son. Hunter thinks sugar will rot your beak.

Lastly, Marianne actually really enjoys just fruit of any sort with unhealthy amounts of chamoy. Yeah she's the kind of girl that eats flaming hot takis like her life depends on it.

---

🤔- Haven't thought of this much, considering they're. Literally just. Shapes. I figure that Pollux isn't great at talking- he tends to try to talk too fast or say many things at the same time or accidentally misuse words because he's attached to old language styles. So that's one thing. Also, when he's alone or nervous he likes to repeat words that sound nice to him, or the letter x (remember he loves how it sounds?) or just clicking. Even now that he can speak with words, sometimes he mumbles things to himself in Flatland's language, that nobody knows anymore except for him, so chirping and stuff.

He also tends to keep his hands clasped together because having them hanging around feels weird, or when he's using his cane, he'll have one hand holding the arm that's holding the cane. Also avoids eye-contact. (Oh and I don't know where to put this, but he's ambidextrous. Why not? Guy's pretty much a demigod)

[umbralsound-xiv]

Ginger cookies. I had offered to bake them for the rabbit-eared woman who came to visit some suns ago, and thought i would spend some time in the kitchen with the recipe. Of course, i had not expected them to be perfect first try, considering it had been several decades since i had last baked proper.

Still... They smelled nice. Nice enough to fill the house.

...Likely, the smell would catch the attention of someone...

Eir Fellfrost quietly clatters around in the kitchen; the scent of freshly baked goods quick to make itself known. Slowly forming the golden-coloured mixture in a bowl, Eir begins shaping it into a sphere, which he drops onto the floured worktop with a thud.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv had indeed noticed the enticing scent from the kitchen, and he was on the move. If there was fresh food to be found, then he was sure to find it. When he spotted Eir in the kitchen, he waved casually at him. "Hey. What are you making?"

Eir Fellfrost ...Slowly brings his gaze up. No response immediately comes, only a long, slow inhale... And a short, sharp exhale through his nose. "...Ginger cookies." Eir replied, a little quietly. "I am trying to get them right, but it is difficult."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv hummed. "Never had those. I think." He walked into the kitchen and up to where Eir was to get a better look at said cookies. "What do they taste like?"

Eir Fellfrost: "Ginger, probably." Eir retorted, attempting to hide a small curl of a smirk. "...Neither have i. They are seasonal, for Starlight, so i am told."

...Of all people, i should have known it would be him. It feels as though every time i open a spice jar, that he is not far behind...

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Huh. Makes sense. Kinda spicy, then?" He tilted his head. "Bit early for Starlight celebrations, isn't it? I don't know much about the celebration, but I know it takes place in winter. Is it still chilly enough outside for you to consider it winter?"

Eir Fellfrost: "...Spiced, and warming. So the recipe says. The first batch will be out of the oven, soon..." Eir slowly narrows his gaze. "...You can try them. If you want to. You would not be wrong in saying that it is something of a winter festivity..." Taking a rolling pin, he adds flour and begins to roll out the dough. "...The reason i am making them is precisely that. They are unavailable anywhere else. It is an... Errand, of sorts."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "That's why I came down here, spot on. My thanks. I don't eat many sweets but now I'm curious." He stubbornly remained by Eir's side, watching him continue baking. "You deliver messages -and- food now too? Your business contract is expanding, I see."

Eir Fellfrost: "---No. It is not like that." He glances to him sidelong, yet refuses to elaborate. "...You do not eat many sweets?" A pause. "...But you will eat my leftovers."

I had noticed they were gone when i came to the kitchen for fruit. But i was not... Annoyed, exactly. I can always make more, and it is nice to know others enjoy my cooking.

Even if it is him.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv nodded. "Mhm. Best not to waste anything, wouldn't you agree?"

Eir Fellfrost: "...Suppose not, no. Though they would have been eaten regardless. Still, i am glad you enjoyed it. Assuming you did." He picks up a cookie cutter in the shape of a simple circle, testing how well the dough held.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "I did enjoy it. That's why I ate it." He leaned down a bit to watch Eir cut out the shapes. "Food with flavor is surprisingly nice, y'know."

Eir Fellfrost: "Yes. I know. That is why i make it. I lived in Thavnair for a time." The circles are set onto a prepared tray, evenly spaced as not to melt together. "...Can you not cook?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Depends on your definition of 'can'. I can make something that will keep you alive. That's about it."

Eir Fellfrost: "...You can make something that will keep you alive, yet make you feel dead inside..." He muses aloud, shaking his head. "...You had never thought to add seasoning? Spices?" Eir looks to him, flatly. "...There has been some time away from... There, surely."

...Away from Bozja. I did not want to speak it so plainly in the house proper. Surely he has not served in the military for his entire life, and even if he had... He has been free of it for some cycles, i wager.

...He has never learned to cook?

Erjon Sjadarwesfv mused on Eir's snarky comments and nodded. "You'd probably wish for death if you ate it. And I haven't had reason to 'practice' making anything besides edible, if you're wondering. Most of the time someone else has done the cooking. Like you, for example."

Eir Fellfrost: "And yet, it is not my duty. I do it for enjoyment." He sidles by Erjon, tray in hand, to take an oven glove and open the oven door with it, peering to the golden biscuits within. "...Hm. They look... Paler than i wanted them to." He sets the hot tray on top, and puts the one with the raw dough in. "Try one, if you want."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv raised one eyebrow curiously at the tray before walking over to Eir. "My thanks." He reached to grab one at once instead of waiting for it to cool. Naturally, it was hot enough to cause him to throw the cookie in the air, sending it flying halfway across the kitchen. He hissed, and shook his aching hand. "..." He then looked in the direction of where the cookie went, before turning back to Eir. "... They're a bit hot."

Eir Fellfrost turns his head over his shoulder to watch the cookie hurtle across the room, slowly turning his attention back to Erjon with a look of utter disbelief. "---Yes. They just came out of the -oven-!" He blinks, a little incredulously. "Which is hot. You know. To -cook things-."

...For all his smarts with magitek and the like, the depths of his stupidity astound me. Who takes a piece of scalding hot food the instant they see it removed from the oven? Does he enjoy bringing himself harm, or is he simply that dense?

Unless he has some aetheric nullification, which i am almost certain he does not!

...Perhaps he has some traumatic head injury i am unaware of, that affects his thinking.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Right. May or may not have overestimated my gloves' resistance to hot pastries." He glanced at the cookies. "... I'll wait a bit."

Eir Fellfrost slowly shakes his head, briefly rolling his eyes. "You act as though you have scarcely eaten all sun. I am sure you will not simply wither away if you do not wait half a click." New batch in, Eir retrieves the remaining powdered ginger from the spice rack, returning to his bowl to begin measuring again.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "How would you know? Maybe I'm starving. On the brink of death. Exhausted beyond belief." He soon reached for another cookie, this time carefully checking how hot it was before picking it up to blow on it.

Eir Fellfrost: "Of course you are. There have been no contracts, and unlike some people, i leave my room quite frequently." Flour is measured and poured into the bowl, along with butter. "...Hermit."

...And he has the nerve to call me such a thing. I leave to dance. I leave to run errands. Sometimes, i even leave my room for fun, or to cook, or to take a walk with Sayuri.

If i wanted to be a hermit, i would have never left Golmore in the first place.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "I'm wounded." He carefully took a bite out of the cookie, pausing to swallow. "I keep myself busy. Like you, apparently. 'For enjoyment', as you said." He finished the last of the cookie. "These are nice, by the way. Not as spicy as I thought they'd be."

Eir Fellfrost: "So busy you forget to eat? Your duties really must be pressing. Truly, an inspiration to us all." Sugar is then added, along with molasses, ginger, cinnamon. "...Hm. Then perhaps i need to add... More."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Very pressing. I have to thank you for keeping me alive. With non-spicy ginger cookies. What would I do without you?" He reached for a second cookie. "You should try one before changing the ingredients. Think fast." He then casually tossed it towards Eir.

Eir Fellfrost reaches to snatch the cookie out of the air, no matter how fast it flew towards him. "You would have to learn to cook your own Thavnairian fare." He smirks, taking a bite out of the cookie with a hum. "...Hm. You are right. Not quite spicy enough, but pleasant with tea. The others, in the oven... I added more sugar." He slowly begins to stir the mixture together, before letting his hands do the rest. "...The one i am making now has double the amount of spices required. At the very least, they do not take so long to cook. You can help me taste test them."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv walked up to invade Eir's personal space again, because of course he has to. "So much hard work... But I guess someone has to do it. You're lucky I decided to come down here."

Eir Fellfrost: "Oh yes." Eir breathes. "So lucky." His head shakes, "...I have not baked in some considerable time, but it is not all that difficult." Another side-glance, Eir fills his lungs to speak, and... Does not.

...I would almost suggest he learn to do so himself, but i fear for the repercussions, and would not want the new kitchen burning to a cinder beneath his hands.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Ah, yes. Because you're old." He watched as Eir shaped the cookies. "Is baking part of Thavnarian cuisine?"

You make a straight face at Erjon Sjadarwesfv.

Eir Fellfrost: "...There are some foods that include baking, but i would not say it is a staple. And i am not -that- old." Another narrowed gaze. "Older than you, i wager."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Most likely. You act like it."

Eir Fellfrost: "That does not seem a particularly difficult feat."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv gazes upon you in deep reflection.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv stroked his own chin. "Do my youthful looks betray me?"

Eir Fellfrost: "...We are Viera. Our youthful looks betray all of us on an almost consistant basis." He turns out the dough, seeking to roll out and repeat the same process, using it up before it depleted, filling the baking sheet. "...Have you met many other Viera?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv crossed his arms and leaned closer to Eir as if studying his face. "... Hm. I don't know. You might be growing a wrinkle between your brows." He straightened his back before answering his question. "Not outside of the forest, no. There's been a few here and there, but I haven't had reason to get to know them. They've gotten a bit more common in Eorzea as of late, it would seem." He tilted his head. "What about you? When I first spoke to you here, you looked at me like you had seen a ghost."

Eir Fellfrost: "...I think you will find the wrinkle might vanish if you give me a little space." A lofted brow, as the tray is loaded and moved for the oven, swapping them around once again. "...Seeing you, i may as well have." A glance over his shoulder. "I need not elaborate why."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "True that. Ghosts from your past and all." He again approached, not leaving Eir alone. "... I'm curious. Did you recognize me already back then?"

Eir Fellfrost lofts a brow at Erjon's approach once again, inclining his head. "...I... Was unsure. We have both changed since... Then. You were familiar, yet different enough." Another quiet huff, as he sets the first batch of cookies into a container. "...It is not as though we saw eachother often."

Only some handful of times. We were distinctive enough. Viera were rare enough in the ranks of Garlemald, never mind the men.

He was at the helm of the airship that took us to Bozja. The rest of the times were only when i was in the midst of duty, delivering orders.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Ditto. Your hair was shorter." He grabbed another cookie and started eating it. "No, we didn't. Which is why it surprised me that you recognized me. Then again, it was not that long ago. I guess it's hard to forget anything from back then."

Eir Fellfrost: "...If you could forget... Would you?" Eir's question comes a surprising amount of weight, taking one of the fresh cookies from the sheet. "...Hm. The spice is there, but they are... Sweet..."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv thought surprisingly long on the question, avoiding looking Eir in the eyes. "... Hard question to answer. Yes and no. It happened, and I'm not going to pretend it didn't. But of course I occasionally wonder how things would have been if I had not been there at all." He grabbed another cookie. "No use in thinking of 'what ifs', though. All that's left is memories."

...There is so much pain mired in my memories, there. But what else would i have done? How would i have coped, alone in Thavnair? Returning to an empty home, devoid of the laughter of those i loved most.

...I dread to think it. The first few moons of conscription i barely rememeber; everything was so... Numb.

...But i met good people. Friends. Would i have been happier, should i have never met them...?

...Suppose now is not the time to think of it. I am happy now, and that is what matters most.

Eir Fellfrost: "...Suppose." Eir replies. "...I would have much the same answer, i think. Most things i do not miss. But those i do..." His brow slowly furrows, looking back up. "...The cookie. Too much sugar, you think?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv glanced at Eir for a moment before eating the cookie in his hand. "... Hm. No, it tastes fine. If this is what a ginger cookie should taste like, what do I know?" He shrugged. "You're the one who knows what flavor is."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv shrugs at you.

Eir Fellfrost: "...Between the two of us, suppose i am. It is nice, but... Sweet." He sets it aside, glancing at the oven. "It would be good for coffee if nothing else, and i am sure someone will eat them." A silver-eyed glance is shot his way. "...Probably, you. The next batch will be out soon."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "I'll gladly help eating them. I'm a generous man."

Eir Fellfrost: "...So long as you do not eat them -all-." Eir sighs, shaking his head, moving to the oven once again. "...This batch looks... Darker..." He wrinkles his nose. "...But they do not smell burned."

...I... Think i might have overdone it. They smelled so strongly of ginger and cinnamon...

...Why did i add so much? They should not taste bad, only...

Erjon Sjadarwesfv had already grabbed another cookie and was munching on it. "I can control myself, don't worry." He leaned unnecessarily close to inspect the darker cookies, still munching. "You wanted them darker, right?"

You make a straight face at Erjon Sjadarwesfv.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv keeps chewing, staring back at Eir.

Eir Fellfrost slooooowly leans away, pulling out the tray and being careful to not accidentally burn Erjon with it. "...I did. They smell strong, still." Eyes narrowed, he glances back. "...They are still hot, by the way."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Thanks for keeping me safe, appreciate it. I'm glad to know you care so much for my well-being."

Eir Fellfrost gives a flat look to Erjon, which persists as he yet again puts some distance between the two of them, returning to the counter, but not before plucking up a cookie between his forefinger and thumb as not to burn them. "I was just making sure, considering that you are still grasping the concept and function of an oven."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "I'm so lucky to have an oven expert in my presence." He glanced at the new batch of darker cookies as they cooled. "You must have a few years of experience using one. How long did you live in Thavnair, exactly?"

Eir Fellfrost: "...A little more than fifty cycles." Eir replied, watching from afar. The cookie is cooled as he blew on it, "...Some considerable time, and yet... Not long enough." Eir sinks his teeth into the cookie... And blinks. He eats it without betraying any expression on his features, slowly and wordlessly looking to Erjon...

...I have used entirely too much in the way of spices. They are not... Unpleasant, but certainly not for the faint of heart.

...Perhaps i should warn him---!

...

...Or not.

He will be fiiiiinne....

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Hm. A long time." He carefully picked up a cookie once they seemed to have cooled enough. "And you have not considered going back? Now that you are no longer shackled by... well, you know." He then took a bite, chewed on it for a bit... Before letting out a single, sudden cough. He balled a hand into a fist and held it in front of his mouth to prevent any crumbs from escaping as he swallowed, shutting his eyes firmly when doing so. "... Bit spicy", came a slightly hoarse voice.

Eir Fellfrost: "A bit." He fights the curl of his lips, beginning another mixture; the same amount of flour and butter added as before. "...I have no reason to go back. Not for anything more than a visit." He shakes his head. "And there are things that keep me here now. People to come home to."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv decidedly does not reach for another cookie and instead walks up to Eir to observe. "Employment, girlfriend, that sort of thing. So how do you like Eorzea? Now that you've been here a while."

Eir Fellfrost nods, a flicker of a smile at his comment, not that he made any further note. He adds a little more sugar than the recipe calls for, and one and a half times the spices. "...I like it well enough. A strange land with a vast amount of culture and traditions. The people are a headstrong sort. I like it enough to stay." A glance, then. "...Yourself?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Hm. I don't have any particular opinion. It's safe enough. A nice change from the life I've lead these past fifty years, give or take. I suppose I could have ended up anywhere else and it would have been similar, but here I am. Circumstances and all."

Eir Fellfrost: "...Safe. Safe enough... Anything would be, compared to back then, and yet..." The mixture is turned out of the bowl once again, and worked flat with the rolling pin. "...Nowhere is ever completely safe. You still go out to battle."

...Fifty cycles. He has been with them far longer than i, and yet, i swear he is... Younger.

But such a life takes a toll. Suppose it is difficult to tell, some suns.

...Anything is safe, compared to the hells we lived in. At least here, we are not simply a rank and a duty. People are not left for dead on the battlefield.

...I may not like the Commander, but at least that... That, i can find comfort in.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "In this profession, at least. You could always go be a farmer." He glanced at the oven for a moment. "Or a baker."

Eir Fellfrost: "...A dancer suits me fine. A messenger, when it calls for it." The cookies are once again cut out and set on the sheet. "...It is different now, than it was then. You go, and you... You come back."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "At least, chances are higher you go back." He studied Eir. "... You can fight. Would you, if you were asked to?"

Eir Fellfrost: "...It depends who asked me." The cookies are carried over, and set into the oven once again. "...I have, since."

...I would for Sayuri. She knows this. She need not ask... And would not anyway.

But for others...?

Erjon Sjadarwesfv raised one eyebrow. "... Right. And if the company asked you to?"

Eir Fellfrost: "That is not why i am here." He turns his head over his shoulder. "I never wanted to in the first place."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Hm. Alright then." He walked over to the not spicy cookies to grab another to eat. "Life will probably never be fully peaceful when you surround yourself with people and places like these. I suppose you are aware of that."

Eir Fellfrost: "...I know." He waits, quietly boxing up the remainder, keeping each kind seperate for varying tastes.  He leaves the ones Erjon was eating, open. "...It was by chance i came here. But it was by choice that i remained."

I know Sayuri will not soon put down her axe, if ever. I knew this when i fell for her, and i do not expect it to change. She told me as much... And i told her much the same back.

While my own presence here is a quiet one, he is right. Though i will not find myself in combat or at the front lines, my very virtue of being present here means i will often be surrounded with it.

But i have made my decision, and i am happy with it.

Eir Fellfrost: "...You can take those with you, should you wish."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv glanced at the still open box. "My thanks. I appreciate you feeding us non-oven users." He grabbed the box and took another cookie to munch on. "And I am afraid part of your contract means you have to deal with 'useless in the kitchen'-people like me more often than once."

Eir Fellfrost: "No. It does not. It is not in my contract." He smirks, awaiting the final batch in the oven. "...But i could think of worse things."

Erjon Sjadarwesfv tilted his head, studying Eir curiously. "Is that an attempt at saying something nice I detect? In any case, don't be afraid to come find me if you need any more taste testing. Unless it destroys what little tastebuds I have."

Eir Fellfrost: "I hardly need come find you when my cooking simply summons you from wherever you might be, hm?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Like dark magic. Perhaps I should be more cautious."

Eir Fellfrost: "Perhaps, but we both know you will not. That said..." Eir pulls out the final batch of cookies, setting them on the side. "...Suppose i did want to speak with you... All i need do is cook something, hm?"

Erjon Sjadarwesfv: "Probably the easiest way to make me come out of my hermit hole. Surprised you even consider wanting to talk to me. Sounds like you're starting to warm up." He closed the box and walked past Eir towards the stairs. "Keep me intrigued, Angreir."

Eir Fellfrost: "Hm." The short, almost quiet sound was given in reply, eyes narrowed. "...There are things only you would understand. You know why." A short, almost half-gesture of a wave is given, as he continues to fuss over the contents of the oven.

Erjon Sjadarwesfv raised one eyebrow slightly as he observed Eir for a while, before he gives a short wave and heads up the stairs.

...As far as interactions went with the man, i could have thought of worse outcomes. I... Will not admit i enjoyed our conversation, but...

...Perhaps he is not... Quite that unpleasant...

[morelikedoccock]

Any hyper specific/ uber personal domestic hcs about Otto? Like the I am cringe but free variety xD

Hmmmmm let’s see

Rambling under the cut

My hcs vary depending on how I’m feeling but this is the mood rn:

In the kitchen, I imagine that pre-accident Otto, as a scientist, kinda applied the science-style discipline to how he cooked/cleaned etc. I could see pre-accident Otto measuring things carefully, being very precise, and just generally going about things in that science-y sort of way.

Post accident Otto would be chaos in a kitchen, since it’s not like the ai have any sort of domestic programming😂 but then in a post-movie au where he lives and keeps his mind, I think he would retain some of his science-style discipline, but also keep some of the slapdash chaos he found as Doc Ock. Like, he would still weigh things instead of using measuring cups, but he wouldn’t care quite as much about being exact about the weights, and would kinda just season things by eye without paying attention to the recipe he was using. He would only be super precise if a recipe required that precision to be successful.

I think both pre-accident and post-movie au Otto would enjoy doing small tasks around a house, stuff like sweeping/vacuuming, dusting, just general cleaning and tidying. There’s something meditative about cleaning and I can definitely see him liking that aspect of the work. He would blitz through things like unloading the dishwasher, and any other task that requires organizational skills. I think he would dislike doing laundry (the waiting and whatnot), but enjoy the folding process afterwards.

I think he would be low-clutter in the bathroom, with a tooth brush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, soap, and maybe shaving equipment.

He would dislike having cupboards left open and insist upon always having them closed unless they were in use. He would like to nap on the couch in afternoon sunlight when he had the spare time. He would go to bed late and wake up early, and he would sleep like a rock, only snoring a little bit. He would always kiss a partner goodbye before leaving the house, and before they left. He would hug a partner from behind as they do work in the kitchen. He would have a favorite mug that he always uses for his morning tea/coffee. He would probably make the bed every morning.

I think he would also enjoy late night baking projects and slow dancing in the kitchen while the treats were cooking🥰

I’m sure I have more ideas but that’s it for the moment😆❤️

[harryspet]

rogue angel [5] bucky barnes

[Warnings] dark bucky barnes x reader, forced age regression, dd lg dynamic, angst, fluff, panic attack, extreme violence

A/N: Lots of both angst and fluff in this one! I made myself cry a little while writing this lol. Enjoy!

series masterlist

word count: 2.7k

The abandoned warehouse smelt of ash and fire, it’s walls covered in soot. Bucky scowled as he took in the scene before him. Sam was standing over the dazed man, his foot having just landed a kick to the man’s stomach. 

“Hard to find,” Another kick, “But easy to take down.”

“Sam,” Bucky sighed, “He’s down, okay? Thank you.”

Sam stopped, taking a look at his friend. Something was different about him. Bucky was usually moody but, after seeing him for the first time in weeks, he couldn’t help but noticed that something had changed. For now, he couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad change. 

Sam knew about you, of course, and he’d spent awhile trying to convince Bucky not to take you. You knew now how that turned out. 

Still, Sam was as loyal as ever.

The man groaned, struggling in the vibranium handcuffs wrapped around his ankles and wrists. He spat blood onto the concrete and then whispered some curses in Sokovian. 

Bucky crossed his arms, “Who’s looking for her?”

The man chuckled, choking a bit on his own blood. He was middle-aged but his hair was completely silver, his face so scratched and burned that even Bucky was struggling to look at him. If gore was a person, this was him. 

“You think you’re the only one with a score to settle with that one?�� 

Bucky didn’t have a score to settle. He only wanted to help her but, if the crowd this man ran with thought it was the opposite, it was a good thing. 

“Who?” Bucky continued, his patience wearing thin. 

“She’s killed hundreds of people including my wife. Unlike you, Barnes, she’s going to pay-”

“She’s been brainwashed,” Bucky countered, “Hydra was the enemy so you should give up on your little plan for revenge. She’d probably kill you faster than either of us could anyways.”

“I don’t care,” The man spoke through gritted teeth, “I’ll look into those eyes if it’s the last thing I do.”

Bucky wouldn’t let that happen, not when you’ve come so far. You were finally starting to adjust to the new life he had planned for you. He’d protect you like Hydra never could. Bucky reached into the waistband of his pants, pulling out the black pistol he had stowed away in his truck earlier. 

The sound echoed through the warehouse and the forest surrounding them as the bullet entered the man’s leg. The man screamed, the terror evident in his scarred face, as Bucky cooly lowered the gun, “Tell us who you’re working with and I won’t send you to hell with your wife.”

Bucky felt no sympathy for the man. It was likely his wife was a low life just like him. 

Sam could handle blood and gore but not this version of Bucky. Bucky had been a killing machine when they first met and didn’t take killing lightly after his recovery. Sam knew that something had to be seriously wrong for Bucky to go this far. 

“Fuck!” The man cried out, unable to provide himself any source of comfort in his tight bonds. He cursed some more in Sokovian and Bucky felt nothing seeing him in pain, not when he was trying to kill his little angel. 

As Bucky lifted the gun again, the man spoke, “I’ll see Rogue Angel in hell then. She’ll die soon anyway-”

Bucky fired and the bullet landed precisely between the man’s eyes. Bucky moved to walk away and Sam hurried after him, “What the hell was that? I spent all week tracking him down!”

“He either wasn’t going to tell us anything or he didn’t know anything at all,” Bucky stated firmly, “We have to move on. Follow another lead.”

“Is she really worth this much trouble, Buck?” Bucky paused, facing his friend. 

“I appreciate everything you’ve done, Sam. I just ... “ Bucky’s voice trailed off, his anger starting to boil over as he tried to search for the words that wouldn’t make him come off like an asshole, “Yes, she’s worth it. I can’t let them get close to her.”

Sam nodded, understanding, and Bucky was eternally grateful for it. He was so on edge at the moment and now he was regretting even leaving his little angel. 

+

“Rory?” 

The boy set the princess crown on top of your head, adding more accessories to your new look, “Yeah?” His tongue was out, a focused look on his face, as he began to add small stickers onto your cheek. 

“Does … d-does your Mommy ever punish you?”

Rory snapped out of his daze for a moment, looking at you with one of your yellow bows in his short hair. You were sitting on top of his bed and he stood in front of you, “Sometimes,” He spoke as he placed a star sticker on your cheek. 

“What does she do?” You continued. 

“It depends,” You noticed his face was turning red, “I like some better than others. I don’t like spanking and I don’t like going to time out.”

You nodded, understanding. Bucky had yet to spank you and your punishments usually ended up with you tied to your bed, “Does she touch you … down there?”

Rory blushed even more, “On my little boy parts? Yeah but I like those punishments.”

“You’re okay with it?” You looked up at him with a furrowed brow, “It doesn’t feel weird?”

“It feels nice,” Rory nodded, grinning, “It kinda hurts when she keeps going after I … you know but it’s worth it. Even when she doesn’t let me … you know, she lets me touch her mommy parts and cuddles me after.”

He spoke so casually that it made your eyes widen in shock, “Oh.”

“You don’t like it when your Daddy touches you?”

You immediately shook your head, “Of course not,” You answered quickly and Rory frowned as if you had rejected his feelings with your words, “I mean, I don’t think so. It’s just weird.”

“I used to feel the same,” Rory spoke honestly, turning your head so he could give you earrings. They were plastic, clip-on, and had fake red rubies but Rory thought they suited you, “Most of the time it doesn’t really feel like a punishment because I know how much my Mommy cares about me. I never had anyone like that before her.”

You thought about it for a moment. Bucky punished you because he cared for you? Like most of this situation, it didn’t make much sense to you. 

You could tell Rory liked playing dress-up with you and part of you didn’t mind looking so pampered. It was like how you enjoyed drawing, you were expressing your creativity. As you pretended to put lipstick and blush on Rory’s lips, you imagined he and you were going to a ball together. Like the party in the movie Frozen with lots of royalty there and fancy dresses.

“Hey, kiddos,” Wanda entered the room, a white apron on her hips, “Don’t you two look pretty!”

“Mommy, look!” Rory’s face seemed to light up at the sight of the young woman, “I did her makeup, see!”

“I can see that,” Wanda nodded, coming closer to where you two sat on the twin-sized bed, “You did such a good job, baby.”

You watched him become extremely bashful, it almost made you smile, “Thank you, Mommy.”

“I did his makeup too,” The words left your lips faster than you could stop them. Why did you say that? You didn’t need her praise?

Wanda’s eyes widened with both surprise and joy, “Wow, Bucky told me you were an artist but I didn’t think you were this good! Great job, princess,” Part of you was satisfied that she had recognized your work. 

You used to go on mission after mission, killing and getting back unscathed and you never got a pat on the back for that. 

“If you guys are done playing dress up, what do you say we go make some desserts in the kitchen? 

+

You’d never baked anything in your entire life but Wanda and Rory were there to walk you through every step. Wanda would get all the materials together and then allow one of you to add it to the mixing bowl, “Mommy, can I show Y/N my big boy trick?”

Wanda grinned, handing the boy a brown egg. Rory looked for your reaction as he cracked the egg only with one hand without getting any shells in the mixture, “That’s really cool,” You spoke shyly but Rory beamed at the compliment. 

The two seemed to work together despite the fact that you knew Rory didn’t originally come here willingly. Both their eyes lit up in the presence of one another. Watching it … was nice. You wondered if you’d get to that point with Bucky … Before you could think about it for long, Wanda’s voice interrupted your thoughts. 

“Why don’t you try cracking it against the table, darling?” Wanda handed you an egg of your own and you took it hesitantly, “Tap it gently a few times and then slowly open it.”

You did as she said, exhibiting the most patience you had in your entire life. As you made a small dent in the egg, you held it over the bowl, letting the egg drop into the bowl, “You did great!” Rory exclaimed and a small smile spread across your face. 

Baking allowed you to only think about the task at hand, not what tragic thoughts your mind usually wandered too. 

The batter you and Rory made ended up going into a tin cupcake tray. This was the first time you could remember even being around sweets for the longest time. Being a supersoldier meant keeping your body in peak physical condition and sweets were never apart of your diet plan. 

After waiting for the cupcakes to bake and cool off, you were back at the kitchen table decorating them. Rory chose to layer his cupcakes with ten layers of icing and sprinkles. You went the route of pink icing and slices of strawberries that you used to make cute designs. 

You were so into decorating that you almost hadn’t noticed Bucky had returned. He was a little disheveled but, ultimately, grateful to be gazing upon you. 

“There you are, Bucky. We’re almost done decorating,” 

He immediately kissed your forehead, lifting your body so he could move in the chair beneath you, seating you firmly on his lap. Your kept your face stoic despite that beating in your heart. You simply grabbed another cupcake and began to ice it. 

Bucky took in Rory’s appearance, assuming you had something to do with it, “It seems like today’s been a fun day.” Bucky touched your waist and, out of the corner of your eyes, you noticed what you assumed was gun residue on his fingers. 

“We had to get ready for the ball,” Rory confirmed and Bucky grinned. Wanda was right about this being a good idea. You looked more comfortable in the new dynamic. 

“I’ll grab some Tupperware so you can take your cupcakes home, darling,” Wanda walked to the main part of the kitchen. 

Rory slumped in his chair, frowning, “Mommy, does Y/N have to go home today? She hasn’t seen Toy Story, I wanna watch it with her.”

Wanda returned with the plastic container, swiftly handing it to Bucky, “It’s a long drive back, baby, so they have to leave soon. We’ll have another playdate soon.”

Rory crossed his arms, tensing up at the idea of his new friend had to leave. You had to admit too that this was the most fun you’d had in a while, “You and your Mommy will come to visit us next time and I’ll build a campfire for us and … guess what?”

Rory perked up at Bucky’s words, “What?”

“We’ll make s’mores and you can meet our puppy, Archie.”

Our. There was a lot of weight on that word.

“He can do lots of tricks,” You confirmed, much to Rory’s delight. 

“Woah! Mommyyyy,” Rory whined, “Can we get a puppy too?”

+

After a long drive home and a bath, you waited on Bucky’s bed for him to return from the shower. He’d helped you into a fresh pull-up and a red onesie that said: “Daddy is my superhero” in white letters. 

You held Lucy in your lap as your eyes gazed around the room. It seemed Bucky trusted you enough to leave you alone like this and, part of you wanted to prove that you could be good and that you wouldn’t run at the first option. That part of you liked that Bucky trusted you. 

Maybe you were worthy of someone’s trust. 

You slid off the side of the bed, dragging Lucy with you as you gained your balance. You could hear the rain hitting the roof and the house rumbled as lightning struck in the distance. You didn’t mind the rain but … the storm was another thing. You put one foot before the other, using your weak legs to the best of your ability. 

You approached the window across the room slowly, pulling back the red cream colored curtain in order to look outside. It was like you were looking into the abyss. It was pitch black outside and you could barely even see the outlines of the forest. 

You stared up at the dark blue sky, your breathing starting to get heavy. The black clouds seemed to gather together before lightning ripped through them, the white zig-zag line was closer than you expected. 

The booming thunder came next and your body tensed up as you fell back. 

“Shock her again.”

“I need them. I-I need my family.”

“Again.”

Bucky was running a towel through his hair when he heard the thud. He dropped everything as he rushed from the bathroom, finding you laying in the fetal position by the window. You were gasping for air even though there was nothing blocking it from you. 

You felt no control at all and the terror seemed to flood every part of your body, paralyzing you. “Y/N, breathe in and out. You have to breathe,” Bucky kneeled down beside you, his heart racing, as he saw that fear in your eyes. He knew you were having a panic attack, he’d gone through so many himself, often by himself. He wanted to be there for you because no one had been there for him. 

“Again! Shock her again!”

“In and out,” He showed you what to do, breathing in and out himself. 

It took you a long moment but you finally started to catch your breath, “I-I betrayed them,” You spoke shakily, starting to hyperventilate once again, “They’ll kill me! I betrayed them-”

Bucky laid down beside you, and you stared back at him, “Breathe, please breathe,” Bucky continued, reaching over to wipe your tears,  “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Y/N, I promise.”

“I-I can ...  protect me.”

“You don’t have to anymore,” Bucky assured you, reaching to grab Lucy who had fallen to the side. He placed her in your arms and you gripped her to your chest. “I’m going to take care of you. I know you’re scared, we live in a scary world, but Daddy’s going to protect you.”

“I …. I didn’t want to hurt those people …” 

Bucky understood what was happening, all the realization was hitting her, “Of course you didn’t. You’re a good girl, angel.”

“I-I’m good?”

Bucky nodded, his blue eyes seeming to soften, “You don’t have to hurt anyone else.”

You stared at him for a long while, taking in his every feature, and your gaze met his lips. You leaned into him, and Bucky grabbed your waist, sliding you closer to him. As another bolt of lightning lit up the dark room, you pressed your lips to Bucky’s. 

As he leaned into you, Bucky noted how your lips were soft, curious, and inexperienced. 

When you opened your eyes and pulled your lips away, Bucky had a soft smile on his face. He’s wanted to do that with you since he found you in London. Your face was unsure but you knew one thing. You didn’t want to be alone tonight. 

“C-Can I … Can I sleep in your bed, Daddy?”

“It would be my honor, princess.”

+

Predictions for the future? Imagines? 

if you’re in the mood, send me a “get to know you” ask or check out my recent drabble!

[that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick]

I've been so excited to write for the Mystic Messenger Reverse Big Bang 2021 (go check out other amazing fics and art in the collection at @mysme-rbb), and it's the first fanfic/art event I've participated in! @madiebelleadventures and I teamed up to brainstorm this beast, so her art is at the very end (because I ain't spoilin nothin)!

-

Rating: T

Word Count: 5.1k

Summary: One day after the end of a work week, Vanderwood surprises MC with some husband-wife baking time—with a twist. Inspired by his agent training, he suggests that they bake as a team but have MC blindfolded. In order to make a cake that's actually edible, she must follow his directions to the letter. All that's left after that is chaos, banter, and spouse-flustering. And figuring out how to actually make a cake.

A/N: Fyi MC is definitely more of her own character than a reader-insert on this one. Also as per usual with me, I headcanon Vanderwood as British, so I tried heavily to align his phrasing accordingly, despite being an American myself. Enjoy seeing exactly how much fluff I can possibly cram into 5k words!

MC sighed happily at the feeling of the wind in her hair as she drove home from work one Friday evening. Windows down, jacket off, music blasting—the air itself felt like freedom. She had nothing against her job—in fact, she enjoyed it for the most part. She prided herself in a job well done, she liked being able to manage a team of her own, and the paycheck and benefits were good. Nothing extravagant, of course, but enough to comfortably support a couple newlyweds.

And that was the real reason MC nearly jumped out the door every day when everything wrapped up at the office. Who wouldn't, with a husband as unfairly hot as Vanderwood? Completely unfair how he could make leopard print and what was practically a mullet actually look attractive. Thank goodness his fashion sense had mellowed out over time, if only a little bit. With Vanderwood's past being what it was, they had mutually come to the conclusion that it would be best for their well-being if he stayed at their apartment during the day to keep the household running. He was very particular about how he cooked, cleaned, and did the laundry, and he handled their finances conscientiously and precisely. Admittedly, she did have to occasionally remind him that as sleek as that new top-of-the-line taser was, there was no real need for it, but that was just part of her husband's charm.

And boy, was he charming.

She truly couldn't wait to get home, past this rush hour traffic. She'd get home and be pulled in for a deep kiss moments after walking in the door. Maybe he'd slip a gentle but insistent hand into her hair. Maybe they'd take it a little further. Or a lot further.

"HOLY FUDGE NUGGETS ON BACON ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME???"

MC swerved to avoid a collision and waited for her heartbeat to settle down again. There was no freaking way she was going to die in some stupid car wreck before their date tonight. A surprise, he'd said. No matter how hard she'd tried to weasel more out of him, he wouldn’t bend. Darn agent training. Good thing it wouldn't be a surprise for much longer. Within minutes, the streets got smaller and quieter as she neared her apartment building. Another minute, and she flung open the apartment door and leapt on her husband.

MC's fantasies were soon replaced by an even better reality when Vanderwood's lips landed on hers. Kissing back enthusiastically, MC wrapped her arms around his middle so tight that a less sturdy man would be coughing for air. Vanderwood snatched her keys and purse and hung them by the doorway, never breaking his focus for a second. His kisses grew slower, but no less fervent, as he smoothed her wind-strewn hair. Eventually, their lips reluctantly parted, and MC broke the silence.

"How did I manage to snag the best kisser on earth on top of marrying the most insanely attractive man on earth?"

Vanderwood smirked. "Good taste, I guess." He kissed her once more soundly for good measure.

"Maybe. Will my insanely attractive husband tell me what our surprise date is now?"

"Perhaps."

"No perhapses! I've been dying waiting!"

"Very well. Start by changing your clothes, because I am not scrubbing stains out of your good work clothes."

"Do I otherwise have to wear anything in particular? That's not a lot to go off of."

"Doesn't matter to me. Now go change before I do the job myself."

"I wouldn't complain."

"This is not that kind of date! Go!"

"Fine, Sir Panties-in-a-bunch."

MC went to the bedroom and took stock of her clothing options. She had to choose something practical that could be easily washed, but she still wanted to look a little cute. After all, it was a date. It was a tough balance to strike. Eh, she could always stick an apron or an old shirt over it. She grabbed her oversized paint shirt just in case before snagging a light pink shirt. Now for the bottoms. She debated on a simple skirt, but decided to go for it. After all, if it didn't fit with Vanderwood's plans, he would tell her. MC changed quickly and weaved her hair into a side braid, slipping a tendril out on each side to frame her face. Mirror-MC nodded in approval. Time to see what on earth her husband had been planning.

She cracked open the door and peeked through before skipping over to Vanderwood, who had made himself comfortable on the couch. His amber eyes widened in interest.

"You have no business looking this pretty for a baking date."

MC grinned. "Ha! I did get it out of you! A baking date sounds cute. What made you think of that? Are you just really getting into the whole house husband gig?"

"It was my agent training, actually." Seeing the puzzled look on his wife's face, Vanderwood continued, "There's a bit of a twist to it, you see. I will hardly be doing any of the actual baking. You, my dear, on the other hand, will be completely blindfolded. You will have to follow my instructions explicitly, or else the result will be completely inedible."

"I still fail to see how the setup doesn't sound like 'that kind of date', but it sounds like fun! What does this have to do with your agent training, though?"

"Various exercises used similar techniques. Many times in the field, we had to follow orders to the letter with no questions asked if we wanted to make it out in one piece. We also did training to be able to operate blindly or in the dark if our vision was compromised. But none of it was as enjoyable as watching a beautiful woman bake a cake by pure trust."

"You're such a flatterer. Keep it coming," MC smirked.

"At least get into the kitchen first," Vanderwood said, handing her a blindfold that looked suspiciously like his nap mask.

"Okay, but if you don't want me in the kitchen until I'm blindfolded, you're gonna have to get my apron yourself."

"I thought I was the one giving out orders tonight?"

"A girl's gotta get her kicks somewhere."

"Such a docile wife I have. Never difficult, never demanding."

"You think it's sexy. Don't even try to deny it."

"I would have filed for immediate divorce if the description 'docile' actually fit you." He stepped into the kitchen and emerged a moment later with the apron. MC slipped it on and, after ducking briefly into the bathroom to wash her hands, covered her eyes with the blindfold.

"I'm at your mercy now. Don't abuse that privilege."

He materialized behind her, winding his arms around her waist. "I wouldn't dream of it," he murmured into her ear before attacking her stomach. MC burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"I swear—!" she giggled "—I swear I'm going to punch the living daylights out of you!"

"You're certainly welcome to try. You know I wouldn't even feel it."

"But I could try. How am I supposed to trust you to give me decent directions to bake whatever the heck we're making if I can't even trust you not to tickle me?"

"You don't. That's the thrill of it."

"You'd better have me make something actually edible for all our trouble."

"That all depends on how well you follow my instructions."

"And how decent your instructions are. Let's not forget that tiny detail," she reminded.

"Hmm, we'll see," The smile was evident in his voice. "Now if we're going to start, we need to go ahead and do it."

"Probably."

He guided MC by her upper arms into the narrow kitchen.

"Fortunately," he said, halting and holding her in place, "we're only baking a cake and not an entire meal, so it won't take an eternity."

"I sure hope not! It's pizza night and I'm already a little hungry!"

He wound his hands around his wife's waist, lightly patting her stomach. "Well, the faster we start, the faster we can eat. I've already laid everything out for you as best I can, so you just have to follow my directions, all right, love?"

"Got it."

"All right, can you feel the worktop?" A nod. "Raise your right hand just a bit...and over…now grab the box with the cake mix, because heaven knows neither of us knows or cares enough to make it from scratch. Got it? Now open it up. The mixing bowl is straight to the left. Go ahead and pour it in."

"Just so you know, if I spill anything, you're the one taking responsibility."

"And why is that, darling?" Vanderwood asked, feigning shock.

"Because you're the one who had this idea in the first place! Not to mention if I make a mess it’s because of your faulty directions."

Unfortunately, MC failed to prove her point, pouring the mix into the bowl and barely spilling a few crumbs.

"Looks like we may not have to worry about that," Vanderwood smirked.

"You have met me, right? You know something's going to get spilled, right?"

Ignoring her, he moved the empty box toward the back and continued, "The milk should be right around where the cake mix was, if you can remember where you just were. The measuring jug is right next to it. Do you think you can pour it in correctly?"

"We'll see, now won't we?"

"There you go. Just try to take it slowly, just in case, and stop when I say so."

MC obeyed, gradually tilting the milk jug until a thin stream hit the center of the measuring cup.

"Brilliant! Now careful, careful, slightly to the left...that's it! Now slow down...almost done...stop!" He kissed her cheek. "That was amazing. Now pour it into the bowl."

MC felt around for the mixing bowl again. She managed to find it and poured in the milk. "Where's the cap for the milk jug?"

"Hm...where did it go? Oh, there it is. Right by the sink."

She batted at the air around her right side to find the inside of the sink. Instead, her hand bumped the side of the milk jug. Vanderwood's hand shot out to catch it, but a small puddle had already sloshed onto the counter. MC's hand shot up to take off the blindfold, but Vanderwood caught her wrist first. She sighed.

"Vandy, give it to me straight. How bad is it?"

"Not bad at all. I caught it before much got out. Stay put for a moment while I wipe it up so it doesn't start to smell or dry up."

"Not to say I told you, but I definitely told you."

Her husband stuck out his tongue at her—one of the few ways he had begun to let himself be childish lately. Then the obvious dawned on him. "I'm sticking out my tongue. I thought you ought to know that."

"Crucial information. Are you done yet?"

"Yep. You ready to get your hands a little dirty?"

"Isn't that expected in all this?"

"That's probably a large part of why you demanded an apron first, yes."

"You would be right about that, also yes. And you're so dramatic. I did not demand."

"Up to interpretation. Reach up to the left of the mixing bowl and just grab it off the plate and toss it in."

As instructed, MC reached over and let out a tiny shriek when her hand came into contact with the soft butter. Vanderwood guffawed.

"I was waiting for that."

MC gasped. "You did this on purpose!" She flung the butter into the bowl with an extra dash of vindictiveness.

"Maybe so. I like hearing your reactions," he purred.

"Don't try to be all smooth when you're being a twit. It doesn't suit you," MC sniffed, then muttered under her breath, "actually it totally works for you but it doesn't make me less ticked at you."

"By the way, don't bother trying to wash your hands just yet. The next part is probably going to be the messiest. I'll go get the bin so it'll be close by for you."

"Appreciated. What's the next part?"

"Eggs."

"Yikes, okay. That's why I needed the trash can, then. And where are the eggs?"

"To your left. You're going to need four of them. I read somewhere that adding an extra egg makes it better, hypothetically."

"You're the one giving the instructions."

"Alright, the bin is to your left, whenever you're ready."

"I could hear the thunk when you set it down, but thank you," MC said wryly.

"I live to serve."

There was silence for a moment as MC cracked the first egg into the bowl, and a soft smile rose on her face like the dawn. "Not anymore, you don't. I thank God every day that you and Saeyoung were able to free yourselves from the agency. I never could have forgotten you even if you hadn't, but I never would have known the immense joy I've gotten to have by being your wife." She sniffed, then laughed. "Sorry for being so sentimental all of a sudden, I don't know what got into me. It's just that knowing how many things could have gotten between us makes me that much more grateful for what we have."

"Ah!" Vanderwood shot a hand out to correct the second egg's trajectory into the mixing bowl.

"Oops, thank you."

"No problem, love. We're a team." He settled against her back, rubbing her arms lightly and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. "And never feel sorry for your so-called sentimentality. In fact, I really think you hold back sometimes. You shouldn't. I know that I used to scoff at these things, but locking out your emotions for job after job really takes a toll on a man. The agency had no room for love of any sort, and I've long come to the realization that every person is hardwired to desire love of one kind or another. I know I'm still unlearning all of my coping mechanisms, and I know I'm still sharp with some people, but with you?" He smoothed a hair back from her face. "I'll take whatever love you can give me."

She cracked the third egg into the bowl and threw out the shell. "I always knew you could be a softie, very deep down. I'm just glad that I get to be the one to see it."

After the fourth egg was in the bowl, Vanderwood directed, "Okay, time to wash up. The next thing is mixing for two minutes. While I love you, I do not trust you to use an electric mixer while blindfolded, so you're going to use a whisk for that job."

"I suppose that's fair. Can you put away the trash can while I wash my hands?"

"Already on it."

"Where's the whisk, again?"

"I kind of put it toward the back, so either be careful or wait for me to move a few things."

"Oh, I've got it. Don't worry," MC waved a hand in dismissal and groped around for the whisk, but her arm was a bit too low, and she dipped her clothed elbow in the plate where the butter had been. She sighed. "What did I just decorate my elbow with?"

"Butter. Try it. It might be tasty," he teased.

"Come on, Vandy, this is not the time. Help me get it off before it soaks in too much."

"Alright, alright, I just had to pick on you a little bit for not listening to me." He carefully scooped off the top layer of the butter with a paper towel before trying to absorb the rest. "I'm going to roll up your sleeves a bit more so that this hopefully won't happen again."

"Well, not until I slosh half the cake out of this bowl trying and failing to mix it."

"You'll be fine. Just stick to mixing the center and bringing the outside of it toward the center so everything gets mixed. But mix it well and mix it fast. The timer starts...now!"

MC held the bowl against her stomach to steady it while she mixed the batter vigorously. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one trying to mix furiously while keeping it all in the bowl on top of being blindfolded!"

"Calm down, you're doing great. A couple drips, maybe, but it's staying in."

"So far, anyway. But that's good, I guess."

"No guessing. It's quite good." Vanderwood leaned against the counter. "We've got a minute and a half to kill. Should I spend it telling you how you look right now?"

"Oh gosh, do I even want to know?"

He shook his head in near disbelief, smiling. "Magnetic. Adorable. More delicious than the cake we're making."

MC cackled. "You cannot be serious. I've got to be a mess right now."

"You act as if that's a contradiction. It's the mess that makes you more beautiful. Is every single hair of yours in place? No. But they fall around your face in the most delicately beautiful way. Even the places where the ingredients got smudged on you somehow add to your charm." He leaned in so that his lips touched her ear, his voice lowering to a gravelly timbre. "Did you know that your cheeks are all rosy from the effort you're putting into stirring? It's unbelievably attractive. And the way your lips press together when you're concentrating? It makes me want to kiss them apart. In fact—"

"Vanderwood, how much time is left?" MC interrupted, suppressing a vivid blush and a shiver.

"Our entire lives," he said, happily ignoring the real question.

"The timer, Vanderwood. How much is left on the timer?"

The sound of the timer going off answered the question for him. "None," he grinned. "I'll go spray the cake pan while you rest for a moment. You've earned it."

She exhaled, set the mixing bowl aside, and stretched. Then a thought made her panic. "Vandy, we forgot to preheat the oven."

He held her face in his hands. "MC. Darling. Breathe. I set the oven when I grabbed the apron."

Her breathing gradually slowed. "Sorry, love. I'm just really hungry and kind of tired and I think not being able to see is doing weird things to my brain and you kind of flustered me a minute ago with what you were saying and I'm sorry, I—" her voice cracked, but Vanderwood cut her off and held her close.

"Hey...hey...you're alright. There's nothing to be sorry about. I kept you going after a long day of work without feeding you first. I should have known better." He smoothed her hair and tucked it into her braid. "I'll tell you what. How about we get this cake in the oven and then order some pizza and watch another episode of Cucumber Fish?"

MC sniffled and hummed in agreement. Vanderwood loosened his hold around her and gently brought her hands to the bowl again before grabbing the cake pan. "Okay, all you've got to do now is pour it into the pan that I've put just to the left of the bowl. Just take it nice and easy. There you go. Perfect. You're almost done. Now let me get a spatula to scoop the last of it out." After he finished, he slid the cake pan into the oven and started the timer. "There. All done." He slipped the mask off her eyes and gave her a peck on the lips as she blinked to adjust to the light. "I'll clean all this up, alright? Go ahead and relax on the sofa. You can order the pizza and get Cucumber Fish queued up while I finish up in here."

"Okay," she murmured. Another peck, and she curled up on the couch. She pulled out her phone to order the pizza and smiled at the notifications she'd gotten from the RFA chatroom. They were up to their normal antics again. Hopefully, Saeyoung wouldn't exasperate Saeran too much with his crazy propositions. But there was nothing she could do about that, and she was starving and in desperate need of pizza. Once it was ordered, she turned on the TV and selected the episode, making sure to let it run past the ads before pausing it.

After Vanderwood joined her on the couch, the next forty-five minutes was filled with lots of cuddling and pizza devouring, more kissing than watching the show, a few glances at the cake's progress, an agreement to actually watch the episode while they ate the cake, and several minutes of cooling time after the cake was removed from the oven. Vanderwood emerged from the kitchen after a few minutes of setting up to decorate.

"Are you sure you want to put on the mask again?" he asked. "I don't want it to mess with your head like it did last time."

"I'll be fine, babe. I'm pretty sure it was like that last time just because I was starving."

"Are you positive?"

"Yes."

"If you say so. Go ahead and get them on, then," he said, handing MC the apron and mask.

"Just make sure to lead me into the kitchen again."

"Hmm, we'll see."

"We'll see?" she repeated, but shrieked soon after when she no longer felt the ground beneath her feet. Vanderwood had scooped her up to carry her into the kitchen bridal-style and sank his lips against hers with intentionality. He bumped into the counter but managed to avoid any damage to his wife. He deposited one last kiss on her lips before setting her down.

"What have you done to me, woman? Years and years of agent skills, undone in a moment. If it were anything or anyone else, I never would have bumped into that worktop. But when it's you kissing me, you're the only thing that exists." He grinned. "It's a shame, really. I thought my dexterity was an impressive skill, but I don't even have that anymore, it seems."

"Shame indeed," MC parroted, trying to steal another kiss from his lips and stealing one from his nostrils instead. She made a face, causing Vanderwood to laugh.

"Well, at least I still have the ability to order you around." MC smacked him in response, and he continued, "Alright, alright, let's get to it then. This is where it'll get really interesting, since decorating requires more precision. Which, no offense, is a skill you don't have, since you're not exactly used to being blind."

"Now wait just a—okay, I can't argue that," MC sighed. He placed a spatula in one hand and a jar of frosting in her other.

"Turn around. Can you find where the cake is?"

"Ye—wait, Vandy! I thought you said you cleaned up!"

"I did…sort of." Before she could protest, he interjected, "I wiped the worktop! I just pushed all the dishes to one side so we could put all of it in the dishwasher at once when we were done!" He added with a mumble, "I just wanted to get back to you."

"You think you can charm your way out of anything," MC responded airily. "Well, you're right." She squared up as best she could with a frosting jar in hand. "I found the cake. I'll try to do my best."

"Well, in this part, I won't let you go completely solo. I can rotate the cake for you as you go, if you want."

"Please."

MC scooped a large helping of frosting from the jar and started spreading around the perimeter. Her spatula made a slight detour for a moment to donate some frosting to the top of the cake, and Vanderwood halted and reversed his rotation slightly to avoid confusion. A few seconds later, she went for another, slightly smaller, scoop to finish frosting the circumference of the cake. Another scoop, added to the deposit from the first, finished off the top.

"Is there a big corner around the top edge? Or any dry spots?" she asked.

"Just a slight corner. Grab a little bit more frosting to round it off a bit and thicken the top."

She did as directed while he helped rotate, and stepped back. "Better?"

"Much better. Maybe we can add a little artistic touch by making some...what do you call them? Swoops? Around the sides from the top?"

"Sounds great. You're definitely going to have to help me, though."

"Alright, I'll rotate again and stop you when you're done. Then you can smooth off the top edge again quick."

Six slightly lopsided arcs later, he stepped back for a moment, observing. "This is certainly not the prettiest cake I've seen, but it all adds to the fun, yeah?"

"I guess," she laughed.

"Now here's the part that'll really get a laugh when you take off the blindfold. I've got a bowl over here with some frosting for smaller decorating, and you get to pick the food coloring that goes in it."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes," he snickered while guiding her over to a trio of colored bottles that she couldn't discern. "Take your pick," he said cheerily. MC gingerly selected one, and he suppressed a snort poorly. "Excellent choice!"

MC groaned. "I'm going to regret all my life choices, aren't I?"

"Of course not! Only your decision to marry me."

"Hey." She squeezed his wrist. "I could never regret that."

"You might reevaluate that statement when you take off the blindfold and see the cake. Or at least my ugly mug."

"Vanderwood. Don't you even start with me. You're so hot that if we were working with chocolate instead of a cake, we wouldn't need the microwave to melt it."

"You're so hot that the beach would need sunblock instead of you."

"You're so hot that the sun goes to you when it needs to warm up."

They collapsed against each other, gasping for air. Vanderwood caught his breath first. "Let's get this food coloring in the bowl, shall we? The spoon and frosting are already in it. All you have to do is put a few drops in and stir until I say so. The bowl's on your left."

"As you wish," she said as she did so.

After a few moments, he spoke. "That's enough. Let me get you back over to the cake, and I'll get the frosting in the decorating bag. Which is really just an ordinary plastic bag, but I did pick up some cheap decorating tips when I got the ingredients."

"Splendid. How am I going to decorate, though? Even if I could see, I don't know the first thing about cake decorating. Oh yeah, and I can't see."

"Don't get your 'panties in a bunch,' as you like to tell me so often. I'll do it with you this time."

"But you don't know how to decorate cakes, either!"

"Ah-ah-ah!” he chided. “Do you trust me or not?"

"Not particularly."

"Hey!"

"But! We should just go ahead and do it anyway, because even though neither of us knows what we're doing, we're the only ones in this apartment who can. And the frosting smells too good not to eat soon."

"That's my girl." Vanderwood curled around her. He molded one hand around hers and slid the other over her stomach. As they formed a few swirls on the top, he murmured, "We did this whole thing together. How impressive is that? Was it as fun for you as it was for me?"

MC smiled. "Of course it was. I know I got a little hangry for a bit there, but I know how much thought you put into this. None of my old deadbeat ex-boyfriends ever would have cared so much, let alone shown it. These are the things that make me love you that much more."

"I never experienced any permanent love until you showed it to me. And it's been so...world-altering—that I've been trying to wrap my head around it ever since. I still can't. But I swear I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to give you the same love you've given me. I certainly don't deserve it, after the things I've done. But you do. You deserve all the happiness a person can have."

MC paused and blushed slightly. "Vandy…" She exhaled. "We've gone over this whole 'not deserving it' thing. Whether you deserve it or not doesn't matter. To me, what matters is your heart. You have such a beautiful heart, Vandy. I love the kind of man you've become. I've seen you strive every day to be better than you were the day before, and that is so inspiring."

"Well, whether or not I deserve happiness, I would choose to be happy every day if my being happy made you happy." He squeezed her hip affectionately and pulled her in for a tender kiss.

"It would." She kissed him back. They added one last swirl and a border before they set down the bag of frosting. He uncurled her fingers and fiddled with her wedding ring.

"Are you ready to see it?"

"Sure."

He slipped off the blindfold, and she gasped.

"What have we done?" she exclaimed as her laughing grew louder by the second.

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" Vanderwood asked, feigning ignorance.

"The cake is bright flaming orange, Vandy!" She let out a snort, then covered her face. "Hey, wait! All the food coloring was the same color too, you little twit!"

He shrugged innocently. MC sputtered. "Nuh-uh. Don't you shrug at me, mister. Saeyoung has rubbed off on you way too much."

"Has not."

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe the tiniest bit."

"Uh huh, that's what I thought. Now are you as ready as I am to eat this cake and watch Cucumber Fish?"

"Let me take a picture first. And another one with you in it? You look so lovely, I can't not have one with you in it."

She tried desperately to keep a frown on her face as he snapped a picture but couldn't quite hold back the quirk at the corner of her mouth. He cut a slice for each of them and handed one to her. He curled the paper plate around his slice, and she did likewise. They looked each other in the eyes, both knowing exactly what would come next. Vanderwood solidified his stance. "Ready...steady...GO!" The couple raced to the living room and took a running jump onto the couch, ready for the wonderful night ahead.

[shark-el]

Onion soup:

A firend of mine asked me for my Onion soup recipe. I was just gana send it to her plain simple and boring. But then I thought of a better way to waist my time that I should probably be spending doing work or researching for projects and thing. But I decided this was a lot more fun!

My idea was to be one of those annoying food blogs that tell their whole life story in an absolutely overly exaggerated fashion! One to make fun of blogs that do this, and tow because it's fun and why the hell not?!

So the idea for this started back when I was first starting out cooking and every single blog I found had a 1000 word essay about the origin of sed food. I found it extremely irritating because why do I did to know that this person's great uncle's best friends grandma's dog died in a fire in order to make this recipe?! So I would scroll down all the way to get to the actual recipe but the story just kept on going! Like about how her great great great grandfather's colleague from work had spills tea on his novel, a passion project that he had worked so hard for. I still had no idea how this was relevant at all to the spring rolls I was planning on making? And after an eternity of scrolling fingers tired and eyes full of tears I finally got to the recipe.

You'd think after all that back story and the amount I had learned about the person writing this like the fact that her great grandmother's favorite color was tangerine but specifically tangerine, and not orange because her childhood best friend had lent her a sweater that exact color and the next day she had never returned. That sweater has become a family heirloom that has been passed down ever since. Or the fact that she had avocado toast on Tuesday three years ago on may 18th at exactly 3:26 pm. Needless to say I knew a lot about this person and their family tree. It really helped me get the care and feeling I needed for my spring rolls. So that is why I'm going to be overly pretentious and do the same thing to you so have fun.

I was born at a very young age, in the evening on a hot August day. I don't remember much from this time in my life but my parents told me that I was miserable until I could do things for myself. After that I was a force to be reckoned with, nothing could stop me! There was one time when I was about 6 months old my parents had left me on the table thinking I couldn't get far, keeping an eye on me every once in a while but not paying much attention. The second I was put down I saw something gleaming in the corner of my eye, it was a delicious looking chocolate brownie. Nothing could stop me I was going to get that brownie no matter what! so I slowly started scooching my tiny baby body to the delicious looking dessert moving as fast as my little arms could take me. It had been 10 minutes of struggling from one end of the table to the other. I had finally made it! I was so close my hand was mere centimeters away from the prize. It was gonna be mine all mine! But then suddenly out of nowhere my dad's arms came and picked me up taking me away from my long awaited dessert. needless to say I was furious but I still never got that specific brownie (I've had other brownies don't get me wrong, it's just I never had that one. And at this point I don't think I'd want to since it's several years past it's expansion date).

That was my first experience with real food which might have been a core memory if I actually remembered it. Sadly this happened before i could remember it, but i'd like to think that it was the beginning of my love for food.

Over the years I started cooking it started off as learning how to make eggs and mac and cheese but then over the years I started to make more complex dishes, some worked and some didn't. Now I know that most people would rather be informed about the times that somebody failed rather than the time someone succeeded, they stand out more I guess and if you're actually sitting down to read this then I will reward you with some of my biggest cooking fails.

First off anything that involves baking, for instance there was one time I was going to bake a chocolate cake for a bake sale and well... so what happened was, I learned that I can't follow a recipe for the life of me! You may ask why I'm writing this recipe if I probably won't follow it anyway, but it's more a list of ingredients than a actual recipe. Anyway back to the story so my first mistake was I ended up putting in a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon so normally this would be fine it would have just been a little bit salty, but problem was I had another mistake, I ended up putting in a tablespoon of mint extract instead of a teaspoon of vanilla extract as well, so the resulting cake was less cake tasting and more of the toothpaste variety. ( For some reason my brother loved it. He took about a handfuls. I would not recommend it with a glass of orange juice).

Another baking story, I was trying to make chicken pot pie, and filling itself is cooking. I can do that, throwing things in a pot, easy! It works! But do not, I repeat do not! leave me alone with a pie crust. my dad and I frantically tried to roll out said pie crust and not rip it, we were flailing around confused as to how dough worked. It took us about half an hour to roll out the pie crust so it would rip adds little as possible. After that day we came to a conclusion never to leave us with the job of baking ever again!

The next cooking fail I have is finally about the soup recipe. You see the first time I tried making onion soup it didn't go very well... Let me explain what happened. I was really in the mood for a nice warm onion soup and I figured you just throw some onions in a pot with some white wine and water and let it sit. Problem was we didn't have any wine, and I was too young to go to the grocery store to buy some, so instead I decided to use grape juice. Never but I mean never cook an absurd amount of grape juice, the heated aroma smelt excruciatingly unappetizing and I would not recommend it on anyone. So the resulting soup was watered down hot grape juice and stir-fried onions. needless to say it did not taste good and smelled even worse. I told myself that would be the last time I'd ever make onion soup! Years have past and and I was really in the mood for onion soup again even after that disaster, so I decided to try once again. this time with no grape juice! I looked through multiple recipes some had more ingredients than others and ended up combining a lot of them together to make my own onion soup recipe the one you see before you. And though I was scared that I'd mess it up I decided that I just really wanted some onion soup so I made it and it turned out delicious. Look at that a happy ending isn't that just great?!

I'd be surprised if you actually read through all of this if you did a good job,if you didn't then you're probably not going to read this sentence but I don't blame you it's all good who actually reads these backstories to recipes anyway?

Anyway I think I've mumbled on long enough here is the actual recipe for this soup:

5-6 onions

7-8 cups of chicken/ onion stock ( cold be parve from show mixes)

3 cloves of garlic (probably more)

1/4 cups of soy sauce

1/3 cups of white wine (optional)

4 tablespoons of oil (2-3 at the beginning and then 1-2 in middle of caramelization)

4 tablespoons of flower

1 teaspoon sugar (helps with caramelization)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper ( to taste but approx 1/8-1/4 of a teaspoon)

Instructions:

1) caramelize onions:

On medium heat Cook the onions, stirring often, until they have softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium high. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil (or butter depending on) and cook, stirring often, until the onions start to brown, about 15 more minutes.

Then sprinkle with sugar (to help with the caramelization) and 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to cook until the onions are well browned, about 10 to 15 more minutes.

Add garlic

2) Add Flour until mixed and quickly ( so it doesn't burn) add Add wine and soy sauce and once mixed well and incorporated

3)Add stock slowly, then add bay leaves and black pepper and salt (if needed, you can always add it later).

Bring to a summer and leve on low heat for 30 mins.

And now you officially scrolled too far, this is the point in a recipe blog where they add a bunch of links to all the recipes made by their friends families and anything else that comes to mind. Most people looking for the recipe would scroll all the way to the end trying to find it in this mess of words and unnecessary backstory told in an excruciatingly painful amount of detail. Then realize they've scrolled too far, sigh and start scrolling up again, this time a little slower.

It normally also has recommendations of foods that would go well with it, in the case of this onion soup I would recommend eating it with some garlic bread or grilled cheese sandwiches, basically all comfort foods that would spark Joy anytime you eat them.

If you're looking for aesthetic you can try making a bread bowl, cover it with cheese and broil it, which would have a whole other recipe linked in somewhere, with more details about how their great uncle's best firends associate made this same recipe for the pince of some country. But as I mentioned beforehand, I for one am not a baker and bread is most definitely a baking job. Not only is bread one of the more complex foods to bake, even if you put every ingredient precisely as the recipe mentions them, it still won't turn out right! Because ether the atmospheric pressure has changed very slightly, or the wind isn't blowing in the correct direction. Bread making is hard and I have a lot of respect for people who can do it correctly.

If you've read through all of this, damn that's dedication thank you and I applaud thee. I hope you enjoyed, and were amused.

[nicknellie]

For sure, as I (believe) mentioned before music is Luke’s way of showing that he cares (Julie with bright ect) so it would make the most sense for him to be the only one who sings it to Alex.

Oh no, I was thinking that however I’m just now picturing it in my head like the last verse is just Luke because the other boys are crying so hard and Luke is as well but he needs to finish the song because Alex has to know.

Precisely, although the band wouldn’t be the same without one of them (they literally changed band names when they added Julie) it’s hard for any of them to think that they matter as much as they do.

Yes, I think that as well although Luke never intends for it to happen he is usually either the reason why fight starts are involved in them. Mostly due to the fact that as you said he is headstrong, and while I do think that he open minded sometimes with his opinions it takes longer for him to consider the other side (Him telling Julie that she needs to get back into the music program ect).

Although with Willie for Alex we see him sometimes being able to stand up for himself I feel like when it comes to his bandmates he sometimes may not have that back bone mostly because in the back of his head he’s afraid that they will kick him out. (Not that they really did anything that Alex needs to call them out for however just in general)

Depending on which fic you’re talking about I might have read it as well, but I’ve seen theories/stories about that as well.

Honestly I keep thinking that the boys met each other rather young however I completely agree, for a few years Bobby just didn’t have a lot of friends

Sadness, I’ve also saw a comment somewhere in which someone mentioned that for the boys stuff to be in the garage it was Bobby who probably put it there and that’s upsetting. (Poor Bobby)

Just randomly he sees one of Alex’s jigsaws and their random hobbies and he burst into more tears (could possibly be were he thinks that using the songs would be a good thing)

I can just see Reggie trying to lure Alex into a wild goose case just because he’s trying to get him confused (Alex is more so concerned but just moves on) Yes, that exactly how Bobby and Luke react. Also they can’t really lie to Alex so they won’t make eye contact with him, which is how Alex is able to tell that Bobby isn’t truthful.

Exactly, that’s what I was thinking as well! Bobby looks calm however he’s able to deck someone if needed, honestly after a while people just know not to mess with him however Luke still comes as a surprise because he acts like a puppy.

Wait yes!! Reggie learned art from his grandad (also partly where his love of country music comes from but none of the boys know why he started writing country music) (Luke always tries to get him to stop writing them however whenever Reggie is feeling sad they tend to play his grandads favorite country song which is the only one that Luke will accept)

Wait yes!! I was thinking the exact same thing, I could just see him taking a picture and then painting it. Reggie just makes paintings of all of them but as Luke is the most photogenic a majority of them is of him.

Yes, comfort music and poetry (also comfort baking especially for Reggie because Alex can’t say no to Reggie even though he once requested a Han Solo cake)

Precisely! For a bit of time the boys would be concerned just because they associated Alex baking with him being stressed (even if Alex says it’s nothing if they wake up and the garage smells like someone has been baking they know). I actually remember reading this fic that basically had Alex make cookies and then give them to a random stranger (Willie) and your idea kind of reminded me of that. But yes, and Alex is such a god baker that although the boys need him to go to sleep immediately they don’t protest to the immense amount of baked goods.

Completely, Reggie doesn’t seem tired however he is so active that the boys just know. (Possibly could’ve been when he thought that fixing his amp in the rain was a good idea).

Oh wait yes, and there’s no in between either just those two and Alex is always prepared.

If Trevor and Mitch were close then it definitely would’ve been easier for Trevor to help him make the charity. (It took Emily and Mitch a bit of time to recognize where they knew Trevor from because unlike the boys they weren’t able to pinpoint him immediately)

They definitely saw the boys as their sons, (depending on the time line) when Alex ran away he went to them first and Emily was one of the first adults (soon after Bobby) who Alex came out to.

Honestly I was thinking that for a bit of time Trevor wouldn’t announce who he was however I think your theory makes a lot more sense and I prefer it. Also I do feel like they could’ve been neglectful but Sunset Curve found a family within each other so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been that they didn’t have the best parents.

It’s the only logical explanation that she’s Julie’s mom and if she isn’t then there has to be a reason for her character outside of a worker you know. (I’ve seen some theories where they say that Caleb is behind their murder so if that’s the direction that they take and if she’s supposed to be like a spy for his club I will rage)

Yes, basically everyone thanks Rose because she is amazing.

Honestly I have quite a bit that I expect from season two but I just really hope that they touch upon those story lines also developed and spend more time on their characters (Flynn and Willie deserved better). I’d love flashbacks like that as well, and going along with your theory kind of like in unsaid Emily as the song is continuing and all the sudden we get like a flashback scene (how they did it) that’s what they should do, if the boys sit down and tell Julie about their past.

He is such a family man, honestly if anything I just don’t really feel like they developed Trevor enough to tell what he is like as a parent however I just don’t see him as someone who doesn’t care because he had quite a few examples of not so great parents growing up, (not being supportive, neglectful, not accepting their kid and fighting in front of them jus to name a few) that he never wanted to be like them.

So I’ve been thinking about this for a bit so I’ll bring it out now, in stand tall when Carrie makes a comment before the show we see his face kind of scrunch up and I feel like season two could have a scene where he talks to her about her behavior and could possibly be how they do her redemption arc (?). Because he loves her so much, and although he may not be the best at showing it (now that he lost the boys it’s been hard for him to get close to people even his own daughter due to the fact that he’s afraid of losing them)

Exactly, it feels like they don’t care about the fact that they died. For some people it does take longer to react to things end it could just be that they’re still processing it however we get no insight to the fact that they’re even mildly thinking about it. I do think part of it is that although even has changed they still have each other and therefore they can try to get through everything that they possibly could.

Alex is such a sweetheart, and that’s exactly what he would do because he genuinely enjoyed helping people also the fact that Bobby means so much to him just made him feel like he was on cloud nine.

That’s exactly the song, The boys are so concerned and Alex and Luke at one point turns to Julie and is like that’s why I didn’t want him to know about Jar-Jar, I can’t believe he’s done this again (occasionally Reggie brings out heavy metal and no one knows why)

(So I’ve never seen Star Wars either, honestly I just said that character because he is adorable)

Julie is just concerned about them in general however during this moment she’s just so confused (I feel like Carlos is a huge Star Wars fan, part of why Reggie likes him so much so due to that fact she’s also a fan) however they spend the next 20 ish minutes talking about how much the franchise has changed ect.

It would totally be their thing, and although Alex isn’t into photography as much as Reggie is, they both just love the experience and spending time together. Also they loved having Luke and Bobby there as well, surprisingly Bobby knows a lot about photography as well or at least the developing stages so if the boys are there then Reggie and Bobby usually take over doing the developing and Luke and Alex just watch.

Yes, this is how Reggie gets into lots of scrapbooking conversations (also randomly gets stickers from people) for the fact that he’s so well known for how much he loves scrapbooking.

That’s exactly how the shoot for the deme photo went. One of the photos has Reggie out of place and the boys in movement and since Reggie thought it was the last one he almost burst out into tears (they quickly discovered that there was another picture which became the cover).

Yes, Reggie just keeps giving Julie scrapbooks of Luke. (Reggie is the embarrassing mom friend that would pull out baby pictures just to spite someone)

Instagram account- yes, and his followers are sometimes confused as to how he could possibly get those pictures without being seen but they just accept it as Reggie being Reggie. For sure, Flynn and Reggie would be the best friendship duo and the photos are insane. (Luke is photogenic but Flynn is a whole level because she will gladly do a 2 hour photo shoot)

Luke would definitely let Reggie have the wrappers, and that’s precisely what Alex‘s reaction would be.

That’s what I was thinking as well, he’s just so shaky and the writing is so blurry to him because he has so many tears in his eyes and eventually he just can’t look at it anymore (that’s why the photos are not in the scrapbook but just placed inside because although he knew how much it would mean to Reggie, Bobby didn’t have the strength to make a new page)

Yes Luke would definitely wrap the gifts in tinfoil (‘I have more class than that Luke’ ‘Reggie, you wrap your gifts with newspaper’)

Everyone just takes Alex’s hoodies, even Julie.

You described that beautifully that is exactly what their relationship is.

The hoodies are essential during movie nights because Luke and Reggie have enough room to pull the hoodies over their face so they don’t have to see what’s on screen. Over time Alex isn’t scared by them however (despite seeing the film like four times) Luke let out a gigantic scream once at a film and it terrified Alex. Ah I love that you included Willie (who is the king of stealing hoodies much to Alex’s sadness) and that is exactly what would happen.

Yes, and Alex takes his job as a choreographer very seriously (honestly it’s just for entertainment because Alex is very amused) The picture that Owen posted somewhere buried in the scrapbooks there is a similar one of sunset curve in similar costumes that Luke has tried to get Reggie to burn. Also although Luke is not interested he is the best dancer and it’s very normal thing to walk into the garage and see them waltzing with each other.

I love the way that you said this and I completely agree, it’s one way that Alex and Julie bond (also she finds that picture of Luke and Alex waltzing and she forces him to teach her how to waltz)

Honestly at one point I was going to say I love how all of this started because of a jigsaw.

I’m sorry this took me so long to get to but as I predicted I’ve been writing my response for a whole hour and I’m hoping it’s worth it 😂 oh god I loved literally all of this, more under keep reading :)))

Ok so originally I started bullet pointing everything and I planned to put it all into a big thing like I did before, then I accidentally started putting more detail into the bullet points and just stuck with it 😂 the first few aren’t as detailed but it gets better the longer it goes on. That’s also why they’re all numbered lmao

1. Luke’s voice breaking as he holds the last note at the end of the song and him desperately trying to make it all the way without crying so Alex can see how much he cares

2. All of them knowing they’re like family but also constantly feeling like they’re stepping on eggshells because they’re so used to making mistakes within their own homes that they think it’ll be just as easy with all their friends

3. Interesting that you mentioned the music program - implies he always thinks that his ideas aren’t necessarily the best but they’re for the best and he struggled to change his mind to see other sides of the argument which is where the fighting started

4. Alex was usually the mediator because whenever there was a problem he would lay the facts out in his mind and sort through all outcomes to the best possible solution that would hopefully please everyone - generally everyone agreed after Alex intervened and it was rare he was involved in arguments himself

5. Totally right about Alex not standing up for himself (see “And you can’t make us either! ...Sir” to Caleb) and that’s why he was hardly ever involved; when he did argue he could actually get kind of nasty which made him feel awful

6. Yeah same I think he just seemed like a bit of a loner and let’s be real kind of intimidating despite his chill personality and the guys were the first to break down his walls

7. I’ve seen stuff like that - like it was probably him who had to identify the bodies and take their stuff back and that’s a horrible weight for a 17-y-o to bare and it makes me wonder how people can dislike Bobby based on actions and choices he made when he was grieving for his family

8. Omg he goes through each of their bags after he’s taken them back to the studio that night (not Luke’s bc Mitch and Emily have it) and he finds the tiny easy jigsaw Alex uses before shows and a half completed crossword book in Reggie’s stuff

9. Also!! Reggie does sudokus too! I kept forgetting what they were called and wanting to add them in, but sudokus!! He loves them

10. Yes lmao Reggie starts off with a really confusing lie that makes Alex asks more questions - it once ended up with the completely false story that Reggie was planning to climb Mount Everest and they weren’t telling Alex because he was afraid of heights

11. I love thinking that the boys just can’t lie to each other because we see in the show they can’t lie (high-pitched ummmm and “we were looking for the kitchen...?”) so tiny things like that are perfect I’m so in agreement

12. Exactly yes!!!! Luke is friends with everyone he speaks to until they say something that rubs him the wrong way and he just kind of explodes (unless it’s someone he’s close to)

13. YES OMG I didn’t even think of that being where Reggie’s love of country music came from but YES omg totally

14. Because I love Johnny Cash I’m claiming Reggie’s favourite country song as Ring of Fire because it’s quite upbeat and I can see him and his grandad jamming out to it in the old days - other favourites were I Walk The Line and A Boy Named Sue

15. I feel like Reggie’s art style would swing between very realistic like when he paints the boys and also kind of similar to Booboo Stewart’s art

16. Alex tried his hardest to deliver with the Han Solo cake and it definitely could have turned out worse! Reggie helped decorate because he couldn’t wait until it was finished to see the result

17. Yes omg like the boys trying to say like “you good buddy?” through huge mouthfuls of cake and the whole effect of concern being lost - Alex eventually starts baking even when he’s fine so it’s harder to tell when he’s stressed, but baking always cheers him up so they don’t mind

18. That fic sounds really sweet omg 🥺

19. Absolutely omg! It’s like the middle of the night, full-on storm outside, and Reggie just thinks “oh yeah I gotta fix my amp, no time like the present” and it didn’t go well obviously

20. Yes and now you’ve said that I kinda feel like Emily was the second person he told who took it well? Like Bobby was first, then his parents reacted badly, and then he went to Luke’s house - Emily asked if he wanted to see Luke but he kind of broke down and asked if he could talk to her instead

21. He told her everything and she was incredibly supportive - because for a while Alex wanted to keep things on the down-low Luke didn’t even know he stayed at his house that night

22. Yeah I just need more found-family 90s Sunset Curve moments along with the found-family present day Julie and the Phantoms moments 🥺

23. idk if you saw but the book confirmed that Rose is her mother!!!! It’s officially canon!!! So no worries about her being a spy for Caleb, I think Rose is way too nice for that (oops sorry if you’re avoiding book spoilers 😬)

24. Omg louder for the people in the back Flynn and Willie deserved better!!! They deserved so much more screen time, Flynn deserves her own storyline (personally I’m rooting for her to be the first to reconnect with Carrie and I’m a hardcore Flarrie shipper so that would be cool, but I’d settle for them just being friends again) and I’d love to see Willie dealing with the emotional baggage and realisations that come after Caleb’s stamp gets lifted

25. Exactly!! This!! He loves his family so much, probably blames himself a little for the boys’ death (for not going with them, even though there was nothing he could have done, or for encouraging them to go) and he doesn’t want to lose his family!

26. Omg I’ve never considered that but I love it! I want more Trevor and Carrie moments in general and him showing some good parenting by helping her be better would be totally perfect yesssss

27. Yeah I get that, like the main thing is that they have each other and as long as they have that they’ll be fine - although like you said because it takes some people longer to process it I’d love to see either Luke or Reggie start thinking about it when they realise that Julie and the others are growing up but they’ll be 17 forever

28. Ajakkffjsl YES Reggie just randomly writing heavy metal songs, either about something he hates or just. Totally for no reason other than he likes the freedom of screaming (but he doesn’t like listening to it as he doesn’t like shouting)

29. That’s Gizmo??? Omg yes oh my Lord idk what that thing is but I would die for it and so would Reggie

30. Carlos and Reggie having lightsaber fights. That’s it. All Carlos can see is a floating lightsaber but they both have the time of their lives/afterlives

31. Omg what if Bobby learnt about the developing thing bc as we’ve established Reggie is not that careful but Bobby is very gentle and it’s something you need to be gentle for so he learns it just to help Reggie

32. For most famous bands or whatever they get asked for autographs or whatever but not Reggie - he gets given stickers and people ask to take photos, then make him keep the photos and ask them to put them in his scrapbook; even though Sunset Curve were still relatively small he had a whole album dedicated to photos with fans

33. Lmao yeah they just couldn’t time it right and thankfully got the photo on the very last try - Reggie literally cried with happiness

34. Yes!! This!! Oh my god!! Whenever Luke is being particularly annoying Reggie just calls Julie over and sits her down with a photo album - the best ones are the photos of Luke stuck in weird places (idk I feel like he’d do stupid things and get stuck a lot. He once got his head stuck in a train door and instead of helping the boys just laughed at him. That happened to me one time which is why I thought of it)

35. Hell yeah Reggie’s photography account blows up, especially when Flynn starts managing it. And those two hour shoots are almost always her idea - she’ll just show up at the studio with a bunch of outfits and shout to the air “Reggie get your camera ready!”

36. Omg don’t do that to meeeee 😭 he couldn’t make himself flip through the pages and stick the photos in because he didn’t want to relive all the memories that had suddenly turned painful 😭 so he just carefully slips the photos inside and never looks at them again

37. Julie in Alex’s hoodie is possibly the greatest mental image I’ve ever had - he can’t find it, and usually it’s Luke or Reggie, and nowadays Willie tends to take it too, so Alex marches into the studio and asks which one of them has it, at which point he sees Julie huddled up in it for warmth and he just melts because she’s freaking adorable and he can’t believe how lucky he is to have her as a best friend

38. Lmaooo Reggie and Luke hiding under the hoodies is PERFECT and yes Luke is such a scaredy-cat no matter how tough he tries to act

39. Alex looks forwards to their dance sessions every time lmao and YES he got them all matching costumes and Luke despises the photos

40. Sunset Curve (and later Julie and the Phantoms) dancing with each other was not something I knew I needed in my life but I’m so glad you said it because YES

41. Kinda considering buying a custom JatP jigsaw from somewhere because now I feel like I deserve one

[beatsfortheillperth]

Words with Jetson

Our next interview is with a producer and rapper out of a beautiful place known as Tauranga, in New Zealand, This creative is known as Jetson.

He happens to be one of my cat, Rain's personal favourites for sleep time and regardless of the amount of thumping bass Jetson's music creates and picture frames it knocks over, I understand why he sleeps so sweetly.

Probably a lot to do with the fact that bass has rhythm, just like the sweet sweet words Jetson correlates with his word-plays in tracks such as "Milk" and "SENSEI". Not only impressing cats, Jetson has made moves and connections beyond the long white cloud, proving isolation doesn't always silence brilliance. Jetson brings words any generation can hold some sort of relevance to, words that allow one to notice life moves fast and slow and sometimes you just have to chill and become an observer rather than an instigator.

This is something I feel Jetson has accomplished with his rather low-key approach to releases and interviews.

Jetson is a natural, a true prodigy of sound and a sharer of moods, and to me, is a reminder that with a little bit of passion and persistence, great things can happen, whatever your field.

Jetson’s collective and label - Chill Children is evidence of that, as through it , Jetson is able to work and release with producers and beat-makers all over the globe.

emo the optimist, BACKWHEN, fuyu, eets, and junyii are just some of the diverse talents working with Chill Children and everyone on the catalogue are game-changers that make music that’s anointed in chills. 

Creators that push boundaries and portray emotion through sound in the most soothing way, one must check Chill Children.

So with that I hope you enjoy rare words with the nuance wonder, and in his own words.

Sit back, relax, get baked, create, f**k it.

Enjoy and much love.

Hey man thanks for the opportunity to share words. Let's start with a few random quick questions to get things going. Favourite Beverage: Lemon water. Favourite thing to do in your down-time: Make music/skate. Views on Reincarnation: It will be cool if it is true but I guess it doesn't really change anything if it is 🤷‍♂️ Favourite Food: Sushi. Favourite Album of All Time: Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders A song to break it down to: Ethereal & Playboi Carti - Beef A song to chill to: Durand Jones & The Indications - Cruising to the park Do you prefer Sunrise? or Sunset? Why?: Sunset, because I'm never awake for sunrise. A childhood memory in regards to music: I remember saving up to buy Graduation by Kanye West and listening to that shit front to back for weeks straight. Favourite Place to be: Probably on an island.

Thanks for that, so let's start by asking what inspires you to produce and not only produce but continually produce, what to me is an array of tunes fitting so many genres?

Do you have a set of goals in place when you release a track or do you just hit upload and just hope people are feeling your sound?

What I like to listen to is constantly changing so I like to challenge myself to try and make the things that I'm inspired by.

I like to think that you never know what you're gonna get when you listen to my music but I've still got so much to learn and experiment with. I just try have fun with it and not think about it too much.

How long have you been producing music, and what did you find was hardest to get the hang of when it first came to producing beats?

I had no music theory knowledge or anything when I started making beats (I still don't have much) so there was a lot to learn right away.

Probably the hardest thing that I still battle with is knowing what you should release, what you shouldn't etc. It's hard to balance knowing when something is finished and when it still needs work.

Could you give a quick run-through of the process you follow when it comes to making a beat?

I try to change my process as much as I can to keep things fresh and fun for myself. But I really enjoy hearing a sample somewhere like keys, a quote or a rapper I want to remix, then I start working with that piece and see where it goes.

I'll mess around with the beat for a while and sometimes a track comes out. It can take one day, it can take months. Just depends.

Oldies are always goodies in my books and I have to mention your "bumps from 2014" mixtape, it truly is something special.

What inspired those little bumps? What were you doing back then? Also, can you remember the mood you were in when you made them?

I'm glad you like it haha. That was when I really had no clue what I was doing in terms of making beats, I was making all of those 'off the grid' in Ableton so I was placing drums in random places, I had no idea what bpm the samples were or anything. I really didn't know wtf I was doing, just going off of a vibe. 

My mood was really just being excited about making music, I was living in the basement at my mum's house blasting beats on the speakers all day.

[bumps from 2014] - https://soundcloud.com/sleepgodd/bumps-from-2014

You are also a rapper. My favourite NZ rapper to be more precise so thank you for the vibes you create. How did you find out you had it in you to rap and how old were you?

Damn, I appreciate that ✌️ I started rapping with a friend of mine, Jesse aka j cafe when we were around 20. We'd sit in my room smoking weed, and free-styling over beats on Soundcloud all night. 

Then we decided to make a track, so we found a beat and jumped in the closet to record some vocals on the laptop microphone.

We put it up on Soundcloud and I've been addicted to making music ever since.

Link to j cafe’s Soundcloud here - https://soundcloud.com/j-cafe

Cover art for Jetson’s 2019 rap release - bluntscraps

Album cover art by Takuroh Toyama

When did you first start rapping in front of others? What did it feel like in the beginning compared to now when you perform live?

I was insanely nervous the first time I ever did anything live and that feeling really hasn't left me lol.

Except now I know how to deal with nerves a bit better and actually enjoy the whole experience of doing something live.

I definitely think I'm a lot better now than my first time doing it, but I still kinda suck 😂 Staying on topic with your rapping, material-wise you have mad skills, your music is forever helping me chill out so thank you.

When did you start writing down your words and turning them into structured songs? Do you have any other artists that inspire your writing style?

When I was younger I really liked the flow of rappers rather than what they were actually saying.

Dudes like MF Doom and Earl Sweatshirt really influenced me at the start wanting to come up with lines that were catchy and different.

To form an actual track I usually just mumble over beats to get the flow, then I start placing words in the spots where I think they fit.

Does your family know you make music? If so what do they think of it, any dance parties in the Jetson Family Household? 

My immediate family all know and support my music. My mum used to have one of my tracks as her ringtone for years lol.

No jetson dance parties yet, but seems like every year more people in my extended family know about my music.

You were also a member of NZ Duo, Chill Children of which you rap and produce with yet another kiwi talent, both having low-key approaches when it comes to presenting yourselves through social media. What happened with that?

Me and J Cafe started Chill Children as a rap project in the early days but we moved to different places in the world and started doing our own solo projects so things sort of stopped happening with it.

I still credit those times with really getting me started on music though. He's still making dope shit and we'll probably link up on a track soon.

So then it became a sort of collective community, and through your Chill Children Soundcloud, you allow a platform for other artists to have their music heard.

Much Love on the concept, What inspired you to start sharing other artists music and what keeps you sharing? I'm very grateful btw, too many gems.

I work on music a lot with my friend emo the optimist (aka kodama) and we always wanted to run a label/collective kind of thing so we could release music from artists that we really liked.

After me and Jesse started doing our own thing, Chill Children seemed like the perfect place to start doing that.

It's one of my favorite things to work on as we have a hand in working with the artists on every release. I just love that we're able to share so much music that we really like with the world.

Check Chill Children here -

Bandcamp - https://chillchildren.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/chillchildren

Instagram - @chillchildren

Any new Chill Children material we should keep an eye out for?

We always have new music from new artists dropping so definitely follow our instagram/twitter if you want to stay updated on it.

We're currently working on a phonk compilation with guys like DJ Yung Vamp, Genshin etc. It's gonna be crazy 🤯

Back to your solo releases through your alias Jetson. What made you want to start putting out your material alone? Also, do you have a favourite Jetson release?

I really felt like I had to release music solo to see what I could do.

I've learned so much about myself through that process, became more confident and a better musician.

Probably my favorite rap track I've made is called 'Escape'.

Not many people have heard it but it's on Spotify and other places.

My favorite beat I've made is probably 'dylan rieder'.

Have to ask, are you working on any new releases we should keep an ear out for? If so, what can we expect with your coming releases?

I just released an album on Bandcamp called THROWED TAPES which was really influenced by DJ screw and other phonk producers.

I'm working on a lofi R&B tape for Bandcamp, a lofi beat tape, and I really want to release a rap EP.

Who knows when those will come out though haha

Taking it back a little to your rapping again I have to mention "Milk". What inspires the words in this track?

Also please share the story behind your track "Melancholy"? The words are somewhat mesmerizing, thank you!

With milk, I just heard the beat from bsd.u and really wanted to make something weird that just followed the flow of the beat.

On melancholy I tried to think about what I was saying a little more. The instrumental is so introspective and smooth I knew I had to come correct on it.

THROWED TAPES By Jetson, released August, 27, 2020

Musical Recommendations?

junyii - emo the optimist - knxwledge - j cafe - jesse james solomon - the smiths - dj yung vamp - shuggie otis - hm surf - alicks - MIKE - baccyard - meraki soul - steve hiett I could go on for days though lol

Creatives to keep an eye out for in music and art? Takuroh Toyama (photography) Moebius (visual art) Steve Hiett (photography/music) Any Last Words?

It really trips me out that people enjoy something I love to do so much.

So just thank you for vibing with me, I have a lot more to share ✌️

Support Jetson here -

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/highimjetson

Bandcamp - https://jetsonbumps.bandcamp.com/

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2bkf2PmiVyfCqg2uzIFIqJ

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jetsonbumps

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jetsonn/?hl=en

Milk by Jetson (Production by bsd.u)

[triggeringthehealing]

distractions

Derek/Stiles | 2748 | G | AO3

Summary: There are hunters in town. Young, ill-advised, easy targets for the pack. Still, Stiles knows that walking right into the motel they’re staying at is a recipe for disaster. Since it’s precisely what Derek seems to want to do, Stiles needs a distraction. 

A/N: Written for the @fullmoonficlet challenge - prompt #331 - strike

"Look, there's no way we can go into this unprepared," Stiles says, looking up from the maps and scraps of paper on the table. "I know that a surprise strike would be the best thing, to catch the hunters unaware, but we can't make it something that's surprising to us."

"I know," Derek grunts unconvincingly.

"I know you know, Derek, but do you really?"

"Stiles."

"I mean, I don't want to you walk out of here tonight before we get a plan together. Or well, you can walk out without us having a solid plan, but that doesn't mean you should walk out of here with the intention of heading over to the hunters to try and catch them off guard. Because that's not going to work," Stiles rambles, he knows, but he wants to drive it home that walking into the motel where the hunters have set up camp is dangerous and a bad idea.

"I won't," Derek tells him, eyes still on the map and fingers running over the notes that they gathered.

The whole pack was on reconnaissance missions for the past two days, snooping where they could without giving themselves away. It proved a lot easier than they were used to, since this group of hunters from out of town and out of state didn't seem to have done their research. That, in Stiles's extensive experience, didn't mean that it was true, but that was definitely how they were seen. Normally Stiles would be extremely suspicious of that—and he was for the first day—but this time there really seems to be a lack of information and awareness on the hunters' side.

They're young, barely old enough to be in the know. They're only just older than Stiles was when he found out about the supernatural, back in high school. He wonders how much training they could possibly have at that age but he saw them and found that whether they're well-trained or not, they're armed to their teeth and clearly mean business. The problem is that they don't seem to know what their business is.

It's a recipe for disaster already, let alone if Derek or anyone else decide to walk right to them and cause a reaction triggered by surprise. With the amount of weapons of all different kinds, there would most likely be innocent bystanders hurt at best and killed at worst. There is precisely zero need for anything like that to happen. It just means that Stiles will need to distract Derek from whatever half-baked plans he might have for the situation.

"I think you want to go now," Stiles says quietly. "I think you figured that these people are young and would be easily taken down. I think you want to do something before they do something to those we care about."

"I think you're assuming a lot and you know what that means," Derek replies, finally lifting his head to look at Stiles.

"I'm an ass, yes," Stiles says, corner of his lips twitching in amusement. "You love my ass."

"I appreciate your ass," Derek says in a completely flat tone. "That doesn't mean I need to tolerate you being one."

Derek grunts then and that's enough of an answer to tell Stiles that he's right. Not that he really needed a confirmation but he gives himself a moment to preen about it anyway, because it's not often that he gets an acknowledgment like this.

"Look, we'll figure out a way to get them," Stiles says, returning to the original conversation. "Marching in there without a plan has never worked out well for us, has it?"

He can see the moment that Derek remembers that one time when they had no plan and still got out unscathed and with the bad guys out of commission.

"Fine, one time is not a good enough sample though," he concedes.

The smirk on Derek's lips does classify as gloating, Stiles is pretty sure.

"We're almost ready with a decent plan, you know this. You've gotta be patient," he tells Derek.

"I am patient."

There's no way Stiles can hold back the snort at that statement, because the only person he knows with a bigger case of being trigger happy is, well, himself. Derek's patience has the length of about a mayfly's lifecycle considering the grand scheme of things in life. He does like a good plan but he prefers when it's done fast and ideally is ready without the actual planning stage. Stiles can't argue with that, though he does tend to enjoy the strategizing a little more than anyone else in their pack.

"Maybe you need a distraction," Stiles mutters, thinking out loud.

He's met with a wall of silence at that and it makes him look up from the maps that his eyes flicked to as he was musing over Derek's patience issue. When his gaze lands on Derek, he sees the raised eyebrow and an expression that's a strange mix of amusement and disapproval.

"We have a bunch of hunters in town, ready to take out someone just to prove themselves," Derek says when Stiles mirrors the raised eyebrow. "Do you really think any of us should be distracted right now?"

Stiles shrugs.

"Well, yeah," he tells Derek. "I don't mean anything major, just a little something to stop you from trying to get yourself hurt."

To his surprise, Derek doesn't do what Stiles expects him to, which is to shut down the whole direction of their conversation. Instead, his eyebrows both shoot up for a moment and then the corner of his lips twitches.

"Did you have anything in mind?"

Stiles is stunned into a very untypical silence. The thing is, they've been dancing around each other for a while now, both of them single again and both in Beacon Hills for a while, with no plans to leave anytime soon. It's no secret to anyone around them that Stiles has long found Derek attractive in several different ways. He just thought for an equally long time that the attraction was entirely one-sided. It's a very new thing that he started considering if he was wrong all these years and that maybe Derek isn't completely indifferent to Stiles's everything.

"That depends on what you think would take your mind off of rushing out right now," Stiles says, keeping his words deliberately vague so he can turn the conversation whichever way seems the most suitable.

Derek seems to ponder his options and the silence does nothing to keep Stiles's hopes down nor his nerves calm. He's not a blushing teen with a crush, those years are well behind him now, especially after he got to date the person he was infatuated with and found out that reality is a whole lot different than his imagination. He had crushes since Lydia, but not as consuming as that one was. Right now, he has a bit of a deja vu from the way his stomach feels like it's filled with butterflies—not an image he really likes but the best simile anyway.

"Maybe we should go somewhere," Derek offers eventually, just as Stiles's brain is starting to spin dangerously.

"Somewhere like, for a drive?"

"Somewhere like getting something to eat," Derek clarifies. "Have you eaten anything today at all?"

Stiles frowns as he tries to remember if he has because "yes" feels like a lie.

"There was breakfast," he admits. "And I had a power bar when Scott got here."

"Actual food, Stiles," Derek says with an exasperated sigh. "Come on, let's go get some burgers."

Without hesitation, Stiles follows him outside and doesn't protest when Derek nods towards his own car. Since they're going somewhere together, there's no point taking Roscoe too and Stiles does still get a bit of a thrill from being in Derek's current Camaro—he did lose count of how many Derek had through the years—even if it's only on the passenger side.

"So, Hot Wheels," Stiles starts when they pull away from the loft building where the pack still continues to meet for strategy sessions, "where are you taking me?"

"To the morgue, if you repeat the Hot Wheels thing again," Derek huffs in response.

"Oh come on, how can I? You're the one switching one Camaro for another," Stiles tells him, smiling.

"It's a good car."

"I know it is. But it was also one of the first Hot Wheels models," Stiles says.

"How do you even know that?"

"I was a young boy once, dreaming of a shiny hot rod of a car," Stiles grins and his mind wanders away to the calm and innocent days when that was true. Days before werewolves and hunters.

"Because you're ancient now," Derek says and Stiles catches him rolling his eyes.

"Feels like it sometimes," Stiles admits quietly, his mood dropping a fraction. "We've all definitely lived through more than others in their whole life. Some of us possibly are on the ninth life."

Derek only glances away from the road for a second but it's enough for Stiles to see the seriousness and concern in his face.

"Glad you made it this far," he says, to Stiles's surprise.

"Likewise," Stiles replies.

They both go silent then and inevitably Stiles's mind runs over the times when he wasn't sure that either of them was going to make it to the next day. There were way too many close calls for both of them, due to not only the dangers around them but occasionally also because of their shared willingness to dive into danger without a second thought. In precisely the same way that Stiles has suggested distracting Derek from tonight. He doesn't dare think about just how many times they should have had their lives end by now because the answer would probably terrify anyone with a shred of sanity.

"So, you didn't answer my question," he says a while later, twisting his body so he gets a better look at Derek.

"Huh?"

"You said we're getting food," Stiles clarifies. "Where are we heading?"

Derek pauses like he forgot their destination, then he glances at Stiles again for a moment before replying.

"You like the new shake place outside of town, right?"

It's a night for surprises apparently—Stiles doesn't remember mentioning the place more than maybe twice in the space of several months since he first went there—because he never expected Derek to know that tidbit.

"Yeah, the burgers are the best in town. And they do curly fries," Stiles adds because that's a deciding factor for him when it comes to a burger joint's quality.

"Of course they do," Derek nods in what's maybe supposed to be a serious expression but is betrayed by the way Derek's lip curls up at the corner.

"Don't you dare mock my love of curly fries, man" Stiles tells him, knowing that he can't pull off being serious.

"I would never," Derek tells him solemnly just before his face lights up with a smile.

"Liar."

"Good thing you can't tell," Derek replies fast.

Their conversation continues in a similar tone all the way through town and it's easy, simple. There were times in the past when Stiles wouldn't have dreamed of having this easy a conversation with Derek, but it's become the norm now, though the slightly flirty undertones are most definitely shiny and new. They're not obvious—to an outsider it probably just sounds like they're teasing each other in a friendly way—but Stiles knows now how Derek talks to friends and how he talks when he's flirting. Plus, he knows his own way of keeping the door open to double entendres in conversations that are intended to lead them outside of the friendship boundaries.

By the time Derek pulls up to the diner—restaurant, really, since it's a little more upscale than a diner—Stiles is questioning if he imagined where their conversation was going. It's almost like any other night when the pack decides to get food together, only this time it's Stiles and Derek alone. Which isn't all that new either, there have been a few times when everyone else decided to split up and head elsewhere.

Still, Stiles is fighting the urge to ask if this can be considered a date. Mostly because, if he dares being completely honest with himself, he wants it to be. And it shouldn't be awkward, it shouldn't be a big deal to be honest about things. Maybe it would be fine and if Stiles is reading too much into things, they'll just both brush it off and get on with life.

It's just that there's a tiny voice at the back of Stiles's mind that reminds him that getting this wrong might end up causing tension and make things difficult. After all, they do both live in Beacon Hills and the town has never been big enough to hide from anyone.

"You're thinking very loudly over there," Derek says as they find an empty booth.

Stiles freezes. It's not like he's saying his thoughts out loud without knowing it, that much he's sure of. But he's clearly not as good at keeping his face blank as he thought he was.

"Anything I can help with?" Derek asks, leafing through the menu without really looking at it.

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I mean, if anyone can it would be you, but..." Stiles starts rambling, then he stops himself, bites his bottom lip to keep more words from falling out, and turns his gaze to the napkin box instead.

"Stiles."

"Yeah?"

When he looks across the table, Derek is looking right back, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes and a small smile on his lips. It's one that Stiles doesn't see a lot—it's fond, for lack of a better word—and it jolts something in Stiles's chest. There's nothing that would stop the question that pushes itself to the forefront of Stiles's mind then.

"Is this a date?"

His whole body tenses as the words spill out and Stiles watches every minute movement of Derek's face: the twitch of his eyebrow, the curling of the corner of his mouth, the way his eyes widen just a fraction. He doesn't miss the way Derek's cheeks darken a little under the harsh lights of the restaurant either.

"Do you want it to be?" Derek asks in return.

"You didn't answer," Stiles says automatically, as he always does when someone answers with a question. "But yeah, I do. Want that."

"Okay," Derek nods. "Then it can be."

That's it. It's that simple, apparently. Stiles's smile mirrors the one that he's looking at and for a blissful moment, his mind is blank. But then his thoughts come rushing back and he tries to remember what it is that people do on dates, besides small talk and eating. He can't imagine having a mindless conversation with Derek just to fill the silence and there's no food yet since they didn't order. Stiles wonders for a beat if he can summon the wait staff to their table before it gets awkward.

"Stiles."

Derek says his name like he knows exactly what Stiles is thinking and how he's internally freaking out.

"Yeah?"

"You're thinking way too noisily again."

"We have met before, right?" Stiles asks lightly and a layer of his worries starts peeling away.

"It looks like you're panicking about this," Derek tells him, not bothering to answer the question.

"Maybe. A little," Stiles admits.

Derek smiles that soft and fond smile again and drops the menu on the table, then reaches across until his palm in on top of Stiles's hand. Without thinking, Stiles turns his hand over and his eyes drop down just as Derek's palm meets his own.

"Let's get food first," Derek says, glancing to the side.

Stiles follows the movement and sees a waiter approaching.

"Okay. I can do that," he says when he looks back at Derek.

He wonders if his heart will be able to handle seeing Derek's face the way it is now, soft and relaxed, happier than Stiles has seen him over the years. Most of his doubts vanish into thin air as his mind processes the fact that he is the cause of Derek's expression.

As far as distraction tactics go, Stiles thinks that maybe he found the best one yet. Not only is Derek not rushing into danger, but Stiles gets to live a dream.

[b-rainlet]

i really loved reading what you wrote about allison and luther so how about alluther again for the new ship q&a? :D

This is years late but I just wanted to give y’all some sweet hcs while I am battling this monster of a Luego WiP!

Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling/vice versa

Okay have you seen Luther? Luther tries to dance and accidentally wrecks havoc across his room (which is very relatable) while Allison is a Queen who is able to flawlessly fight in heels. 

Luther will try to be a gentleman and open the door for Allison in this one fancy restaurant he invited her to on their first serious Date - because she is a movie star, she’s probably used to expensive food and champagne and guys who can talk about politics instead of scared boys who still write poetry - but he’s so fucking nervous, he pulls the door when he should push. 

And normally that would be a little hiccup for an otherwise perfect night but not with Luther. Luther accidentally pulls the door and tears it straight out of the frame. 

“Uhhh…, sorry?”

(They don’t eat at the restaurant. He isn’t allowed to set foot there anymore. He also has to pay for a new door).

(Luther is terribly sorry he ruined the night but Allison is to busy doubling over laughing to say anything).

(They eat at home, pizza and leftover pasta from dinner. Allison drinks beer instead of champagne and laughs some more when Luther spills juice on his shirt).

(Allison also thanks him for such a nice Date before kissing him, hands on his face, so maybe it wasn’t ruined after all). 

Who doodles little hearts all over the desk with their initials inside them

Both! Have you seen them as kids, making love eyes at each other over dinner? You can bet that both of them have a bunch of notebooks that are just full of ‘A+L’ or ‘A.H. + L.H. = Hearts’ 

Allison has an old doodle she made as a kid of them on their wedding day and she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. 

She shows it to Luther once, joking how hopelessly in love she was as a child, how childish!

And Luther looks at her for a long moment, all serious, before getting up and fishing something from under his bed. 

A box.

A box full of poems. 

More precisely, a box full of poems about Allison, some from back when they were 13 and some from only a month ago. 

Luther refuses to read them out loud - face all pink and biting his lower lip - but Allison trades them for the picture she drew. 

Once they live together, the picture somehow ends up on the fridge, along with some of Allison’s favourite poems. 

They don’t talk about it but both smile every time they enter the kitchen. 

Who starts the tickle fights

Luther!

Allison is a ticklish little thing and Luther has used that to his advantage since they were kids. 

(All of them used that to their advantage, especially Klaus who liked to raid Allison’s room for nail polish and skirts). 

And ever since she was kid, Allison had hated it. 

Which is only normal, who enjoys having hands all over their body, tickling her sides?

So Luther doesn’t do it often. 

But sometimes…..

Sometimes when Allison is in a bad mood, he knows he just needs to trail his finger over the underside of her foot and she’ll be a giggling mess. 

“C’mon, cheer up a little? For me?” - “No.”

“Well, okay then.” *starts to wiggle his fingers under Allison’s shirt, scratching his nails over her stomach* Allison, immediately giggling: “Stop iiiiiit.”

“If you give me a smile.” Allison: *trying her best to smile while also trying to wiggle away from Luther’s gentle touches* “And a kiss.”

(Maybe, if Allison is honest with herself, she doesn’t hate being tickled as much when it’s Luther doing it, less because he likes how she squeals, but more because he’s earnestly trying to stop her from being moody).

(And maybe Luther touching her simply isn’t the same level of awful as anyone else touching her). 

(Maybe she likes being tickled when it’s big hands doing the tickling, touching her as gently as possible despite their size). 

Who starts the pillow fights

Allison!

They rarely have pillow fights because Luther is afraid he’ll get carried away

(And do you have any idea how awful that was as a child? He once hit Klaus with a pillow hard enough he got thrown against the opposite wall and had a concussion. Luther rarely participated in any ‘rowdy’ games after that). 

But sometimes, Allison will throw a pillow at him when she wants him to pay attention to her or when she’s too lazy to move and tries to sweet talk him into getting something so she doesn’t have to stand up. 

And Luther will throw the pillow back - gently - and they’ll just try to hit each other with pillows and blankets and shirts and whatever else that’s soft enough to be flung at each other. 

They rarely do the typical ‘jumping around on the bed, hitting each other with pillows’ though, because Luther jumping on a bed? You want the bed to survive a few years, right?

He used to be more bummed about this kinda stuff as a kid anyway, no need to be sad about it as an adult. Allison still tries to get him to play wrestle with her a little, tries to pin him to the bed or just slumps down on top of him like they’re still 13. It’s cute. 

(It also leads to kissing 90% of the time now, so Luther is good). 

As teeny tiny children, Allison felt bad for Luther not being able to play with their brothers without accidentally breaking their bones, so they always played together. Baby Alluther playing house together, colouring pictures, telling each other fantasy stories and going on made up quests…...Luther would’ve followed Allison anywhere. 

Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile

Depends on who falls asleep first, lmao. In a world where Skype exists, they probably facetime each other whenever Allison can’t be home, murmuring things back and forth already half asleep. And sometimes, one of them will actually fall asleep, softly snore as the other either keeps talking to them (Luther) or softly sings for them (Allison). 

They never end the calls, btw, they just watch the other sleep, peaceful expression on their face before slowly falling asleep themselves, dreaming about being able to reach out and touch. 

Who mistakes salt for sugar

This is something that could happen to both of them. Like, maybe they’re at a diner and Luther accidentally salts his pancakes so Allison feeds him bits of hers, or Allison is cooking at the mansion and after all those years she isn’t sure about which shaker contains what anymore and just grabs the one she thinks has the sugar in it. 

Although Allison would probably be thoughtful enough to check which is which first, whereas Luther lives a dangerous life. 

Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1am in the morning

Luther. He tries to prevent it but he’s sluggish and slow when he’s tired so he never manages to. 

Allison rarely wakes up from it though, which Luther is very grateful for because he feels a little bit embarrassed about his nightly food cravings. 

(He eats...weird stuff at night. A lot of it covered with melted cheese, whether cheese should be on that dish or not. Allison stops commenting on it once she figures out how guilty Luther feels for it). 

She does try to get him to talk about things instead of stuffing his feelings with food but it’s a long journey. 

Who comes up with cheesy pick up lines

Allison!

Allison likes to make Luther blush by stepping next to him and saying things like “What’s a pretty thing like you doing here all alone?” even though they’re only standing in the living room. 

Luther tries to retaliate by coming up with his own pick up lines but he spectacularly fails each time. 

“Are you from Tennessee? Because I got lost in your eyes.”

Allison thinks it’s cute though, so that’s alright. 

(Diego’s the one who tells him all the pick up lines and face palms when he gets them wrong. And then mentally yells when Allison still kisses Luther and proclaims herself ‘swooned’ because HOW?

Who rearranges the bookshelf in alphabetical order

Luther. 

Allison doesn’t mind but Luther gets really peculiar about where certain books should be. 

He has different shelves for crime novels, for romance stuff and for books that have multiple installments (“Because they belong together, Allison!”). 

He also gets upset when Allison sets down a book upside down because that’s not good for the back of the book and in Luther’s words “It hurts the books.”

Also, Luther is the kinda person who tries his hardest not to dog-ear paperbacks, not holding them open too wildly so there aren’t any crinkles on the back. 

He got Allison rainbow coloured bookmarks for Christmas because Allison is the kinda person to just use whatever as a bookmark - even another book. 

(Allison also writes into books, highlights her favourite paragraphs or just scribbles down her thoughts on something next to the dialogue. Luther kinda hates it but sometimes he’ll turn a page and just see Allison’s elegant handwriting, spelling out “I love you!” or “Hey Handsome ;)” and he can’t help but smile. 

(Sometimes he goes to Allison and tries his best to burrow into her lap without crushing her when he finds a note like that. Allison kisses his forehead and makes space for him on the couch). 

Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies

Luther!

Luther is a little boy who just so happens to be 6’5 (Fun Fact! I did not make that up, Tom Hopper actually is that tall). 

So he’ll help Allison and Grace bake and hope he gets the empty bowl with the leftover cookie batter. 

He has to fight Diego over it though. And most of the time Five gets it anyway, simply because they can dial up the puppy eyes whenever they want to). 

Who buys candles for dinners even though there’s no special occasion

Luther!

He is a big sappy romantic who buys flowers for his beloved whenever he walks past a flower shop or he sees some pretty ones outside and he absolutely won’t have dinner without lighting candles. Especially when he’s the one doing the cooking (which he does a lot simply because Allison is a very busy woman and Luther likes providing for her). 

He also prepares bubbles baths for Allison with loads of candles and scented bath bombs and stuff and they don’t fit into the bathtub together, but Allison talks him into at least dipping his feet in too. 

And more often than not, Luther will rub over Allison’s back and wash her hair while Allison idly plays with her hands or tries to get her hands on Luther’s arms or his face. 

(Allison is grabby and Luther enjoys that but not when he’s trying to wash her hair). 

Who draws little tattoos on the other with a pen

Allison!

Allison isn’t a big artist but she likes doodling, especially when she’s stressed. And Luther never complains when she draws a little heart on his arm or his cheek. 

And it’s also a nice way of being intimate? Allison holding one of Luther’s hands with her own, his arm gently laying on her thighs as she leans over and draws on it, her hair tickling him when she moves. 

Luther actually considers getting some of her drawings done as tattoos but Allison always shakes her head, claims they’re silly little things. 

Luther loves them either way. 

(Sometimes Allison writes her name on Luther’s wrists and Luther’s name on hers. Pretends they’re in one of her romance novels, the ones she read as a pre-teen, daydreaming about Luther being her soulmate. Still does apparently. 

Luther kisses his arm when she does it, kisses her name on it and then his name on hers). 

Who comes home with a new souvenir magnet every time they go on vacation

Allison!

She’s the one who comes around loads, be it because she’s going on vacation with Claire or because she’s on a promo tour for her upcoming movie. 

Luther….feels better just staying home. Safer. 

Allison doesn’t push him but she does remind him that he’s always welcome to join her. Luther nods everytime, puts the magnet on the - slowly overflowing - fridge, but never takes her up on the offer. 

They have time. 

Who convinces the other to fill out those couple surveys in the back of magazines

Luther!

Luther does every single survey he can. What kinda boyfriend is he? Does he fall for bad boys too easily? Is he trapped in a loveless relationship? What Hogwarts House does he have? What kinda Girl is he? 

He does them all. And he always shares his results with Allison very excitedly. 

Allison humours him by doing the surveys with him but she isn’t as obsessed. 

(She also doesn’t believe in astrology and horoscopes, not the way Luther does, but she still checks his horoscope daily and send him those ‘The signs as…’ posts).

She thinks they’re doing quite well, no matter what the survey results are. 

[sassyshoulderangel319]

1) with anyone you'd like :D

1) a note, a cup of coffee, a new homeWith a little platonic Moxiety because that’s how I do

This got way too long. Love you Lyric!

Virgil dropped the last box on the floor and shook his brother’s hand. “Thanks for helping me move in, Rome,” he said.

Roman hauled him into a hug. “Anything for my favorite brother, Virge!” he replied.

Virgil laughed. “I’m your only brother, you idiot,” he said.

“All the more reason,” Roman said. He clapped Virgil’s shoulder. “Just promise me one thing, okay?”

“Depends on what it is,” Virgil said, bristling a little.

“Make friends with your neighbors.” Roman grinned. “You’ll probably find you’ll like them.”

Virgil scrunched his nose. “I’ll give it a shot. Initiating friendships was never my strong suit.”

“Then I’ll do it for you—”

“No!” Virgil grabbed Roman’s arm. “I’ll do it myself.”

Roman grinned. “Good. And good luck here, Virgil. I hope you find the life you’ve been looking for.”

Virgil’s anxious expression turned somber. “Me too. Thank you, Roman.”

“’Course,” Roman replied. “It’ll be fine, Virge. You’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.” He gave Virgil another hug and left the house. It was a small place—one floor with a bedroom, bathroom, study, and a kitchen and living room area that opened into each other—and Virgil loved it. The slightly-cramped architecture gave him a feeling of security. It was too small to get lost in or even be confused. It was basically an apartment that didn’t share any walls.

He started to unpack all the boxes, looking through them for essentials—

When someone knocked on the door.

“What did you forget, Roman?” Virgil called.

No response.

Anxiety shooting through the roof, Virgil pulled an old baseball bat of Roman’s out of a nearby box and treaded lightly to the door. This is why you don’t have any friends, Virge, Roman’s voice said in his mind. You’re always suspicious of everyone.

Shut up, Roman’s voice.

Virgil yanked open the door.

No one was there.

Virgil was about to turn away when something caught his eye.

A paper plate of cookies wrapped in cling-film with an envelope on top of it addressed, To Whom It May Concern in sharp, precise handwriting. Underneath it, in green ink and much less controlled penmanship, was written New Neighbor! 

Virgil picked up the plate and the envelope before ducking back inside and locking the door. He set the cookies on the counter and tore open the envelope. Inside was a colorful greeting card. Virgil flipped it open. The writing was in green ink, the same as the second addressee on the envelope, in the same handwriting.

New Neighbor,

Hi! We live next door—in 201. We’re so excited to have you in the neighborhood! If you ever need anything, just give us a call! Maybe you could stop by sometime for coffee? Get to know each other a little? We’d love to know your name and a little bit about you. We hope you enjoy the neighborhood. It’s a great place to call home. Safe neighborhood, nice people. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to be of service any way we can!

Here’s to hoping you stop by soon! Enjoy the cookies! They’re homemade!

Best regards,Patton Hart!&Logan Berry

Under the signatures were two phone numbers. One in bold green ink, one in thin, slanted black. He assumed the green one was Patton Hart’s, and the black one was Logan Berry’s.

Virgil read the note three times. It was like they were eavesdropping on Roman telling him to make friends with his neighbors. Yikes.

But he had to remind himself that they probably knew he was coming the moment the For Sale sign was removed. And it wasn’t like the move-in had taken five minutes when no one would notice. He and Roman had been in-and-out for most of the morning unloading.

His back and arms were sore from moving in and he wouldn’t mind a sit-down in a place that actually had functional chairs at the moment and felt like a home. So far his new place was just… full of boxes. Like a dystopian wasteland.

Biting his lip, he tried one of the cookies. He was actually pretty hungry. Moving had burned a lot of energy.

“Oh wow!” Virgil exclaimed. “That is delicious!”

He stared in alarm at the cookie for several moments before devouring the rest.

Remembering the manners his parents had taught him, he dug out some stationary from a box labelled KITCHEN and wrote a Thank-You note. Scrambling a little, he located an envelope. Had he owned envelopes before? Had Roman put them in there? Had Dad?

Whatever. Virgil could think about it later. He folded up the note, stuck it in the envelope, and tucked the flap into the rest so he wouldn’t have to lick it.

He pulled on the first hoodie he could find in the boxes—an oversized black thing that he’d had since he was thirteen and had several purple plaid patches where it was falling apart—and rushed out the front door.

201 was next-door to his right—or the left if he were facing the front door. It was on the right when leaving the house.

He thought about jumping the low wall that separated the yards, but thought better of it. Manners, Virgil.

Instead, he walked down his front path, up the sidewalk several yards, and then up 201′s path. Loosely holding the thank-you note in his left hand, he knocked with his right. He considered just dropping the note and leaving, but clenched his jaw and waited. Make friends with your neighbors, Roman had said.

I’ll give it a shot, he thought.

The door flew open with more enthusiasm than necessary. “Hello!” greeted the man who opened it. He was kindly. His bangs were dyed light blue—to match his polo shirt apparently—and he had black glasses. Tied around his shoulders was a gray hoodie. He was shorter than Virgil by a few inches with a bright smile that almost sent Virgil sprinting home.

“Uh… hi. I’m, uh, I’m Virgil. Virgil, uh, Prince,” he said. “I, uh… I got your gracious gift and thought I’d, uh, bring this by.” He held out the thank-you note, not quite reaching the man’s eyes.

“Well shucks! Ain’t you sweet!” the man exclaimed, gently removing the note from Virgil’s grip and tucking it into the pocket of his khakis. “I’m Patton, by the way.” He stuck his hand out. Virgil shook it—and was promptly yanked into the house. “C’mon in! I just put on a coffee pot so it’ll be ready when Logan gets home from work. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Oh, no. I, uh… I couldn’t.”

“I insist. Logan will love to meet you. He may seem a little prickly but he’s all soft underneath. Best roommate I’ve ever had.”

The house, Virgil noted as he was dragged through it, was the picture of homey. In the most Extra way possible. Amateur, homemade paintings on the walls, blankets and papers and books strewn about with reckless abandon. Houseplants in the windowsills. TV on but muted in a chipped cabinet.

“Sorry for the mess,” Patton said. “Logan’s been in a Mood with work recently. Once he’s over it he’ll clean this place top-to-bottom but until then it’s best not to touch any of it.”

“I think it’s great,” Virgil said. “It feels like a home.”

Patton grinned with a hint of pink tinting his cheeks. “I try,” he muttered under his breath. Virgil pretended not to hear.

The kitchen behind the living room was somewhat cleaner. Patton sat Virgil on a stool at the counter island. “Where does Logan work?” Virgil asked, craning a look over his shoulder back into the living room.

“He’s a college adjunct chemistry professor,” Patton said.

“Huh. That’s cool. What about you?”

Patton didn’t meet Virgil’s eyes, just busied around the kitchen on the other side of the island looking for mugs. “I work with kids, mostly,” he said. He hesitated. “I teach kindergarten.”

“That requires a lot of patience,” Virgil remarked. “I’m impressed. With both of you.”

Patton shrugged. “I like kids,” he said. “It’s easy to love them.”

“Not disagreeing,” Virgil said, mostly to be polite. He wasn’t good with kids. Too worried that he’d do something wrong or break one.

Patton handed him a mug of coffee—it was shaped like an apple with a handle. “Creamer? Sugar?”

Virgil shrugged. “I don’t mind. Whatever you like.”

Patton smiled and pulled out a small clay sugar container. The kind with a hole in the lid for the spoon to poke out. “Can’t go wrong with a little extra sweetness in your life!” He gave Virgil’s mug a healthy dose of sugar and passed him a metal spoon to stir it in.

“No I suppose not. Are you the one I’m to thank for those delicious cookies?”

Patton definitely reddened. “Oh. Yeah. I bake as a hobby,” he said. “It’s calming. Plus the smells help a house feel like a home.”

“Right,” Virgil said.

“So? Tell me about yourself!”

Virgil did. He wasn’t sure what it was about Patton, but he just felt trustworthy. He was easy to talk to and listened like every word out of Virgil’s mouth was the most interesting thing he’d ever heard. Virgil told him just about everything. His dreams, his life, his interests, and Patton took it all in with smiles and nods and the occasional sip from his mug.

A side-door Virgil hadn’t noticed before opened after he’d been talking for… too long. Much too long. He tensed up. Why had he blabbed for so long?

A new man stepped in. “Hey Pat,” this man said.

“How was work, Lo?” Patton asked.

“Don’t get me started,” the newcomer—presumably Logan—replied tiredly.

“Well how about you come meet Virgil? He’s our new neighbor!”

“Oh. Hello Virgil, I’m Logan Berry.”

“Hi. Virgil Prince.”

They shook hands.

Virgil relaxed again and brushed his violet bangs out of his eyes. This was a safe home to be in. Neither of these men would be tiring to be around—somehow he could already feel it.

He smiled to himself. This move was definitely a good idea.

[webbygraphic001]

20 Best New Portfolios, April 2019

Greetings, Readers! It’s April, so there will be no joke here. You’re welcome.

This month, designers seem to have hit the minimalism button hard. There is a bit of variety in there, but if you like lots of white space, you’re in luck. A few Powerpoint-ish sites, too. Enjoy!

Note: I’m judging these sites by how good they look to me. If they’re creative and original, or classic but really well-done, it’s all good to me. Sometimes, UX and accessibility suffer. For example, many of these sites depend on JavaScript to display their content at all; this is a Bad Idea, kids. If you find an idea you like and want to adapt to your own site, remember to implement it responsibly.

Steve Mcgugan

Steve Mcgugan has a name that is a lot of fun to say out loud, the first Drupal site we’ve had on this list in a while, and a quite minimalist approach to showing off his work. It’s clean, it’s pretty, and it’s mostly monochromatic with just a splash of green here and there. Classic and effective.

Platform: Drupal

David McGillivray

David McGillivray continues the trend of the mostly black-and-white site, but with an interesting twist in the way the layout is organized. There’s just a curated list of ten projects on the right, and that’s it. Hover for a preview, then click and go.

It’s not terribly scalable, perhaps, but if you’ve curated your work down to a list of ten projects that show you off at your best, why not? We all end up redesigning our sites at least once a year anyway, right?

Platform: Custom CMS (I think)

Outline

Outline is another wonderfully minimalist site, but this time with a bit more color thrown into the mix. One thing I like is that they built a multi-step pre-project interview right into the site. Sure, it’ll probably deter customers that are in a hurry, but that’s the point, right? You want the ones who have clearly thought about what they want.

My only complaint is that one of their fancier typefaces (Saol Display Light) is a bit harder to read at smaller sizes. This could be an issue with how Windows renders the typeface, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Platform: WordPress

Jonas Folletête

Jonas Folletête embraces a clearly modernist aesthetic, and is one of those odd sites that, although very minimalist, would not be the same without its animated bits. It’s also odd, but the typography feels “French”, you know, like all the fashion magazines that try to look French. Given that Jonas is himself based in France, it makes sense, and it’s cool that this part of his identity is baked right into the design in a subtle way.

Platform: Custom CMS (maybe)

Soumya Ranjan

It’s not often that a portfolio site literally feels like a CV without directly copying a classic CV layout, but Soumya Ranjan made it happen. It’s a fairly common classic layout and aesthetic, but there are just enough small twists all over the design to make it stand out, even if only on a subconscious level.

Platform: Static Site

Versett

Versett is clean and modern, and while it’s not a one-page portfolio, precisely, it depends on the home page to do a lot of the heavy lifting. For example, they put all of their featured work on the home page, I particularly appreciate that they added filters for the projects section.

I also really like their “More+” menu, which describes their services in terms of what a client might want to accomplish, such as “Design a new product”, “Launch a new company”, etc.

Platform: Gatsby

Gilles Rivière

Gilles Rivière’s portfolio is highly Powerpoint-like, and still… I find myself impressed by the general sense of style. Stranger still, I find myself impressed by the animations used, and while it’s not uncommon for me to like a site’s animations, it’s rare for me to be impressed by them. There’s a lot of personality here.

Platform: Static Site (probably)

Wassim Nasr

Wassim Nasr has done two impressive things with his site. First and foremost, he build a lovely purple and pink portfolio that is just plain easy on the eyes, though I wish his input forms were perhaps a bit less transparent on that background photo.

Secondly, he built this near-masterpiece on Wix. Yeah. Wix. I know.

Platform: Wix

Dotdotdot

The ellipsis, AKA “…”, AKA Dotdotdot is maybe one of my favorite bits of punctuation… which is why I try not to use it too often. It’s also a design agency with a snazzy portfolio done up in bright, bright yellow, and big type. Well, long time readers will know about me and the color yellow. When people use it right, I put their site on the list.

Platform: Custom CMS (probably)

Frakton

Frakton brings us yet more yellow, but in less eyeball-smacking amounts. They’ve also brought us a heavy focus on abstract geometric shapes, and strong contrast.

Platform: WordPress

Florian Wacker

Florian Wacker’s portfolio is here because of the gorgeous typography, and especially the rendering of that type. I don’t know what they did to make it look that good on a Windows PC, I don’t know what they configured where, but it’s a pleasure to read… even if I can’t understand a word of it.

(Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the project name that mentions “Nazis”. It’s for a project that is decidedly anti-those-jerks. I checked.)

Platform: Static Site

we are you

The interestingly-named we are you is on the list because it looks darned good, and that’s really enough, sometimes. Side note, they invite you to watch a video on the “About Us” page, and they tell you how long the video will be before you ever set eyes on the video player. I appreciate this a lot.

Platform: Sitecore

Atelier Ramos

Atelier Ramos is a simple portfolio that just puts the work in front of you with little fuss. It take masonry style layouts, horizontal scrolling, and other layout tricks, and mixes them all up with a high fashion aesthetic, and it works quite nicely.

Platform: WordPress

Shotaro Momoi

Shotaro Momoi (AKA Momotaro, apparently) brings us a lovely, simple dark design with lots ok pinks, blues, and a film grain effect that doesn’t get in the way at all. Also, I’m not sure how that overlapping text effect works (it’s rendered live), but I like it.

Of course, I would not be me unless I professed my dislike for custom cursors, but with that done, go check this one out. It really is just that pretty.

Platform: Static Site

Weight Creative

Weight Creative hits hard with a design that’s bright, bold, and just loaded with intentionally cheesy stock photos. It’s like a local business flyer had a baby with a modern web design, and it’s actually delightful. Sure, it’s a corporate sort of playfulness, but this is a business.

Platform: WordPress

Kazuki

Kazuki is an art director, signer-songwriter, and stylist. Her work is thus eclectic and colorful as all getout. The style of the website is a bit more familiar, with a collage-style presentational layout and the requisite serif-based type. I do have to say I like the way some of the “handwriting” was animated, though. It’s a familiar sort of site, but an excellent example of its kind.

Platform: Static Site

Luca Spezzano

Luica Spezzano is a front-end developer, so there is not much of an emphasis on screenshots on their one-page portfolio. I do rather like the grid of logos showcasing their various skills, but I especially appreciate that the actual name of each technology is shown on hover, just in case you don’t recognize the logos.

I also appreciate that there is an outline of things Luca learned while working on each project listed. It’s the sort of thing a potential employer would want to know.

Platform: Static Site

Guillame Lebelt

Guillame Lebelt’s portfolio is an excellent showcase of the way you can combine a simple design system with a certain amount of restrained art direction. Every page is different, and every bit of content was carefully planned, and not copy-pasted. Still, the whole design still feels consistent and uncomplicated.

Platform: Static Site

Boris Jankovic

Boris Jankovic’s portfolio is one of those less-common design portfolios that puts a heavy emphasis, not just on type, but on the writing. While it’s perfectly fine to post images and let your work sell itself, it’s always interesting to see a portfolio so clearly based on text-based storytelling. It helps that the type, while simple, is pleasant to read.

Platform: Static Site

Alexis Benoliel

Alexis Benoliel’s portfolio has the sort of typography and overlapping-element style that you might expect from a more monochromatic design. But no, while there is plenty of literal white space, there’s also a very strong emphasis on color to shake things up. They took that serious, hyper-modern style and actually made it sort of… cheerful. And I like that.

Platform: Static Site

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source from Webdesigner Depot http://bit.ly/2WX9JZZ from Blogger http://bit.ly/2Ih8rVq

[iyarpage]

20 Best New Portfolios, April 2019

Greetings, Readers! It’s April, so there will be no joke here. You’re welcome.

This month, designers seem to have hit the minimalism button hard. There is a bit of variety in there, but if you like lots of white space, you’re in luck. A few Powerpoint-ish sites, too. Enjoy!

Note: I’m judging these sites by how good they look to me. If they’re creative and original, or classic but really well-done, it’s all good to me. Sometimes, UX and accessibility suffer. For example, many of these sites depend on JavaScript to display their content at all; this is a Bad Idea, kids. If you find an idea you like and want to adapt to your own site, remember to implement it responsibly.

Steve Mcgugan

Steve Mcgugan has a name that is a lot of fun to say out loud, the first Drupal site we’ve had on this list in a while, and a quite minimalist approach to showing off his work. It’s clean, it’s pretty, and it’s mostly monochromatic with just a splash of green here and there. Classic and effective.

Platform: Drupal

David McGillivray

David McGillivray continues the trend of the mostly black-and-white site, but with an interesting twist in the way the layout is organized. There’s just a curated list of ten projects on the right, and that’s it. Hover for a preview, then click and go.

It’s not terribly scalable, perhaps, but if you’ve curated your work down to a list of ten projects that show you off at your best, why not? We all end up redesigning our sites at least once a year anyway, right?

Platform: Custom CMS (I think)

Outline

Outline is another wonderfully minimalist site, but this time with a bit more color thrown into the mix. One thing I like is that they built a multi-step pre-project interview right into the site. Sure, it’ll probably deter customers that are in a hurry, but that’s the point, right? You want the ones who have clearly thought about what they want.

My only complaint is that one of their fancier typefaces (Saol Display Light) is a bit harder to read at smaller sizes. This could be an issue with how Windows renders the typeface, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Platform: WordPress

Jonas Folletête

Jonas Folletête embraces a clearly modernist aesthetic, and is one of those odd sites that, although very minimalist, would not be the same without its animated bits. It’s also odd, but the typography feels “French”, you know, like all the fashion magazines that try to look French. Given that Jonas is himself based in France, it makes sense, and it’s cool that this part of his identity is baked right into the design in a subtle way.

Platform: Custom CMS (maybe)

Soumya Ranjan

It’s not often that a portfolio site literally feels like a CV without directly copying a classic CV layout, but Soumya Ranjan made it happen. It’s a fairly common classic layout and aesthetic, but there are just enough small twists all over the design to make it stand out, even if only on a subconscious level.

Platform: Static Site

Versett

Versett is clean and modern, and while it’s not a one-page portfolio, precisely, it depends on the home page to do a lot of the heavy lifting. For example, they put all of their featured work on the home page, I particularly appreciate that they added filters for the projects section.

I also really like their “More+” menu, which describes their services in terms of what a client might want to accomplish, such as “Design a new product”, “Launch a new company”, etc.

Platform: Gatsby

Gilles Rivière

Gilles Rivière’s portfolio is highly Powerpoint-like, and still… I find myself impressed by the general sense of style. Stranger still, I find myself impressed by the animations used, and while it’s not uncommon for me to like a site’s animations, it’s rare for me to be impressed by them. There’s a lot of personality here.

Platform: Static Site (probably)

Wassim Nasr

Wassim Nasr has done two impressive things with his site. First and foremost, he build a lovely purple and pink portfolio that is just plain easy on the eyes, though I wish his input forms were perhaps a bit less transparent on that background photo.

Secondly, he built this near-masterpiece on Wix. Yeah. Wix. I know.

Platform: Wix

Dotdotdot

The ellipsis, AKA “…”, AKA Dotdotdot is maybe one of my favorite bits of punctuation… which is why I try not to use it too often. It’s also a design agency with a snazzy portfolio done up in bright, bright yellow, and big type. Well, long time readers will know about me and the color yellow. When people use it right, I put their site on the list.

Platform: Custom CMS (probably)

Frakton

Frakton brings us yet more yellow, but in less eyeball-smacking amounts. They’ve also brought us a heavy focus on abstract geometric shapes, and strong contrast.

Platform: WordPress

Florian Wacker

Florian Wacker’s portfolio is here because of the gorgeous typography, and especially the rendering of that type. I don’t know what they did to make it look that good on a Windows PC, I don’t know what they configured where, but it’s a pleasure to read… even if I can’t understand a word of it.

(Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the project name that mentions “Nazis”. It’s for a project that is decidedly anti-those-jerks. I checked.)

Platform: Static Site

we are you

The interestingly-named we are you is on the list because it looks darned good, and that’s really enough, sometimes. Side note, they invite you to watch a video on the “About Us” page, and they tell you how long the video will be before you ever set eyes on the video player. I appreciate this a lot.

Platform: Sitecore

Atelier Ramos

Atelier Ramos is a simple portfolio that just puts the work in front of you with little fuss. It take masonry style layouts, horizontal scrolling, and other layout tricks, and mixes them all up with a high fashion aesthetic, and it works quite nicely.

Platform: WordPress

Shotaro Momoi

Shotaro Momoi (AKA Momotaro, apparently) brings us a lovely, simple dark design with lots ok pinks, blues, and a film grain effect that doesn’t get in the way at all. Also, I’m not sure how that overlapping text effect works (it’s rendered live), but I like it.

Of course, I would not be me unless I professed my dislike for custom cursors, but with that done, go check this one out. It really is just that pretty.

Platform: Static Site

Weight Creative

Weight Creative hits hard with a design that’s bright, bold, and just loaded with intentionally cheesy stock photos. It’s like a local business flyer had a baby with a modern web design, and it’s actually delightful. Sure, it’s a corporate sort of playfulness, but this is a business.

Platform: WordPress

Kazuki

Kazuki is an art director, signer-songwriter, and stylist. Her work is thus eclectic and colorful as all getout. The style of the website is a bit more familiar, with a collage-style presentational layout and the requisite serif-based type. I do have to say I like the way some of the “handwriting” was animated, though. It’s a familiar sort of site, but an excellent example of its kind.

Platform: Static Site

Luca Spezzano

Luica Spezzano is a front-end developer, so there is not much of an emphasis on screenshots on their one-page portfolio. I do rather like the grid of logos showcasing their various skills, but I especially appreciate that the actual name of each technology is shown on hover, just in case you don’t recognize the logos.

I also appreciate that there is an outline of things Luca learned while working on each project listed. It’s the sort of thing a potential employer would want to know.

Platform: Static Site

Guillame Lebelt

Guillame Lebelt’s portfolio is an excellent showcase of the way you can combine a simple design system with a certain amount of restrained art direction. Every page is different, and every bit of content was carefully planned, and not copy-pasted. Still, the whole design still feels consistent and uncomplicated.

Platform: Static Site

Boris Jankovic

Boris Jankovic’s portfolio is one of those less-common design portfolios that puts a heavy emphasis, not just on type, but on the writing. While it’s perfectly fine to post images and let your work sell itself, it’s always interesting to see a portfolio so clearly based on text-based storytelling. It helps that the type, while simple, is pleasant to read.

Platform: Static Site

Alexis Benoliel

Alexis Benoliel’s portfolio has the sort of typography and overlapping-element style that you might expect from a more monochromatic design. But no, while there is plenty of literal white space, there’s also a very strong emphasis on color to shake things up. They took that serious, hyper-modern style and actually made it sort of… cheerful. And I like that.

Platform: Static Site

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;} .alignleft {float:left;} p.showcase {clear:both;} body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;} 20 Best New Portfolios, April 2019 published first on https://medium.com/@koresol

[jccamus]

20 Best New Portfolios, April 2019

Greetings, Readers! It’s April, so there will be no joke here. You’re welcome.

This month, designers seem to have hit the minimalism button hard. There is a bit of variety in there, but if you like lots of white space, you’re in luck. A few Powerpoint-ish sites, too. Enjoy!

Note: I’m judging these sites by how good they look to me. If they’re creative and original, or classic but really well-done, it’s all good to me. Sometimes, UX and accessibility suffer. For example, many of these sites depend on JavaScript to display their content at all; this is a Bad Idea, kids. If you find an idea you like and want to adapt to your own site, remember to implement it responsibly.

Steve Mcgugan

Steve Mcgugan has a name that is a lot of fun to say out loud, the first Drupal site we’ve had on this list in a while, and a quite minimalist approach to showing off his work. It’s clean, it’s pretty, and it’s mostly monochromatic with just a splash of green here and there. Classic and effective.

Platform: Drupal

David McGillivray

David McGillivray continues the trend of the mostly black-and-white site, but with an interesting twist in the way the layout is organized. There’s just a curated list of ten projects on the right, and that’s it. Hover for a preview, then click and go.

It’s not terribly scalable, perhaps, but if you’ve curated your work down to a list of ten projects that show you off at your best, why not? We all end up redesigning our sites at least once a year anyway, right?

Platform: Custom CMS (I think)

Outline

Outline is another wonderfully minimalist site, but this time with a bit more color thrown into the mix. One thing I like is that they built a multi-step pre-project interview right into the site. Sure, it’ll probably deter customers that are in a hurry, but that’s the point, right? You want the ones who have clearly thought about what they want.

My only complaint is that one of their fancier typefaces (Saol Display Light) is a bit harder to read at smaller sizes. This could be an issue with how Windows renders the typeface, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Platform: WordPress

Jonas Folletête

Jonas Folletête embraces a clearly modernist aesthetic, and is one of those odd sites that, although very minimalist, would not be the same without its animated bits. It’s also odd, but the typography feels “French”, you know, like all the fashion magazines that try to look French. Given that Jonas is himself based in France, it makes sense, and it’s cool that this part of his identity is baked right into the design in a subtle way.

Platform: Custom CMS (maybe)

Soumya Ranjan

It’s not often that a portfolio site literally feels like a CV without directly copying a classic CV layout, but Soumya Ranjan made it happen. It’s a fairly common classic layout and aesthetic, but there are just enough small twists all over the design to make it stand out, even if only on a subconscious level.

Platform: Static Site

Versett

Versett is clean and modern, and while it’s not a one-page portfolio, precisely, it depends on the home page to do a lot of the heavy lifting. For example, they put all of their featured work on the home page, I particularly appreciate that they added filters for the projects section.

I also really like their “More+” menu, which describes their services in terms of what a client might want to accomplish, such as “Design a new product”, “Launch a new company”, etc.

Platform: Gatsby

Gilles Rivière

Gilles Rivière’s portfolio is highly Powerpoint-like, and still… I find myself impressed by the general sense of style. Stranger still, I find myself impressed by the animations used, and while it’s not uncommon for me to like a site’s animations, it’s rare for me to be impressed by them. There’s a lot of personality here.

Platform: Static Site (probably)

Wassim Nasr

Wassim Nasr has done two impressive things with his site. First and foremost, he build a lovely purple and pink portfolio that is just plain easy on the eyes, though I wish his input forms were perhaps a bit less transparent on that background photo.

Secondly, he built this near-masterpiece on Wix. Yeah. Wix. I know.

Platform: Wix

Dotdotdot

The ellipsis, AKA “…”, AKA Dotdotdot is maybe one of my favorite bits of punctuation… which is why I try not to use it too often. It’s also a design agency with a snazzy portfolio done up in bright, bright yellow, and big type. Well, long time readers will know about me and the color yellow. When people use it right, I put their site on the list.

Platform: Custom CMS (probably)

Frakton

Frakton brings us yet more yellow, but in less eyeball-smacking amounts. They’ve also brought us a heavy focus on abstract geometric shapes, and strong contrast.

Platform: WordPress

Florian Wacker

Florian Wacker’s portfolio is here because of the gorgeous typography, and especially the rendering of that type. I don’t know what they did to make it look that good on a Windows PC, I don’t know what they configured where, but it’s a pleasure to read… even if I can’t understand a word of it.

(Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the project name that mentions “Nazis”. It’s for a project that is decidedly anti-those-jerks. I checked.)

Platform: Static Site

we are you

The interestingly-named we are you is on the list because it looks darned good, and that’s really enough, sometimes. Side note, they invite you to watch a video on the “About Us” page, and they tell you how long the video will be before you ever set eyes on the video player. I appreciate this a lot.

Platform: Sitecore

Atelier Ramos

Atelier Ramos is a simple portfolio that just puts the work in front of you with little fuss. It take masonry style layouts, horizontal scrolling, and other layout tricks, and mixes them all up with a high fashion aesthetic, and it works quite nicely.

Platform: WordPress

Shotaro Momoi

Shotaro Momoi (AKA Momotaro, apparently) brings us a lovely, simple dark design with lots ok pinks, blues, and a film grain effect that doesn’t get in the way at all. Also, I’m not sure how that overlapping text effect works (it’s rendered live), but I like it.

Of course, I would not be me unless I professed my dislike for custom cursors, but with that done, go check this one out. It really is just that pretty.

Platform: Static Site

Weight Creative

Weight Creative hits hard with a design that’s bright, bold, and just loaded with intentionally cheesy stock photos. It’s like a local business flyer had a baby with a modern web design, and it’s actually delightful. Sure, it’s a corporate sort of playfulness, but this is a business.

Platform: WordPress

Kazuki

Kazuki is an art director, signer-songwriter, and stylist. Her work is thus eclectic and colorful as all getout. The style of the website is a bit more familiar, with a collage-style presentational layout and the requisite serif-based type. I do have to say I like the way some of the “handwriting” was animated, though. It’s a familiar sort of site, but an excellent example of its kind.

Platform: Static Site

Luca Spezzano

Luica Spezzano is a front-end developer, so there is not much of an emphasis on screenshots on their one-page portfolio. I do rather like the grid of logos showcasing their various skills, but I especially appreciate that the actual name of each technology is shown on hover, just in case you don’t recognize the logos.

I also appreciate that there is an outline of things Luca learned while working on each project listed. It’s the sort of thing a potential employer would want to know.

Platform: Static Site

Guillame Lebelt

Guillame Lebelt’s portfolio is an excellent showcase of the way you can combine a simple design system with a certain amount of restrained art direction. Every page is different, and every bit of content was carefully planned, and not copy-pasted. Still, the whole design still feels consistent and uncomplicated.

Platform: Static Site

Boris Jankovic

Boris Jankovic’s portfolio is one of those less-common design portfolios that puts a heavy emphasis, not just on type, but on the writing. While it’s perfectly fine to post images and let your work sell itself, it’s always interesting to see a portfolio so clearly based on text-based storytelling. It helps that the type, while simple, is pleasant to read.

Platform: Static Site

Alexis Benoliel

Alexis Benoliel’s portfolio has the sort of typography and overlapping-element style that you might expect from a more monochromatic design. But no, while there is plenty of literal white space, there’s also a very strong emphasis on color to shake things up. They took that serious, hyper-modern style and actually made it sort of… cheerful. And I like that.

Platform: Static Site

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source Publicado en Webdesigner Depot http://bit.ly/2WX9JZZ vía IFTTT

[perfectbouquetballoon-stuff-blog]

The Secret To Weight reduction? It May Certainly not Be Exercise.

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There are actually diets that urge you to give up significant macronutrients, like carbohydrates, if you want to drop" pounds, and also which means you'll certainly never enjoy motion picture popcorn ever once more, or even a jewel along with brie if you visit Paris. It is actually a definitely satisfying dish when you include chorizo, Tabasco sauce as well as mayonnaise that's definitely tasty and probably prices for a week for two of us the same as a person in work devotes in merely pair of days for just someone! Our experts don't need yet another diet regimen publication from a person along with extreme disordered eating practices that possesses just conserved his fat loss for 17 months, so I'm naming bullshit on you, Penn Jillette. Those flush out" diet plans are actually only your traditional fad diet that starve and deprive you, only to drive you right to the bing actions once again. 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