#i have ALL THE TIPS I HAVE 3000 HOURS IN THIS GAME

[huggingtentacles]

Welcome to the Lands Between! Holy fuck sorry for a lot of text I tried to be concise and it's still long ><

Elden Ring is rough to get into, the mechanics are explained rather badly in the tutorial, so some things can be rather confusing. I'll explain what I can.

> Leveling up

Killing enemies, bosses and exploring the areas for golden runes, will give you a certain amount of runes on your counter in the bottom right corner. You need to meet a certain maiden to get the ability to level up at any site of grace.

After that you're met with a rather informative but very loaded menu with your stats. There are 2 types of stats, your survivability stats and your damage stats. Survivability are:

Vigor — put your runes into this to improve your healthbar. The most important stat in the game, if you feel like the enemies kill you in like 2-3 hits, you should level up Vigor. By the end of the game you should have 60!

Mind — Your blue bar, improves your mana. Good for casters of all kinds, but can also be useful if you like using weapon skills.

Endurance — your green bar, stamina. It's responsible for how many actions you can make in a row before you need to take a break. But the most important part of this stat is increased equip load, which allows you to carry more armour and heavier weapons at the same time. Level it up whenever you pick up a piece of equipment you want to carry but can't because you're in Heavy Load.

Heavy Load is when you start rolling slowly and awkwardly because your equipment takes up more than 70% of your equip load.

And damage stats are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith and Arcane. On your journey you will acquire weapons, spells and skills that require certain stats to wield (For example, a heavy sword might require 30 strength to wield)

You can see weapon requirements as a number in your equipment menu when you select a weapon.

There are also scalings, which is a multiplier that increases your damage from how much of a certain stat you have. The scalings are, from best to worst: S A B C D E

For example, you can pick up a Greatsword that requires 34 Strength and has a B in strength scaling. This means it's a strength weapon and you will benefit from leveling up more of your strength stat.

Don't spread your stats around too much, choose 1-2 damage stats to focus on and ignore everything else. Don't worry, you'll be able to respec your stats later in the game if you wish to switch your build!

> Crafting

You can craft some useful consumables while out of combat in your crafting menu. To unlock crafting, talk to merchant Kalé at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave, it's right behind that golden knight on a horse (just run behind him you can fight him later when you're stronger!)

To unlock more crafting recipes, explore the world and find/buy cookbooks. There are many of them in the game. You can see what they unlock in their item description.

> Upgrading

I assume you're talking about weapon upgrades. There is an anvil you can use at the church of elleh that allows you to upgrade your weapons using Smithing Stones that you find all over the world, but mostly in caves and tunnels. Unfortunately, you are bad at smithing so you can only upgrade a weapon to a certain level. To improve it further you have to find a blacksmith. You'll know it when you see him.

> What the fuck is going on in this game

From Software has a... unique way of storytelling. There are very little cutscenes. Most of the story is told through dialogue and item descriptions you can look at in your inventory by picking up various items around the world.

Don't worry, there isn't too much reading. Each item description is a few sentences long, concisely telling you what this item is and a little snippet of the overall story of this area. Pay attention to where and why you pick up certain items.

Listen carefully to what NPCs tell you, that's the main part of the story. Not all of them are to be trusted, that you'll have to figure out on your own.

As you can see, even figuring out the story requires some effort. You don't have to do this and go just watch VaatiVidya on YouTube like everyone else. Or, if you're like all the cool kids, watch TB Skyen on YouTube, he recently resumed his Elden Ring series. Oh hey he's also active on Tumblr! @ohnoitstbskyen

It's a lot of fun if you figure out the story on your own, though!

If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask.

Man I try my BEST to like Elden Ring. I know it is a game about patience and whatever but these mechanics are not of my liking plus I barely understand the leveling up/Crafting/Upgrading system. PLUS where’s the story? It feels like you need to do so much for so little.

Idk, I really want to like it because 1) it was v fucking expensive, two it was game of the year last year for a reason (I guess) but UGH

[royalarchivist]

ExtraEmily: Hey! Hey! Oh my god, Tubbo! Tubbo! Nice- Tubbo, great to have you here! How are you feeling today?

Tubbo: Good good good, back for round three. Can't wait to see the show, very excited, very excited to see everyone again. Aw, it's gonna be wonderful.

ExtraEmily: That's awesome! How do you think this year's gonna compete next- compared to the last two years since it's- you've been to all three

Tubbo: Well, I feel like we're gonna have a- in terms of like, my nomination, I'm feeling a bit of a repeat. I feel like- I feel like that's ok though! I'm down to go 3 and 0, I think that's alright, but I'm just here to meet everyone, say hi to everyone again, here for the vibes.

ExtraEmily: Well, I love the vibe, Tubbo! You're great, got to keep the energy up! Is there anyone you're excited to see today, since you do live far away, right?

Tubbo: Oh god, well I'm excited to hang out with the QSMP lot more, we be- we rarely get to hang out like, often, so it's always like very very nice to see everyone.

ExtraEmily: Oh, that's great! Do you have any favorite people in the QSMP? Ooh, drama.

Tubbo: Favorite people- you can't ask me to pick a favorite one of my friends! That's crazy! That's like- well, which one of your friends is your favorite? Like- no, no, please go on!

[ Transcript continued ↓ ]

-

ExtraEmily: Uhh, I like Bob! And Bob, ok, you don't have to answer that. But we love QSMP! That's so awesome. How much Minecraft would you say you've played in the past year in terms of hours?

Tubbo: I think I got my thing back and it was like 3000 hours? I think it was like, yeah, I think it recorded 1200 hours, but I have a lot of other hours on another account.

ExtraEmily: Oh my god, have you ever thought of speed running it?

Tubbo: Oh god no, oh god, no way! No, the people who speedrun are psychopaths.

ExtraEmily: You think so? A little crazy? Do you have any tips for someone that wants to try all Minecraft, aka me? I've never even beat the Ender Dragon.

Tubbo: Oh god, I'm so bad at it. I'm not even kidding, I could not consider myself good at this game.

ExtraEmily: Well, that's awesome! But Tubbo, last question: what'd you eat for your breakfast today?

Tubbo: Oh god, I didn't have breakfast today. I just woke up and I'm here.

ExtraEmily: Good morning, Tubbo, and thank you for the interview! Let's hand it off to the next interviewer. Byeeee!!!

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

I definitely think prompt 20 would fit deadpool so well

.⋆｡Merc With A Mouth ｡⋆.

Wade Wilson x plus size reader

There’s only one way to get Wade to shut up and it involves your own mouth

Warnings: some smut, oral (m receiving), swearing

WC: 443

Minors DNI

3000 Follower Celebration

Wade loved to talk. He could talk for literal days at a time without a break, he wouldn’t even be addressing anyone, just chattering away to himself. And you loved that about him, how passionate he was about things, but there were times when you just wanted him to shut the fuck up. 

And now was one of those times. 

Wade had been talking for a solid 5 hours. Well 5 hours that you knew of, considering that’s when you got home from work. You think you could stand the constant stream of word vomit if it had at least been consistent but Wade had been jumping from topic to topic too quickly for your exhausted mind to keep up. 

Your temples pounded with the beginnings of a migraine that was being compounded by your boyfriend’s loud voice. You groaned and sunk further into the old mattress of your bed as Wade made another lap of the apartment, still talking while stuffing his face with the pizza you picked up on the way home. “Wade, do you want to play a game?” That stopped him in his tracks for just long enough to answer you.

“What game?” 

“The quiet game.” You answered simply.

“Fuck no. Anyway, like I was saying-“ And he was off again. You groaned quietly, digging the butt of your palms into your eyes as if that would stave off the inevitable headache. 

Food couldn’t stop him, neither could sleep. You supposed you could call Cable to rip out his voice box again but the last time that happened he had a weird baby voice for like a day and it made the whole thing even worse. There was that one time when you let him fuck your ass where you thought he had died because he just stopped talking.

“That’s it!” You slid from the bed in a greatly uncoordinated manner and approached your boyfriend. He stopped pacing as you approached, but his mouth never stopped moving. With one good shove, he collapsed onto the couch and you slipped to your knees before him. 

“Oooo am I getting head? What have I done to deserve this? It must have been because of my morning treat.” You angrily ripped his ratty sweatpants down his muscular legs, exposing his rapidly hardening cock to you.

“Will you just shut up and let me go down on you?” Immediately his mouth snapped shut at your snarl and you were graced with a blissful silence. “Thank you, now let me work.” You palmed his erection briefly before giving a kitten lick to his tip, licking up the small drop of pre-cum that gathered there. 

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[defensefilms]

How To Add Value With Sports Media Content Creation

What I can do for clients right now:

1. I provide over 1000 photographs of any training session or single game event. Typically that will get selected down to about 100 photographs or so. I have shot tournament events, providing the client with over 3000 action photos, along with posed photographs of each team.

2. I can provide video footage in 24fps, I can also provide over an hours worth of footage for games and such. I use a Canon 60D, a Canon 5D Mark 3 and a Panasonic Mdch1 for long recording.

3. I provide the option of editing your video clips/footage into 1 video for marketing/advertising/promotional use like a corporate video.

4. I have hired talent to conduct on-camera interviews with the brand/person sponsoring and/or hosting, along with people of interest and public figures.

6. I have hired crew/extra Camera Operators to help with shooting.

7. Scouting locations and contacting people of importance for permission to shoot.

8. Create Graphics/ images.

One of my favorite content creators right now is a guy named Flash Film Academy, and I like dude’s content becasue there’s a focus on the business aspects of content creation on his channel.

See, it’s not so much that I can create content, it’s more about what problem can the content solve, and who does it have value to? Keep this in mind.

I’ve also been watching a boatload of content by photographers that either photograph professional sports teams or events like Formula One, and what they all have in common, is a process that allows them to chop down the images or footage quickly on-site/on-location. A process that allows them to begin post production and/or marketing without stopping shooting and or missing important highlights or action.

Another content creator I’ve fallen in love with, is a guy named Futur and I like his stuff because it gives pointer on how to do a better job of haggling and negotiating to get more out of a client. He’ll do these mock negotiation videos where he role plays as the client or the freelancer, and shows you tips on how to handle certain questions, negotiate better or screen a client.

The ideal Sports Media Company/Service:

1. Must be able to capture immense amount of photographs/footage

2. Find talent/crew to help in shooting, editing, planning, co-ordinating

3. Must have relationship with equipment rental facilities

4. Must know and be familliar with the most reputable sports arenas in the country.

5. Must have contact with sports agencies and representative of pro athletes

6. Solid branding

7. Has an on-line community 

8. Exists on various platforms provides content via podcasts,vide oessays

9 a) Patreon

b) Youtube

c) Instagram

d) Twitter

What’s On My Plate Right Now:

1. Yeah, I See The Way The Necks Lookin’

So right now, I’m dealing with a client that owns a semi-professional sports team, and bro’s set-up is big time, I mean impressive.

This guy has his players on monthly stipends, he provides accommodation for all of them, has players coming in from West, East and Central Africa, he’s got contact with a bunch of the biggest teams in the Province, and he’s gotten players signed to first division/pro teams.

Now my man says he wants edited videos of specific player’s highlights during games.  No problem, just so happens to be right in line with things I’ve done in the past, right.

The idea here is that, he’s going to take these videos and send them to pro teams, after which the players will hopefully move to thier new team, get a new contract, and he and the club, get the transfer money and a signing bonus.

It’s a smart move. Here’s the problem. We need to talk about a pay increase.

I’m becoming a one-stop shop for all this guy’s content creation needs, and I think remuneration is in order here. Ideally what I want, is either a retainer, or a pay increase per call, big enough to where I can start to add some man power and muscle to what has been a one-man operation up to now.

Or he can go back to using that stepped-on video shit he was shooting on his phone. Lol, I’m tryna get to that Griselda level too, nahmean?

2. Approaching Sports Agencies And Seeing Whose ‘Bout It, ‘Bout It

This here, according to me, should be the thing getting most of my attention for the foreseeable future. 

Working for teams as an independant contractor is cool, but these are the guys that really open doors. Sports Agencies are the guys that can get me straight in to the door of a professional sports teams. 

Look, this here is a look, but from what I’m seeing, is that it is more likely to happen if I’m shooting sports other than soccer. 

Look, I’ve been hangin’ out with some of friends in the semi-professional soccer circuit, and the one thing I’ve come to learn, is player rights in South African football is a very dodgy affair. 

Players don’t like to say who owns their rights, and in a lot of cases, guys don’t know, and are completely not equipped to deal with these legal and contractual issues at all. So when I go looking for sports agencies/representatives of players, it is a curiosity that is not met with any kind of warmth or welcome because they don’t know me.

This appears to be less true in the sport of Rugby, which appears to be more transparent about these things and while I don’t understand the sports as well, i could damn sure learn. 

Collaboration or working for a sports agency helps the resume, gets me in the door with a better network, and of course, the cheese baby.

I still may try hitting up creative agencies, but I feel I want to explore every option with the sports content thing because it’s so different as far as working hours, if you do approach an agency and it also depends how the agency uses you. 

3. Headhunting the NBA and NBA Africa Representatives

Basically, I want an interview with Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

This is a pipe dream but if you peep LinkedIn, there are doors that can be opened, however, it’s gonna take time, focus, strategy and thinking about my moves.

There’s a guy, I only know him via LinkedIn, but he’s local, and he happens to be very plugged in to basketball on the African continent. 

All these pipelines that produced guys like Pascal Siakam, Emmanuel Mudiay, Luc Mbah Moute, Luol Deng, Al-Farouq Aminu, these guys all come from small networks of basketball hubs throughout Africa, that are most lively in West Africa.

If you are African, and you want to be involved with basketball, you have to go West.

Now, there’s a league called the Basketball Africa League, I’ve seen it on ESPN a bunch of times, and my guess, is that bro is very plugged in to this league, so we’re gonna pull his coat.

What I want is an opportunity to photograph some of the BAL’s league games, cos that’ll definitely help the portfolio/reel, but in building communication with bro bro, hopefully he can help show the road to NBA Africa and their events. 

Two birds, one stone. That’s how everything has to be now.

The head of NBA Africa is a guy named Franck Traore. Bro, the next time Embiid or Giannis is in the country or on the continent, that’s the guy that they likely have an obligation to do appearances for, and that’s gonna be how I get my interview.

I could try to go direct to Franck but I don’t think that’s a great plan, plus there’s all the other things I could gain from it by going the long way.

[baddfemmeshe]

Manifesting is becoming too easy for me

Yesterday, my day was a big ass face of blah until I started listening to LOA videos on YouTube to get me back into the state.

I’m still new to this manifesting game because I’m completely logical and rational 80% of the time. Even now I still have fleeting thoughts of my old self, which I’m working on. My SC hasn’t been something I’ve felt pushed to work on because my SC has always been pretty good.

Can’t remember the account on here but they suggested a quick manifestation tip of using the notes app to affirm for around 10 minutes.

My ADHD is sooo bad, so I just narrowed it down to one thing I want to happen quickly

I wrote in my notes, I have $1000 right now over and over again. I actually went past ten minutes because I felt comfortable to do so. I also added I’m a master manifestor for shits and giggles 🤭

Note: please be specific 😂 I should have said I have over $1000 right now

After my complete meltdowns, I let go and didn’t worry about it for the rest of the day. Okay I lied, last night I reached out to my Invisalign company because I completely BOTCHED my treatment plan due to life. So my teeth are shifting back again because I haven’t made it to my retainers.

Long story short I reached out at 2am and I said I’m not going to pay for anything and they’re going to send it all to me again for free

This morning I received an email that over $600 was being deposited into my bank account tomorrow. This comes after I was starting to worry about how I was going to pay upcoming bills. Then the dentist reached out to me a few hours later and said to get me back into the program it would be $1300. Like WTF 🤬 I am not giving you $1300 upfront.

I emailed back and said I’m not paying it and they responded, don’t worry, you paid for the insurance that covers up to $2000 if something happens.

And then the $1300 went down to $699 I needed to pay instead but it’s still covered under my insurance plan.

The LOA always works for me and I’m understanding I need to keep persisting and affirming

I DID IT !!

Going for $3000 today

[kkusuka]

HQ kinks-ace edition<333

  ok so i was moving things from my old account and found this! so here it is :)

mostly gender neutral, mentions of female anatomy 

here is the middle blocker version <3

here is the setter version <3

included: Aran, Asahi, Bokuto, Iwaizumi, Sakusa, Terushima, and Ushijima 

content warning: Toys, bondage, overstimulation, size kink, impact play, slight sensory deprivation, cuckolding, dom/sub, primal/play, brat taming, oral, bereding and choking, pls let me know if i missed something! 

Aran Ojiro

Daddy Kink

Depending on his mood this man will make you call him daddy in public, (and i would)

Makes you try to say it five times fast while rearranging your guts 

Arguments? You call him Aran? Nope. will top and correct you in the middle of fighting, which just makes you horny and then your fucking and yelling daddy over and over until you can’t think

Pet names

It goes with the daddy kink ok???

Every endearment in the book

princess/prince, bunny, love, baby girl/boy, sweetheart, pretty girl/boy, and the crowd favorite Good girl/boy

t̶h̶i̶s̶ m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ m̶e̶ f̶e̶r̶a̶l̶

This man will be reaming your guts and calling you the prettiest thing on the planet <3 

Pastels (specifically toys)

Does he have a pastel yellow plug for you? Yes. Does he make you wear it in public with his cum in you? Absolutely. It's what a good daddy does.

Light blue thigh highs drive him absolutely wild, and you can't change my mind

Vibrators? Green.  His favorite punishment, putting it in you and just leaving.

Coming back to you having orgasm after orgasm on the poor thing :(

Should've just listened to Daddy when you had the chance

Asahi Azumane 

Messes

Here me out! 

Nothing turn him on more than seeing you drooling over his cock.

Slobbering on him is the quickest way to him shooting a load down your throat. 

Doesn't even begin to explain the feeling he gets when he’s in you- 

Just can't handle the gluck gluck 3000

Praise/Compliments

Oh man, hate to say it but he’s a bottom 

Literally anything makes this man bust. 

“God, you have such a nice cock” nut

“Oh, that face! Azumane you look so pretty when your getting fucked” nutted

“ All that hair. Makes me want to pull it” hard-on at dinner

Pls ride this man into next year <3

Light bondage.

This is self indulgent 

Having you ride a dildo when he’s tied to a chair- drives him wild 

Strap a vibrator to the tip of his dick and he’s putty in your hands

(thins kinda feeds into mutual masterbation) 

Bokuto Koutaro 

Overstimulation (both parties)

He just goes so much for so long

Praying for the pussy 

Literally 7 rounds in and just can't stop his hips from moving-

Ends with both of you in tears and begging for more(and receiving) 

Also has random spurts of energy in the middle of sex and just fucking goes for it. 

Cuckolding

Only with Akaashi- and Hinata ONCE 

I mean his best friend AND his significant other! Best of both worlds

You’re practically a threesome at this point 

Also, when he fucks you he can’t fully focus on your moans or faces :(

So when Akaashi comes over he can look at you <3

Pls he’s so precious

Quickies

Remember the random spurts of energy?

Yeah that.

You bet he drags you in a closet before Jackals game. To get the nerves out!

The only thing that helps is feeling you clench around him<3

Plus! Knowing you’re full of his cum during the game helps him do better!

Iwaizumi Hajime 

Dom/sub- life style 

Bby he even has rules. That you will follow.

Every rule comes with its own punishment… and they just get harsher and harsher.

You listen to him- i mean you LISTEN to him

He tells you to bend over, you bend. He wants you on your knees when he gets home? You're waiting on your knees no question.  

Buuuut that doesn't mean you aren't a brat. 

Brat taming/ Sir Kink

This is the brat thing in action. 

Of course he won’t stop you from being a brat, he waits until you've dug a hole. 

He has your collar and a paddle ready for you.

15 smack….. All in a row a “Thank you Sir!” Falling from your lips after every hit

Pls-this is it 

Primal/prey

He likes getting his prize 

Overpowering you and having you so small under him makes him feral.

You just look so pretty whimpering and begging for more!

Scratches 

You bet your ass he shows off how good he is

Having a friend like Oikawa does that

Even if its at a work party at a pool

Does he have scratches all over his shoulders. Yes. will that stop him?

Absolutely not. Prepare for the teasing of your life. 

Sakusa Kiyoomi (i can talk about him for days)

Intense BDSM (slight sensory deprivation) 

This man is kinky and no one can change that-

I'm talking full on harnesses and literal ropes making you completely immobile.

When it's just you two at home he carries a riding crop and just waits for the slightest mess up

 He wears leather gloves when he spanks you while raining the grossest insults at you

He also has you suck him off while blindfolded and tied up, can't use your hands, just your pitiful mouth :)

Spit 

Not just on you either.

He will spit in your mouth and tell you not to swallow

God forbid you did the harshest punishment you can think of just came your way

Will have you at his feet just letting spit drop into your mouth. 

Dumbification

You just look so pretty

All dumb from his cock

Can't even form a sentence 

Poor baby probably can't even think past his cock hitting your sweet spot 

Will purposely make you orgasm so much you see stars 

Terushima Yuji

Oral 

He has the tongue piercing for a reason

I mean come on

This man will spend hours between your thighs just going to town

Orgasm after orgasm

Hands grabbing at his hair begging him to continue 

So he complies :)

Public Sex

Anywhere 

Anytime

THIS MAN IS UNSTABLE

He’ll pull you into a bathroom and have a hand in your underwear so quick-

Random dark alley? He’s already inside you

Barebacking 

RAW RAW RAW

Just something so primal about seeing his cum drip out of you

This and the public thing creates so many delicious problems for you

Plus Condoms are such a mood killer :///

Ushijima Wakatoshi 

Breeding 

He's a traditional farm boy

It's the ultimate way to have people know that you're completely his. 

Even if you can't get pregnant- 

Proof that you belong only to him for the rest of time

Wait-thats hot

Size kink

Big man, big dick

i don’t make the rules

You look so small and he looks so big

Struggling to get him in you is such a turn-on he almost always just tries to thrust in. 

Also love just getting all of your slick/precum on his dick

Choking

Biiiiig hands

Read that it give you pleasure too

Have you seen his hands?

Because yes, he has them wrapped around your neck and putting pressure on the sides like a good big man. 

  oh? you’re still here? thank you!

[adhd-attention-deficit-dumbass]

Any tips for focusing on schoolwork? The quarter ends next week for me and I have 12 missing assignments but I can’t just sit down and do it smh. My meds don’t do shit to help me so I basically run on caffine and Doritos

I was planning on making a longer and more detailed post about this since I struggled with the exact same thing last semester but I’ll do a quick one since you’re in a hurry!

-Ask a university student with ADHD

How to overcome executive dysfunction and just get it done!

A quick overview for the stressed and depressed ADHD student

All strategies mentioned are ones I have tried during a very stressful period in my life and I can happily announce that I succsessfully passed all my re-exams!

1. Study at the library or a similarily quiet place, by no means attempt to study at home or god forbid a café you’ll regret it.

Studying at the library takes so much less effort and energy than studying at home or in s noisy café, save your precious energy for focusing on your work instead of trying to avoid distraction

Libraries are great and full of people who are also studying which will help you feel more motivated!

2. Get rid of your phone 📱

This one ☝🏻 oh boy, it was a game changer, I know you think you may have the discipline not to get distracted but it makes a world of difference

Put your phone in a seperate room on silent if you can, this is the most effective way.

If not, put it at the bottom of your bag and make it as hard as possible to find

Use wireless headphones 🎧 for music so you don’t have to keep your phone within arms reach

3. Write down exactly what you’re doing and divide into small easily doable tasks

Part of the struggle is not knowing what to do, or the task feeling too big and too hard. Write down the task in steps, as many as you need, as simple as you can. Break them down to the smallest and most easily done bits until you feel like you can handle them.

Example: For uni last semester I had 3 smaller tests per week apart from the usual exams. We had to translate between 1500-3000 words every two days on our own and during lectures We’d do a quick 15 min test based on what we’d read that would affect our final grade.

”Translate 2000 words” sounds like a lot so the way I did it was that I put the text into a word file and dived it into seperate paragraphs

I’d end up with 10-12 paragraphs and that would be my focus

So if I had two days to translate, I’d translate 6/12 paragraphs the first day and the remaining 6 the next day

It feels much easier than sitting with a document of seemingly endless work. Because we can have a hard time planning and looking ahead, it helps to give yourself some structure

4. Check off and visualize finished tasks to boost motivation ✅

Again, using last semester as an example

The way I did it is something I call:

The heart strategy❤️

At this time I was obsessed with Zelda games and I randomly drew a little heart in my planner while thinking of Zelda and thought ”huh, what if I used ”video game hearts” as a representation for my own work?” And I have been doing it religously since.

The way I did it was I drew 12 hearts in my planner in a line like this, seperating them with a line in the middle.

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 | 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

When I finished translating a paragraph I would fill a heart with a bright pink pen because I love pink💗 It was almost like a reward and it made me more motivated to keep going, it also provided a visual to let me know how much work I had gotten done and how much was left

So when my planner looked like this:

💗💗💗💗💗🤍| 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

It would motivate me because it meant I was almost finished for the day and I knew that I had completed half of the task already.

5. Wireless noise cancelling headphones 🎧 + ADHD friendly music

Noice cancelling keeps you from getting distracted by 🗣🎶👏🏻✍🏻👣

Wireless is just amazing in general but it also keeps you away from your phone which will often distract you even when you’re trying hard. Some models allow you to even change songs without touching your phone, which is super helpful

Make a list of music or find good mixes on youtube/Spotify that are not distracting 🎶 They can be motivational and upbeat or slow and relaxing, whatever helps you the most

I have a ”Motivational study songs” list with a lot of upbeat high tempo songs that are about reaching your goals, a mix of rock, pop, Disney and musical songs

Never gonna give you up by Rick Astley is the perfect ADHD study song idk why but it just works wonders for me

But some days the upbeat music is just too distracting so then I put on classical music (mostly Tchaikovsky) or a lofi youtube video. Changing up music is good since your ADHD brain will get bored of the same thing easily

There are also quiet and very aestethic ”☕️study with me 📖” videos on youtube that are like 2 hour long where a person just sits quietly and studies

they can be great because it makes you feel like you have a study buddy but they wont distract you by talking 🙊 as long as you don’t get distracted by them

That’s all for this post! BELIEVE ME i tried SOOO hard to keep it short and it was a lot longer at first i’m sorry if it’s a lot to read🙈

I hope some of this is at least somewhat helpful. Thank you for reading and good luck with your studies!💗

[calamitykaty]

Soulmates

Reggie Peters x Fem Reader

Word count:3000+

A sweet fic for my sweet soulmate @alexpjoyner

Y/N sat tucked away in the corner of the coffee shop, her glasses perched at the tip of her nose and her eyebrows pinched together making her worry lines stand out. The yellow #2 pencil that was in her left hand was being gnawed at by her teeth. The small circle table was littered with textbooks and loose-leaf paper, coffee stains evident on her English assignment.

 Her attention was broken by the loud laughter that followed a set of rowdy teenage boys. Her eyes briefly met the eyes belonging to the leather-clad boy, Reggie, before she let them fall back to her assignment, a light blush dusting her cheeks. 

She knew all about Reggie, everyone did. He was only the overly confident and extremely handsome bassist for Sunset Curve, and he happened to attend her high school. Y/N like to think that she wasn’t just part of the status-quo but she too had a school-girl crush on Reggie. 

“Hola, Chica!” 

Y/N dropped her pencil into the fold of her book and closed the cover as her best friend, Rose, pushed her papers back towards her and sat down. 

“I know I’m pretty but why are you blushing?” 

“I’m not blushing…”

Rose let her eyes roam around the small room before her eyes landed on the most likely culprit. 

“I don’t know why you don’t just talk to him, y/n.” 

Y/N tucked a stray hair that had fallen into her face back behind her left ear with one hand while the other pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She glanced over at Reggie,  his back facing hers and his hands gesturing excitedly as he explained something to his bandmates, though from the looks on their faces they weren’t nearly as enthused as him. 

“...because...he’s him...and I’m,” Y/n threw her hands up, gesturing at herself, “I’m me.” 

Rose rolled her eyes at her friend’s explanation or lack thereof. “Okay, one-” Rose held up her pointer finger, “he’s not nearly as cool as you seem to think he is and two--” she lifted her middle finger, “you being you is the best, you’re smart, you’re funny, you’re pretty---”

“And you’re obligated to say those things as my best friend so….” Y/N huffed out stubbornly.

Rose’s lips were stretched into a tight line as she pushed her chair back against the beige tiled floor, her eyes set on the group of noisy boys. 

“W-what are you doing?” Y/N asked, panicked. 

Rose ignored her friend and let her feet carry her over to the boys. She propped her left elbow up on Bobby’s shoulder. The brown-haired boy looked up at her from where he was seated and smiled, “Hey, Ro!” 

“Yeah, Ro, hey!” Luke chortled, his eyebrows dancing and his eyes locked on Bobby. Alex jabbed his elbow into the shaggy-haired boy’s ribs, eliciting a quiet “Ow!” 

“Anyways,” Rose rolled her eyes, “I’m gonna bring a friend to watch your band practice tonight.”

“Are you asking or?” Alex probed. 

“Not really!” Rose let her elbow drop from Bobby’s shoulder and sauntered back across the cafe to Y/N’s table. 

“They said you can come to band rehearsal tonight,” Rose said matter of factly, sliding back into her chair. 

Y/N shook her head vigorously, “No, nope….No! Absolutely not!” 

“You have to! They’re expecting you and it would be rude if you didn’t show.” Rose half-shrugged and burst into a fit of giggles at the scowl that Y/N shot her way. 

‘“Stop meddling in my life….” Y/N grumbled, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and the tops of her ears tinged pink. She gathered her papers into a neat pile and placed them inside the textbook before dropping everything into her backpack. 

“So...this means you’re going, right?” Rose drummed on both of her knees excitedly.

Y/N pushed her chair back and slung her backpack over her left shoulder before sliding the chair back in. She purposefully ignored the question until they both stood outside of the cafe. She stopped and turned to Rose, staring at her with a deadpan expression as the girl bounced on her toes. 

“What time?” 

Rose lunged at her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, squealing “7pm! It’s gonna be great!!!” 

Several hours later, Y/N found herself standing outside of Bobby’s detached garage. She was an hour late and she could hear the four teens already practicing inside. She nervously wrung her hands together and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling before she pulled the doors open. She could feel her ears burning as all four boys stopped playing at separate times and stared at her. Her eyes quickly darted to Rose who was perched on top of the sofa. 

Rose hopped off of the sofa and skipped over to Y/N, throwing her arm around her shoulders and pulling her into the garage. 

“Boys!” Rose chirped, “this is Y/N,” she dropped her arm from Y/N’s shoulders and held both hands out showing Y/N off like a prize on The Price is Right. Y/N awkwardly threw her right hand up and waved at the four boys. 

“I’m Lu--”

“You don’t have to introduce yourselves, I know who you guys are!” Y/N rushed out as Luke began to introduce himself. She could feel the red of her ears move down to her neck as the embarrassment moved through her body. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked over at Rose, pleading for her to save her. 

“You guys can continue, we’ll just be over here ignoring you!” Rose pursed her lips and grabbed her elbow, pulling her over to the sofa. 

Y/N sunk down into the soft cushions of the sofa and bobbed her head as the boys started from the second verse of Now or Never. She tried her best to keep her eyes on her lap but every now and then she would look up and let her eyes gravitate towards Reggie who would shoot her a wink. 

“Someone can’t keep his eyes off of you,” Rose sang out to Y/N. 

“Shut up!” Y/N hissed quietly and threw her elbow into Rose’s side. 

“I’m just sayin’” Rose wiggled her eyebrows at the girl, drawing a rosy blush to Y/N’s cheeks. 

Y/N looked over at Reggie as he set his bass guitar down into the stand before he wiped the sweat from his forehead. 

“Go talk to him!” Rose urged and pushed against her friend's shoulder. 

“About what? I hardly know him!” Y/n argued, stubbornly. 

“Reg!” Rose called out, grabbing the boys attention. Reggie turned around and lifted his eyebrows at Rose in question. 

Rose looked over at Y/N before looking back at Reggie and smiling, “did you know that Y/N holds the top score on Centipede at The Basement Arcade?” 

Reggie furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest, “that can’t be true! I just took that spot last week!” 

“So you’re the RP that keeps fighting me for the top spot then?” Y/N narrowed her eyes at the boy but couldn’t stop the laugh that followed her question. 

Reggie let his arms fall to his sides and looked at her with his mouth agape, “ I challenge you! I challenge you to an arcade face off tomorrow at 6pm!” 

“Okay?” Y/N agreed unsurely.

“It’s a date then!” Reggie declared before walking over to the sofa and holding his hand out to Y/N. She hesitantly placed her hand in his and laughed as Reggie gave it a firm shake. 

“Okay...yeah. It’s a date.” Y/N agreed and let her hand fall back into her lap. 

“Looks like my work here is done!” Rose teased and pulled herself up from the sofa. She grabbed Y/N’s hands and pulled her up as well. 

Y/N said goodbye to each of the boys and was nearly out of the garage when Reggie called out 

“Wait! What’s your address? I’ll pick you up!” 

-------

They were surrounded by flashing lights, the sound of buzzers and pinball paddles being jammed harshly filled the room of the small arcade. Y/N looked over at Reggie as he lunged the small orange basketballs as fast as possible towards the hoop, his brows furrowed as he concentrated. A small frown formed on his face as the balls continuously hit the rim and bounced back towards him.

 The clock counted down the last 15 seconds and Reggie picked up the pace, throwing the balls at increased speed in hopes of getting several more points. He hadn’t even noticed that Y/N had stopped tossing her basketballs a good 45 seconds before him or that she had sunk nearly every basket that she threw or that she was easily beating his score before she bowed out to give him a chance. She had already beaten him at air hockey, overtook his top score on Centipede, and embarrassed him at skeeball. 

The buzzer on the machine rang out and Reggie anxiously looked at his score before leaning over to look at hers.

 An ecstatic smile lit up his face and he threw his hands in the air above his head in triumph and shouted “FINALLY!”

Y/N burst into giggles at the boy, her right hand instinctively covered her mouth. Her bottom front teeth slightly over-lapped and she had always been insecure about it. 

Reggie cocked his head and watched the girl as she laughed. His eyes held adoration at the way her nose crinkled at the top of her bridge and the way her cheeks pushed against her eyes so that they were just barely open. Without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed her hand in his and lowered it from her mouth, his palm felt hot in hers and his fingers slipped into the spaces between hers like a perfect puzzle. 

“I like your smile.” The words pushed against his lips with confidence but his red-tinged ears that accompanied his rosy cheeks gave his nerves away. 

He reached down with his left hand and grabbed the bucket that held their tickets before he tugged y/n towards the counter to turn the tickets in. 

“You could have told me you were so good at arcade games so I wouldn’t be out here embarrassing myself on our first date, ya know.” 

Y/n watched as the teenager behind the counter ran their combined tickets into the ticket counting machine. She looked over at Reggie and smiled, “ I didn’t expect you to be so bad, honestly. Maybe next time we just go play with puppies at Bonnie’s pet store, I’m positive you’d be great at that!”

Reggie dropped her hand in favor of placing both of his hands over his heart, a look of shock on his face at her words before he burst into laughter. 

“350 tickets, you can choose from these three sections.” The red-headed teenager pointed at the different things they could choose from. 

Y/N bounced on her toes and pointed at the small stuffed horse that would take 300 tickets. She pulled it to her chest and looked over at Reggie. 

“You can have the rest!” 

Reggie picked a multi-color friendship bracelet, a Rubik’s cube keychain, and a few pixie sticks. He shoved everything but the bracelet into the pocket of his leather jacket before he reached out for her left wrist. His bottom lip was tugged into his mouth, held by his top teeth as his fingers carefully tied the bracelet around her wrist.

“Your hand is cold...” Reggie stated absentmindedly as he tugged the knot securely, “you wanna grab a hot chocolate?”

Y/N pulled her wrist up to her face and examined the colorful bracelet before letting her arm drop back to her side and nodding, “yeah, that sounds good!”

The pair trekked outside and down the block where Rick’s pop up stand for hot chocolate was set up under a streetlamp. Y/N admired her winnings while Reggie quietly hummed a tune to himself that she had never heard before. 

‘What is that?” Y/N finally asked as the boy started the song over for the third time. 

“What’s what?” Reggie asked, his eyes darting around for what he was supposed to be looking for. 

“No,” y/n giggled, “the song, what’s the song that you’ve been humming.” 

“Oh...that...” Reggie’s right hand ruffled through his hair nervously. 

“Two hot chocolates, please!” Y/N quickly placed two dollars down on the cart before Reggie could. Rick shook his head at the two teens and poured two cups of hot chocolate with whipped topping into two styrofoam cups and handed them over with a “you kids have fun!”

“So?” Y/N looked up at Reggie expectantly as they made their way back towards the arcade. 

"Promise you won't laugh?" 

"I promise to try to not laugh," y/n compromised. 

“I guess I can settle with that,” Reggie nodded and took a deep breath in before he quietly sang out the chorus that he had been humming. 

Home is where my horse is

Riding through trees by the river

Feel that summer breeze, a smile gettin’ bigger

Home is where my horse is

Don’t need a house or a roof

I just lace up my saddle, lace up my boots  

Cuz home is where my horse is

As the last word hung in the air, Reggie quickly brought the cup of hot chocolate to his lips and took a large gulp. Y/N hadn’t laughed so he took that as a good sign as he finally let his head turn to the left to look over at her. 

“Sunset Curve goes country, I can get down with that movement, “ Y/N shrugged. 

“R-r-really?” Reggie sputtered out, hot chocolate dribbling down his chin as he did so. 

“Yeah, I mean..it’s kinda catchy.” Y/N said and began to hum the song to herself, “see, already stuck in my head!” 

“You should come to the next band rehearsal and help me convince the other guys. That’s what I was trying to sell them on at the cafe the other day.” 

Reggie threw his cup into a trash can at the edge of the sidewalk as they walked by. His rosy cheeks became inflamed when the cup hit the rim of the metal can and tumbled to the ground. 

“Careful, if you keep making shots like that I may have to start calling you Jim McIlvaine,” Y/N joked as Reggie sheepishly chased the cup down the sidewalk before tossing it into the trash can. 

“You can call me Larry Bird, though,” she said as she effortlessly tossed her cup into the trash can as she walked backwards. Reggie poked his bottom lip out and pouted as he jogged to catch up with her. 

“Something tells me you let me win that last game in the arcade.” 

Y/N shrugged her shoulders and let a playful smile play on her lips as she said “maybe you just had a sudden rush of NBA prowess in you back then and now it’s gone.”

Reggie slowed his pace as his 1992 silver honda civic came into view, the last car that sat in the arcade parking lot. It was only going to be a ten-minute drive for him to drop Y/N off at her house and he wasn’t quite ready for the night to end. He absentmindedly tossed his keys into the air and caught them several times before stopping at his car. Reggie leaned his back against the passenger's side of the car and looked up at the sky. The lights of the parking lot polluted the view of the stars. 

Y/N stood in front of Reggie with her left hand wrapped around her right wrist and her eyes focused on Reggie’s black boots. 

“I had fun tonight.” She finally said and looked up at the same time that Reggie let his head fall down from the stars, both of their cheeks were glowing with a red hue as their eyes met. 

“I did too,” Reggie agreed, “actually, this is probably the most fun I’ve ever had with anyone outside of the band.”

“You’re not just saying that, right? You actually mean it?” Y/N implored. 

Reggie cocked his head to the side with his brows pulled forward, the line between his brows crinkling. 

‘Of course, I mean it, why wouldn’t I?” 

Y/N let her eyes fall back down to Reggie’s boots as she shrugged, “I dunno, I mean…” she hesitated, slightly embarrassed about being vulnerable in front of him, “you’re...you’re in a band and you’re cool.... I mean...I hang out in the library and people watch. We're practically from different worlds." 

Reggie pushed himself off of the car and closed the distance between the two. He took both of her hands in his and let his fingers fall into the spaces between hers. Y/N felt her heart pounding against her ribcage and prayed that he couldn’t hear it. 

Reggie smiled softly at her before letting his eyes fall down to their intertwined hands for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. 

“I know we don’t know each other that well yet,” he paused to swallow his nerves and licked his dry lips, “but I wish you could see yourself the way that I see you right now in this moment. Because when I look at you, it’s like finding a four leaf clover...like I’ve been searching for you for an eternity and I can’t believe how lucky I am when my eye finally catches you.” 

Y/N slowly tugged her hands free from Reggie’s, the boy was taken aback by the response and opened his mouth to apologize only to find that his words were cut off by her lips crashing clumsily against his. 

“I-I’m sorry!’ Y/N stuttered out as she pulled away. Reggie placed his hand on the nape of her neck and pulled her lips back to his, the kiss slower and with more intention than the first. Both teens pulled away with heaving chests and flushed cheeks. 

Y/N looked down at her watch and looked back up at Reggie, “you know...we do have half an hour before Bonnie’s closes…”

Reggie moved aside and opened the passenger door for her before quickly running around the car to get to the driver’s side. He turned the key several times, the ignition switch fighting back against him before the engine finally turned over. He pushed the cassette the was popper slightky out of the slot back into the player and turned the volume up. 

“you listen to Make Out Monday?!” Y/N exclaimed with excitement as the words I'm kissaphobic don't wanna get too close to you… floated through his partially blown speakers. 

“They're my favorite band!” They both said at the same time and burst into laughter. Y/N reached forward and turned the volume up a tad bit more. Reggie drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove and harmonized with the vocalists while Y/N threw all abandon to the wind and sang off-key alongside him. 

They made it to Bonnie’s with fifteen minutes to spare and rushed towards the pet store. Y/N quickly made her way to the counter and signed the puppy form that would allow them into the puppy play area. 

Reggie watched as several puppies rushed over to Y/N, the girl fell onto her back and laughed as they nipped at her fingers and nudged their cold noses against her skin.

Reggie found himself staring at her with a lopsided smile, adoration in his eyes and a sleeping puppy on his lap. 

Y/N couldn't believe that what started as a hesitant agreement to an unofficial date had turned into the best night of her life. They didn't know it then, but that date would be the start to a life long love affair. 

@straywonpil @siennanoelle01 @choppedhoundsludgeclod @cool-ultra-nerd @hxney-bunches-x @crybabyddl @sorryyoureoutofmyleague @dream-a-little-bigger-x @kcd15 @all-in-fangirl @ifilwtmfc @onlygetaway @iainttakingshitfromnobody @angryknighttreeprune​  @bathtimejish​ @lanasfandoms @miranda0102 @emotionalbruv @aliandthephantoms @multifandombabies @kinda-really-lost @5sosmukefan @alexpjoyner @mo-d3ans @hannahhistorian92 @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve @i-should-be-writing-my-own-fic @sunflowerbecca @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic @n0wornever​

[moonflowerlesbians]

Jamie is trying to ignore the new au pair. She doesn't need to fall for this beautiful and straight girl. But then Flora asks her to clean the pool after months without using it because "it's a perfectly hot and beautiful day and we need to have a pool party. And you're invited too".

Dani. The pool. Bikini. Jamie doesn't know how to react to this, so she decides to keep ignoring her. But she can bet Dani is looking at her... A bit too much.

took me a second but I offer you almost 3000 words as penance. also I sort of extended it because it's apparently impossible for me to write pure fluff.

AO3 link in reblog if that's your preference :)

~~~

“Ah, yeah, it’ll be perfectly splendid,” Jamie grumbles between pants, yanking the tie of the pool cover over one shoulder with a huff. “Sure, perfectly splendid to swim in. Have t’ get it clean first. Can’t just jump in.”

At half eight in the evening, she’d been trying to beat the bizarre heatwave that had befallen the English countryside, but she’s failing rather spectacularly if the moisture gathering at her hairline is any indication. She swipes an arm across her forehead and listens to the faint chatter from the open sitting-room window, where the other grown members of the household bask in the glorious company of electric fans. Meanwhile, Jamie swelters away the evening spraying down pool filters and vacuuming leaves from the tile floor because someone had the bright idea to remind an eight-year-old that she has access to a pool.

“Oh, please, Jamie, please!” Flora had pleaded, practically bouncing out of her seat at the dinner table and coming terrifyingly close to tipping several drinks onto Hannah’s pristine tablecloth. “It’s dreadfully hot and a beautiful day, and we simply must have a pool party.” She had gasped so abruptly that Dani nearly dropped her fork, Jamie noted with a subtle grin. “We’ll all have a pool party! And Owen can make sandwiches, and Mrs. Grose can bring picnic blankets, and you must come, too, Jamie, won’t you please?”

Then Jamie had made the poor decision to lock eyes with Dani from across the table. The desperation plainly written across her face had been enough to convince Jamie to concede with a faux exhale of annoyance.

Thus, the weary gaze of a haggard au pair run ragged by herding two children indoors is the reason Jamie finds herself skimming the pool’s surface for any leaves and algae that managed to weasel beneath the cover when she should be driving home.

“Sorry,” a voice comes from behind her, “I’m the one who planted the idea in her head.”

Jamie turns to find Dani, a glass in either hand, peering at her with the expression of a woman who is half-tempted to change places and take up the skimmer herself simply to have a moment to herself.

“S’alright, needed to be done anyway. Won’t be ready until at least tomorrow,” Jamie sighs, accepting the proffered glass with a grateful nod. “Kids tired of being cooped up?”

Dani puffs out a laugh that says, you don’t know the half of it. “You’d think they don’t have a house the size of my old school to explore.”

“Bet they haven’t even found half the secret passages,” remarks Jamie over the smooth rim of her glass. Dani sips from hers, and Jamie endeavors to ignore the bob of her throat as she swallows.

“The what?” The wrinkles that appear on Dani’s forehead are surprisingly charming. Too charming. Jamie shoos the thought away before it can land.

“C’mon, Poppins. House this size? This old? There at least have to be servants’ tunnels.”

“Have… have you found any?”

Jamie hums noncommittally, noting the way Dani shifts her weight on her heels as if she cannot bear the thought of standing still. “Did you come out here just for this?”

“Partly, yes, but,” she lowers her voice, “I really just needed to get away from the kids for a few minutes. Owen’s got them playing a board game, thank God, and after that, I can put them to bed. I adore them, but sometimes…” she shrugs.

“We all need space,” Jamie finishes, a bit more brusque than she intended, which she chalks up to the evening hour and the heat, and Dani takes a step back. Shit. “Meant to say,” Jamie salvages with a wince, “it’s nice to be alone sometimes.” She grimaces, doing her best to focus on the cool glass in her hand rather than the heat in her face and the flutter low in her belly.

“I know what you meant,” Dani says softly. Then, after a moment’s pause spent glancing from Jamie to the pool and back again, “You need any help out here?”

Jamie raises an eyebrow. “Lookin’ for excuses to avoid work, are we?”

“No, no, I, um… No?”

“Relax, Dani,” Jamie chuckles, setting her empty water cup down in the grass. Dani visibly settles. “If you’d like to drag the garden hose over, we’ll need to rinse the filters.”

“Got it,” Dani says seriously, and she practically marches to the nearest hose rack as Jamie watches with a quirk of the lips. The au pair completes tasks as if the world will fall apart if they remain incomplete a moment longer. It’s a quality Jamie admires in her, the passion and fervor with which she undertakes the seemingly mundane tasks in her life. Jamie also finds herself mildly amused by the way Dani stalks across the property like she might break into a run at any moment, always on high alert. Always tense.

Might be nice to see her take a full breath for the first time in her life.

Might be nice to see her at ease.

Might be nice to see her relax.

Very nice, indeed, it turns out.

Almost too nice, two days later, the way Dani lounges on a patio chair she’d dragged to the poolside, with a book in her hand and one leg propped on the seat.

Too nice, the way her hair looks beneath a sun hat, casting dappled shadows over the tip of a tongue poking out between pursed lips as she turns a page.

Too nice, the way she lowers her sunglasses over her nose to keep an eye on the children splashing and shrieking in the water.

Too nice, in fact, far too nice for Jamie, who tries and repeatedly fails to keep her gaze off pale, freckled skin and eyes as blue and clear as the water. She can’t sit still. Can’t seem to cease the bouncing of a leg or the rote twirling of hair between twitching fingers. Can’t seem to stop flitting from superfluous task to superfluous task long enough to catch her breath, stolen against her will each and every time she catches a flash of exposed skin dancing in the midday sun.

But the worst part, by far, is when she looks at Dani… Dani is looking back. Four times now, Jamie has cast a fleeting glance at the lazing au pair only to find her peering at Jamie with equal intensity.

Odd, Jamie thinks, fiddling with the stem of a bush a few meters away from the pool, to catch Dani staring so often. But coincidences have been stranger, she decides, chalking it up to amicable concern. She can’t allow herself to dwell on the occurrence. Too many possibilities that open doors to too much trouble. Far more trouble than Dani is worth.

But what if… a niggling voice at the back of her head chides.

No, Jamie reminds herself with a mental kick and an outward shake of her head. She had a fiancé.

Hannah sits with her trousers rolled to her knees, ever one for modesty, with her legs dangling in the shallow end of the pool, while Owen and the kids do everything short of pulling the poor housekeeper in the water to utterly drench her. Hannah, to her credit, is taking their antics in stride, no doubt due to the mustachioed mastermind currently huddled with two overeager children.

The promise to Flora had been a pool party, and, never one to give up on her goals once they were set in her mind, the girl had hounded the adults with unrelenting chipperness until, one by one, they had been worn down. Which is surely the only reason Jamie hovers at the edge of the pool deck in an oversized t-shirt tied at the waist and old running shorts--the only sort of swimsuit she could throw together on short notice.

“Thought I might get in. Care to join me?”

Slender legs enter Jamie’s field of vision, then Dani is only paces away, a hand resting on one hip. She’s removed her hat, left to save her empty seat, and her sunglasses rest atop her forehead, pushing her hair out of her face and onto her shoulders. Her cornflower-blue swimsuit hugs her figure, and Jamie forces her eyes up, her throat terribly dry. She swallows thickly.

“May as well.”

Dani leads the way to the water’s edge, dipping one painted toenail into the water and producing a satisfied noise. She turns to Jamie standing a few feet behind and sweeps the sunglasses from her head, shaking her hair out. “Hold these for me?”

Wordlessly, Jamie delicately grasps one temple of the white plastic frame as Dani steps forward, her arms over her head, hands meeting in a V-shape. The hidden muscles in her back ripple, and she executes an elegant plunge into the pool, emerging with a gasp and a whoop of elated laughter. A smattering of applause rises from the opposite end of the pool, the others having apparently stopped their scheming long enough to watch Dani’s flawless--at least in Jamie’s opinion--swan dive.

“Oh, Miss Clayton, that was splendid!” Flora’s shrill voice chirps.

Hannah remarks, clearly impressed, “I had no idea we had a professional in our midst."

“I’d hardly say professional,” Dani says with a modest roll of her eyes. The water swirls where she treads. She pushes water-darkened hair from her eyes. Then, to Jamie, she explains, “I was on the community pool swim and dive team for a few summers before I could get a job.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Jamie replies. She passes the sunglasses to Dani’s outstretched hand and takes a seat on the sun-warm grey concrete at the edge of the pool. Dani swims up and places crossed arms beside Jamie on the deck, resting her chin on the intersection and looking up at Jamie. Lean legs kick out behind her into crystalline depths, and golden sunlight refracts in the water, bathing beneath the surface in an ethereal glow.

“You’re not getting in?” Dani asks.

“Not the biggest fan of water, if I’m honest,” Jamie confesses nonchalantly, as if by some miracle this admission will end the conversation.

No, Dani’s desire to learn, to understand, is far too intense for that. It’s another quality of hers Jamie admires, even if it feels as though she’s laying herself bare by sharing the tiniest details under her scrutiny.

“I knew plenty of kids afraid of the water back in the day,” Dani says easily, tracing lines in the small puddle that has formed from the droplets on her skin, “it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“‘S not that. I just,” Jamie searches, somewhat defensively, struggling to convey the message without saying the words that reveal a weakness she is loath to expose. Her silence evidently speaks volumes.

“Jamie,” Dani says quietly, a furrow forming between her brows, “can you swim?”

Damn those observant eyes, that sharp mind.

Jamie looks away, shrinks just a little, scoffs with false bravado, “‘Course I can swim.” Then, “Can paddle… float….” Heat rises in her already flushed cheeks, and she picks at the skin surrounding the cuticle on her thumb.

“It’s… You know it’s okay if you can’t, right?” And Dani’s voice is soft, so soft, a murmur really, a whisper that makes Jamie’s heart ache. It keeps the sound from carrying across the pool as it does hold Jamie in her destitution.

She thinks back to a childhood of coal dust and dirty sofa beds and scavenging for food. Thinks of summers spent doing odd jobs to pay the rent, of sleeping on the porch because it was cooler out there than in the house. Thinks of covering herself with as much clothing as she could despite the rising temperatures to fend off roving eyes, to appear a larger threat than a scrawny eleven-year-old girl actually was. Thinks of boiling pots and scalding showers spent scrubbing her skin clean, as though maybe if she rubbed hard enough, the memories would wash away with the grime. Circle the drain once, twice, and disappear forever.

“Never really learned, I s’pose,” Jamie forces a weak laugh. “Didn’t have anyone really keen on teachin’ me.”

Dani is quiet for a moment. “I could.”

“Could what? Teach me? ‘S not your problem to worry about, Poppins.” The thought nearly sends her mind into overdrive. Nescience of an essential life skill is ignominious enough, but to have Dani bear witness to the reality is unthinkable.

“Well, sure it is,” Dani shakes her head, affronted at the mere notion. “What would we do if you fell in and drowned? Someone needs to keep Owen in line.”

Jamie notes the ‘we’ in her statement. We need you. Not I. Distinctly not I, Jamie repeats to herself. She fidgets with the knot in her t-shirt.

“Already told you I can paddle. I’d be fine.”

“Still.” Dani is staring up at her with a pointed look. She has the glint in her eye that Jamie recognizes from the instances Dani deems it necessary to hold her ground with Miles or persuade Flora to clean up her dolls at the end of a long day. She will not give in.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Jamie raises an eyebrow, approaching Dani’s determination as one might a chest of buried treasure, hesitant, disbelieving, a bit curious.

Dani shakes her head again, the ghost of a smirk upturning the corner of her lips.

A beat, during which Jamie’s thoughts wage war amongst themselves. One team screams at her to take the opportunity to spend time with the woman that another batch reminds her is not interested in the least. Another group acknowledges the practical benefits of developing a skill beyond aimless paddling, while another still acknowledges the persistent flutter in her stomach.

At last, “Reckon you’ll be putting that fancy teaching degree to use again,” Jamie acquiesces with a sigh. “Doubt this is what you signed up for, though.”

“I know exactly what I signed up for.” There’s a mischievous lilt to Dani’s words that sends a bolt of feverish perplexion through her. Dani pulls back from the side of the pool and holds out her hands. “We can get started right now.”

Jamie must look as if she’d rather snip off a finger with her garden shears than get in the water because Dani laughs.

“Or not,” she says with a sincere smile, and she ducks back under the water before popping up at Jamie’s feet, wiping the water from her eyes.

“I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of the kids,” Jamie says with a chuckle. “Lord knows I’ve never done that before, and I don’t intend on starting now.” It’s a half-truth. The real issue stems from the moderately disconcerting realization that breathing on land is hard enough with Dani so close, and Jamie really isn’t keen on finding out what will happen if she tries to slip underwater.

A brief flash of her sputtering to the surface, limbs flailing in all directions, crosses her mind, and she shakes it away.

A whooping from the opposite end of the pool catches her attention, and she looks up.

It seems whatever Owen and the children plotted had worked. Hannah is, much to her presumed consternation, sopping wet from head to toe, though she merely wrings out her blouse and kicks a lighthearted splash back at the children, who, having completed their mission, slink out of the pool and wrap themselves in paisley towels.

“Finished already?” Dani calls, and Flora nods from the deck, a yawn splitting her face despite the clock only reading three in the afternoon. “I’ll be right there!” She turns back to Jamie, says softly, “Another time?”

Jamie nods. “Another time.”

Then, Dani is off, gathering her things and herding the children back across the stretch of grass and into the house, leaving Jamie to watch in delirious bewilderment as her heart pounds far faster than it ought to, given the situation. And yet, Jamie cannot fault it, nor can she calm her racing pulse, though she tries.

Dani is the cause, she knows. Dani is always the cause, and no amount of fervent internal reminders seem to dull her effect. No incalculable quantity of mutterings about ex-fiancés will stop Jamie’s breath from catching when Dani settles down for dinner. No collection of whispered slim chanceswill convince a weak heart to cease its clamant pattering at the sight of a column of silky skin. No platitudes can dissuade Jamie’s longing soul from going against her better judgment, from going against her learned experiences that say this will only lead to heartbreak.

Love is sink or swim, she has learned, and Jamie has been treading water, head just barely above the surface, for far, far too long. Dani has offered to hold her hand, quite literally, to guide her through the risk, if only Jamie will make a move to reach out. Perhaps… Perhaps, Dani can guide her to shore to rest among sand beaches and good company. Perhaps, Dani will not let go along the way.

Another time, then.

Another time, yes. But soon. Soon, because Jamie is rapidly growing weary of condemning her wayward heart to fruitless excitement, of shutting a thing down before it can even begin, like cutting down a sapling before it emerges from a seed.

It’s sink or swim, and, at last, Jamie chooses to swim.

[kappnspeach]

how to quickly pay off loans in animal crossing new horizons (without time traveling): *UPDATED 4/1*

okay so i know these tutorials are everywhere but i also know that the biggest and most famous way to get bells from acnl was bug farming. theres no island that you can go to everytime that will have massive amounts of valuable bugs so i made my own. here's how to do it:

you're going to start by collecting all of the flowers on your island and putting them in one spot. you're probably going to want to remove some of the trees in a large area as well (if you dont know how: eat some fruit, grab a shovel, and dig that tree up). i put my garden in front of my house. there aren't a ton of flowers on your island so i recommend taking a shovel with you and heading to a nook island (or stealing them from your s/o like i did). once there, fill up your pockets with flowers by digging them up and plant them in your home. heres what my garden looks like as of day four in the game:

UPDATE AS OF 4/1/20: i’m putting the rest of this post under read more because it is now obsolete in the northern hemisphere as emporer butterflies are out of season. here is some new and updated information on catching bugs!!

in the last tutorial (the one under the read more), i said you should catch emporer butterflies and man-faced stink bugs after 7pm. this is no longer correct as emporer butterflies are out of season and it’s not worth hunting man-faced stink bugs. you won’t turn nearly as much profit as the following method.

you’ll want to keep your large garden (don’t worry, all your hard work wasn’t for nothing!!) however, this time you’re going to hunt for bugs during the day. 8am-5pm approximately (some can still be caught until 7pm but 8-5 is prime bug hunting times). one of the bugs (and the biggest money winner) only appears if you have hybrids in your garden. if you’ve been watering your garden frequently, you should have had at least one. you can also sometimes find them on nook miles islands. you’ll want to catch the following list of bugs:

agrias butterfly (3000 - infrequent) orchid mantis (2,400 - fairly frequent) peacock butterfly (2,500 - very frequent - only spawn if hybrid flowers are present - replaces emporer from last tutorial due to sheer volume) rajah brooke’s birdwing (2,500 - not very frequent) paperkite butterfly (1,000 - frequent - replaces stinkbugs from last tutorial) madagascan sunset moth (2,500 - infrequent) tiger beetle (1,500 - unknown frequency)

you can ignore almost everything else. with the added butterflies, this makes daytime hunting much more profitable. i also recommend that if you can, wait until flick is on your island (place your bugs in your storage or around your island for safe keeping). he pays 50% more than the nooks do and it’s definitely worth it. he’s also super cute and it makes him happy so there’s that.

and that’s all! sorry for the lack of pictures this time but i hope this helps. if anyone needs anymore tips or tricks or has any questions, please feel free to message me anytime :)

you can hunt for bugs day or night but the more valuable bugs tend to come out in the evenings (around 7pm). you'll want to have quite a few nets prepared and ready to go. i throw them on the ground with some resources to make some more and the workbench.

the two bugs you're going to want to stock up on are emporer butterflies (4000 bells) and man-faced stink bugs (1000 bells). make sure to scare away all of the regular green stink bugs so that the man faced stink bugs and emporer butterflies appear more frequently.

in a garden of the size above it takes me ~10 minutes to fill up on bugs. once you've filled up on all of your bugs, head over to nooks and sell them.

if nooks is closed, you can drop them on the ground and sell them off the next morning. I've been using this method for ~3 days and I've already gotten to the fourth room in my house. heres my account balance after one night in the game (and i only played for about two hours):

lmk if you have any questions about the process. sorry if someone's done this before but i haven't seen a tutorial on it!! :) have fun!!!

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

My love congratulations on 3000! You deserve all of it! It’s no surprise I freaking love!! Your writing so except two requests from me haha 😅 For your celebration may I pretty please get promt 5 and 24 with our favorite god Thor for request one💗🫣  

Always Just One More

Thor x plus size reader

Thor is insatiable for you and being in public won’t stop him

Warnings: smut, fingering, overstimulation, exhibitionism, sex (kind of) in a public place, Natasha knows all, references to oral and sex toys

WC: 636

Minors DNI

3000 Follower Celebration

Thor loved to give you orgasms. It was his favourite pastime besides playing video games. Eating you out, fucking you, controlling a vibrator or dildo he slipped into you, all of it was great to him! He was hypnotised by the way your eyebrows would scrunch as you drew closer to your end, how your breathing changed and how your already tantalising scent got even sweeter.

But by far his favourite way of making you cum was with his fingers. He could watch as you were pinned to the bed or the couch or the kitchen counter (anywhere really) and be forced to take his thick fingers assaulting that little spot inside of you that made your bones go to jelly. It was a massive ego boost to have you fall apart on just one of his fingers. And he especially loved walking around for the rest of the day with your scent soaked into the rough skin of his hands.

But his most cherished part of having you like this was that he could do it in public.

The bar was just crowded enough that no one was bothered by the fact that you were sitting on his wide lap, the large skirt of your 50’s-style dress fanned out over his thighs. Everyone’s eyes were hazy with the copious amounts of alcohol they had ingested in the hour they had been there. Even the self-righteous Steve was flushed to the tips of his ears.

Thor’s lips were pressed to the side of your head and to anyone else, this would have looked like a loving gesture between partners but dear god you knew better. Beneath your skirts, his huge palms kept your plump legs spread as his fingers toyed with your clit, your ruined panties tucked safely in his pocket . 

“Come on, just one more. One more and then we’re done.” That was a damn lie. He had said that two orgasms ago when your brain could actually form somewhat coherent thoughts. His black jeans were stained even darker with your wetness and his throbbing bulge was pressed tightly to your outer thigh. 

The noise of your companions and the other patrons of the club faded to a dull white noise as your ears began to ring. Thor held you tighter to him as you squirmed.

You whined pitifully as his fingers dipped down to your entrance, scooping up remnants of your release to push back inside of you. Your hips rolled down into his hand despite the burn of overstimulation that radiated from your core. A chuckle rumbled through his broad chest and he pressed a kiss to the side of your head.

“That’s it, keep going. Such a good girl. Cum one more time and then I’ll take you home and ravish you.” For a brief moment, you came back to your senses, just in time to see Natasha’s green eyes trained on you, a wicked smirk upon her lips. But before you could warn your beau or even make a sound, your fifth release of the night washed over you and you went boneless in Thor’s arms.

“Hey Point Break!” Tony called over the din, his voice slurred, “Think you need to take Ms Daisy home!” The others groaned at the dumb nicknames but the god smiled.

“I think you are right!” He seized onto the suggestion, “Come on my love, we should get you into bed.” Some of the others gave a whoop. He gently lowered you to the floor, your heels barely touching the sticky wood before an arm wrapped around your thick waist, keeping you upright as your knees buckled.

“Take good care of our girl!” Natasha called out as you were being led away and Thor looked back over his shoulder, throwing her a wink.

“I always do!”

Marvel Masterlist | Main Masterlist

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[badwriting-baddesicions]

TO DO

masterlist

ATEEZ:

Altar Boys Altered Boys (We’re The Thing Love Destroys) - WooSan

Aurora - 2Ho

Baby Baby You’re A Carmel Macchiato - San

Because I Met You I Draw A Bigger Picture - ATEEZ

(Don’t You Know I’m A) Boss That Leads You - WooSanSang

But You Won’t Do The Same - San

Dancing Like Butterfly Wings - WooSanSang

Do You Wanna Run Away Too? (All I Really Want Is You) - Hongjoong

Forever Fight As One - Seonghwa

I Will Become The Spring To Your Smiles - Mingi

Lonely Hearts - Mingi

Maybe You’ll Love Yourself (Like I Love You) - Hongjoong

Moments Like This - SanGi

One Day at a Time - ATEEZ

Pirate King - SeongJoong

Soon May The Wellerman Come -Yeosang

Spare Me What You Think (Tell Me A Lie) - SeongJoong

Star 1117 - SeongJoong

Sunrise - WooSanHwa

THANXX - ATEEZ

Think You’re Ready For The Monster Monster - JongSan

This Is Our Fate, I’m Yours - SanGi

Twilight - WooSan

Wave - YunGi

We Will Make This Love Together - San

Where’d You Wanna Go? How Much You Wanna Risk? - WooSanHwa

Wonderland - SanGi

(Roger That) Yes Sir I’ll Protect Them - Jongho

Your Red Lipstick - Wooyoung

You’re Not A Constant Star - SeongJoong

BIGBANG:

Monster - G-Dragon

We’re Classic Together (Like Egyptian Gold) - G-Dragon

BTS:

Agust D - Suga

Angel or Devil (What Should I Choose?) - Jimin

Best Years - TaeGiKook

Blood, Sweat & Tears - TaeJin

Don’t Leave - TaeGi

Dynamite - VMinKook

Euphoria - Jungkook

Filter - Jimin

Get The Ink, Get The Pen (Let’s Sign It) - J-Hope

Home - RM

How Did We End Up Here? - TaeGi

I Just Wanna Give You Love - VKook

I Want To Write You A Song - YoonKook

It’s Where My Demons Hide - BTS

Just One Day - YoonKook

Lights - TaeJin

Magic Shop - NamJin

Mikrokosmos -KookMin

My Feet Don’t Dance Like They Did With You - JinKook

My Heart’s Already Breaking (Go On Twist The Knife) - TaeGi

Play Pretend - Suga

Plz Don’t Be Sad - Suga

Pretty Words (On The Tip Of My Tongue) - VMinKook

Save ME - VKook

Speed Demon - VKook

That Should Be Me (Holding Your Hand) - YoonKook

The Truth Untold - Taegi

They Say Love Is Pain (Let’s Hurt Tonight) - V

Too Bad (But It’s Too Sweet) - V

We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal - BTS

Welcome To The House of Fun - TaeJin

What Can I Do? - VMin

Yo Ho Ahoy and Avast - KookMin

You and I (We Don’t Wanna Be Like Me) - VMinKook

Zero O’Clock - HopeKook

EXO:

2nd Grade (Maths Problems) - Baekhyun

Baby Don’t Cry - Chanyeol

Be Combative or Be Sweet Cherry Pie - BaekYeol

Blooming Day - Chen

Don’t Go - Tao

Heaven Knows I’m Falling (I Can Never Be The Same) - Kai

I Can’t Stand The Rain - XiuBaek

I Just Hit The Lotto - Kai

It Will Wet Your Wings - KaiBaek

Lost In Reality -Tao

Lotto - Lay

Moonlight - LuChen

My Answer - XiuChen

Peter Pan - Tao

Ring-a-Ring O Rosie (Whoever Gets The Closest) - Kai

She’s In A Long Black Coat Tonight - Chen

The Moonlight Fills Your Eyes - ChanKai

The One - Xiumin

Twenty Four - ChanKai

Unfair - Baekhyun

Wolf - Lay

GOT7:

I Wish I Was (Beside You) - Jackson

Just Right - BamBam

Miracle - Jinyoung

School Life (Again Today) - BamBam

Take A Sip From My Secret Potion - JB

(Remember All The Memories) The Fireflies and Make Believe - BamBam

HIGHLIGHT:

Prince Charming (Ridicule Is Nothing To Be Scared Of) - Gikwang

iKON:

I Feel So Right Doing The Wrong Thing - Bobby Monsta X: I Will Borrow The Skies - Jooheon. This Way, That Way, Forwards, Backwards (Over The Irish Sea) - Wonho

NCT:

All My Moments Want You - MarkHyuck

And I Still Want You - LuMark

Assemble - Lucas

Baby Don’t Like It - MarkHyuck

Baby Don’t Stop - Tae Ten

Baby We Two Distant Strangers - Yuta

Born To Be Wild - Haechan

BOSS - LuWoo

But My Heart Goes - Lucas

Candle Light - MarkSung

Can’t Even Talk, Still Stuttering - LuWoo

Complete - LuWin

Daisy Daisy (Give Me Your Answer Do) - Jaemin

Dance Around The Living Room (Lose Me In The Sight Of You) - JohnTenKun

Dear DREAM - NCT DREAM

Dream A Little Dream Of Me - LuWoo

Dream Glow - Yangyang

Drifting, Drifting, Drifting - Jungwoo

Everything Has Changed - Ten

Everything I Didn’t Say - NCT

Fireflies - NoMin

Fly Away With Me - MarkHyuck

Fool’s Gold - YuWinIl

Goodnight Sweetheart - Jeno

Grow Up - TaeTen

Hakuna Matata - LuWin

Hello Future - Renjun

Hold Me In Your Arms Tonight - MarkYong

Home - WayV

Howling At The Moon - JohnTen

Hugs and Kisses - Johnny

I Can’t Stop My Hand From Shaking - Jungwoo

(I’m Waking Up) I Feel It In My Bones - Taeyong

I Hate This After Dark - Mark

I Have Loved You Since We Were 18 - JaeYong

I Hear Them Coming For You - Jaemin

I Tend To Glow When You Are By My Side - NCT

I Want To Write You A Song - RenLe

If I Ask You If You Love Me (Lie To Me) - Jaemin

If I Could Fly - TaeTen

I’ll Be Right Here Beside You For Life - ChenJi

I’ll Be Your Genie - NoMin

I’ll Make This Feel Like Home - Shotaro

I’m A Wolf and You’re A Beauty - Jaehyun

I’m Giving Up On You (Say Something) - NoRenMin

I’ve Never Seen You In The Daylight - Jungwoo

Kick It - Taeyong

Killing Me - Yuta

La La Love - RenHyuck

Long Way Home - MarkHyuckWoo

Lost - Yangyang

Love Talk - TenWin

Lover of Mine - Winwin

Make A Wish - Shotaro

Misfit - Sungchan

Most Nights I Hardly Sleep When I’m Alone - Haechan

Music, Dance - Sungchan

My First and Last - MarkNo

My Flower - Haechan

My Heart Is Blind (But I Don’t Care) - MinSung

New Heroes - Ten

No Longer - Taeil

Not Alone - JohnMark

Of Guns and Roses - Renjun

Perche Tu Stasera Sei Perfetta Per Me - Mark

Punch - JohnJae

Puzzle Piece - NCT DREAM

Remember When I Broke You Down To Tears - RenMarkHyuck

Requiem - Jisung

Ridin - NoMinSung

Smooth Like A, Like A Snake - Doyoung

SOMEONE’S SOMEONE - Kun

Stop. Rewind. Turn Back Time - Winwin

Superhuman - YuMark

Take Off - LuWin

The Internet Is Great - TenWin

The Sun Will Shine Through - Ten

This Is Halloween - Taeyong

Till The Love Runs Out - Shotaro

TOUCH - MarkYong

Touch Me When The Sun Goes Down - NoRenMin

Wait For Me To Come Home - LuWooMark

Waited For Your Reply (Here In The Pouring Rain) - SungTaro

We Almost Rolled The Dice - Winwin

We Got That (Power) - Jaehyun

What Can I Do? - Jisung

Whatever It Take - JaeYong

WHO DO U LOVE? - YuWin

Wildflower - Haechan

With Great Power - Winwin

With You - Mark

You and I Go Hard At Each Other (Like We Going To War) - Chenle

You Are My Soulmate(s) - MarkHyuckHei

(This Is Our Sanctuary) You Are Safe With Me - ChenJi

You Became My Crown - MarkYong

You’ll Find Me In The Region Of The Summer Stars - Jaehyun

You’re My Everything - Kun

You’re The One I Want For Christmas - Xiaojun

You’re Unfair - TenWin

ONEUS:

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells Jingle All The Way - Hwanwoong

Princely Duties - Hwanwoong

Spooky Scary Skeletons - Ravn

Stay Oh (Baby Touch Me) - Hwanwoong

SEVENTEEN:

A Tiger Inside - SoonHoon

Call Call Call! - Hoshi

Extreme Musical Statues - JiGyu

Fallin Flower - JunHao

Fear - Meanie

Giving All My Secrets Away - MingSoon

Home - Dino

How Can I Love You? (If You Don’t Talk To Me) - SoonHoon

Hug - SoonHoon

I’m A Lost Boy - Woozi

Lay You Head On Me - Joshua

Love Letter - JiGyu

My My - Woozi

Smile Flower - Woozi

Snap Shoot - 2JiCheol

Splish Splash - Hoshi

Titanium - Meanie

SHINee:

Cafe Latte - Taemin

Good Evening - Onew

I Growl At You - Taemin

I Will Fight, I Will Fight For You - Taemin

Lucifer - JongTae

Our Page - Jonghyun

Witch - Taemin

SPEED:

Welcome To The Circus - Sungmin

Stray Kids:

A Sign of the Times - Felix

Astronaut - Bang Chan

Authorized Personnel Only (Back Door) - ChanLix

BEWARE - Bang Chan

Burger and Sandwich, Coffee and Tea - ChangLix

District 9 - Lee Know

Finders Keepers Losers Weepers - Bang Chan

I Need Someone - Seungmin

I Want To Breathe You In Like A Vapour - I.N

I’m Sorry (My Handwriting Isn’t Pretty) - ChangLix

Insomnia - ChanLix

I’ve Been To The Year 3000 - 2Chan

Levanter - Han

Little Steps - Han

My Side - Felix

Never Ending Story - JiLix

Please Baby Get Away From Me (I’m Poison) - Changbin

Spaces Between Us - Lee Know

The Story of My Life - 3RACHA

We’re Not Alright But I’ll Pretend - Felix

SuperM:

Better Days - KaiMark

Big Chance - TaemTen

(When I’m With You) Danger Seems Like A Good Thing - TaeKai

Even When I Lose I’m Winning - TaeKai

Please Excuse My Writing - TaemTen

The Only Heaven I’ll Be Sent To - KaiMark

Tiger Inside - SuperM

To You In The Distant Future - SuperM

Who Do You Love? (Is It Him or Me?) - KaiMark

Yeah Superhuman! - TaemTen

TXT:

0x1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) - Yeonjun

Blue Hour - Yeonjun Dubaddu Wari Wari - Taehyun

Flip It On Me Say I Think Too Much - Huening Kai I Know I Could Lie (But I’m Telling The Truth) - Taehyun I Know I Love You - Yeonjun I Know You Don’t Give Two Fucks - Beomgyu (Sorry) I’m An Antiromantic - TaeGyu I’m A Loser - Soobin Loving You Is A Losing Game - Yeonjun

Magic - TXT

Oh My God (He’s A Really Bad Boy) - Yeonjun PUMA - TXT

Run Away - Huening Kai

Running Down To The Riptide - Huening Kai Small Town Boy (In A Big Arcade) - YeonBin

VIXX:

Fantasy - Neo

Hyde - LR

On and On - Leo

Thank You For My Love - Leo

Series:

The Power Within - Baekyeol

1-MAMA 2-POWER 3-OVERDOSE 4-LUCKY ONE 5-MONSTER FINALE-OBSESSION

[ditch-witches]

Silhouette (Dean Charles-Chapman x reader)

request: Dean x Kiwi by Harry Styles (idek if this is okay im sorry)

warnings: smoking, drinking, weird au, some adult themes

word count: ~3000 (IM SORRY)

a/n: hey guys! since I’m now on break, I’m going to try and get back to writing. let me know what you think (literally even if it’s like ‘lol this sux’) and---as always---our inbox is open and we love to hear from you. happy reading! ♡

𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓲𝓶𝓵𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓽 𝓫𝓪𝓻; the buzz of his surroundings vibrating through his bones with the slight nervousness he yielded. His heart skipped a few beats, his mouth drying as he shed his jacket and ran his fingers into his hair. The smoky atmosphere was cut by the strong scent of Acqua di Parma and sweat as he was drawn further into the gentlemen’s club via the deep wine-colored curtains twisting this way and that to cover the bare walls beneath. The accents of gold lights barely illuminated certain corners of the large room, sending a small rush of claustrophobia pulsing through his veins. Girls of various silhouettes seemed to sway between the tables, tending to the desires of sundry men gathered around tables and stationed in lavish, velvet chairs. 

He felt out of place, to say the least. The only time he had ever found himself in such a setting usually occurred when his garrulous boss and his group of kiss-asses wanted to slip away from their loyalties of marriage for a dirty tango with a nameless courtesan. They often disguised these faults of character as “letting off steam after a biting week.” By a simple survey of the room, Dean recognized several of the men from the last times he was dragged to the underground business. Appalling. 

“Chapman!” A husky voice beckoned Dean from one of the prominent tables. His eyes drifted towards the noise after his feet had already begun to carry him away. The man who’d called to him was one of the heirs of the company Dean worked for; a capricious bastard who could and would liquidate Dean’s position at the drop of a hat. He was pinned to his seat beneath a woman no older than Dean yet the years against the outside world painted her face, twisting into the lines framing her eyes and mouth. The Heir held onto the woman a bit tighter as he flung his hand in the air almost like he was trying to wave down Dean in the middle of the Colosseum. 

Dean nodded in acknowledgment and gestured towards the bar, hoping to kill enough time and gain a bit of patience before having to withstand the course of a few hours with the group of heinous Yale alumni. He slumped onto one of the bar stools, pushing his fingers against his temple and mumbling a drink order to the suave bartender. Dean was no prude, but the thought of paying for women to throw themselves at his colleagues seemed like a waste of money. 

She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes / Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect.

As a tumbler of copper-colored courage was set in front of him, Dean chewed the inside of his cheek, glaring at the glass as if it were containing everything distasteful about the position he was seemingly cemented into. Raising the crystal schooner to his lips, his eyes drifted towards the end of the bar as an ick of being watched by smoldering eyes slithered up each of his vertebrae. The dark shade of your lipstick seemed to be cut from the same fabric as the curtains; the hue pressing around the thin paper of the cigarette you were drawing from. The slender elegant swirls of smoke dancing around you gave your appearance an almost ghost-like aura as your eyes analyzed Dean. The corner of your mouth drew up in a small smirk as he tugged his eyes away from you. Dean knew not to let himself look frigid and square under your gaze, plucking as much courage as he could from the depths of his being to ease his mannerisms and seem unbothered. 

And all the boys, they were saying they were into it / Such a pretty face, on a pretty neck.

You seemed familiar to him in a way he couldn’t place, yet as his eyes lifted once more they fell onto the Heir who smoothed his hair back into place, a mission in his eyes like you were an untouched civilization waiting to be colonized. His lasering stare glued to you as he fastened his jacket button and straightened his pant legs. You lazily took another drag from your cigarette, brushing away the slight smear of your lipstick with your pinky and blowing your spiraling clouds directly towards the Heir as he bluntly approached the vacant seat beside you. The acrid expression in your eyes only seemed to beckon him further into your personal space as he leaned towards your ear to whisper a leerish bribe. You tilted your head away from him as his breath fanned over your neck, your eyes kindling a fire deep within Dean as he watched the man practically drape himself over your shoulder. 

The Heir leaned back from you faintly to dig into one of his suit jacket pockets for a fold of money. Your eyes fluttered to the bar in front of you, the ice in your drink decomposing like a forgotten animal as the Heir pressed towards your ear with a brutish attempt at holding your attention. 

She’s driving me crazy, but I’m into it… / It’s getting crazy, I think I’m losing it. 

Dean scorned himself for staring, yet he couldn’t bring himself to jerk his gaze away from you. Your sultry eyes knew what the Heir’s actions and your subtle reactions were doing to Dean as his cheeks warmed with each trailing glance and wordless comment. The air seemed to grow thicker as Dean took another drink, watching the small conversation pass between you and the Heir.

When she’s alone, she goes home to a cactus / In a black dress, she’s such an actress.

It only just hit him that you were one of the popular performers. The Heir had been a regular of yours, something Dean had only mildly been attentive to in his previous visits. You had been the one he had talked about during business dinners, trying to persuade Dean into becoming a regular at the club. You were the one he visited during the “droughts” with his wife. You were the other woman. Dean shook his head in mild disbelief as an almost venomous ache settled in his bones at the realization of just what kind of game he could be getting into with you. 

The Heir settled a hand on the back of your neck, the first graze of his skin against yours under Dean’s scorning eye. You wet your lips, flashing your sights back towards Dean as if commanding him to watch. You held an almost debonair attitude towards the Heir; humoring the snobbish brat like he was a toddler too easily upset with not getting his way. Your graceful figure withdrew from under his grasp, sending a few parting words to the Heir before you vanished from Dean’s peripheral. Dean struggled to finish his drink, knowing he would have to face his colleagues after nearly falling into your maniacal web. 

She sits beside me like a silhouette. 

Dean tilted the glass around its base, your eyes still scorched into the depths of his consciousness. The way you disappeared forced the thought to cross Dean’s mind that maybe you were just a figment of his imagination. He could almost picture the shape of your figure as the Heir twisted his ownership and title around you like a thick, suffocating bow as heavy as the draping curtains. Dean gestured for a top off on his drink, his mind wandering to where you were now, and god-forbid if you were at the mercy of the Heir once again. He scoffed to himself, cursing at how late it must be if he were catching a fit like this over a lady of the night. 

And in an instant, it was as if he had manifested your apparition as you settled into the seat beside him. “Stinger please, Joe,” you hummed, sending a small grin to the bartender and crossing your legs. Dean smirked to himself as you nonchalantly popped open your compact mirror and touched up your lipstick, your leg in danger of grazing his own. He gnawed on his bottom lip, searching for the correct string of words to figure out how cautious he had to be around you. 

He side-eyed you, your features more stunning at close contact than from a distance. He was nearly surprised you hadn’t looked as… tired… as the other woman that had been entertaining the Heir earlier in the night. “Did you take the money?” He asked you, a sharp inhale of pride stinging his lungs as he gave into his curiosity. He noticed your sly smile at his words, hating the way you nearly coaxed his thoughts from the tip of his tongue. He took another sip of his drink, pretending it was a struggle for him to make eye contact with you. 

You seemed to chew on your response, the suspense killing Dean as he hung on a line for you. “No, I told him that he got me pregnant,” you quipped lightly, your words reaching out to backhand Dean. It felt like too much information for him but the way you confidently muttered your response had him wondering whether or not you were serious. “He left to phone his wife. I have a feeling I won’t be seeing him for a while,” you continued, a smile threatening to break past your lips. 

Dean perked an eyebrow at the knots in the wood grain beneath his hands, forcing himself to swallow. “What are you gonna do then?” He chided himself for pursuing the topic even further when the thought of it (you and the Heir) made him ill. He stroked his chin, feeling your eyes dance to him. You were close enough that he could smell the mint in your drink. He could swim in the aroma of your delicate perfume and biting liquid. Your voice was a lulling tone he wanted to live in his ears forever.

You wet your lips slowly. “Celebrate, no?” This time Dean did look at you, nearly falling into a trance at the realization that your eyes were more brilliant and cunning than he had remembered. Your gaze jumped from his own eyes to his lips and then back, making him want to slink away from your observance of him. On the flip side, he wanted to pass your inspection. He wanted you. Your voice dropped into a quieter octave, leaning towards Dean faintly, “Men are so easy to break. Tell one white lie and they run for the hills.” You sent him a sneering grin, making him roll his eyes playfully. He watched your fingers as you popped open your cigarette case, striking your lighter and inhaling deeply. The swiftness of your movements sent his thoughts to dark places. “Who are you? I’ve seen you in here a few times but you never leave with any of the girls.” 

Dean chuckled slightly, “I work with your baby daddy at the firm.” Your face flushed with mock realization. Dean turned back to his glass, his facade of confidence adherently fading under the close proximity to you. You were so intoxicating to him, it reminded him of the first time he had dabbled with absinthe in his early college years. You were probably just as dangerous. 

And now she’s all over me, it’s like I paid for it. 

You turned in your seat, facing the floor as you leaned against the bar and closed in on Dean. He knew what you were doing and didn’t dare object to your actions. “Why don’t you ever pay for one of the girls?” You asked, prying over eggshells as Dean fought not to smile. 

“Doesn’t do it for me,” he answered after a moment's hesitation. Your eyebrow perked at him as if to call his bluff, your interest inflating his ego. He would never admit it, but despite his calm exterior, his heart was beating at an ungodly rate. He swore if consumption didn’t kill him, you definitely would. He struggled to completely withstand the pressure of what he was about to challenge. “I’d rather not mix business and pleasure.”

You smirked slightly, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth. “Prove it,” you cooed, reaching into your clutch and flashing a key before Dean’s eyes before you settled it on the table in front of him. He chewed the inside of his cheek, watching as you walked away towards the stairs on the opposite wall of the bar. Dean's mouth grew dry, yet his ego inflated at the fact that he could mumble a few words and an attractive woman such as yourself would be beckoning him to bed. 

It’s like I paid for it...

I’m gonna pay for this.

The music from the parlor drew quiet as Dean climbed the stairs, furthering into the dimly lit hallways with the numbers of your room repeating in his mind. It was almost slow motion as his mind raced with what he could do to you, and more importantly, what you could do to him. 

[crowtrobotx]

Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

tagged by: @le-cat-nipp ❤️❤️ Thank you, dear 😘

i’m tagging: I am literally so awkward about this lol if you’re reading this and want to do it, consider yourself tagged

MUSIC

fave genre? I’m a folk, alt rock, indie rock and classic rock gal. There’s a few modern/pop folks I’m hugely fond of as well. I’m not anti-any type of music tbh.

fave artist? Fleet Foxes, Of Monsters and Men, Lord Huron, Florence + the Machine, Hozier, Lorde, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Hozier, Janelle Monáe, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Billie Eilish, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lil Nas X, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, David Bowie

fave song? Oh man of all time? Fugg. I am very partial to “Shake It Off” by F+TM but this answer could change daily lol.

most listened song recently? Long Lost - Lord Huron

5 fave lyrics? I am not sure if this means “songs with the best lyrics” or “favorite lines” …. I’m gonna go with the latter

“And it echoes when I breathe/Until all you'll see is my ghost/Empty vessel, crooked teeth/Wish you could see” I of the Storm, OMAM

“Words hung above, but never would form/Like a cry at the final breath that is drawn/Remember me, love, when I'm reborn/As a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn” - Shrike, Hozier

“Oh, you fool, there are rules I am coming for you/Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins/I tried to warn you when you were a child/I told you not to get lost in the wild” - The Yawning Grave, Lord Huron

“The fabric of your flesh, pure as a wedding dress/Until I wrap myself inside your arms, I cannot rest/The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound/I hunt for you with bloodied feet across the hallowed ground” - Howl, F+TM

“Though I liked summer light on you/If we ride a winter-long wind/Well time's not what I belong to/And you're not the season you're in” - I’m Not My Season, Fleet Foxes

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

fav book genre? Sci-fi, fantasy, horror

fav writer? VE Schwab, Neil Gaiman, Ursula K Le Guin, Haruki Murakami, Patrick Rothfuss, Samantha Shannon, JRR Tolkien

fav book? “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. I have a lot of favorites but that one wins every time.

fav book series? I really love The Lord of the Rings. It’s a classic but it’s so special to me.

comfort book? “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng. It’s set very close to where I grew up!

perfect book to read on a rainy day? “The Slow Regard of Silent Things” by Patrick Rothfuss

fave characters? Sandor Clegane, Addie LaRue, Lila Bard, Gimli, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Thorin Oakenshield

5 quotes from your fave book that you know by heart?

“Every hour wounds. The last one kills.”

“There’s none so blind as those who will not listen.”

“Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end.”

“I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.”

“‘Hey,’ said Shadow. ‘Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are.’

The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.

‘Say 'Nevermore,'’ said Shadow.

‘Fuck you,’ said the raven.”

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fave tv/movie genre? Similar to books, I love sci-fi, fantasy and horror - I also love documentaries.

fave movie? Spirited Away. Hands down.

comfort movie? Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. First hyperfixation 🥴

movie you watch every year? I traditionally watch “A Christmas Story” at least five times every holiday season lol. Fuck yeah Cleveland!

fave tv show? Black Sails

comfort tv show? Mystery Science Theater 3000

most rewatched tv show? Oh geeze. Either MST3K, Cowboy Bebop, Game of Thrones, Parks & Rec, Frasier, King of the Hill or X-Files

5 fave characters? Fox Mulder, Crow T. Robot, Captain James Flint, Dale Gribble and Catra

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

[soundofseventeen]

How Would You Feel (Chwe Hansol)

It’s still technically your birthday, so I’m not late!!!!!! Happy birthday, @dvoz-writes​!!! Never forget how much we love you!!!! And this also works (a little) for our 2/18 birthday boys!!!!

Word count: 3000

Inspo: How Would You Feel

The first time Hansol almost said he loved you, he had bumped into you on a busy Saturday night. He remembered walking backwards as he admired the bright lights illuminating one of the movie theaters and straight into you, which made you lose the perfect shot of the town clock striking midnight. He turned around the moment he made contact with you and in a split second, his vocabulary flew out the window and something jolted inside his brain. It processed “Sorry,” in English but it crossed with his Korean, and the “Sar-” was already ready to fly out his mouth and he caught it, finally stumbling out his apology.

Luckily for him, you didn’t notice the slip up, but you were trying not to fall captive to his brown eyes and the lights making them sparkle didn’t really help your case. Instead, you assured him that accidents happened and when you saw his shirt and recognized the group. You asked him a question, followed by another, and then ten minutes later, he invited you to a small coffee shop to further discuss the group. 

“Yeah, I’ve seen them a lot of times,” he admitted shyly, sipping on his hot chocolate, “they’re really good live and it’s always worth the money. How about you?”

“I try to go to as many shows as possible. They’re my favorite outside of kpop.” You stirred your own coffee pensively, unsure whether to tell this stranger your deepest regret. Well, he wasn’t a stranger; you would’ve been a fool not to recognize Hansol Vernon Chwe, but he was still someone you didn’t know. “One of their shows I missed, this most recent one I couldn’t afford to go because work hates me and I need the money, but they said it was their best one yet.”

“Oh yeah, I went to that one. They added a song that wasn’t normally on the set, and I recorded it.” He pulled out his phone and began scrolling through it as if his life depended on it. “There it is.” He debated whether to show you. He was aware you knew him, but he appreciated the way you treated him like a normal person. He hadn’t felt this way around anyone in awhile, so he handed it to you.

“No way,” you gasped when you pressed play. “This is my favorite song. I mean, I saw it on YouTube and everything but-” you didn’t finish your sentence, you hand covering your mouth in awe and shock. You could feel the tears coming but you wouldn’t cry. Not tonight in front of an idol.

Hansol cocked his head, processing all your emotions, feeling the smile coming on and he didn’t fight it. His heart did a thing, and for a moment, he regretted not telling you he loved you, but then he remembered he didn’t know you or your name, and he wanted to know you. The moment the song finished and he locked eyes with you, he knew he had fallen in love with you.

*

The second time he almost told you he loved you, it was after he invited you to come with him to see his family. Sofia had a thing to do and after countless hours of begging him that he needed to see this, he relented and you crossed his mind, and he said he’d go on the condition that he could bring a friend and she agreed. So he called you, and he left you a voicemail when you didn’t pick up, when he forgot that you worked that day. You called him a couple hours later on your break (leaving your own voicemail because he had idol duties to attend to) and let him know that you cleared a few days off the ones in question. 

The look on Sofia’s face when she had opened the door and saw you instead of one of the members was amusing, to say the least, but she warmed up to you really quickly. She still had a few hours until she had to go to a school graduation, one that had asked her to sing the Korean national anthem so she was doing everything she could to keep her nerves under control. You were currently on the floor, playing a board game and they were both yelling at you and accusing you of cheating. Even through everyone's fit of giggles, Sofia couldn’t miss the way your competitive streak came out and how Hansol just egged your annoyance on. A few rounds later, you called it quits by throwing your cards on the board, mostly because it was time for the little sister to start getting ready and because when it was siblings against the one person, they usually won. You reached over and mussed Sofia’s hair and she jumped up quickly, claiming she needed to shower before everyone was late. You helped Vernon pick up the game, joining in his sing-along and him telling you about how he grew up and pointing to the various juice stains on the ceiling and showing you all his favorite books. 

Sofia found you both in the kitchen about 20 minutes later, huddled over bowls of cereal and arguing over which was the best one and she announced it was time to go.

Although you only stayed at the graduation for a few minutes, everyone treated Sofia as if she had performed a full concert and everyone was now celebrating it, not that there were any complaints. Everyone was having a good time; the parents were drinking and he saw you and Sofia squeezing your eyes shut from the pain that brain freeze brought. He looked at the milkshake cups, his sister having drunk more than you did and he decided to help you out by eating as much as he could before his own brain freeze followed. He placed his palms on his temples, exhaling deeply, his breath cold and he still laughed along with you. 

Later that night, once everyone was sound asleep, he snuck to the kitchen to get a glass of water and stopped at seeing you still up. He watched the way you turned the page intently and how you struggled to keep the flashlight on your phone steady. He smiled, the thirst no longer a problem to him and instead thumped the couch cushion to get your attention.

You jumped, the light blinding you momentarily as you heard Hansol laughing. “I’m gonna kill you,” you whispered.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Sofia gave me this book and I wanna finish it before we go home.”

He liked the way you said we; it seemed like you were on the same team. Home too. It was like he pictured his future with you looking at him the way you were if he ever accidentally dropped your favorite mug on a night like this. Again, the “Sa-” was on the tip of his tongue but he didn’t know how you’d react, so he had to switch tactics asap. “Sofia has good taste. She’s the reason I grew to like books. Even if we have to stay a little longer, we will. Or I can just buy you a copy...but we have to have joint custody.”

“Sounds like a deal, Chwe.”

*

The third time he almost said it, you had managed to pull off a surprise birthday party for not one but two boys....with the help of the ‘95 line helping you decorate the place, the ‘96 line going out and buying the ingredients you needed to make the birthday boys a cake for each of them; Mingyu and Minghao taking Seokmin to go to a carnival in the next town, and Seungkwan and Chan taking Hansol to a record store and buying some stuff. Hansol had wanted to spend the day with you but he had been under the impression that you had to work that day and that his respective brothers had some recording to attend to. 

(It wasn’t easy to pull it off, considering Hansol kept bugging Seungcheol every few minutes, asking when the maknae line was due to arrive to the studio and Minghao asking Jeonghan how else to distract Seokmin. Your efforts were almost blown when the front door slammed open and you dropped the frosting, and you couldn’t help but beat Chan (he was alone) with the dishrag you used to pick up the mess. 

“When you marry Vernon hyung, you still better be spoiling him like this because it’d be false advertising as my future in-law,” he said eyeing the sink and pulling out a dirty spoon you used to make the frosting. He didn’t think twice as he licked the chocolate.

“I have no intentions of marrying Vernon.”

“Your loss,” he shrugged and turned to the oldest boy. “Hyung, are you almost done here? I’m tired of hearing Kwannie hyung sing all the songs on his phone.”

“Almost. Just be patient.” And with that, Chan left satisfied, and Seungcheol looked at you trying to focus on the last of Seokmin’s cake. “So is it okay if I ask you what’s going on with you and Nonie? Or is that too personal?”

You shook your head. “Nothing’s going on. We’re just friends.” The blush on your cheeks and your trembling hands didn’t exactly help your case but Cheol was kind enough to drop the subject.)

You weren't exactly sure how you managed to balance Vernon’s chocolate cake and Seokmin’s red velvet one but you did, even singing the birthday song when the boys in question processed what you were doing some few hours later when they walked in the front door. Once they made their wish and blew out the candles, Seokmin gleefully grabbed his cake and skipped to the table, sticking his finger into the frosting and licking it clean. He paraded across the room, showing it off to everyone and gloating that he had the bestest friend in the whole world. Hansol, merely took the cake with one hand and gave you a side hug as tightly as he could manage before Soonyoung intervened and grabbed the dessert so he could hug you with both.

“Happy birthday Hansol,” you whispered. “I hope this was okay.”

“Wait, this was you?”

“Well, I had help. I couldn’t have done this without your group mates.” You pulled away with a gasp. “Oh crap! I forgot your gift! I’m so sorry!”

“Why would you get me a gift after doing all this?”

“Because it’s your birthday.” 

“Did you get something for DK?”

The horrified look on your face told him everything he needed to know and he marched right up to his birthday twin who had somehow been able to find somewhere to sit and was currently stuffing his face with Junhui and you couldn’t tell who looked more like a chipmunk and you hoped someone would get a picture of these two looking like that because your heart multiplied. 

“Hey hyung?”

“Mmm?” He looked up at you, face full of frosting and he swallowed loudly. He scrambled for a napkin and wiped at the spots frantically. “Yeah?”

“So would you be bummed if we didn’t get gifts from our friend here?”

“The surprise party wasn’t a gift?” You had yet to get used to Seokmin’s naïtivty and his knack for being easily surprised.

Hansol shook his head. “Never mind. Enjoy your cake hyungdeul.” He turned back to you. “See? You don’t need to give us more than this.”

“So you like it?”

“I love y-” He froze the moment the words almost slipped out and just started coughing to thwart his speech, and didn’t speak again until you had given him some water. “Sorry...I meant to say that I love it. Thank you Y/N. I have the greatest friend in the world.” 

Various offended “heys” sounded throughout and he reiterated slightly. “Besides you guys.”

*

The fourth time he almost told you he loved you, you were in his car in your front yard after coming back from your first date together. You kept leaning over to the driver’s side and stealing kisses from him and all he could do was relish in them and kiss you back. 

“So has anyone ever made you this happy?” you asked him. 

He shook his head. “I can’t remember the last time I was like this.” He welcomed the warm feeling of your hand caressing his cheek gently. “Have you ever had this much fun?”

“Once,” you admitted. “I went to visit some friends and somehow we all stayed up past our normal bedtime just looking at the sky and feeling at peace. It wasn’t a big thing or anything, but it was just us, all the stars and all the wishes we made. A lot of them have come true since then.” You looked over at him, not saying more. “What’s the dumbest thing you ever wished for?”

He covered your hand with his before bringing it to his lips to kiss them repeatedly. “It wasn’t dumb but I remember putting it on my Christmas list every year. I just wanted to go back to New York. At least there, no one gave a shit if you were black, white, mixed, missing an eye or tooth or whatever.” He brought you close to him to kiss you again. “Why did you agree to go on a date with me?”

“I figured it was about time to be real with my feelings and you.” You smiled at him. “I’d been wanting to tell you for awhile, but you beat me to it.”

He nodded slowly, liking the answer. He leaned in for another kiss, but his phone ringing disturbed the moment, and just for that he ignored it. “I should get going. Can I walk you inside?”

When you nodded, he quickly removed his seatbelt and ran to the passenger side to open the door for you. As soon as you were out, he wrapped his arms around you, back hugging you and kissing your cheek. He finally felt like a rebellious teenager to be doing this with you. It was a little past curfew, you had to be up early and so did he, but he didn’t want this moment to end. He was even more in love with you than ever before.

“Hansol, you have to go,” you whined after you realized he didn’t plan on moving from that spot.

“A few more minutes,” he sighed. “I don’t wanna let you go just yet.”

“Either you do now, or Seungcheol will pry you away from me if you're not home in the next ten minutes.”

“I’m not scared of that grandpa.”

“You hear that Cheol?” 

And with that, his head snapped up, looking in all directions for the leader, already looking for words to excuse his actions. “You liar.”

“I thought you weren’t scared.”

“I’m not,” he pouted, but then he sighed. “Do we really have to say goodbye?”

“I don’t want you to go either.” You reached for his hand so he could finally walk you to your front door. “Hansol, thank you for tonight.”

“Anytime. Thank you for agreeing. I’ll call you soon, okay?”

You nodded. “Okay.”

He waited for you to unlock the door so you could go in and just as you were about to close the door, he called you.

“Yeah?”

“Sa-” The saranghae didn’t go past his throat; neither could the I love you, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Sleep well.”

*

The fifth time he almost told you he loved you, he had convinced you to sit on the roof with him at his house. You had long ago admitted to him that you had never seen a sunrise, so he vowed that the next time neither of you had plans, he was gonna invite you to Seventeen’s dorm to make you watch it. Two months later, it happened, and he spent the day making sure he had everything to spend the night up on the roof with you, and despite the chilly air, it was worth it. 

You sat in between his legs and he had his arms wrapped around you, often tightening around you every time he felt overcome with emotion. He would take your hand and trace a pattern in the sky with your finger and then tell you the name of the constellation. You offered him your earbuds sometime during the night, and you took turns listening to your favorite songs, singing along to all the words. 

Every time you could feel yourself nodding off, Hansol would gently shake you awake and offer you something to snack on so you could stay awake. “We’re almost there Jagi,” his hoarse voice would encourage you. “Just a little longer.” And then he would kiss your cheek and cuddle you a little more.

You were both blissfully unaware of the 12 other boys spying on you and seeing what you were currently doing. More often than not, someone had to stop Soonyoung from barging in and interrupting, but they quietly left out extra blankets and water bottles and other snacks by the window so neither of you would have to move much. 

Finally, the first few rays of sunlight came peeking through over the horizon. It wasn’t much at first, but then suddenly, the whole world seemed to wake up along with it. You could hear the birds chirping and the insects buzzing, and everything warming up. 

“What do you think?”

You nodded, finally closing your eyes and resting against his chest. “It’s beautiful,” you managed to mumble sleepily. Can we do this again?”

“As many times as you want,” he promised.

“Okay, good.”

He waited a little longer in case you had more to add, but the only thing he could feel was you breathing in and out deeply and evenly, finally fast asleep. “Hey Jagi, how would you feel if I told you I loved you?”

[girlcalledtasha]

Something Weird Happened Today

We wandered down the Labyrinth many hours. Rosalind and I discussed what even was this place.  She didn't know much. She never planned to come down here.  All she really knew is that this was a physical place that existed beneath the city.  She knew this was the Labyrinth that lead to the nine circles.  What lay within the circles she did not know.

Through the cold walls of the Labyrinth we could hear the creature stalking. Occasionally Virgil would lead us to another dead end where we would wait for the creature to pass again, and we would catch a glimpse its terrifying form, before Virgil would lead us onwards once more.

Now and then we could hear Dante calling to us. He hasn't lost ground. I could tell Rosalind was scared. I'm not sure why she chose to help me.

Eventually we found ourselves in a round room surrounded by mirrors. There was no entrance or exit to this room. It was as if we stumbled into it through the geometry of another dimension we could not reach by choice. There was no way out of it now.  I'd seen a place like this before; at the fairground of the cultist campsite. The room of mirrors reflecting infinitely that had trapped me before. I placed my hand against the glass of one of the mirrors. It was cold and solid and our reflections were clearly seen on the other side of it.  Our reflections repeated as they bounced between the mirrors far off into the distance before fading into darkness. Between the recursive reflections I could see the shadow of the beast prowling.

"Nine mirrors," Rosalind said as she sat upon the flagstone floor. I looked around. She was right.

Virgil had stopped leading. This was clearly the destination. I placed him on the floor and went to sit by Rosalind. We were exhausted, hungry and thirsty. We stared into the mirrors watching the reflection of the three headed beast roaming between them.

I checked Facebook to see if anyone had responded to our last post. Five thumbs up. Five heart reacts. A few comments like "Brilliant!" and "So exciting!" and "You should turn these stories into a podcast!"

I sighed. "I don't think help is coming."

Rosalind shook her head. "Abandon all hope, neighbour."

I nodded. "Indeed."

"There you are." A familiar voice came from behind us. We saw an occultist emerge from the darkness between our reflections. We jumped back to our feet and faced him.

"Dante," croaked Rosalind.

"Hello, Rosalinnnd. And who is this with you?" He asked, turning to me. "Virgil," he commanded, extending an open hand. "Come to me. I am your master now." I could see his other hand held an ornate dagger.

I shook my head and slid Virgil forward along the floor with my foot. "I'm Tasha. This is Virgil."

Virgil blinked. Dante looked down at the eye stalk, and back up at me. He snarled and charged at Rosalind, crashing her against one of the mirrors, causing it to crack. Dante pressed his dagger against her throat.

"What game are you playing, Rosalinnnd?" She struggled against him and I tried to pull him off but we were too weak from hunger. He threw me off like I weighed nothing. "We've been playing cat and mouse long enough. I DO NOT. HAVE PATIENCE. FOR GAMES!"

"GET OFF OF HER!" I yelled, and got back on my feet.

Above Rosalind’s head, a set of enormous black jaws emerged from the cracked glass. Dante froze. The beast panted heavily, its breath formed clouds in the damp air that circled around them. Rosalind locked eyes with me. She opened her mouth to say something and the great jaws lowered around her head and removed it from her. Only her body remained, slumped against the broken glass. The beast carried her head off deep into the mirror's reflection until it was gone.

"Rosalind…” I whimpered. “No."  This was all my fault.

Dante huffed. "No matter. One of you is Virgil. Now. Lead me to The Editor."

"You killed Rosalind!" I screamed, tears raining down my cheeks.

He grabbed me. "This is not how this story was meant to go. You will lead me to The Editor or we can both die here in Limbo."

"I don't know what that means!" I screamed, thrashing against him. He briefly lost his footing and knocked Virgil over.

"You..." his words were cut short as a dark shadow leapt from the mirror and ripped his head from his torso. The beast swallowed it whole and turned to me with ravenous fury in its eyes. My time was up. I thought about what I could have done differently. What an idiot I was. I should have figured this out. It was all so obvious now. I should have left the hole well alone. I should never have taken that sprout.

I picked up Virgil and faced the beast, ready to accept my fate. Over its shoulder, within one of the mirrors, Rosalind was silently pounding her fist on the glass, wordlessly yelling at me.

"Rosalind..."

The beast leapt and my world went dark.

I was in a room. It was about 10 foot square but its edges were hard to define. It repeated on all sides, just like in the mirror room. There was no ceiling. I could see a sky high above me unlike any I’d seen before. It was made of undulating flesh covered in membranous villi that swayed as if in a soft breeze. It was quiet. In the centre of the room was a simple wooden chair that repeated along with the room. Its feet were black with rot creeping up the legs.

I was sat in the chair. I was looking at myself sat in the chair. And I repeated along with the chair along with the room indefinitely in all directions.

I was sitting still in the chair. My eyes and mouth wide open. Arms limp at my side and neck craned backwards so that I was staring up at the hungry sky.

Virgil was with me, staring towards the next room. I walked to the next room. I was there too. In the chair. Staring up. Never blinking. Breathless.

I walked to the next room. And the next. And the next.

I walked for what felt like days. It was hard to tell. There was no day or night. Time moves strangely in the Circle. There was only the room I stood in and the echoing path ahead.

Ahead of me was a different chair. I walked towards it. I wasn't sitting in this chair. It was Dante. Sat in the same position I was in. Rosalind was there too. Looking over Dante as I did.

His flesh was dry. Desiccated. Brittle skin wrapped around his bones like paper. His eyes, staring upward, sunk into his skull as two shallow pits.

He coughed. The flesh of his lips cracked and they began to move.

"Rosalind... Tasha... I have been... waiting... for this moment..." His neck creaked upright and his head dropped down. "... for millennia..." His eyes closed as he continued. "He takes our past. He takes our present. He leaves us with our future. An endless future. Alone. In silence. In perpetual stasis. Never changing. Eons of nothing. In time, even thoughts fall silent. All we have, all we are, is anticipation of the nothing that is to come."

Rosalind and I looked at each other.

"Who is He?" I asked.

"The Editor!" he coughed. "There is only endless time in His circle. And fear. We see forward. Into the infinite and empty void. We see how empty it is. And we fear every hollow second that is to come. We suffer.

“But I was blessed by Him. I, I could see a moment in time that was to come. 3000 years into the void. One unlike all the others. I was blessed with this moment to bring you a choice. How I’ve longed for this moment. But soon… even this precious moment shall pass. Then there will be nothing. This will be your fate too. You will wander. In time, your flesh will grow weary. It will abandon you, as all things will. Eventually, you will sit a while. And you will not get up."

"You said there was a choice," I told him.

"Be His apostle on Earth. Or be devoured by your future here."

"Why us?" asked Rosalind.

"You are storytellers. As are all preachers."

"I mean... I post a bit on Facebook and Reddit."

"Yes. Yes. He follows your Reddit account."

"Then he never up votes."

"What is your choice?" He asked, pointing towards two empty wooden chairs in the next room. "Fear The Editor, or... sit with me for a while."

“What do you think?” I asked Rosalind. “You know more about this stuff than me.”

Rosalind thought for a moment. “This is hardly a choice.”

I nodded and took Rosalind's hand.

"We fear The Editor."

The rooms were gone. Instead we were standing in what looked like a derelict subway station. The tracks appeared as though they had been rusting for decades. On the platform there was an old rotten tram car. The air was saturated with damp and the smell of mould.

"What just happened?" I asked Rosalind. She looked as confused as I. “Are we back in the Labyrinth?”

"I think... we just made a deal with the devil. Ahh!" She grabbed her head in pain and I covered my ears as we were surrounded by a din of static. "The Editor! I meant deal with The Editor!" The din died down.

"Sounds about right," I replied, my ears still ringing. "So what are we supposed to do? Go out on the streets and tell stories?"

"I dunno.” replied Rosalind. “We could do a podcast?"

An old grey cat dashed from between our legs into the tram and an old grey man appeared at the driver's window.

"You getting in or not?" he asked, like we'd been keeping him waiting. I shrugged at Rosalind and we got on board.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" I asked the tram driver.

"Unlikely," he scoffed as he lit a cigarette. His name badge labelled him as Charon.

"Hey yeah! You're the guy who dropped his wallet near Leeds Market!"

"Eh?" grunted Charon.

"I have something of yours." I pulled the wallet I found out of my bag and handed it to him. His eyes lit up.

"My cig money!" he grabbed it and rummaged through.

"It's all there," I assured him.

He tipped his cap to me. "Well, ta very much, love. Let's get you back to Leeds."

The tram bell rang twice, and the wheels excruciatingly squealed into motion on the old rusted tracks.

"We could start a podcast," Rosalind continued.

"Hmm?"

"A podcast for telling stories and convincing people to fear The Editor."

"Ohhh, like that queer creepypasta idea we had. What would we call it though?"

"Horror Queers?" she suggested.

I got out my phone. "Taken."

"Frigay the Thirteenth? "

"Also taken."

"Queer Horror Cult? "

"Dammit. All the good names are taken."

"Queerpypasta?"

"That has to be taken. Oh, wait. That's free. I like it. Queerpypasta."

"Rolls off the tongue doesn't it?"

"Queeeeerppyyyyypasta."

"Queerrrrrrrpy..."

So something weird happened this weekend. We were chased into hell by a lunatic cultist and now I guess we're starting a podcast?

#somethingweirdhappenedtoday