#i mean slooooooow

[yaytheboop]

Yeah, I absolutely do not enjoy being up at night

[autistook]

DAISIES - pt 1

Merry Brandybuck x fem!hobbit!reader/soft oc

Words: 3.1k

Summary: You have been best friends with Merry (and Pippin) for several years. You see each other on almost a daily basis and have been referred to as the unseperable trio, as you do almost everything together, and have all been there for each other, through thick and thin. Slowly, you start to feel something shift. Something feels different when you look at Merry.

SLOOOOOOOW burning romance, pre - the Fellowship of the Ring.

Possible TW's: panic attack, anxiety, mentions of drowning and death, dead parents

English is not my first language, and this is the first fanfiction I have written since I was 10 years old, so I apologize for any errors or confusion. 😭 Treat me gently, I am sensitive to critisism lol

-

The sun glistened on the leaves, making the raindrops that fell on them the night before look like diamonds. The grass was damp under your feet, and the slight breeze felt comfortable on your skin. The sounds of the Shire were as usual: lots of Hobbits doing their regular chores, children running around and a few groans here and there, when the sleepiest of all were forced to get up early. Your gaze followed a beautiful bird flying from one tree to another. The bird was a beautiful one, with a bright-red chest and a grey back, the feathers on the wings being different shades of grey and black. It's melodic singing as it sat on the old willow branch, is always a reminder for the Shire folk that spring has arrived. There was a fresh lavender smell in the air, and as you stopped on your feet to enjoy it, you noticed another familiar scent.

Your gaze moved to a pastry shop window, and as you started walking towards it, you could see your best friends enjoying a couple of scones, filled with strawberry jam. Your lips curved into a smile as you opened the wooden door, and the bell above it rang to announce your arrival.

The friendly Hobbit lady behind the dusty, old counter greeted you gleefully. Her hair was grey, curls all the way down to her shoulders, and the smile lines nearing the corners of her eyes revealed just how happy of a personality she must have. But your eyes weren't focused on her, but to the two young Hobbits now noticing your entry. Pippin's green eyes sparkled with joy as he noticed you enter the room. More happy than Pippin to see you, was Merry. You had been best friends with the two for a number of years, and almost every week, the three of you would sit at the bakery, planning some mischevous pranks and talking about any new happenings around the Shire.

"We were wondering where you were!" Pippin exclaimed, mouth full of the delicious scone, and some red jam from it that had decided to settle on his lips. Amused at the sight, you smirked but still decided to not say anything, as usual. It would be funnier to see how long it would take him to notice his messy appearence.

"Sorry, I had other things in mind," you said in serious tone, pulling up a chair and sitting between the two. The round table was full of crumbs and there were two empty plates. You looked at the plates and then at your dearest friends, raising one brow as if to question how on earth they could have this ritual without you.

"We got hungry, I'm sorry!" Merry said, wiping his palms on his cream colored cotton shirt.

"How dare you!" you answered with a playfully offended tone. You turned to look at Pippin for an apology, but the young Hobbit just shrugged his shoulders, and kept munching the last piece of scone in his mouth. You shook your head and chuckled slightly, leaning back on your chair.

"What did you mean when you said you had other things in mind?" asked Merry, curiously, now wiping his mouth with a napkin. You took a deep breath and crossed your arms.

"It's been twenty years," you stated, as if Pippin and Merry were supposed to immediately understand the rest of that sentence. The two locked eyes. Their faces could only be described as curious, but utterly confused.

"Twenty years since what?" Merry inquired. His blue eyes looking straight into yours, his gaze making you feel like he was almost concerned.

"Since my parents died," you sighed. Pippin immediately turned to look at Merry, flustered as the two completely forgot about this tragic event in their best friend's life.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Merry apologized, his tone full of shame. "I completely forgot that was today."

"It's quite alright. You couldn't have known," you said with a faint smile. Your head might have told you to act fine, but the sadness behind your eyes revealed your true feelings: how tragically heartbroken you felt at that moment and how twenty years still wasn't enough of healing.

"But we should've remembered!" Merry cried in guilt. Pippin apologized, mouth full of scone, then finally swallowing the last piece. You reassured both of them that they did not offend you in any way, and that you would be fine.

"Is there anything we can do?" Merry asked, like he was in a rush to cheer you up.

"Yes! We could do something fun!" Pippin said cheerfully, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He slammed his hands on the table, making the empty plates clink against each other. "How about we go for a swim?"

"You know I can't swim, Peregrin!" you cried, arms still crossed, your fingers fidgeting with the soft fabric of the sleeves on your favorite yellow dress.

"Didn't you say you have had practice?" Pippin asked, puzzled.

"It doesn't mean I can."

"Well, we could always just go just hang around the water, you know?" Merry suggested, trying to not make your mood any worse. "We used to do that all the time when we were just little innocent Hobbits." You smiled at him with gratitude. Merry's lips curved upwards and his eyes had a glimmer of pride in them.

"That actually sounds great," you finally responded to him. "When should we go?"

"How about immediately?" said the young Took suddenly, and before either of you could answer, he was already up from his chair, quickly whisking away the empty plates from the table.

"I guess we're going?" you chuckled. You and Merry got up and before you could make a leave, he put his palm on your shoulder. His warm touch gave you a sense of comfort.

"But seriously, are you okay?" he asked, looking at you from under his brows, his eyes full of concern. You nodded and gave him a soft smile.

On your way to the river, the sun was rising higher in the sky, warming your skin. The spring breeze had settled, the lavender scent no longer lingering in the air.

"I can't believe you still can't swim," Pippin said, shaking his head. You groaned in frustration as a response. "You should know at this point!" he teased, skipping ahead of you and Merry. You shook your head. Still fidgeting with the fabric of your dress, Merry took notice of it.

"Can I help your anxiety in any way?" Merry said suddenly.

"How do you know I'm feeling anxious?" you asked, looking at him full of confusion. Merry smiled softly and compassionately.

"You always fidget something with your fingers when you feel anxious," he responded and gestured towards your sleeve, where the tips of your fingers now suddenly had stopped rubbing the dress, like they almost felt shy for being caught. You blinked slowly, moving your eyes to look at your delicate hands.

"I never realized that it was noticeable," you mumbled, slightly embarrassed. You were aware of it, but did not know it was a telltale sign of anxiety for others.

"We've been friends for years," he said, as the three of you kept walking towards the water on a gravel path, Pippin just slightly ahead of the two of you. "Of course I notice things like this."

You smiled at him, impressed by this small detail that he had noticed. Pippin was still slightly ahead of you two, every now and then stopping to gesture for you two to move faster. "That's kind of endearing, actually," you smiled and Merry let out a small snicker, turning his face to the ground.

"You actually have a lot of tells for how you're feeling," he said in a confident and knowing tone. This made you plead for him to tell you what he had noticed. "I'm not going to tell you what they are!" Merry smirked visibly amused. "Where's the fun in that?"

"If I have a tell, I will have you tell me what it is!" you said in a commanding tone, horrified of this revelation.

"I think not!" Merry exclaimed, his tone mischevous. "You just have to wonder about it for the rest of your life!" he laughed, and then in a mocking, high pitched voice, imitating you, he said: "Oh no! How did Meriadoc know I was exceptionally happy today? How did he notice I was nervous? Whatever will I do? How will I ever figure it out?"

"You jerk!" you laughed, elbowing his side gently, making him stumble a little to the left. It made him want to continue teasing you, still mocking you.

"Oh, how will I ever know? Merry is such a master at reading people!" he continued, making you crack up a little. You gave him a gentle push. You then suddenly bumped into Pippin, who was standing there, waiting for you.

"What took you so long?" Pippin asked.

"You were practically running!" Merry responded, still a wide smile on his face from teasing you. He gestured towards you and smirked. "And as I can tell from her expression, her old age has caught up to her, and her body gave up, forcing us both to slow down."

"Excuse me?" you said as your jaw dropped. "I am younger than you, Merry! I will have you know, if someone has any problems with their old age, it's you, Mister Brandybuck! Now, you old prune, what are my tells? Tell me!"

"My dear friend," Merry said, putting his hands on your shoulder. "I absolutely will not tell you."

"What are you two on about?" Pippin asked confused. Merry just chuckled, and gestured you both to follow him to a shallow part of the river, so you could safely sit with them without going too deep. You scrunched your nose at Merry, and walked behind him and Pippin to the water.

You had sat on a large rock, smoothed down by the flowing water, making it sparkle under the rays of sunshine. Every now and then some water ran over the rock, drenching your dress from the parts that were laid on the almost black stone. Twenty minutes had passed, and Merry gestured you to come closer to the slightly deeper water. You shook your head, fidgeting the sleeve of your dress anxiously. The water had finally washed away the jam from Pippin's lips as he kept plunging into the water, diving for what seemed like a forever. Pippin's head ascended from the cool water and he shook his head like a wet dog, trying to dry his curls.

"Come on, it's just waist deep!" Pippin tried to pursuade you. You just shook your head again. Pippin locked his eyes with Merry's. They both nodded in unison, turning to look at you again. "I bet you a small pouch of Southern Star that you don't have the courage."

Your ears perked up at the mention of pipe-weed. It was a delicious offer, but just the thought of going in any deeper made your heart pound faster. Pippin and Merry also knew just how to press your buttons right; they knew how competetive you were. "How much are we talking?" you inquired, your ears doing one small wiggle as your body started to show signs of peaked interest. This made Pippin and Merry chuckle.

"Does it matter? You don't have the guts!" Merry cried with a wide grin on his face. This made your fingers stop fidgeting the dress, and instead your fingertips squeezed the fabric tightly. You stood up, careful not to slip on the wet rock, and tipped your toes in the water, moving them on the surface lightly. You gave a challenging look to both mischevous hobbits, and hopped in the water, ankle deep. You took one deep breath, inhaling the warm air to help calm you down. One step after another, you slowly waded towards Merry and Pippin, who looked rather amused and impressed. The water rose as you waded in deeper and as the cold water touched your hips, you froze still.

It felt like the world stopped for a moment, and the surrounding noises of the river flowing suddenly sounded like an ominous threat coming closer and closer, about to swallow you whole. The bottom of the river was muddy and it felt like you would slowly sink, inch by inch, until you would be under water, unable to escape. The water felt like it tried to push you down, make you stumble and fall. It would laugh at your struggles to try and stay on the surface, making you regret ever taking even one step towards your best friends. How foolish of you to take up on a challenge, knowing the water was your enemy, who would smother you the first chance it got.

Suddenly you felt Merry's hand on your arm, shaking you softly. All you could hear was mumbling. Your ears were ringing and your vision was blurry, as you tried with all of your strength to not collapse from fear of facing the same destiny as your parents. Your feet lifted from the mud as Merry and Pippin lifted you by your armpits and waist to get you off to the dry land immediately, taking notice of your looming anxiety and inability to move even an inch.

What felt like forever, you soon got back to dry land and your hands gripped to the grass like it was the only thing that would keep you from falling into the flowing river. Your vision still blurry, you could distinguish the familiar voices of Merry and Pippin, but not one word was coherent. The grass felt safe and warm, pieces of dirt clinging to your wet palms and feet. You were starting to shake a little, still not able to move.

Soon you felt a warm palm on your cheek, turning your gaze to the direction of it's owner. Merry caught your attention enough to lock your eyes on his. His blue eyes felt comforting as they looked at you with compassion and care. You could see his lips moving, but not one word made sense to you. He gently brushed your cheek with his thumb, looking guilty from pressuring you.

"You're okay," you could finally decipher some of his words. Your brain felt fuzzy, and your lips were quivering with fear and anxiety. "You're safe, just breathe."

You took a deep breath, slow and steady, trying to push away the panic attack that was taking over your body. You followed Merry's guidance as much as you could make sense of it, slowly starting to feel more air in your lungs. The grass started to feel like grass again, instead of an anchor you had to hold on to, unless you wanted to drown. You felt Pippin's palm gently rubbing your back, as Merry was still caressing your cheek, guiding your every breath. You could slowly focus more, but you kept your gaze on his blue eyes, scared that if you turned your face away, the water would somehow jump on you and try to pull you back. It took you several minutes, but finally the two managed to calm you down. Your body still trembling lightly, you took one more deep breath.

"Well that was embarrassing," you jested, trying to lighten the mood immediately. Merry chuckled with relief and shook his head, lowering his hand to your shoulder from your face. Pippin didn't laugh, but instead made his way in front of your face next to Merry.

"Are you okay?" he asked nervously, clearly feeling some guilt for the second time that day. You nodded, looking at him reassuringly. Pippin's lips curled into a small smile. "Good, I thought you might feel embarrassed." You laughed loudly, voice slightly shaky.

They both got up on their feet, clothes drenched and every curl on their head dripping with water. You slowly got up, taking some support from the two hobbits and straightening your back. After a small discussion, you all agreed it was time to go home and calm down a little. Pippin did promise you that he would still give you some pipe-weed as a 'consolation prize.'

You made your way home alone for most of the journey, as Merry headed towards his home in Buckland and Pippin made his way to, in his own words, 'somewhere secret.'

The green round door of Bag End was there waiting for you, immediately providing you comfort at the sight. You entered your home and called your brother by his name. He was not your brother by blood, but being adopted to the same household and growing up together most of your lives made him as much of a brother as someone who was a blood relative would.

"Hello?" you shouted, the hallway echoing, seeming empty. You took just a few steps before Frodo's head popped up from behind a wall. He gave you a soft smile and let you know there was tea at the ready in the kitchen. Frodo had made it for himself, but so much of it was left that he decided to just let it sit there, knowing how much you liked his chamomille tea.

You made your way into the kitchen and poured some still warm tea into a small cup you inherited from your parents. It was decorated with yellow flowers and had been hand painted by your great-grandmother. You stirred it calmly, looking out of the round window, admiring the green grass and the butterflies flying around, enjoying the spring as much as any being would. The small silver spoon your uncle Bilbo had given you as a birthday present (that Lobelia Sackville-Baggins kept trying to steal) was softly moving in circles, creating music-like sounds when it hit the porcelain on the edges. Your dress had mostly dried up on your way home, but it was still slightly moist, making you do a small squirm as the slightly wet fabric of it kept clinging to your thigh.

With the tea in your hand, you started making your way to your room, but something stopped you in your tracks. As you passed a small round mirror, you noticed something behind your ear that was not supposed to be there. A small daisy was decorating your frame on the left side of your face. You touched the soft flower lightly. Merry had put it there while calming you down. A small chuckle escaped your throat. He really knew how to cheer you up, even if it took some time to notice the gesture.

Next chapter

[mountainsandmayhem]

Blueprints of Love 1.4

(Joel Miller x f!reader)

Summary: Whitney is an architect for a luxury home builder in downtown Austin. She probably shouldn’t have favourite subcontractors but Tommy from Millers Contracting would be at the top. When Tommy has to take some time off to welcome a new baby, Whit has to work with his older brother Joel, but maybe it’s not as bad as it first seems?

a/n: slooooooow burn. Check each chapter for warnings. No outbreak. Joel is 32 and Sarah is 7. Present day, not 2003. And when you get to the bedroom door lean, this gif is EXACTLY what I mean 🥵

Warnings: ⛔️ 18+ only ⛔️, kissing, talk of divorce and abandonment, slight dirty talk, flirting, touching

It’s a pool party, so a swimsuit under Jean shorts and a tank top should be appropriate.

But Joel would be there and….

The black bikini has too much side boob, the yellow bikini shows too much ass.

Finally settling on a pink tie up bikini,that covers everything appropriately, just as Anna arrives. An open bar was mentioned twice in their invite from Tommy, so they decide to Uber together. Their car parks outside of what they assume to be Tommy and Maria’s house and they both comment on how nice it is; an updated split level in an older neighbourhood, big beautiful trees lining the streets. They go in the gate to the backyard, as per the sign on the front door.

“Well,” Anna whispers. “We know no body.”

Tommy waves from across the backyard and jogs over. He grabs the gifts from both their arms, “thank you so much for coming! You didn’t need to bring gifts. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

If one thing was true, it was that the Miller genes were STRONG. They met male cousins who were all equally as handsome as Tommy and Joel, and the female cousins were intimately gorgeous. Whit tried to focus on the introductions but she couldn’t help looking for Joel; and when she found him a small “fuck me” escapes her throat.

He’s sitting spread eagle on a pool lounger with 3 little girls around him, holding the guest of honour, Daisy. One of the girls stands beside him with her arm around his neck while the other two are on the lounger, all looking down at the baby. This was a whole different Joel. Soft and supple. He smiles and talks with the girls before he kisses the one standing beside him on the head. Whit looks back to group as they go flying past Whit and into the house.

“Last one in is a rotten egg.” One says.

“No fair, Sarah! You got a head start!” The other two cry out in protest.

Joel never takes his eyes off the baby, bouncing her gently.

- -

“Stop looking at him.” Anna whispers as you both head back over the self service bar. It’s been well over an hour of the two of you talking with the Miller family. Joel hasn’t put Daisy down as watches the girls jump around in the pool.

“I swear my uterus is trying to find a way to evict my IUD, Anna.” Whit says, making her Gin and Tonic a double. “I don’t see any water at this bar….and this gin is going to make me do something drastic.”

Anna had hit it off with Austin, an incredibly charming cousin that Tommy knew Anna would like. “Come sit by the pool with me and Austin from Austin.” She laughs, “Maybe he’ll take his eye off Daisy once he sees you in that bikini.”

Even thought she knew this was a pool party, her whole body shivers at the thought of Joel seeing her almost naked, “I’m going to go to the bathroom and find a way to fill my water bottle first. Take my drink?” Anna bounces off to sit with Austin by the pool as Whit heads for the back door of the house.

Once she’s in the house she spots the half bath on the landing, she also notices 2 small sets of stairs; one that goes up to the kitchen and another that leads to the basement. Whit locks the bathroom door and makes sure everything is tucked in properly, last thing she needs is a nip slip at a baby shower. After washing her hands she looks up the few stairs from the back landing that leads into the kitchen.

“Tommy?” Whit calls as she slowly heads up the stairs.

Great…no answer. Tommy won’t mind if I just get water.

Just as she steps into the kitchen, Joel comes out from the hall in just swim trunks.

“What are you doing?” He demands, his abs flexing with every word.

“S-shit. I was just going to fill my water bottle. I didn’t think Tommy would mind.” She’s holding the water bottle up while wiggling it from side to side like it’ll make this situation less awkward. Her eyes shoot to the ceiling to avoid ogling his body.

He grabs it out of her hand and stalks to the fridge. That’s when she notices the pictures of the little girl that had her arm around Joel all over the fridge.

Holy fuck, this is Joel’s house and I think that’s his daughter.

“S-sorry,” Whit stammers. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I assumed this was Tommy’s house and him and I have a different -“ she knows she’s about to start rambling but she can’t seem to stop.

Luckily, Joel cuts her off with an “s’fine” as he thrusts the water bottle back in her hand, their fingers briefly touch and Joel’s brain screams at his stubborn and guarded heart.

Just let your damn walls down with her, what the fuck.

They stare at each other for a moment before Joel softens his features. “Really, it’s fine. You startled me.”

They smiled at each other before he continues. “Thank you for coming. I’m sure it means a lot of Tommy and Maria. However, I have 3 little 7 year olds who I promised I would rocket launch before they leave.”

Before she’s even fully outside she’s pushed back in by Nat; if there is a female version of Joel, it’s his cousin Nat. She was tall and muscular, in a sporty and feminine way, she had long curly black hair, sun kissed skin and those signature Miller eyes; deep chocolate brown. To add insult to injury, she might be nicest person Whit has ever met. During their conversation earlier she was kind and insightful. Asking her all sorts of questions and sincerely listening to her answers.

“Whitney. Can I talk to you for a second?” She whispered.

“Sure.” Whitney realized her response came across as a question so she quickly followed it up with an “of course.” Nat stood on front of her, oozing an almost intimidating level of confidence.

“About Joel…” she starts.

“Oh god. He hates me, doesn’t he?”

“If he hated you; you wouldn’t be here.” She says flatly.

Whit raises an eyebrow in response.

“I was born 4 days after Joel. We have always been best friends. The last few years Joel has been very black and white. You’re either in or out. No in between, and almost everyone gets the latter of the two.”

Whitney nods, unsure where this is going but could do a little dance knowing Joel doesn’t hate her.

“Between me and you, he seems to have an in between with you, and I think that scares him. I’ve caught him staring at you a lot today, but when I asked him about you...” Nat bunches her eyebrows together and crosses her arms to do her best grumpy Joel impression, “drop it Natalie.”

Whit can feel herself blushing as she laughs a little at the almost spot on job Nat does of her cousin.

“Look,” she’s speaking just above a whisper at this point. “All I’m saying is to be patient with him. He never lets people in anymore, but when he does - he’s the most loyal and trustworthy person to have in your corner.”

Nat heads back out to the party with a wink, leaving Whitney all sorts of confused.

Joel might have kid, he apparently keeps looking at me, and I should be patient.

Her feet take her to Anna, plopping down on the same lounger as her and pulling her in. “So this is Joel’s house, not Tommy’s. And I’m pretty sure the little girl in the purple swimsuit is his daughter.”

Anna goes to respond before she’s cut off. “But that’s not it. Nat just told me that Joel has ‘in between’ with me.”

“I’m gonna need an explanation.” Anna says.

A splash of water hits both of them, interrupting their gossip session. Austin is perched on the edge of the pool looking at them while Joel tosses the girls around like they’re made of paper. Granted they’re 7, but he never seemed to tire as those girls keep coming back for more.

“What?” Anna giggles, batting her lashes.

“Those girls just got a 5 minute warning from Nat. You two are next.”

“You can’t catch us both.” Whitney taunts.

“Watch me.” He flicks more water at the 2 of them.

Whitney doesn’t make it a habit to brag about her accomplishments, but she’s not about to let this man she just met think he has an advantage over her. “I’ll be watching you fail. I went to university IN ENGLAD on a partial rugby scholarship. There’s no way you’re taking me down, little man.”

Joel turns his head slightly to make sure he’s hearing this correctly.

Whitney? Playing rugby?

“Alright,” Austin counters. “I’ll get Joel to take you then.”

Joel and Whit lock eyes, neither of them will let their guards down to do anything, but god they wished they could be that close to one another. Heat spreads through Joel’s body as he pictures wrapping hands around the soft skin of her waist, laughing with her as she would try, and most likely fail to fight him off. Meanwhile, goosebumps erupt over Whitney’s skin as she imagines how the cords of his muscles that line his body would feel under her as she wrapped her strong legs around his waist, refusing to let go as he attempts to throw her in.

Luckily, they’re both saved by Maria and Daisy. Whitney eats up the baby cuddles as Maria apologizes for the rowdy Miller clan. As the baby changes arms to Anna, Whit finds herself searching for Joel again. She finds him down on one knee, wrapping that same little girl in a towel before dramatically throwing her over his shoulder and taking her into the house. Her little feet kicking as they laugh together.

“Earth to Whitney?!” Tommy says robotically, waving her hands around.

“Huh? W-what?”

When did Tommy walk over? How much of this conversation did I miss.

Her cheeks flush as Tommy looks at her with one eyebrow raised up. Another one bites the dust, he thinks to himself.

“Burger or hot dog, for the 4th time!” He laughs.

“Tommy you know communal food freaks me out!” She says, trying to sound incredibly spoiled.

“I’m sure Joel will let you sneak into his kitchen before anyone else touches the food. I’m making both of you burgers.”

Those 3 little girls come running out of the house, yelling good bye to everyone as they head towards Maria.

“Bye, auntie Maria!”, a big bear hug between her and these 3 little ones breaks out.

The 3 girls hug Whit next even though they have no idea who she is. If one thing is clear, it’s that the Millers might be loud, but no one loves bigger or harder.

Nat jogs over while Whitney collects her hugs, “lord help me for agreeing to take all 3 of these girls for the night! Joel was just giving them handfuls of gummy frogs.”

Soft Joel is killing me today.

Nat and her husband corral the girls like bouncy balls as they leave for the night and Tommy waves Whit over, signalling it’s time for her secret sneak into the house.

Joel is standing in his kitchen, and much to Whitney’s dismay, he’s put a linen button down shirt. He still has his swim trunks on and his wet curls slicked back.

“Heard you have a thing about communal food.” A small smirk appears on his face.

“I just had some bad experiences in college with shared food, so I avoid it.” She laughs.

“Mhmm, well, help yourself princess.” He says when a little bow.

“Hey,” she laughs, “if everyone could just be like me….”

“Lord help us all.” He lets out a laugh, the same sing-song laugh he had back in her office with Anna.

“Mr Miller, did you just make a joke?”

“S’Joel, sweetheart,” he says, handing her a paper plate.

Princess. Sweetheart. God dammit.

Whit feels herself blushing and immediately busies herself with the task at hand. Joel saunters around to her side of the island, opens the fridge and cracks his beer. He leans on the counter across from her sweeping his eyes down her body.

Her hair is up in a loose bun with a few strawberry blonde curls dangling around her neck, where he notices a small tattoo along her hairline.

What I wouldn’t give to kiss that little triangle tattoo.

His eyes sweep down her see through white tank top, the ties of her pink bikini peeking out. Her Jean shorts cover her round cheeks, and Joel has to stop himself from thinking about how small the bikini bottoms must be to not be poking out. He continues to sweep down her strong thighs and toned calf’s.

Fuck she has great legs.

Whitney is looks over her shoulder at him just as his eyes sweep to her toes, painted the same colour as her bikini.

“You ok over there?” She asks, shifting her weight to one foot, popping her hip out towards Joel. She’s not dumb, she knows he was checking her out. His eyes dart up to meet hers.

Don’t look down.

“No. I’m hungry and someone s’taking her time.”

“Who?!” She says in sarcastic shock.

“Miss Whitney,” he says in a mocking tone, “did you just make a joke?”

“You can’t just steal my bit, Mr Miller.”

“I didn’t, I don’t know your last name.”

She looks back down at her plate. “It’s Willis, unless you’re my college degree.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“No time,” she turns to face him. “Someone is apparently starving.”

Joel takes one step to be face to face with her, their front almost touching. He brushes past her right side, reaching behind her for the salad bowl.

“Miss Willis…” he whispers into her ear before shifting to brush past her left side to grab the potato salad. “I always have time for you.”

He straightens out again, sends Whit a devastating wink and heads outside.

Holy. Shit. It just got really hot in here. Thank god I’m leaning on this counter top or I would have fallen over.

- -

After they eat, the early evening sun prompts Whit to remove her tank top and unbutton her shorts, folding them open the waistband, as she lays beside the pool talking with Anna and Austin.

Her exposed skin catches Joel’s attention. “Double gin and tonic,” Maria says quietly to Joel. “Don’t be a dick. Go talk to her. I’ll deal with Tommy telling you she’s off limits.”

“I ain’t gonna do that, Maria.” Joel says as he heads inside to clean up.

As the sun begins to set, the Miller clan invite the girls to stay.

“Stay and play cards. Later we’re having a fire.” Tommy says, “I’m sick of always beating the same people!”

Whit already knows that Anna and Austin have other plans, probably of the naked variety, and the scarcity of Joel has her feeling like she’s about to overstay her welcome, so she heads out front and calls an Uber.

“Whitney?” Joel calls from the front door.

“Hey, sorry, I couldn’t find you to say goodbye.” Whit rubs her arms in the chilled night air. “Thank you for having me.”

Joel will never have this chance again and he’s kicking himself for not gluing himself to her the second Sarah left. He can see that she’s freezing as he steps towards her.

“I - umm,” he plunges his hands into his front pockets.

Is Joel Miller nervous?

“I w-was hoping you’d stay?” His cheeks flush a little, he’s definitely nervous.

“Anna left, it feels like a family thing now.” Whit is freezing, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. “And I didn’t bring a jacket or anything.”

“I have sweaters,” he says softly. “Please stay?”

If she leaves I’m never going to recover from embarrassment.

Fuck, he looks so good right now with his big soft eyes. And what I wouldn’t give to be wrapped in one of his sweaters.

A small “ok” comes out of Whits mouth as she holds up her phone, displaying the cancelled Uber ride.

“Come on, you’re freezing.” Joel places his hand on the middle of her back and leads her through the front door.

- -

“Here.” Joel holds open a green button up flannel. As she stands in the doorway of his bedroom.

He clears his throat as she spins and slips her arms into the ridiculously oversized shirt. “So, gonna finish that story about your last names?”

Joel is right behind her, pulling the flannel up her body. The smell of cedar and leather hits Whits nose as turns her head slightly looking him over her shoulder. “Short story, I was married and now I’m not.”

“No chance.” He laughs. “I want the real story.”

Whit spins around and leans her hip on the door frame. “I’ll give you the condensed long story if you promise to answer a question for me.”

Joel puts his hand on the doorframe by her head and leans in. Whit looks up at him with eager eyes, trying not to look at his plush bottom lip. “What’s the question, Willis?”

Her cheeks flush but doesn’t break eye contact. “Nope. Blind trust, Miller.”

He rolls his eyes and pokes his tongue inside his cheek to fight a smile. Whitney’s stomach muscles clench at how handsome he looks when he pretends to be irritated.

“Yes or no?” She whispered, reaching up to fix the collar on his linen shirt. This time she can’t help but look at mouth, wetting her lips a little before looking back at those gorgeous eyes.

Fear of letting anyone in gets the best of him. “No.” He replies, “let’s go outside.”

“Ok.” She spins on her tippy toes and heads down the hallway. Joel follows, noticing how his flannel is so long that it looks like she’s wearing nothing underneath.

He groans as they reach the kitchen. “Ok, yes. Fine.” When she spins to face him she has a big beautiful smile on her face and Joel comes to the crushing realization that he’ll do anything to see her smile like that forever. “You win.”

She hops up to sit on the counter, wrapping the flannel around herself and bites her bottom lip to try to stop her grin.

“If I win, Miller…” she says mischievously, “that means you lose. You know that right?”

Joel pinches the bridge of his nose, popping out one knee and placing his other hand on his hip. “You’ll be the death of me, Whitney Willis.” When he makes eye contact with her again she’s straight faced and pulling her hands into the long sleeves of his shirt.

I’m really going to bare my soul here. Shit.

“Ok…” she takes a big breath. “We were young, fresh out of high school, and we were in love.” Her eyes jolt away from Joel’s, focusing on her knees, “I was moving to England for university while he stayed here, so like all logical 18 year olds, we got married.”

Joel took a big step towards Whit, standing close enough that she could feel his heat radiating on her bare legs. “We made it work despite the ocean separating us. He came to me when he could, I couldn’t come to him because of rugby. But I was incredibly happy, everyone around us was supportive. I was going to have the perfect life.”

Whit felt like she had razor blades in her throat. Joel wants to reach out and touch her. Just a gentle rub on her arm so she knows it’s ok.

I’m here for you.

Her eyes flick up to Joel’s, who is looking at her softly, before darting back to her knees. “After graduation I landed an internship in New York, it would have lead me to my dream firm…And he was going to Columbia for med school. Last minute he changed to Baylor and I changed all my plans. I found this job and it started right away, so I flew straight here from England and started laying down roots to really build our lives together.”

Whit looked so sad and it was eating Joel up. She hadn’t looked up from her knees so he stepped right up to her, his hips pressing into her knees. She finally looked up, opening her legs slightly and grabbing the hem of his shirt with one hand.

Puppy eyes. Warm, chocolate brown puppy eyes.

“First day at this job he called me to ask for a divorce and said he wasn’t coming to Texas.”

“Whit,” Joel says softly as he places a hand on her soft thigh. “I’ll kill him. Just give me his name.”

Whit can’t help but breakout into laughter, resting her hand on top of his. “It’s really ok. It lead me here.” She stammers, “I m-mean, like, in Texas. At this job.”

Joel stares at her for a few seconds until she smiles at him. “Ok,” he says. “My turn I guess - what’s your question, Whitney?”

Whitney clears her throat. She’s not sure why she’s nervous about this. She just told a man she barely knows that she was ditched by her husband.

“Was one of those girls today your daughter?”

Joel clenches his back molars together, causing a vein in his neck popping out. The hand on Whits thigh moves as he crosses his arms in front of him.

Those goddamn biceps again.

She can’t help it, like a moth to a flame she reaches up to grab his arm, her other hand still holding the hem of his shirt. “Joel, you don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t cross lines of work and personal, Whitney. I know Tommy tells you about his life, but I’m not like that. I like to keep things separate, mostly for her.”

“So she is your daughter?” Whitney opens her legs a bit more, hoping he’ll inch closer.

“Yes.” He breathes.

“Short story?” She says, dropping her hand from his arm to his side, pulling him in more.

“She’s 7. Her name is Sarah. I am the only parent she has.”

Whit’s mind is turning. She has so many questions, but isn’t going to push Joel. Nat said to be patient, so that’s exactly what she’s going to do. She pulls Joel in all so he flush with the counter, whispering a “thank you” as she slides herself into him.

His large hands come to her waist. “What for?”

Their bodies move closer. “For trusting me with that.” She says.

They’re so close now. If each of them just reached a little bit their noses would graze.

“Stop looking at me like that, Whitney.” He whispers into her lips.

“Looking at you like what?” She replies breathlessly, licking her lips.

His eyes flick down, watching her plush bottom lip dampen with her tongue. “Like you want me to kiss you.”

She smiles a little, reaching her nose towards his. “Would that be so bad?” She says through a shaky exhale.

Joel and Whitney’s lips collide. The kiss starts off hard, like they’re tattooing themselves onto the other. Joel’s hands rub down her body, coaxing her legs to wrap around his waist. Whit parts her lips slightly as a small moan escapes her, that sound is enough encouragement for Joel to push his hips into her harder, slipping his tongue along her bottom lip, nudging her to open her mouth more.

Slowly, they both melt into the kiss, Joel flicks his tongue against hers. She moans again as she tangles her hands into the back of his hair. “Fuck, I love that sound.” He says quickly before sliding his hands under the lower back of her tank top. Her legs lock tighter around him. Both of them have imagined this moment countless times.

Joel’s lips move to her jawline, making a line of wet kisses towards her throat. Whitney moans a quiet “don’t stop” as her fingernails gently scratch at the back of his head.

“JOEL!!!” Tommy yells from the back door. Both of them freeze, not ready to let go. “WE ARE PLAY BULLSHIT, LETS GO!!”

“Fuck me.” Joel groans, bringing his forehead against Whits.

“Better deal in 2!” Whit yells back, winking at Joel.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter (Coming Soon)

[michellemisfit]

TAG GAME TUESDAY!!

Thank you, as always, to the incomparable @celestialmickey for providing the Tuesday fun!

Thanks for the tag @gardenerian, @tanktopgallavich, @energievie, @deedala

And thanks @deedala for providing the easy copy & paste version of this for my silly mobile only using self

Name: Michelle

Age: Why do I have to stop and do the maths every single time?? Memory loss age, clearly!

Favourite Colour: Rainbow 🌈 (also anything in the berry family)

Beverage of Choice: Water, Chai Latte (hot or cold), Hot Chocolate, Dark Spiced Rum (attach suitable occasion to each at your own leisure)

Do you have push notifications turned on for tumblr? I have certain people and account on flag alerts. I have a lot of things on flag alerts. I live with constant FOMO.

Opinion on Fireworks? Pretty in theory. Practically a massive waste of money, bad for the environment, endanger and scare wildlife and pets, so it’s a no from me.

Favourite Childhood Toy? I had this stuffed mouse toy that had rainbow coloured ears and a music box inside it. When you pulled its tail all the way out it would play a song while slowly winding the tail back in. I loved it and thought the tail was so fun and I would wrap it around my arm and let it run over my arm as it wound back in. And then I’d put it around my leg and let it run over my leg as it wound back in. And then I wrapped the tail around my neck and nearly died… luckily my mother turned away from her phone call to check on me, finding me blue in the face and close to unconscious, and managed to get a pair of scissors and cut the tail just in time… so that’s that story lol

The store you shop at the most: I hate to say it but these days it’s Amazon. Urgh. I’m the worst.

Do you swear a lot? I feel like I’ve spent the last two days discussing the finer science behind swearing!! lol Yes and no? I use swear words in casual conversation, because English swearing doesn’t mean anything, since no one ever taught me those words are bad… but I don’t swear in anger.

Favourite Trope: Slooooooow burn. Especially for good reasons, not just hilarious high-jinx type misunderstandings.

An album with no skips: PULP - Different Class

If you could play any instrument, what would you choose? Fiddle. I love watch bands that have a fiddler, it’s the best!! I would also get a kick out of being really good at playing the spoons!!

Your biggest pet peeve: Oh, I have so many! Like, I love people, but I also really hate people, y’know? lol Getting to the bottom of an escalator and stopping!! In rush hour!!! With no regard to the pile up that’s about to happen behind you!!!!! Yeah, that’s a huge one. Get the duck out of the way people! Move to the side, then stop and chat!!

Favourite time of day: I’m naturally a morning person! But also the closer it gets to noon the more I start to think of the day as being ‘basically over’ and then I start to fret over all the things I was going to do today that I’ve now failed to achieve, and then I waste some time hating myself for sucking… did I mention that I’m very neurotic, also? 🤦

And finally, did you drink water today? Yeah. It’s summer time which means there are half full bottles of water in my freezer at all times, so I grab one in the morning, top it up with water all day long, and my water is always cool 😎

Also, I’m a water goblin. I hoard bottles of water in every room I ever spend time in. And then when I go to the kitchen to get myself or snack or something I think ‘Oh! Do I have water??’ And because I’m not sure I bring a pint of water just in case… to add to my other 5 pints of water already in the room LOL

It me 👇

I’d like to tag @ms-moonlight-inn @jrooc @grossmickey @harrowhark-a-vagrant @too-schoolforcool @tsuga-of-mars @thepupperino @vintagelacerosette @crossmydna @faejilly @junemermaid @juliakayyy @southsidestory @grumble-fish @creepkinginc @depressedstressedlemonzest @rutherinahobbit @rereadanon @lupeloto @francesrose3

[pressradio]

Don’t want to hate Carlos any more than I already do (his itw last year, silverstone …)

It’s all on Ferrari for not making the call. They lack fighting spirit/ it’s like Binotto is still there in a way. He was the king of the non fighting spirit when he talked to the press.

BUT that B&W flag… that weaving on his own teammate ??? What was that ?

I was disappointed nted last week obviously. We had a podium for Charles.

But this week I’m angry. Same shit as last year. And a P5 to P3 wasted for Charles once again.

The car is not great, we have to live with it. But that car + Charles can go P3. It’s obvious. They need to stop wasting Charles talent.

And knowing they have to start negotiating with him soon I would have thought they made more efforts right away to show him they mean it. But we are really clowns it seems.

I would hate Carlos much less if he was faster. BUT HE IS SLOOOOOOOW AS SHIT.

I'm so fed up with this, really. I just can't imagine how professional rich team with eyes and brain can do that. Like in what universe you would do that?

I'm thinking too good about Ferrari, right?

[lilmarigoldteddy]

Big update! My bf is getting his new phone soon! My old one will be replaced with the one that he's giving to me (his old phone) since my current one is on the verge of no longer working. But this will mean better pictures 😊 but that also means I alot of moving stuff to the phone once I gain that access 😭 transfers are always slooooooow. But here's to better phone and soon no more green screen and hot touch phone 😭 my hand hurts even with the phone case on that one. And I had to use a back up phone for my sim bc the green screen hurts my eyes so much.

[clowninblackandwhite]

Rules /About

1- Don’t be a jerk, I don’t mean that your muse can’t be a jerk but you, the mun, don’t be a jerk or you will be blocked.

2- No Godmodding, I move my muse, you move yours. (remember, if you try to move L.j without my consent, L.j will NOT react well)

3- No smut (or even interact in general) if you are under 18, I will block and report if I find out you are doing it and nothing will change my mind.

4- There will be quite some triggers regarding death, depression and more… don't follow me if this bothers you too much, stay safe please.

5- If you have some kind of problem with our Roleplay, please let me know and we’ll talk about it, I want both of us to enjoy RPing.

6- I prefer to ship if there’s chemistry but I don’t mind plotting. (after all I’m multi-ship.)

7- Please read the About prt of this, because this Laughing Jack can be pretty much different from the “canon”.

8- I'm selective, meaning I might not start a thread with anyone, it has nothing to do with you, I just prefer this way, I'm sorry. please respect that. You can still send asks for L.J but don't expect to have an answer for sure (or that said answer will turn into a thread).

9- no hate of any kind, again, your muse can be an asshole but you, the mun, no. I'll block anyone who spreads hate.

10- don't involve me in IRL drama, just don't.

11- don't force ships on me and don't push me for replies, I could go from soft-blocking to hardlocking.

12- I can be really slooooooow, like…a lot, so please keep that in mind.

13- I'm not my muse, I shouldn't have to say this but it seems that it's needed.

14- you may know L.J for his creepypasta or you could know another version of him from another universe. But, NO, your muse doesn't know my L.J unless we have plotted this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Laughing Jack (once it was Rainbow Jack)

Age: He was “imagined” in 1800, so I guess he is pretty old.

Age Appearance: It’s hard to tell.

Height: 10 feet (tall boy)

Voice: pretty much similar to Beetlejuice from the musical. Just so you can have a generic idea.

Power: He has “imaginary” powers, similar to a cartoon character…a deadly one.

He usually uses all kinds of candies that he can create and shapes them as insects or similar.

He can summon puppets to fight for him and they are made by him after each victim he kills. And of course, L.J is Immortal.

Personality: He can be grumpy and strangely serious with someone he doesn’t know too well, but he can also be surprisingly funny once you know him a little. (still creepy).

Can be manipulative.

He hates children, it is something really difficult for a child to make friends with him after what happened with Isaac.

He will offer you a candy when you meet him if you accept the first candy he offers you, this means that he is “authorized” to kill you or at least try to make your life a nightmare, it is not something that always happens but I would not play with fate. If you say NO to his first candy, you’ll be fine … hopefully.

L.J loves prank (they can be as silly as dangerous) and if you are brave enough to prank him and clever enough to make him fall for your prank, there is a possibility that he will see you in a more pleasant way. (but depends on the prank you are trying to make)

Behind his creepy mask there is a deeply depressed clown..he still

suffers from his past trauma about being trapped inside his box for 13 years and forgotten by Isaac.

When he feels strong emotion (usually anger or sadness) around his eyes there will be shades similar to black makeup smeared by tears.

There are more headcanons and things to know about him, but feel free to discover them in our threads.

[tostawafle]

talking about things

ok so since i have more than 2 followers i gotta clear up on some things. 1. BRIANDEAD, INFIX, slasher etc.. development is going slooooooow as of now. im having trouble finding motivation to keep working, but that in turn make me more art focused instead, what this means is any and all of my games wont be out soon. just be paitent. (P.S my mental health is A-OK not depressed or anything, just a lazy marble chewer) 2. im a guy, simple stuff 3. i am open to all questions and all feedback, don't worry, i dont bite :) 4. i will not state my location yet, for now, i do not live in the states, Mexico, Canada or the UK. why i feel the need to say this im not sure, but now you know. 5. i know @noolagaming personally, go check them out they're pretty cool. we do some crossover stuff sometimes/seldom. 6. "for you saying English is not your first language, you do suspiciously well with it?" yeah, thats right. i may consider myself fluent in English, but its still not my first language.

thats about all i think is worth mentioning, thanks for reading

go raibh Dia leat go léir

-Tósta

[darkobssessions]

Maya Luna's

'Notes from the Underworld…'

Pluto is no joke.

I used to be very “meh” about astrology.

Like- it’s cool and all but very subjective and I’m not basing my life around it.

That all changed once I experienced pluto crossing my Ascendant.

I had astrologers warn me for years prior.

Like- yo. This is serious.

Your life is about to be turned upside down. Burned to the ground and completely transformed.

Apparently having Pluto cross your ascendant or your moon is the most severe transit that exists. Both in terms of its brutality and the level of transformation it brings.

Seeing as my life at that time was pretty freakin cozy and well established I was like nahhh.

I mean- how can you imagine what having your entire life ripped apart and reborn would look like?

Obviously I couldn’t.

But I remained poised and watching.

I tracked this dark figure for a few years. I watched it slowly approaching on my Astro map.

Pluto- planet of hades. Underworld. Hell. And paradoxically- riches.

Pluto moves slooooooow. Very slow. Almost 300 years to do a full lap on the zodiac. Which means unlike other transits, most won’t ever experience this initiation.

And it IS an initiation.

If you’ve had Pluto cross your moon or AC- you KNOW.

It’s the Phoenix club. Branded by the underworld.

Those of us marked by Pluto carry the scar.

We exchange knowing glances and words. No one else can really understand.

So…I was watching this thing creep. Oh so slowly. A slow motion wrecking ball. Only a few degrees of movement a year.

Tick….

Tick…

Tick.….

BOOM

Like clockwork. Once it grazed the degree of my ascendant a force swept through my life. A force I could not manage or contain.

Destruction on every level.

My heart was ripped out of my chest. Repeatedly. I was coming apart at the seams. There is no way to do it gracefully. If you’re not clawing and flailing desperately- you’re not in the underworld.

It is designed to push you past your edge of tolerance. It is designed to humble you to the core.

I’d reach for help.

Consistently, the source I would reach to for help would end up enacting some kind of shocking cruelty and betrayal.

Pluto initiates all know this. It actually feels like you’re being stalked by something malevolent. It comes through everything and everyone.

Nothing and no one is safe.

To give you a sense of just how real this transit is: there is a high correlation between Pluto transits to the moon and AC and people taking their own lives.

This does not surprise me one bit.

Illness and injury are also common. I was sick for a year and could barely walk for two.

For three years I felt as if I was being tortured in some kind of sadistic device that seemed to orchestrate events in my life that were expertly and sinisterly designed to cut me right where it hurt. My deepest wounds and vulnerability’s were exposed, poked and prodded.

Hung on a meat hook like inanna in the underworld.

A tragedy would occur. The kind of stuff that normally happens once in a blue moon. I would barely catch my breath to recover and then another. And another. And another.

Tragedy stacked on tragedy.

For a period of time I couldn’t stop breaking things. Everything around me seemed to smash rip and explode.

I was becoming plutonic.

That’s what happens. You become a carrier. A transmitter of plutonic power.

And then there’s the riches part.

As I was being flung around in the winds of annihilation and extreme circumstances I could not control…

A great eruption of power began to flow through me.

As I was being emptied out, Something began to pour in.

Poetry flooded through my body. All of my art was created.

My entire body of work was channeled during this time.

They say that Pluto transits like this dig up the soil of your soul and reveal your deepest gifts.

It’s a soul descent journey of illuminating your essence.

But it happens through a bloody messy death.

The underworld is immensely sacred. The death-rebirth it brings is so profoundly holy.

There is a kind of miraculous essence of love and truth that only resides at the bottom of the bottom.

Rock bottom.

As the prediction predicted- my life and me and every single thing is completely different than what it was before this dark portal.

It has been the most profound experience of my life.

An unfathomable blessing wrapped in a curse wrapped in a blessing.

I feel like everyone needs to know about this. Because I now sense that many trials of the soul people go through are happening during a Pluto transit. If I didn’t know what was happening astrologically I dont know what I would have done. It was my tiny thread of sanity in total chaos.

This is the kind of stuff therapeutic and psychological models really can’t touch.

It is soul work and initiation. It calls for deep and intimate community holding and witnessing. It is phenomenological. A three year psychedelic trip where you are stripped and scrubbed by the rough rough tongue of the dark goddess of the underworld.

Even my eyes have changed. When I see pictures of myself now I am sometimes shocked.

A laser cutting light that wasn’t there before. Something otherworldly.

I am plutonic.

🦇

[lesbiandeerstory]

it’s wednesday my dudes

and it’s been a bit of an uneventful week so here take a look at one of my homestuck ocs

anyway the development update!

last time on dragonball z i talked about FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY and how the fights in your deer friend were sorta lacking in purpose, like they needed an underlying common thread aside from “fight scenes are cool” (tho they are very cool)

on that note, i think i’ve put together somthn that’s RLY GOOD. i have an idea for the theming, and i’ve created a system to support it, and put together a structure that will act as like a guideline for how i write the individual fights.

the structure is good but still mostly untested; i did a little bit of choreography with it and it turned out FINE but i was not doing my best work that day for reasons it was just one of those days.

i have a better idea of how i wanna do the ydf choreography going forward, but i haven’t actually written any of it yet. frankly i should probably do that next considering some of the stuff i’m about to say in this dev post lmao.

as for the system, i think it too is gonna be super fuckin sweet. it THANKFULLY does not at all replace the magic or class systems i already revealed, it actually fits into them like another layer AND!!! has some fun implications for deer culture, history, philosophy and lore. which i am very excited about.

i still need to work out some kinks with it and get it peer reviewed, but i think i have the bones of somthn rly good that i’m excited to share eventually.

THAT SAID, moving onto SCRIPT PROGRESS, this part of the post is not quite as positive!

i had built up a decent amount of momentum with writing scripts, but i had to stop writing scripts so i could do the epilogue chapter outlines and storyboards, and i am now paying dearly for that loss of momentum, tho other factors are also grinding my productivity to a halt.

first of which is just that my outline and storyboard that i had made is becoming less and less useful as i progress thru the story and make improvisational changes, which is a pain in my ass!!!! certain things i wrote in the storyboard maybe don’t make sense with how characters ended up being written, and sometimes u will look at somthn u had planned and realize u did that thing already and doing it again would be redundant.

such is the normal pitfalls of writing a narrative, but it is still a pain in my ass that’s making the script writing process more difficult. i ended up skipping chapter 7 entirely bcuz what i had planned for it was no longer viable, and i want to have a better sense of the payoffs that need to be set up in that chapter before i write the setup in that chapter.

so now i’m working on chapter 8 and it is slooooooow gooooooing. partly for the reasons described above, partly bcuz honestly i’ll be entirely real with u some of the aspects of this story are just kinda unpleasant to write about. i had to write a whole scene about centrist philosophy last night it was rough. and on top of all of that it’s just been a weird week in the ol’ personal life. it’s just been one of those weeks!

SO! what’s on tap for this upcoming week

well honestly, i think i should consider focusing on the fight choreography. having EVERYTHING done that i need to get done that isn’t scripts, so that i can focus on doing JUST scripts and not have to keep stopping and starting, is probably a good idea. but i have to actually write some fights to make sure the choreography is doing what i need it to, which means i guess i could write some choreography and then write the fights right after??? just like, out of order with the rest of the chapters??? ehhh maybe.

i should also consider editing my storyboards a bit now that i think about it. if the current storyboards aren’t helping me as much as they used to, it might be worth looking at my current boards and fixing them up a bit to fit with the way that i’m currently writing, and the story that i’m currently telling.

if i did all this reorganization, what with the storyboards and\or the choreography, and also took the time to write scripts a little bit slower to build back some momentum (instead of trying to go from 0 to 100 as i often do and is a tactic i DON’T RECOMMEND), i probably won’t be able to get the scripts finished by the end of october buuuut could probably manage to get them wrapped up by mid-november which is frankly just as good.

so this post is less “here’s what i’ve done, here’s what i’m doing” and more “here’s what i have and haven’t done, and here’s what i’m thinking i might do” but hey sometimes that’s how it is with game development!

[edupunkn00b]

Servatis (a) Curiositas - Chapter 2: Aftermath

[ AO3 ] - Hobbies - Aftermath - Chess - Debate - Truth/Lies - Anniversary

When Logan has another angry outburst at the dinner table a few weeks later, Patton reaches out to Janus for help. Takes place pre-Sanders Sides videos while c!Thomas is in high school - Word Count: 1441

Feelin' like I'm headed for a Breakdown And I don't know why - Unwell, Matchbox Twenty (2003)

---

Logan was curled around himself on the floor under his desk. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out his view of the papers scattered all over the floor and his bed. He had a faint taste of pennies in his mouth from biting his tongue when he’d thrown himself at the floor. His broken pencil cup crunched under his feet, his chair in pieces next to the bookshelf. His comforter and pillows were tossed around the room, the stuffing spilling out from one burst seam.

"I don't care what you have to do, he can't keep blowing up at dinner!" Logan could still hear Patton's voice over the Holst pouring from the headset he pressed against his ears. "You said you had this under control!" Logan faintly heard Janus' honeyed voice responding but he couldn't make out the words. Logan just wrapped his arms tighter around himself, tucking his head down, fingers drumming out the beat against his upper arms as the sixth movement slowed and faded into the seventh.

After a few minutes, there was a quiet, brushing knock at his door. Logan didn't respond. "Logan? Logan, it's me..." Janus' smooth voice sounded muffled through the door. "Logan? I'm worried about you."

After several more minutes of silence, finally Janus tried the doorknob. "Logan, I'm coming in." The door slowly opened and Logan could hear Janus suck in a breath at the sight of the destruction in his room. "Oh, Lo...."

"I'm sorry," Logan whispered from under the desk.

Janus turned, closing and locking the door behind him. He spoke gently, "Lo, do you want to come out here or would you like me to come to you?"

When Logan didn't respond, Janus gingerly stepped through the debris, moving closer to the desk. He crouched down in front of him. "Hello, Logan," giving him a soft smile.

Logan was quiet for a moment before murmuring, "You are wearing gloves."

Janus swallowed, holding his hands in front of him as though seeing the yellow cotton gloves for the first time, flexing his fingers. "Yes. Yes, I am." He lowered his hands, peering under the desk to meet Logan's eyes, "Do you like them?" he asked for lack of something better to say.

"Are they..." Logan whispered, "Are they... spreading?"

Janus pressed his lips together in a small frown and nodded. "It bothers some of the others to see them, so it's best to keep them covered."

Reaching for his hand, Logan murmured, shaking his head, "Your new scales have never bothered me, Janus. I think the way they refract the light is quite... captivating."

Sucking in a shaky breath, Janus smiled slightly and gripped Logan's hand. "Would you like to come out of there?" Logan shrank in on himself for a moment, looking around the small, boxy cocoon he'd made himself. Janus maintained a gentle gaze, waiting for him to meet his eyes again. Finally, Logan looked at Janus' still-smiling face and nodded, ducking his head to crawl out from under the desk.

Janus stepped back, not letting go of Logan's hand as he helped him to his feet. They stood together, surveying the damage. Logan bowed his head, turning away from Janus. "I'm sorry," he said again.

Gently gripping his chin, Janus turned Logan's face. 'No, no, Lo..." he shook his head slowly, "Your reaction was more than understandable. Any Side would have felt overwhelmed by the information you were trying to process." He stroked Logan's cheekbone with his thumb, bringing both hands to either side of his face, not letting him look away. "Do you hear me?" Janus asked softly, "You can't control every reaction. It's okay to feel something." He wiped away the tears starting to slip down Logan's cheeks.

"I want to believe you, I do," he pulled Janus' hands away from his face and turned toward his door. "But the others...."

"The others' comfort is not more important than Thomas' well-being," Janus insisted, ignoring how his wrists itched from the rough inner seams of his gloves. "The others' comfort is not more important than you."

Logan sighed, looking around the room once more, wincing when he caught sight of a broken picture frame and the haphazard heap of books in one corner where he'd thrown them after yanking everything off the shelves by his door. "I need to repair the damage," he said at last.

"Let me help you, Lo. Please," Janus murmured, lightly gripping Logan's arm.

Nodding, Logan bent down to start to gather and sort the papers at their feet. Janus began with re-making Logan's bed, fixing the sheets, collecting the spilled stuffing and pressing it back into the damaged pillow, then setting it aside so Logan could repair it more permanently. They worked together in near silence for the next two hours. Finally, they stood in the center of the restored room. "Thank you for your help, Janus," he smiled softly. "I... I would likely still be cowering under the desk if it were not for your assistance tonight."

Janus slowly moved closer and rubbed Logan's back, "Anytime, Lo, anytime." Logan leaned toward Janus, resting his head on his shoulder. Janus froze for a moment before he carefully wrapped his arm around Logan's shoulders and pulled him into a half-hug.

After a few minutes, Logan straightened, "I should prepare for bed. The others will want to talk in the morning." Looking around his room again, Logan felt his chest tighten and his pulse race. He tried to take a deep breath, pushing away his spiraling thoughts.

"Would it help if I stayed until you were asleep, Lo?" Janus asked, "To give you something else to think about?"

Logan started to shake his head, but instead said, "Actually, yes. That would be helpful. But I do not wish to inconvenience you. Are you certain— "

"I wouldn't have offered if it were an inconvenienssce, Lo," Janus smiled. "Go get ready, I'll be right here." Janus conjured a chair next to Logan's bed and retrieved Logan's copy of Einstein's Dreams, smiling when he saw that Logan's bookmark had surpassed his in the book. He settled in to read while he waited for Logan to finish his nighttime preparations.

Before long, Logan was scrubbed, brushed, and dressed for bed. Janus dimmed the lights as Logan settled under his covers, then pulled the chair closer to the head of his bed. Logan's eyes lingered on the book in Janus' hands. Following his gaze, Janus grinned. "May I read to you?"

Logan met his eyes, a matching smile tugging at his lips. "Only if you wish..."

Chuckling, Janus opened the book. "Shall I skip ahead to where you are?"

Logan shook his head lightly, "Will you read where you are in the story?" Janus nodded once, turning to the last page he'd read,

"The shoppers walk hesitantly from one stall to the next, discovering what each shop sells. These are not tourists in Berne on their first visit. These are the citizens of Berne. Not a man can remember that two days back he bought chocolate at a shop named Ferdinand's, at no. 17...."

As he read in a low, sonorous tone, Janus would look up from time to time, watching how Logan's eyelids grew heavier, the duration of his blinks became longer, and his breathing became quieter and more even. "... feels the cold April rain on his face. But he does not weep. He waits longingly for a particular day he remembers in the future when he and his friend will—" Janus glanced up and saw how completely relaxed Logan's face had become in slumber.

Gone was the small crease between his eyebrows and the usual tightness in his jaw. His lips were fuller, naturally turning upwards in a near-smile, and the small, tense dimple was gone from his chin. Marking the page in the book, Janus folded his hands together tightly in his lap, staring at the strand of hair that fell across Logan's forehead. Finally, unable to resist any longer, Janus reached over and, being careful not to actually touch his forehead, brushed the hair away. Pressing his lips together, Janus' hand lingered for a moment before he forced it back to his lap, gripping the book with shaking hands.

Janus watched him for another few moments. Once he was certain Logan was in a deep sleep, he summoned the other, "He needs you."

The other appeared next to Janus almost immediately, looking down at Logan's sleeping form. Janus kept his gaze on Logan's face, watching for any change in his expression. Biting the inside of his cheek, Janus tasted blood, not yet accustomed to his new, sharper teeth. "You need to be more careful tonight," he said quietly, finally looking up and seeing the flecks of amber in the other's eyes. "Not as much as last time...."

---

taglist: @loceitweek2021 @the-dead-and-the-decaying

[aziraphales-library]

Hey so I’m looking for the best pining/mutual pining, angst ridden, oh-my-god-my-soul-is-on-fire fics that hurts so good.

Gimme that 6000 years of slow burn goodness. Like a drunkard in a bottle shop there’s just so many options out there I don’t know where to start!

Thank you in advance!

Here are a few drops in the ocean of 6000 year slow burn fics...

The Truth Remains by WanderingAlice (M)

Raphael had been the third angel ever created, and he’d raised himself first with Michael’s clumsy help. Then he’d turned around and raised three more siblings, and loved them all so fiercely it hurt. He'd loved Aziraphale too, more than either of them really knew.

And then, he fell. He lost everything. The bond he held with his siblings was ripped away, leaving an aching, empty void. And while he still has Aziraphale, the angel doesn't recognize the archangel who taught him how to care about the Earth. And Crowley refuses to tell him who he was, or how Aziraphale's voice is the one thing that can soothe the ache in his soul that wants, so badly, to feel a connection again.

A story through the ages as an angel and a demon come to terms with their shared past.

Souvenirs by CaspianTheGeek (T)

Crowley has always collected souvenirs. Post Apocanot, Aziraphale starts to really explore his flat for the first time. And Crowley is finally sharing the stories behind all of the things he's collected.

"He didn’t expect the angel to take him up on his offer. He certainly didn’t expect him to take him up on it without any sort of argument. But then Aziraphale was there, sitting next to him, leaning into his chest, Crowley’s arm around him. Both of them sipping the wine. Crowley had never been happier, nor more terrified.

“Dear, I, uh, noticed something while I was getting the wine and I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask, but” Aziraphale trailed off.

“What is it, angel?”

“That statue down the hall, is it from the church during the Blitz?”

Crowley froze. He’d forgotten that statue was in plain view, and that Aziraphale would recognize it. Crowley had a habit of collecting what he termed souvenirs. That one was one of his particular favorites."

I don't foresee this going extra angsty, but Crowley is Crowley so there's going to be some angst and pining. I don't expect this to go explicit, but I make no promises. I'll update the tags if need be.

All I Wants (Is You) by amavyllis (G)

The angel is afraid they’ll be punished, that the righteous divinity of heaven will smite him down and that everything he holds dear will be taken from him in one swift moment. (And, he fears, somewhere deeply hidden inside his heart, of what it would mean if they touched, if they lingered, if it meant something.) The demon is just afraid.

So—they don’t touch.

(It doesn’t mean they don’t want to.)

Yours from the start by chamyl (E)

Nobody would suspect that Aziraphale, reluctant Principality and fidgety Guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden, would have a tryst with a demon. This is a good thing. It means they’re less likely to get caught. “You’re about to say yes, angel,” murmurs the serpent behind him, hot breath against the shell of his ear and hands lost inside Aziraphale’s mint-green silk robe. “I can feel it.”

���

In which Crowley and Aziraphale have been sleeping together since Eden and somehow still manage to pine after each other for six thousand years.

An Angel and a Demon's Beginners' Guide to Ineffability by elf_on_the_shelf (M)

What if 6000 years of mutual pining isn't enough and we get to have more? Supernatural entities can be as oblivious as the rest of us. Sometimes, even more so. Or, more plainly put: This is going to be the slowest of slowburns. Anathema, Adam and Warlock want those two walking disasters getting together. Unfortunately, our main protagonists are being rather dense. Also unfortunately both Heaven and Hell want to see them punished for what they did. Actually, Heaven a lot more then Hell, seeing as angels are being a bunch of holier-than-thou knobs. Will figure a lot of God content in later chapters.

(Slow) Burn, Baby, Burn by orchidlocked (E)

It's the 1970's, baby. Polyester is in, and so is finding a healthy outlet for 6000 years of repressed feelings for your best friend. Our story starts a few years after Aziraphale tells Crowley he goes too fast. Our favorite demon roams across Europe and America, accidentally becoming both a music producer and a DJ in the process. These two lovestruck fools will eventually work it out, I promise. A slooooooow burn, complete with a disco playlist that will have you saying, "Why the fuck do people say they hate disco?"

- Mod D

[finalgoob]

Okay but drop your Obikin fic recs my fren (I am slowly rereading Return to the Point of No Return by cthene and wicked thing by imaginarykat)

RUBS HANDS TOGETHER LIKE FRUIT FLY

i'll try to keep this short because the quality of works in the tag is insane and if i didn't limit myself we'd be here all day!!!!

wonderterror by peradi (6k, 3/3) summary: Anakin Skywalker is the son of the Force. He’s half human and half something monumental. What does that make his children? The Skywalkers aren't entirely human. Here's what that means. comments: genius concept, and really beautiful writing! it also has anidala, as a heads up!

Second Chances by Driverpicksthemooseic (120k, 42/42) summary: Leia wasn't convinced inviting evil incarnate to join them in fighting the Empire was exactly one of Obi-Wan's brightest ideas.(The De-Aged!Fic, because someone had to.) comments: one of my favourite fics of all time no cap... worth that 120k word count

I myself have torn myself to shreds by iiscos (6k, 1/1) summary: The Force whispers in its ageless voice, its touch peaceful and lulling against Vader’s ancient soul, “Tell me your biggest regrets.” Or the five times Anakin traveled back in time with the intention of making things better, and the one time that it actually worked. comments: this one's short but a DOOZY... the last part made me tear up fr <3

When the Abyss Stares Back at You by l_tales (48k, 16/16) summary: Pre-ROTS. Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent to investigate the sighting of a Sith Anakin, who appears to be in a relationship with an older version of Obi-Wan. comments: this is a classic, but i only got around to reading it recently!! but it's worth all the hype, the plot is incredible!!

where every mask cracks by l_tales (23k, 7/7) summary: Four years after the birth of the Galactic Empire, Obi-Wan approaches Darth Vader with an offer he doesn't expect. comments: a direct sequel to the last chapter of when the abyss, but it can stand alone too!! really love how obi-wan was developed in this one!!

Through a Glass, Darkly by glimmerglanger (49k, 3/3) summary: The one where Anakin gets lost in a universe that isn't... quite right and has to find his way home. comments: clearly ive been on a sith au binge lately and this is as good as it gets tbh <333

Hourglass by BeanieBaby (69k, 16/19) summary: Obi-Wan finds himself back on Tatooine after his encounter with Darth Vader in the Death Star. Qui-Gon lives and becomes Anakin's master. Some things change and others do not. Time-travel Fix-it. comments: SLOOOOOOOW BURN. i'm rly sad it hasnt been updated since last year, but it's still worth a read!!

you knock me out, i fall apart by crayonballet (65k, 11/?) summary: non-linear moments in the lives of the skywalker clan. aka: the one where anakin was a sith lord for literally an hour, everyone is alive, and they're actually happy comments: FLUFFY PALATE CLEANSER for the utter angst of everything else :D i love me an obianidala domestic au<33

[tickle-bugs]

If you want, I had an to continue that tickle talk tag that you started a while back where people ask questions about your ler side! I saw someone ask about straddling and another post about raspberries, so I’ll throw in my question: Would you give a lee nibbles/tickle bites?

Oooh it’s been a while since I got one of these! Putting my answer under the cut for anyone who needs it!

Yes I would 👀. I will 100% risk an elbow to the face over nibbles are you KIDDING?? It gets the best reactions! Plus there’s literally nothing that tops the slooooooow lean down with a smirk while your lee is like nONONO DONT YOU DARE. Especially if you just stop and wait. Riiiiight above a spot. AND THEN YOU GET EM >:D

Plus the SOUNDS! I feel like most lees would get super squealy and that’s just plain adorable. I just like laughs a lot 🥺

exquisite. also like while I can be ✨mean ler✨ I do also like the idea of just pulling a lee super close in my arms and going to town. Maybe nomnom noises because I’m a menace. There’s something potentially very silly about nibbles that speaks to my heart :’)

[ao3feed--reylo]

Stubborn Follies

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/JWTNiUL

by Marauder23

“Uncle Lor! Really, I must protest! Is it not an arcane and wholly offensive practice to brandish me like cattle at the stocks?”

“Aurelia, please,” he beseeched, sounding far too tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your presentation to the queen should have happened two years ago, but at your insistence I refrained. Now, though…” He let out a shallow wheezing cough and slouched back further in the richly upholstered wingback chair.

***

In which, Rey must find a suitor this season due to the ailing health of her Uncle Lor and an ill-fated promise to him. However, she wants to do so on her terms with a love match. Meanwhile, Benjamin Organa Solo, now Duke of Naboo, is back at his estate. His mother is determined he wed to finally settle down and secure their title, lands, and lineage.

As they both look for their match this season, they continue to find themselves pushed together through fate and circumstance. The only problem? They loathe each other.

A Reylo Regency AU heavily inspired by Austen's works, specifically Pride & Prejudice, as well as Bridgerton.

Words: 3495, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Rey (Star Wars), Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Lor San Tekka, Maz Kanata, Leia Organa, Rose Tico, Bazine Netal, Cal Kestis, Poe Dameron, Armitage Hux, Mon Mothma, Finn (Star Wars), Kaydel Ko Connix

Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Regency, Regency Romance, Alternate Universe - Jane Austen Fusion, References to Jane Austen, Inspired by Bridgerton (TV), Slow Burn, When I say slow burn I mean slooooooow buuuuuurn, Reformed Rake Ben Solo, Begrudging Lady Rey Niima, They both need to get married, Rey wants to marry for love, But also thinks marriage is stupid, Ben is trying to do his duty as the Duke of Naboo, Ben is an unintentional asshole, Enemies to Lovers, Ben Solo is channeling Mr. Darcy, Rey Niima is channeling Elizabeth Bennett, Eventual Smut, Eventual Happy Ending

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/JWTNiUL

[bourbon-ontherocks]

re: Looks, he has the same happy/relieved wide-eyed face when he says he's glad she found a house as when she comes back after two months 🫠 (speaking of: mais que fait la médecine du travail ? pourquoi personne n'a fait d'arrêt de travail à morgane ?? get me some cement, there's a plot hole we need to fill) unfortunately I couldn't make out either what karadec mouthed during the philo scene... surely this warrants a rewatch 😈 (ou bien il avait juste plus les mots 😂)

(Julia's adventures with the HPI anon)

Oh yeah, that's true, he's happy to see her in that relaxed, cute way of his, but Morgane doesn't seem to share his enthusiasm which kinda tarnished the moment for me with respect to the found a house moment tbh. But I definitely see what you're meaning! And I reaaaaally want to know what he was mouthing to her 😭

Re la médecine du travail, and considering that we learn later that Morgane wasn't paid for two months, my take is that administratively speaking she literally disappeared overnight. I doubt she even left Céline's apartment to go see a doctor who could write her a medical leave (also I'm not so sure she could've gotten one? You do not usually get an arrêt de travail because your boyfriend dumped you or so to speak), so I tend to headcanon that Céline managed to put her on congé sans solde or something like that to avoid that she gets fired (which actually should have happened, you cannot just stop showing up at work like that lol).

Also believe me and my few years working for the fonction publique a while ago: sometimes there's even no médecine du travail for months or years because the previous doctor left and it's so slooooooow to get all the paperwork done to have a new one that you just... do without I guess?