#i might sell eventually but i need to make a store first

[sunsetmade]

Dirty Business

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Summary: Everything changed for Rafe after he met you. No more drugs, no more using, but he’s still wrapped up in the business of selling.

Rafe’s fingers throb with a dull ache as he counts yet another stack of cash. Another deal. Another drop. Another day stuck in the cycle. Across from him, Barry lounges on the couch, casually chopping lines and snorting them without hesitation.

Rafe doesn’t flinch—just rolls his eyes. Yeah, he’s still tangled in the business, but he’d left the drugs behind a long time ago.

“C’mon, country club. Just one hit,” Barry rasps, that wicked grin stretching across his face.

Rafe barely looks up. “Nah. I’m done with that.”

Barry clicks his tongue, leaning back with a smirk as he wipes his nose clean. He reaches for a blunt already rolled, lighting it like it’s just another part of his routine.

“Gone soft now?” he goads.

Rafe’s elbows rest on his knees, jaw tightening as the irritation flickers across his face. “I’ve told you. I’m not like that anymore.”

Barry laughs lowly. “Guess that’s what happens when you get yourself a girlfriend.”

Rafe’s teeth clench. If he had it his way, he’d be out of this mess completely. But with his dad off on one of his mysterious business trips, someone had to keep the money flowing.

But Barry wasn’t completely wrong.

Rafe had changed—because of her.

He hadn’t planned on it. He never does. She just sort of appeared, soft-spoken and bright-eyed, in a world that never had room for people like her. And somehow, she stayed. While everyone else saw the worst in him, she looked right through the smoke and blood and chaos and saw something worth saving.

Maybe that was the problem. She believed in him more than he ever had.

She never asked him to stop. Never begged or judged. She just existed in his life with so much light that the darkness started to feel less comfortable. And eventually, he didn’t need the high. Didn’t need the numbness. He just needed her.

So no—Barry wasn’t wrong. But he didn’t get to talk about her.

“Don’t talk about her,” Rafe muttered, voice low and sharp as he thumbed through another stack of cash on the table, jaw tight.

Barry held his hands up in mock surrender, a lazy grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Relax, country club. Just sayin’.”

The smirk didn’t fade, but Rafe didn’t look up. He focused on the money—because if he didn’t, he might actually do something about that look on Barry’s face.

⸻

The first time he had ever seen her, it had been raining that day—one of those warm Outer Banks downpours that soaked you in seconds and didn’t care who you were. Rafe had been parked outside of a corner store, waiting on a guy who was already late, already pissing him off. His patience was wearing thin, and the storm hadn’t helped.

He saw her before she saw him—hair plastered to her face, arms wrapped around a bag of books like it was the only thing keeping her upright. She was standing under the awning, watching the rain like it was something magical instead of miserable.

It didn’t make sense. People like her didn’t belong in his world. Sweet, soft-looking, with that kind of quiet energy that made you want to get closer just to hear her speak. Rafe hadn’t looked twice at anyone in a long time—but something about her made him stop.

And then she looked over. Caught him staring. Instead of glaring or turning away, she offered him the smallest, gentlest smile. Like he wasn’t soaked in anger and frustration. Like she wasn’t afraid.

He remembered rolling down his window, calling out something dumb just to keep her there a second longer. Something like, “You know there’s a storm, right?”

She’d smiled wider, clutching her bag tighter. “Yeah. I like the sound it makes.”

And that was it. That was the moment. The quiet click of something shifting inside him.

He didn’t know her name yet. But he’d spend the next week finding excuses to run into her again.

Because for the first time in a long time, Rafe Cameron didn’t want to disappear into the darkness—he wanted to stand in the rain.

And the first time he realized he wanted to stop- stop all the drug shit- it was when he was with her.

It had been late—bordering on midnight—when she’d fallen asleep on his couch for the first time.

They weren’t together, not officially. But she was always around. Drifting in and out of his days with that soft voice and kind heart, like she didn’t notice—or chose not to care—that he was someone people warned others about.

Rafe had just gotten back from a drop, pockets full of cash, nerves buzzing, the kind of itch in his skin that used to have a very specific fix.

The little baggie sat on the kitchen counter. Same spot it always did. He could’ve crushed a line in seconds. No one would’ve known. Hell, Barry probably expected him to.

But when he turned around, she was there.

Curled up on his couch with one of his old hoodies swallowed around her, hair messy, face peaceful, chest rising and falling slow like she had no idea how close he stood to unraveling.

She trusted him.

That thought hit him harder than anything ever had. She trusted him enough to sleep soundly in a house that had seen things it never should’ve. She believed he was safe. And somehow, just being in her orbit made him want to be that.

His hand hovered over the bag for a moment. Then he pushed it off the counter. Watched it fall into the trash without a second glance.

Rafe stepped into the living room, the dim glow from the hallway light casting soft shadows across her sleeping form. Quietly, he slid onto the couch beside her, easing into the space like it belonged to him—because she did.

She stirred at the motion, a sleepy sigh escaping her lips as she reached out instinctively, searching for him in the dark. Still half-asleep, she scooted closer, her head settling against his chest like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Rafe’s breath caught for a moment. Then he smiled—soft, real. The kind of smile he didn’t show anyone else.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in gently, like he was afraid to wake her or lose her. Her warmth pressed against him, grounding him in a way nothing else ever could.

This—she—was the calm he never thought he deserved.

He didn’t need the high anymore.

He had her.

And for the first time, that felt like enough.

⸻

The sound of the front door closing snapped Rafe out of his thoughts.

“Rafe? Baby?”

Her voice—soft, sweet, familiar—floated through the house, and he felt it like a jolt to the chest. His ears perked up, heart lifting for a split second.

Barry let out a dramatic sigh. “Yo, your girl’s here.”

Just like that, the warmth drained from Rafe’s face. The comfort of knowing she was home twisted into dread the moment he remembered who else was in the house—and what they were doing.

Lines on the table. Cash in stacks. Plans for more drops.

It made him sick.

“Hey, I need you to go. Pack all this shit up,” Rafe muttered, standing quickly from the couch. His voice was low, urgent, already heading toward the bedroom to stash the money before she saw any of it.

Barry didn’t move. Just frowned, arms crossed lazily. “She doesn’t know what you do?”

The question wasn’t just a jab—it held judgment, sharp and pointed.

Rafe didn’t even look back. “Doesn’t matter. Just get out.”

Because she didn’t belong in this world. And the longer Barry stayed, the more he’d poison it.

Rafe knew one thing for sure—Barry didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her.

“I’m not playing—I need you to fucking get out,” Rafe snapped, voice sharp and final.

Barry rolled his eyes, scooping up his stash with no real urgency. As he passed, he flipped Rafe off with a smug grin before slipping out the back door.

Rafe exhaled hard, running a hand down his face. The relief hit instantly.

He cracked open the bedroom door. “Up here, baby!”

Her response was immediate—footsteps on the stairs, her presence filling the space before she even stepped through the doorway. When she appeared, her face lit up the way it always did when she saw him.

She walked over with ease, stopping between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. Rafe looked up at her with that lazy smile that always carried the edge of a smirk, his hands already sliding around her waist like they belonged there.

“How was lunch?” he asked, fingers tracing slow paths along her hips.

She sighed, shoulders relaxing as she shrugged. “It was good,” she murmured, visibly softening just from being near him.

Rafe watched her carefully—the way her eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath, the way she melted under his touch.

But then she paused. Her nose crinkled.

“It smells weird in here,” she said, glancing around.

Rafe’s stomach tightened. He cursed Barry silently, jaw clenching.

“Yeah?” he said, trying to keep his voice casual. “Like what?”

She chewed on her lip, eyes wide and uncertain as she looked down at him. “I don’t know… something strong.”

Rafe let out a heavy sigh, dragging a hand down his face as guilt settled hard in his chest.

“Barry was here,” he admitted, voice low. He didn’t want to lie—not to her. Not ever.

She studied him quietly for a moment, eyes dropping to the way his shoulders tensed. Then she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to the bridge of his nose.

“What’s wrong with that?” she asked softly, like she could already sense the storm behind his words.

Rafe swallowed hard, eyes flicking away for a second before coming back to hers. “He’s bad… really bad. The kind of influence I don’t want anywhere near me anymore. Used to be easy to fall into that shit with him, but I swear—I don’t do that now. I don’t want to. It’s just for quick money.”

Her smile came slowly, warm and honest, grounding him in a way nothing else could.

“Rafe,” she said gently, cupping his jaw. “I know you don’t. You’re not who you used to be. You’re a good person.”

Something in his chest cracked at that—because maybe he didn’t fully believe it yet. But she did. And for now, that was enough to make him want to try.

“I know you stopped for me,” she said softly, easing onto his lap and threading her arms around his shoulders. “And I can’t even tell you how much that means to me.”

Rafe didn’t say anything at first. He just pressed his face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in like she was the only thing keeping him grounded. His arms wrapped around her tightly, steadying her—but more than that, steadying himself.

“Everything I do now… it’s for you,” he murmured against her skin.

She giggled, the sound soft and breathy as his lips brushed gently along her neck. But she knew he was serious.

“You’re such a sap,” she giggled again, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

Rafe lifted his head just enough to smirk at her. “Yeah? And you love it.”

She scrunched her nose, pretending to think. “Mmm… I tolerate it.”

“Oh, really?” he challenged, eyebrows raising as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, fingertips brushing the bare skin of her back.

She let out a squeal, squirming in his lap. “Rafe! Stop!” she laughed, but didn’t actually try to get away—if anything, she leaned closer, completely curled into him.

He was grinning now, that rare, boyish grin he only ever showed when he was with her. “Don’t act like you don’t melt every time I get all sweet.”

“Okay, maybe a little,” she admitted with a mock sigh, letting her forehead rest against his. “It’s just… not what people expect from you.”

His voice softened, “Yeah, well… people don’t get to see me like this.” He traced a finger down her spine. “Only you.”

She looked at him then, really looked, her expression growing quieter—more serious beneath the softness.

He held her gaze, heart thudding. “I mean it. You’re it for me.”

Her breath caught slightly, the teasing gone, replaced with something delicate and real.

“I love you,” he said, no hesitation.

She blinked, like she hadn’t expected it but had been waiting to hear it all along. And then a smile bloomed across her face—slow and radiant.

“I love you too,” she whispered, brushing her lips against his.

And in that moment, with her wrapped around him and her heart in his hands, Rafe felt more high than he ever had before.

[kikyoupdates]

For Tomorrow's Sake ⭑˚💫⭑ 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑦-𝑘𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑜

various!jjk x f!reader

reverse harem, isekai, jujutsu kaisen x fem!reader, slowburn

You never believed reincarnation was possible, least of all in the fictional world of Jujutsu Kaisen. However, from the moment you meet Gojo Satoru, it’s impossible to deny. Whether it’s a miracle or some kind of curse, you find yourself growing up alongside the strongest jujutsu sorcerer. Unfortunately, you know what the future holds in store. You know exactly what kind of tragedies await. Perhaps that’s why you were brought into this world. If it means saving people from a gruesome fate, you’ll gladly suffer in their place. You’ll do whatever it takes.All for the sake of a better tomorrow.

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It seems like Naoya is in the middle of an existential crisis, and you honestly don’t even feel guilty about it.   

He keeps looking down at his hand with a look of sheer disbelief, as if the injury might magically reappear if he stares at it long enough. You suppose, in his mind, your existence alone contradicts everything his clan has instilled in him. He’s only six years old, but a certain worldview has already been pushed onto him. And now, you’re watching it unravel in real time.   

Much to Naoya’s regret, he still isn’t able to come up with what to say, and by that point, it’s already too late.   

Zen’in Naobito steps into the room.   

Toji’s face immediately twists into a scowl. Well, not that he wasn’t scowling before, but it’s suddenly way more pronounced. Naobito is strong, of course, but if Toji were to let loose and fight him without holding anything back… he’d definitely kick his ass.   

Naobito is younger than when he appears in the canon series, but other than that, his appearance is largely unchanged. He’s even carrying a flask with him, the goddamn drunkard. The first thing he does upon plopping down on the cushion seat in front of you is throw his head back and take a big swig of god knows what alcoholic concoction he’s got in there.   

“So,” he eventually says, glancing from Toji, to Satoru, then to you . “What’s this nonsense I hear about training someone from the Gojo Clan?”   

“It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Toji replies with an icy gaze. “This girl asked me to train her, and I agreed.”   

“Why?”   

“Just because I felt like it.” 

“Ha,” Naobito scoffs. “Being an embarrassment to our clan wasn’t enough for you, it seems. You’re determined to make fools out of us all. To go as far as to sell yourself out to the Gojo Clan… how distasteful.”   

He proceeds to take another large gulp from his flask, and you wonder how he manages to stay somewhat sober with all the drinking he does. Well, that’s beside the point. You can practically feel the hatred radiating off Toji right now. This whole meeting wasn’t supposed to even happen canonically, and you actually wonder if Toji might lose control and start some shit. There’s really no guarantee how this will go.   

Still, you’d rather not create even more strife between clans, so you offer a reassuring smile as you gently squeeze Toji’s hand. Perhaps you’re reading into things too much, but the gesture seems to pacify him, at least for a little bit.   

“And you ,” Naobito says, looking even more repulsed all of a sudden. He’s staring pointedly in Satoru’s direction now. “I don’t recall inviting the esteemed Gojo Satoru for a visit. You just waltzed right in without permission, did you?”   

He really hates Satoru’s guts. Asshole leaders like him only care about one thing, and it’s elevating their own status. He can’t stand how much power and influence Satoru has, despite his young age. Jealousy, hatred, and bitterness seems to run rampant in the world of jujutsu sorcerers. Why can’t everyone just be chill?   

“I came here to protect [Name],” Satoru states, visibly unfazed.   

“Why would the girl need your protection? What exactly are you accusing the Zen’in Clan of?”   

“Nothing, really. I’m not sure why you’re getting so defensive. Unless you really did have something unpleasant in mind.”   

…ugh. The tension is so thick you wouldn’t even be able to cut it with a knife. You’ll need a goddamn chainsaw at this rate. As much as you trust in Satoru, he unfortunately has a tendency to pick fights left and right. Both as a child and an adult.  

You can see Naobito’s expression taking a slow and steady turn for the worse, but before he can respond, someone else cuts in.  

“That girl, [Name]... she knows how to use reverse cursed technique,” Naoya mumbles.   

You blink. Huh. Honestly, you thought you’d rendered him mute for the rest of this visit. He looked like he’d gone into shock. Actually, you forgot that he was still here at all, because Naobito’s presence just about takes up the whole room.   

“What?” Naobito frowns, casting his son a glance. “ She does? Don’t be ridiculous. Her cursed energy is incredibly scarce. She clearly doesn’t have any skill or talent. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen someone as inept as Toji to train her.”   

“I-It’s true,” Naoya insists. He pauses for a moment, clearly hesitant, but he eventually works up the nerve to point to the broken plate lying on the table. “I… accidentally broke that plate and cut myself on it. And then she healed me. I still can’t really believe it, but… it definitely happened.”   

It’s rather satisfying, you have to admit. Being able to render someone like Naobito speechless. Then again, you seem to do that to pretty much everyone. Maybe you secretly do have an innate technique. The ability to confuse the absolute shit out of people.  

“Impossible,” Naobito glares. “You must have played some sort of trick on Naoya. He’s still young and foolish, so he doesn’t know any better.”   

“It’s not nice to say that your own son is foolish,” you frown. “I mean, I kind of called him stupid earlier myself, but that was for a different reason.”   

“You called my son stupid ?”   

“...nevermind.”   

Toji barely manages to stifle a chuckle, and Naobito takes yet another swig of his drink— angrily , this time.   

“I don’t mean to cause any trouble,” you say. “But I need Toji to train me. He fights with cursed tools, and I’m trying to learn to do the same. I have to do this. In order to gain the ability to use reverse cursed technique, I made a Binding Vow. I’m not allowed to use my own cursed energy to inflict harm upon anyone, or I’ll instantly die. Toji is an expert at using weapons. No one else even comes close to being as good as he is. So… please let him continue training me. I really need his help.”   

“Whether he supports it or not, I’m going to keep training you regardless,” Toji scoffs.  

You know he will, but that being said, you’re not trying to start an all-out clan war. You’re supposed to be the peacekeeper in this world. That would be a little, um, counterproductive .   

“A Binding Vow,” Naobito mumbles. He crosses his arms and laughs, crudely. “Ha! I knew there had to be a catch. You’re far too weak to have learned such an advanced technique through normal means. So, you’ve staked your life on it, huh? I suppose I should applaud your determination, if nothing else.”   

You grin. “I’ll take the applause, thank you very much. Go on. You can start clapping now. Don’t be shy.”   

Much to your dismay, he doesn’t start clapping. Talk about weak-ass applause. It’s like he’s not even trying.   

You don’t notice it since you’re so focused on Naobito, but all the while, Naoya’s eyes are widening more and more. He seriously doesn’t know what to make of you. He thought you were all out of surprises, but apparently, he was wrong.   

A Binding Vow where you’ll instantly die if you break the terms of your contract? He’s never heard of such a thing. Jujutsu sorcerers actively risk their lives by fighting cursed spirits, yes, but no one has ever gone that far. What if you hurt someone with your cursed energy by accident? One tiny misstep, a single moment of negligence… and just like that, you’re dead ?   

“Why would you make a vow like that?” Naoya suddenly asks, his voice wavering as he utters the words.   

It’s not the first time someone’s asked you that question, and you doubt it’ll be the last. But it’s fine. You’ll explain yourself time and time again if that’s what it takes. There’s no shame in the choice you made. You believe in it wholeheartedly, and you will never, ever regret it.   

“So that I can help people,” you say simply. “I’m learning to fight with weapons so that I can hold my own against cursed spirits, but the most important thing is keeping everyone alive, right? That’s what I want to prioritize. Making sure that no one has to suffer.”  

Naoya’s cheeks redden, and suddenly, it’s as if a wave has crashed into him, drowning him in shame.  

He was so quick to ridicule you. To dismiss you as helpless and weak. He always thought that being strong meant the ability to fight and overcome opponents. At least, that’s what the Zen’in Clan has always taught him. But maybe… there are different kinds of strength.  

Maybe kindness is a strength of its own.   

The room goes silent for a while. You stare right into Naobito’s eyes, refusing to look away for even a moment. You may appear to him as a child, but he needs to see how serious you are about this. It doesn’t matter if he dislikes you. You don’t crave his approval. But at the very least, he better not stand in your way.   

“...fine.”   

You blink, somewhat taken aback. Naobito throws his head back and downs the remnants of his drink, then wipes the back of his hand across his mouth.  

“Do as you please,” he says, already standing up. “I won’t involve myself with this farce anymore. It’s a waste of time. As far as I’m concerned… neither you nor Toji are proper jujutsu sorcerers.”   

He leaves without another word. It figures that he made sure to sneak in one last insult before disappearing, but you don’t really care. At least he’s not going out of his way to persecute you, and for that, you’re thankful.  

“Phew, what a relief,” you sigh. “That went a lot better than I was expecting, to be honest. Probably because I’m so charming and charismatic. People find it difficult to say no to me.”  

Toji chuckles, and Satoru does the same. Naoya is still in the room, unable to overcome his disbelief, and you glance over at him, grinning widely.   

“Right, Naoya?” you muse. “Don’t you agree that I’m super charismatic? And charming? And pretty?”   

“I see you added something else at the end,” Satoru snorts.   

“Well, I only said it because it’s true.”  

The longer Naoya stares at you, the more twisted up and funny his stomach feels. Also, his chest is awfully tight. And warm. Does he have a fever? Is he getting sick?   

“Y-You’re weird,” is all Naoya can think to reply, and without warning, he books it out of the room.  

He hates that he secretly agrees with everything you just said.  

Especially the part about you being pretty.

You could train for all eternity, but even then, you doubt you'd ever be able to keep up with Toji.   

His Heavenly Restriction is something else. For a human to be able to move the way he does, without even an ounce of cursed energy… it's honestly kind of broken. No wonder the author had to kill him off so quickly. He was way too powerful for his own good.  

“I’m so tired ,” you half-sob, and rather than looking sympathetic, Toji merely chuckles.   

“I thought you were the one who said you'd never complain, no matter how hard it gets,” he teases. “Or did I just imagine that?”  

“I-I’m not complaining. I was just stating a fact. I'm tired, but I never asked for a break or anything! So technically I've stayed true to my word.”  

“If [Name] needs a break, let her take one,” Satoru scowls. “I'll seriously fight you, old man.”  

Toji arches a brow. “Is that a challenge?”  

“Why don't you test your luck and find out?”  

You swear you can see sparks flying between them—and not the good kind. As reassuring as it is to have two of the strongest people on your side, it feels like they're always just shy of clawing each other's throats out.  

Toji rolls his eyes. “Alright, well, since the brat is throwing a fit like always, I guess we can take a small break.”  

“I wasn't throwing a fit, asshole!”  

“This kid’s got a real mouth on him. [Name], are you sure you wouldn't rather pick a better friend? He's kind of annoying.”  

Satoru grits his teeth, just shy of popping a blood vessel, so you hurry to step in before the situation can escalate any further.   

“Toji said I’m allowed to have a break, so let’s all sit down and relax for a bit,” you suggest. “I packed bento boxes for all of us. I’m really proud of how they turned out!”   

You plop down on the grass and start unpacking the provisions you brought along with you for the day. Satoru and Toji both sit down beside you. Other than the fact that they’re still glaring at each other, it kind of looks like you’re all having a picnic together. You still can’t really believe this is actually real life.  

“Here you go, Toji,” you say, passing him a bento box with a bright smile. “You may already be super strong, but even you need your nutrients.”   

“If you say so,” he chuckles. He opens the box up, and you watch as his eyes widen. “Did you really make all of this yourself? Or did someone from the Gojo Clan help you put it together?”  

“I made it all by myself! I like cooking. It’s a talent of mine.”   

You proudly puff out your chest, and Toji can’t help but smile. It’s strange how your boasting comes across as endearing, rather than arrogant or insufferable. Your most impressive talent of all is clearly the fact that you’ve got everyone wrapped around your finger.   

Toji separates his chopsticks, and for some reason, Satoru is staring at him rather intently. He’s not glaring anymore, though. Rather, he looks like he’s determined not to look away, even for a second.   

Toji shrugs before lifting an egg roll to his lips and taking a big bite of it.   

“...”   

It takes a few seconds for him to process everything. At first, he’s just so confused that he doesn’t even understand what he’s tasting right now. The flavors are clashing with each other so forcefully, so violently , that before he even realizes it, he’s spat his food right onto the ground.   

When he looks up, he finds Satoru grinning ear-to-ear.   

“Haha! You really ate it, you stupid old man!” The boy hugs his sides as he throws his head back and lets out another howl of laughter. “Man, your expression is to die for! How is it? It must taste awful, right? Is it so awful that you feel like crying? Hahahahaha!”   

Toji’s expression darkens. He clenches his fists while glaring at Satoru, and he ends up gripping down on his chopsticks so hard that they snap right in half.   

You frown. “Hey, that’s no good, Toji. If you break your chopsticks, you won’t be able to finish your food. Thankfully, I brought spares. Here you go!”   

“No, I’m fine,” Toji insists. His face is several shades paler all of a sudden. “I think… you might be trying to poison me or something.”   

“What are you talking about? My bento box has the same stuff as yours. I just split up the food I cooked into three different boxes.”   

Toji watches, horrified, as you proceed to eat the same egg roll that nearly ended his life just a few moments ago. Unlike him, however, you do it without so much as flinching. In fact, you look like you’re enjoying it.  

“Is she insane?” Toji asks.   

“Probably,” Satoru reluctantly nods. “It was funny watching you eat that, but if you value your life, you’ll stay away from [Name]’s cooking from now on.”  

“Both of you are big babies,” you scoff. “I’ve said it before, but the food I make is ahead of my time. I’m an innovator. Culinary experts would definitely acknowledge my talent. Just ask Gordon Ramsay.”  

“If Gordon Ramsay ever tried your food, I think he’d retire from cooking altogether. That’s just how bad it is.”   

You shrug, unbothered. It’s sad that genius so often goes overlooked, but whatever. You’re not here to be the next MasterChef. You’re here to keep everyone happy and safe, and so far, you’d say you’re off to a good start.   

Eventually, you finish eating, which means your break is over. You let out a faint groan as you stand up. Your muscles are unbelievably sore. Setting aside your weak cursed energy, physically-speaking, you’re stuck in the body of a seven-year-old. Being a badass doesn’t exactly come easily at this age.  

“You’re not getting discouraged, are you?” Toji asks, likely remarking upon your downcast expression. “I hope you didn’t expect to get stronger overnight. It’s going to take more time than that. And it’s up to you not to give up.”   

“I know. I’m not giving up, don’t worry. I wish fighting and stuff came naturally to me… but it’s alright. I’ve got more than enough to be thankful for already. Like the fact that I’m lucky enough to have both of you as my friends.”   

“Huh?” Satoru gapes. “No way! Did you seriously just put me and this old man on the same level? I thought I was your friend, not him!”   

“There’s no rule that you can’t both be my friends. But I guess Toji is more like an older brother,” you acknowledge. “Either way, no matter how many new friends I make, you’ll always be my best friend, Satoru.”  

He crosses his arms and grumbles something under his breath. It’s always a treat to see him act so pouty and adorable. To think that Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer, likes you so much that he wants to keep you all to himself.  

“Silly Satoru,” you muse, and without warning, you lean in and kiss him on the cheek.   

“ W-What? !”   

He practically leaps away from you, and his face is redder than you’ve ever seen it. He’s like a little tomato. You can’t help but giggle at his innocence. In spite of the heavy responsibility he’s been burdened with, he’s still just a kid, underneath it all.   

Of course, Toji just watched the whole thing unfold, and he looks less than impressed.   

“Let me know when you two are done kissing each other,” he sighs. “So that we can get back to training.”  

It’s safe to say that Satoru will remember that kiss for the rest of his life.

“...okay, [Name]. You said this machine is the one you had a good feeling about, right? Time to find out.”   

You nod, expression stern, as Toji balances you on his lap, both of you facing towards the machine in question. Toji pushes a few of the buttons to get started, and after a moment’s delay, he reaches out and pulls the lever on the side.   

Toji stares at the machine’s screen, which is shining with bright, fluorescent lights, as he barely even dares to blink.   

One, two, three, four of the same symbol, and… can we get a fifth?   

“Yes!” Toji suddenly exclaims. Echoing his outcry is a message that appears across the machine’s screen—which states that he hasn’t just doubled, or tripled, but rather, quadrupled the money he put in.   

It’s safe to say that your good feeling paid off.   

“Attagirl,” Toji praises, grinning widely as he pats you on the head. You beam up at him, and he scans his card to redeem the rewards he just earned. It’s nice to see him so happy. From what you know, in the canon timeline, there was little to nothing that he actually had to look forward to in life. He was always bitter, jaded, and resentful. Seeing that he’s able to genuinely smile around you makes you happier than you can put into words.  

Unfortunately, not everyone seems to share in your enthusiasm.   

“Excuse me, um, sir…? Th-This is a casino. Children aren’t allowed in here, so I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave…”   

You turn around, locking eyes with a very nervous employee. He’s outright trembling, the poor thing. Probably because Toji is a walking mountain of a man, and it doesn’t help that his eyes are sharp enough to cut glass.   

Toji pockets his casino card and picks you up in his arms. “I’m not leaving yet,” he says. “I’ll be on a win streak today, I can feel it. If I walk out now, it’ll kill my momentum. Also, [Name]’s my good luck charm. Don’t worry about her. She’s a respectful kid. And she’s extremely smart for her age.”   

“It’s true,” you nod eagerly. “I’m way more mature than I look.”   

“Even supposing that’s the case, we simply cannot allow anyone inside the casino unless they’re of legal age,” the employee insists, and you know you aren’t imagining the way he takes a hurried step back when Toji gets out of his seat.   

Toji stares at him for a few moments, which must be increasing the employee’s heart rate exponentially , but after a little while, he just shrugs.   

“Don’t worry about it. Anyways, [Name], where to next? Should I try my hand at blackjack today?”   

“S-Sir!” the employee calls out. He nearly trips over his feet as he (reluctantly) chases Toji through the casino. “Excuse me, sir ! If you don’t leave right now, I’m seriously going to have to call security—”  

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”   

The employee freezes in place, and you watch, somewhat amused, as he glances all around him, trying to locate where the new voice is coming from.   

Eventually, he looks down, only to immediately jump.  

“Ack! There’s another kid? Where the hell are all of you coming from?!”   

“Don’t call security,” the kid—who, of course, is none other than Satoru —repeats. “I’m warning you. Just let the old man redeem his money and then we’ll leave. We’re getting out of here, but if you stir up a fuss, I promise you won’t like what happens.”   

Gojo Satoru is renowned in the world of jujutsu sorcerers. There’s practically no one who hasn’t heard of him. However, in the regular world, filled with regular people, he’s just a kid. He’s not supposed to be particularly remarkable.   

And yet, the longer the employee stares into Satoru’s bright, piercing blue eyes, the more he gets this strange feeling. As if maybe, just maybe, this kid might not just be making empty threats. Maybe getting on his bad side is the wrong move.   

The employee would rather not fuck around and find out.   

“H-He’s just going to redeem his rewards,” the employee swallows, backing away from Satoru in a hurry, the same way he did with Toji a few minutes ago. “After that, he really does have to leave. O-Okay?”   

“But I don’t want to leave,” Toji frowns.   

“It’s okay, Toji,” you reassure, gently cupping his cheek. “We’ll come back another day and sneak in properly. By the time we’re gone, they won’t even know what hit them.”   

“Um, I heard that.”   

“No, you didn’t!”   

Toji lets out a heavy sigh. Regretfully, the fun has already come to an end, but at least he won. You never really thought of yourself as the lucky type, but you suppose you kind of are . After all, you met both Satoru and Toji before the main plot of the story was set to begin. You were fortunate enough to have been born in this world at the ideal time. You could have been isekai’d during the Shibuya Incident. Or worse yet, in the middle of the Culling Game.   

So, yeah. Maybe you really are a good luck charm. Not just Toji’s, though. Satoru’s, too. And hopefully, whoever else you meet from now on.  

You’ll be everyone’s good luck charm.   

It’s hilarious, because you swear the employee’s hair has turned gray in the few minutes since this interaction began. He watches, biting his nails from anxiety and dread, as Toji cashes out for the day, and finally, your mischievous little trio bids farewell to the casino.  

“Do you think we’ve been blacklisted?” you frown.   

“I doubt it,” Satoru says. “I warned that guy not to make a fuss. But even if we are blacklisted, we can just go to another casino. Although I’m not really sure why we have to babysit this old man in the first place…”   

Toji flips through the bills in his hand with a bright expression. He’s not even correcting Satoru for calling him ‘old man’ again. That’s how good of a mood he’s in right now.   

“You did good, [Name],” he praises yet again. “As a reward, how about I get you a treat? What about ice cream? Kids like ice cream, right?”   

“Ice cream sounds perfect,” you grin.   

You proceed to cling onto Toji’s arm while he affectionately ruffles your hair. Satoru watches with a slight pout, as jealous as ever, but as long as you’re happy, he supposes he’s happy too. As long as you’re happy, healthy, and safe. That’s all that matters.   

It’s rather ironic that he’s having these thoughts, because right then and there, he feels not one, but two unfamiliar presences.   

The bastards must think they’re hiding from him. They must think they’re tucked away, out of sight, not at all at risk of being found.   

How dare they underestimate him.   

You and Toji continue walking ahead, but meanwhile, Satoru stops in place, and ever-so-slowly, he turns around. His eyes are gleaming brighter than ever, filled with a hatred so deep, so fierce, that even from this distance, the two assassins can’t help but cower in fear.   

“Weaklings like you would never stand a chance against me,” he mutters. He continues staring, gaze growing darker by the second. “And if you ever dare to lay a hand on [Name]... I’ll kill you faster than you can even blink.”   

They can’t possibly hear what he said from so far away. But it doesn’t matter. All it takes is one glare from Gojo Satoru; one cold, chilling display of strength, and the assassins decide that very second that they’ll never go near him ever again.   

Satoru waits for a few moments, but sure enough, it doesn’t look like they’re going to try anything. Good. They may be weaklings, but at least they’re not entirely stupid. Anyone who would even think of attacking while you’re nearby is either missing a brain, or they have some sort of death wish.   

“Satoru, what’s taking so long?” you call out to him from up ahead. “Didn’t you hear? Toji said he’s buying us ice cream! Come on!”   

It’s amazing just how quickly the darkness in his eyes clears, and instead, a smile rises to his lips. You’re like the sun, shining straight through the clouds, even on the murkiest of days. He swears he’ll never get tired of seeing that pretty smile of yours.   

Satoru pauses for a moment, chuckles inwardly, then runs up to you and grabs you by the hand.

More chapters are available on Quotev and Ao3!

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💫 main masterlist ♡ oneshot masterlist

[seuonji]

彡 uncomfortable shoes.

notes ๑ headcanons! you wore uncomfortable shoes on your date with your bf, how did they react?

genre ๑ fluff

warnings ๑ non

word count ๑ 0.4k

from aya: please reblog if you enjoyed! feedback is always appreciated<3

seungcheol/jun/minghao scolded you as he was taking off the shoes he was wearing so that you could wear them.

“i told you were were going to walk a lot today yet you still wore them!” he calmly scolded as he pushed his shoes towards your feet before helping you take off the shoes you were currently wearing.

“babe, what are you going to wear?”

“i’m sure well find a store nearby. i’ll buy sandals there but gosh, buy comfortable shoes next time.”

“but these looked cute!”

jun would definitely exaggerate, “you need to take care of your feet, what if the apocalypse comes? youre going to be wishing you wore comfortable shoes.”

“that’s an abnormal thought…”

he ends up buying you new shoes instead of himself just cause he knows you’d never buy it yourself.

+

jeonghan/mingyu/minghao/chan would probably just nod as he sees you wince in pain. i feel like they’ve pushed the ‘style over comfort’ agenda before so as much as they do feel bad, it’s a ‘it is what it is’ situation— anyways, you can rest at home!

+

jeonghan/jihoon/seungkwan doesn’t do anything for the first two hours just so that you learn your lesson but after a while, he’ll eventually lend you his shoes until you find a store that sells footwear.

+

joshua carried a pair of sandals in his bag in the case something like this occurred. he tends to analyse your habits and so when he happened to notice your grimace every time you wore those specific shoes, he started to make a mental note to bring backups so that you don’t suffer the whole date.

+

soonyoung/mingyu/chan def threatens to carry you the whole date. he claims ‘it might be romantic’ but you both know damn well it would become uncomfortable after a few blocks. eventually he offered to go back home to get you better shoes or he just buys you new ones.

+

soonyoung/wonwoo/jihoon/seokmin puts so much effort into finding a bench for you to sit on. if there really isn’t any he’d stop walking for awhile so you can rest. he would offer that you sit on his feet if you’re really that affected.

while you two rest, he’d give a lecture about why you should wear comfortable shoes like how seungcheol/jun/minghao did. however, they’re a lot more nicer and gentle with it.

+

minghao/seungkwan/vernon helps you not put much too weight on your feet so he’d either hold you by your arm which gives some support or he’d place your arm around his shoulders allowing most of your weight to be on him. he’d hope it’s actually helping but anyways it’ll only last until he buys you some ugly slippers at a random store you guys find along the way as a way to make you learn from your mistakes.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

I’m loving so much the new disowned verse omg, it is so good, you are a genius.

But I’m curious, how did reader and jason met?

The apartment was in a cracker box of a building with thin walls. His neighbors were a young couple that fought about money 25/8 and an elderly 'Nam Vet who liked his porno but- he could cope.

It was different than Gotham. There weren't constant gunshots. And that was weird. But. He knew better than to think his PI license wouldn't make him some money. Even out in the sticks. There was always a contentious divorce. There was always something not quite right. Cops in over their heads.

And he'd have down time. He could read. Work on his bike. Fuck. Maybe even actually go see a movie... Sure. He knew eventually he'd get bored but. For now, he was looking forward to it.

He shut the door and locked it behind him, frowning just slightly and making a note to get a better lock while he was out. He doubted he could find anything super great in town- he'd probably have to order something but. He'd passed a hardware store in town so... it might be worth checking out. If he made friends with the old guy that probably ran it he could probably get some special orders if he needed it.

So he set off that direction, wandering on foot down the sidewalks and taking note of the other houses. It was the middle of the afternoon. And the lunch whistles at the old factory still sounded at nood and then 30 minutes later. Tucked away from the tree-lined main drag, the houses back here varied from run down to better homes and gardens.

That tracked.

They got better closer to the front. The older show homes outweighed the eyesores. American primitive lawn decor. A surprising number of pineapples- and he snorted, wondering if it had come from a big box store or if it was a signal. Or both.

Still.

By the time he made it to the hardware store, he was reasonably certain he could stay busy. All was not as Leave it to Beaver as the Town Council would have you believe. And the first place he was gonna leave a flyer was in the beauty shop. Those old biddies HAD to have some shit to stir up.

He shouldered the door open and a bell, an actual bell, chimed. And he smiled a little taking a deep breath. The smell of dust, tools, and old well-maintained wood hit his nose and he exhaled. Definitely not going to find any high tech locks here. But, he had a soft spot for independent shops.

"Be with you in a minute!"

The voice made him jump. Not the gruff voice of a grumpy old fuck he expected. And it made him search of the source. Curious. "No worries," he said, walking a little farther towards where he'd heard it. Finding a young woman on a ladder stocking some boxes of bolts on a shelf. A pink canvas gardening apron tied around her hips to hold more boxes. "You got door locks?" he asked.

"Aisle 5 next to the paver catalogs," you tell him, steadying yourself so you can turn and glance down at him.

"Perfect," he said, "Thanks."

"Mhm, let me know if you need anything else," you tell him.

Jason paused and looked around, "Think you can put a tool box together for me I just moved and-"

"Ah, yeah. One Bachelor special," you tell him," Jumping down from the ladder, "I think I can get you fixed up. At least enough to get you started. You'll be smashing your thumbs in no time."

"Got a first aid kit too?"

"Right up at the counter," you snort. "But if you want anything special, you gotta see Adam at the Pharmacy. Mine are pretty basic."

"I can deal with basic- at least until you sell me a band saw-"

"Oh lord."

[parkerslatte]

Strings That Bind Us | Part 1

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: she/her pronouns used. fluff and a smidge of angst.

Summary: Y/N owns a small bookstore in Velaris. When she struggles to take her stock in, a handsome stranger approaches her and offers her help. She accepts the help and Y/N insists on making him dinner for his help. Azriel originally denies this but he finds himself eventually saying yes for reasons he doesn’t understand quite yet.

A/N: I might write a part 2 if anyone wants it :)

ACOTAR Masterlist

Part One | Part Two

•••

The boxes of new books were stacked on top of one another and Y/N stared up at it deciding internally how to tackle it. It was the middle of summer and Y/N was already sweating just from arranging her store all day. Now as she stood before the stacks of books she let out a sigh and rolled up her sleeves. The first box wasn’t too big and was easy to carry inside and place by the counter. Y/N had only moved one box and she was already beginning to sweat. 

The next few boxes were bigger and Y/N silently cursed. If the delivery had been on any other day it would have been fine, but the stock had decided to show up on the hottest day of the year. Y/N tried her best to manouver herself in a position where she could grip the box but every position she tried proved useless. It wasn’t as if the box was too heavy, it was only that it was an awkward size to carry. 

Y/N gave a small wave and smile to the crowds who walked past. She wanted to speak up and ask for help but everyone she looked at seemed to be having a nice day and she didn’t want to interrupt them. Y/N suffered in silence. And the heat. 

After awkwardly moving the second box into the store she let out a breath and fanned herself with her hands. It was too warm for the shirt and trousers she had decided to wear. Even if she could easily run up to her apartment situated above her store, she decided not to, not with the stacks of books sitting outside. 

The third box she moved into the store made a dent in the stacks but there was still plenty more to go. Y/N didn’t know why she had decided to double her order of books for the month, it seemed like a good decision at the time knowing that her stock wouldn’t sell out any time soon. But not after only moving a few boxes she regretted it immensely. 

“Do you need any help?” A voice asked from behind her as Y/N pushed the next box through the door. 

Y/N turned and faced the source of the voice and her breath was swept away from her. The stranger in front of her was handsome, handsome in the way she read about in books. Of course she knew who he was, nearly everyone in Velaris did. Standing before her was the High Lord’s very own shadowsinger. 

Y/N sagged against the box. “That would actually be really helpful.”

The shadowsinger, Azriel, stepped up to the box Y/N had started to push through the doorway and picked it up with ease. Y/N gaped. If only she had arms like his then maybe she could have done that. 

“Where do you want it?” he questioned. 

Y/N shook her head, bringing her attention from his arms to his eyes which wasn’t much better as they were a beautiful shade of hazel and seemed to glow in the lighting of her store. “Oh, just by the counter is fine.”

Y/N moved onto the next box and began to push it towards the entrance before Azriel swiftly picked it up and carried it into the store. Y/N followed him in. “You know if I had long arms like you, I would be able to do that too.”

“Sure,” he replied as he placed it down beside the counter with the rest of the boxes. 

He exited the store and didn’t return for a moment and Y/N guessed that he had disappeared. Even the brief thought sent a twinge of disappointment through her. However before she could dwell on it any further, Azriel came into the store once more carrying two boxes. 

Y/N folded her arms across her chest. “Okay, now you’re just showing off.”

Azriel placed them down beside the others and there was a hint of a smile on his face. It was barely visible but it was there. While he brought the last few boxes in, Y/N began to open them and began to make stacks of them alphabetically. From looking at how many books were in one box, she dreaded thinking of where she would put them all. Of course she had gaps in her shelves but there weren’t nearly enough for every book to go. 

“Do you need any more help?” Azriel asked as he lingered near the door, wings blocking out a lot of light. 

Y/N’s attention shifted from the books to Azriel and back to the books. “If you could help unbox everything it would help me a lot.”

Azriel gave her a nod before he stepped over to a box and began to open it and sacked the books as Y/N had been doing, even in alphabetical order. Y/N smiled before moving onto a box of her own. 

“Do you work here alone?” Azriel asked. 

“I do,” Y/N answered. “I’ve had this store for over one hundred years. It’s still going strong.”

“It seems well loved,” Azriel commented as he sorted through the books. 

“I take great pride in it,” Y/N said, taking a moment to glance around. Her store felt like home. “Do you read?”

“Not as much as I would like,” Azriel answered. 

“I suppose with your job, you find it hard to find a quiet time to relax and open a book,” Y/N said as she opened another box. 

Azriel only nodded as he continued to organise the books alphabetically, even going as far to slip the ones he had between the pile she had created. Y/N watched from the corner of her eye. If she had known that morning that the shadowsinger would be helping her organise books she wouldn’t have believed it.

“Do you read a lot?” Azriel asked. 

Y/N nodded enthusiastically. “I love to read! Anything and everything, it's partly the reason why I wanted to open this store. I wanted to share all the books I enjoy with people. Even if I might be a little biassed towards some of my favourites.”

“Is that why I have opened one box only filled with the same book?” Azriel asked, his tone holding a small hint of teasing. 

Y/N smiled. “That book is my favourite, about a million miles above any other I’ve read.”

“It’s special to you.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

“It is,” Y/N said, her gaze softening. “My mother and father always read that book to me while growing up, they always insisted that they read me different books but I always wanted that one. I still have the copy they read to me, the cover is nearly falling off and some of the pages are falling out but I refuse to replace it. The book is really the only thing I have left of my parents.” Y/N paused for a moment and turned to glance at Azriel. “I’m sorry, I have quite a habit of oversharing sometimes. I just start talking and don’t really stop. I apologise if I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Azriel said softly. “How did they die?”

Y/N shrugged. “That’s the issue, I don’t really know. Originally I am from the Summer Court and my parents lived in a small cottage basically in isolation. There weren’t many others around. I visited them one day and found the whole cottage ransacked and they were nowhere to be seen, but there was blood everywhere, too much of it to know that they were alive. I came to Velaris not long after, my mother was originally from here.”

“I’m sorry,” Azriel said. 

Y/N shook her head. “You don’t need to apologise. And besides it was nearly two hundred years ago now, I try not to dwell on it too much. It happened and there was nothing I could have done but move on. I know my parents wouldn’t want me to sulk about it for my whole life. It was half the reason I opened this store, in their honour.”

“They would be proud of you,” Azriel said, looking at her. 

Y/N smiled. “I know they would.” She looked at the book scattered at her feet she she let out a sigh. “But they wouldn’t be proud of all of this mess though.”

Even with all of the categorised into alphabetical order, she knew that it was going to take her a long time to place them onto the shelves. It was already getting into the late afternoon and it was due to get dark soon. Y/N debated leaving it all to be a problem for the next day but she knew that she would keep putting it off if she left it any longer. 

“I can help put them on the shelves as well,” Azriel said. 

Y/N looked at him and shook her head. “I wouldn’t wish for you to do that. You’ve done so much for me already.”

“It wouldn’t be an issue,” Azriel said and moved towards a stack of books and picked them up. 

Y/N sighed, knowing that she wasn’t going to get him to leave anytime soon. “You can start in that corner over here, there’s a large gap in titles.” 

Azriel nodded before taking a pile of books in his arms and going to work in the corner Y/N had pointed to. Y/N stood and watched him. She wasn’t sure why the shadowsinger of the night court was helping her in her small bookstore. But as she watched as his brows furrowed in concentration as he read and sorted through the titles, she found herself smiling. 

Shadows swirled around Y/N’s feet as Azriel’s head turned to catch her eye. Once Y/N realised that she had been caught staring she quickly looked away to fuss over a stack of books on the opposite side of the store. However she turned away too fast. If she had waited only a second more she would have witnessed the small smile appear on Azriel’s face. 

***

“Thank you for your help,” Y/N said to Azriel as she placed the final few books on the shelves. It was dark outside now and the once bustling street was vacant and quiet. “I don’t know what I can do to repay you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Azriel said as he stood in the centre of the shop. 

“No,” Y/N said, turning to face him fully. “You’ve been here basically all day. You probably had things you wanted to do. The least I can do is make you dinner or something.”

“You really don’t need-”

“I insist,” Y/N said, folding her arms across her chest and stepped closer to Azriel. His shadows swirled around her feet again and Y/N felt the soft caresses on her ankles. “And don’t even argue with me because you won’t win.”

Y/N now stood directly in front of him and smiled up at him. Azriel looked down at her, fighting the urge to let the smile appear on his face. “Now, what do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t mind,” Azriel said, his voice unusually quiet. 

Y/N didn’t break eye contact as she slowly backed away from him. “Come on then, I only live upstairs.”

The stairs that granted Y/N access to her apartment were narrow and Azriel needed to tuck his wings in tight to even get up the stairs. Y/N quickly apologised to him as she quickened her pace to open the door at the top and let him into the spacious apartment. It wasn’t the largest apartment but it was open plan and granted Azriel the room to stretch his wings any way he wanted. 

“You can sit wherever you wish,” Y/N said. “Dinner hopefully won’t be too long. You’re not too hungry, are you? If you are I can just make something quickly but I did want to make you a nice mean because you have been really nice to me today and-”

“Y/N,” Azriel interrupted, a soft smile gracing his face and Y/N melted at the sight of it. “I’m okay with anything.”

“I do have my mother’s recipe for a soup that she used to make me all the time, it shouldn’t take too long.”

“It sounds perfect,” Azriel said, his smile widening the smallest amount. 

Y/N smiled back at him before swiftly turning to the kitchen area. She could feel Azriel’s gaze on her and her face heated up. Having the shadowsinger in her apartment was something she had never thought would happen, in fact the thought had never crossed her mind. She tried to ignore the feeling of Azriel’s gaze on her but she found it hard. As she prepared the ingredients she cast quick glances in the shadowsinger’s direction. 

He was now carefully inspecting her apartment and looking at the decoration. Upon first glance it looked quite cluttered but Azriel could tell that everything held a great significance. 

 It wasn’t too long later when Y/N served up the soup in two mismatched bowls. Azriel couldn’t fight back the smile at the childish pattern on his bowl. Y/N ‘s eyes glanced down at the bowl and a soft smile graced her features.

“I painted that bowl when I was a child,” she said. “There was originally a whole set of them but they have all broken over the years. That is the only one that is still intact.”

“It’s beautiful,” Azriel said, sparing one final glance at the pattern on the bowl before placing it down on the table to begin eating the soup. 

Y/N snorted. “You don’t need to be kind, I know it’s terrible.”

“But it means a lot to you,” Azriel said, his voice calm. “And that’s what makes it beautiful.”

“I suppose I have never thought of it that way,” Y/N said. “I’ve only ever thought of it as a silly painting I did in my childhood. But I guess it is beautiful in its own weird way.”

Azriel offered her a small smile before they both ate their soup in silence. It was comfortable. 

***

It was several days later when Azriel found himself walking down that familiar street. He wasn’t sure why he was outside when he had plenty of work to be doing but it was as if something called to him. Ever since he had spent the day with Y/N, he hadn’t been able to get her off of his mind. He had only spent a matter of hours with her but every small thing reminded him of her. When he saw Nesta’s stack of books, the titles were familiar as he remembered shelving them days ago. The drawing Nyx gave him when he visited, the childish art reminded him of Y/N’s bowl. Even while he slept he couldn’t seem to escape Y/N. She would appear in his dreams and Azriel found himself disappointed when he awoke to find her not with him. She was plaguing his mind. 

His pace slowed as he approached the familiar store. It was crowded and music seemed to flow from inside. Many left the store with wide smiles on their faces and carrying an assortment of bags. Azriel stood on the other side of the street and watched through the window, he could see Y/N behind the counter and he couldn’t help but smile. Her expression was calm as she greeted each customer that approached her. Despite the long line, no one seemed to be in a rush or angry. 

Azriel wanted to go in the store just to be close to Y/N again but he stopped himself from doing so and instead remained on the other side of the street. When Azriel was questioned where he was going, he didn’t know what to answer. Originally he didn’t think he would end up in front of Y/N’s store but as he walked through the city, his feet seemed to carry him there. 

The crowd in Y/N’s shop seemed to become emptier and emptier the longer Azriel lingered on the street. He had wanted to simply fly away and never think about Y/N again. But his body didn’t allow him to. It was as if he was stuck to the ground. 

Azriel’s gaze shifted to Y/N’s shop once again as he looked through the doorway. There were only a few customers in the store now. Y/N chatted with the customer in front of her, a wide smile on her face. It caused Azriel to smile. Not one of his forced smiles or a smile he did just because he felt like he needed to. It was a real, genuine smile. 

From inside the store, Y/N’s gaze shifted as if she felt someone looking at her. Her eyes met Azriel’s and her eyebrows furrowed before she brought her hand up and waved. Azriel froze as he was caught. He never had the intention of her spotting him across the street. Now as she smiled at him after handing over a bag of books to her final customer, Azriel swiftly turned on his heel and walked away from the store.

***

Y/N’s smile dropped as she watched Azriel walk away. Without thinking, she quickly raced out of the store and saw him already halfway down the street. She didn’t even lock her store before she took off down the street after him. If she was being completely honest with herself, she was hoping that the shadowsinger would show up at her store again. After cooking him dinner days ago, she had wanted to see him again. Each morning she had silently watched the door to her store hoping he would walk through. She felt guilty for her disappointment when it was just a regular customer. 

“Azriel!” Y/N yelled down the street. Many fae turned to look at her but she simply ignored them in her pursuit of the shadowsinger. 

Azriel must have heard her as he did slow his pace but didn’t stop completely. She increased her pace as she chased him down the busy street. As he turned a corner, she followed. There weren’t many others down this street and it was much quieter. 

“Azriel, slow down!” Y/N exclaimed, she was already growing tired. “I need to talk to you.”

Azriel’s pace faltered once again and it gave Y/N the opportunity to catch up. He was a few paces ahead of her and she reached out her hand and gently clasped his in hers. This made Azriel go still. 

“Finally, you stopped,” Y/N said, trying to catch her breath. “You know, you walk really fast?”

Azriel didn’t answer. He only looked at where Y/N clasped his hand in her’s. Y/N, however, didn’t notice how tense Azriel had become. 

“I was wondering if you were going to stop by anytime soon,” Y/N said. “The store has been so busy over the past few days and I’ve been working my ass off but it has been fun. Nearly all the books you shelved are gone now.” Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed as Azriel still continued to look at their joined hands. “What’s wrong?”

Azriel finally met Y/N’s eyes. He pulled his hand out of Y/N’s grip and folded his arms behind his back. “Nothing.”

Y/N looked at the way his body was still tense as she took a small step back. “I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner again? Or even just go for a drink?” 

Y/N’s heart was beating fast as she asked the question. She wasn’t sure where this confidence had come from but was grateful for it. 

Azriel looked at her hands where she nervously fiddled with her rings and he slowly nodded. Y/N let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Good, for a moment there I thought you would say no then I would have chased you down the street for nothing. So, which will it be? Dinner or a drink?”

“Why not both?” Azriel asked. 

Y/N smiled and the two began to walk to the main part of the city. It was still busy as they stopped by Y/N’s store for her to lock it up before continuing on their way to find a restaurant. The whole walk there, Azriel kept to himself, his hand locked behind his back. Y/N noticed the way he would flinch away as she accidentally brushed her arm with his. 

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by touching you,” Y/N said. “I really wasn’t thinking. I just tried to make you stop.”

Azriel looked down at her, she was fiddling with her rings once more. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t?” Y/N said.

Azriel shook his head. “I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“Me?” Y/N questioned. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”

Azriel swallowed as he brought his hands from where they were clasped behind his back to his front. He flexed his fingers as Y/N watched. 

“My scars,” Azriel said. “I thought they would make you uncomfortable.”

Y/N stopped in her tracks and furrowed her eyebrows. “Of course they wouldn’t make me uncomfortable.” Azriel slowly turned to her. “And I’m sorry if I did anything to make you feel that way.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Azriel said. “Please don’t apologise.”

Y/N looked at Azriel and noticed the hesitation in his eyes as he stared down at his hands. She followed his gaze before slowly clasping his hands in hers. Azriel tensed for a brief moment before he relaxed. 

“There is nothing about you that would make me uncomfortable,” Y/N said, giving his hands a gentle squeeze.

“You barely know me,” Azriel said, his voice quiet.

“I know,” Y/N said. “That is true. But I do want to get to know you more if you’ll allow me. This sounds stupid but I was hoping that you would come to my store again. I’ve been keeping an eye on the door hoping that you would walk in.”

Azriel smiled. “It doesn’t sound stupid at all. What does sound stupid is everything reminding me of a certain female and me thinking about her so much that it got to the point where I had to linger outside her shop for over an hour.”

Y/N laughed and clutched onto Azriel’s hands tighter. “Stalker,” she teased.

“I wanted to come in,” Azriel said frantically. “You were just busy and I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me.”

“Obviously I would want to see you,” Y/N said as she threaded their fingers together. She felt Azriel relax even more from her touch. “There's…just something about you that I am drawn to. And I’ll be happy to find out what that is.”

Azriel smiled as Y/N began to drag him down the street, their hands linked together. 

[veltana]

Sell my soul - 2

✦ Pairing: Lloyd Hansen/Fem!Reader

✦ Word count: ~1,6k

✦ Rating for this part: Mature

✦ Warnings/tags: Alpha!Lloyd, Omega!Reader, omega auction, slow burn, eventual smut, pet names (sugar plum).

✦ Series summary: With no other options left, you decide to put yourself up for auction in hope of finding an alpha. Scared and running from your past, you end up with a man who is incredibly handsome but also seems to care for you in his own way. But living with him brings its own set of challenges. As both of you navigate these difficulties, you'll discover your true feelings for each other, hopefully before time runs out.

✦ Summary: Lloyd gives you a tour and you have some food

✦ Note: This was supposed to be two chapters but they were so short I put them together instead. It might be a while before we see Lloyd and sugar plum again because I've been having some trouble figuring out where I want to go with the next chapter.

Series masterlist

Masterlist | AO3

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The towel is the fluffiest thing you've ever felt against your skin. Not even way back, before everything went to shits, did you have such nice things.

Looking in the mirror you can almost see your old self, scrubbed clean of the years running. If everything goes as planned, you'll never have to do it again.

You remove the last pair of clean underwear from your bag, but seeing them compared to the space you're in makes it clear that they don't make the cut. Lloyd won't know you're naked underneath his clothes anyway.

The pants are too long so you roll them up and tie the drawstring so they won't fall off. His t-shirt is soft and smells of detergent. The omega in you is disappointed that it doesn't smell like him but you push that aside.

Stepping out you look around but you have no idea where to go. “Lloyd?” You call. “Kitchen!” He answers. You head in the direction of his voice and find him at a huge kitchen island.

“Hungry?” he asks and you nod as you slide onto a bar chair. He opens a drawer and pulls out a bunch of folders, then throws them on the counter. “Pick whatever you want.”

At first, you're unsure of what it is, so you pick one up and examine it. It’s a takeaway menu for Indian food. Do you like that? You’ve eaten what you can find over the years but never paid much attention to what it was. And before that, you liked to cook and rarely ordered takeout. As you grab another menu, you try to figure out what to order, but the options are overwhelming.

Looking at Lloyd you tell him, “I don’t know, just decide for me.” Shrugging he picks up a bright red one and makes a call. The person on the other end seems to know him. Lloyd laughs and says that he’s home for a while again. You store that piece of information away. Then he rattles off some things before he ends the call.

“It'll take about 20 minutes for the food to get here, should we put your things in the wash?” “I already did,” you tell him heistily. You saw the machine in the bathroom and the thought of Lloyd handling your dirty clothes almost made you panic so you shoved them in and started it.

“Then how about a tour!” Lloyd exclaims and heads out of the kitchen before you can respond. Like a lost puppy you follow him.

There is a room with workout equipment and another smaller bathroom. Attached to the living room is a balcony overlooking the street below. Heights have never been your thing and it tingles unpleasantly in your feet as you stand at the railing made of glass.

The whole apartment is minimalistic and mostly white and gray. When you had an apartment it was full of colors. Guess it's just something you will have to get used to.

During the little tour, you observe Lloyd. The mustache makes him seem silly at first but you have a feeling he’s anything but. The whole apartment screams of a need for control over every single detail.

An itch starts in your fingers. What happens if you turn one of his decorations the wrong way? What if you nudge the painting until it's crooked? What if you tickle him?

You quickly shove all those silly thoughts away. This is a serious man and it's a serious place. And you don't know Lloyd. If you're lucky he might throw you out and if you're not lucky, well, no one would miss you. Not really.

The tour concludes in the bedroom, presenting you with a new problem: there’s a massive bed, but only one. “I usually sleep on the left side, so I guess the right is yours,” Lloyd says, gesturing to the bed.

Cold sweat breaks out on your brow. You didn't think of this. Of course, he expects you to sleep in the same bed as him. You're his omega. He's bought you for a reason. He's watching you expectantly. As if to gauge your reaction. You force yourself to nod but don't say anything.

The sound of the doorbell makes you jump and Lloyd heads out to get the food while you're stuck staring at the bed. It was a long time ago you slept in a real bed. But you have never shared a bed with an alpha.

“Come eat!” Lloyd calls. It unglues your feet from the floor and you hurry to the kitchen.

The sight of Lloyd opening the boxes of food and the steam rising from them makes your stomach rumble loudly. It’s clear that he’s bought more than just two meals with all the containers on the counter, so you try a bit of everything. You’re not sure if it’s the actual food, the fact that it’s warm and fresh, or the environment that makes it taste so great.

“Don't overeat,” Lloyd waves at you with his fork. You swallow the bite in your mouth and stare at him. He stares right back and pops a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

“Afraid I'm gonna get fat?” you ask, voice dripping with acid. Lloyd smiles, but it's not a nice, friendly kind of smile. “No, sugar plum. But your stomach might recoil if you eat too much all at once.”

A pinprick of shame needles you. He is just trying to look out for you. A part of you wants to rebel, and stuff as much food as you can manage into your mouth, but you do see that he has a point. And you need to be nice to him, you remind yourself once again.

“Yeah, sure.” “Better to eat smaller portions often.” “Mhm,” you hum and take one last bite before putting down your fork.

“So tell me about yourself,” Lloyd says. You shrug, “Not much to tell, honestly.” “Why does an omega put themselves up for auction?” “Why does an alpha feel the need to buy one?”

Once again, the two of you stare at each other across the kitchen island. This is a mistake, is all you can think. Being nice and docile is not your strong suit.

“I had my reasons, sugar plum.” he smiles. “Besides, you're hot.” You stiffen at his words because they’re not what you expect, you certainly don't feel hot right now. For a second you consider telling him, but you don't want to dump it on him in case it works itself out anyway. Instead, you smile as politely as you can. “I had my reasons as well. And thanks for the compliment.”

Once you’ve finished eating you help put away the food and notice that the fridge holds very little produce. “Don't you eat anything but take-out?” “I'm usually not home long enough, it's a waste of money to buy a bunch of ingredients,” he shrugs.

A life without home-cooked meals sounds like a miserable existence to you so you clear your throat and offer up information about yourself. “I used to love cooking. Haven't done it in a while but I think I would like to try again.”

Lloyd closes the fridge. “Sure, go nuts! I think the store is closed now but you can go tomorrow.” Your body goes rigid and your pulse picks up. Quickly you fumble for a way out. “I can't, I don't have any money.” Lloyd raises his eyebrow. “The sum I paid should be more than enough to fill a few bags at the store.”

Shit, you didn't think of that. You chew your lip.

“Why are you scared?”

Avoiding his gaze you look at the floor. “I just don't like going to the store by myself.”

Because no matter how many times you switched stores, he always found you. You kept going further and further out of town, yet one day, you'd pull up, and there he was, waiting right outside the door. It's going to happen here too. But if you have an alpha with you maybe he won't bother you.

“Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow,” Lloyd shrugs. “Thanks,” you murmur.

The sun is setting and by now you've usually found somewhere to hole up for the night. If you were lucky it would be somewhere safe. If you were not so lucky it would be somewhere exposed. Does this count as a safe place? You think so. The day is catching up on you and the exhaustion is starting to take a toll on your body. There is just the tiny little problem of the sleeping arrangements.

You want to say something. At the same time, you feel like you’ve done enough damage on your first night. So instead you stay up with Lloyd and watch some TV on the couch that looks as if it’s brand new. As it’s getting more difficult to keep your eyes open you have the brilliant idea of just falling asleep on the couch. Then you won’t have to sleep in the bed. Silently you curl up against a pillow and sleep is instant.

The next thing you know you're in the air. It takes a moment to orient yourself before you realize he's carrying you.

“Put me down,” you mumble, too tired to filter out your thoughts. “I'm taking you to bed.” “No, I'll sleep on the couch.” You wiggle in Lloyd's arms, trying to get out.

“Don't be silly,” he rebukes and puts you on the bed. A distressed whine bubbles up in your throat.

Lloyd doesn't say anything, instead a rumble sounds next to you. It makes your muscles go slack, the omega in you recognizing the sound as comforting and safe. Sleep starts to take you again.

Fucker, is your last thought. He's purring you to sleep.

next

[nerdishpursuits]

It's rather obvious the lavender marriage will, eventually, happen. And I'm not against it, given it's 1958. In fact, I think it can lead to interesting storylines if handled smartly (I know, I know ... smart isn't really the MO here) However? I have some gripes with the way they're introducing this scenario. Gripes which by no means lessen my enjoyment of the show. Like I keep saying, this is a novela de sobremesa and, thus, subject to the whims of its genre: nonsensical timelines, plot-points that don't quite connect, pacing issues etc. Nonetheless, it doesn't deter my amused nitpicking nor my eyebrow-rising routine.

Marta & Pelayo have known each other for 2.5 seconds.

There's currently no threat in sight that would merit Marta & Fina considering this suggestion (S. is in jail; the people who know them, and support them in their own way, wish them no harm; Marta is a wealthy widow, has a surname that carries weight, a social standing and, momentarily, needs no protection - if anything, it's Fina being perpetually single that would raise/raises most eyebrows; Marta & Fina have their own life and rhythm that requires no upgrade; Marta's business deal is going swimmingly etc.)

The one who stands to profit the most from this is Pelayo himself, who keeps repeating he has no interest in anything sentimental, unlike Marta & Fina who have been fortunate enough to win the sapphic lottery. This is a business decision for him, of course, yet he also confesses he envies their relationship. Pelayo then tries to sell this idea of a sudden epiphany he’s had? One he tries to wrap up in a neat little bow and market as the best thing since sliced bread? Ultimately, it involves invading the sanctuary he’d just praised for reasons that, at present, are largely selfish (befitting his character as a ruthless businessman and the show’s timeline). I will say I love the fact that in the preview for the next episode Marta goes “WE have a reply”, ergo. Fina and Marta herself.

Most of Marta & Fina's circle of family and friends are aware of their relationship and Pelayo would only expose himself (I assume most of the Mafin friends and allies would piece it all together and Jesús wouldn't hesitate to use this information to his own gain)

Even if this is a lavender-marriage, Marta would lose her freedom: socially and financially. She’d have to attend all kinds of functions and play the dutiful wife. Is it manageable? Eventually. And a lot of the conflict will derive from it, I think. At the same time, do I think a more solid reason is needed for Marta to take this step and for Fina to agree with it? Yes. But who knows. Maybe Marta’s own ambition will end up playing a part? More information is needed here. I will say, I hope they refuse at first.

Commendation to Marta's before and after reaction … hahaha, you’re kidding me … you’re kidding me, right?

I find myself pondering if, at first, they only want to test the waters with this idea. Introduce it as a possible option these characters can fall back on. To me it would make sense for Marta & Fina to initially refuse Pelayo's proposal. Their friendship can then continue to grow and when their backs are against the wall, which will inevitably happen, the lavender marriage-card can be pulled out of the sleeve. Ergo, Pelayo might be in danger and they decide to help him, Marta might be in jeopardy herself etc. As it comes across right now? They’re racing downhill without breaks. I suppose we'll see what they have in store for them, won't we? I have to say it was lovely to see Marta & Fina behave like a couple while in company. I don't think they've ever acted as relaxed in front of anyone, not even Carmen. Which is why I'd love to see their friendship with Pelayo continue to mature in a way that brings the three of them closer, making joint decisions. For now, I'd say more time is needed to grow a true sense of camaraderie. But hey: we're on novelita time and it has its own quirks. Other than that? Carmen inadvertently running her mouth in front of Tasio? Drop the ball she did. At least, she vehemently pressed hubby dearest to promise he'd hold his tongue. A tall order indeed, because knowing Tasio and his chronic foot-in-moth syndrome? It's only a matter of time before he shits the bed. Granted, he didn’t react as badly as I thought he would, but it’s obvious he considers Marta and Fina’s relationship an aberration, something laughable and ridiculous. Let’s hope he fully comes around and becomes the brother Marta deserves. And speaking of Carmen: she really needs to loosen up with Marta who's done nothing but bow her head, plead guilty and ask for forgiveness. I still think Carmen should have understood Marta’s position and anguish and shown more empathy. If not as a friend and Fina’s partner, at least as a fellow woman? It’s still unclear to me if she learned the extent of Santiago’s abuse? But given her attitude, I gather she’s still clueless.

Case in point? Carmen is pulling at this thread with Marta so hard it'll end up snapping and hitting her square in the face. And I do confess I'd like to see Marta finally bite back. Carmen is treating Tasio as if he doesn't have two brain-cells to rub together, incapable of making his own decisions and subject to the most devious manipulations. Not to mention Marta has never treated any of them as if the class divide mattered. And now Carmen heaps that reproach onto Marta's overflowing plate as well. Might be Carmen needs a healthy dose of Fina's volcanic temper. Front-row seats to that, please and thank you. If Carmen can go full-blown unreasonable over her troglodyte husband? Then Fina can go full-blown reality check over her fiercely protective wife.

Ahoy!!! Onto next week’s drama.

[cjsoleil]

Love That I Like You (Seungmin x Reader)

Summary: Having just run away from her arranged marriage, Y/N is stuck walking around with a empty stomach and heels that hurt her feet. On the way, she meets a well dressed man who is more than kind to her. Little to her knowledge, he knows her better than she thinks.

Authors note: If you couldn’t tell, Seungmin is my bias.

People whisper and stare at Y/N as she walks down the sidewalk, but she doesn’t pay them any mind. She tries to focus on keeping the pristine white gown she is wearing clean, so she can sell it on eBay later. Or maybe she’ll keep it and wear the wedding dress around the house like pajamas.

Really, she didn’t plan on the day going like this. She has been preparing for her wedding day for months, since it was arranged by her grandparents' insistence. Sure, she was bothered by the idea at first, but eventually accepted the lack of control she had over her own life. Thinking back, that is as sad as it sounds. She never met her fiancé before, and refused to look at any pictures of him out of pure spite.

“It doesn’t matter what he looks like.” She would say, “I might as well keep him a surprise, just like our proposal.” Her grandparents always got upset when she acted like that, but never commented on it. They were just happy she wasn’t fighting too hard against the marriage. The wedding was just a business arrangement for her grandparents, and her fiancé’s parents' companies. It was all explained to her, but she never bothered to listen to the details.

Anyways, Y/N has got a classic case of cold feet and is now wandering the streets while looking for something to eat. She hasn’t eaten all day and is obviously missing her dinner plans. A place to rest her feet would be nice as well. She’s been walking for well over an hour, not wanting to be dragged back to the chapel. But these heels are not made for long strolls, and she finds herself tripping over air in them. The autumn wind brings goosebumps to her bare arms and has already blown her vail out of her hair. She didn’t bother to try to catch it.

After a few more minutes of walking, Y/N comes across a convenience store. She’s just about to go inside when she realizes her problem.

“Damn it.” She practically huffs when it hits her that she has no money on her person. She left her phone in the car and her purse is at her apartment. Sitting down at one of the tiny tables outside the store, Y/N puts her head in her hands and sighs.

‘I could play the left at the altar card’ she thinks, ‘Who wouldn’t feed a crying bride?’ Just as Y/N is about to make herself cry, she feels a tap on her shoulder.

“Excuse me.” The soft voice makes her look up to see a young man in his early twenties. He has big eyes, short and soft looking brown hair and a somewhat awkward look on his face. Y/N must say, he is such a cutie. He holds up a piece of white fabric, a vail, “I believe this is yours?”

“How’d you know?” She smiles and takes the veil.

“Lucky guess.” He seems to hesitate for a moment, before asking, “Is there something wrong?”

“Not really. I’m just hungry.” The man nods before looking at the store.

“Let’s go then.” Y/N shakes her head with a laugh,”I’ll pay.”

“That’s sweet, but you don’t-“ he’s already walking into the store, making her follow.

Looking at the man now, Y/N can see that the man is dressed pretty formally. A white button down with black dress pants and dress shoes.

“Hey, where are you on your way back from?” Y/N asks as she picks up an instant ramen package, her other hand still holding her veil, “Cause you're dressed so nicely.” She snickers a little when she sees the man’s ears turn red.

“Thank you. I had a… business meeting. Plans fell through.”

“I can relate.” Y/N had only picked up the ramen, but the man bought much more food for the two of them, despite her insistence that she didn’t need much.

“You are my saviour.” Y/N tells him as they eat at one of the small tables the store has, “Thank you- Oh, I don’t even know your name. I’m Y/N.”

“Seungmin.” Y/N lets out a small laugh.

“Funny, that was my fiancé’s name too.” She pauses, “That makes me sound horrible. I promise, I didn’t leave because I cheated or because of something bad.” Seungmin nods and takes a sip of his coffee.

“It’s none of my business.” Y/N appreciates that, but can still see the curiosity in his eyes.

“It was arranged. I don’t know anything about the guy, except that he has good taste in engagement rings. It’s a shame I’ll have to give it back.” She looks down at the ring. It’s pretty simple, the diamond itself is small and the band itself is sparkly, “but enough about me, you said you had a business meeting? What do you do?”

“I work for my family’s business.” He says.

“Oh, how is-“

“I hate it.”

“Ah.” Y/N nods, a little taken aback by his answer, “So, why don’t you quit?”

“Why didn’t you say no to your wedding?”

“Touché.”

Y/N smiles when she finishes eating, nodding her head to Seungmin.

“Thank you very much for feeding me. I'll get out of your hair.” As she stands, Y/N winces. Damn, these heels are killing her.

“Are you alright?” She waves off his question.

“I’m fine.” She says bye again but after a few moments, she notices Seungmin following her, “Are you following me?” The question is asked without a hint of anger or annoyance, clear by the smile on her face. Seungmin smiles and shrugs.

“I don’t have much else to do.” Now, any other person, Y/N would have told the guy to beat it. But Seungmin is super cute and nice. Plus if the man who bought her food wants to hang around, who is she to object to it?

“Well, I’m just wandering for a while. I don’t want to hear whatever spiel my family has prepared for when I get back to my place.”

“Let’s go shopping.” Y/N looks over to Seungmin, tilting her head, “Unless you want to wear that day.”

“Maybe I do. This-“ she gestures to herself, “- is going to be the new trend.” She can’t conceal her own laughter as Seungmin shakes his head at her, smiling to himself.

“You’re right. Should I buy one?”

“You can have mine, I don’t really like it anyways.”

“You look beautiful in it.” His words are said so quietly, she barely hears them. But she does, and blood rushes to her face. The dress is pretty, yes, modern. But that’s not what Y/N dreamed of her wedding dress being. She wants something like a princess gown, tulle and sparkle.

They soon end up in a clothes store, and after seeing Y/N wince again, Seungmin forced her to sit down on a cushioned bench in the store as he went to get her clothes. She didn’t try to fight him on it, since he is the one paying. In less than ten minutes, Seungmin comes back to her and hands her a bag.

“What’s your shoe size?”

“Um, seven.” Seungmin nods.

“Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Before she can respond, Seungmin is walking away from her. Y/N shakes her head with a smile before she goes to the bathroom to change. Seungmin has cute taste, he got her a pink pleated skort, a white shirt and has even remembered to buy her a bra, which almost makes her die of embarrassment. After getting out of the dress and getting into the clothes, she folds up the dress, though she’s pretty sure you're not supposed to do that, and puts it in the large bag. She puts the veil in there as well.

Back at the bench she was at, she sees Seungmin waiting there with a bag.

“Seungmin, you're doing too much for me.” Y/N tells him, but he only smiles.

“It’s fine.”

“Really Seungmin. I have shoes, just go return these-“

“Sit down.” She does and Seungmin kneels right after.

“What-“ he takes the shoe box out of the bag, before he holds Y/N’s right ankle in his hand and begins to take off her heel. That renders Y/N speechless as she watches Seungmin put a nice but comfortable sandal on her foot.

“Okay okay.” She taps Seungmin’s shoulder and gestures for him to get up, “I got it. Get up.” She notices he has a small smirk on his face. Happy that he got his way, no doubt.

Y/N puts her heels in the shoe box and puts it back in the bag. When she stands up, she sighs at the relief of wearing shoes that don’t hurt. “Thank you so much. You’re so kind to me. The minute I can, I’ll pay you back.” Seungmin rolls his eyes and flicks the girl’s forehead.

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I cared about that.”

“Oh no, that’s not happening. I’m paying you back. Give me your phone.” Seungmin blinks at her with his big eyes, but still hands over his phone after unlocking it. Y/N puts in her phone number in his contacts before handing it back to him.

“There. So you can text me later and we can meet up so I can pay you back.”

“You don’t need an excuse to give me your number.” Seungmin says, and she can see a hint of blush of his ears, “I was going to ask anyway.”

“Then I guess it works out.” Y/N grins and they leave the store together.

“What made you decide to leave?” Y/N hums hearing his question, asking him to elaborate, “You initially agreed to your arranged marriage. What made you change your mind?” The girl shrugs. They're walking around a park, having already dropped off Y/N’s shoes and dress at a donation box.

“A lot of things I guess. I didn’t really want to get married to someone I never met, but…” Y/N trails off for a second before continuing, “When I was sitting in the back of my dad’s car, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I wanted. A winter wedding, a Cinderella dress, a horse and carriage, a man who I actually know and love. Then I was telling my dad I had to go to the bathroom, and ran away.”

“Do you feel bad about it?” Y/N hesitates.

“…No. Like, I feel bad for him and his family, since I’m sure they’ll probably be on his ass about it all. But I decided to not let my family bother me anymore. If they want to disown me for this, so be it.”

“Good.” Their hands brush, “You shouldn’t feel bad. Not for living your own life.” Y/N laughs and bumps into Seungmin’s shoulder.

“What about you? I have no right to say what you do, but if you hate your job, you should just quit. We can be our family’s disappointments together.” Seungmin laughs at that and Y/N just can’t help but grab his hand, interlocking their fingers. He doesn’t pull away. Y/N looks up at him, before taking a single step closer. Seungmin tilts his head down and oh my god, she really wants to kiss him.

“You know something?” Y/N starts before she can actually acknowledge what she’s saying, “If I was supposed to marry you, maybe I wouldn’t have ran away.” Seungmin has an unreadable expression.

“I should tell you something.” Seungmin whispers softly, pulling back. Shit she’s so stupid for saying that.

“What is it?” She must have a odd look on her face, because Seungmin snorts.

“Don’t look so scared, I just need to tell you my last name.”

“Your last name?”

“Kim Seungmin.” Seungmin watches as the gears turn in Y/N’s head before a sense of dread fills her.

“Oh my god, oh my god! I’m such a dumbass.” Seungmin nods, “Don’t agree!”

“You seriously thought You coincidentally met someone with the same name as your fiancé, dressed formally who also had their business plans fall through? Y/N, I’m practically wearing a tuxedo.”

“Seungmin is a common name! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He grins.

“I thought you might’ve been able to come to the conclusion. Idiot.” The name is filled with fondness. Y/N covers her face with her hands and laughs, because the situation is hysterical.

When she catches her breath she looks over at the man, who is still smiling.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what? Leaving you at the altar!” Seungmin shakes his head.

“No, it’s a good thing you did. I’m glad you had the confidence to stand up for yourself, something I don't have.” He caresses the back of her hand with his thumb, “I’m happy we got to meet like this. Or we can pretend we never met and go our separate ways.” Yeah, as if.

“Let’s not. I… I really like you Seungmin.”

“I like you too, even if you're a little stupid.” Y/N shoved him and cried out “Mean!”

When they stop laughing, Y/N removes her hand from Seungmin’s and pulls off the ring on her left ring finger.

“Here.” She hands the ring to Seungmin.

“You sure? You can keep it if you want.” She shakes her head.

“We’re not engaged, it’s not right to keep it.” He nods and the corner of his lip twitches upwards. “Maybe one day, I’ll be able to give it back to you.” Y/N nearly gasps hearing him say that. Then she suddenly grabs Seungmin’s shoulders and kisses him, so quickly that he can’t even react. The kiss would have been longer if they weren’t in public.

“You’re so sweet Seungmin, so cute.” She kisses his cheek before she pulls away. They walk around for a little longer, and Seungmin suddenly voices what they were both thinking.

“Are we going to tell our families about this?”

“No.” Her response is immediate, making her back peddle, “I mean, we can if you want. But I don’t. God I’d never hear the end of “if your dating just get married. Why wait?” It’d be worse than if I went straight home.”

“Dating?” Seungmin repeats, a little glint in his eye, “Who’s dating?” Y/N rolls her eyes.

“We ate together, went shopping and strolled through the park. We kissed like two minutes ago, that’s a date.”

“Ask me formally and I’ll consider it.” Y/N scoffs.

“As if you weren’t ready to marry me a couple of hours ago.” She mumbles before forcing a smile that is borderline creepy, “Seungmin dear, would you do me the pleasure of going out with me?”

“I guess.” Y/N pretends to frown and starts to walk away, only for Seungmin to grab her hand and pull her back to him.

Y/N likes Seungmin, but she doesn’t love him. But maybe one day she will. Maybe, when she goes back home he will call her and plan another date, where Y/N will force him to let her pay him back. Maybe, in a few years he will offer her the ring back and she will take it. He will gain the confidence to quit his job in his family’s company. Then, maybe in January, she will take a carriage ride while wearing a white and sparkly ball gown dress and will meet Seungmin wearing a complete suit. With only a few people to bear witness of their elopement, he will say his vows and that he loves her while meaning it, and she will do the same.

Maybe.

[familyvideostevie]

tlou hbo season 2: episode 4 thoughts

wowwwww i think i might be having a good time now, you guys. who knew! at this point I'm just along for the ride and my beef is my beef but i can appreciate a lot of what they are doing. this post is delayed cause i could not be bothered last night but here we go.

spoilers for tlou hbo and tlou part ii below.

EPISODE 4: DAY ONE

GOOD -i am immensely compelled by the 2018 flashback (minus that cameo). the backstory of seattle that we get in day 2 of the game is some of my favorite environmental storytelling -- how the regular people didn't like FEDRA but liked the WLF even less, how the WLF capitalized on FEDRA's failures but ultimately was just another form of martial law, etc. Jeffrey is as good as it gets, and Craig is smart to use Isaac more. I find his turn interesting and this idea that they are pushing of the end of the world just being a cycle of us vs them that everyone is caught in even if they know they're caught in it. -loving the sets. weston's, the city landscape, the rainbows, the tank, the music store! i could go on. i am replaying part ii along with the show and just did some of day 1 so it was a delight to see all of those things. -take on me my beloved.......if i ever were to lose you, how i miss you. -again with this Isaac focus! i think it's really smart. i think the only way to make the wlf and abby's eventual defection interesting is for us to learn about this place that has shaped her so heavily. the torture was perhaps the most difficult part of ths show to watch thus far, frankly, but it also raised some really interesting questions about faith and the power it gives people. the seraphite had such faith that he became useless to Isaac because he was not going to give in -- where else in this story do we see such blind devotion and the places it can take them? *cough*. i don't want to give craig too much credit but i think this is a good theme to be running with. -the tv station!!!!!!!! arrows!!!! rip leah you don't exist here but this whole sequence was fantastic. as someone who plays no return to destress, the set here was great. the bodies, the seraphite intro for dina and ellie, the sneaking around! exactly like stealth play in the game. ellie's kill and the neck stab! i was giggling. it's just so cool to see shit like this play out on screen. -the flaressssssssss. god, the subway was just so beautiful. i loved the way it looked and felt and the music. -saving dina with a bite! i wondered how they'd do this reveal (though it does seem like we will be getting spores anyway) and this makes sense. damn the bite looked painful. -the theater. again with these sets! loving loving loving them so far. -okay. dina and ellie in the theater. this whole conversation about ellie's immunity is the first time that HBO!ellie and dina felt like...an ellie and dina that worked for me, even though the set-up of this confrontation is totally different. the mannerisms and panic and exasperation from bella really clicked. and though this dina is different, isabela really took the episode for me in this scene. i said to my friend oh, she's Acting. the fear, the shaking, the tears! i find the way HBO!dina switches between being extremely competent and practical to being silly and flirty very interesting but she really sells it for me. and god, some of these shots were just amazing. the tears and the lantern! -and, finally. i forgive craig for that tent scene. do i think we needed that? no. BUT. LETS GO LESIBANS LETS GO. get fingered with those dirty-ass hands! kiss!!!! KISS! and not for nothing i liked that dina got to explain herself, even if i think we didn't really need this absent homophobe mother. we've got one already and his name is seth! but, wow. the elation i felt. also, ellie was funny as fuck here. more on this scene in the next section

IFFY -what the FUCK is josh peck doing here. i was so taken out of it i did not know what was happening for like, 2 minutes. i honestly couldn't tell if i was making it up. i guess if they wanted us to hate him and everyone in that truck, they succeeded. but, literally, why. -bro, would a pregnancy test even work. i know she took like 5 of them but, can someone fact check that one -dina's sixth sense is really funny to me? i like it in abstract, like it's cool that she's good at this, but also i think it's at odds with how i sometimes feel about her and ellie's dynamic in combat. more on this later. -okay but does ellie actually want a kid. i don't feel sold on the idea of her being that excited given the circumstances. i feel like the pregnancy reveal in the game had a lot more weight and her frustration felt really valid if harsh, so while it was kind of nice to see her be excited for something i was a little like....okkkkkkaaaaaay. the dialogue was funny, though. we're having a baby. so we're all having a baby. I'm gonna be a dad. it fit for HBO!ellie, and that's what I'm watching, so i really should stop complaining. -i'm interested in ellie wanting dina to stay. it's different now. removing the obstacle of dina being pregnant on the road and physically unwell because of it makes things a little murkier -- i wonder if she will become tired/unable to fight eventually, or if she'll get injured. because i think so much of the downward spiral ellie will find herself in is because she goes to the hospital alone and kills nora, etc. i guess jesse has to show up at some point, too! i wonder how that'll go over -- i do like this idea that ellie has plans for the three of them to be doing the kid thing together after seattle, since that'll just. really hurt. when he dies.

BAD -please for the love of god can we get dina a hair tie. she has the most beautiful hair and 2023 curtain bangs but my god. please. she's soaked by rain and has been running from infected in a dirty subway and stayed up all night to watch ellie maybe turn into a zombie and yet she's freshly blow-dried. PLEASE. -okay, i have some beef with the way dina and ellie are written (we knew this). while i think it's fitting for the style of the show and the characterization, i think it's now coming out specifically in the way they are in combat situations. and i just don't like it! i think it's kind of weird! they are just...idiots, sometimes! and other times they are capable! i know this is like, how people are, but the immaturity thing comes back. i just don't believe that these young women are so unable to handle themselves that they make mistakes like this -- or potential mistakes. ellie wanting to go to the tower and dina telling her it's a trap, etc. how is ellie that dumb? i know she's motivated, but something about ellie is that she's smart. she's good at this. and i like that dina is her grounding force but to constantly be guiding her this way feels a little much. i just don't have a sense of the trust between them and their actual ability to get shit done? am i making sense is this dumb -why does dina have feathered brows. isabela is so beautiful but guys come on -he taught you well. he did. okay. i hated this, sue me. i just hate the way that we're talking about joel and ellie's talking about joel and dina is talking about joel. it lacks impact because of the way we don't know how they parted -- that they were talking but fighting and joel was being bratty frankly and ellie is just...lying to herself about how it all went? i don't know. and dina god love her but please. i get that there is shared grief there but i just like, don't see what the payoff is.

anyway, i'm on board. like, i really am i guess. down to clown. probs my favorite episode so far. and day two my beloved...hope you don't disappoint me

[ghosty-zero]

Sonadow one shot number #11: Snowy Cabin

It was almost Christmas, as was evident by the abundance of evergreen trees, the wreaths hung on doors, and the cheery smiles of people passing by. Every single store took advantage of this to their own benefit, selling Christmas-themed products to those who either wanted to celebrate the holiday or simply wanted an excuse to be in the holiday spirit.

As one can imagine, a world where every day is Christmas would get old very fast, so it was good for everyone to have a reason to celebrate it.

It was also a time to spend with one's loved ones, which was something Sonic had decided to take advantage of as well.

He was a huge sucker for Christmas, and loved everything about it; the spirit of giving, the warm atmosphere, and most of all, getting the coolest presents from all of his friends.

But he didn't want to celebrate alone. So, he decided to invite Shadow to spend the holidays with him, who reluctantly agreed to it. It would be an interesting experience to see how the holiday was celebrated in such a toony world, as well as a chance to learn about what kind of person Sonic really was.

Convincing Shadow to spend the weekend with Sonic, of all hedgehogs, in a cabin up in the mountains with no way of getting out seemed to be a simple enough task. Sonic assumed Shadow had nothing better to do, so he'd jump at the chance to spend time with someone other than himself.

He was wrong.

It took a lot of convincing to get Shadow to agree to this little trip, which mainly involved Sonic begging him for hours on end and promising to do whatever Shadow wanted him to do. Shadow had eventually caved, but on the condition of Sonic doing whatever he told him to do, and that he wouldn't complain about it once.

Sonic agreed, knowing that this was the only way he could get Shadow to go with him.

So now they stood in front of said cabin, the light snowfall tickling Sonic's nose.

They walked inside, where the cabin was furnished with a few necessities, such as a couch, a table, a chair, and a fireplace. It was small, but it would do for the weekend.

"Ah, this is awesome! It's gonna be great to hang out with you like this, Shads!" Sonic grinned at Shadow, who scoffed and folded his arms across his chest.

"Whatever."

"Now, I know you don't like Christmas, but just give it a chance! You might actually have fun!"

"Hmph." Shadow turned away from Sonic, a look of annoyance on his face.

"I got you some presents~" Sonic said in a sing song voice. He fished around in one of his bags and pulled out a few wrapped presents. He placed them down on the table and smiled.

Shadow sighed. "You really didn't have to do that."

Sonic shrugged. "I wanted to. You're my friend, aren't you?"

Shadow looked away, refusing to meet Sonic's eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"Uh, the fact that I managed to convince you to come out here with me where no one can hear you scream."

"Very funny."

Sonic laughed. "But seriously, it's gonna be awesome. We'll have the place to ourselves and we can do whatever we want!"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "So what do you propose we do first?"

Sonic looked around, then spotted a small pile of logs near the fireplace. "We should get a fire going so we can warm up."

"I'm not cold."

"It's for the ambience! Besides, I myself am cold and don't have the chest fluff that you have, so I need the heat."

Shadow shrugged and started making his way over to the fireplace. He knelt down in front of it and began stacking the logs together.

Sonic grabbed a matchbook and struck one, tossing it into the fireplace and watching as the wood burst into flames.

Shadow stood back up and brushed some stray pieces of ash from his gloves. "Have you ever actually spent the night in a cabin? Do you know how to survive in the wild?"

"Yeah, I've spent plenty of nights in cabins. And I'm the fastest thing alive, so I can handle anything nature throws at me."

"That doesn't mean you know what you're doing."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid. I know how to make a fire, I know how to get food, and I know how to keep myself warm."

"Really?" Shadow eyed him skeptically. "Alright, hot shot. How do you make a fire without matches? What do you eat if you don't have any food? How do you keep yourself warm if you don't have any clothes on?"

Sonic blinked. "Uh... I can rub sticks together? And... I don't know, I can figure something out! I can always just run fast enough to start a fire, or something."

Shadow snorted. "That's your solution to everything, isn't it?"

"Pretty much!" Sonic grinned at him.

"I only agreed to this because you're damn nagging wouldn't shut up until I did. But now that I'm here, I expect you to follow through with your promises."

Sonic nodded. "Of course."

Shadow walked over to the couch and sat down, crossing his legs.

Sonic joined him, plopping himself down beside him. "Alright, let's watch some TV!"

It took Sonic ten seconds too long to realize that the cabin had no tv.

"Ughhh..." Sonic groaned, leaning back on the couch and rubbing his temples. He was so used to having a tv in every room that he forgot not everyone was like that.

He looked over at Shadow, who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, a bored expression on his face.

"Hey, Shads. Want to play a board game?"

"No."

"Not even Monopoly?"

Shadow frowned. "You think I want to play a game where there's a chance I could lose?"

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe I can convince you."

Shadow scoffed. "Doubt it. I'm not interested in playing a game."

Sonic sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the cushion of the couch. "You're such a bore."

"You're the one who invited me here with nothing in the way of entertainment other than a board game. And we're in the middle of nowhere, with no one else around. What do you expect us to do?"

Sonic thought about it for a moment, before an idea formed in his head.

"I have an idea." He grinned and stood up, walking towards the door.

"And where are you going?"

"To find some entertainment." He opened the door, then paused. "Oh, and if you decide to leave without me, don't worry, I'll just catch up." He winked, then ran out of the door.

Shadow sighed. "What a moron."

Sonic returned with a snowball in hand, and chucked it straight at Shadow's head. Shadow startled at the sudden projectile hitting him, looking up just in time to see Sonic running at him full speed with another snowball in hand.

The snowball hit him square in the face, sending him reeling backwards. Sonic burst into laughter, clutching his sides as he doubled over.

"Ha! Gotcha good!" He said between fits of laughter.

Shadow wiped the snow off his face, glaring daggers at Sonic. "You've chosen death."

Shadow had never participated in a snow ball fight before, so the rules were lost on him. He thought the point was to throw the ball as hard as you could, and try to make the other person fall down. But after getting pelted by Sonic several times, he was beginning to realize that there was more to it than that.

"C'mon, Shads! Just hit me!" Sonic taunted.

Shadow growled and threw another snowball at him, this time hitting him right in the chest. The ball burst into a cloud of snowflakes, leaving Sonic sputtering.

"That's more like it!" Sonic shouted.

Shadow threw another one, this time hitting Sonic on the side of the head.

Sonic fell to the ground, landing on his back in the snow. Shadow stood over him, smirking.

"Had enough?"

Sonic smiled up at him, then grabbed Shadow's leg and pulled him down into the snow with him. The puffy flakes scattered around them, covering them both in white. Sonic rolled onto his stomach and began crawling away from Shadow, laughing hysterically.

Shadow scowled and quickly got to his feet, chasing after Sonic.

"Get back here, you little rat!"

"Nope! You'll just have to catch me first!"

Shadow grumbled and kicked his air shoes into gear, using his hover skates to speed after Sonic. The two ran around the cabin, throwing snowballs at each other as they went.

Shadow quickly caught up with Sonic, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back. Sonic yelped as he was tugged backwards, stumbling over his own feet. He fell face first into a pile of snow, which exploded upon impact.

Shadow dusted off some of the snow off his arms and smirked. "Victory."

"You play dirty," Sonic's muffled voice replied.

Shadow shrugged. "All's fair in love and war."

Sonic pushed himself out of the pile of snow and sat up. "How was that for entertainment?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Fine. It was...fun. Now let's get inside before we freeze."

Shadow brushed some of the snow off Sonic's back and headed towards the cabin. Sonic followed after him. They stepped inside the warm living room, both shivering.

"That was fun," Sonic said, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. "But man, I wish I brought a thicker jacket. Jeez."

"Ugh, if I do this one thing the you, will you stop complaining?" Shadow said.

Sonic perked up. "Huh? What thing?"

Shadow grumbled something under his breath and unbuttoned his jacket at the top, revealing his tuft of white fur that matched the snow outside. He gestured to it as if Sonic should immediately know what he meant.

Judging from the completely blank look Sonic gave him, he didn't.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "My fur, you moron. I'm not cold because I have chest fluff, so if you want to get warmer, I suppose my fluff will do."

"Oh! Ohhhh." Sonic grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Shadow sat on the couch, leaning against the armrest, while Sonic sat down in between his legs. He leaned back against Shadow's chest and sighed contentedly.

"This feels nice," he murmured, closing his eyes.

Shadow hummed in agreement. "Don't get used to it."

"I totally will."

"You're impossible."

"I know."

They sat in silence, Sonic's head resting against the white cotton-like fur as Shadow looked down at him with an indecipherable expression.

He was starting to question why he came along in the first place.

He knew he only agreed to this because he was bored and needed something to do. But now he felt like he was intruding on something personal, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Sonic was always oblivious of what went on around him, but Shadow was good at picking up subtle cues. He knew when someone was uncomfortable or uneasy, and could tell when they weren't being truthful. So he noticed immediately when Sonic's body language changed from relaxed to tense, and his breathing grew heavier.

Shadow frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Sonic replied, a bit too quickly.

He flicked Sonic's nose. "Tell me what's bothering you."

Sonic opened his eyes and turned his head to look up at Shadow. "I'm fine! Really. Just a little cold, is all."

"Mhm," Shadow mumbled, unconvinced. "If that really is what's bothering you, why stay silent for so long? Did my fluff not help?"

Sonic averted his eyes, refusing to make eye contact. "I was...thinking."

"About what?"

Sonic hesitated. "Uh..."

"Go on. Spit it out."

"Okay, okay. I was thinking about how...it's weird. You and I. We never really...do things like this."

"Like sit in a cabin?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "No, like this. This is the first time we've ever hung out like this, just the two of us. We don't even talk that much outside of arguing, so this is...strange."

Shadow hummed. "You're right."

Sonic shifted uncomfortably, his eyes still avoiding Shadow's gaze. "I just feel like...I invited you 'cause I wanted to get to know you better...get closer, I dunno. And you came because you were bored, and now that we're here I realize you probably don't even want to be here, and you probably think I'm being annoying—"

"You are," Shadow interrupted.

Sonic glared at him. "That's not helping."

Shadow sighed. "Look, I didn't come here just to be your friend. I came because you wouldn't shut up about it, and you promised to do anything I said, which you haven't done, no surprise there, and-"

"I kinda feel like I like you more than you like me, and it bothers me, because it feels like you only tolerated me just for the heck of it, but I'm having a lot of fun, and I don't want to ruin it by being an jerk and-"

"Stop," Shadow said sternly.

Sonic looked up at him, surprised.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I don't tolerate you. You are annoying and cocky and loud, but you're also brave...and incredibly stupid."

"Wow, thanks, Shads. That makes me feel great about myself."

Shadow continued. "But you're also loyal and determined, and...I can respect that."

Sonic blinked. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Sonic smiled slightly. "Cool."

Shadow cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. "What I mean is, I didn't come here expecting anything more than a chance to relax and have some fun. Don't confuse this with something it isn't."

"Right," Sonic said. "I get it."

"You don't have any...interest in me, correct? Now that I think about this situation, this seems more like a date than anything else. Is that what this is?"

Sonic laughed awkwardly. "No! No way! Of course not! I mean, unless...you want it to be a date? But that'd be weird, right? 'Cause we're enemies. Not friends, definitely not...lovers. Right? Gross. I mean, not gross like you're gross. You're not gross, you're actually pretty good looking, but, I'm not saying you're hot or anything—wait, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Shadow smirked. "You are. But if you really want to know the truth, I'm not opposed to the idea. If you wanted it to be a date."

Sonic blinked. "Say what now?"

Shadow shrugged. "I don't have any feelings for you. But I'm not opposed to the idea of...having feelings for you."

Sonic stared at him. "Is that your way of saying you like me?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Sonic grinned. "So, does that make this a date then?"

"Technically, it can be whatever we want it to be. From a logical standpoint, yes, this can be a date. But that doesn't mean I want it to be a date, or that I have any feelings for you whatsoever. That's for you to decide."

Sonic smirked. "Well, then it's a date."

Shadow groaned. "Ugh, you're insufferable."

Sonic chuckled and leaned closer to Shadow, nuzzling into his fluff. "Ah, you love me."

"I'll revoke your chest fluff privileges."

"No, I'll shut up!"

"That's more like it."

[dolljunk]

To say I was a bit disappointed with how 2023 Howliday Dia De Los Muertos Skelita came out for a $45 doll was an understatement, especially since I saw potential in the doll herself.

In a surprising twist, I saw someone selling their own Howliday Skelita on Vinted for a decent price, albeit missing things, so I grabbed it with the intention of modifying the base dress.

My biggest issue with the dress was that it was soooo thin and flat when one of my favourite aspects of Dia De Los Muertos dresses was how full and vibrant the skirts are. Honestly, if I hadn't found the second Skelita my backup plan was to shorten the skirt from the top to make the skirt knee length and make the skirt fuller in that way.

But I did hold out for maintaining the length due to the official Mattel video of this doll having shots of the doll in stop motion dancing in a skirt that was significantly full and that really stuck with me.

When I got the second dress, I disassembled both dresses and removed the skirts. I did debate on whether to have a centre seam or to keep the seams on the sides and cut down the middle of one skirt. I eventually decided to sew on seam first before deciding and seeing that it wasn't so bad, I went with a center seam.

My second biggest pet peeve about the dress was the ugly purple fabric ruffles, which looked both ugly serged and left raw. If it was a sheer unhemmed fabric I probably wouldn't have done anything but the sleeve ruffles were ugly to me to the point of removing them entirely. I them replaced them with lace sleeves that matched the shape of the original ones.

For the skirt, I actually found this wide lace at a local fabric store, and by sheer coincidence was the very end of the roll, so if it was any less, I would be out of luck. I was going to remove the purple ruffle, but layering the pink lace on top achieved a really pretty effect to me. I also then sewed a gold trim on top to tie into the belt and to add some interest to the skirt.

I'm really happy with this as the continous ruffle and trim helps hide the center seam and adds volume to the skirt.

As for the face, I actually really liked the face design of the sugar skull makeup. My issue was how lifeless and bland the eyes were, especially since they lacked eyeshadow and eyelids. So I decided that a orange tone for the eyelid would add a pop of colour as well as match her marigold headdress, as well as giving her eyeshadow in the same colour family as the dark spray, but even darker just to add depth.

I also added a couple of highlight that match the other colours in her makeup and slightly adjusted her pupils to be slightly more focused as well. I also slightly adjusted her lip liner to make the lips thicker since I think underpainted lips are not a serve for the current G1 dolls.

As for her flowercrown I gave it a dark paint wash and dry brushed highlights to add depth, detailed her necklace with yellow and purple as well as detailing her shoes. I didn't want to add too many new colours to the accessories, I just wanted to give them some depth.

Overall, I might have been disappointed with the base doll, but I'm really happy with my adjustments made to her because I did enjoy the core design of her, I just felt she needed a bit of a push to be perfect for me.

[writing-until-i-drop]

Wildflowers For A Hangman Ch. 5

Summary:

Daisy, a career novelist, moves in with her college best friend Phoenix who has been permanently assigned to Top Gun with Dagger Squad. She finds herself instantly connected with a cocky pilot who's soft only for her and Jake can't help but want to know everything about her. When the past comes knocking at both of their doors, will they stand together or fall apart?

Or: The Dagger Squad can't cook and Jake falls in love with a woman who makes a mean lasagna while they work their personal trauma.

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x writer!femOC | 18+ (eventually) minors dni. Fluff, smut (eventual), idiots in love, past trauma.

A/N: Everyone but Penny sees the surprise coming and Jake gets a new lock screen wallpaper.

AO3 Link

Previous Chapter

Amelia and I made eye contact over her mom’s head, holding in giggles. Penny was passed out, head back, snoring softly as a woman massaged her feet. Maverick had asked Phoenix to take the girls out for a mani-pedi but we all agreed that I was the less suspicious choice when it came to a girls’ day out. 

“We should get lunch after this,” Amelia pulled out her phone and showed me a vegan place with a clean aesthetic. “What about here?”

“Sounds good to me,” I lied with a smile. “Is there anything else you want to do today?” I had to keep the girls out of the house for at least another hour but Maverick had said the longer the better. Amelia shrugged,

“If Mav’s gonna propose, we should go shopping,” I choked on my spit, and Amelia rolled her eyes. “Seriously? He was sweating buckets this morning and now we’re getting manicures?”

“That’s fair,” Fifteen-year-olds were very perceptive apparently. Penny let out a louder snore and Amelia elbowed her in the ribs, her mom shot awake.

“Yes?”

“We’re getting lunch and then going shopping for matching dresses,” Penny looked at me and I tried to look as enthusiastic as possible. 

“Okay,” And then she nodded off again. From what Amelia and Mav had both said, Penny had had a long night closing up the Hard Deck and then had thrown back shots with her bartenders. Amelia rolled her eyes and then went back to scrolling through Instagram. My phone buzzed.

Jake: Hey, Wildflower. How are things going?

Daisy: Penny’s sound asleep and Amelia saw right through Mav

Jake: Figures, man has no poker face when it comes to her

Daisy: Mav owes me big time, Amelia wants to get vegan food

Jake: I’ll take you for pizza tonight after everything 

Daisy: Deal

I paused, brow furrowing. Did he mean getting pizza as a friend? Or as a date? I shook off the thought, of course, it was as friends. Well…I blushed, it might not have been so bad if Jake wanted to- No. I put the thought away in a locked filing cabinet, the same cabinet where the feeling of his muscled arms beneath my hand was stored. Jake and I were never going to be anything more than friends, even if he was perfect and handsome, and he listened to all of my stories with a smile on his face. Absolutely not. 

Jake: What color did you get your nails?

Daisy: Guess

Jake: Green, the same shade as your bedspread

Daisy: How the hell did you guess that on your first try?

Jake: Because you told me it was your favorite

Jake: And I remember everything you say

I didn’t even know how to respond, so I didn’t. Amelia and I chatted about baking while they painted our toes. She had volunteered to bake for a soccer team bake sale to buy new uniforms for the school year.

“If you need help, just give me a call. I’ll help you bake whatever you need,” Amelia lit up with a smile,

“That would be great! I was planning on using bagged mix but actual homemade stuff would sell so much better.” It felt good to be helpful, Amelia reminded me of my oldest niece, Sarah. Sarah was four and loved soccer, at that age it was mostly just kids running around and screaming excitedly. She had the same blonde hair as Amelia too, always smiling and giving her parents a hard time.

After a very dry and under seasoned lunch that Penny and I managed to grin and bear it through, we ended up at a little boutique. Amelia treated Penny and I like her own personal dress up dolls, having us try on dress after dress until she found one that looked good on all three of us and was up to her standards. 

The dress she settled on for me was a light green made of light, flowy fabric. It cinched at my waist and made my boobs look fantastic. The only negative was that it clung to my stomach a little but I couldn’t stop smiling at how cute I looked and in a moment of giddiness, I snapped a picture in the changing room mirror with an arm around my waist. Then I sent it to Jake. 

“Yo, D, you ready to go?” Amelia shouted and I quickly grabbed the shopping bag filled with my earlier clothes and followed her out to the car. 

Jake: Baby you’re killing me in that dress

Daisy: That was the idea, pretty boy

“Flirting with Hangman?” Penny asked, the pep finally back in her step. “You two are adorable together.” 

“We’re just friends,” 

“Suuuuuuurrreeee,” Amelia patted my shoulder from the back seat, “You keep telling yourself that, D.” 

“You two are horrible, we’re friends!” 

“That man used to go home with a different girl every night and now he doesn’t even look at another woman, even when you’re not at the bar.” Penny shot me a motherly look that had me blushing like a schoolgirl, “In fact, he spends every moment you’re not there on his phone. Would you happen to know what he’s doing?”

“Oh! I know, I know!” Amelia pounds on the back of my seat, “Texting D!” Penny made a dinging noise. “You guys are too cute together, everyone can see it.” 

“I’m not listening,” I plugged my ears with my fingers, “Lalalalalalala.” Penny smacked a hand over my mouth.

“I will bet you a hundred dollars that Hangman’s going to have his hands on you within a minute of us walking through the door.” I was going to lose that bet, I already knew it. 

“You’re on.” I was an idiot.

Penny thought they were celebrating the end of summer, a weak cover story, but Penny was looking forward to it. Especially since Maverick had promised to organize the whole thing so that she didn’t have to lift a finger, me taking them out on a girls’ day on Maverick’s credit card was just the cherry on top. 

“Ready to win, mom?” Amelia asked, the double meaning completely lost on Penny as we strolled through the doors of the Hard Deck. The lights were off inside and it was impressive how quiet the daggers were being before Penny flicked on the lights. Stretched across the rafters was a white and gold banner with the words will you marry me written in cursive and Maverick was on one knee with a ring in his hand.

“Oh my God! Of course!” Penny rushed to Maverick, kissing him soundly as he slid the long overdue ring onto her finger. The daggers came out from the woodwork, hooping and hollering with excitement. I caught sight of Jake who was already beelining towards me with an indiscernible look on his face.

“You’re so losing the bet,” Amelia snorted, showing me a timer that was counting down from a minute. 

“You’re horrible,” Jake swept me into a hug, the bet officially lost. When my feet lifted from the floor I shrieked in equal parts surprise, horror, and delight.

“Jake, put me down!” 

“You look fucking gorgeous, Wildflower.” Jake dropped me gently to my feet but kept his grasp on my waist, holding me at arm's length while he took one long look at me. Amelia walked off, laughing as she went. Jake was looking at me like I was a T-bone steak and he was a starving man, a deep flush working from my cheeks down to my chest under his intense gaze. “I mean it, Daisy. You look beautiful.” 

“Shut up,” I laughed, letting him pull me into his chest. My heart was racing, that stupid fluttery feeling they described in romance books making me a little nauseous. “We’re supposed to be paying attention to Mav and Penny.” 

“I don’t think I can pay attention to anyone but you right now and you, pretty girl, better believe this is Jake talking and not Hangman.” I stopped laughing, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Well, whoever’s saying it is making me blush,” 

“Well, you made me blush with that picture. It’s only fair.” Jake squeezed my hip, making me blush even harder. I wanted to go up on my toes and press my lips to his but instead, I pushed him away with a laugh, pretending I didn’t believe a word he said like I always did but this time I had doubts that he was joking. “Daisy-”

“Come on, pretty boy. I have to pay the bride.” 

X

Daisy yelped when I lifted her onto the bed of the truck. We stayed at the party for a few hours, Daisy spending most of the time with the girls while I hung around Mav and the guys. Maverick had been over the moon, talking about his plans for a big wedding and an even bigger honeymoon. Then when he was ready to spend time with his fiancee, sweeping her off her feet and taking her to his bike, Amelia having been picked up by a friend earlier in the night, Daisy had gone right to my side and laced her fingers with mine. 

“Stop doing that! You’ll hurt your back.” She protested, smacking my chest.

“And why would I hurt my back, Wildflower? You don’t think I’m strong enough to manhandle my girl?” Her mouth opened and shut a few times, I could tell by the scrunch of her brow that she didn’t know which part of my words to respond to. Did she insist she was too heavy again? Which was total bullshit. Or did she protest that I called her my girl? I tapped her knee, “Scoot your pretty ass back to the pillows while I grab the pizza.” Daisy muttered something under her breath about me being an ass but did what I said. 

She looked as pretty as a picture, leaned back against the pillows in the bed of my truck, her sundress pooled high up on her creamy thighs, staring up at the stars with a soft smile. Lord have mercy, I needed this woman to give my heart a break before it beat so hard it lept from my chest.

“Are you going to keep staring or join me up here?” Daisy snapped without malice, making me grin.

“Actually, darlin, I want a picture to prove I had the prettiest girl in the world in my bed.” 

“You’re an idiot,” She sighed but smiled for the picture that I quickly set as my lock screen before climbing up beside her. “You know, you’re not nearly half as charming as you think you are.” 

“And you’re a horrible liar. Now eat your pizza and look at the stars,” She responded instantly to the stern tone of my voice, and hell if that didn’t make me that much more attracted to her. We ate in silence, staring up at the sky, and when the pizza was gone, Daisy let me wrap her in my arms. 

I wanted to do this every night, lazily tracing patterns on her thigh and kissing her neck while she giggled at me to knock it off. I wanted her to tell me stories about the stars and lace her fingers with mine. I wanted everything she was willing to give me and a little bit more for as long as she would let me have it. Which was hopefully forever. Forever. I’d never thought about forever before, not like this at least. My biggest dream had always been flying and I would let nothing get in the way of that but Daisy had been on my mind every second of the day that I wasn’t in the sky. 

“Hey, Harvey.” I had been so far in thought I hadn’t even heard her phone ring. There was a jealous spark in my chest. Who the hell was Harvey? Some guy from back home?

Daisy must have felt me tense, her free hand resting reassuringly on my thigh. “No, I’m fine. Yes, I’m telling the truth,” She huffed hotly. “Now’s actually not a good time, I’m stargazing.” The tips of her ears went red, “No, I’m not with Tasha. I’m with,” She looked over at me and I was already staring at her. What was she going to say? Friend might kill me, I knew boyfriend was off the table for now. “I’m with a very good friend,” She squeezed my thigh, “His name’s Jake.”

A very good friend? I could work with that. “Yeah, okay, Harv. I love you too,” Just hearing those three words come out of her mouth was enough to stop my heart. She squeezed my thigh again, biting her bottom lip as she stared up at me. “Give my nieces a kiss for me. M’bye.” Nieces. Harvey must have been the brother Phoenix had mentioned in passing. 

“What was that about?” Daisy shook her head, silencing her phone before relaxing back into my side, her hand still on my thigh.

“He’s just checking up on me. I, uh, historically don’t do well with September.” I waited for her to elaborate, to talk my ear off for an hour but no explanation came. 

“Care to explain?” 

“It’ll ruin the night, trust me. I’ll tell you some other time.” 

“I’m going to hold you to that, Daisy. I want to know everything about you, the good, the bad, and the ugly.” She huffed at me and I just knew she was rolling her eyes.

“Can you just hold me for a little bit longer and maybe…” She trailed off with a sigh, fingers tapping on my thigh. “Can you…” 

“Whatever you want, Wildflower. All you ever have to do is ask.” 

“Kiss my hair?” This woman was going to kill me, it was official, and I couldn’t have been happier to be a dead man walking.

“It would be my pleasure, darlin.” I tried to take a picture of this moment in my mind.

I could feel the warmth of her body against mine, making me forget about everything else in the world. Daisy’s hair smelled like vanilla and lavender and as I placed a gentle kiss on her soft, red hair, I couldn’t help but do it again, and again. We sat there until the air became too cold for comfort, even with a blanket, the sky twinkling above us as her fingers gently rubbed my thigh through my jeans. It was the perfect night, I kissed her forehead when I pulled her out of the truck bed, and then her knuckles after I helped her into the passenger seat.

“Such a gentleman, Jake.” She sighed, looking at me like Penny had looked at Mav when she spotted him on one knee. I swallowed hard, mouth going dry thinking about myself down on one knee.

“I’m your gentleman, Wildflower.”

Next Chapter

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hi!

Extranormal Grocery and Food Workers Union employee here, the one who asked about it a while ago! I've been at the same store for a while now (and promoted to assistant manager), and you were right about a lot of our products being specifically for the extranormal community.

We had a...situation, recently, where one of the extranormal products we got wasn't actually prepared to the proper certifications it was supposedly prepared to. The unfortunate customers have been compensated as much as the store can, and I've heard you folks have already dealt with the company that made it.

I was wondering if there was anything that we - as the final point of sale location - could do to check or ensure that what we're selling is what it says it is, specifically for extranormal products, beyond EGFWU guidelines and recommendations?

Unfortunately, corporations are going to corporation, and they're going to stretch the law whenever they-

Jenny, remember that this is an official channel...

I mean, the EGFWU guidelines are a good starting point, and at the end of the day, as an hourly employee at a grocery store, it's not your responsibility to make sure that what the packaging says maps one to one with reality. If you're concerned about something, your job should (is legally mandated to) have EGFWU posters visibly posted in your breakroom. There's an anonymous hotline you can call posted on there if you suspect deceptive or misleading packaging.

Honestly, just keeping your wits about you and educating yourself is the best prevention for this kind of thing. A diverse clientele can mean a diverse array of needs, of course.

I once helped a butcher, ages ago. He was one of those old-school types, not even properly “introduced” to the extranormal, per se. He just had a history of not asking questions when people wearing sunglasses indoors asked for large amounts of raw meat or wanted the blood from a slaughtered animal, or the brain matter that might otherwise be offal. He’d built up a reputation for providing for odd requests, but I honestly don’t think he ever knew for sure what most of his clientele was. Sure, he had suspicions, but folks in rural Georgia sometimes just have an ‘odd folks’ shelf they’re comfortable putting people on and not asking questions.

It was kind of funny. Once, I went to his door to ask him about an….outburst one of his customers had had. Got a cleaver pointed at my face. He didn’t like questions, especially ones he didn’t know the answer to.

Anyway, he eventually hired on a nephew when he was beginning to get too old to handle the business as well. My second visit had a much better greeting than the first. He’d kept my card and everything.

They’d actually had a visit from a kumiho. God knows how a Korean fox spirit ended up in Georgia, fiddles aside, but the nephew ended up being weirded out by her request for livers and hearts, and he didn’t have the discretion of his uncle. Whole thing, ended up in an attempted generational curse. We got it sorted and she apologized, for what it’s worth, but it was a close call.

…where was I going with that.

Keep your eyes peeled and your mind open. And don't mess with fox spirits.

Thank you, Jenny.

[hortusmossii]

On Piracy

So. It's time to try and structure my thoughts about piracy, its morality and its role in media preservation. In a nutshell, the Path of the Hook is one I recommend you follow, for your own good and, most importantly, for the health of human spirit altogether. Here's a couple things to keep in mind and a few limits you need to ponder. This is how I think of it, you might disagree with me at some point, but it will nonetheless serve as a good starting point for reflection.

First of all, I think there are differences between pirating different kinds of media. Starting with audiovisual media: it is almost always morally correct to pirate it, and in many cases it is critically necessary for you to do so if you want it to survive. Nowadays (and I'm not saying nothing revolutionary here), most of the films and shows are released exclusively (or primarily) on streaming platforms, and never get to exist in a physical format. That implies that a) you do not own what you're paying for, you're renting it, and b) the company can easily erase any work from existence at any time. The latter alone is enough to justify piracy, because if they remove something and no one pirated it, that piece of media is lost. Forever. The decision to nuke media is one taken by the company, not by the creators, and this has resulted in artists having to pirate their own work to save it from oblivion. From this perspective, therefore, I would urge you to assume that any audiovisual work that you haven't stored offline in a physical device is sentenced to death. If enough people assume the same and act accordingly to prevent it, then archival redundancy might be strong enough and that piece of art might survive extinction. But we need to do our share in order for it to work, it is a collective endeavour.

Perhaps you are thinking, "but what about all the people that work to create a piece of media, aren't you stealing their wages?" Well, the workers involved in producing a show or a film usually get paid a fixed amount for their work, regardless of how much the final product makes. They might get to keep a fraction of the revenue in the form of residuals, but between Hollywood's "creative accounting" and the impact of streaming on residual payments, many times they don't get to cash in anything, so I'd say the works' preservation highly outweights these hypotetical revenue losses.

"And what about the company who holds the rights, aren't you stealing their property?" Yes, I am. But a multi-million dollar company is not a human being. We shouldn't see them as subjects deserving of moral consideration. They are ungodly amalgamations of power and greed that are actively destroying society and the planet. Their losses don't harm anyone but those who profit off workers' precariousness, and I don't think we should consider those people as valid participants in society. Therefore, if I somehow harm Michael Mouse by downloading The Owl House, then so be it!

At the beginning I said that audiovisual media is almost always morally correct. That almost takes care of individual productions or small teams working to create their art. In this case, revenues are much more directly linked to actual people's wages and livelyhood. Here, putting "media preservation" over fairly compensating creators' time and effort is not something we should do, in my opinion. Piracy is a tool to be used against the capital, not against the workers. So, if your favorite artists sells cool videos, buy them whenever you can afford it, go watch indie film screenings, support small artistitic creation, because it is the only way art and culture can keep existing away from the claws of capitalism. However, if you are supporting artists via a subscription service and you are not getting the actual file of what you're paying for... I would still suggest finding a way to download it after you've paid for it. Remeber, anything that isn't stored on multiple places, will eventually disappear.

Moving away from films and shows, let's consider books. There is a critical difference between them and digital media, because books are still mainly a physical thing. Of course, e-books are more prevalent than ever, but they usually have a paper counterpart. And if they don't, you can easily create one. You can print a book, you cannot print an episode of Supernatural. And although adecquately backed up digital files are more resilient than a single physical copy of a book, they rely on our current digital infrastructure to survive. In two hundred years, when the Internet and computers are but distant memories, books will keep existing, if we manage to keep them away from the fire. With books, piracy is not the only tool for preservation.

This is why pirating books is mainly an economic issue, one that should follow the considerations I have outlined for digital media. Is the book from a giant publishing house or a millionaire writer who won't even notice it if you download their book? Pirate away! Are you interested in downloading an academic text behind a pay-wall? PLEASE, DO IT, SCIENTIFIC PUBLISHING IS A SCAM THAT STEALS FROM BOTH THE AUTHORS AND THE READERS, PIRATE ALL YOUR PAPERS EVEN IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO PAY THEM. Is the book published by a small author to whom every sale matters? Maybe don't pirate it. Maybe buy the book when you can afford it, because again, supporting small creators is the only way to keep culture alive, to keep it bound to the people, to make artists, and therefore art, able to exist.

Lastly, an issue about which I don't have a clear answer. What if I cannot afford to buy a book or a film? Am I supposed to miss out on all the amazing independent art out there? Well, I think in these cases we should try other options first. Libraries are an amazing invention that offers a critically important service to society, and they need to be used in order to keep existing. So ask for it on your local library! You can also borrow it from a friend, or pool resources with a couple of friends and buy a copy together! Ideally, all culture should be free and available to everyone, but I think that shouldn't involve stealing other people's work (again, I'm talking about people, companies are not people). In practice, this would mean abolishing capitalism and the concept of money, but that's another story for another day...

Thanks for reading! What's your take on all this?? I would love to hear it!!

[sibillascribbles08]

Man I've written 34 fics for rise, that's insane, anyway here's a master post, sort of? I realized some people either A) may not know how many different fics I've written or B) not realized "oh he wrote that" sooo

One Shots

Don't You Care? – Donnie and Leo centric, post-movie. Donnie isn't always great with feelings, and when he fails to understand Leo's, he tries to find a way to fix it. Doing so forces him to unpack some of his own thoughts on their victory over the kraang as well.

To Bridge a Canyon of your Own Design – Splinter centric, post-movie, a bit of a retrospective on his relationship with his sons, his depression, and him trying to move away from his unhealthy coping mechanisms.

I Didn't Vote for You – Leo's the leader now, and Donnie always finds ways to argue with him about it. Leo wants to find out why Donnie has such a problem with how he's trying to lead the team, but it turns out that isn't the problem. It's simply the fact that Leo's the leader at all.

I'd Give Anything – Donnie-centric. A slightly alternate take on the movie's ending where instead of just firing a drill into the portal, Donnie jumped in, and ends up losing an arm in the process. But he has to kind of piece all of that together as he recovers in the med bay, talking to each of his family members.

Grappling With Things Beyond Your Control – Gift fic for my friend Bat! Donnie-centric, post season 2. Suddenly getting ninpo with no prior training causes Donnie's powers to start to run amok, and on top of that he has to help his family not only find a new home but move into one. It's a lot to balance, maybe too much to balance.

Four Turtles in your Corner (Store) – A silly fic about April being out of supplies for her period, and in desperation sends the boys to go get her some. I'm sure four reptilian mutants have competent knowledge on what humans need for things like this.

Now Lie In It – Big Bang fic! Takes place during season 2. Leo won't sleep, and ends up getting on Donnie's nerves. The softshell's solution to the problem is a simple sleep potion, but when he pours too much into Leo's tea his brother won't wake up. Time to force April and Draxum to go find an antidote while he hides his mistake from the rest of his family. (it sounds angsty but it's comedic, actually)

What Will You Leave Behind – Big Bang fic! Doomed timeline, Raph centric. Raph is the first of his siblings to die during the war. And while he does everything he can to be their ever present pillar as they eventually follow after, he can't help but loathe the fact that the ones still down there are suffering and he can't do anything to help.

My Words Died With You – Gift fic for Bat! Doomed timeline, Donnie centric. Donnie quit speaking when Raphael died, months later he still isn't. His family tries to help him cope with this, even Raphael does from the afterlife, but it may not be enough.

Hardcoded Conduct - Gift fic for Bat! Post movie, Donnie centric with a lot of Mikey POV. Mikey thinks about how Donnie is, at his core, a good person. And this opinion doesn't falter even when Donnie reveals a terrifying new power he has. And while Mikey might be right about Donnie, sometimes Donnie's care and concern is exactly what causes him to make bad choices.

VHHB series

(These are all post-movie)

My Roommate the Troubled Time Traveler (One Shot) – Casey and Draxum centric. Casey Jones Jr. isn't coping too great with being in the present, and trying to live in the lair isn't helping. So Mikey has the GREAT idea to convince Draxum to let Casey be his roommate. The alchemist thinks this is a terrible idea, but he might be able to help the kid far more than he realizes.

Violet Hues and Holly Blue (Completed) – Donnie centric. 8 months after the kraang invasion and Donnie's been the reigning champ in the Battle Nexus for a while, in his attempts to improve his mystic abilities. But this draws the attention of a business focused wasp named Holly Blue who offers to help sell his tech designs in the Hidden City. Donnie ends up agreeing, having to keep that secret from his family too, but eventually they're going to find out. (This is only a partial summary haha sorry, fic is heckin long)

Missing Pages – Just some VHHB extras, but hey it features Big Mama being herself, Lou Jitsu maiming some people, Donnie dealing with past blood on his hands and uuuuh Leo and Holly becoming friends (what a mood whiplash)

You Are Loved (Completed)– Two-shot fic about the Caseys (of the Senior and Junior variety). Casey Jr. wants to know why his ninpo sprung up so suddenly, and in his search to find out discovers his family is much closer than he realizes. Meanwhile Cassandra is struggling with her place among the Hamatos, it doesn't help when she finds out they're keeping a pretty big secret from her. Hopefully they can make it up to her.

The Sun and Icarus (Completed) – Mikey-centric. He's been doing pretty good at developing his mystic abilities lately, but now they're starting to explode, pretty violently. And it turns out if this keeps up the whole ordeal could just kill him. Better find a way to put a cap on it, or something to that effect. (Wow more power overloading fics from ME)

Girls' Night (One Shot) – April centric one shot, also April/Sunita. She's just trying to have a fun night out with the girls, inviting Holly Blue along for the ride, but maybe that was a mistake because in her attempts to playfully tease the wasp, she's suddenly forced to confront her own crush.

And For my Next Trick (One Shot) – Leo-centric one shot. Leo's getting frustrated with his lack of progress on his mystic powers, and with Hueso's advice decides to shift his focus to a different kind of magic, stage magic. With Hueso Jr.'s help, he plans to put on an entire show, which should be fine if some other magician doesn't show up to steal the show.

Look Up Hero in the Dictionary (Completed) – Raph centric. Raph's feeling a bit too idle in the city lately, with only minor crimes going on, but in his wish for something exciting a strange explosion happens at an apartment building. He attempts to help everyone escape, but a yokai holding the building together stays behind, and on top of that charges Raph with the task to take care of her child. Have fun taking care of a powerful psychic seven-year old, Raph.

What You're Made Of (One Shot) - Casey Jr. centric. Casey is getting frustrated with discovering weird things about his body like skin problems and peanut allergies. Draxum suggests he find out who his other parent is to get an idea of his genetic history, but when he finds out who it is, he's kind of ticked off that his family never told him. (this is a bio dad Raph fic for the record).

The Knight and the Dragon (Completed) - Jasonnie centric. Episodic chapters about Donnie and Jason learning to be friends and then becoming more than friends. Very sappy, a bit of angst, a lot of me making up lore about Jason.

Why Does Casey Call You Babygirl? (One Shot) - Raphael centric. Raph and Cassandra start dating and after Casey calls him a certain nickname by accident, Raph starts questioning his gender a whole lot. At least he's got the fam around to help.

Here's To You Holly Blue (Completed) - Grief fic, OC, Donnie and Leo focused. Takes place roughly 17 years later when Holly Blue's health takes a drastic drop and she won't be coming out of it.

Off Colors AU (Separated AU)

Off Colors: Contrasts (Completed) - Covers season 1. Leonardo's spent most of his life believing he's an only child because his little brother was kidnapped when they were only toddlers. But a rescue mission to the Hidden City with his best friend April results in him finding out he actually has three siblings. And in the span of a couple of weeks he finds out all of them are alive and, unfortunately, working for bad guys. He's going to try everything he can to stop them and convince them to come home, but it may be a fools errand.

Off Colors: Analogous (in progress) - Covers season 2. Leonardo now has his siblings living in his home, but it's more of a nightmare than a dream come true since he only gets along with one of them. Still, maybe with time they can all start working things out, and the sooner the better since there's still a threat on the horizon.

Other Chaptered Fics

An Alien Invasion Happened but That's Not Really What This is About (Completed) - Long ass title. Jason-centric. Hi I wrote a novella sized fic about what happens to this kid during and after the events of the movie. Watch him attempt badly to cope with trauma while also fixing his relationship with his very queer dad who loves him a lot.

Artificial Phoenix (Completed) – Lou Jitsu died in the arena but then Big Mama said no no no! So Draxum brings him back to life while mutating four turtles so Lou Jitsu said NO NO NO! And he took them and ran. Alternate take on the events of the show, where Splinter is undead and unmutated, and unfortunately does not keep his soul in his body the entire time, leaving his sons grieving and desperate to get him back.

The Devil That You Know (in progress) - Cassandra centric. With some Frida and Raph as well. Casey decides to take charge in keeping the city safe while the Hamatos try to recover from the kraang invasion, and in doing so she discovers a new plot by the Foot Clan. But after accidentally getting caught by them, they try to force her to carry around a powerful spirit that could lead them to a granted wish. Cassandra's best option to stop them, and stop anyone else from getting hold of this wish, is to make a deal with this being and try to find the other two. She tries to do it on her own, but Raph isn't about to let that slide.

Taken and Lifted Above (in progress) - Focused on Junior, future Leonardo and future Donatello. Leonardo planned to remain in his present and perish with his little brother while they sent Junior to the past, but suddenly Michelangelo sends them both through the portal. Now waking up in the past two days before the key was stolen, they think they might have the best chance to stop the apocalypse. But in the process of stealing the key from the museum, they run into someone Leonardo swore was gone for good. Is it really for the best? Or is a timeline harder to correct than he originally thought. (PLEASE MIND THE CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS FIC)

I Don't Want to Fall Any Farther (Completed) - Leo-centric, aroace leo. Leonardo ends up drinking a love potion that was never intended for him, and it has him trying to go after Sunita despite how much he doesn't want to do that. He thankfully has some help in trying to get the potion out of his system, but with the symptoms getting worse and worse he wonders if he might just lose himself to it. (Please mind the content warnings!)

Jasonnie things

Not Part of the Plan (One Shot) – Donnie centric. Despite knowing time travel exists, Donnie is still surprised to find his future self in his lab. But his excitement at the possibilities is swiftly crushed as his future self has an easy time embarrassing him. He hopes he can at least gather some useful information in the process, but he slowly begins to wonder if he even wants answers to all these questions.

You Have to Let Him Go (One Shot) – Donnie centric also sad as hell. I literally just wanted to write about how Donnie's husband hecking dies. Read this if you want to be miserable. (or if you hate Jase I guess ??? alskdjf man got char grilled (I have to make jokes to keep myself from being upset shh))

I'll Put the Knife in Your Hand (Completed) – Well, now that Donnie heard about his possible future husband, he's determined to at least get to know the guy. Unfortunately his family is far more cautious about this than he seems to be. AKA Four times Donnie's family believes Jase is planning to stab him in the back, and the one time he actually does.

ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (One Shot) - Donnie is messing around with his mind machine again, and in the process ends up erasing part of his memory. Specifically the memories about Jase, and Jase is barely handling this well. Good thing Donnie's brothers who totally and absolutely are on good terms with Jase are there to help. Maybe.

Dual Dragons (One Shot) - Collab fic with @there-wolf ! A fic in which our versions of Jason end up encountering each other and even switching universes temporarily, giving them a window into how their life could be different (for better or worse).

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

Apologies for the watermark, I want to make a better signature/watermark eventually but I won't always put it so prominently in the piece, but since I want to sell these as key chains (and maybe stickers?) it felt prudent in this case.

So the DJ pic will be familiar to some of you (it's the second pic of DJ I ever drew and what made me fall in love with him, odd as that is) and the Music Man and MXES pics are something I've been working on for a couple months, just going back every few weeks and tweaking and polishing.

I did print a couple of the DJ keychains back in December but this one is slightly tweaked (hat and earphone outline is lighter so hopefully it shows up better than the first prints did).

Still need to figure out shipping and the logistics of running an etsy store but might at least start the printing process this weekend. :3