#i'd prefer it be longer than a minute but i'll take what i can get at this point

[n30nwrites]

Fetch (Shifter! Tf141 x Male! Reader)

Chapter 4 of Good Doggy

Masterlist

Tw - Drunk Assholes (inspired by real stories from me :)), Slight blood warning, Language (its a COD fanfic??), OKAY SO LIKE I GUESS SLIGHT SUGGESTIVE STUFF?? I WANTED TO MAKE IT LONGER. A SMALL SCENE OF NSFW BUT NOTHING TOO DEEP BUT STILL PUTTING A WARNING, ITS IN BETWEEN THE NSFW GRAPHICS. Gaz has a praise kink.

Beta Reader/Editor - @letmelickyoureyeballs

Updated: 3/5/2024

The bar is filled. It’s a Friday night, of course it is but you hate it. You don’t like dealing with assholes. Not after the conversation with Maya.

“I cannot serve you anymore. If you don’t decide to leave I will call the cops.” The man in front of you shouts profanity after profanity, angered by the law. Humans were stupid that way. “Here’s a water.” You slam it down, annoyed.

Idiots. Drunken idiots.

Yeah by Usher starts playing. The club you worked at was loud, you have ear plugs in just so you wouldn’t be overstimulated by everything, but you could still hear enough.

“Why do you have a mask on?” He's irritated already which means that this conversation will not end well. You usually strive to give your coworkers the assholes, not caring that he'll have to deal with it. 

"It's to stay safe, I don't want to get sick-"

The man cuts you off and you debate on spitting in his drink, "That's not gonna keep you safe, the only way to stay safe is to build your immune system." He keeps yelling, and some spit leaves his mouth. You place down the menu in front of him as he keeps yelling, "That's the only way to stay safe, not a stupid mask!" 

You walk away, going to your coworker and telling him to get his order cause if you do you'll be fired. You instead went over to the list of music that was going to play and put on a favorite song of yours, not caring for some disgruntled noise from other patrons as you bobbed your head to the beat, distracting yourself from the day you had.

"Ye lik' this song mo gaol?" It's the familiar accent and the way the hairs on your arms stand makes you more irritated. It was roughly 1 a.m. and most people would be tired. You'd reckon it would start slowly down in 20 minutes, which meant you could get some work done.

You turned to face Soap.

"I'd hope so, I chose it." You tell him as you get closer to him. "You still stalking me?"

"Ah'ahmnot a stalker, juist wanted a drink." He smiles boyishly, as if he wasn't Sergeant John ``Soap" MacTavish with more confirmed kills than unconfirmed.

"At the bar I work at?"

"Juist a coincidence"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't lie to me." You told him while you mixed a drink. "You obviously have something for me."

"A'm in loue wi' ye"

"Not possible." You tell him, interrupting his "confession". You set the drink down in front of him. "$13" You tell him the price.

"I didnae orda a drink?" He looked cheeky, and you wished some part of you didn't find him attractive. But he looks up at you and you can't help but imagine other scenarios, particularly some where you're both naked.

"Well you can either pay for the drink and drink it, or pay for the drink and I'll drink it and talk with you some more." Soap immediately puts down two 20s.

"Th' rest can go to mah bartender." You slip the extra cash into your pocket, going to your POS system and breaking out for your thirty minute break that was required. You grabbed the drink on the counter and left your work area, Soap following behind like a puppy. You found a booth in the corner most people avoided. Sitting down at what could fit five others at most. Your mind goes back to Maya, who’s probably taking care of Icarus, your dog, and Marigold, her familiar. Maya worked as well, but it was an in-house job where she dealt with customers in need of assistance.

"You hurt our feelin`s earlier," He says first as you take a sip of the drink you made. "Hae we dane something tae offend ye?"

"Don't want to get your hopes up." You tell him, "I'm not one for soulmates."

"So ye know?"

"Of course I do. You reek of wolf." He starts to sniff himself and you want to laugh at how ridiculous it looks. "You wouldn't be able to smell it. And it's not a bad smell, just obnoxious cause there's four of you."

"So ye aren't human." 

"Nope, never was."

"What are ye?" You never felt shame in what you were. Didn't feel shame in general, it took Maya for you to start walking around in clothes. 

But you didn't want to tell him. 

"None of your business."

Gaz knows that Price is going to talk about the bloodshed in the morning. He knows that Price already knows but doesn't care to stop it tonight. Price is just too drunk, Ghost doesn’t care, and Soap is who knows where. It wasn’t like he killed humans tonight, just some animals that were definitely going to get the town's attention (He might’ve killed a bear) but not the hunters.

He's decorated in blood and he loves it. It soothes some messed-up part of him. His teeth still have specks of flesh in it, that he licks clean

He smells you. Heavenly you. You who smells like some plant burning. He didn't understand it, but he loved it.

You're next to Soap, and Soap has the biggest grin as you walk together. 

Though you probably don't see it as together. You probably see it as him stalking you, but you don't seem to have your usual air of distaste. You have sunglasses on, something he hates cause he can't stare at them. Your mask is black, and you also have a hood on. You look perfect, he just wishes you were in his bedroom.

Preferably naked and-

Nope.

He kind of hates it at the same time though. Soap getting so close to you, still determined to find a way to be with you. Soap didn't lose hope, not like Gaz did. But he'd be damned if he didn't do something. He lets out a growl, standing menacingly as he runs forward, towards both of you, knocking Soap down as he growls at him, his teeth snapping. If Gaz doesn't get to be happy, Soap shouldn't either.

He just wasn't expecting your reaction.

"Get off him." He followed your command, staring up at you and following your eyes when you bent down to be eye level with him. "God you are so..."

"Cute." Your voice gets higher as you gently rub behind his ears, the blood not bothering you at all. Gaz almost forgets how you looked at him earlier, your words that cut him melted away and he just thinks he has a chance.

You loved dogs, who wouldn't? Even if that dog was actually a grown (hot) man. 

"Look who's such a pretty boy." You kept rubbing his head as Soap just stared in shock. "Such a handsome boy, who did you eat?" You coo at Gaz, who leans into your touch and praise, enjoying everything about this moment. Gaz has to take a moment to remember himself, that the praise you give him is nothing.

But he can't help but imagine scenarios in a different setting.

NSFW Start

It's such a simple setting. In his room, the lights are low. He's flushed, shirtless and on the floor, while you sit above him.

"Can't you be a good boy for me?" You lick your lip before biting it, you stare at him, your eyes actually showing, looking at him with lust and love. A perfect combination, and your lips, god, you were perfect for him. "Come on, you know you want to." You lower your shorts and Gaz gulps, he stares at your cock, mesmerized.

"You're hungry for it, aren't you whore?"

NSFW End

"Arr ye fecken' kidding me?" Soap says, breaking the peaceful moment, and Gaz's daydream. "A' it took wis a wolf fur ye to lik' us?" 

"I still don't like you all, but dogs are always a great company." You keep petting him, Gaz's eyes closing slightly, and Soap sits up. 

"Ah can do that toh." His accent gets thicker as he rushes to grab your hand, forcing it away from Gaz and instead putting it in his hair. Which was mostly shaved on the sides.

"You aren't a cute puppy right now." You yank your hand away.

"He's fooken' bloody!"

Gaz licks your face, and you slightly smile.

----

NEXT

Listen, hating people is one thing but I could never hate a dog, let alone a wolf. Reader still doesn't feel comfortable around the boys, but he does like the dogs.

[gothamite-rambler]

Harley Quinn continues her mission to get Jason Todd to not hate her, but she can't keep following him, she needs to talk to those close to him. (if I didn't use their hero names here and their actual names, my bad).

Orphan (Cass) and Spoiler (Stephanie) take a break from patrolling and chat about cartoon characters on top of q building.

Orphan: My favorite character would be Patrick.

Spoiler: No way! He's so annoying. I'm a SpongeBob girl.

Orphan: Patrick is lovably dumb, SpongeBob is too loud.

Spoiler: So is Patrick.

Orphan: Not all the time.

Harley: I've always preferred Sandy!

Orphan and Spoiler scream. Spoiler jumps into Orphan's arms.

Harley, groaning: Jacy I understand, why are you screamin? I jumped into the conversation so well and you're screamin? You're masters of stealth!

Spoiler: Thank you, but-

Orphan drops Spoiler.

Spoiler: Ow!

Spoiler stands to her feet.

Spoiler: You sneaking up on me always unnerves me.

Orphan: I could hear your footsteps when you made it to the roof, Spoiler's screaming scared me. SpongeBob fan indeed.

Spoiler: Stand by what I said. Back to Harley, hey it's good to see you again, minus the screaming. Sorry.

Harley: You're fine, I should be used to it by now. Spoiler for you and the dark suited one, Orphan?

Orphan: Correct, it's nice to see you as well. You came here for a purpose. Your body language suggests you’re stressed, what is it that bothers you?

Harley: Geez Batman wasn't kidding about your body reading skills. You got me, I need some help with Jason. He hates me.

Spoiler: He kind of has a disdain for everyone. Except for Nightwing ... Signal... and Orphan.

Orphan nods.

Spoiler: Wait, you know his real name?

Orphan: She was there when he died, she remembers his real name from that. She calls him Jacey as an endearing nickname.

Harley, resting her bat behind on her shoulders: Yup, which he hates. I save the kid when he's tied up in a building, we fought Snowflame and I gave him a puffy cat sticka, but he hates my guts. I get it, but we're trauma siblings! We have a special bond that can only be fixed with fighting other baddies.

Spoiler gasps.

Spoiler: Trauma siblings! That's me and Orphan! That doesn't work on him?

Harley: No!

Harley plants her bat on the ground, groaning.

Harley: I offered my therapy services, too.

Spoiler, chuckling: Yeah, but you're not an actual therapist, you-

Harley, aiming her bat at Spoiler's nose: If you say I slept with a professor to pass college, I'll bop you in the arm. I am intelligent! Wouldn't have gotten with Ivy if I was a ditz.

Spoiler, lowering the bat: Sorry, dude. To be honest, I got nothing to help you with. It took me two years to have Jason talk to me for longer than a minute.

Harley shoulders slump defeated and unsure what to do next.

Orphan taps her chin wondering what advice to give.

Orphan: It took a year and a half to befriend him, you're off to a good start with being nice to him. I suggest giving him a better peace offering. He likes books, get him a book.

Harley: A book? What's his genre fave? What's he like to read the most?

Spoiler: Mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction.

Orphan: No, it's sci-fi not fantasy. I'd recommend something akin to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, historical fiction he's been wanting to read Lady Macbeth and the Brigerton series, any book will work there. His detective book interests are random.

Spoiler, mystified: Sometimes I wonder how you know these things.

Orphan: Batman keeps a file on his interests so he can send him the best birthday gifts. He has one for all of us.

Spoiler: Is that why he bought those boxing gloves for my birthday last year?

Orphan nods.

Spoiler fist pumps happily.

Harley: That is sweet, nevah pegged Batsy as the sentimental type. This helps though. I got some shoppin' to do, thanks girls... Orphan mostly.

Spoiler: Hey, I suggested books first!

Harley: You got most of them wrong and no suggestions. She told me about Brigerton. She saved me time.

Orphan: No problem.

Harley waves bye, turning on her heel and rushing across rooftops with ease.

Spoiler: I like her. She's insane, but likable.

Orphan: Agreed. Now Squidward or Mr. Krabs?

Spoiler: Mr. Krabs, obviously.

Orphan: We've arrived at another impasse.

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

Harley Quinn leaves the stack of books she bought at a book store in Jason's car. She tossed a rock to get in since she never learned to pick a car lock.

Jason makes it to his car, sees the broken window glass on the front seat and sighs.

Jason: Oh that's real nice.

Jason wipes the glass off his seat while wearing his gloves then sits in the car. He sees the tote bag of books in his front passenger seat.

Jason: Why are there- Who breaks into a car and leaves a gift?

Jason notices the note.

Jason, reading the note: Jacey- Oh God- I bought as many books that I think you'll like and a couple that helped me when I needed help, but mostly a lot of Brigerton. I got the five new ones. I also found Lady Macbeth the collectors edition. I paid for them with my own money, don't worry, not stealing. I hope this shows I'm truly sorry for what happened to you.

Jason sighs.

Jason: I hate that this is actually a nice gift.

He grabs the top book and sees it's the latest Brigerton book.

Jason: Good damn it I didn't even know this one was out yet. It's a start.

[nekkomaa]

Warnings: Violence, inappropriate language, manipulation, toxic relationships.

Notes: The first chapter and maybe the second will be more focused on the protagonist's story, this is going to be a longer fanfic, I don't remember writing many chapters before, but I'll do my best. I warn you that English is not my first language.

I'd love to know if you'd prefer a protagonist with a name, or a “reader” protagonist

Portuguese version published on Wattpad

The noise of the rain is loud, every fat drop hits the roof, the ground, the window and it's as if you're struggling to break each one of them.

You hate rainy days, they're depressing and remind you of everything you'd like to forget.

The letter in your hand takes your breath away, your fingers tremble almost without the strength to hold the piece of paper in your hands, the air feels heavy, you breathe but the air doesn't reach your lungs. You didn't know what you were getting into until you were in the middle of it, the letter just shows you that once again.

The sound of the front door slamming is what breaks your trance, forcing you to leave the letter where it was and try to pull yourself together with the few seconds you had.

Footsteps approach the room, and everything in you screams for you to hide, your feet don't obey, the loud noise of the rain makes everything seem more macabre, and you soon find yourself facing him.

“Darling, I missed you…” Your husband drops his bag as soon as he sees you, heading in your direction. He moves confidently, like a predator who knows his prey will never escape. You stiffen and put a tense smile on your lips, the letter on the table next to you teases you, as if it could speak, trying to make you make the slip and look at it.

Your husband wraps you in a tight embrace, he holds the back of your neck tightly, you feel like an object in his hands. Without moving away you wrap your arms around him, a tense sigh leaves your lips as he speaks.

“I believe you collected the letters from the post office, didn't you?” He asks in a calm tone, his voice laced with a cloying sweetness that consumes you inside like poison and makes you sick to your stomach.

“The letters are on the table.” You reply quietly, in a tone devoid of pep. You know he noticed your strange behavior, but luckily he was in a good mood and didn't question you further.

“Great, what a good wife I have.” He turns away from you and leaves a kiss on your lips before heading towards the letters.

You watch him for a few minutes before covertly wiping your lips on your shirt sleeve. His body seems less tense now that he's a little further away.

“I'll get dinner ready, darling.” Forcing the words out, you wait for his confirmation, and as soon as you receive it, you almost run towards the kitchen.

The sound of the rain has died down, and soon the only noise you can concentrate on is the sound of the TV in the living room, and the sound of the knife tapping against the board. You try to keep your thoughts as far away as you can, but it becomes a little difficult when what you're holding is an object that could kill you.

The vegetables are placed in a bowl, you're still holding the knife, it feels heavy in your hands, one look at it and you can see the thing glowing. You watch it for long minutes, time seems to stand still until it breaks.

“What are you thinking?” The man behind you holds your waist, watching your movements from behind.

His hand grips the knife tighter, his knuckles white as you feel your whole body stiffen and become alert.

“Nothing, I was just about to call you.” You lie, your tongue hangs heavy in your dry mouth, fear consumes you as you feel him move one of his hands to your knife-holding hand.

“You don't lie to me, do you?” The voice is lower now and resonates in your ears.

“No… Of course not,” comes his reply, quicker than it should be. He again lets his slip, a laugh is all he gives you before walking away and towards the table.

You don't look in his direction.

Every time you pick up a knife, you find yourself thinking about what it would be like to plunge it into his neck, your husband's, the man whose name you weren't even sure was David. For all you know, he could have had other names. Watching the blood flow and his face turn white and pale.

You don't know how you'd feel about that. You don't even know if you'd like to know.

The next morning, all you hear are birds singing. You're grateful when you realize that David didn't sleep with you, he probably left as soon as he finished his shower.

As you sit up in bed, your chest tightens. The feeling that something was wrong has stayed with you ever since you read that letter. The handwriting only confirmed that it was something serious, the name Las Almas, emblazoned across the top, you knew it was something bad. You remember hearing David arguing on the phone about it.

When you were younger, you were too innocent not to realize who David was, he painted himself to you as a decent man, a guy who would give you the world. Only to lock you in a cage and treat you like a mere toy. Your mother, she would have done anything to help you if she had known who David was, but the poor lady never heard from you again, David made you cut ties with your family, you changed countries and never saw your parents again.

Cell phones were forbidden in the house, the TV only played specific channels, and the house was isolated, any communication you had was monitored, the maid who appeared from time to time never spoke to you, just a few words like good morning or a quick goodbye. The security guard who stood at the door exchanged few words with you too, he focused on being professional, answering your questions briefly and without many gaps for you to ask more.

You realized the situation was out of control too late, and now all you could do was look back at your past and blame your old self for being so blind.

You accepted that there was no chance of getting out a long time ago. And with that, all you had left to do was look after the house, waste time reading silly books that were scattered around the living room, and cook different things.

Your routine never changed.

That was until that afternoon. The afternoon when your whole life changed.

[bumblesimagines]

When Fire Meets Fate

Part 3

Request: Yes or No

these are much shorter than I’d like them to be but I’m trying to be strategic about pacing

~~~

Stepping into the nursery, his eyes immediately found his sister. Her fingers drummed against her swollen belly, head turned toward the open window as a light breeze came in. Alicent stared outside at the sky, lips pulled into a small frown and eyes heavy with longing. Hearing soft babbling, (Y/N) looked toward his nephew as a maid gently bounced him in her arms. Aegon, they'd named him. A true Targaryen with a head full of silver hair and pale skin. Just looking at him made (Y/N)'s stomach churn. Aegons' mere existence meant his sister was forever tied to her husband.

"My Lord!" The maid gasped and bowed her head upon noticing him, the other maids turning and following suit. Alicent turned her head and smiled, attempting to rise from the chair by herself but wobbling in the process. The maids quickly flocked to her side, helping her to her no doubt tired feet. (Y/N) grimaced as she took a few steps forward but Alicent smiled, albeit tiredly, and nodded toward her firstborn. 

"Would you like to hold him? I know you haven't since his birth." Alicent chuckled, one hand moving to rest at her back, supporting her stance. The maid stepped toward him and Aegon turned his head, pulling his chubby fingers out of his mouth and reaching toward his uncle with glee. (Y/N) looked down at his little hand for a moment and shook his head, turning back toward his sister. Aegon whined and (Y/N) ignored him.

"What did you need me for, Alicent?" Alicent frowned at his lack of affection for his nephew and sighed, stepping toward her son and stroking his head. 

"As you know, today is Aegon's second name day. I wish for you to join us for the Royal Hunt... and for you to perhaps convince Rhaenyra to come as well. I've noticed the two of you have gotten closer in the past years. It would please me considerably for all of us to spend time together as a family." Alicent explained.

"I've never cared for hunting, you know this. If that is all-"

"I am asking you as your sister, not as Queen Alicent, but as the girl who came out of the womb minutes after you. I have sensed us growing apart and I wish for our relationship to be repaired, (Y/N). I miss you." Alicent pleaded, reaching out to take his hands in hers, eyes watering in desperation. As much as the marriage had disappointed him, (Y/N) couldn't say no to his sister's tears. Not when she'd put her body through such pain to birth her son and would continue to do so until King Viserys could no longer impregnate her. Such had been the fate their father had coaxed her into.

Inhaling softly, he glanced at the chubby prince in the maids' arms and nodded. "I suppose some time away wouldn't hurt. I'll see what I can do about Rhaenyra, but I can't promise she'll listen." Alicent beamed and wobbled forward, barely able to wrap her arms around him. Stepping back, Alicent rubbed her belly and smiled.

"You know, I cannot wait to see your children, (Y/N)."

"I have no plans to marry or have children, Alicent." (Y/N) reminded her, eyeing Aegon as the maid sat down and set him on her lap. 

"You say that because of Father... But, I'm sure when you find a lady of your choosing, you'll be more than happy to have your own brood. I expect you'll have many sons, as they seem to run heavily in our family." Alicent smiled fondly, eyes twinkling at the thought of her brother having his own family. More excited than she seemed about her own growing family.

"If I were to have children, I'd prefer a girl." (Y/N) admitted and Alicents' brows raised. "I'd be able to give her Mothers' belongings... Perhaps she'd even get Mother's name." 

Alicent smiled sadly and hummed. "That'd be lovely... Mother would've loved to hear you say so." 

Leaning over to kiss her temple, (Y/N) rubbed her back before stepping back and leaving the nursery. Aegon's second name day brought him no joy but if he could at least make his sister feel more comfortable given the circumstances, he'd tolerate the festivities. But he knew his new friend wouldn't be as easy to convince. She'd been stone cold during the wedding, and even more so when Alicent showed signs of pregnancy the following year. King Viserys and Alicent had given her space, per Ottos' advice, and Rhaenyra had used that space to build a wall between them and her. 

Hearing a soft voice singing caught his attention and he stepped out into the Godswood, spotting Rhaenyra settling down on some pillows propped against the roots of the weirwood tree. She placed a large book on her lap and flipped it open, studying its contents whilst the minstrel strummed his instrument and sang a familiar song. Heading down the stairs and stepping onto the short grass, (Y/N) quietly approached him, raising his hand to stop the minstrel from standing up to greet him.

"No feast for you, I gather?" He called out with a grin. Rhaenyra snapped her head in his direction and a wide smile broke out on her face.

"I'm afraid I've already eaten." She responded, watching him move closer. "I take it you've done the same?"

"Perhaps." (Y/N) responded and lightly shrugged, leaning down to pull a pillow out from underneath her and plopping it on the spot beside her. He settled on it and exhaled, tilting his head toward the sky. The dark red leaves of the tree brushed against each other as the branches rustled with the gentle breeze. Feeling something land on his lap, he looked down.

"I know your love for histories so, I got you some books," Rhaenyra explained, leaning over to bump her shoulder against his. Humming, (Y/N) looked over the leather covers. Rhaenyra eyed his reaction for a moment, chest puffing out in pride before she reached over to the tray beside her, picking up what appeared to be a journal, and offering it to him. (Y/N) glanced between the journal and her, brows furrowing in question as he took it from her pale hands.

Rhaenyra cleared her throat. "I know you've been wanting to learn High Valyrian for some time now." Opening the journal, (Y/N) chuckled, looking over the words and their meanings. Pages upon pages in Rhaenyras' familiar handwriting. The princess had taken time out just to write him a little book and it warmed his heart. 

"Thank you, Princess." 

"It was nothing." Rhaenyra dismissed with a shake of her head and looked back down at her book with the smallest of smiles. (Y/N) continued to flip through the pages until he reached the last page and ran his thumb over the single sentence written in the middle signed by Rhaenyra.

Avy jorrāelan, (Y/N).

"I'll have to translate this myself, I assume?" (Y/N) turned his head to look at her. Rhaenyra glanced at the page and grinned, nodding as the tips of her ears turned a light red. (Y/N) flipped back to the first page and began reading, listening to the minstrel sing. 

Reading with Rhaenyra had turned into a common practice during long, dull days. When the septas gave her things to read and memorize, she'd find her way to (Y/N) and settle down with him, sometimes reading aloud or listening to him read. Sometimes they'd find their own books and sit in each others' presence. The silence never grew awkward or uncomfortable, and most knew to leave them be. Though, Rhaenyra occasionally studied other things. She'd watch (Y/N)s' concentrated face, brows sometimes raising or falling when he read something particularly surprising or confusing. The corners of his lips would pull into the smallest of smirks when he found the contents of his books amusing. Rhaenyra found it pleasing when he'd rest his temple against his fist, eyes fluttering close every few minutes until his breathing slowed and his eyes remained closed. 

Looking away from her book and back at the Hightower, she smiled. She'd spent so many years wondering what it'd take to get (Y/N) to trust her, to like her. Now, he actively sought out her company without being asked to. Her smile fell as her gaze shifted to the figure dressed in red watching them. Alicent slowly made her way toward them, her pregnant state making it harder for her to walk without growing exhausted. A state Rhaenyra prayed she never found herself in.

Upon seeing their queen, the minstrel scrambled to his feet and bowed. "Your Grace," He called out in greeting and Alicent smiled warmly in return.

"Did I say to stop?" Rhaenyra asked, returning to her book as (Y/N) turned his head to look at his sister. Clicking her tongue, she sighed. "From the beginning." She ordered and after a moment of hesitance, the minstrel lowered himself onto the ground and began singing once more.

Swallowing, Alicents' gaze flickered toward her brother before she called out to the princess. "Rhaenyra?"

"Yes, My Queen?"

"Your presence is wanted in the outer courtyard. The royal hunt readies to depart." Alicent explained, rubbing the side of her belly as she watched her former friend. 

"I've decided to remain here and read with (Y/N) instead," Rhaenyra replied, and (Y/N) sighed, closing the journal and collecting the other two books Rhaenyra had gifted him. Rising from his spot, Rhaenyra peered up at him curiously, brows furrowing.

"You may go, Samwell." Alicent dismissed the minstrel and he rose from his spot, reading to depart.

"You are to stay by order of the Princess," Rhaenyra ordered, though her eyes remained trained on (Y/N), almost as if ordering him as well. The minstrel glanced between Rhaenyra and Alicent, nervously shuffling his feet as he debated whose orders to follow and whose to disobey. Looking at the poor conflicted man, (Y/N) nodded.

"Go, Samwell." The minstrel swallowed, clutching his instrument close to his chest and glancing at Rhaenyra one last time. He bowed and cleared his throat, quickly leaving the weirwood tree to avoid further conflict between the two girls. Rhaenyra huffed in annoyance, looking back down at her book. Alicent gave her brother a thankful look and stepped closer to the tree.

"The King wishes for you to join us." 

"The King has much to celebrate. He does not need me."

"He wants for all of us to be together. And perhaps... the hunt could be... fun." Alicent attempted, fingers curling atop her belly. Rhaenyra avoided her gaze and clenched her jaw, the words of her former friend barely coaxing her into considering it. Licking his lips, (Y/N) reached down and grazed his fingers along the top of Rhaenyras' head. 

"I'll be going as well, Rhaenyra. You might enjoy watching the men make a fool of themselves to impress your father." (Y/N) murmured and Rhaenyra looked up at him and sighed, fingers tightening around the edge of her book. 

"Is it the King's command?" She questioned.

"Yes, but-" 

"Then at once, Your Grace." Slamming the book shut, she took (Y/N)s' offered hand and pulled herself up, tossing the book onto the pillows below. (Y/N) met her irritated gaze and quirked a brow, getting a soft huff in return. Rhaenyra released his hand and stepped over the roots, ignoring Alicent.

"But it needn't be. None of it needs to be this way in truth, Rhaenyra!" Alicent pointed out, face falling when Rhaenyra continued walking without glancing her way. She exhaled and pressed her lips together, watching Rhaenyra disappear down a hall. She shook her head, gazing down at her belly.

"She'll never forgive me." She whispered.

"There's still a chance she will, Alicent. But it is ultimately up to her. It cannot be forced." (Y/N) stepped toward his sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him as they walked back inside, making their way to the outer courtyard where carriages awaited them. Alicent squeezed (Y/N)s arm before she climbed inside the royal carriage after Viserys'. Rhaenyra casted a glance toward him and begrudgingly entered the carriage as well.

Sighing, (Y/N) turned toward his father and followed him to their carriage, entering and sitting across from him. Neither (Y/N) nor Otto attempted to break the silence as the carriage began moving, taking them through the streets of Kings Landing and beyond its walls. The two men glanced at each other every so often but otherwise kept to themselves until Otto cleared his throat, hands folding in his lap.

"I've looked over some ladies I'd like you to meet, (Y/N)." He began. "Ladies from good families that already reside here in court. If you could make time to-"

"I'd rather not." (Y/N) muttered, hand falling down to the cushioned seat in an attempt to steady himself as the carriage traversed on a bumpy road. 

"A marriage to a powerful family-"

"You already got that with Alicent, did you not?"

"What will come of you, (Y/N)? You refuse to engage with the other men your age, you refuse to marry, you've decided against knighthood. Do you wish to drink and fuck your youthful years away? It'll only be so long before one of the maids appears with a babe in hand. Bastards you'll saddle this family with. Alicent has done something for this family whilst you go against my every wish. I advised you to pursue Princess Rhaenyra, to comfort her during her time of mourning and secure a place by her side." Otto ranted, waving his hands around as he spoke.

"You wished for me to seduce Rhaenyra. You wanted me to taint her so we'd be forced to marry when I'd likely be killed by King Viserys himself for daring to touch his daughter in such a manner!"

"You're smart, (Y/N). You wouldn't have tainted her." Otto clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You're a Hightower, you're my very flesh and blood. I would never do anything to put you in harm's way. Heavens, if I did your mother would rise from her grave."

(Y/N) scoffed, fingers digging into the bright red cushion. "You've already brought harm upon Alicent. All she'll be doing these following years is have child after child. She'll be destroying herself, her body, her well-being...  Is that what Mother would've wanted? For you to use her daughter? When you retire you should open a brothel, you've proven you got what it takes to run one."

"If you had been more cooperative then perhaps you'd be married to Princess Rhaenyra by now and Alicent could be courted by a man of her liking. Your sister made sacrifices you were too stubborn to make. Your mother would be sorely disappointed at how you failed to protect your own sister!" Otto sneered, jabbing a finger in his direction. The carriage fell silent afterward, neither party daring to utter another word, for it would surely evoke another argument. (Y/N) crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, turning his head away from Otto. 

Hearing the sound of people shouting outside, (Y/N) felt the carriage slow down and relief flooded his veins. Otto adjusted his clothes and sighed, lifting his dark gaze to look at his son. "I did not mean to raise my voice-"

"I don't wish to speak of this for the rest of the day, Father." (Y/N) interrupted, scooting closer to the door and standing once it opened. Upon stepping out, he was greeted by cheering faces, though they mainly cheered and clapped for King Viserys as he stepped out of his carriage and greeted his people. Otto slapped his hand over (Y/N)s shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze before he walked toward the tent. (Y/N) watched him go, jaw clenching hard enough for his teeth to hurt. His eyes scanned the crowd until he spotted horses, feet taking him toward them. He easily mounted one, tugging on the reins and encouraging the horse forward toward the treeline. 

"(Y/N)-"

"I'd like some time alone, Uncle." (Y/N) clicked his tongue and the horse quickened its pace into a jog. (Y/N) kept going until the chatter had been replaced by singing birds. Until he felt the weight of his surname lifted off his shoulders. Until he could finally breathe without feeling suffocated. The sounds of the forest offered him peace and signaled the lack of humans, something (Y/N) desperately needed to shake off the last of his anger. He slowed his horse down to a slower pace and continued his trek through the forest, coming across a slow-moving river. His fingers released the reins, falling onto the saddle and tracing the wrinkles in the leather. 

The Kingswood had always been a beautiful place, though (Y/N) rarely visited for royal hunts. While his father reminded that the food they ate had to come from somewhere, (Y/N) had never been keen on listening to the squeals and cries of a panicked animal or watching the blood soak the earth and the clothes of everyone who got near it. He'd rather see the animal once it'd been cooked and served up. But, King Viserys enjoyed hunting, even if he rarely had a part in the actual tracking and capturing, and wherever he went, the Hand followed. And (Y/N) had the pleasure of being the son of the Hand.

"Princess! Slow down!" Ser Cristons' familiar voice echoed through the forest along with the sound of horses galloping. 

"Peace is so fleeting." (Y/N) sighed, reaching over to rub the side of his horses' neck as it moved around anxiously in response to the sudden commotion. It didn't take long for him to spot a white horse with a silver-haired rider being followed by a knight on a dark horse. Rhaenyra slowed her horse down, forcing Ser Criston to move off to the side to avoid a collision. His horse breezed past (Y/N), nearly barreling into the murky water. 

"My father wishes to sell me off to Jason Lannister!" Rhaenyra exclaimed, pulling on the reins once she was close to (Y/N), eyes flickering toward the panting knight. 

"Out of all men..." (Y/N) crinkled his nose. He'd had the displeasure of meeting said Lannister. A woefully arrogant man who only seemed capable of speaking about himself. 

"Tell me, (Y/N)," Rhaenyra breathed, fingers pushing strands of straight hair away from her face. "Would you build a dragonpit for me?"

"He offered that? As if he wouldn't piss himself upon seeing a dragon up close." His words brought a smile to Rhaenyras' face, replacing the bitter look she had on previously. 

"May I ask what you were doing out here alone, M'Lord?" Ser Criston asked, slipping off his helmet and running his fingers through his long hair. 

"Enjoying some peace and quiet. But, it seems the royal family has a knack for finding Hightowers." (Y/N) grinned teasingly and Rhaenyra rolled her eyes, skin turning a light shade of red as she looked away from him.

"Mere coincidence."

"Yes, I'm sure." (Y/N) chuckled. "Regardless, I should head back before I anger my beloved family. I'll see the both of you back in camp."

                    ✶        ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶       ✶

The Royal Hunt had proven more interesting than the previous years; the white stag had eluded the hunters and Rhaenyra had returned to camp the following hour drenched in boar blood. The latter had been the more interesting part, of course. But the amusement of it all had vanished as soon as they left Kingswood and (Y/N) was forced back into a carriage with his father. This time, however, they both bit their tongues and enjoyed the silence for the next hour or so until they reached King's Landing and went their separate ways, much to Alicents' dismay. 

Sliding his rings off his fingers, he glanced in the mirror as the doors to his bedroom opened. Rhaenyra entered, waiting for the doors to close before sighing and taking a seat by the fireplace. (Y/N) hummed, looking at the princess over his shoulder.

"Did you not enjoy being covered in blood, Princess?"

"Hilarious." Rhaenyra scoffed softly. "But, I came here for something else, (Y/N)."

"What is it?" (Y/N) ran his finger over the journal she'd given him before turning around and leaning back against the desk. He nodded for her to continue, noting her fidgeting. Rhaenyra toyed with her own rings, teeth gently digging into the flesh of her bottom lip. 

"What if... What if we were to marry?"

"Why would we?"

Rhaenyra blinked, lifting her gaze to look at him. "I believe it'd help us both. Neither of us wishes to be pushed into the duty of marriage. We enjoy each other's company and while our marriage could be... loveless... Most marriages in the realm are. I know our fathers have spoken about it, even our mothers before their passings." 

Pushing himself away from the desk, (Y/N) approached her. "You are heir to the throne, Rhaenyra. A throne I've resented for years... I care for you, you and I know that well enough. But I would not be happy as a king consort, not if it means tying myself to that throne." He spoke softly, standing in front of her and lifting one hand to cup her cheek. Rhaenyra leaned into his touch.

"Many men would die for the opportunity-"

"And those very men have sent letter after letter to your father in hopes of gaining an audience and winning your hand in marriage. If you had been a Dornish princess or a lady born to another family, I would've accepted this proposal. But I am not my sister. I will not sacrifice my happiness and wishes for the sake of another. I am certain you'll find a husband to keep you company, or a lover to warm your bed when your husband does not. I'll be by your side. As a friend and ally."

[katzchai]

private session for free // seo changbin x reader

pairing: seo changbin x reader contains: fluff, personal trainer seo changbin, date invitation

"okay, maybe it's not that bad." i said to myself while looking at my reflection in the glass doors.

i've moved to a new city a month ago and i've finally built up the courage to get out of the apartment after work and try a new gym. back in my hometown, i'd visit the gym once a week for the fitness class and i loved it. perfect amount of a workout and fun.

if someone would try to call me a gym rat i'd laugh in their face. do i like going to the gym? like the actual gym? hell no. i always hated the PE classes at school and i still remember all the times when the coach would scream at us because we couldn't hit the ball right or run for longer than 5 minutes without a break. it wasn't until the coach got sick in the middle of the last semester and we got a new PE teacher that i started to enjoy something gym-related.

our new teacher introduced us to fitness and she would hold one class a week. that was the only time i had fun. after graduating and starting a job i decided to try fitness in my free time and it became a part of my friday. everyone would go to clubs on fridays but me? i'd get my bag and go straight to my favourite gym in the city.

now after moving for a new job, i had to find a gym in the city that's not only close to me but also feels good - the right vibes have to be there - otherwise it's not fun at all. i did my research on maps to see where the closest gym is and i found one 5 minutes away from my apartment so after work i went home, grabbed my bag and i came here.

now, as i'm standing in front of the doors i'm thinking if i'm at the right location. everything inside looks so - black and white. no character to the place and i'm rethinking my decision to come here. but hey, momma didn't raise a quitter.

as i'm opening the doors and stepping into the gym i hear lots of very upbeat music. "okay, i can still turn around and go back home." and as i'm about to turn around a lady behind the desk pops up. 

"hey! welcome to hitshOt, the only gym in the city where nobody judges you. is it your first time here?"

"yes, hello. i was thinking about signing up for the gym membership."

"awesome!" the girl behind the desk has a name tag and while i'm coming up to the desk i read that her name is dabin. "we don't offer any free trials but we offer the best equipment and the best personal trainers so i'm sure you'll find something for yourself here."

"oh actually, do you offer any fitness classes? i'm not interested in the typical "macho" stuff. i prefer something more... fun."

"i'm so sorry but we don't. we're in the process of firing more staff and maybe one day. but hey, you can go in and take a look around and if you decide to stay you can pay me once you'll be going out." am i disappointed? yes. this is the closest gym to me and the ratings were high but if there's no fitness this is not a place for me.

"well... i'm sure the gym is amazing but no thank you. i'm not interested. to be honest with you Dabin i hate working out in a gym because it seems like everyone is waiting for you to fail. i'll keep an eye on your website to see if there are any fitness classes in the future though."

as i'm picking my bag from the floor i can hear a strong voice behind me. "who said that the gym is only for the typical "macho" stuff? i'm pretty sure you can do anything in there and have fun." i turn around and see a very muscular guy who is definitely at the gym almost 24/7 - i mean who has arms like that and doesn't go to the gym? "do you think that maybe you could give the gym a chance with me?"

"and who are you?"

"changbin. i'm a personal trainer here and before you say anything - i'm willing to get you on a private session with me for free. i've got time since the person who was scheduled didn't show up and i can show you around and maybe you'll decide to stay with us."

"and what if i don't want to try out the gym with you?"

"i can take you out for a coffee and convince you that working out can be just as fun as fitness."

shocked i start to wonder why this guy is so keen on getting some one-on-one time with me. i won't lie he is handsome and i'm all for the meet-cutes but something seems fishy.

"i can see you haven't decided yet, so i'll be in the cafe next door," he says and walks up to me. when he stands next to me he whispers "the coffee and the private session will be on me, beautiful. no matter what time."

and what do i do? i say bye to dabin and walk out of the gym and head to the cafe. you never say no to a free coffee. and a private session with a "macho" like that.

[sageryuri]

I’LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, KIM SEONWOO.

pairing kim seonwoo + reader.

genre fluff.

summary you’re feeling extremely under the weather, and you’re also the only person sunoo can deal with for longer than an hour.

word count 0.6k

warnings apart from some sickness, all good

an i don’t usually read anything for sunoo but he’s such a sweet boy and deserves so much more appreciation than he gets :(

You're sure your body is beginning to overheat at this point. All day, your temperature has been through the roof and you can barely bring yourself to lift your body from your bed.

Dramatically, you had been moving positions every five minutes; lying on your back, sprawling out, curled up into a ball — but none of them were able to subdue the pain that you were feeling.

When you hear a knock on your door, you sigh and wrap yourself deeper into the duvet. Today was not the day for visitors and you had no planned arrivals, so you imagined it was nothing important. The door goes again, though you continue to ignore it due to how weak you were feeling, the aches in your body would only worsen if you decided to stand up.

Then, your phone rings.

"Hello..." Your voice cracks through the phone since you had hardly said a word all day, causing you to cringe at yourself. You hadn't even looked at the called ID, so you had hoped it was someone you were close with.

"Why do you never answer your door? I've been waiting for almost five minutes! Are you okay?" Sunoo's voice makes you feel the slightest bit better immediately, even though he's already judging you through the phone.

"I'm sick. Like- really, really sick. I can barely move, sorry for not coming to the door." You let out a small, rough cough, "You have a key, why didn't you just open the door?"

"I left it at the dorms by accident because Jay and Sunghoon were being idiots. I thought I'd come here since I prefer your company over theirs. You should have told me you were sick, I would have brought some medicine and soup." His voice becomes more concerned after learning about your illness.

You shake your head in response despite the face he was unable to see you.

"I don't want you to get sick, Sun. I would have rather you stayed at the dorms and deal with their shit instead." You reply, standing up from your bed with great persistence as you walk towards your mirror.

Sunoo doesn't care what you look like because he'll love you all the same even if you look a mess. Though, you do this for your own dignity, brushing your hair and teeth before you let him in your home.

"I'd much rather be sick with you than spend another minute with them when they've had too much sugar. Now, let me in. I'll look after you until you're feeling better." The softness in his speaking when he diverts the conversation to your sickness makes your heart swell happily.

When you open the door, he pouts at the sight of you. He enters your home, grabbing your hand and pulls you back into your bedroom and makes you get back into your bed. Sunoo doesn't say much, he leaves you in your room and disappears for at least half an hour.

Too tired to check on him, you fall into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Sunoo is cooking up a storm in your kitchen. He asks Jay for help on a phone call, receiving specific instructions in order to provide the best medicinal soup that was ever made, just for you.

Due to your stuffy nose, you can barely smell so you're still fast asleep when he comes up to your room holding a bowl of freshly made soup. He places it slowly onto the desk table and sits next to you on your bed, hands threading through the hair on your scalp.

He watches the way your chest rises, the slight pout on your pretty lips, and decides he wouldn’t mind letting you sleep for a little while longer.

[psyphigirl]

Crunch.

CW: Immobility, Slob, Snuff

I've never thought of a non feedism releated death, so this might be a step too far for many people, but I still wanted to explore it

"Come on, just a little more. You've almost finished. Almost there. Aaaaand we're done. Good girl! You ate so much! Jeez you look pretty swollen, no wonder. Let me just rub your belly ..."

She moved to sit at the base of my belly, preparing herself to knead the hundreds of pounds of heavy dough hanging off the front of my torso. But before she started she frowned and peered over my belly and chest.

"Jesus. You fucking reek. Like seriously. Did you piss yourself without telling me again? I know you can't help but sweat like a pig all day, but christ."

I dreaded her next words

"You need a bath"

Fuck. I hate baths. I much prefer being gross and uncatered to. But if being clean keeps her happy then I'm fine with it. She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a bucket, sponge, a pair of gloves, and a length of fabric. She dropped the bucket on the floor, and the sponge into that. She took the fabric, and arduously inched it under my belly.

When it was time for my baths the fabric would be tied to a hook on the ceiling above me and hoisted up so she could clean in that area. It's been a while since I've been able to see over my chest, but something was wrong this time; she was taking way longer than I'd thought,

"Uh. Babe? We've a wee problem here. You're ... you're belly's too big for the fabric."

By now I've been conditioned to get excited at the words "Too big", but this was a little scary. What now? No more baths?

"I have a solution. You aren't going to like it"

She walked around me and took one of my hands in hers, and guided it under a roll, then did the same for my other hand. I don't like where this is going at all,

"Now, if you can, lift."

I sincerly didn't want to. I didn't even know if I could. But I did as I was told.

"That's it! Oh very good. Ok, now ... hold it like that and I'll clean under here. I'll be as quick as I can but ... tell me if you need a break, ok?"

I barely comprehended what she said, any physical exhertion is comparable to torture at this size. But I did as I was told anyway. I felt her sliding over and between my thighs, her hair brushing against the underside of my belly.

It was all too much, her rubbing her hands all over the most sensitive and neglected spaces of my body, the tickle of water trickling there aswell, the burning feeling in my lungs and the throbbing pain in my heart, the fact my arms felt like they were about to break, and the fact that the fat from my tits had pooled around my head and had covered my mouth, making it impossible to gasp for air or call for help.

I held for as long as I could, but this was a herculean task. I did everything I could to signal to her to get out. I couldn't make any noise, or flail my arms, and there was just too much fat around my waist to rock side to side. I just had to wait. And wait. And wait. But it was too much

I dropped my belly, I could feel oxygen rush back into my lungs, my heart could back to it's resting irregular pace, my arms could return to their idle position ...

But try as I might, I couldn't ignore that noise I heard.

Crunch.

[cummin-n-cryin]

Hello, nice to meet you! Hope you're having a great day!

Could I request Jamil and Leona in a poly relationship with a female reader who's missing her parents who had left the world when she was in middle school? She misses their lullabies and encouraging words, so the boys try to cheer her up.

~Thank you for your request!

Old Lullabies

Jamil + Leona x fem!reader (polyamory)

Tw: lil bit of angst, lil suggestive at one part, afab/fem reader, lemme know if I missed any

Wordcount: 1,438

Side Note: nice to meet you too! Merry Christmas btw if you celebrate it! I hope I understood your request correctly. I'm sry if it's not that great but I hope it's at least okay!

Jamil had left you in your bedroom for a few minutes to go check on Kalim, only to come back and find you crying! Had you hurt yourself in his absence?

He carefully sat next to you on the bed. "Why are you crying, did something happen?" He asks worriedly.

As you try to dry your tears you respond, "My parents... I miss them." You trail off as tears fill your eyes once more. Jamil tentatively places a hand upon your back. He slowly rubs your back in an attempt to comfort you.

Though hesitant, Jamil asks, "Can you tell me about them?" You let out a heavy breath as you take your time responding, "Their gone. I was in middle school when... I just- I miss them."

You take a minute, staring down at your feet as you try to collect your thoughts, "They were great. They would always try to encourage me to pursue my dreams and, I know it might sound a bit odd but, they would also sing lullabies to me. It helped me sleep... I'm sorry." You give a sad laugh as you try to dry your tears.

Jamil gently pulls you closer to him, "That's not weird at all." He says reassuringly. "Thank you for telling me. I'm sure it was difficult."

You both sit in a comforting silence as you try to collect yourself. Soon enough you yawn and Jamil lets out a soft laugh. "After all that, it's no surprise you're tired. Here, I'll help you get to bed." While you would tell him that you could do it on your own, you were far too tired, so instead you simply nodded. Jamil then helps you get into your bed. As you make yourself comfortable, Jamil wishes you a goodnight before leaving.

But, as he reaches for your door handle, he suddenly stops. Curious, you watch him as he turns around and grabs your desk chair, pulling it next to your bed.

Jamil notices your curious stare and says, "I would like to try something. Though, I'd prefer it if you weren't looking directly at me. Could you turn around?" Still confused, you decided to just go with it and turned, your back now facing him.

You waited for a few moments and just before you were about to ask what he was planning to do, you heard it.

A soft humming. You could just barely hear it. You quickly realize it was coming from Jamil. Though, the song is different from what your parents used to sing, it still brought a smile to your face. You whisper a thank you to Jamil, he doesn't stop to answer you but the humming does become slightly louder.

Slowly you fall into the depths of sleep and you swear, as the comforting darkness envelops you, you could almost hear Jamil softly singing the words to the lullaby instead of humming them. Nonetheless, it comforts you.

You wake up in your bed. Jamil is no longer there, the chair having been placed back next to your desk. You feel a bit lonely sitting in the silence but, you do feel a lot better than you did yesterday. Getting ready, you continue your day as normal.

Occasionally, you would come across your two boyfriends as you walked to your classes. Though, they were acting a bit strange.

Jamil would try to secretly guide you away from Kalim's prying eyes and kiss you on the cheek before telling you how grateful he was to be yours. When you asked why he was doing this he said, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Besides, I don't get to do these things that often with you anyway."

Leona was his usual self, simply nodding his head in your direction as a form of acknowledgement while you both walked your separate ways in the crowded halls. That was until he ran into you in an empty hallway. Seeing you, Leona smirked as he pulled you in for a tight hug, nuzzling his face into the curve of your neck. You laughed as you asked him why he was acting like this. He huffed a bit saying, "I can't show my queen how much I love her?"

Though strange, you simply brushed it off. It wasn't until school ended that you ran into one of your boyfriends again.

Leona seemingly appeared out of nowhere, putting one of his hands against the wall to block you from walking.

"I wanted to wait until further along in our relationship to make a request like this but... Can ya come to my bedroom tonight?" A smirk spread across Leona's face, "It'll be fun. I'll even try to convince that snake to join in."

Your face burns, your mouth slightly open as you try to process what he was asking of you. But, before you could respond, Leona interrupts you. "Good to know you'll be there. Come around when the sun starts to set, I'll be seein' ya then." He then walks off his tail swinging behind him.

You stood in the school hallway wondering what just happened. While you weren't sure how you felt about his offer, your curiosity got the better of you.

It didn't sound like such a bad idea...

As sunset comes you make your way to the Savanaclaw dorm. Your heart hammers in your chest as you get closer to Leona's bedroom.

Sooner than you thought you reached the door. Lifting up your fist you hesitantly knocked on the door. After a few noises from inside, the door opened to reveal Jamil.

"Oh good you're here, come in." He held open the door letting you inside. Leona's bedroom was much cleaner than usual, there was also more blankets and pillows hanging out on the bed and to your surprise, there was a small stack of what seemed to be board games.

Nervously you ask, "So, what are we doing?" Jamil looked at you confused, "We're having a sleepover. I thought that since we don't get to spend much time together that it would be nice to get together for awhile. Didn't Leona tell you?"

Jamil, seeing your surprised expression, quickly looked over to Leona who was casually lounging on the bed. Leona looked smug, "Well, I may have changed a few words."

Jamil rolled his eyes, "Unbelievable... Either way, we're having a sleepover and it's only a sleepover." Jamil gives a pointed look to Leona who only grins wider in response.

Having settled that, you three then spent your time playing board games and chatting about school and such. At some point your conversations eventually turned to your family.

"I told Leona what you told me. I felt it was right that he knew as well." Jamil said after a moment of silence. Your expression grew somber at the reminder of your parents but you nod in understanding. Leona would have probably found out at some point anyway.

Leona interrupts with a yawn, "Let's head to bed. You two can be all sad while I sleep, yeah?"

You watch as Jamil berates Leona. Though, as Jamil tells him how rude he's being, Leona seems to be falling asleep by the second. You shake your head at the two before yawning yourself, "Yeah, we should go to bed. I'm pretty tired."

Jamil sighs as he goes to prepare the bed. But, before Jamil could do anything, Leona picks you up and throws you onto the bed. You fall into the bed with a yelp and Leona flops down next to you. He quickly buries himself in the blankets and pulls you closer. Jamil for a moment cracks a small smile, though it's gone as quickly as it appeared. He then grabs the chair by Leona's desk and brings it closer to the bed.

"Ya gonna sing that song?" Leona asks while watching Jamil sit down on the chair. "Yes. Now if you could be quiet, I'll begin." He says with an irk in his voice. Leona huffs a laugh before bringing you closer to him and mumbles, "Yeah, real sweet and romantic, just don't be too loud." Jamil grumbles to himself though quiet you catch a few words, "With how deeply you sleep you wouldn't know anyway..."

Now in the comfort of Leona's arms and listening to the soft humming of Jamil, you quickly find yourself falling asleep. Even though they bicker a bit, it warms your heart to see them both trying to help you.

Soon the comforting darkness envelops you once more but, this time at least, you won't have to wake up alone.

[just-wrting]

The Babysitter (Part 4)

Title: The Babysitter (Part 4)

Summary: You do your best to get a little closer to Aaron, while still keeping enough distance that you don't catch feelings. The only problem? It doesn't seem like it's working.

Word Count: 2687

Master List Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

A/N: I promised that Part 4 would be what I posted next and here it is!!!! It only took me longer than expected. I also think that despite the migraines and my terrible work schedule I'll be doing my best to post 3x a week. Also yes I know, I didn't post this at 3 AM my time for once.

You stretch and lean back on the couch. Aaron had texted you that plane had landed and that he’d be on his way soon. It's already much later than you want it to be. Jack has been asleep for a while, leaning against you while the TV plays whatever movie is on.

You know you shouldn’t go to sleep now, not when Aaron is so close to being back home, but you can’t fight it anymore. You shuffle Jack into your arms, it's much harder to move a sleeping child than an awake one, and go to the bedroom.

You're too tired to take Jack to his bed, so you take him to Aaron’s room. You push the covers to Aaron’s bed back and climb in. You shuffle the blanket around you and Jack, tucking it under his chin. Within seconds, you feel your eyes flutter shut. You wish you could stay up until toron gets here. That thought doesn't stop you from falling asleep.

——

You wake up well rested to an empty bed. A slightly burnt smell wafts through the house. You race to the kitchen in a panic, worried that Jack has decided to mess with stuff. Instead Jack is standing next to the toaster, with Aaron.

"You should’ve woken me up,” you say as you lean against the doorway. "You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I didn't want to wake you. Jack said you had a long week so I thought it was best to let you sleep."

Aaron sets a plate on the table and Jack rushes over to you. He eagerly grabs your arm, and guides you towards the table.

"I helped make you breakfast!"

The way he smiles makes your heart melt, and you sink into a chair.

"Yeah I can see that But is it really okay to eat without you? Maybe I’ll wait a bit.”

Aaron sets two pieces of toast on your plate. The edges are darker than you prefer but you know better than to make a face about it in front of Jack.

"It’s fine. Better to eat it while it's still hot," Aaron says with a gentle smile. "Besides, Jack ate first.”

“That doesn't stop me from feeling a bit bad. How much sleep did you get Aaron?”

His silence is the answer. He got less sleep than you wish he would as is, not to mention how strenuous his job is. You make note to talk to about that habit as soon as you can.

—-

As you pack up your things you hear a knock at the door. You hear Aaron get the door and a voice talking about Jack. Walking to the front door leads to you seeing a mom and son duo.

“He's been talking about this all day," the mom giggles, "I'm so grateful that you’re willing to let Jack come over for a little bit."

You slide up to Aaron and take a look. The kid is Jack’s age, so you guess he's a friend from school. The guess is correct as Jack shoves his shoes on and runs between you and Aaron to go outside.

"I had some stuff to do so it made sense for him to go with a friend.”

"Alright. Just text me when you want me to bring him back. He's always welcome."

With that, the three of them left. You take your time watching Jack get into the car and leave, choosing to stay silent for a minute.

"When did you set that up," you ask, turning to Aaron. "Cause I didn't.”

"This morning. I figured it would give us time to talk about things.”

You nod, "There's still coffee left so we best get to it. I just want a few things to clear up."

A sigh leaves his lips. “I can imagine there's a lot to clear up.

You make both coffees. "I'm not upset with you, if that makes you feel better.

"I suppose it does. I don't know what I'd do if you decided to leave."

"'Probably hire someone else."

"'I don't-" he sighs, “Jack doesn't want someone else."

Your eyes soften as you look at Aaron. He looks exhausted. You want to push him into bed and force him to sleep. You feel yourself thinking about how much you'd like to help him .

“Good thing I love you guys.”

Aaron chuckles. “That’s good. He’d be heartbroken if you left.”

“I can tell. He looks so sad when I have to leave for the night.”

“He does, doesn’t he? What was it you wanted to know?”

You hold the coffee mug in both hands, staring at the surface. There’s only a few topics you want to ask about, you just aren’t sure where to start. There’s stuff about his job, not to mention a topic that you’re positive will be awkward, Jack’s mom.

“Let’s start with an obvious one. Why didn’t you want to tell me about your job? I’m sure that not wanting me to run far away was part of it.”

There’s a pained look on his face. He probably has lots of stories of things happening to people he knows that aren’t agents. You want to give him some sort of comfort, but you aren’t sure what you’d even say.

“You’re right. I also just don’t want you to get hurt. I’ve seen what people will do to people around me and everyone on my team and I was hoping that if you didn’t find out you’d be safer,” he explains, the expression on his face unwavering.

“I’m sorry. I hate to ask it then, but does that choice have anything to do with Jack’s mother? You don’t have to give me details, I just am unsure if I’ll meet her.”

This time, Aaron takes a while to answer. You worry that you’ve asked too much. Clearly something bad happened, and it still weighs heavy on his mind. You choose to focus on your coffee as you try to figure out how to backtrack.

“Forget I asked about it, Aaron. I’m sure I understand enough without you explaining it.”

He shakes his head. “It’s okay. You’re right. My job got in the way and she passed.”

You reach across the table and give his hand a quick squeeze. “You don’t have to say anything else. I’m not entitled to information like that. How about you tell me about this team of yours?”

“I think you’d like them. They do tend to profile everyone however, which can be an issue.”

You give Aaron a smile. “Does that mean you’ve been profiling me since the beginning? And why you didn’t need a background check?”

“Our tech analyst is amazing. She’d find any sort of dirt on you I’d need. Not that I need any.”

“That is a bit terrifying. I’ll make sure to behave I guess. Is she super nosey?”

A small smile breaks across his face. “For sure. Penelope Garcia knows everything I could ever need about you.”

“So do you know everything from my star sign to where I live? Or is that just her?”

“I don’t know any of that. I just made sure you don’t have a criminal background.”

“That’s good. If there’s anything you want to know just ask me. Besides that I don’t have any other questions.”

You down the rest of your coffee and move to the sink.

“Then I’ll get to work. I have some paperwork to get done.”

You turn and look at him. A hand rests on your hip and you frown.

“You’ll do the paperwork after you rest, right? I know for a fact you didn’t get a lot of sleep.”

Aaron looks a bit startled at your question. “I’ll be okay.”

“What time did you get home? When did you go to bed? You slept on the couch, right? When did Jack wake you up?”

“I got home around midnight and went to sleep shortly after. I promise I’m fine.”

You cross your arms and frown. “That doesn’t mean much, Aaron.”

“I’m used to it at this point. Long nights are a part of my job.”

“Aaron, I work with kids. I know how to make you take a nap," you say, Your voice is calm, but you hope he knows you’re serious. "You worry about Jack all the time. Someone has to worry about you.”

“I'll be fine, You don't need to worry about me.”

"Too late. I’m already worried."

Despite the frown, Aaron isn't taking you seriously. His eyes are crinkled and you're sure there's a small hidden behind the coffee mug.

"Since you insist, I'll try to rest. I can’t promise anything."

“I'm sure you'll find the bedroom is nap ready. I swapped out the curtains so it was easier to sleep and brought a fan over.”

Aaron sets his coffee mug next to the sink. You were right about the smile. The corners of his lips are still upturned. You know he’s probably doing this to make you feel better.

—

Thankfully, you’re able to do everything you need around the house. The dishes, sweeping, dusting and various other chores are a breeze without anything or anyone in your way. Things you have been putting off due to a lack of time are officially done. The only place you haven’t cleaned is the master bedroom.

After a few hours, you hear Aaron begin his paperwork. You do your best to not check in on him again, but you can’t help yourself from peering through the crack of the door. His face is set in a frown, and his eyebrows are furrowed. The way he meticulously goes through each page is impressive.

You aren’t sure if he’s eaten, and you can feel the lack of food start to catch up to you. After setting your resolve, you push the door open and lean against the doorframe. Aaron looks up at you almost immediately.

“I know there’s not much in the fridge since I’ve got to go to the store, but did you want lunch? I may not be able to make something that’ll impress you, but I could probably impress a kid,” you joke with a light smile.

While Aaron doesn’t say anything, he gives you more of his attention. You take that as a good sign, and keep rambling.

“Does a PB&J with an apple and milk sound okay? There’s even some leftover brownies that I’ll throw in. That’s something a kid may like, but maybe not something you’d like.”

“Sure. That does sound like something that a kid would like and be impressed by.”

“Of course it is. I cut the apple up which is a superior way of eating it, and they get sugar. Not to mention, sometimes I let them have some chips."

Aaron's smile is less tense, and you feel satisfied. Nothing makes you feel better than knowing you can make someone important to you happier.

“I'll get started on that. Will Jack be joining us for dinner?"

"I thought that it would be a good idea for him to spend as much time as he wants with his friend. It gives me time to get you a contact list for his friends’ parents and that way you can have some free time.”

“If you insist. I already have free time. It's usually a few hours after he's in bed that you’re home. Plus he has stuff he likes to keep "secret" like things for you.”

The frown is back. "What about your dating life? I'm sure that whoever you're seeing wants to see you more."

“Yeah I'm sure that's what my ex would want. I'll make lunch real fast."

You make your escape to the kitchen as quick as you can. Talking about your ex unisn't something you're keen on doing. It was a messy ending.

You push all relationship thoughts out of your head. This is not the time or place to be thinking like that. It's lunch time, which means focusing on making food. Not that making a PB and J is hard.

The whole thing only takes you about ten minutes; you really should just buy an apple slicer. It would save you so much effort. In fact, Aaron's house was missing some of that stuff that would make housework easier.

You do your best to arrange the food on the plate, hoping it all fits. Balancing more than two plates is a struggle, so you choose to grab the drinks separately. Milk is hard to get out carpets if you don’t have the right materials. The smell will attract a pet and that's a hassle. At least it doesn't stain.

"Where do you want me to set this?"

Aaron shuffles the papers into neat piles, creating a space in the middle of the desk. You avert your eyes, not wanting to read the files. Even if they weren’t confidential, it isn't something that you’d want to read. After setting down the plates, you go to get the drinks.

The first few minutes of eating are done in silence. You’d like to get to know Aaron better, you just don’t want to come off as weird. It would suck if he misunderstood your intentions. Not that you wouldn’t date him.

"Something’s on your mind. Did you want to talk about it?”

"No. I think I’ll be okay in regards to what I was thinking about. On a different topic, what do you and Jack do together?”

Aaron looks a little ashamed at the question. You can sense he has a lot of guilt about how things have turned out. The look in his eyes makes you want to comfort him, but you don’t know what to say.

“If you ever want to talk about something, you can talk to me,” you offer. "I won't understand everything, but it's still good to get it out.”

“Maybe at a time when I don’t have so much paperwork,” he says with a sad smile. "I almost feel like-“

"Work has taken over your life? Tell me about it. I love kids, but there are times I wish I choose different job. Like the time all three kids had the flu, so I was cleaning up so much vomit.”

The rest of the meal is spent telling each other embarrassing work stories. Aaron shares things from all his team members, while you tell him the ridiculous things some kids have done. As the stories go on, you find yourself entranced by his laugh. The way his eyes crinkle and the corner of his lips turn up have your heart almost skipping a beat. For some reason, you start to feel self-conscience. Thankfully, the doorbell rings.

"I’ll get it. You probably need to get back to work," you say as you collect the dishes.

You stack the dishes, and carefully close the door behind you. You don't even bother going to the kitchen, opting to just set the dishes on a table nearby. Thankfully, the doorbell rings only the one time. You see the mom from earlier standing there, and swing open the door. Jack rushes in to hug you. You ruffle his hair as the mom starts to speak.

“I’m so glad that Aaron’s finally dating again. Poor man has been alone for too long,” she laments. “How long has it been?”

“I'm not sure. I didn't even know Aaron was dating," you reply with a shrug.

“Wait, you aren’t dating Aaron?” Her face is

turning red. "With how Jack talks about you, I thought maybe. He doesn’t talk about anyone but his dad like that.”

"It's Fine. Can’t blame you for what kids say," you offer with a smile. "No harm done.”

She doesn't say more, instead rushing back to her car. You don’t stop her, figuring that would make it worse.

You'll mention it to Aaron, hoping that he’ll be able to handle it.

For now, you'll be content to make Jack happy by pretending to be whoever he wants. After all, Aaron will have fixed it by tomorrow and there won’t be any more problems.

@rousethemouse @ash-whimsicalfanfic If anyone wants to be added to a tag list let me know!

[lifeofamarauder]

The Dark Prince 1

Mattheo Riddle x Odette 

Part 1 <3 (it gets more spicy as we go but you first need to SUFFER)

Word count- 1,313 words

I wrote this not from Y/n perspective but let me know if you want me to post that version as well if you prefer it! I tried not to use too many descriptors for Odette, other than her house and family names.

. 

Intro: I had a few quiet first years at Hogwarts. I explored the castle, read books in the library, and even brought a black cat to join me my in fourth year. It was all so quiet and nice. Until he came along.

.

.

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I'm officially fifteen.

I'm officially fifteen and I have planned absolutely nothing for today. If my mum were here she would be scolding me about not having planned some grand party in the astronomy tower or at the very least invited my friends to Hogsmeade then getting drunk off of butterbeer and pumpkin ale. I couldn't tell her how impossible this was seeing as the only person who knew and cared about my birthday was Luna, a fourth year who would join me and jinx (my adorable kitten I brought with me last year) reading together or playing wizards chess. I also could never tell her how horrible I was at wizards chess and that miss Luna Lovegood beat me every time. I value my life too much for that, though I don't mind either of these things myself. But I am truly the antithesis of her.

My mother is a kind woman, as long as you are one of her party guests or my older brother, Silas. Two years older than me and more perfect than any other Ravenclaw Purebred around, Silas may as well be a Prince according to my mother. He even became Prefect this year. We're all so very thrilled (or so I'm told).

But today, I get to do whatever I want, and I don't need to tell anyone else about it. Today is the one day of the year I can be completely selfish and introverted. I only take this one day to myself, as my mother and my brother take control of my other 364.

I pet Jinx and move her off my chest before I set out some toys for her to entertain herself while I'm gone. Even though I know she will just end up sitting at the window watching ravens fly by the tower, I want to make sure she has anything she might need. I've never met a more spoiled cat and honestly? She deserves it.

I manage to make it all the way to the library without running in to Silas or his Quidditch buddies who would immediately notify him about my whereabouts. I'll count that as my first birthday gift of the day. I'm all prepared to sit in my favorite nook debating for around 30 minutes over which book to read first (I brought 3 just in case) when I notice someone in my spot.

Now, I didn't pick this spot my first year for its comfortable sitting or bright lighting, I picked it solely for it's purpose that it would be the very last place someone else would try to sit.

If this were any other day, I would walk away and decide to read in the astronomy tower or the empty corridor by the DADA classroom, which will most certainly be empty on a Saturday, but today is MY day. So I suck it up and decide to ask him to kindly leave him. I stand there awkwardly looking at his back and impulsively choose to poke him to get his attention.

His dark eyes immediately look up and I take a moment to fully look at his face now. He has a scar forming on his nose and another on his cheek that looks like it's been there a few years now. My breath catches when we make eye contact and I'm struck by how dark and deep his eyes are as they bore into mine.

I realize I'd been standing there staring at him for longer than I should, and shake my head a little to clear my thoughts before I force myself to continue.

"Can you move?"

Smooth.

He just keeps staring at me, his dark curls falling in his face, so I gather what's left of my courage and force out another sentence, slightly stronger this time.

"I need this seat. Can you please move to somewhere else?"

He, again, doesn't say anything, but this time his eyes darken slightly and he has the faintest hint of a smile.

I force myself not to smile back but unfortunately I cannot hide the blush escaping. I open my mouth to elaborate once more when he finally says something.

"What's your name Princess?"

I'm taken aback by the unexpected pet name. Princess? I just met this guys and he thinks its ok to call me Princess? He just keeps sitting in my seat, not acknowledging my request and SMIRKING at me. My desire to smile at him is gone, now taken over by annoyance. Who does he think he is?

"Apologies your highness, you must not have heard me. Honestly." I roll my eyes to give full effect of my annoyance. "I just want-"

"I mean I'm more than happy to keep calling you 'Princess', Princess, I just thought your name might be more favorable to you." he interrupts me while turning back to his book. And wouldn't you know, he's STILL smirking. I'm starting to lose it.

"You most certainly may not keep calling me Princess, my name is Odette and it's my birthday and all I want for this one day is to read in my spot where no one will bother me and maybe if I'm feeling adventurous I'll steal some hot chocolate up to my room and read THERE until I fall asleep and have to wake up and then once again do everything else for everyone else until I can't take it anymore!!!"

I realized my voice was rising and I had begun gesturing quite frantically but I kept eye contact with him. A small win. His smirk was still there, but this time his mouth was more agape and he looked like he was slightly shocked by my sudden outburst. And maybe impressed? I can't tell. I'm too shocked myself at my outburst that I can barely register anything else. I take deep breaths and try to calm my heart.

He slowly closes his book and stands up. I hide my head in embarrassment until I see his feet come almost in contact with mine as he backs me up into the bookshelf. My eyes shoot up and lock instantly with his which does nothing to calm my heart. I swear his face gets closer and I can feel his breath tickling my face but I'm unable to look away. He pulls in close to my ear and whispers, "My name's Mattheo but by all means, please keep calling me 'your highness'."

He pulls back only slightly to look at me, my face flaming by this point. The corners of his mouth lift up once more and he looks down to where I'm clutching my books in my hands. His hand reaches out and I think maybe he's coming in closer and I instinctively flutter my eyes closed. Instead, I feel one of the three books I'd long forgotten being pulled out of my hands. Mattheo steps slightly away from me, making the space he left suddenly feel cold.

He inspects the cover and looks back up at me before simply saying, "This is one of my favorites." He sets the book down on our table and he starts to walk off. I shake my head once more trying to clear it of whatever just happened.

"Happy birthday, Princess!" he calls over his shoulder.

I begin to call after him, feigning annoyance, to say that is not my name once more but he's already vanished.

I look back to the spot I just won back expecting to feel more victorious, though it suddenly looks much less enticing then it did minutes ago.

I sit down across from the book he laid on the table and attempt to pick through the two that he didn't touch but I tell myself I'm only curious as I pick through the one he claimed was his favorite.

I become fully immersed in the story and fail to notice the jealous eyes that had been peaking out at me from behind the shelves.

[indolamine]

hey y'all 🤍 here's a link for INFO on jiyeon, but i'll include some bullet points here with all you need to know. in case anything here sparks ideas for your muse and you'd like to work on a plot, hmu. i do prefer dscrd, so don't hesitate to ask. oh and i'd appreciate it if you could shoot me a dm first so my account doesn't get banned trying to touch base with the likes (say literally anything, hit me with a send it to me rachel if you'd be so kind). still, if you'd rather just hit like it's fine, i'll reach out once tumblr allows me!

jiyeon is what you'd call an Interesting Girl. someone you don't call or arrange schedules with, just happen upon. someone who never calls you but can be your best friend between 11pm and 3am. a fun girl, you just don't look too long.

both her parents are dead for all intents and purposes, which's proven to be a very character defining event in her life. one of her fathers passed away before she was even code, and the other chose to virtually die to work as a doctor for terrascape when she turned 18.

as single beneficiary to both her fathers, jiyeon found herself young, alone and newly rich. she's not particularly self destructive, but choices were made. luckily? for the most part, she was too stunned by grief and anger to blow away her fortune, which now affords her a cushy life she doesn't dwell too hard on.

she's emotionally stunted, still reliving the loss of her parents somewhere in her mind at every moment. she knows a lot of people, calls them friends but struggles to connect with them, blinking in and out of their lives. death is a constant thought, not quite a morbid fascination but more of a haunting. she knows, poor little rich girl.

she writes -- tries to, anyway. she's got some essays published, wrote for a column for a hot minute, it's her definitive trade of choice. but, and not to get too meta, the thing about writing is that you do have to write. that's the tricky part. merits were a good incentive, though once they're no longer an issue, she finds herself ignoring deadlines and putting off work on the novel she's been writing for the past 4 years. she instead "gathers experiences". she has many talents that she has no interest in seriously exploring, so she entertains herself while the high lasts.

between her writing and her party girl fame, at some point along the way she amassed a following on social media that she hesitates to cut loose. they make her more interesting than she, merely human, could ever hope to be, and she doesn't know how to kill the part of her that answers to their call. it's a lie when she says she doesn't look at what they say.

adult life for her breezes by in parties with half-friends and long bouts of reclusion. she wants to be a little of everything. she enjoys reading, skiing, playing silly little meta indie games about living in hyper realities. she doesn't commit to romantic relationships, yet enjoys the hunt anyway. she takes her time, and it never seems to align with anyone else's.

& here's a rolling list of canons that could also serve as potential connections for anyone interested, will add more as they come to me:

she once got involved with a couple for some brief months and it didn't end well

one of the few things she gets competitive about is skiing

she's fucked someone's significant other purely out of spite

she has a writing group whose meetings she misses often but she isn't the only one so she feels like it's a safe space

the person she plays a random weird rpg with incognito is maybe the most consistent relationship in her life, their chats can get very personal and strange and they can go weeks on no contact but go right back to where they left off

the events surrounding gyuok pique her interest because it's the first time terra residents could potentially be hearing from a virtually deceased and because he's essentially a virtual ghost which she thinks is neat

one of her published essays focuses on a celebrity she knows personally and doesn't portray them in the best light, which soured their relationship

[spacecolonie]

Hello! Do you have any advice with painting? Every time I start I end up just doing lineart with colours underneath, and when I do kindles art it looks kind of like plastic. Am I supposed to merge the two layers and then start shading? What would you recommend?

Hey anon!! I actually do have some advice for that!! I'll shove it under a cut because it got way longer than I thought it would, sorry for the infodump everyone _(:3 」∠)_

quick tl;dr: painting process should consider both personal taste & the desired aesthetic of a painting, & to avoid plastic-y colours, make sure your hues vary within your values (and layer modes are ur friend) ♥

there's a million ways to start paintings & its all down to personal preference -- the end goal for the illustration can often influence the approach you take; a crisp digital painting might call for meticulous layering & sharp edged flats, but if you want something to look like an oil painting, you should try and mimic that process as close as you can! here's some examples:

this is the sketch for my FYR zine piece from last year; i intentionally approached it in a way that looks like traditional underpaintings so that when I worked directly on top, those orange tones would peek through like this:

after doing that undersketch, i manually painted everything -- no fancy layer modes, just me, one layer, and screaming ಥ_ಥ it was hard but it worked for the vibe i wanted!!

now v.s something like this:

simple shapes, roughly blocked in shading that just gets merged and painted over, as well as lots of layer modes on top for those colour changes! this is by far the easier one & the one i'd probably recommend, solely because it lets you keep more control. i go more in depth here on that -- but to quickly answer, i personally block everything (including shading) in before I merge & render!

for the other thing you mentioned, a lot of the times that 'plastic' feeling can come from either a lack of transitional shades or only using white/black for your value tones. this tweet thread (direct image links 1, 2 & 3) by frozensoba demonstrates it incredibly well -- by adding certain colour shifts in your values, it can create extra depth which is what makes stuff look more alive!! don't be afraid to really push it and get wacky

an easy way to add it while you're learning is using gradient maps to add richness in your midtones. It's not perfect since different surfaces & materials diffuse light differently, but adding one at the end of a drawing can help tie everything together. If you can do both at once though it always looks best; here's some very quick 2 minute orbs as an example:

ok I'm almost done (and im so sorry for how long this got... special interest moment TM) -- one last thing is to try varying your brush strokes & adding textures if you want. using only an airbrush or heavily relying on blurring brushes can make things look plastic too; sometimes you want that, but for the times you don't, adding some texture & leaving brush marks in can do a lot!!

lastly, since this is just me rambling, here are some artists that are incredibly talented & i highly recommend looking at for their advice & processes because it will be much more coherent than this:

Marco Bucci -- amazing educational content. if you check out any of these artists, he's the one to look at first imo. his 10 minutes to better painting series is a great place to start

Sinix Design has some amazing tutorials on anatomy & the mechanics of painting! This video & the intermediate part 2 are super

Dao Trong Le -- a veritable goldmine of speedpaints

Bo Chen & any of the riot splash artists. If that's the vibe you're after, you can't go wrong with the LoL splashes as reference

i hope that helps!!!

[wishing-stones]

whats the longest streak the boys have with keeping baggs from working? would any of them make bets surrounding the docs chronic workaholism

This is a bit of a dangerous game to play with him because he's wildly intuitive and observant. He tends to brush off direct attempts to get him to pull his proverbial nose out of his work at best, or threaten to frog march them out of his lab and make them leave him alone. The only one he lets get away with this is Nightmare, who will ramp up his persistence the longer he gets dismissed.

"I believe it is high time that you stop for the evening, doctor. It is getting quite late." "Yes, yes, I'm aware. I'm neck-deep in the middle of something, so once I'm finished. It shouldn't be more than an hour at the most." An hour later, he comes back. "If you are still 'neck-deep' in your project, perhaps I ought to lift you out of it." "Less so now, I'll wade out myself, don't fuss yourself over it, I will let you know." Twenty minutes later, he comes back again and sits down. "Have you even considered a stopping point in all of this?" "I have, and I have also almost reached it." After another ten minutes, Nightmare takes to hovering. "I'd prefer it if you weren't in my necessary escape path, I need room to maneuver if I make a miscalculation." "If you are anticipating miscalculations, it is far beyond time for you to cease what you are doing." Continued bickering or dismissal gets him picked up (once his hands are free) and carted off. Baggs is usually good about stopping something quickly if he's being threatened with this, because it embarrasses the hell out of him.

Among the guys, the reigning champion is Axe, who has picked up on Baggs' innate want to help and capitalizes on it to keep him busy with little things that aren't in his lab or involve a project. Things like his memory exercises, needing an extra pair of steady hands as a sous chef, and oh, hey! Check out this neat thing he got when he was on a mission the other day.

Killer and Cross tag-team and make him sit still in one spot while overseeing sparring matches.

Dust has cottoned on to what kinds of media he likes, so he'll play it loudly enough in the tv room to draw the doc's attention if he's nearby.

If they all work together, over the course of a day, they can probably keep him out of his lab for the day. The longest streak they've managed is three days, by the end of which Baggs was going stir-crazy from not having something to devote is excess energy to, having slept regularly, and being coerced into leisure for a few days to rest his body as well. He's not that upset about it, he knows it was done for his wellbeing, but... It was underhanded and sneaky.

There generally aren't bets for "how long can this person keep him distracted" and more "how long is it gonna take the boss to force him to call it quits."

Killer usually wins these because he knows Nightmare and his boundaries the best.

[literaticat]

Help, I'm a new editor and I've had a slew of atrocious meetings with agents.

The pattern is I get approached for a meeting and it lasts approximately ten minutes in which they neither pitch anything nor ask any questions or know what my publisher does or what I have acquired. And they all seem annoyed to be there. Is this... Normal? I feel so disrespected.

The agencies were not small or unreputable either. Is the point of these meetings something else that I'm not getting? I'm trying hard not to be offended people keep wasting my time like that, it's so discouraging. I just want to buy books from them😭

That's... TOTALLY BIZARRE????

I'm sorry you've had that experience. (I hope you HAVEN'T had meetings with anyone at MY agency, or if you did, that they were the exception to the rule!)

Normally, I consider these initial calls to be totally "get to know you / what you like" so that we can target submissions to you correctly. I'd introduce myself and give my spiel about who I am / the kinds of books I represent and some stuff they might have heard of I rep, etc -- and I'd expect the editor to give their spiel, ie, tell me a bit about themselves, how long they have been there / where they came from / what their role is, etc -- and what kinds of books they work on / are looking to acquire, and their 'book-ICKS' as well. If I'm less familiar with their publisher or team, maybe the "highlights reel" of what other editors are there, who does what, important things about their imprint, new and noteworthy stuff, etc.

I'll also prompt you about things you haven't mentioned. "We didn't talk about graphic novels -- do you guys do them? What about novelty books? You said you liked horror, do you prefer more psychological or like, gory?" etc. (Meanwhile I'm asking questions taking hella notes because I want to share all this intel with my colleagues, too!)

PROBABLY it would last 15-20 minutes or so -- unless we really get on a tear chit-chatting or there are multiple people on the call, then it could be longer. Even if my projects won't necessarily be a fit for you, I still want to KNOW all that stuff, yanno?

I'll probably also ask about other things you like, or they will come up in conversation -- Oh, you like cults? Have you seen this [documentary / show / podcast]? Oh, I see your dog in the background, what a cutie, what's their name? You know. Just like -- normal, friendly things! I'd IMAGINE that it's quite likely we have a fair number of interests in common and usually these convos are fun, or if we REALLY don't have anything in common, at least just normal/friendly/brief.

I will say, I'm probably NOT pitching specific projects on an initial call, unless the conversation happens to wander into some territory where it would be insane for me NOT to pitch it, because it's just too perfect -- it's more likely that I'm just thinking of projects that might be a fit that I have upcoming that I could send, or projects I just sold that would have been a fit, or clients/books I think should be on their radar or something like that. So rather than "ok sit there while I pitch to you", it would be more of "omg, I have something coming up that sounds just like [whatever thing you just said], I'll put you on the list when it's ready!" or "omg, have you read such-and-such by my client? You might really like it given [whatever thing you just said]!"

ANYwho -- if you haven't had a call with my team, EMAIL ME, I'll set something up, and I promise we won't be jerks! We WANT you to buy our books!

[themonotonysyndrome]

I'm down for anything from you, m'lady!

What about something like modern!AU + Coffee shop!AU with Warren/Cupcake or Celi/Castin? 👀

Like any good RomCom, it begins with a bad a bad pickup line in a coffee shop.

"If I have four quarters to give to the four prettiest women in the world, you would have a dollar!"

You press your lips into a straight line, mustering every bit of willpower not to laugh the longer the woman in front of you remains silent and the more sweat dripping down the cashier's neck.

"Are you saying that I'm only worth a dollar?"

Oh shit, oh shit. You just get chills running down your spine. Abort! Abort! Diving underneath a nearby table sounds a lot better than your initial order for coffee and blueberry muffins. But like watching a trainwreck, your feet are firmly planted on the ground due to morbid curiosity. How on earth is the cashier going to save his skin from this? Judging from his 'deer in a headlight' expression, you have very little hope for him.

"N-No! I just, uh, wait. Lemme try that again - " Your jaw is on the floor. Is he seriously going to try - "I'm confused. I thought happiness started with H, but mine starts with U."

"Does anyone ever tell you that you have dyslexia?"

"Yeesh, I'm just trying to give a compliment, sweetheart. You don't have to be so high and mighty about it."

"And I'm just trying to get my tea, but I guess we're both disappointed."

Stares. Nothing but silent stares from the both of them. It's a good thing that the cafe is empty right now because the queue will not be moving anytime soon. Fortunately, your boyfriend emerges from the storage at the back to break the awkward tension.

"What the - Castin, go get her order already. The lunch rush is gonna hit us in half an hour and we'll die if we don't take out the breads by then."

The cashier rolls his eyes and suddenly smirks. "Just for that, I'm gonna add extra sugar to your black tea."

The woman in front of you hurries over to the side, scolding him for his blatant disrespect only for her voice to be drowned out by the tea machines. Watching her trying to throw hands from across the counters is hilarious.

"Hey, Cupcake. Done with classes for the day?" Warren greets, now manning the cash registry. He looks good with the sleeves of his favourite flannel shirt rolled up and an adorable blue apron tied around the waist. Although if you asked him, he'd much prefer working without a shirt. It gets more customers, that's what he likes to say.

"All done. That's why I like Mondays. No more lecturers after 11 AM." You say in a sing-song voice. "And you know what that means?"

"My Cupcake will be chilling with me until the end of the shift?" Warren guesses with a beaming grin.

"You know it! I love catching up with my schoolwork here. The muffins are to die for. Speaking of which..."

"I'll get it ready for, ya. With your usuals too?"

"Yes, please."

The shop is perfectly located between two of the biggest universities in the country. A branch of the e-commerce university from Steelgate and the Imperial Academy for All. Needless to say, students flock here on a regular basis while those like Warren and Castin are taking a gap year to fatten up their funds for future tuition.

So it's not strange to see a student dropping up for a quick pick me up. What's strange is the same woman from yesterday returning once more.

"Welcome to Desmond Coffee & Cafe! How can I - Oh. Back so soon, sweetheart?"

"I'd rather you use my name instead of that inane term of endearment turn insult, Hammer."

"Well then, pray tell; what's your name?"

"It's Celica. The same one you've written on my cups for the last month, remember?"

"Right, right. And do you even bother to remember my name, Celica?"

"How can not? You're the most obnoxious quarterback and foreign exchange student from Intacia."

"C'mon~ It's alright to say it. Names don't bite~"

"Look, can I just have my usual orders? My next class is in 15 minutes."

"Well, if you feel like saying the magic word, I'll get right on it."

"...Fine. My tea and macaroons better be on the house if you make me late, Castin."

[purplesurveys]

1914

Name something you keep on the nightstand. The microfiber cloth for my glasses so I can clean mine as soon as needed.

What does a man brag about the most? I uh...don't know. I never hang with groups of dudes lol, and the ones I know don't really do a lot of bragging around me.

What's the most you've tipped your waiter or waitress. The highest I give is ₱500 and that's whenever I host a big party (10-15 pax). I leave ₱200 if I was very impressed by the service; otherwise my standard practice is at ₱100.

As a child, what frightened you the most? Cockroaches, because we had flying ones at home. The fear has carried over to this day because I still hate seeing them.

I also didn't like seeing anyone drunk because the men in my family who did never knew how to take care of themselves. It was horrifying watching them stumble and slur their words; physical altercations were the worst thing I had to witness. Among family. So imagine how pissed I felt when I tried alcohol for the first time and learned that drinking has a lot to do with just knowing how to control yourself.

Name a dish you take to a potluck. The ideal option would be pizza but that's what everybody brings, so my go-to has evolved to be Mama Lou's truffle mac and cheese. They're not what anyone would think to be their first choice, and yet everyone goes crazy over them. As a people pleaser, I always want to make sure it's my tray that makes their way to plates the most haha.

What's a popular vacation location? For Filipinos, definitely any of these: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore. I've been to Singapore but have no interest in the other two.

Name a complaint people have about their job. That they are not paid enough for the life they need to sustain.

Name something you put off doing until the weekend. Taking our pets to the vet. The queues are always unpredictable, and the last thing I'd want to happen is to be 5th in line during my lunch break and be stuck on the road three minutes before a 1 PM call. So say if they were due on a Wednesday, I'd just take them that same weekend.

What's a common remedy for a cold? I just let it pass if it's only a cough or cold. Fever is a different story – I'm rarely sick, so when it happens it crashes hard on me. When I get a fever, I usually find myself asking for soup since it's the only thing I'll have the appetite for.

My mom also has this honey ginger tea that she makes me drink 1-2 glasses of. It's nasty, but I do it for her so it doesn't go to waste.

How many scoops of ice cream do you put on an ice cream cone? 2 max and that's pushing it. I'm a slow eater, so it's sure to melt. It's also why I've always preferred having ice cream from a bowl/cup.

Name a type of nut. If I'm having the nut itself, pistachio. In terms of flavor, almond or peanut.

How long is the typical vacation? Anywhere between 2-5 days. Except for the time we were in Bali for 7 days, I've never been on a vacation for longer than a week.

Name a popular athlete. Simone Biles.

At what age should you have children? Whenever you're ready and financially capable. It's different for all.

During high school, what was your worst subject? Chemistry. I feel like my teacher only passed me out of guilt(??); my test scores ranged from 68-89. Never tasted a line of 9 from it lol.

Name a famous Jack. Jack Nicholson.

How many speeding tickets does an average motorist receive? I have no idea. Speeding's not that big of a problem here to begin with because the Philippines is the Traffic Hellhole of the World LOL

Name a profession a kid wants to be when they grow up. Teacher, doctor, princess.

Name a famous TV detective. Sherlock Holmes.

At what age did you get your first kiss? 16.

What month is popular for weddings? Ber months.

Name something people forget when they're in a hurry. Wallet.