#i'm imagining he spends a lot of time out in the sun in this AU so. yea.

[raiiny-bay]

slaughter house sketches :-)

[oddinary4bts]

Coffee Stain | jjk

☆summary: you grief, and it's the expression of your everlasting love for Jungkook.

☆pairings: Jungkook x reader

☆rating: 18+ (it deals with heavy themes)

☆genre: grief!au, angst

☆warnings: this is a grief!au so it's rough. jungkook died and reader tries to grieve him. lucid dream where she sees him and talks to him again, curses, a lot of crying

☆word count: 1.9k

☆a/n: this hurts. idk why i wrote it. i was sad watching a sad instagram reel and then this happened. i apologize, and i love y'all, and if you need to talk just reach out <3 i'm always here for you guys.

☆☆☆☆☆

            There’s been a coffee stain on the kitchen counter for weeks.

Staring at it, you can almost hear the laughter it brought forth then. A laughter of crinkling doe eyes, of a bunny grin and arms wrapping around your middle. It’s a hand clutching around your heart, like it used to clutch around your fingers.

It’s the ghost of bodies entwined that weren’t meant to be separated.

In the bathroom, his towel has started to smell like humidity instead of the body wash he used, the one he claimed was good for his hair too. A 3-in-1 combo thing, something you used to tease him constantly about. And though the smell is a sign that you need to clean the towel, you can’t bring yourself to do the laundry.

In fact, you can’t bring yourself to do any chores. You just let Bam out three times a day, and then you go back to bed. Back to a cold bed that was supposed to be an island of you and him.

Now it’s an island of your grief, of tear-stained pillows and sorrow-filled sheets.

The sun rises and sets every day, but time has stopped. Time stopped on a surprised rainy day when he didn’t come home.

And he’ll never come home again.

It burns. It burns like the pizza you put in the oven, thinking that maybe you’d eat for the first time in weeks. The smoke pricks your eyes, suffocates your lungs. You hope it’ll steal your breath like his breath was stolen, too.

A last exhale, one you weren’t there to share.

You open the windows to air the room, and late spring flows in. Chirping birds and a soft breeze surround you, and you feel sick to your stomach. Because he won’t experience any other season. His life ended on a rainy April day, forever altering yours in the process.

Bam watches you from where he’s lying down by the door, still waiting for him to come home. Indeed, he’d used to come home around this time every day, to whisk you in his arms and tell you he loves you. But not that day.

No, that day, you sat on the couch watching the raindrops chasing themselves on the window, your phone clutched in your hand because he’d been supposed to be home an hour ago. When the phone rang bringing the news, your life became quiet.

It’s been quiet since then.

Your friends come over in the evening, with food you try to eat. You remember evenings that you’d spend with them and him, laughing and playing games and doing everything that young people do.

Young people aren’t supposed to die. Or so you tell yourself as you follow the conversation, but never participate, like maybe he left with your voice too. Your friends don’t complain about it – they know how much he meant to you, how much you meant to him, too.

You wonder what he’d say if he were here tonight, and you think you wouldn’t be able to hear it. Not when you haven’t been able to listen to his last voice message again, even though it sits on your phone, a keepsake of your love gone too soon.

When your friends leave, they hug you tight, though it’s never as tight as he used to hold you. Because he was the only one to know how to hold your pieces together and tonight, like every night since then, they fall apart. They fall apart like dandelions in the wind, so easily blown away.

You go to bed, Bam with you, staring up at the ceiling, imagining that it is his body next to yours. That it is his soft snores you can hear, his gentle breaths dragging you to sleep hours after you lied down.

You wake up feeling different. The light shines differently, like it’s from another world. The apartment smells of bacon and coffee, and you furrow your brows. The bed is empty, yet warmth lingers in the sheets next to you.

You step out of bed, tiptoe on a floor that you know to be usually cold in the morning, yet today it’s warm. You’re wearing an oversized white t-shirt he usually wears, and you feel like you’re forgetting something, yet you can’t quite tell what.

You walk out of the bedroom, and Bam greets you like he always does in the morning after his walk, with his tag wagging so wildly it’s making his whole body shake from side to side. You laugh, petting him as he tries to jump on you so that he can lick your face, though he eventually abandons to trot to the kitchen instead.

You follow behind him, smiling at the sight of his naked back, as he cooks something on the stove.

“You woke up just in time,” he tells you, shooting you a quick glance over his shoulder.

His eyes are sad. A sorrow deeper than the ocean hides in his pupils, and you’d frown if you hadn’t missed him so much.

“What are you making?” you ask.

He motions to a bowl on the counter. “Pancakes. And bacon and coffee, too.” He glances at you again, like maybe you disappeared while he was looking at the pan on the stove. “You can pour yourself a cup of coffee while I get everything ready.”

You nod, smiling softly, before doing so, grabbing your favourite mug from the cupboard. You frown – wasn’t there supposed to be a chip in it? Yet the mug looks pristine, entirely new. You shrug it off, and then you pour the coffee, before pouring one for him too. You set them on the table and sit in your usual spot, looking out the window.

The sky outside is purple and bright, and you think you can see constellations dusting it.

You know. You’ve known since you woke up, but you don’t care.

You watch him as he finishes cooking, and then he carries the food over to the table. He sits next to you, in his favourite spot because he gets to see you and the TV at the same time. The TV is not on right now, and his attention is solely on you, like he’s drinking you in like you’ve been drinking him in.

“How did you sleep?” he asks.

His eyes are infinitely sad. It’s startling, and you can’t bear the weight they hold. So you focus on your food, while he sits there watching you.

“I slept okay,” you reply. “You?”

He chuckles. “I slept too much.” He sighs, and it’s heavier than the universe. “I’m always sleeping lately.”

You laugh, because what else are you supposed to do?

“You’re awake now,” you tease, and you pat his arm.

His skin is soft and warm, void of any scars.

“Only because you’re here,” he replies, and he smiles again as you meet his doe eyes. “Now eat.”

You obey, enjoying the taste of his food – he’s always made the best pancakes, and today is no different. You even think they’re better, though you reckon that would be impossible.

“You should make pancakes more often,” you say when you’re done eating. “I can’t remember the last time you made them.”

He chuckles, eyes crinkling at the corners, yet the depths remain eternally sorrowful. “I’ll make them again soon.”

You smile, pausing to admire him for a few seconds before you ask, “Should we go back to bed?”

“We’re not Sunday,” he teases.

You narrow your eyes. “It can be Sunday just this once.”

His giggles accompany you as he grabs your hand and pulls you to the bedroom, and soon you’re in bed again, laughing as he tickles you.

“Fuck, I missed your laugh,” he says, and you pout.

“I missed you,” you answer.

He nods, and the sadness invades all his features. “I know.” Bam appears, jumping on the bed to lie next to you while Jungkook kneels between your legs, hands still resting on your sides. “You’ve been taking good care of Bam?”

“Yes,” you say. “We’ve been taking a lot of walks.”

He grins like the sadness was never there, and then he turns towards the dog. “Aren’t you lucky?”

Bam rolls on his back as Jungkook starts petting him, and soon he’s rubbing the dog’s belly, cooing like he’s talking to a baby. It’s adorable, and you admire the view even though it hurts so deeply you think you might be dying.

When he’s done with the dog, he looks at you again, a soft smile gracing his lips. “What have you been up to?”

You sigh, and you pull on his arm until he’s lying with his head on your chest. “Nothing.”

“That sounds boring,” he teases, and you think you feel his tears wetting the shirt you’re wearing, though you don’t mention it.

“Hey, I’m just doing my best,” you reply, pinching his side.

He laughs. “I know.”

“How long until you have to go?” you ask.

He sighs, and he glances at the time on the night table. “Not long.”

You rub a hand on his back, your arms tightening around him. He looks up at you, and you meet his gaze, hoping to find an eternity in them.

“I wish you could stay,” you whisper.

“Me too.”

He kisses you then, his feather soft lips meeting yours for a short embrace of the love you share. Your heart settles in your chest, your ache momentarily forgotten, and you wish to get lost in him. Wish to stay here with him forever, but he inevitably pulls away from the kiss, looking over his shoulder.

“It’s time to go,” he says.

You nod, because you know. You feel it too, and so you force yourself to get up. He quickly puts a shirt on, and then you follow him to the door.

“Text me when you get to work?” you tell him, eyes filled with tears.

“I will.” He meets your gaze, his own eyes lined with silver. “Please be safe.”

You chuckle. “You be safe.”

“Always,” he says. He opens the door, looking outside, but he doesn’t move for a while.

“Should we hang out again soon?” you ask, hoping that it’ll make him stay.

He looks back at you. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

You nod, and he takes a step outside. He’s fading out of focus, yet you try to hold onto it, to keep him here with you. It’s like it works – he turns back around, and then rushes to you, wrapping his arm around your waist as he hides his face in your neck. But you’re losing him again – already, the apartment has faded away, and all that’s left is the purple sky with its infinity of stars.

“I love you,” you whisper as he, too, fades away.

In the vast expanse of nothing, you think you hear him saying it back. You reach for him, and you think you can see him again, see his smile, though he’s just a little too far for you to touch.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come home.”

You wake, the bleak light from the sun filtering through the blinds, and the sky proves to be the blue of sorrow again. Grief, the expression of your everlasting love, sits on your chest, and you can’t breathe.

“I love you,” you whisper through the pain, and you mean it, more than you’ve ever meant anything before.

After all, there’s been a coffee stain on the kitchen counter for weeks.

☆☆☆☆☆

if you need to talk please reach out, and also don't hesitate to scream at me for this bc idk wtf it is

All rights reserved to @/oddinary4bts, 2024. Do not copy, repost or translate

[fansids]

Shadow of the King Au Art Dump

Since I very rarely get past the sketching phase any presentable art is rare, but I managed to find some for ya'll

Warning for some old ass art:

1. The Stalwart Generals

I spent an ungodly amount of time figuring out the designs, dynamics, and personalities of all of these monkies so I'll be damned if I don't show them first.

The Generals take care of anything SWK is unable to. They are in charge of FFM when he's not present.

Marshal Ma - While technically all the generals are the same rank, Marshal Ma is considered SWK's unofficial second in command. She's calm in every crisis with a very low bs tolerance and is 75% of the reason why the island doesn't fall to chaos every time SWK leaves. She's highly respected by all the inhabitants and can and will break your spine Bane style if the situation calls for it.

Marshal Liu - Mean bisexual. Marshal Ma's sister and the bane of her existence. On duty she takes her role very seriously. Off duty she likes to keep Ma on her toes with her dumbassery. She's easy going, hates clothes, and loves to fight. She has a slightly concerning amount of knives on her person at all times. She is big gay for General Beng.

General Beng - Meaner lesbian. A siamang and the largest and tallest of the generals. She enjoys dressing up, tea (both kinds), and a good party. She has a very short fuse. While her size and strength alone would generally deter anyone from testing her temper, there are always idiots. She can fight, but she knows her Liu would enjoy it more.

General Ba - The youngest of the generals. While she's not shy, she is very quiet. She does not waste her words. But, when she speaks, the others will stop whatever they're doing to listen. She likes to spend her free time in the libraries. Get her in the right mood and she'll argue with you for hours about the most random subjects.

.

2. Macaque face evolution

Was trying to get a feel for Macaque's face and how it changes throughout the au. Top right is the youngest, bottom right is the oldest. Bro gets all sorts of messed up from the whole died and resurrection thing and very much looks wrong afterwards.

.

3. New fit

Macaque and SWK have the whole cape thing going on, I figured SWK gave Mac one of his own when he was still training under him. I like to think it holds a lot of sentimental value to him since he still wears it in present day but he would rather get his head smashed in again than admit it.

.

4. I'm sure this won't come back to bite anyone later

Eeesh. Imagine spending your whole life training to receive and keep the Sun Wukong's attention only for him to casually give it to some random human boy thousands of years later. I mean, Macaque did betray him and everything, but it's the principle.

.

5. The Tongbi Gibbon Concepts

One of the four world-wrecking/celestial monkies. My brain was very focused on the whole pulling celestial bodies out of the sky part of her abilities that I made her based around that line.

Don't know if this fit is still canon as she and the Horse Monkey had a large role to play in Shadow of the King, and I'm considering if I should take them out

.

Bonus:

I consider the Tongbi gibbon and the Horse Monkey to be older than both Sun Wukong and Macaque in Shadow of the King. The Horse Monkey is the eldest, but the Tongbi's age is nothing to sniff at.

That being said, that does not mean she can't be bought.

Takes place after all the traumatizing shit in SotK

Panel 1

Tongbi: Child, I am an ancient being. I hold the power of gods within me. I was witness to the birth of the Great Sage himself. I have seen nations and empires rise and fall. I have gathered and spent innumerable wealth. Yet you think you can bribe me with 20 yuan?

Panel 2

The host: ...how 'bout 30?

Panel 3

Off-panel (Horse Monkey): TONGBI!!

MK: I thought the nimbus made you airsick

Red Son: Not helping, Noodle Boy

Tongbi: BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

so as it seems that you seem to be busy with life, it seems only fair to drop what idea crumbs I have to help tide you over while you deal with life.

imagine this if you will, in one of the many days they spend travelling, reader spirit and the cubs have found a hot spring to relax in after harsh and cold weather, and everyone is taking the time to clean and enjoy the warmth. the cubs are out of sight, assumingly having fun in a further part of the spring, and reader and spirit have bonding time talking about their pasts, helping clean each other’s hair and whatever else girls do in a girls night.

during all of this, the conversation ends up on readers family and how she is worried about their reactions to her being missing. spirit asks about her family, and reader respond; mum, dad, any applicable siblings and pets. and spirit asks if reader is married/mated/whatever term spirit is familiar with. reader says no. fiance? nope. boyfriend? nope. so… any crushes? none on any real people but do fictional count? spirit says sure, tell the stories of your fictional crushes

so

do you remember the ask?

where you said that reader has a crush on sun wukong and macaque?

what are the odds reader has figured out that she is in jjtw and not generic chinese/eastern fantasy?

from her perspective, they would absolutely be fictional with what little info she had. so she spills all the info about them and their adventures and why she had a crush on them, only for spirit to go at the end:

“you know that they're real, right?”

“wat”

“and warlords?”

“???”

and so spirit informs her with what info she has on them, their battles and conquests, and what exactly they tend to think of humans and do to them.

“best to avoid them at all costs, and keep your knowledge between us”

and so, everything said is kept secret between reader, spirit, and the six eared macaque who immediately spills the secrets to sun wukong.

his ears still work, even in the form of a cub, you know?

what would they focus on, her knowledge about their future, or the fact that she has a crush on them?

anyways hope life gets better and you get good sleep soon.

Eek!! Thank omg the feels!!

Spirit would totally try to keep Reader away before she even finds out who the cubs are. (I'm still trying to think of a reason that she hasn't clued in on Macaque. Oh, maybe most people just can't see his ears. They why would reader? Damnit I'm ranting my own questions for my own au!! )

They would totally be concentrated on how she likes them. A few exchanged words on how she knows about them sure and the future. But mostly, their darling likes them!! So why is Spirit telling her to stay away!? No that won't do at all.

They will be righting that... by righting that Wukong will probably give Spirit several scratches. He's a monkey cub. They can't really hurt her and adult monkey demoness.

At least not yet anyway. I gotta say that Spirit is putting a target on her back. Of course, they have figured out that by now, they can't kill her. That would absolutely wreck Reader's life in a bad way. They saw how she reacted with Spirit getting hurt.

But Boi, they will be very vocal about how she had crushes on them once they return to normal. Oh boy, they will be over the moon!

She can definitely expect (though unknowingly) to get lots of Monkey cuddles tonight.

Of course this also brings up how she'd react to knowing that they are real and warlords!? Okay so finding out that they're real is scary enough. She may have a crush but that doesn't mean she isn't also afraid. They killed people after all. Sun Wukong fought against the celestial realm and almost won! And to her limited knowledge of the jttw storyline Macaque had almost as much power as he did.

Of course in the original Macaque was cannibalistic apparently. (I haven't read that part. I know more of lmk than jttw but I'm trying to read it, slowly) HE IS NOT CANNIBALISTIC IN MY AUS! Why because I said so.

But Reader doesn't know this and so she is absolutely terrified. They were also last spotted where she had appeared when she came to this world. Did they know who she was? Did they hear her? She of course pushes these thoughts away, she shouldn't be ridiculous.

"They are the Demon Monkey Warlords. They don't just hunt humans, they hunt for their territories and valuables. They won't go out of their way to hunt you... unless they get curious or they might. No, no don't cry!"

Let's just say she will definitely be stressed, luckily her little monkey friends are their to give her some stress free snuggles.

Thank you! I got to write something today cause of this. I am still working on other asks I have. But for now, this is what I've got. If anyone has ideas like this... send them my way. This made me really happy.

Thank you!!

I loved this ask!! Thank you!! Hopefully, I'll have some time this weekend to finish writing out the responses for the asks I have in my inbox. And hopefully work on the next part some more. Hehe~ the monkeys thought they could- shoot no spoilers.

[renavi0]

Rain Code Vampire Hunters AU — PROLOGUE

where Yuma meets the other vampire hunters

Previous chapter is here

After a while, Yuma and Yakou reach a village that’s located near the forest. Previously surrounded by tall and massive trees, they’re now in the middle of tiny wooden houses that stand close together in rows. Yakou tells Yuma they would split up, because he needs to buy some supplies before returning home. The village is small and it would be difficult to get lost in it. The man with blue hair also adds that most likely the rest of the hunters can be found in the hotel, on the ground floor of which there is a bar.

On the way to the hotel, Yuma notices several things. The village is really small and one could easily walk around it without spending even half a day. Also, as Yakou explained, it’s always cloudy in this forest and village, and the sun never comes out from the clouds.

But there is one frightening oddity – there is not a single soul around. All the doors and windows are closed. If it weren't for the cars parked next to the houses and the well-kept gardens, you could easily think the village was abandoned.

The hotel was easy to find – it’s the highest building in the village, and also the only one with uncovered windows and a lit sign on the front. Entering, Yuma meets three people sitting at the bar and a barman, who polishes a glass until it shines. Some of the bar patrons are surprised to see Yuma, but it’s obvious that they’re the ones Yuma is looking for.

–

Yuma: I… I'm looking for hunters. I was told I can find them in that bar.

Halara: Correct. They're right in front of you. It's a bit foolish for a vampire hunter not to recognize others like them.

Yuma: You know who…

Halara: Your clothes. Also, the vampire hunter badge, which can be seen on your vest. And based on that, I’m sure you are one of the vampire hunters that are supposed to arrive here with the others.

Yuma: Yes... you're right. Wow…It's amazing you were able to understand everything with just one look.

Halara: With my logic, everything is possible.

Desuhiko: Yeah... Halara really does have an eagle eye. Although I also noticed the hunter's badge right away, I just didn't have time to say it.

Fubuki: Eagle eye? But Halara is a human... not a bird. They don’t have feathers….

Desuhiko: - Aah... no, princess. It's just a phrase.

*Halara explains the meaning of the phrase to Fubuki*

Shinigami: Ah, Master, they're all weirdos! Honestly, I expect them to be eaten soon, like those previous companions of yours.

Yuma: Don't say that! I don't want to remember or think about it again now!

*Yuma gets lost in his memories. Concern began to appear on his face*

Fubuki: Sorry, but are you okay? Your face looks like someone was killed.

*Yuma sighs anxiously, trying to calm down* Yeah... I need to tell you all about what happened…

*Yuma sits down at the bar table and tells his story briefly, of course, without details about Shinigami. Also, they quickly all introduce themselves to each other*

Desuhiko: So, you're the only survivor, and with amnesia. Brutal!

Halara: It's even surprising that you managed to survive.

Desuhiko: And you're lucky that Yakou found you and brought you here.

Halara: I wouldn't be so happy about it.

Desuhiko: Oh, come on! This man has been by our side and helped us many times, and you're still wary of him?

Halara: You can't trust anyone. Especially in our job. Yuma’s case is a great example of that.

Yuma: …

Fubuki: But Yakou really helped us a lot, and he's very kind...

Desuhiko: Besides, he doesn't look like a vampire spying on us. He doesn't show any signs of being a vampire. And if he were, he would have definitely revealed himself much earlier and used the moment to attack us. So, I think you're imagining things.

Halara: Hmph... *Halara folded their arms in displeasure*

Yuma: Anyway... as I see, the only you three and I sur…

Halara: Four.

Yuma: Huh? Then where is...?

Desuhiko: Ah, he's under the piano. *Desuhiko points his thumb back at the piano*. This guy is like a ghost, so it's no wonder you didn't notice him. Hey, Vivia! At least say hello to the newbie!

*Yuma notice a skinny man, lying under the piano and reading a book*

Vivia: Ah... hello. *continues reading the book*

*Desuhiko sighs in displeasure*

Yuma: So... the five of us are the only ones who survived. But since we're all at the designated location, what should we do now?

Halara: We need to report to the top brass that the last hunter has arrived. After that, we'll receive further instructions.

*Halara gets up from their chair and heads to one of the old phones located near the bar. “World Vampire Hunter Agency" is written on it*

Yuma: Is this some kind of special phone?

Desuhiko: Yeah, it has an encrypted line to contact the agency. There are several such phones in the cities, but in this village, it’s the only one. I'm surprised it even exists, considering how weird and sheltered the locals are.

Fubuki: They constantly avoid us and hide in their houses whenever we go outside. One day I wanted to talk to them, but they all ignored me and left.

Desuhiko: They clearly don't like outsiders here. ... Hey, I heard that there is some kind of vampire worship cult in this village.

Shinigami: Vampire worship cult? Are they so brainwashed that they want to be eaten?

Desuhiko: Frankly speaking, I even investigated the village a little to confirm this rumor, but... so far, it hasn't yielded any results.

*Halara returns to the others*

Halara: Enough chatting. Unfortunately, more than what we already know was not conveyed, but the command to "move on" has been given.

Desuhiko: Argh...great. At least we still have a map.

Vivia: At the most interesting part... *Vivia slowly crawls out from under the piano, pulls himself up until his back cracks, and then takes a slouched pose*

Fubuki: Come on, Vivia! A big and exciting adventure is waiting for us!

Vivia: Once again, a little peace and quiet has eluded me... *Vivia looks back at the piano, then lowers his head* Ah... I wanna die someday...

Shinigami: Kyahahaha! Master, this is going to be a really fun adventure!

Yuma: ...

–

After leaving the bar and taking their bags, the hunters head towards the exit from the village. On the way, they meet Yakou, who had just finished his purchases (which consisted of cigarettes). Yakou said that he’s going to walk with them for a while and then return home. He also reminds everyone that he would always be open to them staying the night at his place.

Yuma can’t say exactly what will happen next. Hell, the last few hours of his life were so insane that he’s not sure of anything right now. But for some reason, he feels calmer around his new colleagues. Yeah, they’re all … quite strange. But in his soul, he feels that everything will be fine with them, and they’ll all achieve their goal together.

—

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoy it!

And special thanks to @draconicsparkle for beta reading!

[misc-obeyme]

your post about the human au with beel as a farmer has me giggling and kicking my feet!! and now i can't stop imagining the brothers on their own little farm (writing this even though i know nothing about farming)

lucifer and satan mainly handle the finances, making sure they have the best equipment and techniques to produce good crops. the goats and sheep seem to take a liking to lucifer, especially the baby ones, who love chewing on his clothes. satan stays away from them bc they keep thinking his blond hair is food, choosing instead to coo over the farm cats

mammon and levi are the unofficial handlers and bully victims of the birds. mammon gets pecked by the chickens as he goes to collect their eggs, and he says one day, he'll cook them all up as revenge!! (everyone knows he's lying). levi spends more time with the ducks, where they quack at him on the farm and when he's fishing at the local ponds. (one time, a group of baby ducks imprinted on him and followed him home. it took forever for him to get them back to their mama)

asmo does a lot of advertising for the farm, with both his social media and charming personality at the farmers' market. he designs the cutest packaging and sews any holes that end up in his brothers' clothes with lovely little patches. his favorite animals on the farm (a couple piglets and bunnies) are marked with pink bows, but you could tell by how he squeals whenever he sees them

you already went over beel, but i imagine him still having his super strength and can easily carry adult sheep with ease. he also has gained a lot of (kissable) freckles from being in the sun all the time

belphie is a straight up cow whisperer, which may be caused by his habit of cuddling with the cows on their pasture to skip out on chores. but he's great at milking and can instantly tell if something's wrong with the cows, to the point that other farmers go to him in need of help. he's a lazybones hero!

aaaaaa the sillies - 🎠

Honestly, I'm surprised that little post of mine got so much attention lol! I was definitely thinking about it more in terms of what I think the boys would do if they were humans, rather than how it would be if they all worked on the same farm. But I saw a couple tags suggesting a Stardew Valley crossover, which could be all of them on the same farm or all of them with separate farms. I haven't played Stardew in a long time, but I am so obsessed with farming sims it's ridiculous. My favorite is Story of Seasons Trio of Towns, I've played it so many times and I still replay it from time to time because I loved it so much lol.

ANYWAY that's all to say that my farming experience comes almost entirely from video games. I took a class about plants and agriculture in high school, but otherwise it's all vibes and cozy gaming!

But I think you've nailed it with these. I keep seeing Satan falling asleep in a pile of hay, just completely covered in barn cats. Cute lil Asmo all decked out like a farmer but only for the aesthetic 'cause he's running that farmer's market booth like nobody's business. Cow whisperer Belphie, please I love it so much.

Also freckled, sun-kissed Beel... human!Beel would have so many freckles if he spent any time outside at all. I love this because I'm extremely freckled myself and it'd be really cute if MC had freckles to match his.

Though I actually hadn't even thought about MC's role in a human au. Since they're already human. Would it be reversed? MC is the demon in this scenario? Or just MC is their same human self but they meet the others in a different way? I think both options could be interesting. I was initially going with the idea of there being no magic and no realms though.

I was trying to think of what the characters would do with their lives based on their interests and Beel just screamed farmer to me. Like yeah he probably still works out a bunch, but he really loves food. So I thought it would be interesting to consider that as his primary motivation for wanting to become a farmer. He just wants to feed everybody.

Anyway, I love this, I'm thoroughly enjoying imagining the boys on their farm. Though Mammon threatening to cook the chickens is hilarious. Like I can just hear him saying that to a bunch of indifferent hens, too. It reminds me of a story my mom used to tell me about my great-grandmother getting so annoyed at my uncle's pet rooster for getting his beak tangled in her yarn that she straight up made soup out of him. I dunno how true that story is, but it's one my mom & her siblings have told me numerous times lol.

[saiintofawe]

after reading the sun and the star my semi-dormant pjo obsession has risen and is infesting my brain side by side with bsd. so.

bsd percy jackson au: a series of self indulgent hcs

skk is the percabeth of the situation. iconic duo. unstoppable. EVERYBODY has heard about them. literal legends among the demigods baby

dazai is a child of athena, chuuya a child of ares

dazai's team beat chuuya's during capture the flag once and chuuya went aight bet. and kicked dazai's ass during the next capture the flag. his team still lost but at least he got an excuse to fight that annoying know-it-all bandaged and beautiful son of athena

the rest is history

the akutagawa sibilings are children of hades. goth mfs

now imagine them having the same storyline as the di angelo sibilings... now in this au you can see why akutagawa talks like he belongs to another age

gin would consider joining the hunters of artemis, but in the end they end up refusing to not leave their brother alone. plus, being immortal would mean seeing him and all of their loved ones die, and gin has had enough of her loved ones dying

if skk is percabeth, shinskk is solangelo

does atsushi fit the standards for a child of apollo? idk but i can't think of another godly parent for him so be it!

unlike will solace, healing is not atsushi's strongest task but he still spends a lot of time helping in the infirmary

and that's where he meets ryūnosuke

unlike solangelo the initial hostility is NOT one sided. ryū behaves like a bitch? atsushi gets bitchy right back.

cue to atsushi looking extremely pissed while bandaging ryū's arm and them muttering insults at each other

ryūnosuke swears he hates that fucking failed doctor and atsushi would almost believe him if it wasn't for the amount of times ryūnosuke has tried sacrificing himself to save him during their quests

also in this au rashomon is a hellhound like mrs. o'learly. she's a sweet doggo that devours space and souls

or she's one of ryū's cocoa puffs? (does this count as a tsats spoiler taken out of context?)

you know that one scene in tsats where nico kisses the back of will's neck and says "i'm proud of you"? now picture that as atsushi to ryūnosuke. yeah.

also atsushi has plague powers bc i say so

yosano is the real will here: overworked healers who feel extremely guilty for every patient that died under their watch to the point of considering themselves murderers

she runs that infirmary like it's the navy

she's also a hell of a fighter, both with bows and arrows and with her own fists

bff with ranpo, who's the oracle!

they gossip abt apollo (boyfail) and complain abt their respective fundamental but hella hard roles at chb

also besties w/ chuuya

also hear me out on kousano in this au... yosano falls helplessly in love with hunter of artemis!kouyou. kouyou tries to convince herself that she's not falling for that bossy and selfless and brave doctor because she has an oath to keep and she couldn't let love knock at her door again. so everytime the hunters come to chb kouyou keeps yosano company and it's all longing looks and painful yearning. yosano wishes she could convince the redhead to break the oath and stay.

but she won't. i <3 kousano angst

moving onto happier lesbians. gin loves wandering by themselves in the forest or by the lake. people know them as the demigod who just fucks off to take a stroll in the woods and disappear there for an indefinite amount of time

and that's how she meets an awkward, stubborn but lovely dryad: you guessed it, it's higuchi!

gin was having a bad day and kicked a tree because they were just so angry— anger turned to guilt when the tree fucking yelped

gin immediately apologized and higuchi asked them what was bothering them. gin never loved to talk, so they were very surprised by themselves when they started rambling about their problems to a dryad they just accidentally hurt

from that day gin began spending even more time in the forest

sometimes they bring higuchi to camp

it isn't unusual for dryads to wander around camp, but higuchi usually kept on her own before meeting gin

higuchi helps gin to open up about their emotions and lower their walls, gin helps higuchi to make friends and to value and love herself

chuuya's fatal flaw is loyalty, dazai's is pride, ryūnosuke's is holding grudges, atushi's is holding too tight onto the past, gin's is also loyalty, yosano's is guilt

tachihara is a child of hermes. parallels between two regretful traitors el oh el

except that luke fucking sucks while tachihara has my heart

OKAY NOW OPEN YOUR EARS. STORMBRINGER ENJOYERS RISE. RIMLAINE AS SILENA AND CLARISSE..... CAN YOU SEE WHAT IS SEE........

lucy is deffff a child of aphrodite but she's so lovely she doesn't even need to use charmspeak to get what she wants. whatever you say beloved princess

idk why but i can picture her throwing an hairbrush at an ancient titant like rachel... her and rachel are acc pretty similiar imo but i will not elaborate

poe is an athena kid! the biggest loser in cabin 6!

lucy and yosano tease him on his crush on ranpo

ranpo is there like damn. is this guy gonna confess or do i have to tell him we are going to date via prophecy

poe is a surprisingly good archer, the apollo kids are almost jealous

nikolai is an hecate kid. a little trickster. a silly magician. he will steal your nose but like in the literal sense and he might not give it back

his best friend is sigma from the aphrodite cabin. sigma cannot fucking stand him

nikolai is actually the reason why sigma has split colored hair. it used to be fully white but one day nikolai went heyyy girlie look at this new hair trick my sibiling taught me :] and sigma ended up actually loving the look? so they kept it

the dryads love sigma and he spends a lot of time with them. they braid flowers in each other's hair and chill

nikolai on the other hand somehow befriended the arpies

fyodor is a child of nemesis. edgelord

jouno is a child of hermes, the eldest in the cabin

half of the camp wants him, the other half wants him gone

teruko is a child of hebe, the goddess of youth!!!!

she's ones of the oldest campers along with jouno, but she prefers to keep her child form for unknown reasons

also i can see her joining the hunters tbh

that's it for now folks i hope someone appreciates my brainrot xoxo

[dellalyra]

Hello! Goodmorning/afternoon/evening! This is my first time sending a request to someone here in this app and i hope i'm doing it right:')) AGHGHH I'M NERVOUSS. But, i've always loved your family formations au and i always anticipate new chapters of it^^

For the past few hours i've been having brainrots of Itafushi and i miss them so much:'))

I'd like to see Megumi's reaction at Ozawa's confession abt Yuji in that restaurant. Would he be jealous or akward? Like, imagine him getting a bit shy to tell her Yuji and him are dating😖

You could write this when you're in the mood to write ff again^_^

I just love you and your stories so much^^

𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗸𝘂𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗶’𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 - ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ʙᴏɴᴜꜱ

pixie says: this was just what i needed - some fluff and sweetness and itafushi in family formations goodness, ily nonnie <3

Megumi couldn’t help but scowl at a smirking Nobara.

She was seated beside him - both across from the tall, pretty brunette smiling sheepishly at them both.

“So, Fushiguro, you’re closest with Itadori. Does he have a girlfriend?” She said, arched eyebrow raised.

Little shit-stirrer.

He should have known it would be something like this when Ijichi turned the car around at her behest - she lived for the drama. Nobara’s logic probably went something along the lines of: oh, why tell this girl my best friend has a boyfriend when I could get his boyfriend here instead?

“I think you’d know best - considering how close you guys are, and how much time you spend together - does he have any photos of a girlfriend in his room? You seem to spend a lot of time in there.” Her pale pink nails drum on the table.

He tries to come up with a sharp retort - but flusters at Kugisaki’s insinuation.

He’s not quite sure how to respond.

He’s not exactly the type to say “Oh, Itadori? The boy I’ve been in love with for months? The boy who had his arm wrapped around my waist when I woke up this morning? Sorry, BITCH, he’s taken.”

Plus - the B-word (boyfriend, not bitch) had never come up. The revelation of mutual romantic interest was only several weeks old - Megumi hadn’t though of a label until now, it hadn’t seemed necessary.

So - what he settled on had Kugisaki snorting.

“No. Itadori doesn’t have a girlfriend.” H

He sure as shit wasn’t going to give this nightmare classmate beside him the satisfaction of seeing what she wants to see.

Jealousy.

Ozawa was pretty, very pretty in fact. Dainty features with a fantastic physique - pretty much exactly Itadori’s type in a person. Sure, he was tall too - and a lean physique came with the job as a sorcerer. He had delicate features too. Itadori said he loved his eyes - so that’s a point in his corner. He’s not sure if he has the big butt Itadori said he likes, but it’s gotta at least be toned from all the running he does with the dogs.

Ozawa however, she was soft. Smoother around the edges. No sullen nature or manical frenzies, no shadows (Ten or otherwise). Maybe, Yuuji would prefer…

No. Fushiguro Megumi was absolutely not going to allow that train of thought. He puts a pin in it by imagining what his mom and dad would say.

“Megumi! You are the son of the world’s strongest sorcerer, and underneath layers of sullen ‘oh I’m a grumpy teenager and I like weezer’ is a very sweet baby boy!” Says imaginary Gojo. Annoying even in fiction.

“You stop that right now young man! Do we need to do our morning affirmations? ‘Toru! Get me the mirror!” Imaginary Y/N announces.

During the time he zoned out - he hadn’t noticed Nobara making a phone call.

That was, until a large figure stood at the table.

“Kugisaki? What do you want?” His head snaps up - when the hell did Yuuji get here?

Ozawa was staring up at him with stars in her eyes.

Truth was, he couldn’t blame her. When Yuuji walked into the room - it always felt like the sun had come out on a rainy day, banishing all the cold and damp. The eternal warmth of his presence permeated through to even the most frigid parts of a persons soul until they could no longer imagine a world without Itadori. His smile was wide as he greeted Kugisaki, and his honey brown eyes looked like home.

Plus - Yuuji had always been toned - since he first saw him on the athletics field of his school he could easily see that, but the past (almost) year of sorcery training had filled him out even further. Biceps straining against the seams of his uniform - holding on for dear life (Yuuji refused to get a new uniform, he said the fact that Gojo-sensei designed it for him made him happy), plus - he’d grown too. Now standing at only an inch or two smaller than Megumi. Nobara had dragged him to her hairdresser too, insisting on a proper haircut because in her words ‘you might not look as bad if you don’t cut your hair with a kitchen scissors.” Megumi knew she just liked spending time with him, but he’d let her pretend.

Fuck, he loved that boy.

Silly, selfless, beautiful and brave boy.

Yuuji’s head turned to the other side of the table, eyes looking straight at Ozawa. Even Megumi - in all his possessiveness - hoped he’d recognise the girl.

“Oh, hey Ozawa!”

Thank every potential god.

“Hello, Itadori-kun.”

“It’s so good to see you! How have you been? Why are you in Tokyo? I see you’ve met my boyfriend, Megumi!” He rattles off as he squishes in beside Megumi, slipping an arm around his waist and ignoring a protesting Nobara.

Wait -

Boyfriend?

He introduced him as his boyfriend.

He smiled to himself. How very Yuuji - he didn’t even ask, didn’t need to. He was his, completely.

Who needs jealousy when you’ve got a boy like this?

“O-oh, boyfriend? Oh no - I’m very sorry, Fushiguro. I meant no offence.” Ozawa floundered.

Yuuji looked very confused.

Megumi just shrugged and nodded at the girl, muttering that it’s fine and she didn’t know - adding in the Kugisaki was a shit-stirrer.

Yuuji still looked confused. Megumi squeezed his hand under the table three times, a signal he’d copied from Y/N and Gojo. 3 squeezes means I love you, 4 means I love you too. He smiled at the table when he got 4 squeezes back.

Ozawa and Itadori caught up for a while, reminiscing about old times until eventually it was time to go, signalled by Yuuji forgetting his own strength and pulling Megumi by the hand out of the booth and rambling about Popcorn and Human Earthworms.

Megumi nodded, agreeing to go.

The things he did for this boy.

“You coming, Kugisaki?” Yuuji asks as they stand from the table.

“I’ll catch up with you guys.” She says, shooing them away.

“Okay! Bye Ozawa! It was really nice to see you!” Yuuji says, waving as he walked away.

Once they were sat in the movie theatre, Megumi looked at Yuuji.

He felt really grateful.

So, his long fingers found purchase on his boyfriends chin, turning his face toward him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“Eh? What was that for?” Yuuji says, smiling and holding the hand.

“Can’t I kiss my boyfriend without the third degree?” Megumi smirked, and rejoiced in the flustered Yuuji.

“Of course you can! Here, do it again! So I can show you how okay it is!” Yuuji said, hair threading in Megumi’s thick black locks, and kissing him deeper.

They remained that way, soft kisses passing back and forth whilst the trailers played until a gagging sound came from beside them.

“Get a room, fucking hell. I’d expected more of you, Fushiguro.” Groaned the freshly arrived Kugisaki.

“Go to hell.”

“Shut up, ���Bara!” Yuuji retorted.

“Where were you, anyway? Movies about to start.” Megumi asks, settling in with Yuuji’s arm around his shoulder.

“Exercising the power of my unending rizz. Wasn’t letting Ozawa leave the diner without a date for next weekend now, was I?” She smirked, wiggling her phone displaying the other girls Instagram.

“What about Zen’in? Are you suddenly not crazy about her?” Fushiguro questions.

“Well - a little jealousy never hurt anyone did it? Plus, Ozawa knows it’s for the pursuit of a certain girlboss martial artist - I reintroduce her to Yuuji, she helps me get Maki.” She shrugs, stealing a handful of popcorn.

“Why are you the way that you are?” Was all the two boys had to say in response to their cackling best friend.

Megumi had never been more glad that the King of Curses was the only complication in his relationship.

[loverboy-havocboy]

infodump at me about aliit au tattoos? please?

kissing you on the mouth about this, if i may. long post ahead, i imagine.

starting with comet:

starry night tattoo - comet is a painter and his favorite artist/main stylistic inspiration is van gogh. i think this is one of the first real tattoos boost did after beginning his apprenticeship in keldabe

honeycomb - this is the testosterone symbol! it's also a matching tattoo with his ori'vod thorn, who was (likely) the first other transmasc he ever met and whose non profit helped pay for comet's top surgery.

art is the weapon - a reference mcr's danger days album and a quote by either frank or gerard: art is the weapon, your imagination is the ammunition, stay dirty and stay dangerous, create and destroy as you see fit. i think that speaks to comet both as an artist and as a queer person, and i think the whole pack is insane about mcr. boost probably gave him this one in high school.

trans symbol - this commemorates his first hrt injection! boost did the injection and the tattoo a week after comet turned 18.

phoenix - this is a huge part of comet's character, and is done in out of the ashes. it's a cover up that helped him let go of an abusive relationship and reminds him of what he's capable of. it's also dedicated to/inspired by @brokenphoenix99, who's been around for comet since day one.

cowboy star - sinker gave him this tattoo under boost's very careful supervision!!

flowers - suggested by phoenix when i didn't like his old chest tattoo, these accentuate his scars rather than distract from them. they're something he's very proud of, so that makes much more sense for him. the flowers represent growth, new beginnings, and him finding the comfort in himself he needed to embrace his femininity. the butterfly is for change/transition.

pack tattoos (dog, sun moon stars, swords) - i'd say all of these are probably from high school if not very soon after. the wrist tattoo was the first tattoo any of them ever got and the first boost ever did. it was a stick and poke and they were around 14-16. sinker's given name means sun ray, boost has always been caught in his orbit (yes, we're excluding earth for this metaphor) and is the more quiet/reserved, so has always been his moon. idk yet when comet chose his name or whether he was already their star at the time, but this became Their Thing. the dog is because they were so rabid/feral in high school (and because comet drew blood biting another kid in a fight) that they were dubbed a pack of wild animals/dogs. they took that and ran with it, calling themselves a pack. the swords are an all for one and one for all kind of deal.

i am creation & lightning bug - i am creation is a lyric from creature by half alive which is transgender To Me. the lightning bug was just cute and comet likes bugs.

sinker:

moths: obligatory sun and moon tattoo to symbolize him and boost. these were really fun to do, i just feel like he's a moth tattoo kind of guy, you know?

darasuum: mando'a for eternal/eternity. this is in boost's handwriting, over his heart.

snake: much like with the moths, he just gives me snake man vibes? i think he likes snakes a lot, as he's a friend to all creatures. the snake has a pattern of suns, moons, and stars.

hip star: i think comet probably did this one! either way, it's dedicated to him.

baby/doll: boost calls him babydoll sometimes. they both have other partners (mostly hook ups for boost, sinker goes on a lot more dates/has other relationships), but babydoll is something just for them. the baby tattoo spends a lot of time under collars (or boost's hands).

others: he's got a lot of random ones because he's been boost's practice body for almost a decade!

boost:

his tattoos would need their own fucking post, and some of them can be explained by comet and sinker's, so i'm just gonna hit a few.

dinosaur: sinker did this one!

"i'm here" star: comet did this tattoo! i'm gonna say maybe in high school.

lighter: "ni partayli gar darasuum" is mando'a for "i remember you, so you are eternal", which is part of the mandalorian death remembrance. this is a memorial for his parents. they died right before the pack started high school, and he was adopted by sinker's parents, who were already his godparents.

molotov cocktail: lyric from baby, i'm an anarchist by against me.

tic tac toe board: this is for sinker to play with when he's board. sometimes boost plays with him, sometimes comet.

gregor:

tallies: coric gives him a new one every time he does something stupidly risky that lands him in medical (which gregor generally just considers victory tallies, much to the medic's chagrin).

212: for his battalion!

bicep tattoo: foxtrot squad symbol framed by the words "jatnese be jatnese", mando'a for "best of the best". i'm gonna say his whole squad probably has this one!

[toxicanonymity]

Aisle 39. Ben's Hardware

5250 words / Ben Solo x Rey

Warnings: I8+ mdni. Sexual tension, dubcon (via uninformed use of force connection but she wants it), dry humping. I 🖤 Dry Humping. Hardware Store AU but more than meets the eye.

A/N: posting my first fic in any fandom since I never posted it on Tumblr aside from the AO3 link and Tumblr is home now 🖤. I'm resisting the urge to improve it 😅 I'm not even gonna reread before posting. It was originally reader insert but @dark-scape translated to reylo. Lmk if you want the reader insert version instead and that can be arranged.

Rey visually undresses him.  He inhales through his strong nose, meets her gaze, and cocks an eyebrow: “Now that’s an idea."   He sinks all the way back into the cushions, his huge palms on his thighs, as if to take in the moment with a subtle, satisfied smile.  He then abruptly sits back up and starts unbuttoning his shirt.  As if on command.

Rey drives through the streets of Jakku. It's a chilly day, but bright for mid December. The sun is in her eyes, but the drive isn't long enough to commit to finding her sunglasses. As she turns into a parking lot, she sees the cafe next door is open and realizes it will be the perfect day to grab her favorite nutmeg butternut squash soup with their signature green tea bread if she can make it out of the hardware store before the lunch rush really picks up. This is a rare opportunity because the cafe's hours are aligned to typical office job hours when she’s normally across town.

Rumor has it the hardware store is locally-owned now, and she wonders how much it’s changed. She's taken a vacation day to finish some holiday shopping and errands, and thought of an easy home improvement project last night to spruce up Finn and Poe’s house while she housesits and takes care of their cat Bebe. She wants to fix the dimmer for the light above their kitchen table. The knob has been missing for awhile now, and even when you twist the naked peg, the lights don't dim, so she assumes the bulbs aren’t the right kind. She figures she can fix this with a new plastic knob, a 4-pack of dimmable LED lights, and five minutes of labor. She can finish it off with a little red bow on the new dial. This will be a nice surprise and will also give her an excuse to procrastinate her other errands.

Turns out, not much has changed. She clip-clops through the sliding doors in her warmest boots and still sees orange aprons with names hand-written in sharpie. She immediately locates the light bulbs and spends a few minutes longer than necessary deciding which pack to get. She looks at her phone and sees she has about ten minutes until the lunch rush, so it's time to find the other item she needs, the knob.

She looks up and sees a worker. He's wearing a dark gray jacket over his apron, and what looks like a lighter gray hoodie under it. It isn’t that cold in here, she thinks . She almost leaves him alone, but something on his apron catches her eye. She can't see the name, but barely sees the edge of an expertly doodled death star. Bold choice.  

He's got a nice head of dark hair, chin length, tapered around his face, but out of the way enough to see his eyes are brown. He runs his hand through his hair over the top of his crown as though slicking it back, then some of the strands fall back down. His face is a mix of heart and square shaped with a masculine jaw and strong nose. He has the stubble of a mustache and soul patch but no beard.

He has beauty marks, so many. How many? Are they just on his face or all over? He has an enviously clear complexion and looks like he tans easily. He's kind of tall, but not looming, maybe because his head is bowed slightly as he lifts a crate of lightbulb boxes and begins to unpack it. He seems athletic, hard to tell with what he's wearing. He has a youthful vibe but isn't exactly boyish.

He carries himself like he knows more or less what he's doing, but doesn't take the job too seriously. Rey imagines he wouldn't be the best candidate to tell her how to do a project, but he must know the aisles at least. She doesn't like to be a bother, but hopes it's an easy enough question, and he's standing right there. He can tell she’s about to ask him something and looks up. The whites of his eyes are clear and sparkly. Rey wonders if hers would be like that if she blinked more, which leads to her unintentionally fluttering her lashes.

She finally says, close to a whisper, “Can I ask you something?” I asked… if I can ask him something. She groans inwardly.

She isn’t prepared for the gentle baritone voice he responds with, "Yeah. Sure."

"Uh, where can I find the light switches and dimmers?"

"AISLE 39. I think. Here, I'll show you." He sounds about twice as old as he looks. Those few words he speaks are enough to flip a switch in Rey.  Her heart is melting at the same time her mind is racing. She can't tell for sure because he’s so bundled up, but she imagines he has strong arms and is in great shape based on the vascularity of his hands as he holds his barcode reader. He's working in the middle of the school day so he's got to be at least 18, not that he looks any younger, but Rey tends to think in worst case scenarios. Realistically, she would peg him for mid-twenties, but his voice sounds at least two decades older.

He walks her to aisle 39 and stops. She thanks him for his help, and as she turns to walk in the direction he pointed, she realizes she’s slightly blushing and she’s been silent. She doesn't want her shyness to come off as cold, so she makes eye contact and lets a little smile sprout from the left corner of her mouth across her lips, small but beaming. She hopes it doesn't come off as a smirk or make him self conscious. She can't tell whether he's the self conscious type.

She figures she can find the item herself from here, and doesn't think to ask him about the specific product. She wanders nearly all the way down the aisle, but after several minutes of searching (albeit distractedly), Rey is relieved to see him come back with another customer. He's helping a man find a specific thing, not a whole aisle. She’s jealous, even though it was her own fault not to ask. She hopes he sticks around and asks her if she found everything okay, but when he's done with the other customer it seems like he's about to leave.

She quickly approaches him. “Can I- can I ask for your help again?” Asking to ask again. Do I always sound this ridiculous? She tells him about the dimmer she’s looking for, which is apparently called a rotary switch.

To her surprise and delight, he talks far more than he needs to about rotary switches. His dark velvet voice is lulling Rey half into a fantasy while she struggles to continue listening to his words. He repeats almost every word she says back to him coolly and casually. And these aren't complicated concepts. She isn’t sure if he's practicing an active listening technique from sales training or is simply aware of his effect on women. Or his effect on her. She stands inches from him and looks into his eyes. She wonders to what extent her white cheeks have bloomed into roses under her freckles and given her away.

"You need a dimmer?" He looks her in the eyes, but she’s transfixed on every flex of his jaw and twitch of his lip as he talks.

"Yes, but just the knob, not the whole thing,” she says.

He nods thoughtfully then confirms, "So you just need the plastic part?"

“Right, there’s still a stick you can use to turn it, but it’s naked,” Rey confirms. She pulls her phone out of her back pocket to show him what kind of set-up the panel has and what part she needs.

"So on the panel there's an up-down switch, and a rotary dimmer."

“Yeah." She shows him the knob on the store's app and says, "I think the dimmer part is in stock.”

He replies "Oh, it says aisle 2?" He looks in that direction like he’s trying to remember what’s in aisle 2. He must be new.

"No, we’re in the right aisle. It's wrong on the preview page, but if you click into it you can see," she explains.

"Oh, ok. This is what you need though?" He locks eyes with Rey.

Just like that, she’s imagining him taking off his apron and hoodie at the end of the day, revealing meaty biceps that want to burst out of a black, soft washed t-shirt. Running his large hand through his hair. Flexing those beautiful arms as he peels off the shirt. A smooth torso with hard pecs, scant chest hair. At the thought of this, the left half of her bottom lip starts to creep under her left front teeth, and he cracks a smile for the first time, from the right side of his mouth, almost like a mirror image to Rey’s. His teeth are pretty but unassuming. They're close to white and not overly straight.

Her cheeks grow warmer and she looks away, responding to his question with a slight nod, which she hopes doesn’t read as hesitant, before resuming eye contact. “Yeah,” she quietly confirms.

"But you don't need the regular switch, right?" He speaks with a relaxed beat, not rushing the conversation to its end.

"Uh-huh."

He's speaking low and soft and looks back and forth between Rey’s eyes, not at the screen they’re both supposedly studying. "You just need the dimmer."

"Yeah." She feels like this is being drawn out to the point of overkill, but she’s not complaining.

"And you only need the plastic part." Every time he speaks is like music.

"Yeah," she confirms, barely audible, with a smile.

He continues to search her eyes and she repeats, "Yeah."

For a brief moment, he seems to gaze at Rey as lustily as she knows she is looking at him before he gathers his thoughts. She feels self conscious and suspects by the amount that he’s talking he must know the spellbinding effect his voice has on her. But if that's the case, she supposes there’s no harm that could come from him knowing it.

"Okay, let’s go over here," he says as he leads her back to where she started at the front of the aisle. "I think I see it.” He crouches down to get something from the bottom shelf.

"That’s it!" Rey says with a grin.

She feels bad for not crouching down with him. She’s always self conscious of making people do too much work, but then she also doesn’t want to make it awkward by taking over. So it's not that she expects him to serve her, she’s just frozen. He starts to pull the small product off the metal rods. It's the exact one she’d shown him on her phone, but she notices a better color next to it. Rey squats down and as she looks at the package to the right of the one he's holding, he almost looks disappointed that he didn't pick the exact unit she needed.

She says, "This one is even better, it'll match the old yellowed white." As she slides the package toward her, her right thumb almost imperceptibly brushes his left hand which is still holding the other package. She hasn’t even thought about his package yet, but the lightest brush of his skin is enough to short Rey’s circuits. She gets nervous and stands up, thanks him twice with a genuine smile and that's all she can do.

"No problem," he says, and that's all. As Rey watches him walk away, she feels an odd desperation to hear his voice again. She thinks about making up another question and recording him with an app. Is that creepy? It’s a little creepy, but not full-blown creepy, right? It isn't an option to never hear his voice again. She briefly glances around and he's nowhere in sight. She gets a hold of herself and makes her way to the self checkout line and pays.

Scanning the parking lot as she leaves, Rey wonders which car is his. When she gets to her car, she realizes she doesn’t have her keys. She sheepishly walks back inside and grabs her keys and receipt from the self-checkout terminal she just used. She looks at the receipt - “Ben’s Hardware”. So it did change ownership. She feels someone watching her from the aisle straight ahead, but tries to play it cool. She smiles and shakes her head in disbelief as she turns around and leaves, heart pounding.

Rey forgets all about the soup she was going to get and drives on autopilot to the house to install the dimmer and bulbs. What was that back there? When did I become so shy? It’s been a long time since she’s felt a visceral longing for someone, too. She can feel the animal inside of her awakening from a years-long slumber. She isn’t worried about it, she welcomes it. It’s tame. She has the maturity and experience to stay in control.

She pulls into the broken driveway and parks under the carport. Bebe runs to greet her and Rey bends down to pet her when she opens the car door. This should be an easy but impactful little project. She enters the kitchen, and takes the rotary dial out, dismissing a ridiculous passing thought that she should have bought the white one, too, because he touched it.  She tears the packaging open and holds the off-white plastic rotary dial in her hand, smiling as she remembers all the ways he described it.  

She raises the cream plastic dial to the light switch panel and glances at its underside, confirming it’s compatible.  The unsheathed rotary peg juts out from the panel in anticipation. She holds the dial by its outer edge, aligning its hole with the peg, and gently eases the peg inside.  The dial slides all the way on and snaps into place. It sticks out a little far from the wall, but it works.  Then she unscrews the light bulbs in the cheap chandelier one by one and replaces them with the dimmable ones she bought. 

Finally, the moment of truth - she presses the rotary dial, which turns on the lights, but when she rotates the dimmer, it dims nothing. The dimmer wiring itself might not be LED compatible. Of course. It looks like she’ll have to go back to the store, but not today. She does her shopping and begrudgingly runs errands, and finishes off her day with a warm cup of rooibos.

When she gets in bed, her mind drifts back to Him. She’s dying to hear his voice again. He was so calm, aloof, but somehow radiating power. She interprets it as sexual energy, but she wonders if she’s just seeing what she wants to see. To keep his voice in her mind, she imagines him narrating, “So. This is your bed… we’re going to use an extra blanket tonight, because it’s cold.” She feels ridiculous. But when she drifts off to sleep, there he is.

*** 

Rey is in a living room, but not hers.  It’s a subtle mid-century style with huge windows and modern touches.  It’s dimly lit with a fire roaring behind a glass.  He’s slouched on a stool at a wet bar, drinking something on the rocks.  He’s wearing black slacks, a form-fitting charcoal button-up shirt, untucked, with the cuffs unbuttoned.  He has one foot on a rung of the stool and another with its heel on the ground as he looks at his glass. 

He looks at Rey and puts down the glass.  “Drink?” he asks, standing up to go around the other side of the bar.  Rey watches him.  “Whisky? Wine? Water?” he asks, while filling a glass of water.   “I’m fine,” she replies.  He puts the glass of water down on the smooth granite in front of a second stool that’s still tucked under the bar.  As he walks out from behind the bar, he lets his fingers graze the leather seat of the closest stool.  Rey notices he’s shoeless, wearing black and gray argyle socks.  Why is he so quiet? 

Right on cue, he says, “Well, you’re here.  What do you want to do?” It’s so vivid.  Rey is frozen and says nothing.  Her heartbeat quickens.  He paces patiently.  There’s a teal sectional facing the fireplace.  The living room has soft carpet that feels new under her bare feet.  He walks across the living room, crossing into It a breakfast nook with an oak table.  Behind the kitchen table, he reaches for the wall and lightly touches a conspicuously cheap looking dial that dims the room further.   He comes back toward Rey, and pauses between the breakfast nook and living room. There’s a cabinet separating the spaces, about the same height as the kitchen table.  It has a record player and a box of records sitting on top of it.  

He approaches the record cabinet, which is about hip height to him.  He’s facing Rey, with the cabinet and the entire living room in between them.  With a casual stretch of one leg, he spreads his feet to lower himself a little and look at the records. He rolls up his sleeves, glancing up at her with his tan forearms flexing.  He thumbs through the vinyl records, which appear to have no words on the covers.  He has his head down, his hair has fallen slightly in his face, and he’s glancing up at Rey every few seconds as he thumbs through the box. 

He starts reading out the names of records, and her butterflies intensify at the low rumble of his voice. “Led Zeppelin III,” “Some Girls,” “Get Behind Me Satan,” “Ocean’s 11,” “Travis” “John Wick 2”  The foliage outside rustles gently against the window.  The next time he looks up at her, he doesn't look back down.  It’s an expectant gaze as though to see if the sound of his voice was effective.  She squirms a little and blushes.  He holds her gaze, squints slightly, and smiles a little.  He’s finished going through the records.  He doesn’t put anything on the record player, but a song she likes starts playing anyway.  Think, by Kaleida.  

He gives Rey a mischievous, inquisitive look, and runs his hand through his hair as he walks over to the sectional. He takes a seat and hinges forward at the hip, putting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together.  She admires the shape of his forearms.  He raises his clasped hands upright and sets his chin on them playfully, his biceps straining his sleeves as he meets her eyes.  He says, “Well, here we are at my place,” which she doubts.  Rey doesn’t know what she expects his place is like in reality, but it isn’t this refined.  He chuckles, removing his elbows from his knees and resuming a more grown-up posture. With arched brows and an otherwise straight face, he says, “Really.” His brows relax again.  “What do you feel like doing?”  His voice floods every inch of her body with a yearning to be touched.  

She doesn’t know how to answer him.  She doesn’t know how she got there or what’s going on, but the combination of his voice, eye contact, and arms are enough for Rey to begin visually undressing him.  He inhales through his strong nose, meets her gaze, and cocks an eyebrow: “Now that’s an idea."   He sinks all the way back into the cushions, his palms on his thighs, as if to take in the moment with a subtle, satisfied smile.  He then abruptly sits back up and starts unbuttoning his shirt.  As if on command. . . Holy shit, Rey thinks.  She realizes this is a dream. She’s lucid.  It’s like a 5-d game where she can feel everything.    In theory, she can do whatever she wants.  What she really wants at this moment is to straddle him.   

He glances down between his legs and coolly says, “sit anywhere you want.”  She feels observed, even though he isn’t real.  She walks over to the sectional and perches next to him on the edge of its velvet cushion. She feel herself getting wet.  She’s wearing a gray stretch miniskirt–something she wouldn’t have picked out for herself–black leggings, and a green cardigan with no undershirt.  He finishes unbuttoning his shirt and discards it on the floor.  She sees exactly what she’d pictured earlier - a strong physique, his lightly bronzed arms straining against a soft washed t-shirt.  “What’s your name,” he asks, and she feel a warmth growing between her legs.     She tells him, “Rey.”  “Rey,” he repeats, and she fruitlessly responds, “What’s yours?” 

He sighs and gazes around wistfully, “Her name is Rey.”  Then his eyes are back on her.  He places a large hand softly on her knee.  Electrified, she reciprocates.   It’s not real, she reminds herself.  She can do anything.  The guy from the store will never know.  She dares to run her hand a few inches up his quad and give his muscle a light squeeze.  He exhales with the slightest little groan,  “yeah,” and moves his hand to the small of back to urge her closer.  She’s sitting next to him but facing him now, left leg folded under her, working her right hand up his quad. 

The expanse of his thigh dwarfs her pale fingers on his black pants as she leans forward and lets her heel nestle between her legs to relieve some tension.  A tsunami of tingling deep inside her spreads through her breasts.  She grips his thigh for support, and lifts herself just barely,  intending to bring the inner crook of one knee up over his closest leg in a cuddly way while remaining seated on the couch.  A tent in his pants catches her eye and her skin starts to burn with urgency.  If she moves too quickly, she wonders if she could startle herself awake.  

As Rey raises her leg, he brings his far hand to it, gently coaxing her to move all the way onto his lap.  Her skirt rides up over her ass as she follows his lead.  He seizes one buttock in each hand, gives them a gentle squeeze, and takes a deep breath.  She is overcome with arousal and takes her own deep breath, shuddering and blinking slowly as she exhales. Her legs are now spread wide open straddling his lap, but she’s hovering and hasn’t put her weight on him yet.  Her head is a little higher than his in this position.  He bows his head and nuzzles his nose into her cardigan between her breasts, closing his eyes and taking in her scent.  

Rey’s modest chest is heaving against his face and he cradles her with both arms as she breathes.  She places her hands gently on his shoulders, and slowly moves them inward to fondle the hair at the nape of his neck.  She twirls a lock around her finger contemplatively, but she’s still hovering.  His arms are under hers with his face still in her sweater.  He drags his nose up to her neck and she feels her cardigan unbutton, exposing a lace bra, which is fastened in the front.  He looks up at her and reiterates in an intimate whisper, “you can sit anywhere you want.”  

Rey could tell from his breathing what would await her in his lap.  Her leggings were already soaked.  One by one, she scooted her knees closer to the back of the couch on either side of his expansive torso and let her weight down.  She is now truly straddling him, her inner thighs and the intimate seam of her warm, moist leggings fully embracing his arousal.  Her wetness spread through her leggings and into his pants.  His lumber swells against her, pulsing into her aching nub.  “Yeah,” he breathes.  “Right here.” She leans forward to feel his full length, which spans from her privates to her belly button as he thrusts against her. 

Over the course of a few blissful seconds, she feels his erection press harder against her, slide upward, then come back down, and repeat.  His mouth finds her neck, then her mouth.  She accept his lips hungrily and grinds back in rhythm.  Her lips pull away as pleasure shoots through her gut and breasts.  She leans her head back and gasps.  He moves his way back down to her heart, nuzzling his nose along her neck then planting a kiss on her collar bone, another kiss on her breast.   

Then his teeth lightly pinch her skin as they find the front of her bra.  He looks up at her as the clasp flies open and her breasts are free.  Her hard nipples are framed loosely by her dangling bra and the top half of her cardigan which is still buttoned, only at the bottom.  She’s still wearing leggings, but his cock feels too good to leave it for even one moment to undress further.  She continues to slowly grind against him as he moves one hand to her breast, keeping the other behind her for support.  He palms one breast, lightly at first, grazing her nipple with the heel of his palm, then softly cups the whole breast, enveloping it in his large hand as he continues to slowly thrust into her warmth  He uses his free hand to bring her close enough to kiss her other breast. 

Rey is burning up now.  He undoes the last two buttons of her cardigan and she lets it fall off her shoulders, discarding her bra at the same time.  She reaches down to the hem of his shirt and slides four curled fingers underneath it.  He helps her take it off, and she takes in the sight of his shredded torso.  His right pec has a scar.  She traces it with her thumb.  His pecs are so hard.  As she explores him, they continue grinding, then he gives a more emphatic thrust, like his cock cannot physically get close enough to her.  She reaches between their loins and strokes his arousal through his pants, tracing the outline of his cock in detail.  His pants are damp and shiny from her leggings and with a wetter spot of his own.  

Rey needs him badly.  He isn’t wearing a belt.  She frantically searches for his button and zipper and carefully frees him. She holds, and beholds, the glorious, veiny shaft that lands in her hand.  She savors the feeling of its soft skin as it throbs in her hand.  “You. . . are a vision,” he murmurs into her chest, which is exactly what she was thinking about his package.  She moves her thumb to the head of his cock, collects a bead of precum, and swirls around the head affectionately.  Her brows furrow with want.   He holds her tighter, closing the gap between them.  He begins thrusting again, hard and slow.  Rey grinds her throbbing warmth against his lower shaft while her hand is still in between them.  

She feels the spine of her groin twitching and knows she’s close.  She takes a deep breath and lets a sharper pleasure overtake her chest and groin.  Her breath quickens as she nears her peak.  She still has her leggings on. He reaches his broad hands into the back of her leggings, taking one buttcheek in each hand and moves her up and down against him.  “I need you,” he breathes. They look into each other’s eyes and there’s something wild in his pupils, something dark, like a warm, black hole, drawing her in.  “Take me,” she says.  He reaches a hand behind her neck to cradle her head, and they gaze at each other, breathing, grinding.  Then he pulls her face decisively to his.  

Rey inhales through her nose as their lips meet hungrily. He kisses her hard, too messily to  seal their mouths together, leaving his lower lip between her lips as he draws in a deep breath through his mouth.   He then closes his lips on her upper lip, his teeth and tongue slightly grazing it.  Half his mouth opens into hers, the other halves of their mouths still breathing heavily. 

He shifts her slightly upward, wraps her around his waist, and she feels the head of his rock hard cock aggressively nuzzling her clit, up and down.  His tongue finds hers and she lets it brush against her teeth.  When she pulls away for a moment, he looks her in the eyes. They’re both moving faster now, and  as they’re about to come, she folds herself into him, sliding her lips down his chin to his neck and opening her mouth, breathing against his skin. 

His thumb finds her most sensitive place and one touch sends her over the edge.  The pleasure is almost too much to bear.  Her ass clenches as ecstacy blooms from her groin, her nipples, her ears, and deep within her gut.  Muscles she didn’t even know she had shudder in release, and he wraps his arms tight around her, thrusting to the beat of her orgasm.  She rides wave after wave, pulsating against his cock, and as another wave swells he groans, and she feels his cock begin its own contractions, intensifying hers.  

Rey’s mouth is open against his neck and she’s breathing into his skin and as he unleashes a huge lode of cum, between them, soaking through her leggings, and gluing their clothes together.  Her canines dig harmlessly into the side of his neck – she can’t resist –  then she brings her lips to the flesh and seals it with a kiss.   She collapses into him, loosely hugging him with her legs, and the two of them just breathe.  Then he tightens his arms around her in a hug, and she looks up. She sees the mark of her teeth on his neck, and remembers no one else will see it.  This isn’t real.  

She nuzzles her head into her mark and blinks her eyelashes against his skin.   He sighs slowly through his nose, then she feel the vibrations of his voice against her face as he says, “You are… remarkable.”  She lies there breathing for a few minutes and he wraps them both in a cream, cable-knit throw.  She falls asleep in his arms and wakes up in her own bed, marveling at how a dream can make one feel like they’ve experienced someone so intimately.  She hadn’t had a lucid dream in years.  She absently scratches an itch between her breasts and wonders how she can be sure to dream of him again tonight.  Was it the rooibos, or the sheer will of her want?

[liiilyevans]

Singer/Band AU

Part 7. Peep below the cut!

Ginny was sitting outside the roller rink on the sun warmed wooden bench when her brother finally showed up. He was grumbling loudly and looked highly annoyed, which was a good sign if you asked Ginny. Hermione was elbowing his side and also looked annoyed, more likely at Ron than the situation. She was wearing a dress, too, which Ginny thought was a terrible idea. At least it was loose and between her knees and ankles in length. No one was going to catch a glimpse of her knickers when she fell.

Then there was Harry. He was wearing jeans, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he watched Ron and Hermione with raised eyebrows. Ginny assumed the look on his face was amusement, but she couldn't tell for sure. He was wearing a faded Imagine Dragons t-shirt, his hair as messy as the last time she'd seen him. When his green eyes landed on her, a smile fell over his face and he waved.

That was her que to stand.

"I hate you," Ron grumbled as she stretched.

"Well, geez, Ron, I hate you, too, so I guess we're even."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really? This is the mood we're setting for the afternoon?" She glanced down at Ginny. "Won't you get your knees banged up in that?"

Ginny glanced down at her shorts and exposed knees. "No."

"What if you fall?" Hermione said.

"I'm not planning on falling."

"But you can't be sure of that."

"Hermione, you're wearing a dress," Ginny said. "I don't think you have the right lecture me about my clothing choices."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched into the roller rink. A cool breeze met her when she stepped inside as well as bright red lights of Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop and roller rink. Old Florean was behind the counter, scooping some chocolate ice cream into a cup. When he saw her, a grin slipped over his face and he waved. Ginny grinned and waved back. His grandson was behind the counter for the skates, and he gave her an easy smile as she approached the counter.

"Hey, Gin," he said. "Long time no see."

Ginny beamed. It had been. She and Bill used to come here a lot when she was a kid. Ginny was often prone to loud outbursts when she was upset, and they could turn violent fairly quickly. She had pulled Ron's hair on multiple occasions and kicked the twins in the shins (though she'd never managed to figure out how to get them both at the same time). Her mother had been appalled. It was hardly fair though. The boys wrestled all the time, and Ginny had only been copying what she'd seen them do. Nevertheless, she'd still gotten in trouble and had been sternly lectured on several occasions, though that rarely helped. Her mother had been at her wit's end and Bill had been her saving grace.

Whenever he saw her start to get frustrated, he'd ask her if she wanted to nip out to Florean's for ice cream and a quick skate. It was clever of him because it made young Ginny, with her knobby knees and numerous freckles, feel special. Bill was always rather good at that. So, they'd come here, and Bill would spend the money he'd earned that week as a paperboy on ice cream and roller blades. He never brought up her behavior at home, but slowly, her outbursts stopped, her mother stopped pulling her hair out, and Ginny became rather good at roller blading.

"Hey, Marco," she said. "Size six, please."

"Already gotcha," he said. "Ron?"

"I'm just watching," Ron said.

"No, he's not," Ginny said. "Size 15."

When Marco slid the skates across to her, she roughly shoved them into her brother's chest, knocking the air out of him and forcing him to grab them. Then she turned and marched over to the benches to put her skates on. Just as she'd finished tying up the laces of her first skate, Harry sat down across from her. Ron and Hermione were still over by the front desk, quietly bickering.

"Remind me why he's not keen on this," Harry said as he tied his first skate.

"Because he sucks ass at it," Ginny said.

"Shut the fuck up," Ron said, glaring as he walked past her.

Ginny just grinned as Hermione rolled her eyes.

Once she'd tied her second skate on, she rolled her feet back and forth a couple times before standing up and starting toward the rink. As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Hermione stand up as well, only to flail her arms before putting them on Harry's shoulders. Ginny just laughed.

After she'd been around the rink a few times, Ron and Hermione both managed to make it onto the rink, Harry following skeptically behind them. He was much better at this than either of them with Ron clinging onto the railing and Hermione rolling a few inches before flailing her arms. Ginny slowed down as she approached them.

"They're a hazard," Harry muttered to her.

"For sure," she said. Nodding her head to the left, she skated around them. Harry followed her. "Remind me how you met Ron again."

"I told you," Harry said easily. "We met at university."

"Right, but why haven't I met you before?" she said, eying him shrewdly. "I bring friends over all the time."

A slight lie. Mainly, she brought Luna over, and Dean when they'd been dating, but not many more.

Harry shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm usually busy on the weekends. That's when you have your family dinner, right?"

"Yeah."

"Besides, if Ron brought me as his date, Hermione would get jealous."

Ginny threw back her head and laughed. Hermione was right about one thing. His sense of humor was killer. As she managed to get herself under control again, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, only to notice that he was already looking at her, green eyes bright and a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Guess Ron be really jealous if you came as my date then."

Ginny didn't mean to flirt. It just slipped out, and she wasn't one to take things back or downplay them. Once you spoke them, life was breathed into words, like when she sang them.

Harry looked away from her then, but his smile grew bigger. "Most definitely."

She pushed off her skate hard to get enough momentum to get in front of him, then flipped herself around so she was skating backwards. When she glanced up at his eyes, they were bright as his eyebrows raised and a smirk starting to form across his lips. He had nice lips.

"You're really good at this, aren't you?" he said.

Ginny shrugged. "I hope this doesn't affect your plans for the song too much. I know I changed it last minute."

"S'alright," he said, grinning now. "I was actually going to suggest recording a demo. I think the work you've done has been great."

"Really?" Ginny said because she had never worked through this process with anyone. It had always just been her. This felt intimate, skating with him in a large rink talking about music and figuring out where this song - their song - should go next.

"Yeah," he replied. "It sounds great. We can do the demo at my place because I've got the basic equipment. Once we've fine tuned things, we can head to the recording studio in London."

The grin that slid across her face was huge and she didn't even care. Harry was grinning right back at her, until he wasn't.

"Oh, shit."

Ginny spun around just in time to see Hermione flailing her arms right back into Ron, and her idiotic brother's feet fly out from under him as he wrapped an arm around her middle to keep her from falling. Then they were both falling to the ground with a loud thump, Ron's head smacked against the concrete. Groaning, Ron just flopped back on the floor with his eyes snapped shut. Hermione was sprawled out on top of him; she had somehow managed to flip herself around and land most of her upper body on top of Ron. She looked comical with her big hair flying all over the place as she looked up at Ron to see if he was ok.

"That was impressive," Ginny said when she and Harry rolled up next to the downed couple.

Ron finally opened his eyes to glare at her.

"Are you ok?" Hermione whispered.

"Fuck you," Ron said to Ginny. "I'm fine. Can you just get up? I need some fucking ice cream-"

The rest of Ron's sentence was cut off by a groan as Hermione pressed her elbow right into his solar plex.

"Sorry!" she said, pushing herself up quickly only to loose her footing and fall back on top of Ron.

Ginny laughed as her brother groaned. Pushing off her skate, she moved behind Hermione. "Push onto your knees," she told her. Once she was up, Ginny grabbed her under the armpits and hauled her to her feet, no easy task considering that Hermione was taller than her. "Grab the rail."

Hermione clung to the rail like it was her new favorite book. When she turned back to Ron, he'd pressed himself up onto his elbows and looked like he was two seconds away from killing her.

Ginny just grinned in response.

"C'mon, mate," Harry said, grabbing onto Ron much the same way she'd grabbed Hermione.

"Fucking roller blades," Ron muttered darkly as he stood up.

Once they were rolling toward the exit, Ginny fell back into line with Harry, who, she thought, hung back to talk to her.

"So, your uncles are coming to town?" she said.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. They raised me since I was twelve."

"Since you were twelve?" Ginny said. "What about before twelve?"

A dark look passed over Harry's face, but it was gone almost as soon as it was there. Like he was used to hiding it. Ginny wasn't sure what to make of that or the tight feeling it caused in her chest.

He glanced down at his watch. "I'll have to go soon if I'm going to catch the train when it arrives, but I'll buy you a ice cream before you leave."

"Deal."

[skyechaser]

Bumbleby Bike Gang AU 2/?

"Whatever took you so long, pet?" Adam asked as Blake sat next to him. His breath smelled like alcohol.

"I was just talking to the bartender" she replied "She's nice"

"The waitress is nice too, right guys?" the red haired man asked the group and they all yelped in agreement.

The truth was talking to Yang was a nice break from her usual days. Being with the gang all the time was not always her cup of tea. Specially when her parents had left two years ago. Things had changed quite a lot since Adam became leader. What was once a group of people enjoying their rides and helping the communities they visited had become a lot more boisterous. They would get into fights and sometimes get involved with drugs and dealers. She didn't like that.

A part of her wanted to leave but she couldn't imagine a different life for herself. She had always been on the road. Besides, Adam would more than likely not allow it and she feared him just as much as she loved him. It was complicated. Their relationship had started when she was young and her parents didn't really like it. But there was something magnetic about him, about the way he made her feel. So it was no surprise when he took over.

They left when the sun was already up and Blake made sure to wave at Yang as they left. The blonde waved back with a grin that made her smile. As usual, they headed to the closest motel to spend the night. The plan was to stay in town for a week, rest up, fuel up and leave. Adam had some contacts he wanted to make business with and Blake had decided to ignore the nature of such ventures.

"Come over here, love" Adam called her from the bed, offering his hand. His eyes were glossy and his speech was slurred. She complied and grabbed his hand, sitting on his lap. They kissed and it tasted like beer. When they first got together Adam would make her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. He was kind to her and treated her with love and respect. The first time they spent a night together, her first ever sexual experience, it was beautiful and fulfilling. As time passed things changed and she would find herself enjoying intimacy with him less every time.

When she woke up, Adam was passed out. She didn't feel like staying in the room so she showered, got dressed and hedead outside after leaving the man a note. Blake headed to the reception and asked the woman behind the counter for directions to the local library. Patch seemed like a nice town. Too quiet and peaceful for The White Fang to disturb.

She was a couple of blocks away from the library when she saw her. Yang was walking towards her with a smaller younger girl she assumed was her little sister Ruby. When their eyes met her heart stopped.

"Hey, you!" the blonde greeted her.

"Hey, yourself" Blake greeted back.

"Hello, I'm Ruby" the younger girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby"

"You headed to the library?" Yang guessed.

"Yeah" Blake answered "The guys are all passed out so I thought I get some reading done. Where are you headed?"

"We're gonna get some ice cream to celebrate this one's amazing grades on her finals" Yang replied "Wanna come with?"

"Yes" the black haired girl said without even thinking. Spending time with the bartender seemed like an awesome plan. There was something about her that made her feel like they had met many times before even if they had only met last night.

They headed to a local ice cream shop and Yang bought all of them a double with fudge. They laughed a lot and Blake felt sincerly comfortable and happy. It was a nice change of pace. She hand't really realized how dull her days had become. How rutinary her life had become and how much she was choosing to ignore just to go by. This was different. They lost track of time and when Blake looked at her phone she saw several missed calls from Adam and some angry texts asking where she was.

"I think I better get back" she said, anxiety building up inside of her. Yang noticed.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, gently placing a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Yeah" she lied "I just have to leave right now" she said standing up "Thanks a lot for the ice cream. I had a very nice time"

"We had a nice time too" Ruby replied with a smile.

"Are you sure you are all right?" Yang asked again with a sincere look of worry on her face. Something had drastically changed in Blake's demeanor as soon as she looked at her phone and she had a very good idea of what it was about. More precisely who it was about.

"I'm fine" she lied again as the anxiety got worse. She should have checked her phone before. She should have answered his calls "See you soon I hope"

"Let me give you my number" the blonde offered and Blake, in spite of how bad she felt, took the time to save the other girl's contact and give hers back.

She walked to the motel as fast as she could without running. She went to her and Adam's room and found him sitting on the bed with a scary look on his face. She immediately started trembling in fear.

"Where the fuck where you, Blake?" he said "I read your little note so I waited but then you wouldn't pick up the fucking phone or answer any of my messages. What the fuck were you doing that was so important you had no time for me?"

"I was at the library so I put it on silent mode and I got distracted by the..." she couldn't finish the sentence. Adam stood up and slaped her hard on the face.

"I don't care for your fucking excuses, Blake" he said, inches away from her face "When I call you, you answer"

"I'm sorry, Adam" she said, trying not to cry. Her cheek hurt like hell. It wasn't the first time he had been violent with her and she knew it was her fault. If only she had answered her phone.

"I don't care if you are sorry" Adam said as he grabbed her by the hair and put her against the wall, smashing her head against it in the process "You need to be punished so you can learn" he kissed her violently, his hand moving to her neck.

"I'm sorry, Adam" she said again, finally breaking down and crying. She was so scared.

"You belong to me, Blake. Tell me you are mine"

"I'm yours" she replied "I belong to you"

"That's good, love" he said, finally letting go and backing away from her "I don't like to get mad at you. I love you, Blake"

"I know" Blake replied, walking towards the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and could see how her cheek was starting to bruise. Her left eye was red. Why did she put up with this?

"I have some business today so me and the guys will be leaving for the day. I want you to wait here for me, okay?"

"Okay" she answered, feeling happy that Adam was not going to be around. When he left she layed down on the bed and looked at her phone. She had one new message.

Yang: Are you okay?

She was anything but okay. She was a mess. A beaten up, humilliated and sad mess. But somehow the thought of Yang made the tears disappear. She could even feel a little bit of joy trying to make its way through.

Blake: Yeah. I was just late for some White Fang thing.

Yang: You looked pale when you left. You scared me.

Blake: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine.

Yang: How about I take you out tomorrow?

The offer was tempting, even if it meant that she could get in trouble with Adam. She could come up with some excuse. It was worth it if she could spend time with Yang. Somehow she smiled.

Blake: Sure. Let's do it.

[dustisinthewindow]

So after posting the concepts I started thinking about the plot l, so I'm just going to write down my top two ideas, but they both branch off so I'll start with their common ground. Also here's more context for what I'm talking about

This is bigger than I thought so I'm color coding this

Red- important context of the world (titan lore and world political BG)

Orange- pre S1 -s1 (The world building and bonding)

Green- s2 [Route 1]

Blue- s2 [Route 2]

Purple- s3 (post apocalypse)

Pink- s4 (learning what happened/ the gargoyle titan au)

*world building*

there are many species of titan. I covered and am still working out the kinks, but here all that are currently relevant, old gen star titans (absolute giant, lived around the demon realms equivalent to the Cretaceous period, this is the boiling isles species), and the living titans are modern/neo moon, sun and star (aka collectors).

There are subspecies but those are the three broad categories. Neo titans are not located near the boiling isles corpse, and therefore the inhabitants have very little knowledge and exposure to any titan other than the isles. So basically there is a bunch of wars that make a bunch of tension in the titan world, and only thing relevant rn is that there is a group of star titans called the archivest, who are trying to wipe out all the other titans.

When the titans vs archivists war breaks out the boiling isles is suddenly subject to titans again by battles being fought all around the globe. Imagine a god species you thought was extinct suddenly just appearing and fighting other gods, yeah.

Pre S1 and s1

King somehow made it to the isles pre war, and finds Eda, and they live together. Belos is in the process of cracking down on wild magic, and Eda is in and out of jail, but there really is no foster care system so king is fending for himself while she's in jail (important).

Eventually around 7 years after this, the political climate is calming down in the isles, and Luz is sent to be her apprentice. This is where S1 starts, it's mostly filler, world building etc. I want to note that at the point of S1 they are more aware of the archivests, and titans, but there still a lot of religious belief surrounding them.

We start to set up the collector and other archivests as bad gods. In s2 a there is a bit more political tension as religion is being more prevalent but problematic, the owl family goes into hiding as belos is now using the titan more and more to push covens.

S2B is where the two ideas branch off, so we'll start with A:

Kings hiding works and is not found out, day of unity plays out relatively the same, just the collector is trapped more previously and never met belos but was trapped and hidden by a titan. King gets way more injured, and the separation is different.

B

King is found out. He gets kidnapped and his horn shaved to remove his memories and basically make him more obedient and "trainable".

He is used as an alterboy by the state church to help get the people more under belos' thumb. They pull a church of england and if you don't belong to the titans church it's considered treason.

He finds his horn, and while not fully back it's enough to make him realize he needs to get the fuck outta there. He dose a few days pre DoU and hides out, then the apocalypse comes and basically the same thing as the first branch happens.

S3

The collector is taking care of king. They are just surviving. Collie is a bit more than fucked up and freaks out king, however collie is just parroting the learnt bigotry, he will learn to be better. King heals up, and they start playing when it's safe enough (like kids do, they are still children).

Collie starts unlearning and healing mentally. Eventually the owl family reunited in s3b and they spend time at the owl house trying to get out of survival mode. The war is mostly over now with most adult titans dead or dieing. Leaving behind juveniles at the oldest and eggs at the youngest. King and collie assume they are the last (they get NO contact or anything indicating otherwise).

S4

A time skip occurs (idk I need to do some math) after s4. The isles is mostly back to normal, king goes to school, the collector bounces between his home and the planet.

Eventually Lilith finds a titan palisman (gargoyle) in hibernation, and brings king to show him. Kings magic awakens it and and there a mini arc if just that.

King collie and the gang then go to sort out the titan trapper thing, and discover an old archive. Gargoyle then runs away into it, and then they find a statue of a titan (ire) king touches it and ire gets un archived. Drama happens, and then ire gets brought back and then goes through his adjusting arc.

Then ire just teaches king about titans. He also explaines the lore of what happened earlier in the series. There may or may not be another titan added to explain even more idk yet. Eventually a surviving archivest or neo archivest (as in the connotation of neo natzi) comes down, and a big battle insues and eventually ire and said archivest get fuzed in the in-between never to be seen again. And then the au Basically just ends there.

Ending notes;

This au is about going through a traumatic childhood but not understanding what was going on, no longer haveing memories of it, and then going about the process of healing from it. It is about unlearning lies you were taught, and trying to be more than your abusers.

This will likely be used to vent out my own life, as this is what's happening to me. I have very little memories of my life before 2022, and I know I didn't understand anything of what was happening. I only really have my parents to tell me what happened but they have two polar opposite stories, and I really don't know how to navigate what's real and what's fake. It's scary and confusing man.

[metaltea]

I had this little idea, but I'm too shy to post it on my account and I didn't want to let it die. So how about a Sun and Moon outlast au?

You are an older brother, or maybe a parent, the point is that you have a small child to take care of. He disappeared and the only place the police didn't check is this crazy old place, abandoned for all you know and the police would ban you from going if they knew what you were planning.

So, you go in there and, the place is not abandoned

There are many people, deformed and thirsty for blood, you have to run, but you won't leave without your child, You find and a camera and a decent amount of batteries that you struggle to distribute, you lose some fingers, you definitely have traumas and you don't know how to get out, you start to convince yourself that your child is not here.

At one point you find a strange robot that chases you, it laughs like a maniac and its claws leave marks where they rest, it has red eyes that glow in the dark, its sharp teeth make you wonder if it eats meat. He is unexpectedly clean of blood, but to no one's surprise he is not afraid of getting stained. You run and stumble, in the end you reach this large room, it is colorful, happy, but the colors are worn out and there are brown stains on the floor, and you hear someone calling your name.

Your child comes out from under some rubble, runs towards you and you welcome him with open arms. Then you have a few seconds of relief, and then metal arms surround you and you spin around. A laugh resonates in your ears, your feet don't touch the floor and when you look up you see another robot, this time it has rays of sun, a happy smile, pure happiness and when you get off it introduces itself. His name is Sun, he is in charge of making you have a good time and taking care of your mental health.

The robot that chased you enters the room, and Sun must interfere. There is an argument, the red-eyed one says that you are trespassing on private property, and Sun says that they can make exceptions, after all you were friends with his little friend.

Then you spend a whole afternoon with them, the one you discover is called Moon tells you how he was patrolling when he came across this innocent child wandering in the yard, it was too dangerous to leave him there, too many bad people wandering around, they couldn't just push him into the woods. And Sun was glad to have a friend.

When you say you have to go, they just look at you. Moon says he will leave to patrol, you go after him shortly after saying goodbye to a Sun who just looks at you in silence.

The door is locked.

Goosebumps break out on your skin and you are acutely aware of the jingling bells approaching. You hide the child behind you and turn around. Sun opens his arms and talks about how it is safer here, the four of you could fit in here without a problem. Moon was always away but he would bring blankets, food and the basics, Sun would take care of you two, you would play a lot of games. No one would ever bother them.

You have a feeling these robots are going to be more trouble than any crazy person in this damn place.

You will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent who hides here, even if you have to fake a smile until you know how to escape. That probably won't go well the first few tries, you get somewhat humiliating punishments that you have to disguise for the infant, and Sun is okay with that.

But no matter how long it takes, you will get out of here.

FUCK YEA OUTLAST AUUUUUUUU

This is an awesome idea!! Idk if it's more scary to be around a bunch of insane humans or a couple robots with not all their screws intact (I'd stay with them in a heartbeat either way)

Dude imagine the daycare but like. It's even more in shambles and completely in the dark aside from the night vision on your camera. Sun's smile showing up a bit too bright around the corners. You can't even cry, you have to put up a brave face for the kid...

That is some gooooooood soup right there. Thank you for sharing!!!

[oxygenbefore1775]

Hi I’m still thinking about your Reijean Venetian AU. The Moretta and Bauta masks fascinated me so much! I was wondering if you have anymore headcanons/thoughts/ideas you have of this AU that you want to share 🥰

Hello!

How kind of you, I'm very happy that something made by me managed to interest someone in this way

To be honest, not that much. Aside from that moretta and bauta mask post, I only ever expressed musings about the two of them being head-over-heels idiots in love (because it's hilarious) and that other involving Venetian Inquisition (because that's what the most of my research would involve). It's very hard for me to think of something both exciting enough so that I would find it meritting a share and be specific to the setting of the Venetian Republic and not just vaguely period-adjacent.

I. But I've been thinking about some mirror-related musings, considering that by the 16th century Venice made the highest quality mirrors (with France being a close second)

How normally 16th century mirrors were quite small and distorted the image a lot especially as it got closer to the edge. But in Venice they managed to come up with a new method of mirror-making that allowed for enhanced clarity and bigger size (up to 40"). Just thinking about Jean getting Reiner one of this mirrors for his palazzo — maybe even the one tinted with oxides to a specific color should Jean's wealth afford it — gifting it to him so that Reiner could look at himself at any moment and see what's consistently getting Jean all hot and bothered all the time (spoilee, it's everything of Reiner). And maybe just maybe, Jean gave Reiner this huge mirror so that he could finally observe them fucking in all detail.

II. Or maybe about how in the Republic golden hair were considered very attractive — and how Jean trying to be in fashion would spend a lot of time out in the sun to get his hair naturally bleached (Reiner lucky bastard is already predisposed to having fair hair thanks to his genetics). Normally to achieve that but at the same time not to get tan (since it was an attribute of a peasant) one would wear a hat with a cut-out top so that the hair is exposed while the face remains hidden. So Jean would wear something like that. Luckily, he's too tall for anyone to see the top of his head and find out.

III. Or I would sometimes imagine them with a codpiece (ah 16th century fashion my beloved)

Other than that, I really don't have anything specific in mind

[threehuskiesinatrenchcoat]

me and @instantpartykidrascal are talking about the at this point crack turned beloved and respected transformers au and here's some goofy excerpts - alejandro spends some of his time waiting for graves at work by collecting rumors from the conversations on the parking lot. shares the latest tea with graves later. graves knows too much but nobody would suspect his car is the one snitching

- car washes never go the way they're supposed to go because they're both horny - someone whistles at the cool ride graves has while he's not around and alejandro later jokingly complains that his employees are catcalling him - graves is super late for work so alejandro is speeding like a madman and graves is like "i'm so going to jail for this" and alejandro just goes "relax as far as the authorities are concerned the number plates belonged to one general shepherd" - when graves is with ale in holoform and one of them is anxious/agitated he subconciously places his hand somewhere on the car for comfort, not on his human form - they're making out and ale is in holoform and graves is pinned to the hood of the car but after some time yelps and jumps off because it wasn't just his imagination, the car did get really hot like it's been sitting in the sun for the whole day, and he's not about to burn his ass off. ale is understandably a but bummed but he gets it, they move somewhere else - someone asks if they can take graves' car for a ride and he replies no and alejandro teasingly says yeah it's his privilege only and the person is left with a weird feeling that there was some sexual innuendo here albeit it's not clear if it's between graves and his boyfriend or the car somehow - "damn where'd you get that beauty?" asks someone, gesturing to his car "landfill :)", replies graves. the car door opens and smacks him. "faulty wiring", says graves. the headlights blink. - ghost, the pro of appearing in the room without anyone noticing, gets SO humbled by alejandro just seemingly manifesting out of nowhere when he's not looking. he can't catch him in the act no matter how hard he tries. he accepts that alejandro is just stealthier than him somehow. graves tells ale he's cheating, ale says the confusion ghost radiates every time is so worth it