#if you actually read all this props to you

[emjayewrites]

wash day • aurelien tchouameni

SYNOPSIS: Aurelien washes his girlfriend's hair for the first time.

PAIRINGS: Aurelien Tchoameni x black!fem reader

WARNINGS: boyfriend!aurelien, fluff

TAGLIST: @f1-football-fiend, @sucredreamer, @whoevenisthiz, @deonn-jaelle, @lettersofgold, @trenterprise, @irishmanwhore, @pepfectionary, @alika-4466, @shelovesfootie

"Alright, we're live," she announced, adjusting her phone while lying back on their kitchen counter, neck positioned over the sink. "Y'all about to see if my man can handle this 4C life."

Aurélien arranged his products methodically: Melanin Haircare shampoo, Pattern conditioner, and a wide-tooth detangling comb. His own phone propped against the coffee maker, Knicks game loading.

"I got this, babe."

The comments started flooding: @/sinflower_11: omg he's really doing her hair in the KITCHEN @/meenyminy: that sink setup actually genius tho @/phillyest_1234: mans got the good products too 👀 @/herschel_west: NOT WHILE WATCHING BASKETBALL

Aurélien tested the water temperature before letting it run through her hair, his large hands surprisingly gentle as they worked in the shampoo. His attention split between proper sectioning and Jalen Brunson's three-pointer attempts.

"YES!" he shouted at a particularly good play, accidentally tugging a knot.

"Ow!" she yelped, water splashing.

"Désolé, mon cœur," he immediately bent to kiss her temple. "Got excited."

The comments exploded: Jude Bellingham: mate you're gonna be sleeping on the couch 😂 Eduardo Camavinga: this man really watching basketball while doing hair. Ibrahima Konaté: my guy is WHIPPED whipped

She read Ibou's comment aloud, making Aurélien kiss his teeth. "Tell this man to mind his business."

But his hands stayed gentle as he worked through each section, methodically detangling while stealing glances at the game. The Pattern conditioner made her hair silky under his fingers.

"Look at him being all focused," she narrated for the live. "Who taught you about these products?"

"You think I don't pay attention?" He carefully worked through a knot.

More comments rolled in: @/minaroe: he really got the technique down @/everyone_luvslulu: HUSBAND MATERIAL @/thelivest: that neck position looks mad comfortable actually

The Knicks scored again, but this time Aurélien contained his excitement, fingers never faltering as they worked through her hair.

"See?" he smirked. "I can multitask."

"We'll see how the final result looks," she teased, but her content smile said everything.

Aurélien did a final rinse, and her hair turned out squeaky clean and thoroughly detangled. He helped her sit up, wrapping her hair in a microfiber towel with practiced ease.

"And now for the blowout," she announced as she went to sit on a dining room chair.

He reached for their heat protectant products, displaying each bottle to the camera with exaggerated showmanship since the Knicks were at halftime. "We got the good stuff."

Her laugh rang out. "Look at him, acting like a beauty guru."

Comments flooded: @/haircare101: he knows his products! @/knicksfan: bro using halftime to do hair

Aurélien sectioned her hair carefully, wielding the blow dryer with surprising competence as she guided him through the process.

@/naturalhair: Can he do a silk press too?

"Nah," she laughed. "We're not there yet, but—"

Her words cut off as Aurélien appeared with professional hair scissors. The comments exploded:

@/protectivestyles: GIRL THE TRUST @/hairgoals: pls dont let him cut too much @/blackgirlmagic: prayers up yall Eduardo Camavinga: now he's just showing off Jude Bellingham: mate's really out here being a whole stylist

Aurélien's bottom lip caught between his teeth in concentration as he carefully trimmed her split ends, his movements precise and measured.

"Look at this masterpiece," she said afterward, turning her head to show all angles. Her hair fell in a sleek, healthy curtain, ends perfectly trimmed.

As Aurélien cleaned up in the background, she chatted with viewers about products and techniques. The live ended with him wrapping his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to her freshly done hair.

The Knicks won. But his victory was in her satisfied smile and the hundreds of comments declaring him boyfriend of the year.

[l0vel3tterl0ver]

Melvika Headcannons: Domestic Night Routine Edition

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Content Warning: Domestic fluff, cuddling, non-sexual intimacy, established relationship (wlw), mentions of smoking and alcohol, SFW

wc: 1281 sorryyy

🎶Promise Me- Kiana Ledé🎶

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Before Bed…

- Mel will always have candles or incense lit. If Sevika smokes, sometimes she’ll do it in the room. Sometimes Mel gives her that “Uh uh.” look and she’ll take it on the balcony. But Mel secretly loves how the scents will mix and linger on Sevika—patchouli, tobacco, amber, and a hint of vanilla~

- Mel will play classical music or jazz on her little record player. Sevika always complains “You gonna play that racket again? They don’t even sing.” But she always seems more calm after Mel puts it on, especially with jazz.

- Sevika always showers first, because Mel will take an hour in the bathroom. She has one less arm and way less products than Mel (barely any); anything more than 20 minutes for her is excessive. But this way works for them.

- Mel likes walking into the bathroom after Sevika showers because it’s already warmed up for her, and she can still smell Sevika’s soap in the air.

- And Sevika can listen to Mel hum to the music in the shower as she gets dressed.

- When Mel comes out, a cloud of steam always follows her, the scent of her fancy soaps quickly fill the room.

- Before Mel is dry, before she even touches herself, she always offers to apply anti-chafe salve on Sevika’s arm where the metal plates are imbedded into her skin.

- Sometimes she won’t ask, she’ll just pick up the jar and Sevika will get into position on the loveseat at the end of the bed.

- When the air is profound like this, they won’t speak. Mel will still hum, and she will take her time massaging Sevika’s scarred skin around her plates.

- They often look into each other’s eyes, exchanging silent remarks like “Does this feel alright?” and “Thank you.”

- The best part of it all? When Sevika gets to watch Mel do her night routine.

- She will gladly sit back on the chaise and read while Mel props a smooth brown leg up on the stool to her vanity to rub her butters and creams all over her body.

- Sevika loves when Mel wears this one midnight blue silk robe. It compliments her mahogany skin and gold armor perfectly, she always looks lavish and delicious in it.

- “Are you really going to watch me apply cream to my legs?” Mel would say incredulously, stopping mid stroke on her propped leg. She’s luminous, her blue robe hangs open almost down to her navel, her full cleavage exposed.

- “Yeah. Now less talking, more rubbing.” Sevika replies, a smirk on her mouth hidden behind her book as she watches Mel with sniper eyes.

When it’s Time to Sleep…

- Sevika loves to play in Mel’s hair, or graze her metal fingers over Mel’s back.

- One time, Mel missed a gold cuff on one of her locs.

- Sevika, knowing that she removes all of them before she sleeps, gently coaxed it off while Mel slept. Mel smiled tenderly when she awoke the next morning to find Sevika gone and a single gold cuff on her side of the bed.

- When Mel sleeps on her chest, Sevika always practices her restraint with her mech hand by seeing how carefully she can twirl the ends of Mel’s hair.

- It was a subconscious habit she wasn’t aware she’d picked up.

- One night, Mel stirred as she slept on her chest. When Sevika looked over, her mech hand was pulling her hair. She instantly felt bad; defective.

- Sometimes it had a mind of its own. She’s been practicing ever since.

- Only got caught once when Mel’s hair got tangled in the joints of her metal fingers, and she had to wake her up in the middle of the night so they could cut it.

- It was NOT a pretty sight.

- But Mel can’t stay mad at Sevika; she actually thought it was kinda sweet.

- Now whenever Sevika doesn’t initiate, Mel will plop Sevika’s mech hand on top of her head to scratch her scalp.

- “Do I need to fire you? Hop to it.” Mel scolds. It’s always met with a sarcastic “Yes ma’am” or “As you wish, princess.” from Sevika. Puts her right to sleep every time.

- Speaking of sleep, Sevika generally doesn’t do a lot of it, even less when she’s with Mel. Although the Medarda Manor is heavily guarded, Sevika takes pride in staying up to watch over Mel while she sleeps.

- If something were to happen, or if someone were to break in, at least she can be awake and be a last line of defense between Mel and any potential danger. She loves watching Mel sleep.

- Not just to ensure her safety, but also because she’s so freaking cute.

- Sevika will never tell her, and it doesn’t always happen, but Mel talks in her sleep. Murmurs really, but it’s always with the same attitude and inflection as if she were wide awake.

- Sevika loves to watch her eyebrows scrunch or her nose twitch, it’s fucking adorable.

- Sevika knows that sleep is a luxury. In Zaun, you can never get too comfortable, your reflexes have to always be on and sharp. Only someone of such a high status that could afford to be so guarded could sleep so easily, so unaware and relaxed.

- But Sevika liked it this way. She liked when Mel was relaxed, not stressing about the politics of the day or the issues of tomorrow. She liked that Mel felt comfortable enough with her to fall asleep, to dream. Even though Mel was definitely a spoiled princess, Sevika didn’t mind. Mel was her princess.

- They definitely cuddle, no matter what Sevika says.

- And Sevika is definitely the little spoon as much as Mel is.

- Like come on, Mel was on Jayce like a backpack after they banged. She loves to express her affection through physical touch, and Sevika is touch-famished. She loves the feeling of Mel’s skinny little fingers tickling and caressing all over her.

- If Mel does fall asleep on her chest, Sevika loves to reach down with her flesh hand and hook Mel’s thigh over her.

- Mel is more often than not wearing some kind of silk nightgown or négligée, most of them custom made with slits on either side to let her gold armor show through.

- Drives Sevika fucking crazy.

- She loves to kneed her flesh hand into Mel’s strong thigh when they lay like this.

- Sevika can’t fully describe the feeling she gets when she runs her hand over Mel’s armor.

- It feels almost too intimate, closer than being inside her or kissing her.

- Happy? Special? Sevika didn’t know, but it definitely made her feel good that she got to touch Mel this way; that Mel let her touch her this way, that she wanted her to.

- When Sevika does sleep, and it’s a deeper sleep, she snores like a lumberjack.

- Most times Mel finds it endearing or blocks it out, but some nights she can’t take it and Sevika wakes up with a smack upside her head or a pillow over her face.

- “Were you actually gonna smother me?” Sevika asks groggily, rubbing her eye and blinking up at Mel as she straddles her with her pillow in the air.

- “Still considering it.” Mel says as she slides off of her.

- If it becomes too much, Mel will make her a special Noxian sleepy tea, one her older brother would make her when she had nightmares as a child.

- Sevika hates it, and will only drink it if she mixes her whiskey into it.

- Mel lets her, because sleepy bed-headed Sevika holding a tiny tea cup and saucer makes Mel’s heart swoon.

-

I need them together so bad.

[marauder-misprint]

would u write abt some angsty (mybe w a happy ending?) w remus, please? if possible maybe smtg like the bet trope, im soo down bad with bet tropes, 😔😔😔 im sorry if its a burden, and thank you for spending ur time reading this

You said "bet trope" and I said bet. So it's more fluff than angst... oops? I'll try to get more angst with Remus soon

Conducive

Remus Lupin x fem!reader

4.7k words

cw: fluff, lil angst,

“Moons, how is it that you’ve never been kissed, yet everyone calls you Casanova?” Sirius asks at dinner in the Great Hall one evening.

Remus raises his eyebrows but doesn’t look away from his plate.

“I respect women?” he offers. 

“We all respect women here. But come on, even Peter’s kissed Mary,” James adds.

Remus looks up at his friends. “I’m here for an education. Dumbledore was kind enough to let me be here; least I can do is focus. You three are distraction enough.”

“I just think you could do with some more… distractions,” Sirius says, waving his fork around as a prop to make his point. 

“If I wanted a female distraction, I’d have no issues obtaining it.”

“No issues, huh?” Peter asks. “Care to prove it?”

Remus shot him a glare. “Did you miss the part where I said if I wanted it?”

“I don’t see how you don’t want it.”

“Wormy’s got a point,” James says.

“Let me rephrase: If I needed a female distraction,” Remus says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sure, I want it from time to time, but if anyone else found out about my furry little secret, I’d be out of here. So I’m making the most of my time.”

“No one is going to find out!” Sirius says. “Have. Some. Fun.”

“You lot found out.”

“We live with you.”

“Still. You don’t think if I got involved with someone that it would take them that long? It was hard enough lying to you. What if I start to actually like someone? It’d be impossible.”

“Then don’t like them. Just get them to like you enough to kiss them and then ditch them,” Sirius suggests, earning himself a glare from Remus.

“That just sounds cruel.”

“More cruel than you denying yourself feminine company?”

“I’m Casanova, remember? I get plenty of company.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I still think you should prove it,” Peter says. “Do what Pads suggested.”

“What?”

“Get a girl.”

“Keep her ‘round long enough to get off and then you jet. Easy ‘nough, yeah?” James clarifies for Remus, given his mildly confused look.

“No,” Remus says firmly. 

“What if we made a bet out of it?” Sirius asks, leaning forward. 

That got Remus’ attention.

“Okay, then what do I get out of it? When I win.” 

“If, and only if, you can get a girlfriend and snog the living daylights out of her, we will… uh… willingly study with you in the library for finals. We’ll be complacent participants, helping you and ourselves. As you try to drag us to do every year,” Sirius says. He pauses as the other two nod. “And if you fail, butterbeers are on you for the rest of the year.”

Remus snorts. “So if I do it, I just get company in the library and you benefit. But if I lose, I’m financially ruined?” 

“More incentive,” Peter retorts. 

“You’re on,” Remus says, offering his hand for Sirius to shake. He does. “If I wasn’t sure I could do it, I’d be asking for better terms.” 

“Wait!” James interrupts with Remus and Sirius still mid-shake. “I feel like we should pick who it has to be. Otherwise you could just ask Marlene to snog you.”

Remus makes a face. “She’s dating Dorcas, you know this.”

“No, no, he has a point,” Peter says. “Either of them would snog you if you said it was for a bet, especially if it means we,” he gestures to him, James and Sirius, “lose said bet.”

“Fine. Pick the girl. For the love of Godric, pick someone single and semi-tolerable.”

The boys scan the hall, not paying attention to house. Their eyes land on you. All three boys seemed to be in agreement before any of them voiced your name. 

“Her,” James says, pointing at you.

You were just as perpetually single as Remus, although he didn’t know what your reason for being so was. It wasn’t like boys never approached you, offering to pay for your drinks at Hogsmeade or to stand by you at the next Quidditch match, but the boys always walked away looking a bit down. You shot them down. Every single one of them.

So in the boys’ attempt to get him to prove his ability to charm a girl, they also wanted to see a miracle. From the grins on their faces, they know it’s going to be impossible.

“So you want my financial ruin?”

“I want either want butterbeer or you to get fucking laid,” Sirius says coolly. “It’s a win-win for me.”

“We said nothing about me getting laid!” Remus exclaims, panicking. “We said kiss, snog, neck, whatever you want to call it. Not laid.”

James laughs, “If you can get a snog out of her, you’re definitely getting laid.”

“I hate that I shook on this already,” Remus groans. He knows he has no way out of this now. 

---

You are blissfully unaware of the bet the Marauders have going. You have no reason to think that you are of any concern to them, besides that Remus now occasionally says hello to you in passing. If anything, it feels like the other three are purposefully avoiding you, not that that matters to you. It’s preferable that way. You had always found Remus to be the most tolerable of them, but that didn’t mean you were friends or spoke to him all that often. Right now, it meant that you said hi back to him.

You are studying in the library when Remus comes up and asks if you’d mind if he shared a table with you. There are other tables available, but you agree. You are struggling with your Transfiguration essay and if it comes to it, you’re almost positive you could ask him for help. Until then, you work near each other in silence. That is, until someone else joins your table. 

Andrew Lark, a boy in your house, sits across from you. 

“You going to Hogsmeade this weekend?” he asks. 

“No,” you say shortly, not looking up from your essay, although you do stop writing. You don’t want to write the wrong thing down because Andrew was talking.

“Do you want to? I’d love to take you.”

“No thank you, Andrew.”

“Come on, love. Let me take you out.”

“I have no desire to go to Hogsmeade this weekend, nor do I want to go out with you.”

“Baby, we’d have-” he starts to say.

“Lark, she said no,” Remus says calmly, having stopped working as soon as Andrew approached the table. 

Andrew shot Remus an annoyed look. “Wasn’t talking to you, Lupin.”

“I know. But you weren’t listening to her.”

“This doesn’t involve you.”

Remus scoffs. “You interrupted my studying by being here. I’d say I’m semi-involved.”

“Then sit elsewhere,” Andrew says, before turning back to you. “Last chance? It’d be more fun than you’re imagining.”

You give Remus a sideways glance. He’s looking at you, waiting for your response as much as Andrew is. 

“Surprise, surprise, Remus is right. I said no.” You give Remus a quick smile before turning back to your essay.

Andrew rolls his eyes and stands up. “Think about it, dove. My offer will always stand.”

Then he walks away. You and Remus both return to your silent working. You feel Remus’ eyes on you every once in a while; you can also tell he’s looking at you from when he pauses his writing, letting his quill just hover above the ink pot longer than a person normally would. 

“So what do you have against Hogsmeade?” he asks after a few minutes. 

You snort. “Oh, nothing really. Andrew’s been asking me to go with him for months and I’d really rather not go with him. Plus, Slughorn’s essay? Haven’t even started that.”

Remus nods with a breath of relief. “Good, I don’t know how anyone can actually not like Hogsmeade.” He pauses. “Would you like company when you work on that essay?”

The question catches you off guard. You look up at him and you’re sure the shock is evident on your face. 

“I, uh, can’t stop anyone from being in the library,” you say, feeling uncertain.

“Well, no,” he chuckles. “But if you’d rather work alone…”

You don’t respond right away; you’re considering it. Remus wasn’t a bother. You didn’t know why he would give up a Hogsmeade trip to be in the library with you though. You knew he usually accompanied his boisterous friends to the village.

“If it’s just you, I suppose company could be nice.” A small smile is playing at your lips in a way Remus has never seen before. “If you’re thinking of bringing the rest of your little gang with you, I’d rather you stay away then.”

Remus chuckles. “Those gits will be off in the village. Possibly pestering Lark.” He sends a wink your way.

You shake your head as you look back down at your essay, but there’s an undeniable smile on your face now. Remus sees it as a success. Maybe with a little persuading from him, the others would let Lark know he needed to back off of you and you’d be free from his pursuits. 

Come Saturday, you and Remus are back at the same table. Except he’s sitting across from you and reading as opposed to working on his own assignments.

Curious, you ask, “Weren’t you assigned this essay too?”

“Finished it.”

“And you don’t have anything else to work on?”

“No. That’s why I’m reading.” He flourishes his book for emphasis.

“So you gave up going to Hogsmeade for…” Your voice lilts like you’re asking a question.

“To keep you company while you work.”

“I work alone all the time. I’m usually more productive that way.”

“Maybe you just haven’t had company conducive to efficiency.”

“Who talks like that?” you laugh. “Company conducive to efficiency.”

Remus smiles at you and sets his book down. “I’m just saying! Some people are more of a distraction while others let you do your thing. James and Sirius? Distractions. Peter… He goes back and forth between the two.”

“And I suppose you’re conducive for them.”

“Most of the time. Others, I’m as bad as they are.”

He picks his book back up to continue reading and you return to your essay. The library is silent except for the scratching of your quill and the occasional turning of pages by Remus. You sneak a few glances at him when you finish a sentence or a paragraph, and you catch yourself full on staring at him when you finish. As you put your work away, you clear your throat to get his attention.

“I suppose you being here was conducive, but I feel bad that you didn’t go to Hogsmeade.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t. Sometimes I need a break from certain people.”

“Then let me make it up to you. Let’s go to Hogsmeade together tomorrow.” You pause and blush at what you just said. “If you want to, of course, and don’t have anything else planned. I just thought that, because you didn’t go today and tomorrow will be less busy since everyone goes today.” You feel yourself rambling which makes you blush harder.

“Yeah, okay. That’d be nice. Meet you in the Great Hall after breakfast? Or lunch? I’m really okay with either.”

“I’m not a morning person,” you say with a chuckle. “We could get lunch in Hogsmeade?”

“Oh, okay. Then meet by the Grand Entrance around noon?”

“Sounds like a plan, Lupin. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As you walk away from him, he can’t help but smile. This was going better than planned. He didn’t have to ask you out; you asked him. And all he had to do was not be forward about it with you. Now, he just had to work up to kissing you, and then snogging. 

You’re more nervous than you expected to be in the morning. You had never been on a date before, and you weren’t even sure if this would count as one. Your roommates were confused as to why you didn’t go to Hogsmeade yesterday with them but were going today.

“It’s just backwards!” one had tried to explain when they heard of your plan. “Everyone goes to Hogsmeade on Saturday and does homework on Sunday!”

“Which leads to Hogsmeade being packed and then the library being packed. It makes sense to go today.”

You purposefully left out that you were meeting Remus and going with him. Just as he hadn’t told his friends that he was making progress with you. For now, until something proper came out of it, this Hogsmeade visit would be something you shared only with each other.

Remus is waiting for you when you finally leave your dorm. The walk to Hogsmeade is quiet. It’s not awkward though. You’re glad he’s not trying to force conversation. You fear that would be more uncomfortable. 

“So where do you want to go first?” you ask as you arrive. 

“I don’t mind as long as we hit up Honeydukes and Three Broomsticks at some point,” he says with a shrug. 

You can’t help but think he looks a bit cute with his hands shoved into his pockets. 

“Start at Three Broomsticks then? Get our lunch and go from there?” you suggest. 

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

As expected, the pub isn’t too busy. You find a table and order food and butterbeers from Rosmerta. Then it’s just the two of you at a table. He asks about your essay that you were working on yesterday and if you think Slughorn will like it. He talks about his own. Conversation covers a lot of school, but then it drifts to your friends and Quidditch. And then to the Marauders and their pranks. Time flies by so quickly. Your plates are emptied quickly and you go through several mugs of butterbeer. You only notice how much time has gone by you glance out the window by chance and the sun is lower in the sky than you had expected.

“Oh! We need to get going if you still want to go to Honeydukes.”

Remus looks to the window and nods. “I didn’t realize the time…”

He waves down Rosmerta and hands her some galleons. You smack his shoulder gently as you exit the pub together. 

“You paid? I was the one who invited you to Hogsmeade. I should’ve paid.”

He rolls his eyes. “Doesn’t the guy on a date though?”

You blush, which in turn causes him to blush. So this was a date. And you had initiated.

“Let me pay for your chocolate at least.”

“Oh, don’t go down that road,” he says with a laugh and a wide smile. “You are underestimating how much chocolate I’ll be getting.”

“Galleons worth?” 

“Galleons worth.”

“Remus Lupin! That cannot be healthy!”

“‘S not my fault my stash gets raided constantly.”

You laugh. The air is light between you. He really does get several galleons worth of chocolate; you thought he was kidding. You insist on paying for part of it. The owners of Honeydukes patiently wait for you to leave the store before locking the door behind you. The sun is set by the time you’re walking back to Hogwarts. The crescent moon is high in the night sky, bathing the path back to school in a pale light.

When you reach the castle, still standing outside, you say, “This was fun. I’m glad I got to go to Hogsmeade.”

“I’m glad I got to go with you.”

You feel your face heat. The romantic in you tells you, no, begs you to kiss his cheek. Tell him he’s why it was so fun. Talking over butterbeers was your favorite way to pass time and you really enjoyed getting to know him better. But you weren’t so bold. 

“Goodnight Remus,” you say before heading inside. 

He stood outside for a few minutes longer. He should have kissed your cheek. He was kicking himself for not doing so. But that might have been too bold and risked scaring you off. It was probably for the best that he didn’t. He needed to work up to it. The boys were waiting for him when he returned to his dorm.

“Where have you been all day?” James asks accusingly as soon as Remus walks through the door.

“None of your business, Mum,” Remus says, tossing the Honeydukes bag on his bed.

“Honeydukes?” Peter asks, sitting up. “You went to Hogsmeade? Just now?”

“You went to Hogsmeade without us?” James asks, putting two and two together. 

“You went yesterday,” Remus reminds him.

“You chose to stay back. Why go today?”

“Because-” he starts to say.

“You’re working on the bet, aren’t you?” Sirius cuts him off. The smile Sirius was sporting said that he knew he was right.

“Yes.”

James and Peter gasp. Sirius grins wider.

“So you going to tell us how it’s going?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Peter asks with a pout forming on his face.

“You’ll just know when I succeed.”

Sirius rolls his eyes and laughs. “Must be going well if you’re still confident you’re going to succeed.”

---

“Andrew, for the love of Merlin, leave me alone,” you complain on your way to class.

Whatever the Marauders did to him at Hogsmeade wasn’t enough. He seemed more urgent than ever to take you on a date, even with you telling him that you weren’t interested in him in the slightest. He stands in the doorway to your class, which he isn’t in.

“Come on, just one date. It’ll be the best one you’ve ever been on!”

Remus looks up from his conversation with the boys at his desk at Andrew’s voice. He hears you groan.

“Let me into my class!”

Remus is there in a moment. 

“Lark, let the lady through,” Remus says firmly.

Andrew spins around in the doorway, still blocking it but now looking at Remus. 

“Little Lupin to the rescue? You fancy her or something?”

“Yeah, a bit,” Remus answers, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Now let her through. I think she’s made her opinions of you quite clear.”

Andrew glances at you over his shoulder. 

“Hear that, dove? Lupin likes you.”

“I’d hope so. We went on a date.”

Andrew’s arms fall so he’s not blocking the door as well and Remus pulls you through, which makes Andrew stumble slightly out of the way.

“What do you mean you went on a date?” Andrew asks indignantly. “A date? An actual date? With him?”

“That’s what I said. Care to confirm?” you ask, looking up at Remus, who is still holding your arm.

“Yeah. It was quite lovely. She’s quite lovely.” He looks down at you with a soft smile. 

Then without thinking, you lean up and press a chaste kiss to his cheek. Andrew looks ready to scream and a few hollers erupt from behind you. You scan the room for the source. The Marauders. You’re not too surprised at that. Of course Remus’ friends would be watching him as he came to play hero. It’s less than thirty seconds, but by the time you look back over to the door, Andrew has vanished.

“Thanks, Remus,” you breathe.

“Maybe he’ll finally leave you alone, huh?”

“Hope so.”

He walks you to your desk before returning to his own, where James pats him enthusiastically on the back. Throughout the entire lesson, you two are looking over at each other. Most of the time, when one is looking, the other isn’t. You only make eye contact with him once all lesson, which caused both of you to turn a deep shade of crimson. 

By the end of the week, Andrew stops asking you out on the daily and appears to be purposefully avoiding you and Remus. You find ways to spend more time with him, scheduling study time in the library and comparing schedules so that you can walk to your classes together. You even join him and his friends for lunch every few days. They were rather shocked the first time, but quickly turned into a welcoming group. 

It became obvious to those around you that you were seeing Remus. It came as a surprise to many people, including your friends. 

“What do you mean you’re dating Remus Lupin? When do you talk to him?”

“What do you mean you went to Hogsmeade with him? Alone?”

“When did this happen and why didn’t we know about it?”

Excuses of minding your own business and not wanting to count your chickens before they hatched echoed in your dorm. It really had come out of nowhere, but you suppose it was because Remus pursued you in a way that no one else had. He wasn’t putting you on the spot to do the things he wanted and disrupting you when you were clearly busy. He liked to be in your presence and took your opinion into consideration before suggesting things. Even better, he put Andrew Lark in his place. 

You were headed to your usual table to meet Remus for a study session; you refused to call them study dates because you knew your mind would say that you can’t be productive on a date. You laugh at your thoughts: dates are not conducive for studying. You hear Remus’ voice as you walk through the shelves, collecting some books you know you need for your Herbology assignment. You stop mid-step when you hear additional voices at your table.

“Have you snogged her yet, Moony?” Sirius asks.

“No, not yet,” he answers with a sigh. 

Not yet. You smile.

“Well, could you get on with it? You’ve been spending so much time with her. We need you for this prank.”

“You were the one to suggest the bet. Sorry I’m taking my time.”

“But you’re going to break up with her once you do, right?” Peter asks. “Complete the bet and get out before you catch feelings. That was the point of this.”

You bite your lip, hoping that somehow this wasn’t about you, that maybe Remus had a voice twin and they were talking about the other boy’s girl. You knew that it wasn’t possible, but you had to hope for a moment. But then James spoke. 

“Even better, you got Lark off her back so she owes you. She owes you a snog and then you’re free. You’ll have gotten your kiss, Casanova.”

Lark. He had only been after you for a while. And Remus had been the reason he was leaving you alone. 

You leave your hiding place within the books, stepping into their line of sight. Remus’ eyes go wide as he sees you. His heart breaks when he sees the tears in your eyes. You had heard and he knew it. 

You lock eyes with him and you shake your head. Holding the books close to your chest, you turn to leave the library. How could you work with someone who was only with you to snog you for a bet? A damn bet? 

You ignore Remus calling after you. You don’t break into a run; you have too many books in your arms to run, but you’re walking as quickly as you can. From the sound of his footsteps, he is running. Running and calling your name, saying it isn’t what you think. That the boys don’t know what they are talking about. You spin on the spot to glare at him through tears when he finally catches up to you and places a hand on your shoulder. 

“Did you or did you not ask to sit at my table in the library because of, of, of that bet?” you spit. It comes out harsh. It was supposed to. You were angry and upset.

“I did, but-”

“There’s no buts about this, Remus,” you say firmly. You’re firm but your voice is laced with sadness and uncertainty. “All of this was because of a bet. And I’m not a bet. So yeah. Go fuck yourself.”

You leave him standing in the corridor. He could’ve followed you. Some part of him knew he should have so that he could explain. 

---

You avoid Remus at all costs. He tries to hunt you down in the library, in between classes, in the Great Hall. He’s even taken to sitting outside your dorm. Your roommates step around him, muttering insults. He doesn’t blame them. If it had been anyone else doing this, he would be saying the same insults under his breath to Sirius, James and Peter. He hated himself for agreeing to the stupid bet in the first place. He should have just gone after you on his own terms. 

About a week later, you spent all day studying in the library and you were honestly surprised that Remus didn’t show up once. You missed dinner, but you didn’t mind. If you had gone to dinner, you might have run into Remus and if you were safe in the library, you were staying there until you went to bed. Except you ran into Remus while trying to go to bed. He was asleep outside your dorm’s door. You knew you should’ve just gone into your dorm and ignored him, but you were a good person and wouldn’t let him sleep like that all night. You nudge his side gently with your foot.

“Lupin,” you say softly. “Lupin, wake up.”

He stirs, rubbing his eyes. When he sees that you’re the one who woke up and not some disgruntled prefect, he jumps to his feet and hugs you. You make a startled noise at the hug.

“Please, let me explain,” he whispers.

“You have five minutes. Then I’m going to bed.”

“Okay, thank you,” he says quickly. “Thank you. Okay, so yes, it did start as a bet.”

You groan and reach for the doorknob. He puts his hand on top of yours to stop it from turning. 

“I have four minutes and thirty seconds,” he says, causing you to roll your eyes. “A bet that I couldn’t get a girl and snog her. I accepted because Sirius was being rude. Stupid, I know. But please, please, please believe me when I say the bet stopped being relevant the moment you agreed that I could keep you company in the library while you worked on your Potions essay. I wasn’t doing it just to snog you and prove to the boys that I really could get a girl.”

“And I should believe you because?”

“Because if it was just for a bet, I would’ve kissed you when we got back from Hogsmeade the first time. I would’ve snogged you in front of Andrew and the boys. Just to prove that I could do it. I would’ve been done.” He pauses, trying to read the expression on your face. “I’ve been spending so much time with you because I genuinely like you so much. I like being your boyfriend. I like being around you. I like making you smile. I like making you laugh. Yes, I’d like to snog you very much. But not for a bet. I want to snog you to feel your lips against mine. I like studying with you, I like paying for your butterbeers. I like walking around with you. I like when you hang out with my friends. I’d like to hang out with your friends.” 

He pauses his ramblings to catch his breath briefly.

“That is, if you’ll forgive me for even partaking in this stupid goddamn bet. And you somehow convince your friends to forgive me too.”

You cross your arms and lean against the doorframe. You take in Remus’ appearance. You’re used to him looking perpetually tired, but he looks exhausted, so much worse for wear than usual. His hair is a mess and clothes uncharacteristically rumpled. His expression is so genuine and sad, practically begging you to understand how much he cares for you.  

“Please. I know you’re more than a bet. So much more. The only good thing about the bet is that it actually got me to get close to you.”

“I’ll forgive you under one condition,” you say.

His face lights up and he takes a step toward you. 

“Anything. You name it and it’s done.”

You smirk. “When you do snog me, please do it in front of Lark. A little revenge on that sorry bastard.”

Remus smiles widely and nods. Then he places a gentle kiss on your lips. It only lasts a second, over as soon as it began. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He gives you an identical kiss. “One snog in front of Lark coming up.”

[archangel-lucerys]

I don't think you're reading my post because how are you saying I didn't compare jace's and aemond's reactions when I'm literally comparing the situations! Oh my god are you saying this because I didn't spell it out for you 😭 it's not that hard to read between the lines!

Like come on! Lmao all this because I called a temper tantrum for the temper tantrum its, instead of saying how cool I think he is messing with kids he knows aren't in his league in fighting lmaoooo.

"Two different situations" they are not! Jesus christ they are direct foils! Are you actually for real?

Or is it the fact I pointed out aegon verbally sexually harrased baela? Yeah that is the point!a major and actual issue getting shut down by a younger kid, while the older one pissing on the dinner table over a smile. If you think his reaction is justified, ok, it's still just a temper tantrum,not "fucking around and finding out" lmao

To that point props to season 1 writers for making that foil, to show how stupid aemonds reaction is while jace is princely despite the bastard allegations. Thanks for this discussion, made me realise this.

It's all fun and games and you can ask your nephew about his cock and sexually verbally harras his fiancé, but give the same energy back with a little smirk and this fragile ego warrior will piss on the table to assert dominance

[spiriteddreams]

okay here we go, spirit is watching the 3.4 livestream with a nice cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant from trader joe's

rambles under the cut bc you're all gonna hate me when i scream LMAO

i typed all of these while watching the livestream on youtube so it's messy and this is what my brain sounds like all the time

okay starting off with cozy leisure time? one of my favourite ost's it's so beautiful. and the scenery? it's very nostalgic for me! i get excited when it's time for the lunar new year bc hyv goes all out

YUHH XIN NIAN KUAI LE

omg trailer!! "sipping the finest tea"

XIAO AT DINNER?? BAIZHU?? VENTI?? THE TRIO OF XIANGLING, CHONGYUN AND XINGQIU??

YAO YAO OMG XIAO BAO BEI okay i'm also glad yaoyao's voice isn't super super high pitched

xiao once again in the art is ugh so beautiful marry me

al-haitham?? hello sir nom. fingers. back. chest. FUCK

okay i'm also glad yaoyao's voice isn't super super high pitched

"a character who is self absorbed and full of personality" PLEASE let me knock him down a peg with some angst

al-haitham in the art for the second redemption code is SO SO SO UGH. CHEST.

new area, new snake what if i just didn't then what?? i do NOT want another boss that spends 90% of the time moving underground

BEETLE FIGHTING?? do i get to fight itto and ayato then?

THE NEW OUTFITS FOR AYAKA AND LISA ARE GORGEOUS OMG

volume 3 of the stella moments!!! wooooo i'm so excited i love genshin music hehe

ending the stream with myriad of lights?? thank you for that treat it's such a gorgeous piece that's gentle, reminiscent, and fun. perfect for the occasion!

happy lantern rite everyone!

[averlym]

fairest of the fair

[spearxwind]

I've been thinking about how you've made Talas' physique even MORE powerful lately. And now I'm just imagining him, one-armed, chucking Graves like the world's angriest javelin at their common enemies.

That's genuinely so in character that I had to draw it. Average hunting tactic... and Graves would be all too excited for it, honestly

[androphagy]

if you lean into or join in with misogynist jokes and threats as a trans man or transmasc because you pass as cisgender or are "man enough" to the person/people who are talking that way you are a traitor to the trans demographic as a whole. if you're scared of being outed and assaulted due to standing up for those affected by misogyny, sex or gender based, then don't say anything. keep your mouth shut. make it clear you're uncomfortable or glare at them or roll your eyes but if you can call it out, do it. do anything besides giving into misogynistic behavior under a misguided attempt at acceptance. if those men making the jokes and threats knew you were AFAB and/or you had any stereotypically "physically feminine" traits (long hair, breasts, makeup, etc) they would target you the same as they would anyone else they deemed acceptable.

there's nuance here, obviously, but the cis men making cruel and misogynistic threats and "jokes" will not see you as a man if you're outed. you are not allying yourself with people who will protect you. you are allying yourself with people who would hurt you if you were alone and they/he was fairly sure they/he could get away with it, and even then sometimes you don't need to be alone and it'll happen anyway. people will look the other way. the legal system protects rapists. law enforcement protects rapists. the other cis men will protect rapists. ask me how i know.

don't become someone who protects that behavior. believe that you're better than them, because you are, and put that treatment beneath you. is what they have to offer really worth whatever acceptance you may see in their eyes? why do you want their acceptance and approval at all?

[ghosts-of-love]

yo anyone wanna come to a national trust place with me today? 🍁🍂

[starlooove]

This complaint has nothing to do with my fanon canon war It’s that ppl confuse nicer and better. If u think Gotham is better than metropolis yeah sure whatever NICER? Girl.

[unjest]

END OF AN ERA

Iron Gold (red rising book 4): gotta be honest here i barely even started this one. I was already a bit wary when i saw it switches perspectives throughout the book, because while thats normally perfectly fine part of why i LIKED red rising was because we only got Darrow's pov which was done extremely well. The very first chapter (or at least the start of the chapter) was third person pov and i just couldnt get over it

The Unwanteds: once again this was like. A book i happened to see while scrolling libby and vaguely remembered enjoying it when i was in like high school. Its fine. Narration was passable, story was a smidge dull but ok enough. Got thru like half of it maybe, stopped mostly because the books i actually wanted came off hold and also because. Man the main character is just kinda treated like shit garbage for a while and it was just sort of miserable to get thru. Funniest thing about this one is that it has a blurb saying something like 'its harry potter mixed with the hunger games!' when the only comparisons to either is that theres kids with magic and its a dystopian society. and its ESPECIALLY funny because it is EXTREMELY clearly meant to be an alternative take on The Giver. Like its not even subtle its just the giver with more magic

The Bright Sword: AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH. FUCK. really fucking good. Narration is REALLY good, narrator pulls off the distinct voices and accents FANTASTICALLY. both plot and writing itself is AMAZING. also reignited my obsession with arthurian ledgend and finally helped me find a name i like 👍

Acceptance (southern reach book 3): banging my head on the table. Just. Man. MAN. Fucking stunning narration as always. The pov switches actually work REALLY well this time- while not EVERY character gets a unique narrator (ghost bird, control, and the lighthouse keeper share one because theyre all third person), each perspective change gets a new narrator (one for the director (second person, which. wow ok props for pulling off some really good second person narration) and one for the biologist (first person perspective)). All three narrators are REALLY fucking good and fit their parts EXTREMELY well. Read with a cadence that actually takes whats being read into context, which is a surprisingly rare thing in audiobooks! And of course the story itself is amazing. Just. Man. Highly highly HIGHLY recommend checking the southern reach books out if you havent before. Just. Wow.

my thoughts on the stuff ive listened to during work; note that im not basing my reviews on how good the actual book is, its based on how my personal experience was to listen to the audiobook while working in the lab

Animorphs books 1-3: i read this series as a kid but only once, so i was familiar with the story enough to not get distracted but i had forgotten enough of the details to be kept engaged. Voice acting was fine, tolerable to listen to, character voices distinct enough to differentiate without being annoying (albiet with at least one exception). Biggest issue is length- since my shifts are 8 hours, i got through the first 3 books in a single shift, and the specific version i was listening to was split up into a handful of short parts each book so i kept having to switch to the next video, which was way too much of a momentum-stopper (and work interruption) to stick with this series specifically.

The Witcher books 1+2: eh. was fine enough. once again this was something i was familiar enough with to follow without having to worry too much about missing details, while also being somewhat entertaining. i think i liked it a lot better to read than to listen to. voice acting was fine. biggest issue was that i had finally gotten used to the narrator pronouncing dandelion as dan-DIL-leon for the first book but in the second book he switched to pronouncing it as DAN-dee-lion and i had to stop partway through because of it

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: i remember enjoying reading it a lot more than listening. Ill be the first to admit that im kind of picky about audiobook narration and this one just didnt hit right, but was overall a good experience. Voice acting was fine, and the actual story was very entertaining as expected. Perfectly acceptable.

Discworld books 1-2: extremely good listens. Voice acting was great, character voices were fun and fit the characters really well, only skirted the line of being annoying. fantastic story, but not too complicated or unfamiliar, so i could still follow and be entertained while still focusing on work. Will probably continue the series at some point, but giving myself a buffer period before i start up again to avoid series burnout

Malevolent parts 41-44 (catching up with the podcast lol): man. theres just something about listening to a guy getting gutted and filled with maggots while working in the lab of a hospital. like broooo you are going to get sepsis!!! Very good listen, as expected, just kinda funny trying to keep a straight face while talking to coworkers and simultaneously listening to arthur's no good very bad day

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: probably the best one so far for what im using these for. The length meant i was able to spend like 4 whole shifts on the one audiobook. Footnotes were incorporated fantastically, narrator and voice acting was phenomenal, and its also pretty much my favorite book of all time. Ive read this SEVERAL times, but because of how fucking huge this thing is theres a lot of details i forgot about or misremembered. Only issue is that it was split up into several audio tracks, so i had to switch to the next one a few times per shift. They were each around 2 hours long however, so it wasnt too inconvenient. Also at one point i fucked up and accidentally skipped like 8 whole hours without realizing until after an hour in where they referenced an event i KNEW i hadnt gotten to yet lol

Catch-22: man they really went all fucking OUT on the voice acting here. All characters are EXTREMELY distinct, so im very easily able to tell who's talking even without speaking tags. One of my pet peeves in audiobooks is when the narrator whisper-yells when a character is meant to be screaming. That does not happen here. Narrator fucking COMMITS. Yelling, sobbing, laughing, all of it. Fucking fantastic. Phenomenal as an audiobook, i think i mightve even enjoyed it even better than actually reading it.

Slaughterhouse-five: man. this one is ALSO an audiobook that is fucking PHENOMENAL. biggest problem is that i got WAYYY too into it. I really needed to just sit down and soak it in, which was not very condusive to a workplace environment. I now have a self-imposed limit where im not going to be listening to any more vonnegut books from now on because i KNOW itll have a similar affect

His majesty's dragon: this one couldve been good, but the recording i found was not. The guy reading it did a big spiel at the beginning of each chapter and kept adding unneeded commentary like it was a middle school read along. Im going to be getting a library card today so i can use libby, so i might come back to this once i get access to an actual official audiobook lol

murder on the orient express: nope. barely lasted three minutes into this one

percy jackson and the lightning thief: see this is an example of something ive actually read too many times as a kid so i know the book too well for an audiobook to be entertaining. Dropped it after less than a chapter.

the kane chronicles: had potential, i remember liking the story a lot as a kid but i hadnt read it nearly as much as the pjo series, and i think it wouldve been at least vaguely entertaining. However, half the book has one of the narrator sdoing a really bad british accent for his sister's voicelines and i just couldnt do it. i didnt have the strength. Dropped after maybe 4 chapters.

Camp Damascus: the only audiobook of the lot that i actually bought, and the first one i got through that i hadnt read the physical book before. Interesting story, ok voice acting. Solid choice to listen to. Not quite what i was expecting, but pretty good story! Had some EXTREMELY gnarly descriptions of body horror thrown in at like. two points of the story maybe. Didnt really affect me personally but kinda threw me off in a 'this feels like a different story entirely' sort of way. Dont have much else to say here since these reviews are more talking about my experience with these as audiobooks specifically, and i havent read the book itself to be able to compare this one.

[hoodienanami]

once you actually start reading and learning things about malcolm mclaren you will quickly realize that half the shit ppl say about him is just straight up antisemitic lies

[msfcatlover]

If your “holy grail” of characterization uses said character as nothing more than a prop to move the plot along, while objectifying them to hell & back, gives them minimal motivation, no agency to speak of, calls back to some of the most messed up shit they’ve done to people in a tee-hee isn’t that cute! light, and the only possibly character revealing choice they make is given less than a page of buildup and just so happens to be exactly what needed to happen to reinstate the status quo and never mention this little side adventure again (making it feel way more like writer convenience, rather than character-motivated choices)…

…If this is seriously the best version of this character you can point to, you can’t honestly expect me to see them as any deeper or more complex than the shallow prop this specific story used them for.

[starlightcleric]

On Tess Revised

So about a year ago I did a head dump of info on Tess, but I wasn't quite happy with her backstory (and spent some time wondering if she was even a Warrior of Light or essentially an npc). But since getting her to Endwalker I've been rotating her in my head over the last few days and have made some revisions that I'm more happy with!

Biggest change: I now ship her with G'raha.

Tess Chamomile

29 years old at the start of ARR

Parents were a pair of adventurers in Eorzea, her mother a Sharlayan from the colony and her father an orphan from Gridania.

When they died, she and her younger brother, Fred, were shipped off to Old Sharlayan to live with her mother's brother's family.

Her aunt favorited her own children over the Chamomile children, and Tess wasn't able to receive the same higher educational opportunities.

Is eventually able to get a job as a library circulation page at the Noumenon and move out on her own.

Fred becomes a gleaner.

Strikes up a romance with a bright young scholar who was inspired by the words of Louisoix to follow him to Eorzea.

Tess's relatives find this out and prevent her from going, so he goes off alone.

The best anyone can tell is he died in the Calamity but the details are hard to track down.

Tess is pressured into marrying the son of an influential forum member who (the son) is a researcher at the Studium.

Tess initially tries to make it work but grows more and more disillusioned and trapped. (He relies on her as a research assistant but never credits her contributions).

Eventually works up the nerve to ask for a divorce and is refused.

Feeling very trapped, comes up with a plan to have an affair with one of her husband's colleagues and get caught to infuriate him.

The plan works, at the expense of her reputation.

Goes "screw this, I'm out of here" and travels to Eorzea to study at the Arcanists' Guild where the plot of ARR starts.

Develops kind of a star struck crush on Cid since he's, like, Cid Garlond and he's actually supportive of her research interests and gives her credit on projects.

Except Cid is really fucking clueless and too busy being divorced with Nero to return her feelings.

Eventually around the end of the Omega raids she decides that this is not a healthy situation for her and she needs to emotionally move on.

PREVIOUSLY there was this G'raha Tia guy that she only realized was flirting with her when he kissed her right before locking himself in the Crystal Tower.

So she never really emotionally unpacked that because she assumed she wouldn't see him again.

And then Shadowbringers happens and Tess and the Exarch have to learn to relate to each other not as figureheads.

She starts developing feelings for him, but he's closed off because he's old and tired and assumes no one would feel for him in that way, and also he keeps expecting to sacrifice himself.

Then he gets put back into his 24 year old body on the Source and starts going "hey, maybe I can have a life now."

And as Endwalker starts they both like each other, know that they like each other, everyone else knows they like each other and wants them to finally get on with it.

Except then they all travel back to Old Sharlayan and Tess's past rears its head.

So she emotionally closes off while they're there.

With the distance in Garlemald start to come back together.

Before she teleports to the moon she kisses him, echoing him previously at the Crystal Tower that she would forever regret it if she didn't.

They FINALLY get together after Tess gets back from the moon (night visitation cutscene, anyone?)

And that's as far as my mental wanderings have gone since that's where Tess is in the MSQ (just before Vanispati).

If this sounds like I'm actually going to write something about Tess, I cannot promise anything XD I'm currently just rotating her in my head for my own amusement.

[amerasdreams]

I could be much more brave or at least a little if I didn't stress our so much after the fact. I have to stay sane and can't accomplish anything if I'm walking around like a zombie on 3 hours sleep (some may be able to function with that much but I cant. Not for lack of experience). If I have to chose between speaking out and sleep I have to choose sleep.

I mean. So sensitive (hate it) that after I said something on Facebook and a contradiction by my uncle I couldn't sleep most of night. Back in mid December. And I'm still thinking about it. Worry about what he said but at least I can sleep which I probably couldn't if I went back and read his next replies

[moe-broey]

Oh. Huh.