#if you really like a quote and MUST ABSOLUTELY KNOW THE PAGE just ask and I can find it to you honestly ty and enjoy

[dailydanielewski]

"Transformation never ceased to blossom beyond the threat of permanent loss." - D.A.R.K., The Familiar v3

[guardarecheluna]

You know, i’ve been your baby since the day that we met. (CEO!H)

Words: 8k

Warnings: Pathetic Fluff, Smut (Praise, P in V, Oral, slight daddy kink)

Summary: Harry is bewitched by her, and he would do absolutely anything to make her happy, even though she sometimes doesn’t want him to.

READ THE FIRST CEO ONE SHOT HERE!

A/N: Hellooo my loves! It's been a little while, but now i'm here with a lil CEO update since you all seemed to enjoy him last time. Please let me know what you think of it, it always makes my day to hear from you!

elle x

It was almost like Harry couldn’t remember a life before her. She had filled the bottomless hole in his heart with her warmth, humour, cleverness and love like it was the most simple thing in the world. Harry had never been so happy.

It’s been just 5 months since that night in Harry’s lounge, where his clammy hands were shaking, searching for hers. Where he bared his heart before her, and hoped, hoped that she’d at least tell him she didn’t hate him. Y/N could never hate Harry. Sometimes, when she comes to think about it, she feels absolutely crazy when it comes to him. Like she can’t believe that he is hers. Like maybe she was made just for him. Like maybe they were meant to meet when she started working for Pleasing.

Harry had kept telling her how hard he fell, that he felt like he was jumping from a plane without a parachute, blindly falling and hoping to be caught in his lover’s arms. Harry fell hard, but Y/N fell first.

Y/N’s interview had went better than she ever could’ve expected. It was just the day before that she was asked to Pleasing’s office to do an interview for a position as a senior creative. She left the interview happy and pleased with herself, but honestly?

She couldn’t tell if it was because she had actually done well for the interview, or if it was the Harry-shaped opening in her heart that was slowly cracking her open. The tall brunette had been so kind to her throughout the interview, even offering her a coffee beforehand.

As her first day a Pleasing came and went, Y/N tried to gather up her things from her new office to head home. It had been a wild day, introductions to new people, online courses to help her with their IT systems and endless and absolutely endless pining for her new boss. She could swear that she had never met anyone like him, and especially not a CEO who acted like he did with his colleagues. Harry had this softness to him, almost feminine at times, but with a strong masculine cologne, broad shoulders and deep, gravely voice. He emitted a light and kindness that was difficult to describe if you hadn’t met him. He was like a magnet.

Y/N was sure that if you were to google the definition of kindness, a picture of Harry Styles would pop up on the first page. Don’t quote her on that, though.

Harry had checked on her multiple times during the day, taken her and a few other colleagues out for lunch as a “celebration” he said. He really didn’t act like any other CEO she had met.

“Hey, are you still here? Thought your day ended at five, you must be exhausted.” Harry was doing a final round in the offices. Y/N was the last one left, just wanting to land back on her feet and feel her surroundings after a long first day. She thought she’d be the last one out, but Harry was there as well. Of course he was. Y/N snapped her head up, looking at him. He had almost scared her with his quiet steps into her office space. “Jesus, Harry, you scared me!” Y/N scrunched her eyes shut, putting her hand over her pumping heart. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist, I didn’t mean to scare ye’ though.” Harry said with a smirk. Y/N raised her eyebrow at him. “Didn’t mean to, huh? Don’t believe it for a second.” She said, throwing him a suspicious look, but with a smile; she just couldn’t help it. Harry chuckled. “You’ll just have to believe that I’m a kind enough person to not scare away the new employee on the first day, I don’t know what to tell you.” Harry hit back, slight ironic cockiness in his voice.

Y/N just smiled and continued packing up her laptop and the pamphlets she’d gotten from HR, along with a few papers that needed to be signed.

Y/N almost couldn’t look at him without having butterflies erupting in her stomach. Call her stupid, insane, mentally weak, but she could feel a serious crush coming on. Scratch that, it isn’t coming on, it’s already there, burning in her belly and begging to seen and heard.

Or another time, around a month into working for Pleasing when Y/N had knocked on Harry’s office door, almost in tears.

Maybe it sounded dramatic, but getting used to a new workplace, new routines and IT systems; Y/N would find herself frustrated and she hated bothering her colleagues with her questions every 5 minutes.

Y/N knocked on the glass door, her jaw strained and aching with how much she was trying to keep it together.

Harry opened the door, stepping aside. “Hey there, darling. You alright?” He said as he nodded his head to give her a cue to step inside.

He looked so good that day, in one of pristine, ironed suits. The first few buttons were undone, and a fine dusting of hair was peeking out of the shirt as well as the tattoos on his chest that Y/N hadn’t gotten to see the full version of. His lips were chapped, like he had picked on the skin in his anxious thoughts. Y/N swallowed harshly, stepping inside and plopping down on the sofa in his office. “I need your help.” She just said, looking up at him, holding on to her frustrated tears.

Harry could tell she wasn’t her chirpy, flirty and smug self, his heart suddenly feeling gooey and yelling at him to sit down and embrace her.

“Anything, I’m glad you came. What do you need, pet?” Harry said as he closed the door and sat opposite her on another sofa. He was leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees.

“I just…I feel frustrated because there’s so many things I don’t have the hang of yet and I hate being a bother to everyone and asking questions all the time. It’s either that I don’t fucking get it or it’s because there’s suddenly new things and I can’t seem to keep up.” She said, her eyes stuck on the cushions Harry was sitting on, afraid that she’d break if she looked right at him.

Harry was quiet for a good while, anxiety washing over Y/N when he wouldn’t answer. She braced herself for some kind of lashing out. She knew he wasn’t like any other boss, but maybe coming to him with this was a mistake, a showcasing of her weakness that would be the end of her time at Pleasing.

“Sorry…I-“ She started before Harry spoke up.

“Darling, don’t ever apologise. You need to go easy on yourself, you’ve been here for just a month and there’s a lot to learn, you don’t have to do everything at once, that’s impossible. I’m really glad you came to me, of course I’ll help you with anything I can.” Harry said softly. Y/N relaxed into her seat, feeling almost dumb for thinking he’d lash out at her. She nodded, finally looking up at him, to find him searching her eyes and smiling kindly. “Thank you, H, I just, I know it’s a competitive business, and I don’t want to ever let you down just because I can’t figure out fucking excel.” She chuckled.

Harry laughed and shook his head. “As if you could ever let me down.” He said under his breath, almost like she wasn’t meant to hear it. “Let’s get to it, then, come sit down next t’me and pull out your laptop.”

Harry had arranged a small get away weekend for the two of them. Coming up on almost 6 months, they were yet to go on a trip together, and Harry wanted nothing more than some quality time with his girl. His girl.

He had spent two weeks trying to plan everything down to the food they were going to cook, to what activities they could do to keep them occupied.

Harry had booked them a cabin in the woods, by a small lake. It was around a three-hour drive from London, which was perfect for going away for a weekend.

A weekend where it would be just the two of them, no distractions of phones or other people, just them. Harry was so excited, struggling to keep it a secret when all he wanted was to spill all the details and spoil Y/N with insight into all his plans, but he kept his mouth shut.

They had already agreed to spend the weekend together at Harry’s, so naturally, they’d drive home together after work on Friday. Harry was driving, one hand on the wheel, and the other finding Y/N’s over the centre consol. Fingers lightly tracing knuckles and palms while Harry had their playlist on in the background.

Y/N sat up slightly and her eyebrows furrowed when she realized that they were going towards her apartment instead, and not his.

“I thought we were staying at yours this weekend?”

Harry laughed, the plan in his head was turning out just the way he wanted it to. He parked the car outside of her building. “Get out with me.” He said, meeting her when he rounded the car. His hands reached out and gripped her jaw, placing a few small pecks on her pink lips. Confusion was still prominent on her face. “We’re going to go upstairs, and you’re going to pack a bag for a weekend away. I didn’t want to say anything, ‘cause I wanted it to be a surprise.” He smiled. Y/N melted into his touch. “Are you serious, where are we going?” Her eyes lit up with excitement at his words. “Not telling you yet, you’ll find out.” She shook her head at his words.

“You’re so sneaky. And here I was thinking that you couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.” Y/N teased as she turned on her heel towards her apartment to pack a weekend bag.

The pair had stopped early in their trip to get some snacks at a gas station, just something to keep them awake after a long day at the office. Y/N had taken off her shoes and cozied up in the passenger seat, manipulating her seatbelt so that her back was leaning against the car door. Her feet was propped up on the centre consol as she observed Harry from her seat. Every little hair on his head, his eyes on the road that sometimes glanced over at her, a smile spreading on his face when he caught her looking at him. One of his hands reached for her, hand spreading out over her knee and squeezing it slightly. “What’s on your mind, pet?” Y/N tilted her head. “Like you don’t know.” She laughed and leant back against the door. “Just thinking about how the hell I landed you.” She continued, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks with the words, but still confident. Harry sighed. “You’ve got it all backwards, I’m afraid. You’re so out of my league it’s insane, I’m surprised I didn’t have to beg on my knees for you to date me.” He replied to her, once again squeezing her knee. “Well, let’s be real, you kind of did.” Y/N said as a comeback, clearly remembering the anxious, thinly spread Harry that night almost 6 months ago. “Alright, that’s enough or I’ll drop you off on the side of the road.” Harry replied, faking a threat as he felt the embarrassment of that evening come over him. “You wouldn’t, think you love me a little too much to leave on the side of the road.” She continued to tease.

Of course she was right.

“Harry. Is this all for us, have you gone completely insane?” Y/N looked at him without a hint of amusement behind her eyes as she stepped out of the car to look at the so called “cabin” that Harry had rented out. Thing is, it wasn’t just a cabin. It was a huge, sprawling estate, hidden away from neighbours and curious gazes. It had to have cost him thousands of punds just for a weekend getaway, and even though Y/N appreciated his act of love, they had had this conversation before; the one about money.

Y/N didn’t grow up with wealth, and neither did Harry. But as the years had passed, Harry had gotten ridiculously rich. No prize on either cars or estates phased him, he barely looked at the cost of things, which Y/N had thought was completely insane, even though she didn’t exactly know the extent of his wealth.

The first argument about money that they had, was early on in their relationship, just a month after they’d become official.

It had been Y/N’s birthday.

They were newly in love. It had been a month. They spent all their awake time together, at work, at home, in bed and weekends. Their hearts were blooming, still with that wondrous love in their hearts each time they looked at each other. Everything was easy, bright and happy.

Y/N’s birthday was coming up, and since she didn’t want to make a big deal of it, she had told Harry that they’d spend it with some of their friends. She had also warned him, to not get her anything as a gift. Y/N wasn’t really aware of what the code was when it’s your partners birthday, but you’re a new couple, so to avoid any awkward feelings, she straight up told him not to get her anything.

Harry wasn’t like that though. He knew her birthday was coming up long before she’d warned him. It might’ve even been one of the first things he’d memorized about her after she left her initial interview at Pleasing. His nosey ass couldn’t keep his nose out of her application papers that was clearly stating her date of birth and age.

He had been a little bit taken aback when Y/N told him not to get her anything, because he had already gotten her something. Something that, in his eyes it wasn’t a big present of any sort, just an appreciation for his girlfriend that he loved more than the number of stars in the sky.

“Can I just get you something small? Please, I know you don’t want anything, but it doesn’t feel right, I just want to celebrate you, you deserve it.” Harry had mentioned over the breakfast they were sharing. Y/N shook her head at him adoringly. “Does it really mean that much to you? A get together with you and my friends is more than enough for me.” Y/N reached out over the table and entwined her fingers through his. He was warm.

“It does, I like giving gifts, and it can be something small, I just want to get you something. If you really don’t want to I won’t but I can’t lie and say it won’t break my heart a little.” He admitted to her. So, she agreed. It was just something small, and she found his urge to care for her so badly very sweet.

And Harry didn��t necessarily lie, the gift was indeed small, but it was expensive. Harry had barely blinked at the prize when he’d went to the jeweller’s and picked out a piece that would suit her perfectly. And maybe that was the problem in all of this. Harry had spent so much of his life by now, bathing in money, and it didn’t really matter to him anymore what things cost him, because at this point, he had made more money than he’ll ever be able to spend.

Y/N didn’t have that, she wasn’t, nor had she ever bathed in money. She was like everyone else, budgeting her money to see what she could spend and save, and she quite enjoyed it, she didn’t have too much or too little of anything.

So when she opened his “small gift” on his sofa, amongst his friend on her birthday evening, she could feel her blood burning when she pulled out a beautiful, white gold bracelet with tiny charms linked to it. Amongst the charms was an “H” initial and amongst a few others that she could recognize meant something to the both of them. A collective gasp was spread through the room, and Y/N knows she should be happy, but right she felt almost embarrassed. Here she was, sat with her regular friends and millionaire boyfriend, while he gifted her jewellery worth thousands of pounds. Harry sat beside her, smiling widely and awaiting a reaction to his gift. Y/N couldn’t find it in herself to be ungrateful, she wasn’t, but she needed to talk to Harry about the way her stomach twisted and turned, how her cheeks turned red and how she felt guilty to receive something like this. But now wasn’t the time. Instead, she turned to him with a weak smile and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, my love.” She simply said before turning back to her friends and picking up another gift. It hurt her. She could see the slight disappointment in Harry’s eyes as she put his gift to the side.

It had all turned into something much bigger. Y/N wasn’t handling his apparent wealth and need to spoil her very well, and Harry was just confused. He couldn’t understand in his wildest mind how she didn’t want him to spoil her. He couldn’t understand her anger, her guilt, and her refusal to let him love her in this way. Because that was it. Plain and simple he loved her. He hadn’t dared to stutter those words since their first night together, and she hadn’t either, but he sure felt it. He felt in his his whole body, and he had for an embarrassing amount of time.

They made up, at last, and she accepted his gift after a few persuasive kisses and promises of no more gifts like these. She made it clear to him that she did appreciate his effort, and the thoughtfulness, but she didn’t appreciate the huge amount of money he had spent. Harry listened and took it to heart. He wanted to make her happy, of course, and gift giving was part of his love language, he just had to learn to tone it down slightly.

That same feeling in Y/N’s stomach that she had on her birthday had returned as she stepped out of the car and looked at the huge house in front of her. It wasn’t like he had bought her a whole house, it was just a weekend away, but it’s the principle of him spending that much money on her that made her uneasy.

“Darling.” Harry just said as he looked over to her. He knew from the look on her face that the same as the one she wore on her birthday. Harry rounded the car to stand right in front of her.

“This isn’t a cabin Harry. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, you know I appreciate when you plan things like this but…” her fingers played nervously with her rings, tears feeling like they could escape from her eyes at any moment. “Look at me.” Harry said, his hand coming up to her cheek, thumb grazing softly over her jaw. “It’s not just a cabin, ‘m sorry. And I know how you feel about this but you also have to know how I feel. I feel like I could never give you enough, you deserve everything I have pet, and sometimes that shows with money. I don’t want it to bother you like this, because I love y- …doing this for you. You must accept that I want to do this and that I’ve got no bad intentions, just want to show you how much you mean to me.” He almost let it slip from his lips. It felt so easy. Y/N swallowed hard. She didn’t want to fight about money, but being taken care of like this was still so foreign to her that she didn’t know how to handle it. She nodded, and looked up at him with watery eyes. “No more.” She just said as she melted into his body, arms wrapping around his middle and her nose searching for his scent lathered in the neckline of his shirt. “There will be more, I want to give you all of it, pet.” Harry replied. She just nodded into the warmth of his chest.

Overwhelmed was the right word. She didn’t know what to do with all these new feelings of guilt that was put in her, where did they come from? Why couldn’t she just accept that he only did this out of pure adoration for her heart?

They got their bags out of the car and stepped inside the house. From the foyer, she could see straight through the house, with a beautiful lake spread out just a few meters from the house. The water on the lake was shimmering in on the roof, which made the whole house look absolutely magical, like something out of a movie.

The house was massive, white walls and high ceilings with an open kitchen carrying dark wooden details and stone countertops. It was the house of Y/N’s dreams.

They spent the afternoon getting settled in, and going down to the lake to have a splash around. Y/N had discovered a porch swing sitting under the balcony, facing the lake and greenery around it, and if she wasn’t already in love with this place, it only intensified when she saw the swing.

But it wasn’t any old, creaky porch swing, it looked almost like a suspended sofa, blankets draped over it and pillows in the corners.

It was her turn to plan something small for Harry.

As they stood in the burning hot shower after their dip in the lake, Y/N hurriedly scrubbed herself down from the dirt and grime and turned to Harry who looked slightly confused at her erratic behaviour. “You got somewhere to be, pet?” Harry chuckled as she hung up her loofah. Y/N had a mischievous look on her face as she wrapped her arms around his middle. “It’s my turn for a little surprise now. I want you to meet my out the back in 40 minutes, and not a minute earlier, alright?” She said as she reached up and placed a single peck on Harry’s chin. Harry nodded, both his hands coming up to her head, carding through her wet hair and pushing it away from the gentle features of her face, then leaning down and connecting their lips. “I’ll be out in 40 minutes.”

Y/N scrambled to put on her comfortable, yet pretty new pyjamas, and dug out what she needed for her little surprise. She pulled out some candles from the depth of a cabinet in the kitchen, a bottle of wine and her speaker, some fruit for them to snack on and finally, a little gift that she had prepared.

The sun had started to set, a few rays still on the porch swing as she got out. She put the candles in the little lanterns and set up a little table for them, wanting to just have some down-time in the porch swing before their evening ended.

Harry stuck his head out the back door exactly 40 minutes later, a big smile on his face, and his freshly washed curls in a mess on top of his head.

Y/N snapped her head around. “Come sit.” Y/N smiled at him and reached out her hand for him, leading him over to the swing. “You’ve made it so lovely out here, pet. So nice to me, always.” Harry whispered to Y/N’s cheek as he pulled her closer to him. Harry was also wearing some cozy clothes, and through her thin pyjamas, she could feel the heat of his body and ripple of his muscle under his skin. He was home.

They sat down and cozied up with a blanked as Y/N poured them wine. “For you, my good sir.” She said teasingly, reaching him the glass of red wine. As she poured herself a glass, she leaned back into the soft cushion of the swing and into his arms. She was curled up, while Harry had his legs on the ground beneath, softly swinging them back and forth.

“I’m really sorry I was acting like I was earlier. I just have a hard time with you spoiling me like this, but I don’t want you to think that I don’t appreciate it, I do, I really do, H.” Y/N admitted as she looked up at Harry. He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes studying the lake that was still catching the last few sunrays. Then he shook his head as he caught her eyes. “You don’t have to apologize t’me, pet. I know you appreciate it. I just…I need you to know that this isn’t a one-off thing. I want to be able to spoil you. I also know that I’ve told you all of my intentions with you, I want always with you. I want us to enjoy our life, I want us to explore, I want to…I want to be with you, and sometimes I want to spend money on you. I can’t say that it doesn’t hurt me a little when you reject me like that, but I also understand where you’re coming from.” Harry laid out. Y/N felt her insides twist at his mention of her rejecting him, cause in her head, it wasn’t like that; not at all. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m rejecting you. I want the same thing as you, I just…that I don’t want to…bother you, I think. I don’t make nearly as much money as you do and sometimes it makes me feel like shit because I can’t bring the same thing to this relationship as you can. I guess it’s just something that’s always going to stick with me, but I want to be better.”

Y/N said, trying her best to be vulnerable and let him see her side of things. Harry snapped his head to look at her. “Is that really how you feel? Like you’re a bother to me?” He asked her, genuinely, not accusing her of her feelings, but sounding like he was genuinely concerned and interested in what her answer might be. “I do sometimes. I work for you, and I’m your girlfriend, it’s a bit hard to navigate sometimes, because we see each other so constantly, and I just don’t want you to get tired of me.” Harry nodded at her words, and stayed quiet for a moment. Y/N could see the wheels spinning in his head, trying to put the right words into his mouth. “You don’t ever have to feel like you’re a bother. Ever. I want to spend every moment with you, and I know I am so lucky to get to see you every single day at work. I do all of these things because I care about you, and in a world where money is everywhere and everything, I sometimes don’t think about the value of some things. You say that you bring nothing to this relationship, but I wish I could put into words how wrong you are.” Harry said honestly, his thumb stroking gentle circles over her cheek as he leaned in to connect them in a kiss. “I’m in love with you. I haven’t told you since that first night, but I don’t think I can keep it in me anymore, I need to tell you, all the time. I need you to know that you’re it, f’me. I love you so much, and you’ll never bother me the way you think you are.” He said against her lips, breaths switching between them because they’re close, so close. Y/N feels like her whole body is on fire, she’s blushing, her lower stomach filling with arousal and all the love she feels for him is just waiting to explode out of her like a fountain. So she does the first thing that comes to her mind. She kisses him again, again and again, until they’re out of breath and panting. “I love you, thank you for loving me like you do.” Is all she says, and she can feel him smiling into their kiss. Y/N moves around on the swing, and gently places their glasses back on the tiny table in front of them before pushing harry down to lay on his back. “Need to show you.” She murmurs against his mouth, as he welcomes her wet kisses trailing down his neck, making the hairs on his body stand up. “Yeah? You’re going to show me how much you love me?” He teased, as he let himself be pushed around to her liking. There was just something about Harr’s dirty talk that got her going even more, his velvety, low voice, combined with those forbidden, almost taboo words, mixed with his high praises and promise of pleasure. It was her favourite thing.

Y/N straddled his hips, looking down at him with a blown out pupils and slight smile as she tugged on her top to discard it on the floor. Harry’s hands instantly came up to touch. First smoothing over her belly and ribs until he reached her fleshy breasts, pinching her nipples and gauging her reaction. Her body caved into Harry’s as he touched her, leaning over him, with her breasts right in front of his face. Harry seized the moment, sticking out his tongue to tease her nipples, nipping them and working his tongue over them. A frustrated, pleasured moan came from Y/N as she started grinding her hips on his warm, plumping cock. Harry could feel her warmth through her bottoms, opting to grab onto her hips with his hands to pull her closer to him. “Can you feel what you’re doing to me, pet? Feel how much I love you?” Harry breathed into her hair, kissing her pulse point right under her ear, slightly biting on the earlobe.

“Mmmh” Was all she was able to get out before Harry pushed her away from him, grabbing her hand and rushing off to their bedroom for the weekend.

They barely made it through the door before Harry’s lips were on hers again, hands over any skin he could get to as they got rid of the remains of clothes that they still had on.

“Wanna taste…wanna bite.” Harry said to her skin, moving down the bed as he placed wet kisses down her sternum, belly, until he reached her mound. Y/N panted heavily with just the feel of his hands and kisses on her skin as she tangled her fingers through his locks to see his face properly. “Please.” She mewled when he teasingly places feather-light licks and kisses on her inner thighs and mound. “Be good, you’re going to get it, but you have to be my good girl, okay?” He said in reply to her mewl and her hands trying to steer her towards where she wanted him. “I’m good, I want to be good.” Y/N replied absentmindedly. And just as she was about to complain again, she felt his hot tongue inside of her, licking broad licks from her opening to her clit. Shivers of pleasure rippled through her body as he pleased her with his mouth, sucking, nipping, licking, and massaging wherever he could get to.

“You taste like heaven baby, so sweet for me, always.” Harry said as he came up for air. “More, please, H” Y/N said the moment his lips left her. She could feel herself getting closer to her that cliff of pleasure, just about to fall off when he detached. “I know, pet, you’re so close yeah? Could feel it on my tongue. Want my fingers too?” All she could do was nod, frustrated and writhing around in the crispy sheets. “You know I need your wor-“ “Yes, yes please, please do anything” She interrupted him in desperation, her hazy mind not caring about her manners at all. “Good girl.” Was all Harry said before diving back in with his mouth and fingers, instantly feeling her clench around his fingers as he curved them, poking the squishy island of pleasure with the tips of his fingers. Y/N moaned out as she got close, closer to the edge of her orgasm, raising to her elbows so she could see him. His eyes were closed as he worked his magic on her.

“I’m coming” Y/N airily moaned as her whole body tightened and she let herself fall over the cliff. Harry continued to work her through the waved of pleasure, prolonging her orgasm for as long as he possibly could.

Y/N in her post orgasm haze shot up from the sheets, pulling Harry up to her as she kissed him. She could taste herself on his lips, residual wetness around his mouth and chin transferring onto her skin. It was so hot. Without another word, she rolled him over, straddling him once again, like out on the swing. She sat right over his hard length, not yet putting him in as Harry had a lazy, smile on his face, pupils blown out in arousal and pleasure. Y/N put her hands on Harry’s chest, feeling up his muscles and dragging down to his toned stomach as she started moving over his cock, wetting him with her own arousal.

“Pet, Shhi- I’m not going to last if you grind on me like that.” Harry said as he fixed his eyes on hers, a little wrinkle of strain between his dark brows. Y/N said nothing to him, continuing to slick his cock with her wetness with a playful smile and moans of pleasure leaving her lips every time the head bumped her clit. Harry’s hands took a firm grip around her wrists as he sat up.

“You’re just asking for it, aren’t you? Thought you’d want it slow and sweet tonight, but I guess I was wrong.” Harry said in a harsh tone, although Y/N could see straight through him. “Doesn’t matter, just want you to fuck me. You always tease me so I thought you’d have a taste of your own medicine.” Y/N replied sassily with a scowl on her face, but a sparkle in her eye that gave her away immediately. “You…” Harry chuckled as he pinned her down on the bed, giving himself a few cursory strokes before lining himself up with her. “Tell me, pet. Tell me what I want to hear and I’ll give it to you” Harry mumbled into her neck, kissing and sucking on her salty skin. “Mhh, I love you, please get in me” Y/N whimpered out as she reached down in between them, trying any and everything to get him inside of her. “I love you too, pet, tell me again” He spluttered out, kissing her lips as he finally sank in to her, groaning int her mouth. A wave of relief flooded over Y/N, her desperation for him finally calming down as he poked and prodded at her insides with his cock. Harry picked up his pace, giving her deep, long strokes with his hips as Y/Ns legs wrapped around his body.

Missionary was a classic for the two of them, people found it boring and plain, but for Harry and Y/N, it was their preferred position. Easy access to one another, being able to touch, look, and swallow the other’s moans as they chased their highs. Few things were as romantic for them as missionary. And don’t get this wrong, they are the couple to explore new positions and find other ways to pleasure, but they always returned to this. There was something so raw and pure about it, and they couldn’t get enough.

Their foreheads were stuck together, panting into each other’s mouths as Harry hooked her legs into the crease of his elbows, allowing him to hit her at a new angle. “Baby” Y/N moaned out from the change in angle, his cock hitting her spot head on as he continued to work into her. A layer of sweat was building on his chest and shoulders from the strain of chasing their pleasure, and Y/N wanted to lick it off. He looked so good like this.

“I know, I know it feels so good, pet, I feel it too. You’re the best I’ve ever had, should never let you leave my bed.” Harry praised her in response as he kissed the sides of her face, looking at her blissed out expression. Y/N could feel her orgasm approaching again, and Harry could tell, letting go of one of her legs and reaching down between them to touch her. “H, I’m going to come, please, keep going” She mewled underneath him, trying to chase his movements with her hips as she threw her head to the side and into the pillow. “I’m coming pet, so fucking weak for you. Want it inside, want me to fill you up, baby?” Harry replied with a raspy groan, and that, that made Y/N tip over yes. Her orgasm wracked through her body, her nails digging into Harry’s biceps as she let out sounds of her pleasure. “Inside, please, Daddy, I want it inside.” She encouraged as her eyes glazed over, fixing her eyes on his as she knew he was right after her, wanting the most out of his orgasm, just as he did to her. “Shit- pet you’re playing dirty, Daddy’s gonna come for you, I-“ Harry groaned as he let out pathetic little whimpers. His hips stuttered, burying himself deeper inside of her and catching her lips in a messy kiss, warm tongue sliding over hers. She could feel her lower stomach, warm with him, chuckling and pushing the hair out of his face as he collapsed on top of her completely.

Her nails started raking through his hair and down his back as they basked in the afterglow of their intense sex. Harry placed a gentle kiss on her collarbone and put his head on her shoulder, looking up at her. “I wish I had more words in my vocabulary to tell you how much I love you, I feel like I love you isn’t enough.” Harry spoke genuinely in a low tone. “Write me a book, yeah?” She chuckled as she tried to settle into the moment and enjoy it before having to detangle from each other. “Don’t joke about that, might as well happen, you know.” Harry laughed as he detached their sticky bodies rising from the bed. “C’mon, my love, quick wash up and then sleep.”

Y/N laid there looking at his outstretched arm, completely bare for each other as her heart pumped with pure love and adoration for the man in front of her. She took his hand, and they stumbled into the shower together.

Y/N was awoken by a harsh light in her face, and Harry sitting up on the edge of the bed. He put his phone to his ear, and she could hear him talking lowly on his phone. Casting her a glance and then leaving through the door as to not disturb her sleep.

She could hear him out in the hall.

“I don’t know what to tell you, I can’t….i can’t do anything from here, I’m away for the weekend…No…Well you’re going to have to fix It in some way, call Niall, I’m not available. All I ask is one weekend in quiet and you idiots can’t even do that. Fine. Call Niall and head of security at IT and figure it out, yeah? Bye.”

Y/N listened curiously in her cocoon of blankets, what time was it, why did they need him now?

Harry stepped inside once again and lifted the blankets. Y/N couldn’t really tell if it was anger or worry on his face. “I’m sorry I woke you up, pet. Some idiots at the office don’t know how to handle their job. Let’s go back to sleep.” She could tell he tried his best not to let anger spill out on their conversation, and she felt bad for him, always having to be available and never catching a break. This job would be the death of him some day.

“You’re alright, baby. It’s not your fault. What did they need you for?” She tried with a gentle voice, welcoming him into her arms as he settled in bed and turned off the bedside lamp. “There’s been some kind of security breach in one department, and someone is trying to leak personal data and now they want a ransom to not leak the data and get out of our systems.” Harry sighed. Jesus. “There’s nothing I can do, but they’re calling in head of IT and security to have a look at it, it’s happened before, but hopefully it’s just a scare. Didn’t want to wake you up though, I’m sorry,” He continued, obviously feeling defeated and helpless in the situation.

“I’m sure there’s a way to make it up to me.” Y/N tried as she placed gentle kisses on his jaw and neck, and she could feel Harry instantly relaxing and smiling at her wording. “Yeah? Tell me and I’ll make it up to you.” He let her lead him on, feeling her hands playing with the elastic of his boxer briefs. “Guess.” Harry shook his head in adoration as he pulled down his boxers and took her underwear off in the same movement, getting in behind her and pushing inside of her. No preparation was needed. Nothing got him harder when he knew she wanted him.

“Fuck, it hasn’t even been two hours and I’ve already missed being inside of you.” Harry admitted with a sigh as he entered her again.

It was lazy, raw and desperate sex, in the middle of the night. Harry couldn’t stop thinking about her, having her in every way imaginable. And he kept thinking about his life from over a year ago, when he had no idea that she, the love of his life, was about to enter into her life. And even if it was just something small, like having sex to take the edge off from the day, Harry couldn’t imagine anything else for his life as they fell asleep cuddled up to each other, leaving no room for work or security breaches to enter his mind. It was just them.

Back at work, a few days later, Lydia, Y/N’s co-worker and close friend smiled suspiciously at Y/N as she prepared her desk for the workday,

“There’s something up with you, and I can’t tell what it is.” Lydia wiggled her eyebrows with an interrogating look on her face. Y/N blushed slightly, but tries to keep a straight face through the conversation, having a sip of her morning coffee. “I’m an open book.” Y/N tried to play, but she could tell that Lydia wasn’t buying it. “You. Me. Meeting in Atlas in 5 minutes. We need to have a MEETING.” Lydia pressed, gathering her things and rushing off to the free meeting room to have a pretend meeting with her best friend. Y/N rolled her eyes and went after her. She could never keep anything from Lydia. She just knew stuff without knowing. Of course, the whole office knew about Harry and Y/N getting involved, but they kept in on the low.

“Alright. Spill the beans, all of them, right now.” Lydia said immediately when she closed the door and plopped down in a chair opposite of Y/N. Just as she was about to answer her, Harry walked by on the other side of the glass. He glanced inside, smiling his brilliant smile and sending her a quick wink before he was off. Y/N looked up with a smile spreading over her face, just from that small interaction. Lydia didn’t even have to turn around. “It’s him, yeah?” Y/N nodded, eyes stuck on the glass where he had just walked by. “I think I’m going to marry him.” Y/N said as she kept looking through the glass. Her heart grew every time she looked at him. If this wasn’t love, then she didn’t know what was.

And Lydia just burst out laughing, a true belly laugh, like she hadn’t heard anything funnier in her whole lifetime. “Babe, tell me something I don’t know. I’ve never seen two people as dumb in love with each other as you two. I’m sure there’s going to be a ring on your finger in the next year, but probably tomorrow if Harry got to have it his way. Plus, you two wreaked of “I just had the best sex of my life” the minute you stepped into the building”

Y/N just blinked at Lydia, blushing at her comment. She hadn’t heard anyone talking about them like that before, and it made her heart grow three sizes. Was it that obvious to everyone? Even Harry?

“Really, you think so?” Y/N replied with a watery smile. Lydia looked at her with a smile. “I know so. There’s absolutely no doubt. I’ve known Harry for about three years, and he’s never been like this, ever. It’s like a different person, I’m telling you- “. Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door, both Lydia’s and Y/N’s eyes flying up to see Harry at the door. “Hello ladies, I was just wanting to borrow Y/N for a quick second.” He tried to be professional, bless him, but the smile overtaking his features revealed him. Lydia smiled at him. “Of course. No funny business, Mr. Styles.” She teased him with a smack on his arm as she left the room, turning around when she was behind him and staring at her intensely, “I TOLD YOU” She mouthed to her.

Y/N chuckled, rising from her chair and meeting Harry halfway around the conference table. “What a pleasure, Mr. Styles, what could you want me for, huh?” Y/N teasingly smiled as she stepped into his embrace. Harry looked down at her with nothing but love in his eyes, his thumb grazing her cheek as she leaned into his touch, “Just wanted to ask the lady if she would like to have dinner with me, tonight. Was thinking about making my famous curry, and I’d like for you to be there.” Harry continued with his little act. “Well, my good sir, I would really like that. I’ll see you later, then.” Y/N replied courteously as she began walking out; but not before Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back into him. Both his hand on her face, gently passing his fingers through her hair and picking at stray pieces of hair, lovingly. “I love you, be good, yeah?” He said in a way that made her lower stomach flutter with arousal. “I’ll be good. I love you.” She replied before he attached his lips to hers in a long, soft kiss. A few more pecks for good measure, and then she turned around and left, a glimmer in her eye.

Harry stood glued in his spot, completely besotted with her and everything that was her. “I think I need to marry her.” He whispered to himself as he shook out of his daydream, to continue his workday.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Sirius Black was the best adult in Harry's life and I'm forever salty that we didn't get to see more of him

So, I love Sirius Black. He's a complex and interesting character that I love dearly. He's handsome, smart, brave, not as reckless as some fanon make him out to be, and above all else, he tried his best to be a good godfather to Harry.

I truly believe Sirius could've been an amazing father figure (more than he already was) to Harry if given the proper chance. And he's a much better parent to Harry than Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Here are some quotes along with my ramblings to prove it.

So, what I'm going to cover here are some quotes from Sirius and Harry that show their dynamic and how much Sirius cared and tried to be there for Harry. Also, I think Molyl and Hermione are wrong about Sirius seeing Harry as a James replacement.

“He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He’ll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone’s entered me in the Triwizard Tournament —”

(GoF, page 290)

Harry wrote to Sirius at the beginning of GoF about his dream with Voldemort and his scar's reaction to it. Sirius left everything immediately to return to Britain — a place where he is hunted down and is a wanted man. All because he wants to be close to Harry, so he can spring up to protect him if the need arises.

Harry is correct in his assessment here.

“Poor old Snuffles,” said Ron, breathing deeply. “He must really like you, Harry. . . . Imagine having to live off rats.”

(GoF, page 534)

Ron is absolutely right. Sirius loves Harry more than pretty much anything. He would and does go incredibly far for Harry. I don't think Molly and Hermione are right about how Sirius sees Harry as James. He just doesn't.

He doesn't treat Harry as an equal to him, but as someone he needs to protect. Someone he is responsible to protect.

He stays around Hogwarts, eating rats in GoF so he can better protect Harry. He wouldn't have done the same with James because he treated James as an equal, not as someone he needed to protect.

“It’s not my fault you haven’t been told what the Order’s doing,” said Sirius calmly. “That’s your parents’ decision. Harry, on the other hand —” “It’s not down to you to decide what’s good for Harry!” said Mrs. Weasley sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. “You haven’t forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?” “Which bit?” Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight. “The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,” said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words. Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George’s heads turned from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin’s eyes were fixed on Sirius. “I don’t intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly,” said Sirius. “But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back” (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), “he has more right than most to —” “He’s not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!” said Mrs. Weasley. “He’s only fifteen and —” “— and he’s dealt with as much as most in the Order,” said Sirius, “and more than some —” “No one’s denying what he’s done!” said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. “But he’s still —” “He’s not a child!” said Sirius impatiently. “He’s not an adult either!” said Mrs. Weasley, the color rising in her cheeks. “He’s not James, Sirius!” “I’m perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly,” said Sirius coldly. “I’m not sure you are!” said Mrs. Weasley. “Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it’s as though you think you’ve got your best friend back!” “What’s wrong with that?” said Harry. “What’s wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!” said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. “You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!” “Meaning I’m an irresponsible godfather?” demanded Sirius, his voice rising. “Meaning you’ve been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and —” “We’ll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!” said Sirius loudly.

(OotP, page 88-89)

This above quote is a long one, but I love it. I mean, this shows a big contrast between Sirius' approach to parenting and Molly's. Sirius, while not seeing Harry as his equal, does see Harry as a capable wizard who deserves to know the full picture. Sirius knows Harry would be in more danger when ignorant and wants him as safe as possible. He thinks Harry deserves to know things that pertain to him, and I have to agree with him here. Keeping Harry in the dark is what eventually cost Sirius his life.

Molly, on the other hand, is intent on keeping Harry, Hermione, and her kids ignorant. She has the same intention as Sirius: to keep them safe. But she tries to keep them safe emotionally, even when this ignorance can and does place them in physical harm's way.

And Sirius is right. Harry is capable. And a 15-year-old shouldn't be treated the same as an 11-year-old child. And let's be real, Harry was never a regular child with how he grew up, and I think Sirius sees his maturity and treats him accordingly. Sirius actually gave Harry advice to not approach danger in GOF and Harry listened to him because Sirius treated him with respect, which works best with Harry who never really had parental figures.

“I don’t know,” said Sirius slowly, “I just don’t know . . . Karkaroff doesn’t strike me as the type who’d go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can’t help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident.”

(GoF, page 334)

This is an expert from the Fireplace conversation Haryr had with Sirius before the first task. Sirius shares his theories with Harry because he needs him to know who to watch out for. Because everything he does is to keep Harry safe. And this is the same approach Sirius wishes he could take with Harry in OOTP. Because he knows it works. Keeping Harry informed means that if he does put himself in danger, at least he would inform Sirius about it; Which would allow Sirius to protect him.

I'm not copying all of them, but Sirius' letters to Harry throughout GOF are so caring and sweet. Harry deserved to have more of his godfather in his life:

Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius

(Gof, page 240)

This treatment encourages Harry to actually share everything with him and ask him for advice. Something he doesn't do with Dumbledore ever. (Harry actually doesn't like or trust Dumbledore all that much until book 6, it's usually Hermione who trusts Dumbledore fully)

“Sirius — how’re you doing?” ... “Never mind me, how are you?” said Sirius seriously.

(GoF, page 331)

Sirius again, shows his responsibility towards Harry's well-being over his own (both here and in the above letter).

Sirius is the only adult who actually talks to Harry about the Dursleys with sympathy:

“But if they do expel me,” said Harry, quietly, “can I come back here and live with you?” Sirius smiled sadly. “We’ll see.” “I’d feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn’t have to go back to the Dursleys,” Harry pressed him. “They must be bad if you prefer this place,” said Sirius gloomily.

(OotP, page 116)

We know Sirius would love nothing more than for Harry to stay with him. He's lonely and bored at Grimmauld and would love to have Harry there. But at the same time, he doesn't want Harry expelled from Hogwarts and is trying not to be hopeful for it.

Sirius understands the Dursleys are awful, he just know the full scope, but it's more of a reaction than we get from most adults in this series. To me, it looks like Sirius is annoyed by how limited he is in helping Harry. He can't really do much about the Dursleys or their status as Harry's guardians.

“So you want me to say I’m not going to take part in the defense group?” he muttered finally. “Me? Certainly not!” said Sirius, looking surprised. “I think it’s an excellent idea!” “You do?” said Harry, his heart lifting. “Of course I do!” said Sirius. “D’you think your father and I would’ve lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?” “But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —” “Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!” said Sirius impatiently. “This year we know that there’s someone outside Hogwarts who’d like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!” “And if we do get expelled?” Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face. “Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!” said Harry, staring at her. “I know it was. . . . I just wondered what Sirius thought,” she said, shrugging. “Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue,” said Sirius.

(OotP, page 371)

I love this scene as well. Sirius cares for Harry's safety first and foremost. Harry being safe is his top priority at every given point. And he's reasonable and logical and treats Harry like someone to protect, not like a friend.

Like, Harry when he has a problem and needs advice throughout books 4 and 5, he calls Sirius. He's Harry's go-to parental figure for advice, and Sirius takes his rule seriously. He gives the advice he honestly thinks is best and ensures Harry's safety and continued survival to the best of his ability.

“It matters because we don’t want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!” said Sirius angrily. “Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?” Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Ron was still white-faced and silent. Ginny said, “Somebody else could have told us. . . . We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry. . . .”

(OotP, pages 476-477)

Again, Harry's safety is Sirius' first priority above everyone else. Harry's happiness and privacy also take precedence over most other things. He doesn't want Harry under even more scrutiny from the ministry and the Wizarding World and protecting him from that is just as important to him.

To me, it feels like people who say he treats Harry like a James replacement didn't read the books....

“It must have been the aftermath of the vision, that’s all,” said Sirius. “You were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and —” “It wasn’t that,” said Harry, shaking his head. “It was like something rose up inside me, like there’s a snake inside me —” “You need to sleep,” said Sirius firmly. “You’re going to have breakfast and then go upstairs to bed, and then you can go and see Arthur after lunch with the others. You’re in shock, Harry; you’re blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and it’s lucky you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying. . . .” He clapped Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry standing alone in the dark.

(OotP, pages 480-481)

And I love this too. How he tries to comfort Harry and make everything easier for him. When the rest of the Order were gossiping about how dangerous his connection to Voldemort is, Sirius is honestly trying to get Harry to worry about it less.

He might be lying here, but he is right about sending Harry to sleep after a sleepless night like they had. And he is right about Harry being in shock and needing the rest. I just, really like how much Sirius cares. Harry just doesn't have other adults in his life who care for him like Sirius does.

But some part of him realized, even as he fought to break free from Lupin, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before. . . . Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harry, to help him. . . . If Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harry was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back. . . . That he really was . . .

(OotP, page 808)

This. Scene. Just kills me.

Like, Harry understands how much Sirius cares about him, and how Sirius always puts him first. He knows the only way Sirius won't drop everything to come and when Harry calls for him is if he can't.

Because Sirius escaped Azkaban when he realized Harry might be in danger from Peter, not for his own safety, but for Harry’s. Sirius dropped everything and moved to live in a cave and eat rats when Harry's scar hurt. He stuck around Hogwarts and Hogsmead during the Triwizard Tournament, when it was crawling with ministry officials because Harry might need him. He was willing to do so much for Harry. And Harry knew this.

I think, given time, they could've had an amazing dynamic, and I wish we had more of Sirius and his care for Harry. That we saw more of his approach to parenting Harry.

[discotitsposts]

strawberry lipgloss part two- the date 🍓

sorry this took so long! since my birthday is soon, i’ll prob post this on my birthday, this is reader going on a date with spencer but he doesn’t know it’s her birthday because she didn’t tell him.

read part one here!

update posting this on my birthday whoo!!!

🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓-🍓

Spencer waits nervously at the restaurant for you, he’d chosen your favorite Italian place, it was close to your apartment and was familiar to you.

He didn’t want to overwhelm you with a restaurant you’d never been to and where you wouldn’t know the menu.

He checks his watch again, you’re not late yet, but time was cutting close and he’s starting to get worried.

Spencer’s mind races with maybes.

Maybe she didn’t actually want to and is going to cancel last minute. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe she-

He looks up and sees you speaking with the hostess, she leads you to the table and Spencer stands up in awe of the way you’ve dressed.

A beautiful purple dress with strawberries on it, the strawberry scent just as strong, your hair done beautifully and you’re even wearing a small tiara in your hair.

Your lips, Spencer notices, are slick with lipgloss, strawberry lipgloss.

“You look absolutely radiant.” Spencer manages to say finally after staring for a while. You lean in and hug him tight.

“I’m so glad to be here with you Spencer.” You say sweetly, and smile. Your smile. You smiled at him like no one else mattered in the world except you and him.

“I’m glad too.” He says without really thinking. You had that effect on him.

“I love the tiara.” He smiles at the sparkly object in your beautiful hair.

“Thank you, it was a birthday gift for myself.”

Spencer freezes. Birthday? How could he have forgotten? Spencer never forgot anything. Then he realized. You’d never told anyone on the team your birthday.

“I..uh I didn’t know you had a birthday coming up.” He says nervously.

“Oh yeah, I didn’t really tell anyone because I didn’t feel like doing much. It’s actually today.”

Spencer’s eyes widen. Today? Your birthday is today?!

“Oh I’m so sorry I..Happy Birthday! I just so happened to get you a present without knowing.” He smiles and reaches for the gift he’d gotten you.

“Oh Spencer that’s so sweet you didn’t have to get me anything, except, I kind of got you something too.” You laugh and reach for a box too.

“You got me something?” Spencer laughs in disbelief.

You exchange the gifts and you open yours. Spencer had gotten you a perfume. Not just any perfume, a perfume in a strawberry shaped bottle. You gasp at how adorable it is.

“It’s strawberry scented too.” Spencer adds blushing as red as the strawberry shaped bottle.

You sniff the perfume sample included with the box.

“Oh Spencer I love it. It’s perfect. Thank you!” You beam at him and gesture him to open his gift.

He carefully unravels the ribbon, in the small box is a bookmark, with a quote by Nikola Tesla.

It reads: ‘The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.’

Spencer laughs heartily. The quote was deeply relatable and one of his favorites. Then he notices, there is a strawberry charm, an amethyst crystal charm, a book charm, and a microscope charm on the tassel of the bookmark.

“This is amazing. I love it. Where did you get such a gem?” Spencer smiles.

“I know you probably don’t need bookmarks because you probably just remember the page number but bookmarks are so cute and fun I had to. Also I didn’t buy it, I made it.” You blush a little. Proud he’d liked the gift you’d spent so much time on.

You both set your gifts down and stare at each other.

“You made this?” Spencer asks, clearly impressed. You nod and he stands up and hugs you tightly.

“Thank you.” He whispers in your ear.

“Thank you.” You whisper back. “I really love it, i’ve never owned strawberry perfume before.”

“Happy Birthday.” He says softly and then kisses the top of your head.

“Thank you!”

A waiter comes over and takes your orders. You order a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs to share.

“The portions are huge! It’s a big plate of spaghetti and they add this sauce that is absolutely divine and the meatballs are perfect.” You gush over the spaghetti this restaurant serves while Spencer smiles in adoration.

He decides to be bold and reaches across the table nervously and takes your hand in his. You smile at the gesture and your plate comes out.

Spencer’s eyes go wide at the amount of spaghetti. You give him a look that says ‘I told you so’ and a smirk.

You guys eat and talk and laugh for the longest time. Spencer found you so easy to talk to and didn’t feel annoying for rambling in the slightest. When he rambled, you sat there and listened intently.

When you get to the end of the spaghetti you realize this is just like ‘Lady and the Tramp’ because Spencer rolls the last meatball onto your side of the plate for you to have.

You eat it and move to some of the last of the spaghetti and then you both realize the last of the spaghetti is just one long strand and your lips move closer and closer.

Both your lips meet in the middle of the noodle and you kiss. Spencer’s eyes widen and he bites the noodle so you can eat the last of it.

You laugh at the silly moment and Spencer chuckles.

“Tastes like strawberries.” Spencer comments making you laugh again. He loves making you laugh.

You hold up the strawberry lipgloss from before and are about to reapply when Spencer clears his throat.

“Let me, please?” He asks and you smile and nod to give the okay.

Spencer squeezes the tube until enough product comes up and yet again rubs it on your lips until they’re shiny and covered in the sweet scent. He twists the cap back on and hands it back to you.

“Luscious, aren’t they?” You ask pouting your lips and posing. Spencer nods in awe of the beauty glowing from within you.

“This is the best date I’ve ever been on.” You tell him.

“Me too. Usually they’ve ran out the door by now.” Spencer jokes, something he found easy with you.

You laugh, “Who would ever run from you Spencer? You’re amazing.”

Spencer blushes and holds your hand and you leave the restaurant together and you squeeze his hand lovingly.

When he walks you to your apartment and reaches the door he waits for you to unlock it.

You two stand in the doorway and Spencer gets close to you and whispers, “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

You nod in agreeance and lean in closer until your lips meet again. When you finally pull away you decide to make a joke.

“That was better without a spaghetti noodle in between us.”

Spencer cracks up, “Hey don’t knock the spaghetti kiss, it was romantic, and at least we got to eat it. Hey,” He stares at your lips. “I think you need more lipgloss now.”

“What’s the point? It’s gonna get messed up again anyway.” You smirk and lead him to the couch. Spencer smiles.

Nothing could ever top the way you make him feel. Loved.

the end 💘

tags- 🍓

if you’d like to be tagged in all future works you can comment a 🍓

@whoisspence @starshinegarcia @fictionalobssed @exoticisles @in-another-april @gallifreyan-idiocracy

people who wanted to be tagged in part two 🍓

@exhaleli @moonysreid @reidsatellite @fandoms-allovertheplace @kissesforspence @shibugs @khxna

idk why it wouldn’t tag some people. but thank you to anyone who liked part one enough to ask for part two i appreciate it sm😭💘

we are all strawberries.

watching ldsk in season one right now lmao

also face reveal this is me:

[gaylordscooter]

Our Landlord that we Pay in Fear (collect my pages)

[warning for implied self harm and suicide attempt]

“i’m making a very noble sacrifice for you two right now so you best carry out my dying wish in the case i die.”

Dust and Horror gave Killer a judgemental glare.

“we're not making a bath bomb with your dust and using it, that’s just…no. fuck that,” Horror replied.

Killer pouted. “fine,” he sighed dramatically. “remember me!” he shouted before sprinting blindly into the darkness of the forest.

Mere seconds later, they heard a thud along with Killer cursing.

“i’ll try to forget him,” Dust signed. He took the flashlight out from his pocket and turned it on. He headed into the forest with Horror.

This was a new game of Nightmare’s. It was completely stolen; it wasn't his original idea in the first place. They can thank Killer for introducing Nightmare to horror games, trying to see if he would be scared by them. He wasn't. He thought he could be scarier and decided to test that hypothesis out on them.

“Slenderman” was the name of the game Nightmare was enacting. Killer claimed he was great at it, an absolute expert. So of course, the other two pressured him to go on ahead and find all the pages as fast as he could.

He probably only got one before the two heard his scream ring throughout the forest.

Dust signed “scream” and “girl” with amusement.

“i know, right? makes me wonder if our voices can go that high, heh,” Horror replied.

Immediately Dust’s mood soured like a switch was flicked. He made no comment and walked faster, forcing Horror to speed up or get left behind.

“right,” Horror sighed. “forgot you hate yourself that much.”

Dust grunted as if to say, “shut up.” He pointed the flashlight at the numerous trees around them, pausing when he spotted a page haphazardly slapped on one of the trunks.

He approached it, looking around while Horror watched his back, not like he trusted him to protect it anyway. The page itself was covered in grime. It didn't even need to be stapled to the tree, the goo was enough to keep it in place. He wondered what exactly the grime was made out of. Nightmare is always coated in it. Is it like his skin? He banished that thought with the others.

He peeled the page off the tree. It made a gross wet noise as he did. Usually he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, but he was glad he was wearing gloves regardless.

“what's on it?” Horror asked.

Dust held it out for him to see.

What was visible on the page was messy writing of seemingly random letters, but most of it was covered by the goop.

Horror squinted his eye sockets. “some kind of code?”

Dust shrugged. He put the page away into his inventory.

A low rumble echoed throughout the forest. Dust appeared unfazed and walked on ahead anyway.

“didja hear that?” Horror asked, on edge at the noise. He knew he wasn't in his universe anymore, but his instincts couldn't help but scream at him to get the hell out of the forest upon hearing an unusual noise. It was basic self-preservation. 

Dust paused mid-step and turned to Horror. He lifted his index finger up his chin, “real?”

“debatable if it’s ‘real’” he said with air quotes, “but if we both heard it, it's probably a problem.”

They carried on, Dust slowing down so that they were walking side-by-side.

“i wonder how killer’s doing. it’s so hard to see even with a flashlight,” Horror remarked. “we haven't heard from him since he screamed. think he's dead?”

Dust chuckled at the notion.

Horror sucked in air through his teeth as the chuckling became full blown laughing like he just said the funniest joke ever. He must really hate the guy, Horror thought.

Dust’s laughter cut off instead of dying down. He wasn't even interrupted. He just stopped when he decided to.

What a weirdo, Horror thought, much to his hypocrisy.

Killer was in fact, not dead, but he would be if he slowed down anytime soon. Sprinting blindly in a forest you’ve never been in wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, but he had to get good at it quickly. He didn't know what the hell he saw or heard, but it sure wasn't anything familiar. He thought Nightmare would be the one hunting them down, but as far as he was concerned, the thing chasing him didn't sound nor look like him at all. At least, according to the mere glimpses he got of it.

His soul was pounding. He cursed himself for showing Nightmare what a horror game was. Of course that freak wasn't going to be scared of it! He was fear itself! Probably…

A branch snagged his foot and his head slammed into the ground. Even though he recovered quickly and shoved himself up mere seconds later, the thing grabbed him by the ankle. He twisted around to face it.

His breathing hitched. The thing he stared back at was blurry, almost like he was staring right at a dream, but he knew what it was.

It was the anomaly. The one from his universe. The one that took control of him and made him empty the underground.

The Player.

Two blasters summoned by his side, but they refused to fire.

Killer was sweating bullets. He tried kicking it off. Tried summoning bones but his magic was not working.

“No no no no!” he hissed.

He whipped out his knife—big mistake. He couldn't control his arm anymore. He couldn't control any of his body.

He was completely paralyzed, yet he trembled anyway.

He was hyperventilating as the anomaly closed in on him.

“—and that makes five pages? how many more left are there?” Horror questioned.

Dust shrugged, as helpful as ever.

Luckily they haven't ran into any direct trouble yet. They only heard a few weird noises here and there. Maybe Killer was distracting Nightmare?

They’ve explored most of the forest by now. At least they assumed so because of how long they've been walking around.

Because of the lack of danger, it was almost like a normal stroll through the forest. It was sort of nostalgic to Horror, like he was walking around Snowdin before the problems with the CORE. It was just missing the snow and of course, the people.

He kept an eye socket on Dust, wondering if he found this nostalgic too. He doubted it. Dust hated thinking about the past, which was fair. If he was in his shoes he wouldn't want to think about it either. There was a reason he hardly looked like he was Sans.

Dust stopped in place, looking intently at a particular tree.

“i don't think there's a page on there, bud,” Horror assured.

Dust ignored him and walked over to the tree. He studied it a moment before shaking his head. He signed something too quickly for Horror to understand. It seemed like it wasn't a message for him.

Horror darted his eyes around the area. “yeah, like i said there isn’t a—”

Dust dropped the flashlight and punched the tree with a loud crack that was most certainly not just from the tree.

Horror winced, leaning down to pick up the flashlight. “yeesh, dude, did it owe you money or something?”

Dust clutched his hand with the other. There was no doubt it was chipped at the knuckles now. Even though he was wearing gloves, the blood from his marrow bleeding out between the cracks dyed the fabric red. “wrong direction,” he signed, “circles.” He pointed at the tree with his uninjured hand.

“you didn't have to go and punch the tree,” Horror said. “your hand alright?”

Dust hissed in response.

“ok…” Horror replied. And they thought he was the rabid one. “i’ll lead the way then. just chill out.”

Once he started leading they didn't come across that same tree he punched, so presumably they weren't going in circles anymore.

They found three more pages. Nothing happened when they grabbed the first two, but upon grabbing the third, the area lit up.

Dust and Horror blinked rapidly as their eye sockets adjusted to the daylight.

Horror turned off the flashlight and put it away in his pockets. “huh, i guess we're done?”

Dust pumped his fist in the air in victory and flipped off no one in particular. He waved goodbye to Horror as he hastily walked to what he believed was the nearest way out of the forest.

“wait, do you even know which direction the castle is from here?” Horror asked.

He held a hand up to sign “no” without turning back.

Before Horror could follow after him, Nightmare emerged from the ground next to him.

“gah!” Horror exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance.

“You three sure took your time,” he said. He frowned and scanned the area. “Where is the third one?”

“killer? he split up from us at the beginning…you didn't know?” Horror questioned. He assumed Nightmare had a full view of the entire forest. Was he just following them around instead?

Nightmare’s single eye blinked. “I did not,” he said slowly. He would have to search the forest to find Killer. He had been feeling the most fear and stress from him. If he had to guess, he was lost.

Luckily Dust already found Killer by the edge of the forest. He didn't expect to find him clutching his own soul like it owed him money.

He looked roughed up, physically and mentally. White ring eyelights pierced into his target shaped soul as he scowled.

If he kept clutching his soul like that he would die.

Dust didn't feel like watching someone die right in front of him, even if it was Killer. He turned his soul blue and yanked it up to get it out of his hand.

Killer gasped and thrashed in his hold. “let go of me! let go!” he wailed.

Dust reflexively released his hold on his soul, dropping him to the ground. He watched with concern—disgust, as Killer breathed rapidly while lying on the ground. What the hell happened to him? Nightmare wasn't even near him right now.

Killer didn't acknowledge his presence, even after that, so Dust got closer.

He crouched down next to the panicking skeleton.

Finally, Killer got a glimpse of him. He rolled onto his chest and pushed himself up with his arms. “dusty?”

He sounded so relieved. It caught Dust off guard.

He hastily reached out with one arm, falling back down onto his chest when he did. He grabbed hold of Dust’s knee. Once his hand touched something solid he relaxed, and then he jerked his hand away when he registered that Dust was there. He sat up and cleared his throat. “didja get any pages?” he asked casually.

It took Dust a second to respond. The change in Killer’s demeanor was instant. He nodded but then signed, “what happened?”

“i uh—haha, um,” he stammered. “nightmare was chasing me?” he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

“I’m right here,” Nightmare said, startling the two as he approached from behind the nearby trees. “And I didn't see you the whole time. Yet you were terrified.”

Killer crossed his arms trying to not look embarrassed. “i was not! just got a little lost is all. it annoyed me! i wasn't terrified.”

Nightmare mirrored his crossed arms. “You are aware I can tell the difference, right? I don't just sense your negativity, I sense what emotion it is.”

“oh it's not like it matters anyway! negativity is negativity, who cares!”

“Oh, it does matter.” Nightmare's tentacles flicked in agitation. “Your terror wasn't quite palatable.”

Killer's sockets widened as he sneered, “good! i hope you choked on it.”

“I cannot ‘choke’ on your emotions,” he deadpanned.

Killer grumbled something incomprehensible.

“Get up already, you two. We're going back to the castle.” He already opened a portal next to them.

“yay! more torture!” Killer cheered sarcastically as he stood up along with Dust.

“I did not cause whatever happened to you, and besides we're done for the day,” he corrected. “I will be out, don’t burn the place down or you won’t have a place to stay.”

“you’re the one that burned the place down before,” Killer muttered as he went through the portal.

“Dust,” Nightmare interrupted as he was about to go through.

Dust turned his head towards him.

“Do you know what happened to him?” he asked.

Dust couldn't tell if that was worry in his voice or intrigue. He shook his head, but after a moment of thinking, he pointed to where his soul would be and made a tearing motion with his hands.

Nightmare hummed thoughtfully. “Next time, do not split up.”

Underneath the hood was a look of confusion, but he gave him a thumbs up anyway. He turned back around to go through the portal. It was only once he was in the castle that he let himself wonder just what Nightmare was thinking. His motives were as clear as mud to them. All they knew is that he got energy from negative emotions, which is why they put them through stressful situations.

However the limit to these situations fluctuate, and not in a predictable way either. He was inconsistent.

Dust guessed that today was one of those days where he went easy on them. Maybe that was why he was unnerved by the intensity of Killer’s reaction, because it was unplanned.

But wouldn't that be beneficial to him?

Maybe he was just a control freak.

He walked to the kitchen to get something to drink, noticing the lack of Killer talking Horror's or his nonexistent ears off.

Horror was sitting at the dining table with all the pages laid out before him as well as a piece of scrap paper with various notes scribbled down.

Dust didn't pay him any mind as he leaned on the wall by the fridge as he drank.

He watched Horror go through all five stages of grief as he meticulously studied the pages and then went on to create five new stages of grief.

Had he cared, he would've pointed out that the pages are most likely meaningless, but this was too entertaining to interrupt.

It had to be at least an hour before Horror slammed his hands down on the table and gave up. He looked over at Dust, eyes squinting. “what the hell are you drinking?”

Dust looked down at his glass full of various condiments, a dash of vanilla, and milk, all topped with “ice cubes” that were just frozen chunks of butter. He did not have an answer.

Horror sighed, massaging his forehead. “make me one,” he mumbled.

Normally Dust wouldn't follow an order like that, but he decided Horror deserved a treat after inventing five more stages of grief and enacting them out before him.

“have you seen Killer at all recently or were you standing there the entire time?”

Dust handed him the drink, giving him a blank “what do you think?” look.

“figures…” He took a sip. It was an assault on all of his senses. There were at least three different consistencies in this single drink. Horrendous. He took another sip.

There was a moment of silence as both of them drank the bio-hazard in their hands.

“...he’s probably in his room again,” Horror guessed.

It wasn't an odd occurrence for Killer to coop up in his room after Nightmare’s had his fun, but it wasn't that common either.

Usually Dust wouldn't care—he didn't care still, but…

He finished his drink, now crunching on the frozen butter. That sucked, badly. He’ll have to make that again sometime. He put the glass in the sink and made his way to the hall that led to their rooms.

He passed by Killer's door to get to his own. His hand paused when he grasped the doorknob. With a silent sigh, he turned around and walked back to Killer’s door.

His mismatched eyelights bore into the door as if looking at it would magically open it. Did he want to knock or just open the door? Scratch that he wasn't going to knock.

He twisted the doorknob, only to find the door was locked.

He internally cursed. Killer probably heard that; it would be awkward to knock now.

He could walk away right now. He didn't know who was at the door yet—

The door opened right as he thought that.

“what?” Killer groaned. His frown evaporated when he saw Dust. He leaned on the door frame. “oh, you.” There was that relief again.

His mind decided now was the opportune moment for him to forget what little sign language he knew. He just ended up staring at him in silence.

…

He CHECKed Killer, noticing his HP was a tad lower than usual.

Killer faked a cough into his hand. “...good talk.” He reached for the door and closed it.

Dust didn't hear it lock.

Well, at least he confirmed he was still alive. Dust decided he was satisfied with that and went over to his own room.

[kuzure-collapse]

Hi! So, to start off with, I'm absolutely obsessed with Loser's Bromance! Genuinely, I think it's one of the best Quote stories I've read in a while (and I read a lot). Please do not EVER give up on it 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Secondly, I was wondering what type of yandere each of them are? I have theories but only for two-three of the characters. Who would go as far as to kill someone for mc? Who would kidnap mc?

Thirdly (sorry if this paragraph comes off as impatient or rude), what's your updating schedule?? There's been times where I've been reading something then the author doesn't update for months before updating once more and I was wondering if you're one of those types of authors or not? It's totally fine if you are, no judgement here, but I just need to know so I'm not waiting around in anticipation for half a year 😭

Sorry if this is a big ask!!

thank you! i'm glad i could meet your standard. i don't plan to stop writing it, not until I've reached the ending i drafted.

this is a soft-yandere story, so nothing too crazy here. no one's getting kidnapped. maybe yanagi is killing people, but none of the main cast will be getting killed off. the yandere will mostly be shown in subtle hints at each character's obsession. the most yandere would probably be at the end, when yanagi decides to go off the rails.

---

i'll explain how each character displays their yandere traits in the story:

Tomohiro:

likes leaving marks on mc, like bruises or scratches from their judo practices

he would bite if he could. wants to show that mc is his

Kotose:

mc is nice to everyone else, but only bickers with kotose. that must mean that mc likes kotose, right?

likes collecting items that belong to mc, just small things that he doesn't think mc would notice

likes to think of how mc would react if he caught him

Satsuma:

opposite of kotose, he likes giving items to mc

first food, then the ankle brace. what's next, big hoodies?

similar to tomohiro in that it shows mc belongs to satsuma

Yumeki:

likes drawing and taking pictures of mc, treating him like a muse

whether or not mc is aware

the drawings often make mc look better than he really is

wants to be useful to mc as much as he can

Yanagi:

mc puts his life on the line to help yanagi, that means he cares for yanagi the most, right?

his phone is filled with video recordings and photos of mc's embarrassing moments. enjoys humiliating mc in front of others with them

eventually becomes more than a joke and he starts taking candids, some even turn out good

watching the vids on his own and thinking "he's so fucking stupid haha what a loser" with a goofy smile on his face

i wont spoil what i have planned for his yandere phase. but if you've kept up with my earlier journal entries on quotev, you'll find a few one-shot pieces i wrote about him

---

my goal for an updating schedule is every Sunday EST, Monday at worst. at the start i had chapters prewritten and would post consistently every week, but as chapters got longer, the time it took to post grew as well.

occasionally i'll go on a break to focus on life. I'm not the type of author that can update multiple fics at once, or even multiple times a week. i prefer my chapters to be at least 5 pages long and proofread many times over. sometimes my chapters get as long as 15 pages because i don't feel like it makes sense to split them up.

people praise my work but not many understand that the quality comes from how much time i put into it. while i could update more often, it wouldn't be a product I'm proud of. even chapters that I've worked on for months have me feeling iffy before i hit publish.

hope this clears things up! i don't particularly care if people hound for updates (i brush them off anyway), but i wouldn't recommend doing it too often since some authors find it annoying. most people prefer receiving nice comments like these. i personally like when people ask questions or make theories about the story. those comments are much more motivating compared to "pls come baccck" or "pls updattttee"

[daytaker]

Could you perhaps write something where gn!mc is just,,, a complete asshole. Fully standoffish and rude, I think it'd be hilarious [bonus points if they have a traumatic backstory for WHY]

No bonus points for me because my asshole MCs exist in a state of suspended animation and they're just like this Because They Are.

Now, I go on and actually explore my idea from an earlier prompt that MC being standoffish would derail the entire plot of OG Season 1 since it requires them to help Belphie get out of the attic.

And if you're wondering, yes, Solomon is quoting KJV Book of Revelation at the end there.

How Your Year-Long Vacation In the Devildom Ended in the Apocalypse

or; Asshole Standoffish MC says what?

Ship: None Word Count: ~1.3k Triggers: Uhhhh... (points to the title)

-----

You're not here to make friends.

And you're definitely not here to date any million-year-old demons who look like they stepped out of the pages of Esquire.

You're here because you're Fate's favorite bitch, and apparently you haven't been suffering enough lately.

So you go ahead and announce all that to your host family the first time you all sit down for dinner.

"...Are humans like that?" asks Asmodeus, looking between you and his brothers. "...I...I don't remember humans being like that."

"Wow. Okay," says Leviathan, staring at his Switch. "First of all, what's your damage. Second, you should probably find the demons who are interested in dating you and let them know, lmao." He fist-bumps Mammon without looking up from the screen.

"What's Esquire?" asks Beel.

"I'm gonna go eat in my room," you say. "Goodnight."

As you leave, you hear Mammon mumble, "Well, they were right about being a bitch."

------

Things aren't any less irritating at that stupid school. Honestly, who names a school after themselves and the fact that they're royalty? Was he just trying to make an easy acronym? Seriously. 'Royal Academy of Diavolo'.... It makes you cringe, hard.

So you sit in the back of all your classes and doodled your favorite sleep paralysis monsters getting closer and closer to the foot of your bed over the course of the day. You're just getting to where you can see the empty white scleras staring up at you when Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber turn up, A.K.A. the other exchange students, A.K.A. Simeon the Angel (dumb), Luke the Baby Angel (also dumb), and Solomon (dumber), the immortal human sorcerer and also the ancient king of Jerusalem? (Like, that Solomon? What the fuck, why does he look like a twenty-three year old anime boy?)

"You must be the newest exchange student," says the tall angel.

"Yeah, and?" you answer.

"Hey, you don't need to be so rude to him!" says the baby angel. His voice makes you want to throw yourself into a furnace.

"Yeah, and?" you answer again.

"Haha! So the new student has some spunk! I like that," says the Biblical king.

"Why are you all bothering me? I was drawing my sleep par--"

"We should all hang out at Purgatory Hall sometime," suggests Simeon, proving he hasn't been paying attention. "By the way, why did Diavolo end up putting you in with the brothers instead of situating you with us?"

"Because I walk around naked at night and I don't care who sees, and there's a child in your dorm."

"Really?" asks Simeon, covering Luke's ears. "Why do you do that?"

"Because fuck you, that's why. Leave me alone."

"I don't remember humans being like that," murmurs Simeon to Solomon as they walk away.

------

"I'm a human too," says the demon in the attic.

"Uh-huh," you say with undisguised skepticism. "And you want me to forge pacts because...?"

"Because then you can release me. Us humans have to stick together."

You let that hang there for a few seconds before dropping the ax.

"...So I know you're Belphegor. Because your fucking picture is up in the house. You absolute moron."

His expression drops.

"You idiot. You lying shit. Don't waste my time like this again. I'm not forging pacts with any demons. I know you missed my first dinner here, but to sum it up: I'm not here to make friends."

"I don't remember humans being like this," he mumbles to himself. "Wha- hey! Wait! Where are you going?! Come back! Come- come back!!!"

-----

It's Diavolo's birthday party, and Lucifer forces you to come.

By that, I mean he physically picks you up and drags you there while you struggle and rage.

"I don't remember humans being like this," Diavolo says to Barbatos with some concern as he sees you carried thrashing through the entry.

"Oh, they absolutely are," argues Solomon. "I only calmed down after I'd been around about a hundred years. But for their stage of development, I'd say they're pretty much par for the course."

Barbatos stares blankly at Solomon as Diavolo nods sagely. "I see, I see... I suppose I'll have to keep that in mind when selecting our next exchange student."

-----

"Finally! The year is almost up, which means this loser's going back to the human world, and Belphie's gonna come back home!" cheers Mammon.

"Very expository of you," Satan replies dryly.

"Oh, Belphie is Belphegor, right? Your youngest brother?" you ask, looking up from the knife you've been sharpening. It's one of the chores you reluctantly accepted over the course of your stay here. You're taking care of your knife duties while brothers 2 and 4 cook dinner.

"Uh, obviously," snorts Mammon. "Why, what do you care? You'll be gone before he gets here."

"I forgot I never mentioned this to any of you. He's in the attic."

Mammon and Satan stare at you. Mammon chuckles nervously. "Whaaa? Don't be stupid, there's nothing up in the attic. Lucifer doesn't even let us go up there."

You stare back at him, unblinking. The two brothers glance at each other.

-----

You sit on your suitcase in the front hall of the House of Lamentation as the place goes up in flames.

Beelzebub is in a mindless rage, cursing Lucifer and breaking down walls. Every now and then, the entire house rumbles, indicating its structural integrity is just that much less solid.

Leviathan summoned Lotan in a moment of panic when Mammon kicked his door in and announced that Belphegor was going to war against the human world and Lucifer and Diavolo and he'd better pick sides before he got drafted, so the entire ground floor is soaked in a few inches of water and tentacles keep reaching out from the depths of the house. You swat them away whenever they get too close. You're not sure where Levi is now, but based on the fact you can hear Mammon screaming and pounding at the bathroom door, you can make a good guess.

Asmodeus released Cerberus from the basement after charming him, and when he realized the dog was too enraptured to obey Lucifer, the pressure got to him and he fled. Now the two are on the war path to Majolish, because 'all this drama is stressing [them] out' and 'this is how [they] cope, okay?'

Lucifer is grappling with Belphie and Satan, who, upon hearing that Belphie intended to rebel against Lucifer, joined his cause. He keeps trying to bang their heads together; you can see it happening in front of the fireplace down the hall. But Satan's tail keeps slashing at him like some sort of prehensile melee weapon and it's clearly at least somewhat effective.

Looking up, you see what appears to be a pair of dragons grappling in the sky, and all around you are the sounds of screams and sirens. The earth rumbles around you, and even the stars seemed to be falling from the sky.

"I can't believe you did it!"

You turn around in surprise as the door opens. Solomon stands there, beaming at you like a proud father. "You really did it! You broke the sixth seal!"

"Sorry, what?"

"'And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood!'"

"Sorry, what?"

The roof begins to cave in, so you step out of the way, and Solomon laughs maniacally.

"It's still going! 'And the great kings of the land said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne!"'" Another chunk of the ceiling crashes directly in front of you.

"Are you high?"

"Yes!"

"Share."

So we smoke a joint, staring up through the broken roof into the starless sky, watching demons and brawl, awaiting the breaking of the seventh seal: silence.

[julietsbb]

julie <3 i am here to give your last three updates love. once again, vampire phuwin au is my salvation. in the nights you update, i live.

oki, so. i waited to see how their conflict concludes before i sent you an ask. (i can't communicate properly on twt because that account has a lot of history and i'd rather not use it much. contemplating making one from scratch so i can quote you my madness for every update properly)

but i also enjoy sending you unhinged asks here, ngl.

okay, back to what's important. the conflict was so nice to see. because, you know, i felt throughout the story that there's this (understandable) carefulness in phuwin. even when he would let go for a few seconds or during feeding, his manner of speech and his actions still express it so loudly. mindfulness for pond to be alright, for everything to be consensual and for phuwin to not /slip/, almost.

like i said, very understandable. he's battling with understanding how much he enjoys certain (bloody, you could say) aspects of this deal they have, and not ruining things with pond. because he cares so much for pond, right? he wants him to be happy, always. pond comes first before everything for phuwin, it feels. even feeding. (this is my dedulu ass just rambling to you my understanding of your writing, some interpretations. i just feel like there's a lot expressed in your narration.)

point is: to see pond go through that tumult of thinking that phuwin found it disgusting - by proxy found /him/ disgusting for being so into it. having a breakdown; actually, breaking down. and then transition into something almost intolerant of phuwin's carefulness, was absolutely wonderful.

like, let me explain a bit more. the way you write pond: he's so sweet, so pliant under phuwin's needs, his rules in their deal. he's so understanding and so quick to comply to what phuwin thinks is best.

that's what i got from him. so to see him be stern, to see him say "can you stop assuming how i feel?" to see him put his foot down in the face of phuwin's overthinking and fears was glorious. you see another side to him. it's clear that their morning talk was horrible for him (for both of them, but i talked about phuwin a little bit before, so I'm focusing on pond now) and he doesn't want a repeat of it, wants to be as clear as possible. wants phuwin to get it, to maybe even /let go./

and then comes phuwin's turn to listen and comply and accept pond's requests and JUST *GRIPS HAIR* their communication is 1000000000/10. Even if they go through it, suffer a bit, they succeed in making things alright in the best way.

also, side note. phuwin thinking 'it's always nice' about pond being shirtless was just sjfhsfhs the obvious gay thoughts are amazing. he's so whipped he thinks it's all normal. thinking your friend's chest is nice is normal homie behavior, you're right phuwin.

overall awesomeness. all three updates had me as entranced as ever. the healing kisses in the elevator had me gagged. it's interesting how you can still spot so vividly phuwin's apprehensiveness/careful nature in it.

can't wait to see how they develop after these talks they had. how the feeding will go. once again, thank you for writing this wonderful au and thank you for letting me be delulu about your ppw au.

i am very tired today because i woke at 4am for no goddamn reason so this ask made me emotional T_T <3

I love when people qrt their reactions to the updates on the megathread of doom (don't want to think about how mant tweets 102 google docs pages are.....) BUT I also really really fucking love and adore your asks so DO WHATEVER YOU WANT it's a win/win for me!!

AAAHHHH i love your take and how you view phuwin so much because like that was his starting point like POND IS WILLING TO GIVE ME THIS??!?!!?!?!?! must treasure must be worthy wow wtf and now i'm discovering there's not only annoying parts to this major part of my identity? this aspect of myself and my life is something i can enjoy??? wow pond is magic. basically. so he's just so pathetically grateful but also so aware of, like, HOW TO BE WORTHY OF IT, basically. silk gloves for pond. i'm so glad that's coming through <3

which just makes him dealing with his sudden suppressed urge to hurt rearing its "ugly" head that much harder, like, he's so certain about this but suddenly his body and his yearning is attempting to tell him the opposite? like it's so unthinkable it's how he could be in denial about it for so long, which is a big part of what ends up hurting pond.

I am so fucking glad pond's transition in this conflict worked for you because they've both developed so much re: each other already in this that my brain is like "what is even in character anymore?" and it's not like we have any points of reference to pond standing up to phuwin in any way, but like, i knew pond having that shift was NECESSARY for them and their relationship to work, like it felt right. pond is a sweetheart and pond accommodates, but i also don't feel like he's someone who would just let others walk all over him after they've hurt him. thankfully, we've seen stand up to the stalkers now for instance. my point being: i was writing it and it felt right as i was doing so and it was needed to push them to a better place, but if i asked myself 'how would pond handle this' my answer would be '???' but one thing we DO know is how much phuwin values and appreciates honesty and pond knows that too, so one thing I could see pond do is cling to that, phuwin begged him to speak on the bathroom floor and pond knows phuwin values truth and directness, so i could see him cling to that aspect as a way forward.

'can you stop assuming how i feel' came to me in the middle of doing something else, i was probably biking to work or something, so i had to open my note doc on my phone to jut it down and not forget, because i felt it was the key cause of their miscommunication, because phuwin was so set in his conviction of how he was supposed to threat pond with this that he... forgot to ask pond about it lol so as i was writing that scene it was very "okay so how do i work their conversation from where they are to pond interrupting with that without it seeming forced" 😂

ye i made a point of phuwin folding completely to pond from that point on and show that like.... if phuwin CONSULTS POND they can actually find compromises that work better for both of them together. i also needed phuwin to see that. like, pw, you CAN do things differently than you thought you were supposed to and they WORK. it was important for me to showcase them trying to maneuver that new ground, of being in it together.

"he's so whipped he thinks it's all normal." PRECISELY yes thank you - as i said to alan on twitter, he goes from 'passively easy-to-ignore into dudes' to 'actually actively into one particular dude because suddenly their bond and intimacy have rapidly tightened and he's seen him in a completely new light so everything is the same but different'

oh the healing lift kisses were tough for me to write because they were both so conflicted about them. both knew it had to be done but there was no chance to communicate/get on the same page about it first. but also the act itself is something they are kinda both enjoying despite themselves? like neither of them wants to be into it at that moment but it's a) closeness after their fallout, which they both crave and b) an act they're so used to enjoying, their bodies are hardwired to respond somehow to it, even if just a tiny bit. so trying to somehow get the balance of 'this is kinda sexy but also really not, because we don't want it to be, neither of us do, but it's also YOU and CLOSE and THIS THING WE BOTH LIKE but also our interpersonal relationship is still relatively rocky at this point, like, you're on my neck and it feels nice and i both do and very much do not want it for multiple reasons also i'm still kinda pissed at you. and then only from pw pov and i had to convey pond's side entirely through the reactions phuwin were privy toobecause i couldn't even describe pond's face because pw's face was in his neck skdhskflhsl no idea if i succeeded but i'm glad you mentioned it!!

there's no 'letting' about it pls always delulu about my ppw au i think at this point i might just turn to dust without it T_T

[telltaleangelina]

Hello there, I would love to hear all your thoughts on 'The Last of the Wine'!

Hey, thanks for the ask! I really loved Last of the Wine! Alexias was a lovely character, and it was really interesting to watch his development and the development of his relationship with Lysis! He was so sweet in the beginning and then he became harder as the book went on; his father said that he once thought Alexias was 'too soft' to be a soldier, and I think he was right to feel that way at a certain point! His entire character progression was a trip to get through!

I absolutely loved the writing, which was beautiful as always, and there are some parts of the story I don't think I'm going to forget about anytime soon; the story of Phaedo (I cried), the moment Alexias exposes his brother and asks him 'bear no ill-will to me' (I cried), quotes like 'at Gurgos's once I lay awake considering how to kill him. But already it was too late,' 'I saw death reach out for you; and I had no philosophy,' 'if there be any god who concerns himself with the lives of men, the god himself must suffer with me,' etc. etc. It was just so good but very disturbing in some points...sometimes, you never stop to wonder why people do the things they do and only see that what has been done is evil. In a way, this is good; evil things ought to be derided as such no matter the circumstances, but in another way it is unfair and unhelpful. This is how I feel about a lot of the last third of the book: I understand why and how certain things happened, I just wish that they hadn't happened.

Something that made me laugh though and which I will think about forever are the few scenes where it's apparent Mary Renault is writing with a modern audience in mind, like the absolutely hilarious scene where Alexias is afraid of asking Xenophon if he only likes girls because he doesn't want to offend him 😭 or the scene where Alexias, assuring his dying father of vengeance, says: "Am I so base of soul as to forgive my enemies?" They're really cool scenes because they kind of play with the expectations of a modern audience and subvert common sentiments and understandings in modern culture and society; the opposite situation in the Xenophon scene would seem likelier to a modern person (especially at the time Mary Renault was writing) with Xenophon worrying about offending Alexias by asking him if he likes boys. And it's really a head-trip to read that question asked by Alexias because it's a direct contradiction to the common and widely known sentiment of forgiveness and loving your enemies within Christianity...this becomes 10x funnier 10 pages later when Alexias accidentally stumbles onto the whole point of Christianity 'God with us' 😭😭😭 I love the whole sequence of these scenes because they seem written specifically to challenge the reader; to get it through your mind that this was a foreign place and time, and these people are foreign to us; they have an understanding different from our own...but maybe not completely different at the same time.

Anyway, I don't know if this makes sense, my thoughts are kind of all over the place with this one but the tldr version of it is: I loved it! The writing was beautiful! It made me sad!

[tprings-hair]

8 for the ask thing

8. Is there anything I wish people would write more about in fics? (A dynamic, an exploration of an arc, just a character that doesn’t get much screentime, etc)

oh my god, there are so many little character choices that the actors/writers/directors of tos have made that I am obsessed with, and I can't imagine how they don't have pages and pages of fic. these include:

- in spectre of the gun, the way the sheriff talked with kirk (putting his hands on his shoulders to keep him there, kirk looking up at him with that desperate look, the tone they took with each other) and the way kirk reacted to him made me wonder about his relationship with his father. shatner's novel collision course has a bunch of stuff about how kirk doesn't get along with his ex-starfleet father. I would be really interested to see a deep dive into that and how it shapes kirk as a leader. you can't just drop that scene of kirk getting angrier and louder than he's ever been with anyone in the show and expect me not to think about teenage kirk!

- kirk and shakespeare! you can't tell me he and spock and uhura aren't bouncing shakespeare quotes back and forth on the bridge to pass the time on boring shifts. I firmly believe he has said "do you bite your thumb at me, sir?" to an alien diplomat as a joke, only to find out it's either horrifically offensive or lewd. before beaming down for shore leave he would tell spock "parting is such sweet sorrow" just so he could see spock sigh at him. he has definitely quoted kent in act i scene ii of king lear in a fight. (I will elaborate on any of this in a fic if anyone would actually be interested.)

- uhura. just anything about her. we don't know how she grew up, why she joined starfleet, what's waiting for her on earth, or why her only real connections seem to be with her crewmates when she's so friendly and open with everyone. I know it's a side effect of being a black female character written by white men in the 60s but please, I want the kind of backstory and motivations for her that people make up for other characters like chekov and mccoy! it's not like we don't have material. she's got a fear of dying a long and painful death (see that one episode with the creepy kids in season 3), wonderful musical and theatrical talents, an insane amount of charisma (what's under that?), and she admits that she's afraid on the bridge and finds security in knowing that kirk has the situation in hand. we also have an underdeveloped last minute relationship with scotty, which actually makes sense if you think about it? she doesn't need a defender or a musketeer like sulu tried to be, she just wants to know she's going to make it out okay, and scotty is the one who makes sure the ship can take them home safely. plus, he's less vain and more reliable than kirk. it came out of left field for me, too, but I honestly see it now that I think about it. so yeah, I want more development for uhura as a character, and for her relationship with scotty.

- any of the women, really, but I'm a little obsessed with the woman in who mourns for adonais, lt. carolyn palamas (played by leslie parrish, who was according to wikipedia an activist against the vietnam war who created her own tv station to give the average american a more in depth look at their news! sounds very cool). her arc is literally the same one that the male main characters repeatedly get (seduced by alien, must choose between career/following orders and being lost in this new romance) and she's just so cool. imo this episode was more feminist than people give it credit for, not just for giving her that choice but also showing her as someone who is good at her job to the point of being absolute instrumental to the plan. she wavers, just like kirk is allowed to do, and she chooses duty in the end, and it doesnt make her two-faced. she's allowed to be human. I love her.

[musicoftheheart]

once i was talking to this girl that a mutual friend had set me up with and we were getting along really well and shared loads of similar interests but i wasnt quite feeling it so when she asked what i read i told her i read fanfiction because i didnt really mind if that blew it and immediately she curled her lip and said "oh god not wattpad" so i corrected her, laughing, and said i use ao3 which reassured her so i then asked what she read and she told me about this book series she was enjoying

i bought the first book in the series to give it a go and i kid you not it was pretty much just published wattpad fanfiction. let me break it down for you:

the female lead was (and i honest-to-god quote) "not like other girls". she was physically behind in puberty despite being 15/16, yknow flatchested, no curves, hadnt had her period etc. she was small (5'0) and from a poor and abusive family and got bullied in school so had to transfer; in book 1 of the series shes officially the new girl in school. she knows absolutely nothing of sports (important in a moment) and does not play. one scene shows her cowering from a ball in P.E.

the male lead comes from a rich family, is an upcoming professional player for the country's rugby team, and the popular jock of the school. he is 2 years older than her (17/18), 6'5, "hot", and fawned over by everyone. he has an injury that he keeps secret because it could end his career, but she finds out and its a thing (i dont remember much of that plotline).

half of the book is her being all "kshfkshf oh but im not like other girls, why would he ever want little old me when he has all these girls whove gone through puberty flirting with him" and hes all "she is so tiny and small and delicate, i must protect her at all costs with my massive masculinity." they both get constantly warned away from each other by friends etc.

some bits of the book i remember: he hits her with a rugby ball and she flashes her privates to the whole school rugby team because apparently she doesnt wear underwear to school?? thats how they meet. she showers at his house twice for some reason. she wears his boxers like a pair of long shorts because shes just so smol and his joggers wouldnt fit and his boxers are just so big on her that they work as shorts. im pretty sure they have sex while shes 15 and after he turns 18. his bitchy ex gf is a bitch to her because teenage girls. her dad is abusive towards her because she is a girl and therefore is too tiny and helpless to defend herself. from what i can tell from the wiki page, in a later book he gets her out of the abusive home? idk, it says all of her siblings are his foster siblings and his parents are her adoptive parents, so thats what i assume from that.

there is undoubtedly so much more that ive forgotten since i read it, but even just that much is enough to make me think of wattpad. there were moments when i read the book where i had to actually put it down and pause for a moment because of how much it resembled a reader insert fanfic and i wish i could remember them exactly because it was just- it was gold.

going back to the girl who recommended the series: i read the first book and she asked what i thought of it. apparently pointing out its similarities to a y/n wattpad fic was not the correct answer, because she ghosted me a few days later :)

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Preorder Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

Synopsis:

Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult. After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice. For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

Here we have Vanja being Vanja (ie self-destructive and also accidentally starting a cult because of course she does) and then in comes Emeric being Emeric (annoyed and exasperated at Vanja and said accidental cult) and then things really start to happen.

The writing is just as gorgeous and funny and dark as in the first book. I love it so much!

The story is so compelling, as are the characters. As the threads of story slowly wove together, I remained in awe of Margaret Owen's plotting skills and ability to misdirect. The story is SO beautiful and SO sad. I actually had to stop reading, near the end, because my eyes were so full of tears I couldn't see the words and I had to take a moment and wipe them until I could see again. That doesn't happen often.

I love Vanja and Emeric even more now, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one.

The twist of who, exactly, the Scarlet Maiden is was brilliantly foreshadowed in a way that made it seem like it came out of nowhere with a gut punch. The identity of the various people Vanja encounters was hidden in plain sight. Everything was constructed so perfectly.

And poor Vanja and Emeric. That ending broke my heart and I did cry. I can't wait for the next book to find out how they fix things. Because they have to fix things. Right?

Margaret Owen has cemented her place as a forever auto-buy author for me and one whose arcs I will absolutely fight for.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's - Henry Holt & Co. for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

She cried like a routed general. She cried like a jilted bride. She cried like a two-year-old who has been told they cannot eat rocks.

---

But you know that feeling? The one where your entire brain melts out through your earholes because your head is on fire, and the rest of your body overcompensates by freezing on the spot, and the only thing left in your skull is a ghost marching in a circle and banging two pots together? That’s about where I’m at.

---

Kirkling’s charcoal stick dangles like a dagger over the throat of her page.

---

I wonder if Kirkling knows exactly what manner of pedantic, punctilious annotated-within-an-inch-if-its-life beast she’s just unleashed. I know without a doubt that she is about to learn.

---

You deserve so much more than the least terrible of your choices.

---

“What did you want to speak to the boy about?” Udo asks in the tonal equivalent of a TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT sign

---

“Yes, Proctor Kirkling,” Emeric says with a forced sort of tranquility, as if the prospect of a daily quiz isn’t the greatest thing that’s happened to him since the invention of the T-square.

---

Four days later, our carriage rolls into Danwik, a town beautiful in a way reserved explicitly for things built on spite.

---

Our eyes meet. In that moment, an unspoken ironclad alliance is forged, and I know we are a united front with the sole objective of haranguing Emeric.

---

“Hence why I was also the first person to teach this lout how to throw a proper punch.” “Which was great,” Emeric says darkly, “until I got stabbed.” Vikram rolls his eyes. “What eleven-year-old hasn’t been stabbed, honestly.”

---

Little thieves tell themselves they take what they need to survive, and sometimes that’s true, and sometimes it’s a lie. Great thieves don’t fool themselves about their motives; they take things because they want them, end of story. The only lie they tell themselves is that there’s no difference between wanting something and deserving it.

---

For most of my life, I’ve held to a theory I call the trinity of want. It states that people are desired for three reasons: power, pleasure, or profit. If you provide three of those, others serve you. Provide two, they see you. One, they use you.

---

Years of pain had smelted her down to a knife, and only now was she relearning to touch others without drawing blood.

---

There’s a thoracic little death-rattle behind me. I’m pretty sure it’s the sound of Emeric’s world crumbling at the fact that he’s pissed off the saint of libraries.

---

“I mean, ‘I summon the powers of the gods through the stars’ is pretty impressive on its own.”

---

I’m starting to suspect Kirkling is one of those people who strongly commits to being a pain in the ass on a day-to-day basis, only to metamorphose into a decent and competent person in a crisis.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 010: The Night of the Prowler (ASM 78-82, Ann 6)

MASTERPOST

This arc, we transition from the 60s to the 70s! And we start by Annual 6 which is, and I quote, "41 pages of indescripable excitement"! The Sinister Six are here, muahahahhahaaaaa!

(Note: Ann 6 is a reprint of Ann 1, which I hadn't read but definitely makes sense, and a re-telling of the first issue).

Sadly, this issue is drawn by Ditko, which means even a shirtless Peter can't make me drool. What a shame.

So Otto escapes prison by Bluetooth-manipulating his detached mechanical arms, Ditko and Lee re-establish the setting, and that's only on the first page because no time to mess around because Thor's here on page 2! Good grief, the pacing is brisky. Sadly, after two panels, Thor is already far away. It was very subtle advertisement! But it also helps reinforce the (for now very lackluster, if that's what you're looking for) idea that the super-heroes are part of the same world.

Then suddenly Flash is here in his high-school personality, and then DR STRANGE is here to tell you to read his magazine. Wow, they really wanted to sell those magazines! This sure reads as the editorial becoming aware of how much of a success Spider-Man was.

We can see the writing has definitely improved since the first issues... even though this one is from 1969, just like the Tablet arc!

So the storyline is set "months" after Uncle Ben's death, which confirms to me that this is still high-school. Okay. All right.

And then as soon as Spidey loses his powers, he sees the Fantastic Four in what appears to be an attempt at showing as many cameos as possible.

In spite of his colleagues' messy yet sensible plan of "let's all gang up on Spidey at once", Otto says they'll each have a go, one after another. The idea is to weaken him by fighting him in each of their respective favorite elements. Okay, that's not so bad...

May's wondering what's wrong with Pete, surmising it might have something to do with "that girl he's been seeing", who's obviously... Betty Brant. Hey, remember when Betty Brant was a character? Me neither!

Peter's confused on what to do now, and passersby are amazed at "Giant-Man... and the Wasp!" Meanwhile, May and Betty get kidnapped. May by coincidence, and Betty because, according to Peter, "they know [he] was willing to fight [for her]".

The cameos pile on vertigineously as the Torch sends a message in the sky to Spider-Man and Charles Xavier says to "Ignore it! It doesn't concern us."

Spidey goes to fight Electro and the miracle happens! He's got his powers back. Basically, he was feeling depressed about Ben's death, but now he's fine! I must say I prefer SM2's version. It's a bit more subtle and well-executed. But that's still a commendable effort.

Jameson calls the Fantastic Four to ask if they've seen Spider-Man, and Jane replies that no, she didn't, and she adds that Jameson should probably call the police. Dear Lord.

Johnny wants to help Spidey (he seems to be Spidey's most regular partner) but Spidey objects. This fight is personal. This makes no sense but go off, king. But Otto is far from being a monster. He serves tea and Danish pastries to his lady guests, what an angel!

Then the X-Men attack Spidey but nooooo they're Mysterio's robots! So many plot twists!

Then we get some real comedy that I could absolutely see in a MCU movie. It's actually really funny!

Another comedic scene is the Vulture ordering Spidey to remove his web-slinging device, or he'll just fly away and won't tell where Betty and May are. Because every time Spidey beat him, it was thanks to his webbing. Spidey obeys, because of course he does.

Spidey almost beats Otto, but then Otto's like "hey, I can control my arms with Bluetooth. Why should I even fight in person?" and thus, Otto proves his girlboss status. He can't be bothered to get to the party! However, he can't help himself but want to be there to drown Spidey in a giant fishbowl (what the writer smoked for this issue, i can't possibly figure).

The two ladies are eventually rescued, but May hates Spider-Man and is really starting to dislike her nephew's slang, so she asks that he FUCKING stops saying stuff like "shook up".

There's a second story that re-tells in more details the first meeting between Spidey and the Fantastic Four (hey, remember to buy their mags!), which is basically the same, then a third story, where Spidey thinks he's going to mess with the Torch and his girlfriend because he lives in a telenovela.

Johnny actually has a really cute outfit that I'd love to cosplay one day. I already got a white shirt, the tie seems to be red, but I don't have a red tie. Still. I think it's a great look. Simple, but it definitely works!

...Well now I want to be checkered pants. Jesus.

Anyway, he quickly gets rid of this outfit to fight Spidey. Spidey gets angrier, Johnny gets angrier, then the other Fantastic Four arrive, show their sympathy to Spidey, who gets even angrier, they fight, then Jane and Spidey flirt with each other. The end. Oof.

Overall, Annual 6 is a lot of fun thanks to its bizarre assembly. It feels like a greatest hits that I'd recommend it if you want to see what Ditko's run was like. But it's definitely a downgrade, sandwiched between Romita Sr. issues. Lighthearted fun, at least.

Now, onto the main dish! As a reminder, I haven't read anything between 1969 and 1973, so it will be mostly new for me!

(gosh I really need checkered pants)

My familiarity with the Prowler is his appearance in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, and his appearance in Into the Spider-Verse. Since Miles doesn't exist yet, I'm curious about what's going to happen.

Peter calls Gwen, but...

What the fuck.

Turns out Gwen wants to understand why Peter keeps disappearing and stuff. Be careful, honey. Curiosity killed the cat...

After about 10 pages of delightful soap opera (seems like the 50/50 ratio's back!), I suddenly get flash-backs (both types) as Hobie Brown makes his entrance. I remember, now!

Hobbie wants to help his window-cleaning fellows be better protected, but his boss is against it because money. CoMiCs ArE nOt PoLiTiCaL!!! And Jameson tries to defend him because he's not racist.

From the very beginning, the Prowler is a very compelling character. He explains (to the reader) that he modified his cleaning equipement to become a super-villain. This is great! Economical exposition and very interesting.

A very compelling issue and a great return to the soap genre. In the letters, Ronald Gayda makes excellent points and did the maths:

Yes yes yes!

Michael J. Susko, meanwhile, argues that someone knowing Peter's secret could help him hide it! Didn't think about that, but absolutely.

The opening of the next issue assures us that it was initially planned as a three-issue storyline -- but it's been reduced to two! Which concludes neatly the year, yay!

And the first pages are absolutely terrific. Peter looks like a shojo romance hero.

And the issue concludes just as stellarly. Spidey doesn't turn Hobie in. I wonder what's in store for this character...

With these panels, we're done with 1969. Onto 1970!

I always appreciate Peter Parker being a handsome motherfucker. I hope we get to see the Prowler again, though!

But first, Peter wants to fight.

Anyway, the Chameleon is back! His last appearance was Issue #2! That's a blast. After taking the place of Captain Stacy, he takes the place of... none other than Peter himself! What a fun twist.

It's another fun issue that I really enjoyed.

In the reader's letters, the topic of Peter's hair regularly comes up. I think his hair are perfect, so Linda, yes, you're right.

Issue 81 features the Kangaroo, a villain nobody cares about!

Most importantly, this issue features the return from Aunt May, to my displeasure. She was nice where she was. She's been away since #72! And she's immediately worried about her nephew. Next to them, the aforementioned Kangaroo escapes from custody and recounts his sad life story.

He looks like a kid, then as his resolve comes back, he's an adult again. Kudos to the artist!

So Aunt May's dead (and I laughed).

And that's a nice panel.

Naturally, Peter girlboss gaslights gatekeeps May and she now thinks she's senile. Which, come on. Isn't far from the truth. She treats Peter as if he was five. Dear Lord.

In the letters, the readers talk about the same subjects again and again, but the Prowler is praised. Good! It's a great story.

In the final issue of this post, #82, Electro's back! But more importantly, Harry's shaving his stache. He had it since issue 74! I honestly think it wasn't so bad.

Peter wants to get money, so he asks to appear on TV, however he needs to dry his Spidey suit, but can't do it while showing his face...

So what's his solution?

Excellent.

The issue is alright, has fun ideas, but overall isn't that great.

The letters finally address my biggest gripe: I have never been able to faithfully reproduce Spidey's hand gesture to shoot a web, and Stan Reynolds has the same experience! Someone also wonders what kind of name is Flash. It can't possibly be written on his birth certificate, can it now?

There's the occasional weird letter, but there's also heartfelt opinions. Hobie seems to be a beloved character! They had to make him come back after that, didn't they?

So here we are. We finished the Sixties era of Spider-Man... What a journey!

[eighteenoheight]

I’ve been in and out of a conspiracy rabbit hole for the last two weeks and I don’t know who would care about it other than me. My problem is I don’t like being misled.

So my guilty pleasure for a long time has been those Reddit stories on TikTok with the Minecraft gameplay. I live for other people’s drama and I need to be very stimulated in order to not get lost in thought so it’s the perfect thing for me. I’m sure a lot of the stories are fake but I don’t really care as long as I’m being entertained. But typically what gets me off TikTok for the day is when a story comes up that advertises a product. Immediate turnoff how dare you. It’s painfully obvious that it’s an ad when the storyteller brings up a specific product in the most inorganic way possible. It’s mostly a weight loss supplement called obvi or something similar sounding and each time it’s a no no no. I’m taken out of the fantasy world created here. So you, random person on reddit, talking about how you got revenge on your cheating ex husband, decide you should impart your wisdom on the masses by talking unnaturally about a product that made you miraculously lose weight? I may be tricked into believing Reddit lies, but I can sniff out product placement like a dog sniffing a pissy streetlamp. I know your game here.

I never really questioned why these TikTok pages would post these dull stories that only exist as sponsorships, for some reason in my head they would just run any and all Reddit stories through the AI voiceover and call it a day. What should have been obvious is the tiktok pages are sponsored. Found this out the hard way.

BARELY DISCLOSED ADS.

So you’re scrolling through your fyp hoping for some fun, maybe a few ha ha moments. Then you stumble upon a Reddit video asking flight attendants about the scariest things about working on a plane.

Looks harmless enough. Perhaps enlightening. Scandalous? Absolutely scandalous because the whole video is squeezing in as many sponsored products as possible while mixing in a couple of home remedies for naturally growing breast size??? So you wonder to yourself omg are all these things true? I mean this lady worked as a stewardess for a billionaire so these products she’s talking about must be really good.

But then

Sneaky little disclosure at the bottom you’ll only see if you expand the description. Not only under the title, but under the hashtags. I’m no expert on FTC guidelines, but I’m pretty sure you have to make it abundantly clear if/when you’re advertising a product. According to my various sources (single google search, and one person on YouTube explaining another situation in regards to undisclosed ads) it has to be very hard for the viewer to miss that a post of any kind is sponsored. These bitches are hiding the disclosure at the very bottom. I say these bitches because it’s multiple accounts. And for added creep factor they all use the exact same verbiage. “This story is a promotional piece. It is a perfect depiction of what could happen.” What does that even mean.

One might be saying, is that really the biggest problem you’re facing at this time? It’s 4am on Christmas Eve, you’ve got a ton of shit to do and shops close early so why are you up in arms about this? Also Kim there’s people that are dying. For one I have the autism excuse of a hyperfixation so get out of my face. Next unethical practices are bad even if they seem minuscule, any idiot could view this and be tricked into buying a product that’s probably shit. I would be one of those idiots if I ever had money to spend. Actively lying to people and being that sneaky with ads just to get paid alongside whatever tiktok is paying you is gross. And finally the reason I care so much about this is my secret weapon I’ve been hiding like the tiktok pages are hiding the ad disclosures. I think it’s bad enough to push products onto your viewers under the guise of a quote-unquote real person oh so naturally talking about these amazing things that changed their lives and oops just so happened to mention to exact name of the product would you believe this obvi stuff made me lose all this weight and save my marriage. The crème de la crème of this nonsense, the cherry on top of this bitter sweet journey I’m on. This one specific post advertising a toothpaste in my opinion is the worst.

We start our wondrous story with the words “I think dentists may be running the biggest scam in America.” That’s the most important part of this. The rest of this totally real and true story is just about dentists lying about cavities in order to charge patients for a deep cleaning, but this person never had cavities before and he always uses [insert toothpaste brand here] and even uses their mouthwash several times a day out of fear of getting a cavity. Goes to his old dentist who says nah mate your teeth are perfect oh you’re using [insert toothpaste brand here] yeah keep doing that and you’ll be fine, also get your wife to do the same.

Maybe I’m the crazy conspiracy theorist, maybe I’m seeing malice where I shouldn’t. However, to me that story looks like an attempt to discredit the entire dental industry in order to advertise a fucking toothpaste. The very beginning sowing those seeds of doubt, that the dentists are just trying to get your money. We, the [insert toothpaste brand here] people, are actually better than dentists. You’ll never have to see those evil scammers again if you buy our products.

Again, idiots like me who might actually believe the story to be a true account of someone’s experience may come away from this thinking I’m never going to the dentist again. Risking the oral health of viewers just to advertise a toothpaste???? I’m not American so I don’t know what the situation is like over there. But even if it’s true that the dental industry is scamming people through unnecessary procedures, it’s not exactly a noble cause when you’re trying to ADVERTISE A TOOTHPASTE. Are you kidding me? Nasty nasty nasty. I could be overthinking this, always a likely possibility, but all of this builds up. The deception of the story being completely fake. The fake story being an ad. The ad trying to discredit an entire industry and pushing bad advice. And the ad not being made clear to whoever’s watching. The trash behaviour stacks on top of each other until we get to this point.

Multiple of these Reddit accounts have posted this story, clearly the brand is getting around, but weirdly the title of the story keeps changing. It’s usually framed as a question asked on Reddit by whoever for other users to post their anecdotes or experiences. Not really a huge thing here just odd. Also odd is sometimes the question has nothing to do with oral health so the story seems to come out of left field.

A little bonus one though that really took the piss for me. We begin our story with a teacher who adopts one of her students and their sibling who were trapped with an abusive parent. They spent a long time adjusting to the new home, like really fucked up from their previous environment. It’s Christmas time like it is now, but the teacher not only doesn’t have enough money to make a great first Christmas, but also not enough to pay rent so they’re gonna get kicked out. Christmas Day arrived and the oldest child gives her an envelope filled with money, enough to pay the rent. Wow so heartbreaking then so heartwarming. Everything worked out, such a happy ending. But alas we couldn’t end it there. The whole story was an ad for one of those websites that promises you money in return for filling out questionnaires I think it was. That’s some nasty shit. Anything to make money though, I guess.

I think what really got me down this rabbit hole was the first time I saw that phrase “this is a promotional piece. It is a perfect depiction of what could happen.” I thought wow this account is such a huge bitch never watching again. Then I wondered how many of their posts were promotions so I searched it. Only to find several different accounts had the same well-hidden disclaimer, with the same stories circulating. That’s when I decided this was a conspiracy worth bitching about to anyone who would listen. It’s unethical, so fucking rude and honestly classless. Show a little decorum.

Jumping before that though, i was first watching a YouTube video about undisclosed ads on tiktok for something called bloom. Supposedly something good for health even though it’s provably not. To make a long story short, a ton of influencers were being paid to just have the product in the background of their videos, maybe use it without saying anything about it. Some would say it’s odd but I’d say it’s ingenious. Idiots like me would see this one thing in all these creators’ videos and think hmmm that seems to be a must have item for everyone considering barely anyone is promoting it and clearly they use it because it’s in their kitchens. A very subtle manipulation. One could say you don’t have to disclose it being an ad if you’re not actively promoting it, but if you’re getting paid money from a company to include specific content in your posts then yes you kinda have to. Sneakiness will not work here. What’s also funny is in posts where they actually do use the product and they either take the smallest possible sip they can, or try really hard to hide how disgusting it tastes. I can understand making money but you have to stand on business. Chug that shit and give me the fakest smile. Advertise to me properly. You chose the billboard life so now have to live it. Got distracted and almost forgot my point. The topic of undisclosed ads intrigued me because I’d had so many of those Reddit story tiktoks with the hamfisted inclusion of a product that got me thinking hmmmmm. As I said before I initially didn’t think to consider the TikTok accounts were posting sponsored content for whatever reason. I think I figured it would be a weird niche for advertisers to want to get into, completely failing to realise it may be a weird niche but it’s a very popular one. My memory is complete mashed potato but I think I started considering the blatant possibility of the accounts themselves getting paid when the product placements were becoming way more frequent. And while I’m cussing out my brain functions I don’t know why but I get surprised by things I was already aware of. Learning about undisclosed ads should not have been as shocking to me considering I learned about it years ago when the YouTube beauty community was still thriving and there were instances of creators not letting their audience know they were being paid to shill some makeup. Anyway, this needlessly shocking revelation had me thinking are these Reddit story TikToks promoting shit without disclosing? That’s when I found out they’re using the “see more” loophole in order to disclose without actually disclosing.

Think I’ve got it all off my chest, hopefully now it’s out of my head I can put the incoherent babbling to rest.

[cedarbranch]

for the fanfic writer ask meme: 2-4, 30-35, 41-50, and 77!

wheee thank u!! this is so many omg (/pos) definitely putting these under a cut lol

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

when DOESN'T this happen honestly... most recently, steve's mom insisted that she MUST make an appearance in my stranger things wip, but the first instance of this happening on a dramatic scale was wayyyyy back when i was writing my frerard ghost au. frank decided to have more significant Issues than i originally intended which ended up with me rewriting half the fic from scratch (which now i do more often than not)

3. on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

hmmm... 9! i love romance :) i love writing Romance As Exploration. figuring out what makes characters tick, then how and why they'd make each Other tick. i do struggle with writing entirely romance-centric stories though, it tends to be one plot thread out of many

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

jeeeez... there are SO many ideas i've written and then abandoned... keeping it to ones i actually intend to finish, it's gotta be my pacific rim chance-meeting fic, but part 5 of magnolia 'verse comes as a very close second! i think about it constantly. i know exactly why i haven't written it yet: it's partially because... i HAVE written part of it (i rewrote the same 20k of the intro 5 fucking times), and also because after those 5 times i lost the hyperfixation and have been caught up in other fandoms ever since. still Thinking About It though.

30. most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

i'm not gonna hunt down the exact quote, but there's a post floating around here disparaging the idea of going to an art museum and saying "i could do that!" in an insulting way because yeah - you could! the only difference between the artist in the museum and you is the fact that they Did and you Didn't. that concept was big for me. it's a great reminder that nothing i do has to be perfect, i just have to make it Exist. the first step to being a writer is words on the page

31. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write?

oh that's so tough, i have so many i love writing!! in terms of who makes me giggle and kick my feet the most, though, gotta be eddie in my stranger things wip or newt geiszler. love me a character who is an Annoying Little Shit On Purpose

32. do characters influence your writing style?

i would say less characters and more the source material itself. i'm someone who likes to match character/narrative voices as closely as possible, so the way i write dialogue obviously reflects that and changes from fandom to fandom. it's not always super noticeable, but i think it shows the most when i'm writing pacific rim or hannibal. (writing hannibal fic is its own beast, that's the only one that's really changed my entire approach to writing and not just dialogue)

33. do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

they inform one another so closely it's hard to separate them! i guess the first inklings of plot are where it begins, and then the characters generate what the rest of it looks like.

34. how do you name characters and places?

most of the time i don't have to bc i'm primarily writing fic ❤️ but on those rare occasions when i'm writing original fiction, it's purely based on vibes.

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

literally any character i'm invested in. i'm always most compelled by characters who are very much unlike me, especially the bitter angry types. right now it's will graham :3 i love RIGHTEOUS RAGE yay yippeee!!!

41. what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

hmmm. quite possibly the crack fic i wrote for tma where jon is confronted with the horrors of homestuck. (IN MY DEFENSE: WAS NOT ACTUALLY MY IDEA, WAS WRITTEN AT A FRIEND'S REQUEST, but i did make it exist).

42. describe the aesthetic of a story in 5 words.

ough this is Hard. i can give a bad 5-word summary of a fic, but its aesthetic? let me give it a shot for the hannigram wip: bloody knuckles, sick with yearning

43. how did writing change you?

got me a girlfriend :)

serious answer: i am always thinking about craft when interacting with any kind of written art. i deconstruct, i nitpick, i analyze. sometimes it's criticizing bad writing from a place of love (as with stranger things), sometimes i'm frustrated by what could've been done much better (THE MAGICIANS!!), sometimes i'm just in awe of the skill of the creators (succession, hannibal).

44. any writing advice you want to share?

for fic writers: don't stop reading actual books!!

45. name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

three is too few!! i'll just say i'm currently rockin with emungere and zipegs, and always w my gf @stoplightglow :)

46. what time are you the most productive when it comes to writing?

hmmm. late evening, maybe?

47. what story are you most proud of?

in terms of completed works, moth to light. for my entire body of work including what's yet unfinished, my hannigram wip! (it'll have a title... eventually)

48. do you reread your own stories?

oh absolutely. partially just because it's fun, but mostly as a learning exercise! it's helpful to get some distance from a fic and then go back and see how reading it feels compared to how writing it felt. gives me a sense of whether my intentions came across how i meant them to in the end. also lets me identify some of the flaws i'd like to work on!

49. do you want to be published some day?

i don't really know! i used to want to be a novelist once i'd "gotten good enough" by practicing with fic, but i've since realized that fic and original fiction are very different skill sets and i'm just not as interested in writing original work. i do have a few short pieces that i'd like to finish one day and i hope they'd be publishable but it's sooo intimidating to have a partner who actually is a successfully published author and get a firsthand look at how much rejection and persistence it involves :'D i think i'd like to give it a shot when i'm ready, whenever that is. maybe for poetry too!

50. do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind?

i plan obsessively. my planning documents are pages and pages of outlining, character notes, snippets of scenes i want to write, etc. but to be fair the actual act of writing once i sit down to it is whatever springs to my mind, the story often takes off and guides itself into deeper levels of nuance from there

77. how do you write kissing scenes?

ummm. they're kinda formulaic in my work tbh which is smth i want to change... i do think my kiss scenes are improving as the rest of my writing improves, though! there's one in the hannigram wip i'm pretty fond of. will kisses hannibal and then punches him in the face ❤️ for the second time that evening

[insanemomentsinrhdhistory]

Some reflections and general notes as we go into Reading The Signs

- [ ] Otherness or nan?

- [ ] Idea of building a portrait links to the boxes of personality they used to have in the dementia care home. Little frames full of images that summed up a person’s life, except they rarely had photographs of themselves because not a lot of them existed. It’d be images like places they had work or fashion they had grow up with or tv characters from their time. Bits of the culture they lived in but mostly the ones they chose to participate in because those are the ones that could represent them best. We are all products of our environment so grabbing bits of an environment is almost enough to sum up a person.

- [ ] Otherness seems like kind of an obvious one to go with purely on the basis of who I am as a person. Has the opportunity to explore the idea of being othered in a community of others and how uniquely isolating that can feel. Something about layers? Idk but just the word makes my brain go on this whole tangent - the idea of fitting into “normal” society the same way a puppy or something would. So you fall through to the next level and that’s like the “cool outcasts” or whatever but they really don’t like you so you fall through to the last layer and it’s just darkness and you sit there for a really long time thinking you must be the only person in the whole world down on that layer. Maybe you can see the glow of the other outcasts above you almost like a ceiling, but you can’t reach it. This could work as an animation or something idk. Eventually you see a flicker down on your level and at first you ignore it but ultimately you build up the courage to run to it before it dies out. And that’s how you find your people. And then everything feels lit up. Like your eyes have adjusted to the darkness.

- [ ] Asking Cabal to write about their experience of “otherness” could be a pretty interesting way of collecting research for this topic this week. I’m thinking a google form asking them to write about it, and maybe a place to insert a small drawing expressing how they feel about it. I’m expecting MS paint more than Mona Lisa but it could be an interesting source of visual research.

- [ ] However there’s also really interesting potential to the whole idea of building a portrait of someone without using their face. Like these are all people I know really well and have spent hours talking to. We know each other inside out but I don’t know their faces, they don’t know mine and most of us don’t even use our real names. Seems like an obvious link to the idea of portraits without faces because that’s kind of the point. Maybe I could do dedicated sketchbook pages (like max one side of a4 per person or something) creating a mini “portrait” of prominent members or something. For some reason the person who comes to mind first is ginger and his bloody clock.

- [ ] I’ve gathered some visual research from Pinterest and tumblr. Tumblrs and interesting one because the image search is absolute dogshit, but you can search for pretty much anything and there’s gonna be someone who’s reposted a relevant sadcore quote or poem about the topic you’re thinking of. I’m thinking of using these similarly to how we used the song lyrics in the Sound and Vision topic. The visual research from Pinterest is varied, but one common occurrence is this odd photography with what I presume to be a fish-eye lens. It exaggerates and alters the proportions of the figures. I think it’s just an interesting way of visually representing the idea of otherness. Beyond just dressing strange or having a weird silhouette or something, the whole structure of the body is altered. Could be an idea to play around with photography as a medium I don’t usually experiment with. Also feeds into the fact I really need to get better at including “meaning” in my work and not just having things exist to look pretty. This works because of the idea of the visual oddities leads the viewer to question why else the figure may be an “other”. Idk I’m writing this at 3am.