#it was a very cursed layout image
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
dalblauw · 2 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
Poster from my dnd group!
165 notes · View notes
comatosebunny09 · 9 months ago
Text
preface [ deux ] | sylus
Tumblr media
summary: in his haste to find you before the auction begins, sylus uncovers something much more harrowing. and he curses himself for agreeing to let you be bait in the first place.
warnings: violence, minor character deaths, human/sex trafficking, mentions of underaged girls, profanity, allusions to reader’s past as a kidnappee, reader is not mc, reader implied to be femme, sylus is mad murderous & an emotional wreck
tagging: @world-of-hearts, @athanasia-day, @falon-fen, @queen-serena88, @karespocketboyfriends, @mrswanel, @readerxyourfave, @sunsets-and-crows, @antonneva
notes: a continuation of this. thank you so much for reading! part 3 can be found here.
now playing: mozart - requiem - lacrimosa
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The docks are deceptively quiet tonight.
Nothing seems amiss between the creeks of old wood and the slosh of waves breaking on the pier.
Sylus isn’t convinced of its purity.
Not when the tracker dwarfed in his palm blinks a steady red, signaling to your whereabouts.
He’d followed the signal here after it grew stagnant following an hour of movement away from the city. He waited another 45 agonizing minutes to make his move. Had to be sure he wasn’t being led into a trap and that wherever Fate’s men whisked you off to was where he’d find the others.
He stands on the edge of a weathered connex, the wind ominously ruffling his coat.
He studies the device in his hand. Paints a shadowy figure amid the bokeh of distant city lights glittering behind him. With one hand in his pocket, the composure adorning his features contrasts with the hushed maelstrom brewing beneath his skin.
He holds out his unoccupied hand for Mephisto to perch on, the crow materializing on his wrist as if summoned from thought. Mephisto preens himself, iridescent feathers gleaming in the moonlight. When he’s done, he fixes Sylus with a lifeless, scarlet stare before a holographic image emerges from his eyesight.
It’s a detailed layout of the docks. Metal containers, small, worn ships. For a second, nothing looks abnormal. Yet something stark white and rectangular piques Sylus’ intrigue.
Sylus scrutinizes the shape further before he makes out what it is. A semi-truck inconspicuously parked between stacked connexes. Three dark figures circle around it like wolves. Guards, more than likely armed. Whatever they’re protecting, it must be big.
“Well, that doesn’t look very suspicious at all,” Sylus drawls, scratching Mephisto’s head with appreciative fingers. The crow bows out of existence in a flurry of inky shadows and feathers, having served Sylus well.
He spares another glance at the tracker. The blip of your signal aligns with where the truck resides.
It is then that he decides to make his move.
A smirk tugs on the corner of his lips. It’s been a while since he’s gotten his hands dirty. Had you and the twins for that. The prospect of a good fight makes his fingers twitch, the tips of them sparking with dark red electricity.
In superhero fashion, he pitches himself forward, swallowed by the misty vines of his Evol, as he ascends from the connex at breakneck speed.
You’d make fun of him for being so dramatic; he’s sure of it. He’ll tell you all about his heroic feats when you’re safely tucked back in his penthouse with this night shoved into the furthest reaches of your minds.
He lands on sturdy feet. Insufferably cool as he maneuvers through the maze of cargo containers. The click of his shoes reverberates off damaged metal until he spots what he’s looking for.
The guards have yet to see him. Two of them pace back and forth at the truck’s rear. Another circles its perimeter, two hands on a rifle.
Such meager security for whatever’s housed in that trailer.
He breathes deeply. Fades into obscurity, drawn into the shadows of his Evol, preparing for a sneak attack. He doesn’t need to. Could effortlessly eviscerate the guards with a snap of his fingers. But where’s the fun in that?
“I don’t get paid enough for this shit,” sighs a disgruntled guard all by his lonesome in the driver seat, hands wrapped around the steering wheel. “What am I, a fuckin’ babysitter?” So caught up in his head, he’s none the wiser to Sylus’ appearance on the passenger side, amused, crimson eyes boring into his skull.
“You’re right,” Sylus replies, his voice abrasive yet cocky. “You don’t get paid enough.”
The driver doesn’t get the luxury of a scream before wispy, handlike tendrils snake around his neck. Bone snaps, followed by a sigh of life drained from cold lips. He dies with terror twisting his features, shepherded into the afterlife by The Boogeyman himself. His head slumps onto his shoulder as his energy flows into Sylus’ body.
“Now, what exactly are you babysitting,” Sylus ponders. The kingpin blinks out of existence again, readying himself to dispatch the other three henchmen.
Sylus doesn’t make a sound as he takes out the guard who’d wandered to the nose of the semi to ensure his cohort was still on the job. The other two, he snuffs out similarly, their blood gurgling in their throats and their bones crackling, music to his ears.
He rolls out the kinks in his neck and shoulders to ward off the stiffness as their life force seeps into his body. It’s been too long since he’s had some fun. Hopefully, this is the most action he’ll see for the night.
His eyes grow intense with concentration when he stares at the worn handles of the truck’s trailer. He burns with anticipation. With something of wariness nestled between. Your signal stops here, steadily buzzing on the tracker in his pocket. He clings to the notion that you’re inside, unscathed and none the worse for wear.
He shuts his eyes, focusing a stretch of energy on the handles. The doors fly off with a deafening screech of metal, sure to draw some unwarranted attention.
Nevertheless, with his hands in his pockets, he waits for the dust to settle. Leaps into the truck trailer with practiced ease, eliciting screams and gasps of varying pitches from within.
None of which sound like yours.
Red emergency lights flicker in the space inside. It reeks of mildew and sweat. Fear. Revulsion.
When the grime completely clears, Sylus makes out dozens of sets of eyes fixed on him. He stiffens. His blood turns ice cold.
Girls of diverse creeds, colors, sizes, and ages cower against the back of the trailer. All from him. He makes out at least 30 of them, crammed in the trailer like cattle awaiting slaughter.
Something in his chest pulls. His lips twitch with the threat of a grimace.
Those sick fucks.
Sylus is no saint. He’s done horrible things to equally deplorable people to increase his reign. To strike fear into those who would oppose him. Challenge his title as Onychinus’ ruler. But he’s never dreamt of doing something as vile as this.
There’s no telling how long Fate had them—these young women, these girls. How long they’ve been emaciated, deprived of food, water, and sunlight.
Sylus bristles as an image of you forms in his mind. A flash of a girl, young like these ones. Terrified yet burning with fury. Revenge rotting your mind, anger warping your tear-stricken features.
Speaking of you, he scans through the girls’ faces in search of yours. He doesn’t find you through their varying degrees of fright. Sucks in a breath through parted lips, his blood running cold.
He cautiously steps further into the trailer, and the girls inside shy away. He holds out a placating hand. Sure, he’s despicable. Terrifying, and the red light highlighting his imposing figure as he nears them doesn’t help matters. But he has to be sure you’re not nestled between them. Playing a cruel joke on him after he spent all this time hunting you down.
The tracker in his pocket vibrates violently. The group of women parts, cowering away from him like he’s something of a sickness. He stops in front of a girl who looks no older than sixteen. Peers down at her, and she shivers, swallowed by your coat. She ducks into the fur, shrouding herself from Sylus’ penetrating gaze.
There’s no mistaking this jacket. Pristine lynx fur.
One of the first he’d bought you when you joined his entourage. A peace offering, a sign of his unyielding protection.
You wore it faithfully like it was your most prized possession. No matter how many more Sylus stocked you with, you never let this particular coat go.
He smooths shaky fingers down the collar. Suddenly sees red when he tugs on the lapel, snatching the girl up, and she shrieks, her feet dangling above the floor. The other women yelp in terror, shrinking away from Sylus’ ire. He must look like a monster to them. As beastly as the men who ripped them from their homes. From freedom. But he doesn’t care as anguish drives him into rage.
It’s rare he loses his cool. But when it comes to you, things just hit differently.
“Where did you get this?” Sylus demands. He’s breathy. There's a manic look in his eyes. He’s desperate. Running out of time. For all he knows, they could’ve already sold you off to the highest bidder.
Or worse.
The girl donning your coat says nothing. Too shell-shocked, her voice corked in her throat. He recognizes the look in her eyes all too quickly. Well acquainted with it, having seen it too often in his enemies before he extinguished them like a candle’s flame.
Gravity comes sinking back in. Sylus scans the space around, the fear in the dank space palpable.
He peers at the girl, at his hand fisted in the coat, disgusted with himself. They’ve already endured so much, and he’s only exacerbating their torment. Gently, he sets the girl down. After her feet return to the floor, something clanks on the wooden boards, and she scurries away. Sylus kneels to retrieve it, the telltale gleam of a crimson gem causing his muscles to tense.
The brooch.
Your brooch.
The tracker.
The fucking—
Fuck!
A tidal wave of grief crashes into him. He squeezes the pendant in his hand, its intricate carvings biting into his fingers. Anguish mars his features. He pinches his eyes shut, curling into himself. The girls cling to the lining of the truck, scared witless.
He tamps down an impulse to scream. Instead punches the wooden floor. Punches and punches until the skin of his knuckles split, and his fist is raw, bleeding red.
You wanted him to find them first. These girls who’d been snatched away from their families, their livelihoods. Sold to deplorable men to do revolting things. To suffer. To die.
To you, this was personal. Sylus fought against using you as bait to draw out the ringleader of this trafficking act. But you wore him down, citing that he owed you this moment of redemption. Why you sought him out all those years ago.
You fucking martyr.
The trailer grows silent. Sylus feels numb as he stands, chest heaving. His fist has already mended itself when he dismounts the truck in a daze, leaving the girls cowering in his wake.
Luke and Kieran, as if sensing their boss’s shock, call him back to the present in his earpiece.
“Boss?” cautions Luke, the radio silence alarming.
“I’ve found them,” Sylus states, his tone grim. Detached. Dejected.
“And the little boss?” Kieran queries, optimism breaking through the static.
Sylus’ silence serves as their answer.
There’s a pause before Luke cryptically disrupts it. “On the way, boss,” he promises before the line cuts dead.
Sylus stares at the ground. Dissociates, starting away from the truck before the sound of merriment catches his ears.
His attention’s drawn to a sizable ship on the opposite side of the pier. It cuts a sleek outline against the horizon, bordered by smaller passenger boats.
He narrows his eyes. Homes in on the ship, exhaling slowly. If he were an auctioneer, he would hold it somewhere in plain sight. Somewhere seemingly innocent that wouldn’t raise any suspicions. What better guise than a party?
Hope spumes through him. Adrenaline. You’re so crafty sometimes, it hurts. The brooch was merely a marker. You knew he’d assemble the pieces the moment you found the others and left your brooch where he could track it.
You could very well be aboard that ship, waiting to be sold off. Waiting to be returned to a life you fled from years ago. He could only hope he was right in his deduction.
Sylus sinks into the vantablack abyss of his Evol, setting course for the cruise ship at the pier's edge. He clings to the idea that you’re onboard, safe and sound, waiting to cuss him out for taking so long to find you.
He needed a distraction.
There were too many innocents onboard. Or, so they seemed. He couldn’t glean the difference when he landed on the deck. He had a one-track mind.
A few partygoers eyed him suspiciously. Perhaps he didn’t blend in with his wind-swept hair, harrowed features, and suit stained dark with blood.
Regardless of their intrigued looks, he wended through the crowd. Scanned the scenery, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Anything to signal nefarious dealings taking place aboard the cruise ship. Anything that could lead him to you.
He’d heard whisperings as he descended to the mid-levels of the ship. Hushed tones speaking of meetings for the elite taking place on the lower decks.
He clung to the bits of information he extracted. Pieced them together. Found his way to the kitchen. The staff was clueless to his presence—or they ignored him, too busy whipping up meals for the ship’s guests.
Sylus grabbed who he assumed was the sous chef by the collar. Pinned him with a stare that promised pain if he wasn’t compliant.
The man cowered in his hold. The remaining cooks caught wind of it, shrinking away from Sylus’ imposing, blood-speckled figure. From the malevolence pouring in waves off his skin.
“There’s a fire in the galley,” Sylus stated between the man’s eyes. The sous chef looked at him with pinched brows. Confusion showed through his fear, as nothing was amiss.
Sylus would soon change that.
“I would advise you to start clearing out your staff. Now.” He punctuated his sentence with a growl, tossing the chef back a few paces until he stumbled into his coworkers.
They weren’t moving quick enough for Sylus, so he set his plan in motion. Turned a few knobs with a flicker of his Evol, a fire sparking on the stove. It erupted into something more menacing, the flames licking the ceiling, triggering the sprinkler system.
The kitchen staff finally sprung into action. Hurriedly poured out of the room as the shrill cry of the fire alarm pervaded the air.
With his hair matted to his face and his mouth drawn into a rigid line, Sylus moved further through the kitchen. Descended to the lower floors as people rushed past him, all seeking refuge from the fire.
At least this way, he could wheedle out the scum who’d taken you while sparing the innocent a horrible fate.
732 notes · View notes
earlysunshines · 1 year ago
Text
watch me take my time 
park jihyo x fem!reader ; fluff, smut ; read tutor perks first! this is pt. 2
synopsis: surprising the woman you're dating with tea and pastries turns into a steamy evening, and a more sentimental morning after
warnings: mommy kink ; jihyo receving, reader giving ; jihyo in control for the most part ; smut! ; smut :3 ; and smut ; cursing ; fucking on the couch!!! ; face riding ; yeaahh anything else i didn’t mention ; not proofread, as always lol 
a/n: hey! i wasn't sure what to do for a part two, i never know. i didn't really expect tutor perks to get THAT much attention. anyway, I just went with whatever I felt like, i hope you guys like it. lmk what you think!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
the parking garage was quite mesmerizing, adorned with lush greenery and meticulously planned layouts. it was a stark contrast to the parking spot on campus that was a fifteen-minute walk from the main campus. compared to the $225 spot at your university, this was undeniably better.  
“is this the right place?” sarah, your roommate, asks. “because if it is... you coined a whole sugar mommy.” 
“oh shut up.” you say, blushing. sarah laughs at you, then gives you a little hug. 
“whatever, get out my car. i have to go see my girlfriend.” sarah says jokingly, to which you respond with a roll of your eyes.  
“yeah yeah, see you, love you, bye.” you mutter before getting out the car and shutting the door, watching sarah wave at you teasingly. 
walking towards the actual building — littered with plants and the beauty of the exterior catching you off guard — just the sight of it was enough to make you nervous. still, you manage to open the door and step in, feeling intimidated almost immediately just from seeing everyone inside the lobby. 
the corporate image time ten was right in front of you: men in suits tailored to perfection exuded an air of confidence as they made way through the bustling lobby, their attention divided between important phone calls and firm handshakes with other mirror images of themselves. meanwhile, women clad in sleek blazers formed clusters, their conversations punctuated by polite laughter and the occasional sip of coffee.  
it was safe to assume that you didn’t really fit in, you couldn’t help but feel like a fish out of water in the moment. so, while clutching a bag of pastries and a cup of iced tea from your shift at work, you made a conscious effort to blend into the background as you walked up to the lady behind the desk up front. thankfully, that wasn’t too hard given everyone had been occupied with their own things. 
the lady, a shorter looking woman with hair tied up professionally, looked at you unamusingly. she raised a brow as you looked at her, putting a finger up to pause you in place since she looked like she was preoccupied with a phone call.   
you balanced the small brown bag of pastries and iced tea in one hand, then moved over to fix the tote bag on your shoulder. the lady finished her call, then turned to you and spoke in a monotoned, uninterested tone. 
“hi, how can i help you?” 
“hi, um, is jihyo here? she’s still working, right?” 
“and who are you?” she asks, looking offended that you even asked that question.  
taken aback, you grow a little bashful and respond, “y/n l/n, i'm a...” you clear your throat, “friend of hers. she said if i wanted to stop by, now would be a good time.” 
“yeah, alright. you expect me to believe you that miss park said you could stop by?” 
“excuse me?” you say, immediately feeling belittled by her tone and look at you. “what do you mean by me? is there something wrong?” 
the lady lets out a noise thats a mix of a laugh and a scoff. she sighs, looking down at her desk and pointing down at a paper before responding.  
“miss park is a very busy woman, you know that, right? i have to make sure that this is an urgent thing, otherwise, you can see yourself out the door.” 
the condescending tone in the desk lady's voice grates on your nerves, sparking irritation within you. you resist the urge to roll your eyes, instead fixing her with a steely gaze as you suppress the retort bubbling up inside you. 
"i get that jihyo is busy, seriously," you reply evenly, your frustration simmering beneath the surface. "i'll call her right now if you need confirmation. i have her number and everything. she even texted me—" 
"she what?" the desk lady interrupts, her expression shifting from dismissive to incredulous. "you-- you have her personal number?" 
"of course i do, it's jihyo we're talking about," you respond matter-of-factly, feeling a twinge of satisfaction at the surprise evident in the woman's reaction. 
"i didn't think—wow," the desk lady stammers, clearly caught off guard. she clears her throat, attempting to regain her composure. "miss park doesn’t give anyone here her personal number. s-sorry, i'm a bit taken aback. i'll have someone escort you. i'm sorry for the inconvenience, miss—" 
"it's y/n," you interject, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the sudden shift in demeanor from the desk lady. it's almost amusing how quickly she seems to have changed her tune, now treating you with an unexpected level of deference.  
the desk lady nods and begins making arrangements for your escort, you can't help but feel a sense of validation at the realization of just how highly regarded jihyo must be. the fact that you have her personal number suddenly feels like some sort of badge of honor, you must be lucky to just know her or interact with her casually—especially in bed, that must be better than any trophy or award. maybe even better than a grammy or something. 
a tall, frail older man is by your side in the next minute. before you leave, the lady smiles at you – maybe a little forced given the unnatrual expression – then picks up the phone again, seemingly dialing a number. 
the man leads you to an elevator and presses the second to last button, indicating the 11th floor. as the elevator ascends, you stand beside him, taking note of his impeccable posture and the condition of his suit. not a single crease in the fabric, he had to be some kind of perfectionist.  
when the elevator doors slide open on the 11th floor, the man steps aside and gestures for you to exit first. his actions are formal, almost ceremonial, and you can't help but feel a sense of significance in the gesture. despite being just a girl who's clocked off work, you find yourself appreciating the unexpected treatment. you’re not against any of this treatment, however. 
once you step out of the elevator, the man gestures for you to follow him down the corridor. as you walk, you can't help but be captivated by your surroundings. the corridor is lined with large windows that offer expansive views of the city, bathing the space in natural light and providing a breathtaking backdrop as you continue through the building.  
the floor itself is decorated with tasteful elegance, oozing an air of professionalism and refinement. everything is thoroughly arranged, from the sleek furniture to the artful accents that adorn the walls. it's a space that balances functionality and cliche professionalism with an aesthetic appeal, creating an atmosphere that feels both welcoming and authoritative. if this is just one of the floors, you can’t even imagine how wonderful the rest of the building is. maybe jihyo will get to show it to you sometime. 
passing by the employees that type away or take calls, he leads you to a room that has large windows, displaying the blinds that block whatever – or whoever – is inside. a sign is plastered on it that says park jihyo, indicating that this is right where you wanted to be. 
he knocks on the door three times – somehow sophisticated and professional – then says in his deep voice,  
“miss park, i'm sorry to interrupt. you have a visitor.” 
silence takes over for a bit before the door is opened, revealing a tired looking jihyo in her blazer and slacks. she doesn’t see you at first, sending daggers at the man covering you before saying in a stern tone, 
"chang, you know i'm busy with emails—" jihyo begins, her voice trailing off as she catches sight of you standing in the doorway. immediately, her demeanor softens, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. 
clearing her throat, she regains her composure and gestures for you to enter her office. "ah, y/n, come in," she says, her voice warm and welcoming. turning to the man, chang, she nods in appreciation. "chang, you're dismissed. thank you for escorting her." 
chang nods respectfully and takes his leave, leaving you alone with jihyo in her office. as the door closes behind him. jihyo wastes no time in closing the distance between you as soon as the coast is clear. 
her hand finds its way to the nape of your neck, pulling you close with a gentle yet firm touch. you feel a rush of warmth as her lips meet yours in a soft, tender kiss. her smile is evident even in the midst of the kiss, and you can't help but mirror her expression, returning the affection with the curve of your own lips. 
you pull away, lips inches apart. jihyo smiles at you sweetly. 
“what are you doing here?” 
“you said you would be relatively free, i just got off work. i got you something to eat, figured you’d be hungry and... i wanted to see you.” 
it's been almost three months since your first – very intimate – night with jihyo. the two of you continue to see each other, both intimately and regularly. dating jihyo has been pretty nice, though both of you have times where you don’t have time to see each other, so it’s nice to have moments like these. 
as the weeks turn into almost three months, your relationship with jihyo continues to evolve. jihyo asked you out on proper dates, rather than her eating you out, she wanted to eat something else and get to know you better.  
despite the demands of your respective schedules, the two of you make a concerted effort to see each other as often as possible. whether it's her inviting you over when her nephew isn’t around to evenings spent curled up together on the couch or having wine and a conversation. every moment shared with jihyo was precious 
dating jihyo has brought a sense of joy into your life, a feeling of being understood and cherished in a way that you've never experienced before, none of your high school relationships made you feel this way. and while there are times when conflicting schedules and obligations pulled you apart, those moments only serve to make the time you spend together even more precious. 
“you’re so sweet honey, come, sit.” jihyo says thankfully, guiding you to the large couch that gives you an even better view of the city. 
you sit next to her and place the goods on the table, then immediately. she rests her head against your shoulder. a smile plays across your lips, and slight worry seeps into your skin. jihyo must be tired, judging from how limp she is against you, so you grab her hands and hold them gently, rubbing her knuckles and letting her relax a bit. 
as you sit down next to jihyo and place the goods on the table, you can't help but notice the fatigue etched into her features. she leans her head against your shoulder, a smile plays across your lips as you feel her weight against you, but a slight twinge of worry creeps into your heart. jihyo must be exhausted, judging from how limp she is against you. without a word, you reach out and gently take her hands in yours, intertwining your fingers with hers. 
you begin to rub her knuckles soothingly, hoping to ease some of the tension that seems to have taken hold of her. her fingers are a little bonier, hands noticeably more mature given the slight age gap between the two of you. a ring is around the base of her middle finger, something expensive looking with a small apricot-colored gem in it. in the warmth of your touch seems to relax her, and you can feel the tension slowly melting away as she leans into your embrace.  
“you seem drained, was work exhausting?” you ask, turning to face her. 
“just some really incompetent men and everything has been getting on my nerves. lots of deadlines that need to be met and some of my employees have been slacking.” jihyo sighs, “things are getting better, though. i made some... arrangements that should have things back in order.” 
“i see.” you say, playing with her fingers. you press a kiss to the top of her head and reach for the iced tea, moving the straw to her mouth. “this should give you some energy, it’s the house tea, something peachy and sweet.” 
“aw, you’re too kind, doll.” she says, pouting her lower lip before taking a sip. she takes a few more sips before grabbing the drink from your hand and setting it down on the table, then pecks your lips. “you’re seriously a gift, darling.” 
almost three months and her little petnames still make your heart race, you don’t know if you’ll ever get used to them. 
“sweetheart, if it’s not too much, could you massage my upper back? there's a lot of tension, god, it’s killing me.” 
“of course.” 
jihyo turns away from you so that her back faces you, and you place your hands on her tense shoulders. squeezing lightly to get her accustomed, she immediately relaxes into your touch, sighing as you massage her. she moves her head down so you can reach more of the stiff areas, and once your thumbs add more pressure, she lets out a louder sigh, more of a groan that makes you giggle, and leaving some room for imagination to other ways that can make her sound like that. 
as jihyo turns away, her back facing you, you instinctively place your hands on her tense shoulders. with gentle pressure, you begin to massage her muscles, hoping to provide some relief from the tension that has accumulated there from whatever she’s been up to all day. 
at first, jihyo tenses slightly at your touch, but as you continue to knead her shoulders, she gradually relaxes into your hands. a soft sigh escapes her lips as she leans into your touch, allowing you better access to the stiff areas of her muscles. 
you adjust your position slightly, moving your hands to target the areas of greatest tension. with firm yet gentle pressure, you work your thumbs into the knots, eliciting a deeper sigh from jihyo's lips. the sound is more of a groan, and it sends a shiver down your spine, igniting a playful giggle. 
“good?” 
“ah- great.” she says through gritted teeth. she moves her hair over to once side, then asks, “can you get this side for me?” to which you respond with a hum. 
as you continue to massage her shoulders, you can't help but let your mind wander, imagining other ways to draw out this genre of sounds from her. but for now, you're content to focus on the task at hand, providing jihyo with the comfort and relaxation she so desperately needs. and as you feel her muscles begin to loosen beneath your touch, you can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that you're able to provide her with some relief.  
however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your mind is completely free of other intimate scenarios. 
jihyo gets a little louder, failing to suppress the groans that slip past her lips. your hands slow down, instead, you start to slide your hands down her back and around her waist, gently placing them on the sides. leaning closer, you place a chaste kiss on the skin that isn’t covered by her hair, smirking into her. 
“what are you doing honey?” she asks softly, turning her head just barely to catch you in her peripheral.  
instead of responding verbally, you press longer, lingering kisses along jihyo's neck. with each gentle caress of your lips, she begins to relax further, her body responding to the intimacy of your affection. 
sensing her movement, you feel her hand come to rest lightly on your head, her fingers tangling softly in your hair. the sensation sends a shiver down your spine, a warmth spreads throughout your body as you continue to place kisses along her neck. 
slowly, almost imperceptibly, jihyo begins to turn toward you, her movements guided by the gentle coaxing of your lips against her skin. as she shifts, her hand remains on your head, the gentle pressure of her touch grounding you in the moment. with each kiss, you feel the tension melting away from jihyo's body. 
finally, when she’s turned towards you, you catch her lips with your own. jihyo hums into the kiss, her hand moving from your head to the base of your neck, then to your shoulder. 
you pull away briefly to mutter, “feeling better?” to which jihyo responds by pulling you in by the hem of your jacket, closing the distance again. 
as the kisses between you and jihyo grow soft and slow, a familiar heat begins to build between you. your tongues meet again, this wouldn’t be the first time for sure. 
feeling a surge of need coursing through you, you subtly shift your position, guiding jihyo down until she's reclining on the couch. with a smooth, fluid motion, you position yourself on top of her, your body pressing against hers, heat radiating off the two of you. 
in this moment, you find yourself taking control – in contrast to how it usually goes. as you deepen the kiss, your hands roam freely over jihyo's body, tracing the curves of her figure before sliding your hands under the edge of her shirt. she gasps at the feeling of your fingers on her skin, leaving you to kiss the corner of her mouth and trail down. 
with jihyo beneath you, her body yielding to your touch as you trail kisses down to her neck, you feel a sense of power and satisfaction wash over. you nip gently at her neck – careful not to make any noticeable marks – while she claws at your clothing. 
“baby-- darling, god,” she groans as you nip at the right spot with your teeth. she lets you indulge for a few minutes more, clearly enjoying it as much as you do before halting your actions as you slide your hands up closer to her chest under her shirt. 
you pause, pulling away and looking at her with confusion, “sorry, too much?” 
“never too much,” jihyo assures, placing a hand on your cheek while she catches her breath. “my employees are outside.” 
your eyes widen, then you get the message and mutter, “oh.” 
jihyo giggles at your response before lifting her head up to kiss you deeply again, pulling away with a noticeable sound made from your lips parting. “you’re adorable.” she says before grabbing your phone out your pocket and checking the time briefly. “my nephew isn’t home, so how about we get situated at my place? i should’ve left the office thirty minutes ago.” 
“anything you’d like.” 
with jihyo’s purse in your hand, you follow her into the house. the lights are off and it’s clear that no one’s home, leaving many possible opportunities for the two of you and even more scenarios to run through your head.  
“have you had dinner? and don’t say you’ve had those pastries, that’s not enough darling.” jihyo says lightheartedly, though stern enough to let you know she’s serious. she places her purse on the counter and takes off her blazer, which reveals the shirt hugging her figure neatly. she's looking through the purse now, back faced you and you can’t help but check her out briefly. “if not, i'll order takeout.” 
“that’s perfect.” you respond. jihyo turns towards you and grins, walking over and pecking your lips. 
“yeah, i'll grab us some wine. order anything you’d like, love.” 
“i’ve been craving bento bowls, is something japanese fine?” 
“anything is fine, i'm starving even after that scone.” jihyo giggles, “also, it’s almost six. i have a little work call to answer, but after that we have the rest of tonight and the weekend if you’re not occupied with classes.” 
“perfect, i'll just order for pick up then and then i'll be back in time for us to eat and whatnot. sound okay?”    “that’s lovely, then i'll have to find my favorite wine for us. the best for the best.” 
you giggle before pressing your lips against hers again, pulling away just barely before she closes the distance again. her arms rest on her shoulders as she pushes you closer, then she deepens the kiss. 
without thinking, you move yourselves over so that jihyo’s against the counter, your hands sliding under her shirt yet again and lips sliding down to the soft skin on her neck. she groans at the feeling, tilting her head back to give you more access to her as she tightens her hold on your shoulder. 
“later tonight,” you mutter in between kisses, rubbing circles on her skin under her shirt. “let me help you relax, yeah?” you nip at her skin lightly and she lets out a sharp breath, hand moving to the side of your neck. “let me do the work this time, you deserve to sit back for once.” 
“y/n--” jihyo begins, but is cut off by the sound of a phone ringing against the counter. she groans in frustration; this is the angriest you’ve seen her. her brows furrow and she tenses her jaw as she picks up the phone, then looks at you apologetically. 
“you should take that.” 
 jihyo sighs, then kisses your nose. “you should order dinner.” 
“mhm.” you mumble before kissing her jawline, removing your hands from under her shirt and jihyo whines just barely. her skin seems colder now that your hands aren’t on them, tracing patterns and rubbing up and down the landmarks.  
jihyo gave you the keys before you had left, so you didn’t have to ring the doorbell or anything – you assumed she’d still be on that work call. 
as you enter the room, you find jihyo standing against the counter, her posture tense and her expression drawn with frustration. she's wearing something different: a cropped t-shirt and comfy sweatpants instead of her work attire. with one hand, she pinches the bridge of her nose, while the other holds a phone to her ear. she listens intently, her brow furrowed in concentration, as she navigates the seemingly irritating conversation on the other end of the line. 
one arm crosses defensively while her gaze remains fixed on some distant point on the wood floor. to her left, on the smooth marble countertop, you notice two glasses and an unopened bottle of white wine.  
“yes, i already have my employees on it.” you hear her say, tone stern yet level. “look, according to the results and feedback we’re doing fine, so i don’t understand why this meeting is still in session. i know you want to be secure, but doubting me won’t secure what’s already set. everything is fine, so go talk to samuel if you really want to bicker with someone who can’t do their job. he's been slacking with his unit; i've seen the data. goodbye.” 
a small “ugh” is muttered under her breath before she places the phone down, then looks over to see you standing in the entrance of the hallway. a smile tugs at her lips immediately upon seeing you. 
“two teriyaki salmon bentos for the struggling college student and her beautiful, older, hardworking, hot older woman.” 
jihyo snickers, laughing at your stupid little titles. “calling me old?” 
“well maybe... i’m into that though, so stay old.” 
jihyo rolls her eyes at you, then watches you pull out the to go bowls out onto the table nearby. she walks over herself and brings the glasses and the wine bottle over. before she takes out the cork with her tool, she places a kiss on your cheek and mumbles against you a soft, “thank you.”  
you grin and kiss her back before going back to the kitchen to grab utensils, and then back to the table to sit down next to your lover. 
grabbing the boxes and handing jihyo a spoon, you ask, “how was your day? work seemed rough.” 
a sigh leaves her lips, her aura radiating exhaustion and irriation, yet she stays calm and content before your eyes.   
“just a lot of deadlines and dreadful people to deal with today, but it’s over and you made me feel better.” 
“i’m glad.” you say, putting a hand on her thigh. “let’s eat, maybe you’ll be less exhausted.” to which jihyo responds with a nod and a kiss to your knuckles.  
the sliding door in front of you two gave a great view of the setting sun, which made dinner quite romantic. jihyo shared more about her day, though it was mostly complaints mixed with frustrated grunts and groans when bringing up the men she had to face. you on the other hand, shared some small anecdotes from your shift and your roommate's own drama to jihyo, which she enjoyed listening to. before you knew it, dinner was finished – bowls clean and all, barely any remnants of the food left – which urged you two to throw away the plastic containers and head to the couch to sit and sip on wine. 
jihyo sat beside you and swirled her wine around before sniffing, then took a small sip. you did the same, eyes lighting up from how good it was, which made jihyo laugh. and then the two of you went on to talk about more small things, ranging from what annoyed each of you during the day and things you both looked forward to.  
the next thing you knew, your head was against jihyo’s shoulder, and your now empty glass was set on the table with hers.  
“at least the day is over, hyo.” 
she snickers upon hearing the name, then turns to you with a smile.  
“hyo?” 
“sorry, don’t like that name?” 
“no, i love it. it's cute.” she assures, “adorable.” 
“yeah?” you say, grinning. shifting yourself up to sit up right, you brush a strand of hair behind jihyo’s ear. “any plans tomorrow?” you ask, staring at her lips blatantly. 
“no, what are you up to darling?” 
you giggle and run your hand down to her jaw, placing your thumb on her lip and applying subtle pressure. 
“let me help you relax tonight.” you simply answer, smirking devilishly. “seems like you need it.” 
in no time, your lips make their way over to hers, you kiss her slowly and savor her. she places her hand on your shoulder, gripping slightly as you deepen the kiss.  
your hands find their way under jihyo’s shirt again in no time, though at first, your fingers simply brush against her skin before doing anything big. you're taking your time exploring her, finding out which area on her rib makes her kiss sloppier or her breath shorter. you feel her responding to your touch, her movements becoming more urgent, more fervent. 
jihyo's hands roam over your body in tandem with your own explorations, one hand in your hair and the other on the base of your wrist. you're both consumed by the heat of the moment, kisses with more tongue, breaths heavier, and jihyo’s groans getting louder. it's perfect. 
you create a gap between the two of you after pulling away, your own breath heavy. jihyo looks at you: red, puffy lips and peach colored cheeks from the intimacy.  
looking down at the edge of jihyo’s shirt, you silently ask to take it off by playing with the edge of the fabric. 
“take it off.” she says lowly, almost an order. 
nodding, you slip the shirt off, gazing at her clad chest. 
you've seen her naked before – more than you can count on one hand – yet, she still manages to leave you in awe.  
“fuck, you’re beautiful.” you sigh, immediately making your way over to her neck. “i could have you like this all day.” you groan against her skin, right before sucking near her pulse point so harshly to the point where she moans your name out, subconsciously gripping your hair and tugging so roughly it hurts your scalp.  
blindly, you start to unclasp her bra, discarding it somewhere in the room – you could care less where it landed – and tending to the new area exposed. 
a brush of your finger on her nipple already has it perked up, making her groan loudly. saying it’s music to your ears would be an understatement, it’s better than any symphony. 
“y/n, baby,” jihyo moans, feeling a wetness pooling down in between her legs. “ah-”   
your mouth lands on her chest, then down to her tits. you press a chaste kiss to her tits, making her look down at you with furrowed brows and parted lips. with full eye contact, you travel to the swell of her breast, finding your way to her nipple and swirling your tongue around. the way you suck on her sensitivity is enough to make her groan right in front of your face. the way her mouth gapes and oh, how lovely she sounds; you could get used to this for sure.  
and later you pay attention to her other breast, treating it with the same care and evoking more lewd sounds from the older woman. the way she folds under your touch, twitching and slowly losing herself while she’s weak to you; jihyo could use more rest days, especially ones that have hours dedicated to you indulging in her. 
moments later, after earning at least a song’s duration of jihyo’s indescribable pleasure seeping from her lips, you decide to look at the mess you’ve made.  
marks of pink ranging to a darker red – even a near purple – are littered all over her skin, from her neck to all over her chest area. you bite your lip at the sight, rubbing your finger along a few of the hickeys. 
“y/n, baby,” jihyo starts, looking at you intensely. “shirt off, down on the couch now. don't make me ask twice.” she orders breathlessly, narrowing her eyes and expecting immediate obedience – which she receives without question. 
despite how much you’ve riled up and left her, she still has that natural authority. there's absolutely no way you could disobey her, at the end of the day, no matter what you’ve done to her; you belong to jihyo now, no doubt. 
“yes ma’am.”   
as you slip the shirt off in one motion, jihyo uses that short duration of time to slip off her comfortable pants, discarding them and slipping her panties off. she watches you – who's watching her in return – you're propped up by your elbows as you watch her sit on your lap, feeling your pussy throb just from the feeling of her bare cunt on the denim covering your heat. 
“good girl, always. you know how to listen to me, glad you know your place.” 
“of course.” you say, looking at her with desperate eyes. 
“you know how i've told you about today, yeah? it was so difficult, so many incompetent people. you’re going to listen to me, okay? you're gonna let mommy use you just like the good girl you are, got it?” 
taken aback by the new title, you hesitate to respond, too entranced by the sight in front of you: jihyo completely naked, on your nap, with her hands resting on your abdomen to hold herself up. when she doesn’t get a response from you, she grinds harshly against your lap, earning a pathetic whine from you. 
she presses her hand down on your abdomen harder, earning a sharp breath from your lips. 
“you answer me when i talk to you, i won’t say this again.” 
“y-yes, sorry.” 
she leans closer, her face above yours and gaze sharp. “yes who?” 
with no hesitation, you correct yourself. “yes mommy, i'm sorry, i'll be a good girl from now on.” 
jihyo smiles, pleased to say the least. 
“down on the couch then honey, on your back.” she says gently, though there’s still that stern tone.  
you gulp, then nod. jihyo smiles as you set your head down, putting your arms off to the side so your hands can gently caress her thighs. she gets up on her knees, repositioning herself so that her cunt is hovering above your chin, then stroking your cheek lightly. you look at her with puppy eyes, silently begging for her to let you get a taste; she gets the message almost immediately, then sets her cunt right above your mouth. 
your hands reach for the sides of her waist, moving her down just an inch so you can get a taste of her arousal.  
she groans again, throwing her head back before looking back at you with creased brows: your cheeks are red, your eyes are closed, and you’re humming against her while you eat her out ravenously. the last time you had eaten someone out had been a while ago, and jihyo’s been the one fucking you to oblivion since the first night with her. you're following her body, sliding your tongue up her folds and sucking on her clit once you reach. she gasps and grips your hair the way you like it, rough and demanding. her nails dig into your scalp, and you let out a little moan yourself, turned on just as much as you are when she’s doing everything to you. 
attentive to the sounds she’s making, you keep doing what earns the more pleasing reactions. she's griding against the flat of your tongue, forcibly pushing your mouth into her wetness the more you indulge. she's moaning louder, her deep, mature voice growing breathy and higher pitched the more you please her.  
and then she shifts your lips over to the left side of her clit, so you suck and lick and groan until the living room is filled with the sound of squelches of her pussy and your mouth coming into contact mixed with moans that fade into nothing as they’re caught in throats. jihyo's cursing more and more, holding you in one spot with that one hand gripping onto your hair like there’s no tomorrow whilst she grinds herself on your tongue and completely uses you. 
“y/n, y/n darling, honey, fuck, ah-!” she cries out, shaking until she isn’t, propping herself up with one hand on your hip bone and the other loosening her grip on your now disheveled hair. she grinds slowly now, still stimulating the aching between her legs whilst you clean up all her climax with your tongue.  
slowly, you take your time licking up her folds, savoring her. a press to her clit later and you're pressing more on her inner thigh until she shifts herself off your face and back to your lap.  
she runs a hand through her hair – some strands sticking to her forehead.  
you catch your breath, then sit up a little bit, jihyo still in your lap.  
“feeling better?” you ask, your hand settling on her explosed ribcage before moving up to cup the bottom of her tit.  
“much better.” she grins, fixing the hair she’s ruined. strands fall over your face, she runs a few fingers through to fix it up again.  
laughing, you lean closer to press a kiss to her lips, smirking once you part away. 
“y/n,” jihyo begins, twirling a piece of hair with her fingers. “you’ll be a good girl, right?” 
you nod. 
“good, because the night isn’t over.” she says menacingly, looking at you with darkened pupils. “on the ground, on your knees. you're gonna eat mommy out until she’s satisfied, got it?” 
“yes ma’am, yes mommy.” you say, immediately switching positions.  
jihyo watches you move over to the ground, the visible patch of arousal apparent on your denim as you kneel. she traces down the grooves of your torso, indulging in the sight before sitting back and spreading her legs.  
seeing her like this, you lick your lips. you're like an obedient puppy, eager to receive her approval and eager to serve her in any way she sees fit. 
jihyo raises her brows at the sight and smiles devilishly at how pathetic you look. she gives you the green light after relishing your submission.  
“eat.” 
just like every other morning, you’re stuck in jihyo’s bed half naked. some sports bra covers the upper half of your body, and boy shorts hug the skin just below your waist. the older woman’s hands are wrapped around your waist, one hand sitting on the exposed hip bone that pops out, and she’s warm against you, her chest rising and falling against your back. 
shifting subtly in your place, you turn over to face her.  
her face is bare, no makeup on and it’s just jihyo before you. she's rubbing her hands on the exposed skin on your hip, mumbling something groggily under her breath. it's been a while since you’ve seen her like this – it's been a bit since you’ve been alone with her, really alone, just the two of you and no one else or worry of interruption. 
“mm, honey,” jihyo mumbles, and you can’t tell if she’s awake or asleep while saying this. “closer.” 
“okay.” 
you find your nose in the crook of her neck, smelling faint hints of lavender while you press closing. she rubs your shoulder with her thumb, tracing patterns and shapes you can’t really put a name on. the sun hits her eyes, you hear a little groan, and then a little yawn that gives you the hint that she’s fully awake. 
a hand finds itself tangled in your hair, then massages your scalp. “did you sleep alright?” jihyo asks, voice gentle and caring as she holds you. 
“i slept great, you?” 
“wonderfully.”  
a kiss is pressed to your forehead and fingers play with the rim of your boy shorts. a soft smile plays across your face, you close your eyes and breathe out. 
“sweetheart.” jihyo hums, tapping your shoulder.  
“hm?” 
“i realized i've never really, fully expressed how thankful i am for you.”  
upon hearing jihyo’s sentimental words, you pull away from where your face had been nestled, face to face with jihyo now. 
“what?” 
“i haven’t been that, well--” jihyo’s face flushes – to oyur surprise – she looks down at your clad chest, then back at your eyes. “relaxed. you helped me unwind, thank you.” 
you can’t help but giggle, finidng all of this so cute. jihyo had been ordering you around last night, moaning so loud the neighbors probably heard. you can still feel a little ache in your scalp from how roughly she was pulling at your hair; everything about the night before was so lewd. it's funny how vulnerable and cute jihyo’s being right now, letting her heart do the talking. 
“you’re adorable, hyo.” you sigh, looking at her with admiration. “i’m glad i was there to help, and i'm looking forward to helping out whenever you want.” 
“y/n.” jihyo begins, placing her hand on your cheek and looking at you like you’re the most precious thing in the world. “will you be my girlfriend?” 
giggling again upon hearing the seriousness in her voice and the adorable look on her face, you nod. 
“of course.” 
at the end of the weekend – a beautiful sunday evening, the sky painted hues of pink and purple – you’re in your desginated spot: the passenger’s side of jihyo’s car. 
both of you sit in silence as jihyo exits the freeway, some pop song playing on the radio. her hand is intertwined with yours, elbows sitting on the little compartment that seperates the two seats. she's humming along and it’s music to your ears, you’re smiling ear to ear as you watch her. 
sunglasses sit on the crown of her head, her side profile staying in its place while the scenery behind her flashes by as the car moves forward. she's beautiful. 
once you reach your apartment complex, jihyo parks somewhere close.  
“don’t move, just stay there.” you warn her, sounding all serious and looking at her with raised brows. 
“darling, what?” she asks, a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. she giggles once you leave the car hurriedly, rushing towards the other side to open her door. 
“miss park.” you say, putting your hand out. jihyo laughs, amused at your little gesture. she takes your hand and steps out, rolling her eyes at you. 
“you’re unbelieveable.” 
“well, after seeing how scared everyone was at your work place the other day, i feel like i should treat you better.” 
“you’re my girlfriend, not my employee y/n.” jihyo scoffs, then kisses the back of your hand.  
once you make it to your apartment, you knock on the door, waiting for the familiar face to open the door for you.  
sarah opens the door a few seconds later, eyes widnening upon seeing you and jihyo right in front of her – hands holding and all.  
“oh my god you really did manage to get with her.” sarah says in disbelief, making you roll oyur eyes and the little comment making jihyo snicker. “you’re jihyo? wow, oh my god, you look so young – i mean, you are, like--” 
“i get what you mean, thank you.” jihyo responds lightheartedly, smiling at the woman in front of her.  
the two of you step in and sarah is still examining jihyo, baffled by how unreal she looks – and wow, your descriptions and rambles about this woman did not prepare her for this meeting. jihyo sets herself down on the couch and sarah pulls you to the side quickly before the two of you join her. 
“oh my god when you said older woman i didn’t expect godly cheekbones, jawline sharper than a knife, and fucking luxury to show up holding your hand.” 
“she’s amazing.” 
“ugh, you’re drooling.” sarah sighs. 
you smile at your roommate like a proud little kid, pushing her lightly before joining your now girlfriend on the couch.
maybe majoring in education was worth it, you think to yourself as you watch sarah grin at the two of you from across where you’re sitting. despite your dreadful research papers, essays, and mock lectures – all of it was worth it if it meant meeting jihyo.  
sarah puts a leg over the other, leaning back against the smaller seat in your living room. 
“you know, y/n has been gushing over you since like, the first time she tutored your nephew. she's kept me up at night just talking about--” 
“sarah!” 
787 notes · View notes
devilstruly · 1 year ago
Text
PASS IT FORWARD
pairing - timeskip. kuroo tetsuro (shocking ik) x msby manager gn. reader
summarization - being co-workers (kinda) and more than friends with kuroo comes with its pros and cons
includes - mutual pining, pining at work, distractions at work, did i mention pining, msby 4 and all the shenanigans that come with them, etc.
a/n - i've been thinking about this the whole day and i need to get it out. kinda long whoops. hopefully you'll like it tho <3
It's around 5 pm when you're finally able to sit down on one of the benches by the court, your papers and notes disregarded in your bag. Propping your chin on your hand, you watch in amusement as Atsumu sets to Sakusa and the latter hits a perfect line-shot.
The blonde is undeniably talented, anyone can see it from a mile away, but in all your months of knowing him the awe you feel never seems to falter. Not to mention the outside hitter. The curly-haired objectively handsome outside hitter.
Most times, you question the higher forces when it comes to dealing with these four, but when you have time to sit and observe them it becomes very clear why they get the amount of attention they do. All of them have these amazing qualities that seem to just lure people in. And apparently a lot of people seem to share that sentiment.
Kuroo Tetsuro included.
-
It's around 6.30 pm when Kuroo finally steps out of the JVA's main building, the light breeze causing his bangs to sway to the right.
He immediately fishes his phone out of his coat pocket, ignoring all the other messages and immediately going to his contact list.
The whole day today he was drowning in work and didn't even have a chance to text you and tell you his proposal was approved. Sponsorships flooded in, arrangements had to be made, timings discussed, and so on and so forth.
While he awaits for the steady beeps to pass and your voice to replace them, he can't help the small smile on his face.
'Hey! Finally decided to leave?'
At the sound of your voice his smile inevitably widens and he has to bite his lip to suppress it even the tiniest bit.
'Yeah, someone has to do the extra work around here.'
'Not if you're not getting paid for it you don't.'
'You have a point. It's worth it though.'
'Is it?'
Kuroo can practically see the face you're making and the image has him completely forgetting about the cold outside.
He's so focused on the warmth spreading through him, as well as all the memories from a few hours prior, it takes him a moment to register you calling out his name.
'Kuroo? You there?'
He forces himself to take a deep breath.
'They approved it.'
-
'Oh my god! Tetsu! That's fucking amazing! Congratulations!'
His deep chuckle reverberates through your phone and the swarm of butterflies in your stomach increases tenfold.
'Thank you. We should celebrate, don't you think? Dinner's on me. Invite the guys and meet me at Miya's at 7.30.'
'Okay. See you soon.'
You hang up with pride radiating of off you, so much so that even Sakusa is intrigued by your sudden spirit uplifting.
'What was that about?'
Four familiar faces surround you as your arms fly up in the air, your grin rivaling Hinata's signature smile.
'Kuroo's pitch was approved!'
A series of positively shocked statements follow, but all you can focus on is the happiness cursing through your whole body.
-
The familiar layout of Onigiri Miya greets the five of you when you step through the front door, immediately spotting Kuroo occupying one of the bigger tables. He's laughing at something Suna is showing him on his phone and for a moment your world just stops.
His hair falls every which way, due to the amount of times he ran his hand through it probably, his tie is loosened and the first two buttons of his dress shirt are unbuttoned, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
And he's laughing. That horrible, loud, manic hyena laugh that has you nearly tripping over your own feet.
Everything about him is naturally beautiful, in ways you couldn't even begin to describe.
Not to mention his eyes. You could get lost in those forever. There's just something about the golden specs in them and the intensity in his gaze whenever it meets yours.
Like now.
When he looks up he finds you immediately, and if possible his grin widens. It's like his body has a mind of its own because before he knows it he's standing in front of you.
'Hi.'
'Hi.'
Atsumu rolls his eyes somewhere behind you, the action earning him a slap on the back of his head by his brother, but you can't be bothered by anything besides Kuroo.
'I'm so proud of you, Tetsu!'
Your arms envelop him in a flash and he prays you don't feel the speed of his heartbeat.
Like a puzzle, when his own arms wrap around your form it feels like a perfect fit that neither of you wants to break. Unfortunately, you eventually do, but make no effort to move further.
God those eyes.
'Get a room already!'
Atsumu's shout breaks you both out of your trance, flushed cheeks and sheepish smiles.
'Before we start, I have an announcement.'
All attention falls onto the tall man who doesn't seem at all fazed by it, another thing you admired about him.
'You all...'
He makes a long pause for dramatic effect, which earns him a slap on the arm from you.
'...Are looking at the new Special Chief of PR Department at JVA.'
'Wait, seriously?!'
'Mhm.'
The table errupts in cheers and claps and you, once again, feel that fulfilling surge of pride when you look at him.
'You're fucking amazing.'
You shake your head with fondness. Fondness that Kuroo senses when he looks at you.
Under the dim lights of Osamu's restaurant, you admire the sharpness of his jawline, the curve of his nose, the way his stupidly messy hair covers half of his right eye...And too caught up in him, you fail to notice his eyes unable to pull away from your lips.
He was already standing close, you two never seemed to care for personal space, but he takes a step closer for good measure. It seems to have the desired effect when your eyes snap up to meet his, the corner of his lips tugging upwards ever so slightly.
'Do you mind if I-'
His voice is barely above a whisper but you cut him off with a nod and zero second thoughts.
'Please do.'
The moment your lips meet it's officially game over.
It's just you two in the world, no customers, no pro-athletes throwing comments in the background, just him.
303 notes · View notes
goodlucksnez · 28 days ago
Text
Again thank to @dr-ground-zero I have written a fic. this time modern Au for Penelope and Odysseus. 3k because i have no chill (i am fresh out of spoons tho don't expect anything for a bit)
Penelope works as a nurse and Odysseus is in the military
wrote a fic where ody catches the flu and Penelope takes care of him
cw MESS (not escaping the messfucker allegations) contagion
hope you enjo
“Penelope, your favorite patient is waiting in exam room three.” Said the red curly-haired receptionist as Penelope walked in.
“Mhmm,” she replied, with a curiosity as she put down her stack of the most recent case files.
“Oh, who would that be?” She spoke.
“Oh, I’m surprised you don’t know already. Odysseus is here and currently doesn’t have a nurse assigned. I wonder who should take his case?”
Penelope felt her heart skip a beat. She almost dropped all the files she had just been organizing. She tried to regain her composure and stammered out. “Oh, Odysseus is here, and he is…” She swallows the lump in her throat.
“Oh, he’s sick, but if you don’t want his case file, I can always give it to someone else.” The receptionist replied.
She practically snatched the paper out of her hands, holding it close to her chest, as if the paper itself were Odysseus.
“No, no, I am more than qualified to take this client. Let me just.” She went to the small mirror hanging on the wall. She didn’t look too bad considering that she had just done a full seven-hour shift. She undid her messy bun & ran her fingers through her hair before putting it back up into a top bun, a few strands hanging down by her face. She straightened her scrubs and uniform jacket. Lastly, she adjusted her stethoscope and practiced a few smiles in the mirror before realizing she’s keeping her number one crush waiting and just headed towards the exam room.
The layout of her small clinical office wasn’t big by any stretch of imagination, but exam room three was the farthest from the reception area. She silently cursed the receptionist for putting him so far away if he was indeed as sick as this chart was saying. How dare they make him walk that far, and she rounded the last corner. She saw the door with the big polka-dotted painted number three. She put the case file in the corresponding hanging file holder and knocked three times.
Hearing some noise from inside, she opened the door cautiously.
“Odysseus, can I come in?”
A very rough-sounding voice greeted her ears. “Yes, you could enter.”
She pushed the door open, stepping inside the fluorescent lit room before shutting it behind her. The image that greeted her eyes immediately melted her heart, melting through her body onto the floor.
Odysseus sat hunched over on the exam table, his eyes a complete sheen and glossy, his normally curly brown locks an absolute mess. He had perspiration on his forehead, yet she could tell that he was fighting back shivers. Penelope always had an eye for looking at someone and immediately knowing what was wrong, but when she looked at him, all she wanted to do was be next to him. She found herself struggling to speak. Luckily, he broke the silence first.
“Out of all the nurses, why did it have to be you to see me like this?” He said in an extremely congested and stuffy voice that after a few moments of silence, she finally found her voice again.
“Oh, darling,” she paused. The nickname just came out. She would never call someone she did not know a darling before, but in this moment, it just felt right. She cleared her throat and continued. “You look dreadful.”
If his face if not already flushed, it would have blushed a deeper red. He urgently stifled the sound, wet and productive.
“That is your Medical diagnosis that I have a case of dreadful, if so, I should take away your medical license.” He paused as his breath began to quicken. Recognizing what was about to happen, she reached into her pocket to search for a cover.
Odysseus snuffled against his hand and exhaled. “It has been doing that to me all day. I do not know why Athena decided to send me. It’s just a bad cold.”
But Penelope smiled, her voice soft and reassuring. “Your note said that you’ve had a fever for three days. Cold symptoms do not tend to last that long, you should be getting better by now. I don’t think this is a cold; I think you might have the flu.”
His eyes widened at her words, and he shook his head, which seemed to have pained him as he winced before speaking in his raspy voice. “No, I don’t have time to have the flu. I’ll be,” his voice started to catch, and his nose began to twitch.
Gripping the handkerchief, she walks a few paces over and covers for him, knowing this couldn’t end well even if he had been healthy.
The shocks and intimacy of this moment shake him out of whatever was holding him back before. He gasped deeply before sneezing into the handkerchief she held in front of his nose.
“H-ehh…HUh-ihhh–- HEE’TZSSSH’- HEE’TZSSSH’-Uhh…Uhh…HEH-IHCHZSSH’oo!”
“Those were very big sneezes! Bless you!!” She rubs his nose into the cloth, blushing.
“Yeah, that’s just how I sneeze. Sorry, you didn’t need to do that.” He flushed his cheeks, turning a redder color. 
“Oh, but I do. I’m here to make you all better now, aren’t I? Now I think you need a proper diagnosis, so we’ll run through this from the top.” 
She grabbed the thermometer. “Come on, you know the drill, under the tongue, no talking.” 
He opened his mouth and placed the thermometer under his tongue. 
“Good soldier.” He made a sound of disapproval, but ended up more like a snort since he couldn’t breathe through his nose.
She took his blood pressure as she waited for the thermometer to beep and listened to his heartbeat.
The thermometer beeped, and she took it out, frowning at the red line hovering above number 100.
“Darling, you do have a fever! Don’t worry, I’m gonna make sure you get all better.” She rubbed his back in a comforting manner. 
“But to do that, I need to run a test.” 
He looked at her quizzically before his eyes sparked with understanding. He quickly covered his nose with his hands.
“No, no, I refuse. I have a right, and there’s no way you are not doing a flu test on me.”
“I need to make sure that you don’t have the flu, cause if you do, I can give you medicine! It’ll make you feel better, otherwise you’re just gonna get worse and worse.”
“No way I’m not that bad.” His breath began to quicken and hitch. “I do not have the flu. Just a bad cold.”  He managed to stammer out before sneezing harshly into his hands. 
“H-ehh…HUh-ihhh–- HEE’TZSSSH’-Uhh…HEH-IHCHZSSH’oo! HEE’TZSSSH’-Uhh…”
“Bless you, bless you, nope, doctors' orders. We’re doing the test. I will be as gentle as I can.” 
Penelope left the room, grabbing an extra box of tissues, the cheap kind that the clinic could barely afford, which would be no match for Odysseus’s nose. She came to the swabs used for the test. She carefully picked one which she hoped would be less irritating to his sensitive organ. As well as a few vials in which she would drop the test after. She gathered the supplies in her hands and slowly walked back to the exam room, her heart beating madly.
Why did he have to look so pitiful? She thought to herself. Penelope would never admit this to anyone; she could barely admit it to herself, but he looked so cute, so helpless as if everything was hard for him to do, but she could make him better. She could help him.
She shook her head, a few strands of hair coming loose, and pushed open the door. Odysseus still sat hunched over, roughly rubbing out his nose, abusing the poor thing. She sat down on her instruments in a cart next to the exam table.
He eyed them up and down, shivering, either from his fever or anticipation of what was to come. He asks his  voice stuffy "Are those instruments of torture?"
She had to laugh, his voice was so congested it was barely understandable. "No, my soldier, these are things that will help you get better."
"How is sticking a Q-Tip in my nose going to help me get better?" he replied.
"Because that way, after I run the test, I’ll know if you have the flu, which I can give you antibiotics for."
He didn’t have a response to that and just wrapped his arms around himself tighter and said quietly. "I’m not going to be responsible for what happens."
Blushing, she nods in agreement. "Don’t worry, no one likes this test, and I have seen many react to this. I am sure I can handle your nose. Okay, darling, I need you to tilt your head back."
His nose looks so abused that the red coloration wasn’t just on the outside surface. It was around the edges of his nostrils, which before she even put the swab into, were flaring slightly.
She slowly inserts the swab until she feels resistance. The man beneath her gasps and grips onto the exam table, crinkling the paper. He begins to sniffle more aggressively.
She tsks at him. "Darling, you can’t do that. It’s okay, I know this is awful for everyone, just a few more seconds. I need to twist this around, okay?"
He nods at her breathlessly. She circles the inside once, twice, and on the third quickly retracts the swab and places it in the vial in her other hand.
Odysseus takes one final breath before releasing a series of wet and powerful sneezes that bend him at the waist. She finds herself catching him, so he doesn’t fall off the table.
“hHMFSHhh! zZSCHhh! Ahh…Hhz…haHh— eh’RHSCH’oo! Oh my god. hsndrff! HEE’TZSSSH’-Uhh…HEH-IHCHZSSH’oo!”  he sniffles liquidly and exhales in a soft huff.
She finds her voice again.  "Bless you, are you alive after that?"
He looked up at her, nose still flaring, the poor thing was more flushed after a matter of sneezes.
"No," he stammers out, his voice rough and gravely sounding. I think you broke my nose."
Her heart flips, and she smiles. "I did not break it. It's still there in one piece.” She says poking at the inflamed appendage. 
That seemed to be the wrong move as he inhaled, his eyes began to panic.
"Oh, why would you do that?" He said while hitching desperately. Realizing her mistake, she grabbed a handful of tissues and pressed them to his nose. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, here just sneeze. I got you."
His breath wavers in constant agony before he is thrust forward from the power of harsh sneezes into the tissues she is holding. The flimsy tissues did little to no good for the sound or the mess that was produced. Instantly, she could feel a mess seeping through the tissues onto her hand and blushed.
“Ugh…fuhhgk…ih--iHK’SSSCH’UH!”
"Bless you," she says, "I guess that’s my fault. Sorry, I didn’t think you would sneeze just from touching it."
"I'm sorry, that was… a wet ode, did I get you?
"It’s okay, I have been sneezed on before, and from the looks of your nose, I doubt that will be the last time today. You look cold, and you keep shivering."
He sniffles back congestion, a wet gurgle sound. "Yeah, can’t seem to get warm."
She takes off her uniform jacket and drapes it over his shaking form. "This doesn’t offer much warmth, but it’s something for now."
He laughs for the first time since being in the office, a deep rattling laugh that shakes her to her core, causing her heart to quicken. She could listen to that laugh for hours.
"You’re practically asking to get this cold, not exactly the picture of health, Penelope."
She blushes before turning her back slightly to him and packing up her supplies. “Well, you look perfect to me.” Odysseus blushed hard and a dopy smile appeared on his face. Once her supplies were packed up she told him to sit tight and she’d be back with the results in a bit. She left Odysseus to his own device, which was just giving him time to rest and get a few sneezes out that he was sure everyone could hear by now. 
A few minutes later, Penelope comes back to tell him he has the flu and prescribes him some medicine, casually writing her number on the bottle, telling him to call her if things get worse, before sending him on his way.
*****TIME SKIP
A few days passed, and no words came from him. Of course, her mind wandered. He must just be resting, like I told him she thinks to herself.  Her answer came in the most unlikely of places. She was charting before the clinic opened when there was a tapping at the glass.  An officer stands in full uniform, peaking in the windows. She sighs, gets up, and opens the door.
“You know Hermes, there are easier ways to get someone's attention, like Oh, I don’t know, texting them! You love to brag about your 5 G phone so much.”
The blonde replied. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, just here to tell you ody has requested you.”
Her face blushes as Hermes continues, “Yeah, the poor guys got like the worst cold I have ever seen, I'm sure the barracks can’t survive another one of his sneezing fits. He keeps muttering about. I need Penelope; I need her.”
She runs inside and grabs her “in case of emergency bag” and practically falls over herself, leaving the office. She grabs his arms and pulls him to her level. “Take me to him now.”
“Geez, calm down, I'll take you.” They leave together, her mind racing. After what seems like eternity, they turn and see the barracks. He points to one near the end. “He is there. Good luck.”
She opens the sliding door, and a wave of heat hits her. These were always so bad at circulating temperature, they practically bake in the sun. A string of beds sits in front of her standard military sheets and pillows neatly folded. In the middle was where her eyes were trained. Ody sat upright. His head was in his hands. She approached, her heels echoing on the concrete floor. He looked up, and it took everything not to rush to his side.
Their skin is pale, with a slightly flushed tint around their cheeks and nose from the constant battle. Dark circles settle under their eyes like bruises of fatigue, deepened by restless, fevered sleep.  Their lips are dry, parted slightly as they breathe heavily through their mouth because their nose is completely blocked. Suddenly his brows knit together in irritation as a new he begins to hitch. Their expression is one of helpless misery. He grabs the blanket and holds it to his face as he begins to sneeze.
“HhH’AESHHHuhh! Hh’ETCHHhhoo!—hh’TCHZHH'ue! HEE’TZSSSH’-Uhh…HEH-IHCHZSSH’oo!
Penelope grabbed onto a bunk bed just out of instinct at the booming sound that echoed around her. It sounded like a bomb had gone off. He looked up at her. His nose was cascading like a waterfall of syrup down to his chin, a mess reflecting off the edges of his teardrop-shaped nostrils in a glimmering line. 
“Bless you, I'm surprised the barracks are still standing.”
“snnrk Sor'y—didn’ mean do you know, thad’s just how I sdeeze, wai’d, wha're you doin' here?”
He asks in a stuffy voice. She walks over and pulls up a chair, placing her bag in her lap. She reaches out and pushes his hair out of his face. His fever has gone down, she mentally notes.
“Well, a little birdie told me someone was calling my name, and so here I am to rescue my soldier.”
“snfff Oh god, did Hermes tell you thad?” He blushes and clears his throat before continuing, “I’b nod your soldier—it was jusd a nighdmare.”
“No matter what the reason, I am here now to take care of you. You have my whole undivided attention.”
“You… you sure you wand do be aroun' me? I’b nod the besd comp’ny righd now  snnrf—I’b all stuffed ub, and by dose—ugh oh no not abain.”
His breath starts to waver, and this is where her resolve fades. The discomfort that crosses his face makes the butterflies in her stomach increase tenfold, and without thinking, she finds herself crawling into his bed holding him to her chest.
“My Odysseus! You poor thing, I got you.” She takes a clean handkerchief from her bag and holds it ready, cupping it over his glistening and flaring nostrils.
“hrrRR’USSCHHIUE!!!-USSHIEWW!! hiH-! huUDZ’EEISSCHHIUHh!!! …. snnnrgk~ … snrgk “AAIY'ESSCHHIEWWw!!!”  
The strong sneezes force the gunk that had accumulated in his sinuses out, covering the handkerchief in mess, the rest escaping into the air. He’s left with twin trails of clear liquid coating his upper lip as he shivers.
“Sorry … thad was a lod.”
“Bless you, I don’t care, love, I love you. Through all the sniffs and sneezes, I love you.”
He blushes and blinks at her sniffling. “You do?”
She swore she could shake him. “Yes, love, hell, I left my post for you. I would leave everything. I will wait for 20 years for you. My love for you is internal!
He doesn’t say anything but pulls her and kisses her. After a few moments, he pulls back. “I love you too, through sickness and in health
She laughs. “Slow down, soldier, not marrying you …. yet.” She cuddles next to him and, for the first time in a while, she relaxes, and soon they both fall into slumber
  —THE END–
35 notes · View notes
chaos-interwoven · 2 months ago
Text
aftg floor plans pt.2
i know i said i would be making the homes in california next however that was actually just me pulling a neil josten so instead here are some more places from the first three books because i had their images in my head and moving chronologically called to me
Tumblr media
perhaps most importantly is the monster's home in columbia. i am not sure if the books actually say this is a split level home but it makes sense to me and i have picked up on nora liking split level homes from multiple descriptions so that's what it is. we know nicky's room is on the first floor and so is the bathroom which means aaron and andrew are upstairs. andrew's room being second seemed right because its farther from the front door and because of the vague way my brain played out that scene of him coming downstairs before going to easthaven. not sure if i love that there's only one bathroom but we don't learn of a second one and i honestly don't think nicky could have afforded the jump in price a second bathroom would bring
Tumblr media
okay. this one is painful. and for the record, i am sorry. but its mentioned so here it is. as you can tell i didn't want to or feel the need to fully fill in this house. i just added enough so that you can vaguely get the point and put labels for the rest. mainly i just did the kitchen, the back screened in porch where they ate, and that cursed bedroom. again, i am sorry. we're moving on to something more fun though don't worry
Tumblr media
spring break cabin!!! this was so much fun, i cannot even begin to tell you. and okay, i know they were there for only a week so like what does it matter but it matters to me. this space is so cozy and caved out in my head that i just had to do it. the tan is the inside and the grey is the porch which we know to be in the back and on one of the sides. ignore how i didn't really put anything on the porch... i was kinda stuck beyond the hot tub. but this place is hugeeeee like oh my god. we have the large living room around the fireplace, the ginormous kitchen, the cute back room that is mentioned to have pool and foosball, and of course, our favorite, the bedroom neil and andrew stay in. ngl i struggled a bit with that bedroom's layout but this is what we ended up with
Tumblr media
okay, second floor. according to neil, the four upstairs bedrooms are placed in each of the corners which made it a bit difficult and definitely interesting to do. because of this, i gave two of them a jack and jill style bathroom. in my mind, it makes sense for the two bedrooms sharing a bathroom to be given to nicky, kevin, and aaron. i think kevin being the drama queen he is would get his own and nicky and aaron would share but honestly aaron could be with either. and of course matt and dan are together and allison and renee are in the last one. each room has a door to the wrap around porch but it made sense to me for the open areas to have access too. and speaking of the open areas i made one a mini lounge because apparently there are multiple fire places and i had to put the second one somewhere and the other has desks because i didn't put them in any of the rooms. i mean it is a vacation home, why would they need desks in their rooms?
i swear i will actually do the cali homes next. i have sketches of them in my notebooks but haven't fully fleshed them out online like the rest. but they exist and i have already scoured the books to piece them together so hopefully it won't take ten years but then again, it is finals season and i have so so many essays to do so we will see.
oh and, i have about half of wymack's apartment done in the sims and while it's a struggle to be era accurate, it's very cute and fun
pt. 1 pt. 3 (cali)
26 notes · View notes
redgoldsparks · 5 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
January Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe
I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut. You might notice the layout image looks different! I have switched to using the Storygraph wrap up and I'm now linking to the Storygraph reviews as well :)
The Sweetness Between Us by Sarah Winifred Searle 
Perley and Amandine are both readjusting to high school life after a major health crisis. Perley was diagnoses with diabetes; Amandine was turned into a vampire after a car crash nearly ended her life. They bond in remedial classes over just wishing their lives could go back to normal. Perley tentatively rejoins the knitting club; Amandine wants to rejoin a sports team but struggles with exhaustion; both of them have less energy than they had before. Their friendship develops into something more, but can they maintain a romance when they are both still figuring out their own shit? This is a very sweet slice of life story with a fun dash of the supernatural. I wanted a little more from some of the queer themes; I spent most of the book unsure of Perley's pronouns. But I was absolutely rooting for these two oddball teens to find their way back to each other.
LaserWriter II by Tamara Shopsin
This is a novel, loosely, but more so it's a little window back into a specific era of repairable technology and the people who were drawn to it. Set almost entirely in a (real, I think) Mac repair shop in New York City in the 1990s, this book jumps from backstory to backstory, introducing a range of self-taught computer fanatics. The cast and the story both feel wide but not deep. I didn't get to know anyone well, not even Claire, the newest hire and lead character. It did give me some serious nostalgia, even though I was really too young in this era to really have any meaningful relationship with it's technology. A weird but charming little book.
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, read by Susan Dalian
The demon Vitrine has been nurturing, building, challenging and haunting the port city of Azril for hundreds of years when the angels come to burn it to the ground. She tries to defend her people from the heavenly attack but only succeeds in cursing one of angel, embedding a thorn of spite in his side. When his brothers leave, he is forced to stay, and since he has nothing else to do, he watches her begin the long, painful process of cleaning and rebuilding. This is a dreamy stream of consciousness book with less plot that I'm used to from Nghi Vo. I'll admit this one captured me less than her work usually does though the prose is very beautiful.
The Concierge at the Hokkyoku Department Store vol 1 by Tsuchika Nishimura 
Akino is a new hire at the Hokkyoku Department Store, a store build to serve talking animal customers including many unusual and nearly extinct species. Akino must find a way to be present, polite and helpful without hovering or intruding on the customers experience. This is harder than it sounds, especially with fussy managers always watching the store floors! Sweet, silly, and very warm hearted. I like the delicate, retro lineart style.
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles read by Cornell Collins 
Another fun historical m/m romance from KJ Charles, this one more in the comedy of manners genre. I had a good time with it, I liked the leads, and as usual the secondary characters really shown. I did wish the enemies part of the enemies to lovers plot had lasted a bit longer, and the overall silliness of the story isn't going to make this the first Charles book I rec to anyone unfamiliar with her work, but it kept me entertained.
Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu 
Momo loves living in Town 99, a historically Chinese neighborhood where she knows everyone and all the best places to eat and hang out. But things are changing. Her parents are worried about making rent, and her favorite restaurant was kicked out of its location and now operates out of a cart. The owner of the new restaurant, Fancé Cafe, has big plans to buy out the whole block and upscale everything. Momo rallies her friends and neighbors to fight back against the gentrification. This is a very sweet book for young readers, with talking animal characters and whimsical food battles interwoven with community organizing. An epilogue explains the issues around gentrification for a child who might not have encountered it before.
Brownstone by Samuel Leer and Mar Julia 
Almudena grew up with her white mom, always wondering about the Guatemalan father she'd never met. Until one summer mid-high school when her mom heads off to Europe for a dance tour and drops her off at the Brooklyn brownstone her father, Xavier, is renovating. Almudena has to navigate around a language barrier, an through unfamiliar neighborhood, and into a close knit Latino community many of whom see her as not brown enough to count. But Almudena is determined not to let this opportunity to know her father slip away. This is such a warmhearted book, funny and kind, with a really well developed cast. The art and the writing make a perfect whole, capturing a deeply specific mid-1990s moment. I've been following the artist's self published releases for years and I'm so happy to see their work shine in a full length book!
Leap by Simina Pepesco 
Ana is a college student in a contemporary dance program in Budapest, but her heart has fallen out of dancing. She skips her own classes to spent time rehearsing with her secret girlfriend, Carina, an ambitious ballerina in the classical program. Her new roommate, Sara, transferred out of classical and into contemporary and is thriving in the new, more supportive environment. She's also starting to develop feelings for the kind teacher, Marlena, who helped her transfer. Both of them are struggling to figure out their relationships with their art, as well as their sexualities, as well as how safe or not safe it feels to be out at their private, gossip-prone school. This is a really well told and well drawn coming of age story; I also really appreciated it as a story of queer friendship which complicated some of the standard narratives around first crushes/first relationships/coming out being kind of anti-climatic, half affirming, half disappointing. Definitely recommend!
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar 
What a book! Several of my friends called this one of their top reads of last year and I can see why. The book centers around Cyrus Shams, a poet and recovering addict, who was raised in the US by a single father. The pair left Iran when Cyrus was a baby after his mother was killed in a passenger plane, shot down by mistake by the US army. In his late 20s, Cyrus is mostly drifting through life, working weird part time jobs, sometimes writing, trying to stay sober. He wants to write about the concept of martyrdom, about dying for a cause, or what makes people consider a death meaningful. When he hears of a Persian artist literally hosting her last weeks as she dies of cancer in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Cyrus flies to New York City to speak with her. Their conversations will impact him more than he could ever have dreamed. This is an usually structured book, full of flashbacks, alternate POVs, dream sequences. It's rich with layers of symbolism and meaning, especially with repeated references to names, to lineage, to legacy, the lingering trauma of violence and revolution, and what a life of art demands from the artist. This book surprised and moved me. I'm delighted that it was chosen by my book club, so I've got a lengthy conversation with friends about this book to look forward to!
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde read by Susan Duerden 
The Eyre Affair is a mystery-crime-sci-fi-comedy novel for the literary nerd. It is set in England in an alternate universe version of the 1980s, in which cloning of extinct animals for household pets is common, time travel looked down on as wretched career choice, and literary crimes get their own whole division in the police force. Thursday Next is a veteran of the Crimean War (which has been running more than a century) and a Lit Crimes special agent- her expertise is immediately needed when a priceless Dickens' manuscript is stolen by a thief whose image does not register on film. Things quickly get strange- and also hilarious.
Re-read in 2025: I revisited this after reading and loving Jasper Fforde's stand alone sci-fi novel Early Riser last year. Unfortunately, The Eyre Affair suffered in comparison- the main villain of the book is very weak, and I can now see the pacing issues of this debut novel. I still found it very funny and probably caught more of the classic lit jokes than I did last time, but it's no longer the Fforde novel I'd suggest people start with. Try one of his more recent works! 
She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat vol 3 by Sakaomi Yuzaki translated by Caleb Cook
This series just keeps getting more and more adorable! This volume introduced two new characters, and I braced for a moment hoping they wouldn't be rivals to the main couple, who are very slowly beginning to flirt. I should not have doubted!! Both newbies immediately seen that Nomoto and Kasuga are interested in each other and begin to cheer lead/wing man from the sides. Plus, in the author's note, the author talks about selling merch for a Japanese organization supporting marriage equality. I can't wait to read more!
39 notes · View notes
boyswillbebutch · 1 year ago
Note
YOUR OCS. can you talk about them 😳👉👈 im intrigued by their crimes
*CLAPS MY HANDS TOGHETER* I’VE AWOKEN OK. SO. RIGHT INTO IT.
Quick rundown of the world they’re in- monsters exist!! And people have to live amongst them even though most of them are very dangerous! So anyways into the murder lesbians :]
Janette Biswar (she’s 47 and suffering/hj) or otherwise this lady:
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
(oh no the way the images layout lmao but the last one is done by @iersei!) She’s an unwilling cult leader with the church her mum used to run (which is a cult omg) being handed down to her basically! (she completed a rite of passage to be the leader in her teens which was murder she does not like that) And at the moment she’s trying to dismantle the cult to make it a normal cult but then Adele Beckett turns up-
This is Adele Beckett (46 and loving her life/hj)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
(i don’t draw her enough and the art on the right is also done by iersei!) SHE’S A COP! (acab) She also fights the monsters in the world they’re in. Transphobic and aro-phobic btw. She gaslight gatekeep girlbosses on a regular basis. (She has a husband called Josh that she was highschool sweethearts with him- he’s transmasc so they were a sapphic couple in the early years)
Onto the actual plot- a cop and a priest walk into a bar basically. (i’m not even joking) so they both do that and they flirt things are said and done woahh (they kiss holy shit :0) They end up sleeping togheter but before that janette was like ‘heyy i’m aro-spec let me explain what that means and how i don’t do romantic relationships” and Adele is like “uh huh. definetly listening” she isn’t. she does not care at all. So basically they have a friends with benefits relationship but then Janette is like “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE A HUSBAND” since adele is not polyamorous and did not tell Josh about it.
They split up, and don’t talk for a while until Adele’s son, Ryan, ends up being involved in a cult ritual that ends up with him getting his arm chopped off. Adele knows who did it (janette who did not agree to that ritual) and ended up getting revenge. In the form of arson. She was mostly commiting arson because she was just annoyed at Janette and a little bit for her son she isn’t a good mum. So Janette gets burnt alive and then ends up getting resurrected by weird blue spirits called Sprites that curse her with if she cuts her skin, little blue flowers and foliage burst from her skin trying to push their way out which is dangerous! So she has to stay out of town- in the woods- because everyone thinks she’s dead and she’s just planning her way to kill adele.
yeah. there is so much more lore i could go into but i will save that. for later. :D
Basically both of them have killed people and only one really regrets it (janette) okok anywayssss-
13 notes · View notes
marzbix-crystal · 2 years ago
Text
The Big OC Post
ALRIGHT SO. Here is THE post containing ALL my Land of the Lustrous OCs, even when my art evolves into something else, these will be THE ref sheets I look at (hopefully) 'till the end of time- I did double check them all, but there may still be a few spelling mistakes and repetition, apologies in advance
[Image ID: A series of reference sheets for my Land of the Lustrous fan OCs. Each image contains the following: A full body drawing on the far right, a drawing of their eye in the top centre, their chosen flower below that, and a profile headshot in the bottom centre, on the left is their written information along with a colour palette. /End ID]
WRITTEN VERSIONS WILL BE BELOW THEIR RESPECTIVE IMAGE- APOLOGIES FOR ANY CONFUSION WITH THE LAYOUT --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Afghanite Pronouns: They/Them Age: 2624 years old Mohs Hardness: 6 Height: 5'11 Appearance: They have a somewhat athletic build, their face is angular with a pointed nose, rectangular eyes, and medium brows. Their hair is in a high ponytail that reaches the middle of their back, with symmetrical bangs that flick towards the back of the head, and flicks of hair that reach their cheeks, covering their ears. They wear a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, bermuda shorts, and strapped loafers. They have ankle socks. Assigned Flower: Daffodil
Character Notes: - Stoic and Hardworking - They rarely smile, and no one has ever made or seen them laugh - They often disappear when off-duty - They always show up on time no matter what
Nicknames: "Afgha" or "Han" Job: Mediator/Caretaker Likes: Hiking, Tracking, Birds, Writing Lists, and Mysteries Dislikes: Flies, Dirty Clothes, Recklessness, and Disrespect --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Apophyllite Pronouns: She/Her Age: 10,779 years old Mohs Hardness: 4.5 Height: 6'5 Appearance: She has a tall and skinnier build, her face is more square with a low, pointed nose, droopy eyes, and medium brows. Her hair is in a short bob, with the left side partially covering the face. She wears the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, flared shorts, and flat shoes with bows on the toplines. She wears white knee-socks and white elbow-length gloves. Assigned Flower: Astrantia/Masterwort
Character Notes: - A Jack-of-all-trades, but she loves cleaning most of all - She very rarely strays too far from the school - In charge of hibernation prep, she always starts early - Always fussing about uniforms
Nicknames: "Phyll" or "Poppy" Job: Head Cleaner Likes: Tidiness, Singing, Honesty, and Fluffy Clouds Dislikes: Physical Contact, Broken Tools, Unkemptness, and Dirty Footprints --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Bicolour Sapphire Pronouns: They/Them Age: 923 years old Mohs Hardness: 9 Height: 5'8 Appearance: They are fairly skinny with an angular face, a long, straight nose, rectangular eyes, and thin eyebrows- their left eye is golden. Their hair is in a short, straight bob with their left side tucked behind their ear- their hair is also long at the back, falling from under the bob to the lower back. Their left side has a green and gold flash that runs down the length of their hair. They wear the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, wide, knee-length shorts, and loafers. They wear ankle-socks and short gloves. Assigned Flower: Amaryllis
Character Notes: - They do everything rhythmically, even if they're fighting or walking, it's always on beat - Incredibly private, even those they get along with know very little about them - They curse so much, they often make up curses on the fly - A promising fighter, but they're still struggling with teamwork
Nicknames: "Sapp" or "Sapps" Job: Protector/Cleaner Likes: Deep Water, Kite Flying, Fog, and Embroidery Dislikes: Difficult Tasks, Hibernation, Being stared at, and Wasting time --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Black Opal Pronouns: They/Them Age: 679 years old Mohs Hardness: 6.5 Height: 5'5 Appearance: They are petite with a round face and a soft button nose, their eyes are rectangular with thick angular brows. Their hair is tied in a high ponytail reaching the middle of their back and flicking upwards at the ends, they have tucked bangs and long strands covering their ears and falling past their chest. They wear the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and flat shoes with bows on the toplines. They have opera gloves and thigh-high socks. Assigned Flower: Hybrid Fuchsia
Character Notes: - They can be terribly cruel to others - Not afraid of dirt, surprisingly - They're slowly changing their attitude through counselling - They have a lot of stims, but they never stim in front of others
Nicknames: "Opal" or "Bee" Job: Courier Likes: Puddles, Riddles, Slow days, and Dusk Dislikes: Social Interaction, Small Talk, Cramped Spaces, and Sunny Days Extra Notes: Drawn with no eye highlights, any rainbow particle brush can be used for their hair/eyes/gem --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Blue Diamond Pronouns: They/Them Age: 5923 years old Mohs Hardness: 10 Height: 6'5 Appearance: They have a skinny/lanky build with a thin, angular face, and a long, straight nose- their eyes are angular with dark circles, indents near the inner corners, and long, thin brows. Their hair is long and fluffy, reaching their lower back with strands sticking out at all sides, they have messy bangs covering their brows with horn-like flicks on either side, they have curls covering their ears and some hair partially resting on their shoulders and flowing behind them- they have a small flick of hair on the top of their head. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves and short-shorts, instead of a tie they have their shirt open at the collar showing some of their chest. They have opera gloves, thigh-high socks, and a plain ribbon tied around their left calf. Assigned Flower: Red Rose
Character Notes: - They own multiple different weapons, but they only use two of them - They practice poses when no one is around - They used to be a Mediator - Extremely knowledgeable on metals and gem make-up
Nicknames: "Blue" Job: Explorer/Unemployed Likes: Precious Metals, Sunsets, Crunchy Leaves, Loitering, and Fencing Dislikes: Wet Grass, Being Touched, Danger, and Taking Orders Extra Notes: Has a ribbon tied around their leg as a member of the Delinquents --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Brookite Pronouns: They/She Age: 578 years old Mohs Hardness: 5.5 Height: 5'3 Appearance: They have a thicker build with a round face and a small pointed nose, their eyes are rounded with three lower lashes and thin brows. Their hair is tied in a right-side ponytail with the hair sticking out, they have large bangs with one strand falling in front of their face, and extra hair covering the front of their ears and reaching the chin. She is wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, a knee-length skirt, and flat, double strapped mary-jane shoes. They have shorter gloves and tights. Assigned Flower: Anemone
Character Notes: - They take in more sunlight than most, so they're high energy - She makes little wooden carvings for her friends - They love Moths most of all - They like carpentry, but she's unsure if that's what they want to do
Nicknames: "Brooke" or "Cookie" Job: Apprentice Carpenter Likes: Insects/Entomology, Card Games, Pinecones, and Wood Carving Dislikes: Fungi, Nonsense, Complex Instructions, and Deadlines --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Calcite Pronouns: They/He Age: 290 years old Mohs Hardness: 3 Height: 6'3 Appearance: They have a very thin build with an angular face and a smaller pointed nose, their eyes are large and round with small, circular brows. His hair is tied back into a high ponytail with the hair sticking out behind them, he has hair coming in front of his ears, and some hair falling in front of their face. They wear the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and loafers. They wear opera gloves and ankle-socks. Assigned Flower: Poinsettia
Character Notes: - They rarely speak, and if they do, it's only in whispers - Has an interest in flowers - They can be very intense when writing notes - He often lets others style his hair
Nicknames: "Cal" Job: Dioptase's Assistant Likes: Doodling, Tiny Flowers, Listening to Stories, and Snails Dislikes: Loud Noises, Being Babied, Beetles, and Running --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Cassiterite Pronouns: They/He/She Age: 3000 years old Mohs Hardness: 7 Height: 6'4 Appearance: They have a somewhat athletic build with a rounder face and a soft, slightly hooked nose, their eyes are large and angular with four extra lashes and short, angular brows. His hair choppy and asymmetrical, with a long, thin tail reaching their lower back and two gold flashes. They wear the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and loafers. They wear opera gloves and thigh-high socks. Assigned Flower: Spider-Lily
Character Notes: - Prone to periods of numbness and depression - Fascinated by life cycles, particularly death - Usually outside from dawn until dusk- always on duty - They get very sleepy in the summer, even with the extra sunlight
Nicknames: "Cass" Job: Protector Likes: Philosophy, Details, Dancing, Windsurfing, and Drawing/Painting Dislikes: Busy Days, Heavy Rain, Nocturnal Insects, Arguments --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Citrine Pronouns: He/Him Age: 950 years old Mohs Hardness: 7 Height: 5'11 Appearance: He has a somewhat athletic build, an sturdy face, and a straight, prominent nose- his eyes are angular with short, thick brows. His hair is pinned back with a head band, with a loose part falling over his left eye, while the rest of his hair sticks out around his head like a halo. He wears a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, short-shorts, and flat shoes. He wears very loose socks that give the appearance of leg-warmers, reaching his knees. Assigned Flower: Sunflower
Character Notes: - Very rarely unhappy, but he copes well with negative feelings - He's almost constantly moving - Despite how he acts, he's fairly mature (to some extent) - Whenever he goes to any beach, an army of crabs harasses him
Nicknames: "Sun" or "Sunela" Job: Explorer/Protector Likes: Sunshine, Autumn Colours, Fencing, Card Games, and Windsurfing Dislikes: Gloomy Weather, Getting Scolded, Crabs, Silence, and Dishonesty --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Clinohumite Pronouns: They/She Age: 2436 years old Mohs Hardness: 6 Height: 6'11 Appearance: They have a large, muscular build, with a longer, more sturdy face and a large, straight nose- their eyes are rectangular with thick eyelashes and much thicker brows. Her hair is long and messy with bangs covering her left eye, they have almost a crown of hair along the top of the head, they have hair falling over their shoulders while the rest reaches her behind. They are wearing a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, bermuda shorts, and flat shoes. They have knee socks. Assigned Flower: Stargazer Lily
Character Notes: - They always laugh at unfunny jokes - No one knows why they're so big, some think she was supposed to be a set of twins - Very quiet, but they can shout the loudest - They often appear out of no where, startling others
Nicknames: "Clino" or "Humi" Job: Mediator Likes: The Beach, Warm Days, Sea Shells, and Peace and Quiet Dislikes: Thunderstorms, Small Talk, Using Force, and Wasting Time --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Covellite Pronouns: He/Him Age: 3162 years old Mohs Hardness: 2 Height: 5'9 Appearance: They have a thin build with a sturdy face and a straight, less prominent nose, their eyes are rectangular with blue pupils and thin brows. His hair is tied back into a high ponytail with the hair reaching behind the knees, he has hair coming in front of his ears, and a larger piece of hair falling over the right side of his face. He wears the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, a knee-length skirt, and loafers. They wear opera gloves and tights. Assigned Flower: Dandelion
Character Notes: - VERY blunt, sometimes he doesn't even realize it - His favourite section in the library is the fungi section - He always has a furrowed brow around the other gems, even with friends - He can only relax when he's in his room or in the Library
Nicknames: "Vell" or "Covey" Job: Librarian Likes: The Library, The Dark, Sewing, and Fresh Paper Dislikes: The Outdoors, Noise, Loitering, and Philosophy --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Dioptase Pronouns: They/Them Age: 783 years old Mohs Hardness: 5 Height: 5'6 Appearance: They have a much larger build with broader shoulders and larger tummy, they have a round face with a larger button nose, their eyes are round with several extra lashes and large, pill-shaped brows. Their hair is sort of a wolf cut, with bangs that partially cover the right eye and cover the top of their ears, the hair is chin-length, curling up at the back in two tiers, with longer strands falling over their shoulders- they have two smaller hairs sprouting on the top of their head. They are wearing a summer uniform with a shirt, bermuda shorts, and flat shoes. Assigned Flower: Marigold
Character Notes: - They're surprisingly petty - They have a collection of stones with holes in, they call them "Looking Stones" - They can work just about anywhere - Their disappointment is so much worse than their anger
Nicknames: "Dio" or "Opti" Job: Scholar/Paper Maker Likes: Clear Skies, Storytelling, Writing Fiction, Dragonflies, and Dancing Dislikes: Writer's Block, Disorganized Mess, Scolding Others, and Loneliness --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Dragon-Blood Jasper Pronouns: They/She Age: 5426 years old Mohs Hardness: 7 Height: 6'8 Appearance: They have a tal and athletic build with broader shoulders, they have a round face with a larger nose, their eyes are angular with an extra bottom lash, slit pupils, and thicker brows. Their Left eye is red with a green brow, while her right eye is green with a brown brow. Her hair is short, choppy, and swept to their right with shaved sides, they have two strands of hair falling in front of each ear, one short and one long. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and loafers. She also wears a knee-sock on her right leg, a thigh-high sock on her left, an opera glove on her right arm with a ribbon tied to it, and a short glove on her left hand. Assigned Flower: Begonia
Character Notes: - Uses a Broadsword to fight, but will often opt for the basic blade - She's about as graceful as a stone, but gets the job done - They can name almost any tree you point at - One of Bort's top fighters- she is fairly close to their level
Nicknames: "Ludd", "Jas", or "Dragon" Job: Protector/Scholar Likes: Winning, Collecting Pebbles, Big Trees, and Relaxing Dislikes: Losing, Cute and Frilly things, Sudden Changes, and Lying Extra Notes: Has a ribbon tied around their arm as a member of the Delinquents --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Erythrite Pronouns: They/He Age: 573 years old Mohs Hardness: 2 Height: 5'0 Appearance: They have a slim/petite build with an angular face and a pointed nose- their eyes are angular with thicker, furrowed brows. His hair is short with the ends flicking outwards, and a single strand falling in the middle of his face. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and flat mary-jane shoes. They have white knee socks and a small satchel attached to the left side of their belt. Assigned Flower: Periwinkle
Character Notes: - They have used so much paper that the Paper Makers put him on a monthly limit - Often runs around the school for seemingly no reason - Their face will sometimes crack if they're experiencing intense emotions - He's always the one to say "I told you so"
Nicknames: "Ery" or "Eryth" Job: Artist/Painter Likes: Shooting Stars, Cool/Cold Colours, Designing Things, and Most Games Dislikes: Being Ignored, Being Startles, Ruined Work, and Annoying Sounds Extra Notes: Has a little satchel on his belt --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Garnet Pronouns: They/Them Age: 4406 years old Mohs Hardness: 7.5 Height: 5'10 Appearance: They have a slightly curvier build with a round face and a straight, pointed nose- their eyes are angular with two extra bottom lashes and short, thick brows. Their hair is short with two big tufts covering their ears, messy bangs, and a tuft sticking out the top of their head. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and flat shoes. They have white knee socks and white elbow-length gloves. Assigned Flower: Dahlia
Character Notes: - Often says "thank you" to any tool or material they have used - Always talking to themself, the other gems find it a little weird - They know more than they let on, sometimes they know too much - Their handwriting is atrocious, they need a scribe when making reports
Nicknames: "Gar", "Net", or "Netty" Job: Protector Likes: Helping Others, Storms, Open Spaces, Hiking, and Metaphors Dislikes: Being Interrupted, Sand, Oversleeping, Gossip --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Kutnohorite Pronouns: She/Her Age: 1053 years old Mohs Hardness: 4 Height: 5'8 (6'0 when wearing her heels) Appearance: She has a slightly thicker build, her face is round with a softer nose- her eyes are angular and slightly droopy with three extra lashes and medium-thin brows. Her hair is straight and tied into a high ponytail that reaches her neck, with full bangs covering her brows and two strands on both sides covering her ears and just reaching her collarbone. She wears a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, suspenders, short-shorts, and 2-inch heels. She has opera gloves, and over-the-knee socks. Assigned Flower: Daisy
Character Notes: - She has a list of napping spots, all rated and reviewed - The easiest gem to get along with - Despite her sleeping habits, all of her chores are done before sunset - She has assigned a flower to everyone, only she knows about this
Nicknames: "Ku" Job: Gardener/Scholar Likes: "Ugly" Flowers, Sleeping, Decorating, First Days of Spring, and Word Puzzles Dislikes: Sand, Losing Things, Misinformation/Drama, and Busy-Bodies --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Labradorite Pronouns: She/They/He Age: 6744 years old Mohs Hardness: 6.5 Height: 6'0 Appearance: She has a thinner build with a rounded face and a long pointed nose- their eyes are rectangular with thick eyelashes, eyebags, and medium brows, their right eye has flashes of blue, whereas their left eye has greenish brown flashes. He has messy hair with the right side tied at the back in a short ponytail and the left covering the left of their face- the rest of their hair falls behind their shoulders. She is wearing a three-piece suit and tie with a longer coat and dress-shoes. Assigned Flower: Iris
Character Notes: - Always carrying something to write on - Knows almost everything about everyone else, but she herself is very enigmatic - He studied on the Moon for a while - If not for their intellect, they'd be nothing without their determination
Nicknames: "Lab" or "Dori" Job: Teacher/Doctor Likes: Overcast Skies, Reading, Studying, and Long Walks Dislikes: Distractions, Too Much Noise, Muttering, and Rudeness Extra Notes: Their right eye is more blue, while her left eye is more greenish brown --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Legrandite Pronouns: They/He Age: 3191 years old Mohs Hardness: 5 Height: 6'0 Appearance: They have a larger build with broad shoulders, a pointed nose, thick eyelashes, and short, thick eyebrows. His hair is long with bangs flicking outwards and a cowlick sticking upwards between them, the back of their hair also has some tufts sticking out, while the rest reaches the back of the legs. They are wearing a suit and tie with a long coat and flat shoes. He also wears gloves Assigned Flower: Bluebell
Character Notes: - The WORST hair stylist, do NOT let them touch your head - Volunteer Gardener, they keep an emergency supply of resources - He works very fast, but with the greatest of care - While they love fixing gems, they love dissecting Gem Eater corpses much more
Nicknames: "Grand", "Andi", or "Legs" Job: Doctor Likes: Foraging, Card Games, Lightning, Feathers, and Red Leaves Dislikes: Wet Mud, Uncooperativeness, High Winds, and Sadness Extra Notes: Eyes are usually always closed --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Onyx Pronouns: They/He Age: 1006 years old Mohs Hardness: 6.5 Height: 6'2 Appearance: They are slender with broad shoulders, they have an angular face with a slightly upturned nose- their eyes are round/rectangular with thin brows. His hair is short with an undercut, bangs covering his ears and forehead, and a longer strand protruding from the top of their head- his hair has varied streaks. He is wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, wide, knee-length shorts, and simple flats with ankle straps. They have opera gloves, tights, and a plain ribbon tied to their left forearm. Assigned Flower: Edelweiss
Character Notes: - Almost as fast as Yellow Diamond, a flurry of leaves follows him when he runs - They can be quite frightening during combat - Sick of being told to "Grow Up" - They are VERY Confrontational
Nicknames: "Nyx" Job: Protector Likes: Windy Days, Relaxing/Goofing Off, Racing, and Watching others Work Dislikes: Winter, Any and All Insects, Being talked down to, and Boredom Extra Notes: Has a ribbon tied around their arm as a member of the Delinquents --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Pink Fluorite Pronouns: She/He Age: 6412 years old Mohs Hardness: 4 Height: 5'7 (6'1 when wearing heels) Appearance: She is slender, she has a round face with a pointed and slightly upturned nose- their eyes are angular with thick top lashes and rounded eyebrows. Her hair is long and wrapped once around the shoulders like a scarf, the left side is tucked behind his ear while the right side is swept back, there is a long strand of hair sticking out in front of his face. He is wearing a suit and tie with his shirt sleeves rolled up, and high heels. Assigned Flower: Lotus Flower
Character Notes: - Weirdly agile for a gem that doesn't fight - Far too strict to be a mediator, he still tries to enforce the rules - The most prim and proper gem - Had a weird, one-sided rivalry with Labradorite, she grew out of it. Mostly
Nicknames: Full name or "Sir" only Job: Librarian/Paper Maker Likes: Etiquette, White Flowers, Elegance, Flower Pressing, and Books Dislikes: Sloppiness, Rule-Breakers, Loud Noises, and Weapons Extra Notes: Drawn with no eye highlights --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Proustite Pronouns: He/She Age: 2977 years old Mohs Hardness: 2.5 Height: 6'6 Appearance: He has an average build with broader shoulders, he has a soft face with a long nose- her eyes are soft with eyebags and thin brows. His hair is short and tucked behind the ears, with a loose loop of hair falling in front of his right eye, a loose strand falling in front of his left eye, and a small strand sprouting from the top of her head. She is wearing a summer uniform with a shirt, a bow instead of a tie, suspenders, bermuda shorts, and flat mary-jane shoes. He has fingerless opera gloves, and ankle socks with bows on the outer hems. Assigned Flower: Snowdrop
Character Notes: - Likes to alter his clothes - He's a HUGE fan of Diamond, he wants to be like them some day - Prefers working at night when she can - He keeps several of his own jellyfish in his room
Nicknames: "Prou" or "Pru" Job: Cleaner Likes: Winter, Rain, Fashion Design, Singing Dislikes: Sunlight, Being Alone, Loud Environments, Pressure --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Purple Spinel Pronouns: He/They Age: 1214 years old Mohs Hardness: 8 Height: 5'4 Appearance: He has a larger build with large hips, arms, and legs, they have a round face with a small, pointed nose, his eyes are large and round with several extra lashes and medium eyebrows. His hair is long and tied into a loose ponytail with a ribbon, which falls over their right shoulder, they have blunt bangs covering the eyebrows, two small strands in front of his ears, and an extra tuft sticking out just above the bangs. He is wearing a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, flared shorts, and flat shoes with straps. He also wears elbow-length gloves Assigned Flower: Aster
Character Notes: - Usually tags along when the Beryl Trio goes to the moon on fashion business - Small, but he has taken down a fully grown Gem-Eater by himself - Wants to try Winter Duty, but he is one of the first gems to fall asleep - Can be a little judgmental, but they have been working on it
Nicknames: "Nel" or "Nellie" Job: Protector/Courier/Model Likes: Fashion, Weapon Maintenance, Drawing, and Snails Dislikes: Ruined Clothes, Boredom, Water, and Bad Weather --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Rhodochrosite Pronouns: They/Them Age: 746 years old Mohs Hardness: 4 Height: 6'1 Appearance: They have broader shoulders and thicker legs, they have a round face with a smaller nose, angular eyes, and medium brows. They have shorter hair that covers their ears and reaches their lower neck, with two small hairs sprouting from the top of their head- their hair has irregular, wavy streaks. They're wearing a summer uniform with a shirt, tie, short-shorts, and flat shoes. They have opera gloves and thigh-high socks. Assigned Flower: Hydrangea
Character Notes: - A bit of an insomniac - May seem rude at first, but they're just incredibly shy - The others often forget what they sound like - They are surprisingly messy despite their love of organising things
Nicknames: "Rho" or "Rhody" Job: Gardener Likes: Weeding, Checklists, Flower Pressing, and Organising Things Dislikes: Being forced to speak, Asking for help, Destructive Insects, and Scary Stories --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Scorodite Pronouns: They/She Age: 713 years old Mohs Hardness: 3.5 Height: 5'5 Appearance: They are quite petite, they have a round face with a button nose and medium lashes with thin brows. Her hair reaches her shoulders, with some falling over their shoulders, and bangs that frame the face and cover the forehead. She is wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and simple loafers. They have white ankle-socks Assigned Flower: Carnation
Character Notes: - A calming presence, it's hard to be angry around them - They often put others' needs above their own - Very talkative around their friends - Has surprisingly good aim, but they can't really use it often
Nicknames: "Scori" Job: Cleaner Likes: Butterflies, Sweeping, Break Time, and Origami Dislikes: Running, Shouting, Wearing Gloves, and the Dark Extra Notes: Her eyes are usually always closed --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Selenite Pronouns: She/Her Age: 950 years old Mohs Hardness: 2 Height: 5'10 Appearance: She is quite thin and has an angular face with a straight, prominent nose, her eyes are soft with thick eyelashes and thick brows. Her hair is long with wavy ends reaching her knees, with a large strand falling over the right side of her face/right shoulder. She is wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, a knee-length skirt, and simple flat shoes. She has opera gloves and tights Assigned Flower: Calla Lily
Character Notes: - Usually active at night - She's very much a part of Diamond's fan club - Other gems feel much clearer after hanging out with her - Extremely feisty, despite her princess-like demeanour
Nicknames: "Sel" or "Selene" Job: Stellar Cartographer Likes: Embroidery, Fresh Air, Spring, Singing, and Interior Decorating Dislikes: Water, Dirt of any kind, Cloudy Nights, and Rudeness Extra Notes: Tiny flakes always fall from her hair, this has no effect on her body or memory --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Sphalerite Pronouns: He/They Age: 11,062 years old Mohs Hardness: 4/3 Height: 5'6 (5'9 when wearing heels) Appearance: He has a thicker build with broader shoulders, their face is thinner and angular with a straight, soft nose, their eyes are angular with two extra bottom eyelashes and thick, severe eyebrows. Their eyelashes and left eye are a cream colour, while their right eye and eyebrows are dark brown. He has long, brown, slicked-back hair with cream-coloured tufts on the hairline, in front of their ears, and sticking out on the back of the hair. They wear the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and spike-heel shoes. He wears opera gloves and thigh-high socks Assigned Flower: Chrysanthemum
Character Notes: - Considered and Honorary Delinquent, as he was the original troublemaker - He can make anyone drop their attitude, even Bort - Refuses to wear any other uniform, he owns 4 identical sets - He fears absolutely NOTHING
Nicknames: "Hale" or "Phae" Job: Teacher Likes: Teaching, Journaling, Sunrays, and Hard Work Dislikes: Bad Behaviour, Lies/Excuses, Self-Doubt, and Sudden Changes Extra Notes: They are part Calcite --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Taaffeite Pronouns: She/They Age: 3402 years old Mohs Hardness: 6.5 Height: 6'2 Appearance: She has a slim build and has a softer face with rounded eyes, circular eyebrows, and a straight nose. They have long hair that reaches their behind with a long, singular strand protruding from the top of their head. She is wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, a knee-length skirt, and simple shoes. They have white, elbow-length gloves and and white knee-high socks. Assigned Flower: Hyacinth
Character Notes: - Wants to be a doctor, but they're surprisingly squeamish - Often teases others affectionately - Used to have a terrible temper, but she is almost fully in control of it now - She's secretly very competitive, but has good sportsmanship
Nicknames: "Taaff" or "Taaffy" Job: Protector/Caretaker Likes: Deep Conversations, Journaling, Meditating, and Non-Fiction Dislikes: Violence, Carelessness, Stumbling, and Eavesdropping Extra Notes: They have dimples when they smile --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Tanzanite Pronouns: They/Them Age: 875 years old Mohs Hardness: 6.5 Height: 5'8 Appearance: They are small yet somewhat curvy, they have a soft, round face with a larger, pointed nose and wide, angular eyes with one extra lash on the top and one on the bottom, they have thick, bean-shaped brows. They have long hair tied in loose pigtails that reach their knees, their bangs fall over their ears and frame their face. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and flat mary-jane shoes. They have opera gloves and knee-high socks. Assigned Flower: Hibiscus
Character Notes: - They can see through every lie, even if they're unsure, they'll be onto you - Has great balance and an even greater sense of direction - They don't emote much, but they can be easily embarrassed - Good at archery, but they haven't grown out of the training bow just yet
Nicknames: "Tanza" or "Taz" Job: Explorer/Cleaner Likes: Stars, Archery, Navigation, and Collecting Dislikes: Lies, Heavy Rain, Mud, and Crowds --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Uvarovite Pronouns: They/Them Age: 5780 years old Mohs Hardness: 7.5 Height: 6'3 Appearance: They're of average build with broader shoulders, they have a rounded face with medium straight brows, their left brow having a slit on the arch. They have rectangular eyes with extra bottom lashes, and a long, straight nose. Their hair is in a thick, messy bob that reaches their jaw with two strands sticking out of the part. They are wearing the winter uniform with puffy sleeves, a tie, short-shorts, and flat shoes. They have white elbow-length gloves and thigh-high socks, with a plain ribbon wrapped around their left thigh. Assigned Flower: Ornithogalum
Character Notes: - They're not as mysterious as everyone thinks - They built themselves a hideout, few know it's whereabouts - Despite being a delinquent, they rarely break any rules - They're thinking about becoming an explorer, but they haven't decided yet
Nicknames: "Varo", "Uva", or "Rovi" Job: Protector Likes: Solitude, High Places, Parkour, Cartography, and their Friends Dislikes: Talking, Impractical Things, Bright Flowers, Being Indoors Extra Notes: Has a ribbon tied around their leg as a member of the Delinquents --------------------
Tumblr media
Name: Vivianite Pronouns: He/They Age: 7196 years old Mohs Hardness: 1.5 Height: 6'4 Appearance: He is slender with a thin, oval face- he has large pill-shaped brows, soft eyes, and a long, soft nose. They have long, straight hair that reaches the back of the knees, one side is tucked behind their right ear while a smaller strand falls in front of his left shoulder reaching the middle of his torso, they are wearing a plain three-piece suit and tie with dress shoes. He also carries a walking cane on his right. Assigned Flower: Pansy
Character Notes: - He will be tough on you when he needs to be - Beloved by the youngsters - If you're playing Hide and Seek, he may hide you if you ask nicely - Always happy to teach anyone anything they know
Nicknames: "Vi" or "Vivian" Job: Teacher/Assistant Administrator Likes: Nature, Soft Rain, Sketching, and Reading Time Dislikes: Severe Weather, Being cooped up, Negligence, and Arguments Extra Notes: Always using a walking stick -------------------- AND THAT'S ALL 30 OF MY OCs!! If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! Their profiles will be more detailed on my Toyhou.se, but I made these the best I could- I adore these guys so so much
Edit: added 10 new gems and their written descriptions in alphabetical order. Altered closing caption. 12th Sept. 2024
38 notes · View notes
cmncbp · 7 months ago
Text
Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich 1E: The Worst Piece of AI Garbage I Have Seen Ever In My Entire Life
Tumblr media
I hate this module. It is an insult to me, you, two hundred and sixty-seven kickstarter backers, the classics the module means to pay homage to, and the author's cat.
Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich 1E alleges both that it is made for levels 8-12 in the OSRIC system, and that it is written by Mark Taormino of Dark Wizard Games. It was funded via Kickstarter alongside Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One, and together they drew in a budget of 14,158 USD.
I do not think any of the backers have actually read the module, since nobody has cursed out the author in the comments, but they may very well have flipped through it - the book looks nice in terms of layout, and it is full of nostalgic black-and-white art, which the author has commissioned or requested permission to use.
The credits list artists Felipe Faria, LC Frietas, Carlos Castilho, Jacob Blackmon, Francesco Accordi, Phil Stone, and Dean Spencer, and additionally someone called Justin Davis, who does not appear to have a significant online presence.
At least one among them appears to be an AI artist. They have provided this image of a fletched sword hilt (top left) and a four foot tall elf with spider pedipalps for a chin (top right).
Tumblr media
There are a few other pictures that are also clearly AI-made, but none of them are signed. One wonders if Mark Taormino is aware that he has been given AI art, or if he is himself being cheated in turn, in a great circle of AI grifting.
The module opens with several pages of padded backstory. I believe it may be partially handwritten, because it is pretty goofy, or at least the earlier parts may have felt an editor's touch after the AI spat it out.
A long time ago there was a pharaoh with three sons. Then his wife cheated on him and had a bastard son, Ankhen-Hotep, with an evil warrior in the pharaoh's service.
Tumblr media
"Ankhen-Hotep, my son, why are you so fine and muscular and very handsome with an unusual hint of underlying evil, and not at all disgusting, lazy and ugly like your brothers and I?"
Ankhen-Hotep kills his entire family and becomes a cruel pharaoh, somehow worse than the dynasty of indolent scumbags that apparently preceded him. Then he becomes a lich and builds a big evil tomb. Unfortunately, due to some undefined dark pact shenanigans, he can't leave the tomb until someone releases him with the power of love (?). You'd think the evil gods who make people into liches would want them running around and doing evil, but that is not so.
A thousand years later, an earthquake reveals part of the tomb, and sorceress-queen Neferkhet, who happens to be the biggest forgotten evil kings fan the lineage has ever known, comes to investigate. This is where the text very clearly breaks down.
Tumblr media
Queen Neferkhet goes to the ruins, digs out the ruins, seals the ruins away, kills everyone involved, seemingly forgets the ruins existed, rediscovers the ruins (now half-buried again) and is completely awestruck. She claims she knew whose tomb it was at once, but I guess she went home after figuring it out to bring her friends and make a big show of pretending to recognize it.
Neferkhet looks at the murals in the tomb and learns the story of Ankhen-Hotep (I guess she didn't pay much attention in her studies), and she sympathizes so much with his tragic past that she falls in love and decides to revive him. The murals that tell this story are not actually shown anywhere in the adventure, so she might have made them up.
Tumblr media
I suppose these must be the seals she set up herself, the first time she found the tomb? Or is Ankhen-Hotep just not interested in being woken up?
Regardless, she casts a spell that shatters Ankhen-Hotep's sarcophagus (which is still intact later), and they fall in love, and they build a big undead army, and together they ravage the countryside to gather souls which they intend to use to make Ankhen-Hotep young and sexy again. Oh no! Someone better stop them!
This is where the PCs come in. Despite the backstory making it sound like the villain duo is pretty active in the surrounding lands, there are no encounters outside the dungeon. Let's step inside.
The first room is a false entrance, which can be found by examining the base of a jackal-headed sphinx, located some distance away from the pyramid that holds the true tomb.
This is also where Mark Taormino has given up even pretending that the text isn't written by AI.
Tumblr media
If you don't want to read it, I don't blame you.
The text believes the room is inside of the pyramid, it can't decide whether the trap in the room is that the floor opens into a pit of spikes or that the walls close in to crush the party, it suggests breaking the floor into the pit of spikes as a means of escape, it throws out incorrect trap mechanics (OSRIC thieves have 21%+4% per level in find traps) that don't need to be mentioned in the first place, mixes in some 5e terminology, proposes a "2-in-6 chance on a Wisdom check", whatever that means, details how the trap activates no less than three times (though the details are different each time), and mysteriously suggests that the GM "may allow a history check if relevant". Who even knows!
I don't think a single person in the world has actually read this text before you and I did. Every single room description in the book is the same style of self-contradictory word salad.
You may be wondering how that undead army Neferkhet and Ankhen-Hotep are making is coming along. There are five undead encounters in the module:
1d4 wandering skeletons
1d6 wandering zombies
1 large size mummy, though actually, the room it is in is called "false mummy and treasure room" and the mummy attacks with "stone fists", so I suppose this is not a mummy at all, but a bandaged golem of some kind
Ankhen-Hotep
20 toothless mummies, which the text calls skeletons until it posts their statblock, stuck in a pit:
Tumblr media
Suffice to say, it's not looking good. They're not even evil. No wonder the villains tried to hide them away in a pit.
There are still a few signs of human activity in the text in the book, such as in the randomly scattered glaring typos: "Jackle", "Anubus", "Ressurection", "Wonderous". Whether these were intentionally planted in some eight-year-old's attempt to disguise the use of AI, or are leftovers from the author's typo'd prompts, I cannot say.
I also sense the presence of the author in the gleeful addition of acid traps melting your players' dicks off, since this is typically something an AI is forbidden from even thinking:
Tumblr media
This idea appears to have excited him so much he also added it to the mechanical gears trap:
Tumblr media
Otherwise, Mark has a particular hangup with the idea of "GM's discretion." He has pasted this into the text in about a dozen different locations, and treats it as the ultimate editorial spice and duct tape which can answer any question and improve any text. Eventually, he begins invoking it like some sort of mystic, sentence-final mantra.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Meow!
Did that last one catch your interest? This amusing kitty is actually Mark's own cat, Merlin, that sadly passed away during the Roman occupation of Egypt.
Tumblr media
I would say I can't imagine what kind of person would think to dedicate a kickstarter scam to a once-beloved pet, but I suppose the guy who makes dick-melting acid traps would be the one.
I'm sure I will enjoy "reading and playing" the module exactly as much as Mark enjoyed "writing" it.
Final Score: AI Level: Disgusting Table Usability: Zero Layout: OK
2 notes · View notes
felixcloud6288 · 1 year ago
Text
Higurashi: Massacre Chapter 14
Keiichi was holding his head high thinking Oyashiro-sama's curse was broken only for Rika to remind him about Oryou. And the mood immediately fell.
I've been looking at how the characters use honorifics and I was primarily looking for things like someone changing the honorifics they give someone to show a change in respect. But what I found instead is Rika isn't using any honorifics for Oryou at all. She and Keiichi both tend to not use honorifics, but Keiichi is opting to use Oryou-san.
It's Friday June 17th now. We're only told Keiichi's group made another appeal but nothing of it is shown. Keiichi later remarks that the Center thought the village council dealt with him so at this point, the Center has likely refused to hear any more appeals.
It's been nearly a year since Shion was forced to pay retribution and she and Mion are still traumatized because of it. It's probably taking every ounce of courage to stand by Keiichi in this.
Tumblr media
It's worth noting that neither of them take charge during the discussion. Keiichi was willing to throw insults at Oryou, Rena called out how Oryou's actions have hurt Satoko, and Kimiyoshi pointed out how Satoko has endured everything.
Mion and Shion could only plea to Oryou and were always quickly cowed into submission.
I had a bit of fun comparing the layout of the floormats in the room to see if they're consistent. For the most part they appear to be so, but I did find some inconsistency with where the characters are sitting in relation to them.
Tumblr media
In this first image, let's define horizontal to be parallel to the open door and row 1 to be the set of floorboards closest to the door. So the width of a row would be the width of the floorboard as well. Notice how Kimiyoshi is sitting on a floorboard in row 3. And the whole group are sitting where two floorboards are touching each other.
In most subsequent room shots, Kimiyoshi is instead sitting on a board in row 2 and everyone is sitting within single floorboards rather than on their borders. In fact, Keiichi's whole group seems to have shifted place somewhat. Kimiyoshi was the one directly in front of Oryou in the first shot, but subsequent shots have Keiichi and Rika directly in front of her instead.
Tumblr media
This is the first official introduction to Mion and Shion's parents. We've seen Akane in Eye Opening chapters 6 and 7, but she was never referred to by name. She is also shown and named in Beyond Midnight chapter 11.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I do wonder what was going through Oryou's head during this conversation. She is someone with great authority and influence. I would say she's opening by trying to be reasonable. If Satoko is not in immediate danger, then Oryou shouldn't mobilize over this and Satoko should be handled by the Center instead.
I'm kind of intrigued by how Akane is the one to bring up the Sonozaki/Hojo feud. Everyone agrees that is the reason Oryou isn't willing to help but she isn't outright saying it, probably to not appear petty. And every time the conversation gets sidetracked, Akane brings it back to how the feud can be resolved while letting everyone save face.
It seems counter-productive to insult Oryou at every opportunity, but Keiichi is making it clear that he will not be intimidated by her. At this point, the village is on his side. He needs to stand his ground against her. And if Oryou actually retaliates against Keiichi for any of his threats or insults, she loses because she's going to reveal herself to be the petty old bat Keiichi says she is.
Tumblr media
Still, that was wildly bold of him to say he'll kill her if necessary. And he did not apologize for that. He put down his terms from the start: "Help us or get out of our way."
And when Oryou called Keiichi an outsider, that was her attempting to discredit him in front of everyone. But Keiichi quickly made it clear that he is very much a member of the village and to call him otherwise is a grave insult.
When the matter of restitution came up, Rena took command and demanded that restitution go both ways. Oryou is willing to accept if Satoko apologizes for what her parents did, but she's not nearly as thrilled at the idea of apologizing for what she has done.
Keiichi really struck a nerve when he said he's fighting Oryou to protect his friends. Mion said she doesn't hate Satoko but is just keeping up appearances. Oryou's probably taken a liking to him at that moment.
Tumblr media
And at this point, everyone in the room agrees with Keiichi. Oryou is the only holdout. So with Keiichi having made his point and every one else in the Sonozaki group agreeing with him, Keiichi humbly asks Oryou to provide her support in helping Satoko.
And the petty old bat refuses.
As I've said, the Teppei scenario is the most evil scenario. Tragedy is not driven by misunderstandings or paranoia. It is driven by love, friendship, and the desire to protect the people they care about. Keiichi said at the start of negotiations that he would kill Oryou if she refused to cooperate and he's planning to make good on that promise with no regard for the fact that Kasai is pulling out a gun in response.
Oryou is the very last obstacle in the way of saving Satoko, and depending on what happens next, this could end in Keiichi's death.
back
3 notes · View notes
yumeko2sevilla · 2 years ago
Text
KAFU
Tumblr media Tumblr media
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
"What image do you put on me, I wonder?"
_KAFU_ Hermit Wanderer
Tumblr media
Name: KAFU
Japanese: 寡婦
Other Names:
_Kafu-san/ Prefect-san
_Hérmite Vagabond (Rook)
_Box Jellyfish-chan (Floyd)
_Furin (Erin)
Twisted From: Sadness (Inside Out) + Kokonose Haruka/ Konoha (Kagerou Project)
Voice Actors;| Ado (Book 1-4), Satou Hinata (Book 5-7)| Japanese
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
Age: Unknown
Birthday: August 14 (Leo)
Species: Misfortune-Spreading Hermit
Height: 190 cm
Gender: Non-binary (They/Them)
Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
Homeland:__
『Family:
Divianta__(Mother)
Tsukuyomi_(Older Sibling)
Sebek Zigvolt (Godbrother)
Irene Anasaki (?)』
Dormitory: Ramshackle
Grade: Freshman
Class: 1-D (No.14)
Club: Light Music Club
Best Subjects: History Of Magic, Alchemy
Hobbies: Sleeping, Wandering around the campus
Favorite Food: Noodle Soup
Likes: Painting, their friends, Riddle Roseheart, Erin Asakura, Sunflower
Least Favorite Food: Strawberry
Dislikes: Irene Anasaki, their mother
Talent: Curse Identification
"'Secondary Prefect' of Ramshackle. Travelled to Twisted Wonderland by accident, they have to stay at Night Raven College as a student."
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
Personality:
KAFU is a calm, almost shy individual who prefer to blend in. They consantly help those others whenever they can with utter kindness, people who have talked to them say that they seem to be pretty mysterious. Besides their name, nobody know anything else about them.
However, KAFU can be very manipulative unknowingly. Their comforting words with a shy expression can convince you to do anything they ask.
KAFU, like their sister often paints. For some reasons, their paintings are all about the students of Night Raven College. On each person's head is their names, as KAFU can't remember faces pretty well.
According to them, KAFU isn't very good at remembering something especially names. So they paint people in order to remember their identity.
KAFU is nice, of course! But they may not be nicest when it comes to hurting their friends.
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
Unique Magic: Mirage Of Paramnesia( パラムネシアの蜃気楼))
⋅☆⋅An ability that can create illusions based on what the user want it to be.
The rule of it is simple: The user has to imagine the shape of mirages that they desire.
──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────
Trivia:
Name Meaning:
KAFU: means "Widow"
°Backstory: [Sentiment Vessel]
°OC Playlist: [Hermit Wanderer]
What If This Isn't A Slave_Tuyu
I don't want to do it, don't want to do it
Then, what do you want to do? I don't know, I said I don't know. This is the only thing I've ever done
°KAFU's braid was done by Yukiharu, which lead to it being really messy. They liked it, tho.
°KAFU's name is named after their favorite singer in their world.
°KAFU's Netherland descent.
°KAFU is in a queerplatonic relationship with Erin Asakura and Riddle Roseheart.
°KAFU is Sebek Zigvolt's godsibling.
(Pixel Banner: @arcdiris
BIO layouts inspired by @rosietrace)
@anxious-twisted-vampire @writing-heiress
9 notes · View notes
yazfmp · 2 months ago
Text
WEEK 20
My Divine Host artwork is complete this week! With a last push toward the end of the project, I was able to come to a final iteration which I'm not only satisfied but actually quite pleased with. I think the alterations I made to the colour palate, by making it a bit brighter and adding some more pink & white hues, benefited the overall appearance greatly. Having the pink dotted around, matching with the magic, she colour in the cheeks, as well as the rosary and bits in the background, add a cohesion which wasn't there previously.
Something else I was able to push through with and polish up nicely was the rosary in the enclosed fist - after last week I wasn't sure if I'd be able to include this element as it wasn't working very well in my favour. However, I changed out my photo-bash image and dedicated some time to just trying to make it pop and blend with the rest of the image - something I think I did quite well.
Overall I'm pleased that I was able to pull this together in time and get it looking good before final submission so I can get something printed for this character. I was also able to get the 5 poses done for this character with enough time - I'm not incredibly happy with these as I will admit they had to be slightly rushed given the time left. Hopefully I can remember to clean these up before the showcase.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
With all of our polished artwork looking good, we turned some attention to UI, layout & border imagery. My project partner Kiera graciously worked hard on these gold, regal looking borders of both inner pages, and what will eventually feature in the outer book cover. Our plan with the front/back covers is to use gold embossing and texturize the lettering as well as these intricate borders. The circular frames in the top left are for the character portraits themselves, complete with name banners.
With more time, we would like to personalise each frame for each character, to add a bit more narrative and attention to detail. The design above was our initial attempt at designing what would be the outer and inside covers of the book, excluding some artwork that will come later on as part of our stretch goals. We want to include a couple of pages of log line, explaining the main storyline of the game in one concise sentence - following this we will present “The Diabolicon”, which is the contract our characters will have signed to enter them into the game (overview posted below). Now that we have these base elements, we can put some mock-up pages together and think more clearly about how we would like the final book to read. Some of our pages will appear different at this stage, purely due to the fact that we are still collaborating on layout. I also created an alternative title screen so we have some variety to choose from when deciding on our final layout and branding elements.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Game Overview
Title: B!TCHSLAP Genre: 1v1 Horror Fighting Game (2D or 2.5D) Inspirations: Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter Core Theme: Legends fighting to avoid being forgotten
Logline: "They signed their names in blood for power beyond death. Now, every decade, The Diabolicon chooses its champions—and six immortal monsters must fight for the entertainment of something far older than the devil."
For centuries, desperate souls have signed The Diabolicon, a cursed contract granting immortality and supernatural gifts. But the fine print demands a toll: every ten years, when the Blood Moon rises, six signatories are chosen—cursed champions forced to battle in the Arena of a Thousand Eyes, an extradimensional arena where eldritch entities wager on their suffering.
The Stakes:
Winners consume the loser’s legend, delaying their own fading.
Losers weaken, decay, and risk vanishing forever.
The Diabolicon hungers—and its final page is almost full.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 notes
artificalblog · 3 months ago
Text
How to Create and Sell Notion Templates:
Introduction :
Notion is an all-in-one, robust workspace that is meant to assist you in bringing your life, work, and everything in between into order. You could be a student, business owner, creator of content, or project manager, and Notion is flexible enough to make do with your requirements by merging notes, tasks, databases, and calendars into one single platform. As the fame of Notion has also skyrocketed in recent years, it has also become a top choice tool for millions of individuals.
As the fame of Notion has also skyrocketed in recent years, it has also become a top choice tool for millions of individuals. Its versatility, user-friendly interface, and customize options have become a favorite among individuals who desire to automate their workflows and digital environments.
Templates are pre-built pages that can assist users in getting started in a snap. Rather than constructing everything from the ground up, they can merely download your template and begin using it immediately, saving time and effort. That is where you come in — making and selling Notion templates can convert your experience with the tool into a steady stream of income.
But how do you begin? This guide will take you through the whole process of making and selling Notion templates. If you're new to Notion or have experience, by the end of this guide, you'll be able to create useful templates and create a successful online business.
 1.Understanding Notion and Its Potential :
What Is Notion?
Notion is a cloud workspace that has elements of note-taking, task management, and collaboration tools. Notion is very customizable, enabling users to create pages, databases, Kanban boards, tables, calendars, and even more. Its block-based architecture means that users can structure content in whatever way they desire, so it's extremely flexible for a lot of use cases.
For example, you can design a project board, content calendar, or even budget tracker in Notion. Embedding capabilities for images, videos, links, and code snippets allow users to build highly personalized and visually appealing workspaces.
Why Notion Templates Matter:
Notion’s flexibility can be both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a world of possibilities, not everyone has the time or expertise to design the perfect setup for their needs. Notion templates fill this gap by offering pre-designed solutions that users can quickly adapt to their needs.
A template is a pre-formatted layout or framework that can be copied by users to their own Notion environment. Templates are as simple or as complex as the purpose intended. Some common types of templates include:
Productivity templates: To-do lists, daily schedules, habit tracking. Project management templates: Task boards, kanban views, timelines. Business templates: CRM systems, content calendars, marketing plans. Personal finance templates: Budget trackers, expense trackers, savings plans.
Templates remove the guesswork from setting up Notion, leaving users with a clean, organized place to start. This is where the money is: if you can create templates that save individuals time and offer actual value, you have a product people will pay for.
 2. The Market for Templates and the Growth of Notion:
The Notion community has exploded, with millions of users worldwide. Notion's user base is varied, ranging from students seeking academic organization tools to professionals seeking efficient workflows. This translates to a massive market for Notion templates since every niche has its own specific requirements. Whether you're serving freelancers, entrepreneurs, or creative professionals, there's a demand for high-quality, niche-specific templates.
The Notion template market has taken off, with numerous creators earning substantial amounts of money selling their templates. On sites such as Gumroad and Etsy, users can readily discover and buy Notion templates for a range of applications, from tracking personal objectives to creating sophisticated databases.
3. How to Select Your Niche for Notion Templates:
As you initially begin selling Notion templates, you need to select a niche. A niche serves to concentrate your design work and make sure that you produce templates that are of value to a particular group of people. With knowledge of the needs of your target audience, you can create templates that solve actual issues, thus being more likely to sell.
Steps to Select Your Niche:
Identify Your Strengths: Do you have business management experience? Are you a student who is good at planning study timetables? Think about your own experience and skills. What issues have you resolved with Notion? What templates would have assisted you? Beginning with what you already know will provide you with a competitive advantage. Research the Market: Take some time to examine what already exists. Browse marketplaces for Notion templates such as Notion Market, Gumroad, and Etsy. Note what kinds of templates are best-sellers and what kinds look underrepresented. You may identify a niche gap — say, templates for a particular industry or special use case. Consider Your Audience: Who is your ideal customer? Are they freelancers, students, small business owners, or creators? It's important to know their pain points. Freelancers, for example, may require templates for managing clients and tracking invoices, while students will be searching for templates for study planners or class timetables. Search for Evergreen Niches: You want to select a niche that will have enduring demand. Templates dealing with personal productivity, project management, or business organization are likely to have long-term demand since these are repeating needs for many individuals.
 4. Top Notion Template Niches:
Productivity Templates: Time management, task lists, habit trackers, and goal templates. This is one of the most evergreen niches, as humans are always on the lookout for how to organize themselves and get more productive. Project Management: Kanban board templates, task tracking templates, project timeline templates, and collaboration templates. Numerous businesses and freelancers utilize Notion to project manage, so this is a profitable niche. Business Organization: CRM system templates, content calendars, marketing plans, and sales pipelines. Small business owners and entrepreneurs are excellent customers for these kinds of templates. Personal Finance: Budgeting templates, expense tracking templates, and investment planning templates. Templates related to finance are always in demand since people are always looking for ways to better manage their money. Education and Study Templates: Assignment logs, study calendars, class planners, and test prep templates. Students will always seek out strategies to get on top of schoolwork, which makes this an excellent niche. Health and Wellness: Habit logs, exercise records, meal trackers, and mental health tracking templates. Health-based templates appeal to an increasing demand of individuals dedicated to self-care. Creative Templates: Editorial calendars, content planning, and media kit templates are extremely beneficial to content producers.
How to Determine Market Demand:
Investigate Communities: Visit Facebook groups around Notion, subreddits like r/Notion, and Twitter groups. Listen in on what everyone's asking. Ask Your Audience: If you've already built up a blog, social followings, or email list, pose the question to your subscribers of what templates they'd most want to receive. Keyword Research: Utilize applications such as Google Trends, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to cross-check search volume for keywords such as "Notion productivity template" or "Notion habit tracker."
Conclusion:
Making and selling Notion templates is more than a side business — it's a scalable, sustainable way to monetize your creativity and problem-solving abilities. Whether you're serving students, freelancers, business leaders, or productivity enthusiasts, the need for easy-to-use, effective, and beautifully crafted Notion templates only increases.
The process of transforming an idea into a sale requires selecting the ideal niche, creating a useful and user-friendly template, creating an online storefront, and marketing it strategically. It may appear daunting at first, but through persistence, research, and enthusiasm, you can create a successful digital product business.
0 notes
dknuth · 1 year ago
Text
Hadrian's Wall - Wall's End
We started our first day of the Hadrian's Wall Tour at the eastern end in Newcastle. In the middle of a city, not much of the wall is left, but the foundations of the eastern fort, Segedunum, are visible.
A model showed more clearly the layout of the fort, which was standardized, except they all had variations from the standard. Since Segedunum has few differences from the standard, it was an excellent place to start.
Tumblr media
Each of the forts we will see has differences, and the modern excavations and displays are different. Here they have reconstructed the bathhouse.
Tumblr media
One thing you realize from a reconstruction is how big the buildings were. It's tough to get an impression of size from lines on the ground.
They also learned different things from each fort. Here, they found the ground floor of the cavalry barracks. Since the fort didn't have stables, researchers couldn't figure out where they kept the horses.
Here, they could see the impression of a sump in a space where two horses could stand. They could see that the soldiers' rooms were on one side of the building, and facing them was the room for the horses, which could easily be mucked out. Roman cavalrymen had to buy their own horses, so keeping such a big investment close would have been important.
Tumblr media
The fort's location was later the Newcastle shipyards. In the early 20th century, half of the British ships were built in Newcastle, and Britain had half the world's ships. The presence of the shipyard was both a blessing and a curse for the ruins. They built on top of them, destroying a lot, but as the shipyards shrunk, the ruins became visible again and could be studied.
A small section of the wall remains nearby.
Tumblr media
The ground was boggy, so the wall settled severely. The bogginess, though, preserved organic materials, including the ends of wooden posts outside the wall. They've determined the Romans stuck dead shrubbery in the ground at the outside base of the wall to make a thicket to keep people away from the wall. Outside the thicket, there was a substantial ditch. They really didn't want people near the wall..
Tumblr media
We visited the municipal museum, which has an entire section on The Wall. One interesting area was on Roman religion. The troops based in Britain were from all over them empire, and many of them continued to worship their local god from home. But the local Celtic gods were worshipped too. And sometimes the gods seem to be a blend of a local god and one from far away. Interestingly the classic Roman gods like Jupiter and Juno don't seem to have shrines.
Mithras was popular here, as in the rest of the empire. I continue to find the Mithras religion interesting. It was of Persian origin but became very Roman over time. It was completely different than the classic polytheistic Roman religion. It had one god, Mithras, created by the supreme creator to bring organization to the world. It was a secretive religion, with rites taking place in private locations and membership by invitation only. You advanced through different levels of membership based in part on trials.
Christians really disliked it because they felt it stole their traditions, but really it was much older than Christianity and if anyone stole ideas it was Christians stealing from the Mithraic.
Tumblr media
Many Roman sites had Mithraic temples, which often had images in addition to the altars. The one above shows Mithras killing the great bull that was wreaking havoc worldwide.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Some people have wanted to argue about whether Hadrian was really responsible for the wall's construction. This plaque seems to settle the issue.
Tumblr media
It clearly names Hadrian as responsible for a section of construction and the Legion that did the work.
Our last stop for the day was Arbeia, on the south side of the Tyne. It was practically built over and lost before someone saved it. Then, the local council really got into protecting it and using it to develop an understanding of the wall. To do that, they build reconstructions of crucial parts of the site.
The first thing you notice is the reconstructed gatehouse.
Tumblr media
It's huge—it looks so much larger in three dimensions! The reconstructions help educate the public and help historians and archeologists understand whether their ideas of what the buildings looked like really worked. They certainly helped me have a better idea of their size.
Arbeia is also a strange fort, modified to be very different from the standard. After a while, most of the barracks were demolished and replaced by granneries. It went from two to 24 granneries. At the same time many of the buildings in the fort were demolished. But the commander's house became larger and grander.
It became the central supply depot for all the soldiers on the wall. Ocean-going ships could unload here before the supplies were distributed. Obviously the commander of such a unit would be highly ranked and get a bigger than normal house.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
My first reaction to the changes in fort layouts was to think the Romans couldn't decide. But then I remembered that this was over several hundred years of fort occupation. How many of our forts look like they did 50 years ago, let alone a couple hundred.
I was starting to realize that a large part of the program of this tour was to understand the design and use of the forts over centuries and try to understand how the changing conditions could lead to those changes.
0 notes
lunarshifted · 1 year ago
Text
Tumblr media
               HE   HEARD   THE   FOOTSTEPS.   DESPITE   THEM   BEING   AUDIBLE,   HE   COULD   tell   they   were   light.   This   made   him   assume   it   was   someone   who   traveled   through   the   forest   repeatedly,   one   who   became   entwined   with   the   very   peaceful   environment   that   surrounded   them.   Someone   who   was   comfortable,   confident   in   their   knowledge   of   the   layout,   and   simply   confident   in   their   abilities.   
               THIS   LET   BAILEY   KNOW   HE   WAS   DEALING   WITH   A   SITUATION   that   could   split   fifty-fifty.   He   should   be   able   to   lean   into   one   way   if   he   were   confident   in   his   own   self   and   abilities,   but   he   only   placed   on   the   fake   mask   when   it   came   to   those   two   things.   Quite   sad   when   one   were   to   think   about   it.   Especially   given   the   future   that   was   bestowed   on   him   without   much   of   a   thought   of   how   he   felt.   Though,   in   a   way   it   didn’t   matter.   He   was   cursed   the   moment   he   was   conceived.
               WARM   BROWNS   LIFTED   TO   FACE   THE   OWNER   OF   THE   SWEET,   almost   alluring,   giggle.   She   was   beautiful,   no   doubt   about   it,   but   something   about   her   made   him   set   his   jaw   tight.   The   muscles   on   his   cheeks   twitched   with   uncertainty.   There   was   an   air   about   her   that   felt   so   unknown,   and   yet   was   so   comforting   and   familiar,   “   Huh?   ”   his   voice   finally   left   him,   though   quite   dumbly,   “   A,   uh,   weapon…?   Oh!   ”   he   blinked   hard,   eyes   dropped   to   look   at   his   camera.   Yes,   of   course,   that   was   the   reason   for   the   little   creature   to   run.   
               BAILEY   SHIFTED   THE   CAMERA   IN   HIS   HANDS,   QUICKLY   REVIEWING   THE   image   he   was   able   to   capture.   A   small   smile   pulled   at   the   corners   of   his   lips,   creasing   freckled   cheeks,   “   I   did,   ”   he   confirmed,   lifting   his   gaze   to   her   once   more,   “   Although   being   able   to   see   the   real   thing   in   person   is   better.   It’s   a   whole   other   experience.   ”
Tumblr media
 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. they speak, in whispers and murmurs and sneers, about everything that happens all around them ▬▬ they know about the magpie that has returned with yet another gleaming trinket stolen from human hands, and they know that the azaleas bushes blooming on the northern borders of the woods have decided to cover the pebble path with their fallen petals to ensure that no human will come too close to them ... and now, they knew that a man carrying a strange scent was freely wandering around the woodland.
was it curiosity or hostility that brought the woman - fox closer to him ? across roots and moss - covered stones and wildflowers she waltzed, bare feet barely grazing the ground below as she diminished, more and more, the distance between them. she did not bother to quieten the sound of her footfalls, nor did she conceal her presence behind thorny bushes and not yet fully grown trees [ ... ] she was mischievous but playful in her approach, both ethereal nymph and shameless trickster.
a silver - belled giggle preceded her vocalization. ❝ he must have thought that you were wielding a weapon in your hands. ❞ most creatures within the borders of the forest were not accustomed to the presence of outsiders, even less to the bizarre and incomprehensible tools that they ofttimes would carry with them. this was a place yet untouched by the incessant passing of time, by all - devouring modernity. ❝ were you at least able to get a pretty photo ? ❞
3 notes · View notes