#it was originally meant to be a study but then my brain thought 'make it more fucked up. make it madakana'

[0rchidm4ntis]

Midsummer night's dream

[parisoonic]

How the hell do you manage to superimpose the hilariously exagerated proportions of the tf2 mercs into a cohesive 2d style? I always struggle SO much with like, the way the mercs' models have huge hands, the way they have relatively low-poly definition on things like arms, shoulders, and legs... and Especially the way like, the models are kinda janky when you pose them for art purposes- when using movement tools, things like armpits and seams between body parts get all deformed... Which makes the study of form and silhouette rather difficult.

I assume that a lot of your ability to translate the concept of the mercs from their original mediums into your own works of art comes to you quite naturally- through experience you have with drawing and art style stuff, as well as through intuition. I was simply wondering if I could poke at your mind and get some insight into your process, any thoughts you have about the proportions and silhouettes of the mercs, any quirks you've found while drawing the mercs, or simply what you enjoy drawing about them. Like, don't be afraid to infodump about something just because you think people wouldn't find it interesting- I am here, I am sitting, and I am listening- if you so choose to speak.

I am utterly fascinated and enraptured by the more behind-the-scenes aspect of art. The mundane things that come second nature to great artists yet seem so revolutionary to less experienced artists.

I love your work, I look forward to seeing more of it, and I hope you have a nice day :]

Sorry for the late reply! I've been a little…stuck on how to answer this but that's mainly because to me, drawing is composed of SO many different little skills - you have form, anatomy, shape language, silhouette, appeal, rhythm, acting and posing…not to mention everything AFTER your raw draughtmanship like line style, rendering and colour theory. Trying to distill a multiude of small skills into some pithy advice is overwhelming to my brain. So I'll take the invitation to ramble instead :))

I don't think I have any new or revolutionary insight into the tf2 guys specifically - more I'm using them as work horses to excercise general silhouette/posing/shape-language and further my skills when it comes to drawing characters!

I do agree though the proportions are rather silly when you stop and think about them realistically…they can be kinda tricky if you follow their 'actual' proportions. what looks great individually was maybe never meant to be directly compared (ie: Heavy's hand size against Spy's lol). It would've been funny if the TV show exsisted and we had more content to review…would the animators have had rules like Spy and Heavy can never shake hands? Would they cheated the proportions for shots? Or would they have said WHATVER it's gonna look weird and embraced it? (Like Kingpin in Spiderverse lol)

Paul Lasaine for 'Into the Spiderverse' This is AWESOME. But it's also one of the silliest designs I've ever seen comitted to screen. The varied scales of the characters work because of the unifying treatment (lighting, rendering, consistant hand anatomy, consistant clothing fold treatment etc) and because they are sort of proportional within themselves. A common mantra is that hands should be about as large as a characters face....which they all are here!

Human brains are very flexible and forgiving though. It's totally fine for you to put a character with huge hands and head next to a teeny tiny character! Vanellope and Ralph from Wreck-It Ralph look grand next to each other! And in that film you even have varying levels of stylisation sitting against each other (unified by the look dev treatment of the shaders and lighting). I think as long as the chracter is proportional within themselves it sort of works out. IE: a general rule is that a hand should be as large as the face so…you can have some large arse hands as long as their placed on a body with a big arse head. Unifying characters with the same treatment (ie: lineart brush, colouring style will also help them look cohesive next to each other :) )

I don't actually reference the 3D models/animations very much at all and instead draw their proportions based on my tastes for stylisation following their general vibes/silhouette profiles. I don't stick THAT close to their in-game looks and there are artists who do that are so so so much better than me (Creedei and Flapjack come to mind). I'm not amazing at body-type differentation and TBH they're all wearing chunky clothes all the time so I usually draw the guys as one-of-three body shapes: Heavy is the uniquely wide guy; Sniper/Scout/Spy are all tall and slim and Demo/Soldier/Medic/Engie have a little more of the generic 'hero' bodytype with varying tallness and broadness of the shoulders

Something like this! You can vary all these individual elements in terms of size, thickness, taper amount etc to create different characters. If you ARE going to reference the 3d works though you'll need to apply some anatomy knowledge to overcome the weird shoulders, armpits and knees which desperately need blendshapes to correct the 3D volumes and approach it a little more like an animation supervisor. There's a reason why you see in making-ofs and art-ofs character designers, character leads or animation supes doing drawovers of the models. These are character models that have had great effort put into their 'base' silhouette but it still needs to be reinforced in every frame for maximum appeal.

Shiyoon Kim for 'Raya' This sort of thing will occur at multiple stages during the animation process. Shiyoon Kim's notes are post final model but pre-animation. Most likely for internal rig tests, exploring what blend shapes and alt shapes are needed for the rigs etc. If your production has time, this will continue all the way to final anim. IF! But it's interesting to see how he emphasises the shapes and enhances the character acting of the 3d model.

As for 'mundane things' - I wouldn't say they're second nature! (If that makes you feel better!) I have to actively really persue certain advice and try to figure out how to best apply it. This can sometimes involve redrawing and redrawing an element of the drawing until I've grasped the nettle of whatever I'm after or…..until I get frustrated and either delete the drawing or just call it done lol

Here, I'm looking for a really specific flow of the head that sells both the acting and a subtle head tilt. I'm also trying to apply the general mantra regarding faces that converging lines (set by the eyebrows and mouth) are more appealing than parallel. It's tough! I also tend to use a drawing I've already done as a template/reference on the page too. Oh! This page is an amazing example of why I'm not an animator or storyboarder…consistancy? Who is she? 💅

Converging lines (that form tapered shapes) are always more appealing than parallel. Using this logic you can loft the facial features across converging lines to create dynamic appealing espressions. Combining this with anatomy, perspective and rotation is the tough part though. I'm still learning o7

The things I probably think about MOST are always flats vs curves, simple vs complex and general line of action/flow...and then eliminting tangents. Each of these can be a dedicated visual-essay on their own - hence my stumbling as to answer your question. Anyhow, not sure if it's ever come up on this blog but I looove dinosaurs :)) so i'm using a wee piece to demostrate these ideas! (but also to demostrate these concepts apply to everything from humans characters to animals, props and background design)

Okay, I'm getting self-aware that this is getting really long :') I have a wee tutorial tag for my blog if anyone wants to comb through my garbled art-thoughts. Learning, studying, repetition and practice will always be the greatest teachers! I'm glad you like my art- thank you so much for the lovely comments - I feel like such a noob still and not qualified to give people advice but we're in it together learning! High-five! 🙌

[fatuismooches]

Self-indulgent Omega fic to help turn my writing brain back on, inspired by this brainrot. He is referred to as 24 in here as fragile reader hasn't named the segments yet. You two aren't the closest yet, but a chance encounter with the segment begins to change that. (I will respond to asks... eventually).

After a few centuries-long coma, when you woke up, the hardest thing to process wasn't that fact. It wasn't the fact your lover, who now went by "Dottore" instead of "Zandik" was now a powerful Harbinger. It wasn't the fact you had to deal with this illness for who knows how long (actually, this was quite hard to process, but you tried your best not to dwell on it.) Rather, it was the fact that Dottore now had copies of himself running around. And if you were to properly adjust to your new life, you absolutely had to make room for them. But that was easier said than done.

They were all Zandik, but at the same time, they felt like strangers to you. They were familiarly enigmatic as you had remembered the original one, but you weren't sure if you were good enough to puzzle each of them out all over again... However, pursuing Zandik as a student meant that you certainly were a persistent soul, so you would try!

One of Dottore's segments that you were trying to crack was named 24 (he hadn't bothered to give them names for some reason). 24 was tall and imposing, authoritative even among the segments, despite their tendency to bicker with one another. He was also different from the other segments in a way, but you couldn't put your finger on what exactly it was, for some reason. Needless to say, intriguing (just like all the others). Unfortunately, your attempts to move this relationship forward weren't going the smoothest. You found that even building up your courage for numerous minutes still resulted in a dry throat and awkward moments of the segment looking at you expectantly.

However, that would change one night.

Sleepless nights were frequent when you were a student, but they seemed to have followed you even all this time later. At least, instead of studying and dealing with assignments, you were left to stare at the ceiling in peace or pull out a nice book to read until you became sleepy again. But this time, no option satisfied you. You wanted company. And so you set off to find Dottore. The walk was always nice, but it seemed like you were more tired than you thought, as you eventually realized you were definitely not going the right way in the maze of a building, evident from the recognizable doors of one of the main labs.

Well, you were already here, and you didn't want to walk all the way back. You should just enter and loop your way back around somehow. Judging from the silence on the other side, there was most likely no one else there either, which was good for you! And so you pushed the doors open, intent on entering until you saw him.

24.

He sat there unmasked, screwdriver in hand, carefully tweaking himself, a few other tools to the side as well. Wait, a screwdriver to his face? You squinted a bit more and that's when you realized he... had no face? Well, kind of, he had a mouth and squishy cheeks, but the upper half was replaced by mechanics instead. A gleaming red gem in the middle along with blue wires made up 24's face in replacement for actual eyes, You had no clue that this was what he really looked like.

You were a mix of shock and awe. It was surprising but you supposed you should have expected the segments, who weren't human, to have some features like this. And didn't Prime say 24 was the most recently made segment? More recent, more advanced, you guessed. But you also had a feeling you really shouldn't have walked in on this, so you should leave while you still could. Maybe 24 didn't notice you yet-

"It's awfully past your bedtime, isn't it, [Name]?" 24 hummed, continuing whatever modification he was doing calmly, not the slightest bothered by your intrusion, or by the fact you saw his face. You wanted to retort with something, but your usual attitude with Zandik seemed to die down around this individual that you had yet to become fully comfortable with.

"I could not sleep. So I took a walk." You glanced away from 24, then back at him. "What... what are you doing?" You asked, curiosity overtaking your nervousness.

"Simply performing some routine maintenance. I will be finished soon, and then-"

"Can I see?" The sudden, rather eager question from you, made 24 pause. You had always been quiet and a bit jumpy around him, so this sudden change in attitude had him interested. On the contrary, he thought that seeing this inhuman face of his would make you keep your distance more, but it attracted you? Not what the segment predicted, but he found himself enjoying the surprises you brought with you.

You, on the other hand, were reminded of the old days of helping Zandik put together and apart various contraptions. It was a mixture of 24's display and also the star in the middle, which reminded you of all the Ruin Guards you'd dissected in the Akademiya. It was quite fun. You wanted to see more. Hopefully, this could be a splendid opportunity to satiate your inner researcher and also get closer to the segment.

"Of course, if that is what you'd like." You walked up to him, steps full of caution yet fascination. The way his fingers maneuvered effortlessly with precision at something that appeared delicate - it was very cool, to you at least.

"You don't need a mirror or anything?"

"No, I know my body more than well enough."

"Do you have any sensation up there?"

"Yes, I can feel my own fingers when they brush against it."

"Can I touch you?" Though 24 had entertained your barrage of questions, it was this request that made him pause his work and stare at you. The red star that glimmered intensely at you suddenly made your nervousness go all the way up again.

"I'm sor-"

"Very well," 24 interrupted you, placing his hands on his lap, now looking at you expectantly. You held back a sigh of relief as you stepped even closer to him, giving his upper mechanical face an experimental tap. He didn't react outwardly, but you could tell he felt that. Gulping, you tried again, this time gliding your finger over the blue lines imprinted on the black background. And then the red star in the middle, you gave into the urge to press down on it like a button. Still, 24 seemed to be unbothered. Darn, you had hoped he was ticklish there or something.

Regardless, the area was pretty hard, compared to the softness of his cheeks, which you unconsciously slid another finger down to calculate the exact difference. Until a hand grasped your own, not too tight or too light, firm enough to make you jump.

"[Name], would you care to explain your reasons for such prodding?" Oops. 24 didn't seem very amused.

"I have no intentions, I am just interested in feeling you." As soon as the words came out, you realized how they sounded and rushed to clarify yourself. "Because I've never seen anything like this before! The technology is just interesting to me! As a scholar and all! You understand, right?" But alas, from the now growing smirk on his face, you had already lost.

"Is that so? I shall allow you to continue then, if that is what you wish. I would never block a fellow scholar's pursuit of knowledge," he grinned, pointy teeth grazing his lip as he let go of your hand. Ugh, he was definitely making fun of you.

"And, if you truly desire to obtain satisfactory results, you should come closer, no?" At that moment, the segment suddenly pulled you toward him so that you fell into his lap, legs draped over him and chests nearly pressed against each other. It was rather intimate - the only other lap you've been on was Prime Dottore's. But although your heart was beating quicker than normal, you liked how it felt...

"Better?"

"Yes," your lone word came out quiet, an attempt to hide your flustered state. But you quickly moved on, not wanting to endure further teasing. "S-So, how do you see? Since you have no... you know." 24 chuckled, relishing in the state he and he only reduced you to. But he decided to spare you this one time. He didn't want to drive you too far away now, did he, now that he finally had the chance to be alone with you.

"I have a Kamera installed inside."

"A... Kamera?" The unfamiliar word felt strange on your tongue. You never heard of such a thing.

"It is a device that takes photographs. A photograph is..." 24 pondered, trying to come up with the simplest definition for someone who hadn't had knowledge of the developments of the past four hundred years yet. "It is something that captures a moment of time in physical form." You furrowed your eyebrows at that. It sort of made sense, but it also didn't. How could time be permanent? From the expression on your face, 24 could tell you most definitely wanted to see a Kamera.

"I shall show you it-" you brightened up, "in the morning," and then deflated. "You have delayed far too long, and no one will let you sleep in." You pouted at this finality.

"But what if I want to stay with you?"

"I will accompany you back to your room, and wait until you fall asleep. Is that satisfactory?" You nodded, and then you were lifted into the air as 24 began to carry you effortlessly, making his way to dreary corridors.

And so you began to reflect in the segment's arms, which had gone from never touching you to holding you so intimately. You were surprised to see this side of the segment - you never thought he could act this way. But you suppose, if Dottore cares for you, then the rest of them really do as well.

"We should talk more," you said, just as he slipped you right back into bed. "It would be fun, I think." You don't know why you felt the need to provide a reason, perhaps because he was undoubtedly extremely busy and had better things to do than chat with you all day. And ugh - "fun"? That was such a stupid reason. Why would 24 care about fun? But he seemed to find your request attractive anyway.

"I have harbored the same sentiment for a while. I await our future conversations with great anticipation, [Name]." With a light feeling in your heart, greatly proud of yourself for your progress with the segment, the sleepiness began to settle in once more. The last thing you saw before you fell asleep was the red glow emitting from 24.

From the day he came into this world as 24, to the day you named him to live and die as Omega, he will love you.

[strvngeweather]

It's All Greek to Me; a one shot.

🕮 PAIRING: collegetutor!jimin x partygirl!reader 🕮 GENRE: College AU, smut 🕮 WORD COUNT: 4.8k 🕮 WARNINGS: Smut, Smut, Smut 🕮 SUMMARY: After failing your college classes, you need a tutor. But if tutor, why so damn hot? 🕮 AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was originally going to be a full-length fanfic, but I decided to make it a short one. I still may expand on it. Let me know what you guys think. Also, my bestie gave me the idea when she said, "Jimin look like he likes ass." LMAO.

Despite your hatred for hangovers, you always ended up with one.

Today was no exception. As the resident party girl at Loren University, there was no way you would ever miss a weekend rager, but as your alarm clock went off for the fifth time that morning, you began cursing at yourself. Maybe going to a party on a Sunday night wasn’t a good idea.

Scheduling a tutoring session at eight in the morning was an even worse idea.

You had many strong suits, but English wasn’t one of them. It was the one subject you had struggled with since you were in high school. Analyzing the words of dead white men from centuries ago was just about as much fun as watching paint dry. Numbers were much more your thing. They were easy and in the words of Cady Heron, ‘Math was the same in every language.’

But you needed to pass. It’s not as if you were here on your parents’ dime like the other kids. You were a scholarship kid and if your grades slipped, so did you. Out the doors and on your ass. So, when you got your last paper back with a big fat ‘D’ written on it, you knew it was time to take action. And that meant getting a tutor.

You just happened to forget that today, on this bright and early morning, with a pounding headache and dry mouth, you were supposed to be meeting him.

Again, you ask, who the fuck schedules a tutoring session at eight in the morning?

With a groan, you grab your phone, hoping to hit the ‘snooze’ button on your alarm one more time before you really had to get up but when your eyes read the time you realize that it’s damn near eight-thirty. How many times have you hit the snooze button? You wonder but realize you’re only wasting more time. Without a second thought, you hop out of bed and into the bathroom, brushing your teeth and running a comb through your curly hair. Your make-up is smudged, and you still have on the shimmering dress from last night but there’s nothing you can do about it now. You grab a hoodie off your desk chair and hightail it to the school’s library.

.

Inside study room 007, you find a very annoyed, albeit very handsome senior waiting at the table. Laid out in front of him are a stack of books, notebooks, and flash cards. Pens and pencils are lined up neatly in a row. He all but glares at you as enter. Before you can speak, he glances at his watch and then looks back at you. “You’re late.”

“I know,” you say, out of breath. “I got caught up …” you scramble, trying to think of a lie instead of admitting you had spent the night throwing ass to Megan thee Stallion and Cardi B but your folder of excuses in the very back of your brain shows up empty. That might be for the best, you realize as you look over your tutor.

“Partying?” He finishes the sentence for you. His eyes rake over you in judgment. “Maybe that’s why you’re failing English.”

Now wait a damn minute. You scoff, crossing your arms. Your brain is foggy, you desperately need a glass of water – and, not to mention, your skin feels beyond icky. The last thing you can do right now is come up with a proper comeback so the only thing you manage to utter is, “Or maybe English is just hard.”

“You speak it every day, how hard could it be?”

“Whatever,” you say, sitting down across from him.  “Can we just … start?”

Jimin checks his watch again. “We might as well. We’ve got thirty minutes left. Let’s make the most of it.”

“I thought I had you for an hour.”

“Yes, and you were late so that hour has turned into thirty minutes. I’ve got things to do, Ms. L/N. I can’t wait around for you all day,” he replies, picking up a black ballpoint pen. “Let’s get started.”

“I’d much prefer it if you called me, Y/N,” you say, leaning back in your chair. “And you’re Jimin, correct?”

He nods curtly. “Alright, Ms. L/N, your form said you have an upcoming paper that focuses on the themes from Nella Larsen’s Passing. What part of the story are you at?”

You roll your eyes but choose not to correct him about your name and instead just answer his question. “I’m not on any part.”

His eyes brighten. “You mean you’ve already finished? Well, great, let’s jump right into discussion –”

“No,” you cut him off. “I’m not on any part because I haven’t started the book.”

Jimin looks at you as if you grew another head. “Your essay for the book is due next week. The book is less than two hundred pages. What do you mean you haven’t started yet?”

You shrug. “I figured since it’s such a short book I could probably finish it and write the essay in the same day.”

“And what day were you planning on doing that since our study session is right now?”

That day was last night but as you both knew you had gotten caught up with … other things. “I guess I figured we’d start the book together and I’d just get the essay done next week.”

Jimin sighs. “Ms. L/N, whatever you manage to vomit onto paper will not bring your grade up in the slightest if you follow your method. I guarantee that.”

You find yourself rolling your eyes – again. “That’s what you’re here for. You’re my tutor so tutor me in the right direction.” Jimin studies you for a moment and then he begins carefully putting his things away into his messenger bag.  “Wait. What are you doing?”

“Ms. L/N, you can reach out to me once you’ve read the book but until then, we have nothing to discuss. I only meet with students who are serious about their education,” he places his bag over his shoulder and nods toward you. “Have a good day.”

“Um, hello! You can’t just leave,” you say, getting out of your chair.

“I can and I am,” Jimin replies, and with that, he walks out of the study room. You begin to follow him but decide against it. What good would that do? He was rude and had judged you from the moment you walked in the door. You didn’t need a tutor like that.

You decided you were going to go to the campus café, buy a large coffee, and then go home to take a much-needed shower.

. . . .

“He was a jerk,” you tell your best friend, Winter, taking a long sip of your mango-pineapple smoothie. “He left right in the middle of our session.”

Every Tuesday was the same. A morning class and then a lunch date with your bestie, Winter, at your favorite smoothie place about twenty minutes away from campus.

She shakes her head but not at him. “Y/N, I love you, but you were late. You didn’t read the material, and you had the nerve to have an attitude. I would have walked out on you too.”

Harsh but it was the truth. You weren’t quite ready to admit that you were somewhat at fault too. “Okay, but I’m saying, he didn’t have to be rude about it though.”

“What’d he look like?”

“He would be fine as hell if he wasn’t so rude,” you answer honestly.

She shakes her head, amused. “What did you end up getting on your essay anyway?”

After the last encounter with Jimin, you decided you’d find another tutor, but in the meantime, you were going to stick with your tried and true. You did exactly what you had told Jimin you would do. You read most of the book in one evening and managed to type up a paper in the same night, confident that you had aced it. But when you looked online, checking your grade, you realized Jimin had been right. Regardless, you weren’t going back to him.

You sigh. “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” Winter replies. “Because if Jimin is right, then I think you should give him a call.”

“Jimin Parker?”

You and Winter look up to see Jennie Kim hovering above you. Her freshly dyed blonde hair cascaded in waves down her slender face. You may have been the resident party girl, but Jen was the resident party queen.

“Hey Jen,” you say, motioning for her to take a seat. “Yeah, Jimin Parker. You know him?”

She sits between you and Winter. “You mean that gorgeous senior? Ugh, I had him as a tutor last semester.”

“How’d he do?” Winter says, giving you a knowing look.

You lean forward. Jennie was known for many things but having good grades was not one of them. In fact, you wondered how she managed to make it this far without being kicked out. But, if Jimin could manage to get her grades up, then he truly was a miracle worker.

“Amazing,” Jen gushes. “I got an A on my last three papers. I wanted him again this semester but apparently, he’s all booked up.”

You groan as Winter gives you another look. You pull your cell phone out of your pocket and dial Jimin. “Hello?” You reply as he answers. “Hi, yeah, Jimin, it’s Y/N. I was wondering if we could set up a session …”

…

For his sake (and mostly yours) you schedule an afternoon session and this time, you show up prepared. When he arrives, he’s shocked to see you already in the study room.

“Good afternoon,” he says, rounding the table to sit across from you. You get a whiff of his cedarwood cologne. “I see you’re on time.”

“I’m early,” you correct him. “You’re on time.”

“That I am,” he says, taking a seat. You watch him closely as he carefully takes out various pens and pencils, notebooks, and flashcards. He really is handsome, you think, even if he is an ass. “I see we’re studying Oedipus Rex by Sophocles?”

You nod your head. “I read it. I don’t understand it.”

“What exactly don’t you understand?”

“Not a single word in that book. They might as well be speaking Greek.”

He sighs. “Well, it is a Greek book.”

“Clearly,” you reply. “So where do we start?”

“I guess at the beginning.”

. . . .

Things were going smoothly. You found yourself actually understanding the material and surprisingly, enjoying it. But you also found yourself getting lost in Jimin at times. The more time you spent with him, the more you developed a crush. Your mind would wander as your eyes looked over him. You wondered how soft his full lips were. You wondered what his eyes looked like in moments of passion. You wondered how good it would feel to be wrapped up in his strong arms.

Your eyes were on his arms when he called your name. “Huh?”

“I asked did you want to go over the scene between Antigone and Polynices again?”

You shake your head. “No, I think I understand. Antigone wants him to call off the war, but Polynices’ pride won’t let him.”

“Correct,” Jimin replies with a smile.

Fuck, you think. Jimin had a smile that would make anyone melt. “Jimin,” you begin and mentally kick yourself for what you’re about to ask but you’ve started so you might as well finish. You put on your best flirtatious smile. “What do I get if I ace my next paper?”

He seems to know what you’re hinting at. “You get an A and the satisfaction of knowing your hard work paid off.”

Well, if that wasn’t a blaring rejection, you don’t know what is. “Do you have a girlfriend?” You blurt it out before your brain can even process whether the question was appropriate or not.

He blinks, slightly taken aback. “Yes, yes, I do. Why?”

You shrug, trying to be as nonchalant as possible even though you feel as if you’ve just gotten stung by a million honeybees. “No reason. You just seem so into your academics; I didn’t think you had time for that kind of stuff.”

“Well, a human being still needs a social life to thrive,” he replies coolly. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

You nod. “Yes, and his name is Jose Cuervo.”

He laughs. “I’m sure you have a line of men knocking on your door.”

“Nobody I want though,” you say, mostly to yourself.

. . . .

If crushing on him wasn’t enough, now you were dreaming about him. A week of erotic dreams plagued you. They felt so real. You could smell his signature cologne as he pushed in and out of you, your legs on his shoulders and his arms wrapped around your thick thighs. Each dream ended the same though, just as he was about to finish, your alarm would wake you up and you would spend a good five minutes finishing yourself off before getting ready for the day.

Instead of a study room at the library, Jimin asked you to meet him at his apartment for the study session. He mentioned something about time constraints, appointments, and being unable to book a study room but your brain had been stuck on, “Wanna meet me at my apartment? We can have a quick recap sesh before I have to run out?” He could barely finish his question before you agreed to it.

So, sue you for being curious.

It’s not like anything will happen, you thought as you parked, he has a girlfriend.  You arrived twenty minutes early. Your excitement had gotten the best of you and you knew how much Jimin liked it when you were on time. When you knocked on the door, a man almost as handsome as Jimin answered.

“You must be Y/N?” he asked, sticking out his hand. “I’m Taehyung.”

You nodded, the thought of becoming a Wattpad heroine and having two incredibly attractive men fight over you danced around in your head. You shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Taehyung.”

As he let you in, he explained he had somewhere to be, but that Jimin was in his room and to head right in. You gave the door a light knock but didn’t receive an answer. The door was slightly ajar, giving you the smallest view of a very neat bedroom. You spotted Jimin at his desk, looking at something on his large computer monitor. It looked familiar. Your curiosity ate at you, forcing your hand to ever-so-gently open the door further. This time you could see what Jimin was looking at clearly.

It was you. It was your Instagram feed. He was scrolling through your pictures, pausing at every photo that was a bit risqué.

“Fuck, Y/N …”

That was your name. Leaving his lips. In a moan. Your heart fluttered with excitement. But wait, was he …

As you tilt your head to get a better view, you can see the tip of his elbow on the armrest, bobbing up and down. And up and down. And up and down.

Oh, he definitely was.

You slap a hand over your mouth and tiptoe back to the living room. A few minutes later, you hear a shower turn on and ten minutes after that, you see Jimin emerge in a navy blue V-neck and a pair of grey sweatpants.

“Hey,” Jimin looks at you with a face full of guilt. You can’t help but smile. “How long have you been waiting?”

“I just got here a few minutes ago,” you lie, looking up from your phone that you were pretending to be engrossed in. “I haven’t been waiting long.”

“Good, good,” he says. “Let’s go to the kitchen. The lighting is better in there.”

. . . .

After three weeks of hard work and several study sessions, you submit your paper with all the confidence of Scott Disick. Winter, the best friend that she is, decided that this was the best time to reward your good behavior with a couple of jello shots at your favorite bar. You gobble up the first two and then decide to sip on a blue Long Island iced tea. That’s when you spot him. Sitting in a corner, next to his roommate and another man with tattoos up and down his arms. Instead of his usual tweed blazer and grey slacks, his outfit looks more modern, more casual. A white graphic tee hugs his toned body, and you can’t help but eye his biceps. His cheeks are slightly red, his eyes are glossy and he’s laughing harder than you’ve ever seen him laugh. He looks delicious but you turn around and decide to order another shot from the bar.

You spot Winter getting her mack on with a fellow classmate, Karina, and it’s then you realize that you’re probably going to be alone for the rest of the night. Just as you begin to grab your wallet to pay your tab, a familiar figure approaches you.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he’s wearing a smile you’ve never seen before, and it makes your insides flutter.

“I could say the same thing,” you reply. “I never thought I’d see Jimin Park in a bar.”

“I don’t spend all my time in the library,” Jimin says.

“Could have fooled me,” you tease, taking a sip of your drink. “What brings you out among people?”

He orders a whiskey sour before turning to you. “I, Y/N L/N, am finally a single man. My girlfriend of two years has decided that she no longer wants me.”

He’s smiling but you can see sadness behind his glossy eyes. “I’m sorry,” you say earnestly. “Her loss.”

“Oh definitely,” he says with a slight slur. “You want to know the real reason she broke up with me?”

You shrug. “Lay it on me.”

He leans in close, so close his body is pressed up against yours. He angles his lips to your ear and whispers, “I was too much for her.”

“Oh …”

“Yeah,” his words spill out in a rush, his eyes darkening as they take you in. They pause at your mini-skirt before crawling up your body slowly. You suddenly feel exposed, as if he just completely undressed you, but it would be a lie to say you didn’t love it. His voice lowers to a sultry whisper, “You don’t seem like that though.”

“Seem like that?”

“Like I’d be too much for you.”

“In what way?” You ask, genuinely curious.

He leans toward you, his lips brushing past your ear, forcing every hair on the back of your neck to stand up. “Sexual. You look like a good girl who knows how to take a pounding.”

A million thoughts ran through your head as Jimin broke out into a sardonic laugh. You were called back to that time you caught him masturbating to your pictures. You began to wonder if the prim and proper Jimin was just a façade to hide the sexual deviant he really was. His eyes look over you in a way they never have, and you swore they were clouded with lust. He licks his full lips, and you want nothing more than to kiss them, but you don’t. Instead, you take a step back and laugh, motioning to his roommate. Jimin was drunk and even though it looked like he wanted to bend you over the bar and give it to you, you knew better than to take advantage of a drunk man.

….

A week later, when you enter the study room, the moment you and Jimin exchange glances, you feel awkward. He looks embarrassed as he gestures for you to sit down.

“We need to talk,” he says. “I want to apologize about the other night at the bar.”

“It’s okay, I barely even gave it a second thought,” you lie. You had thought about that moment ever since it happened.

“No, it was inappropriate, and I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

“Jimin, you were drunk, it’s fine. Besides, it was nice to see a different side to you,” you reassured him with a smile.

“That’s not a side that I would like to be representative of who I am,” Jimin admits. “I don’t want to be known as the guy who makes people uncomfortable.”

You laugh. “Believe me, I was the farthest thing from uncomfortable.”

He locks eyes with you for a moment before clearing his throat and motioning toward your phone. “Have you checked your grades yet?”

You gasp, suddenly remembering the paper you had submitted a week earlier. You quickly bring up your most recent webpage, searching for the most recent grade listing. As your eyes glance over your paper and the notes, you realize that Jimin lived up to his reputation. You get up, shoving the phone in his face, squealing.

His eyes brighten, and he gets up as well. “You got an A!”

Without thinking, you throw your arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Jimin, to your surprise, doesn’t push away. Instead, he pulls you closer, his arms wrapping around your waist. You take the moment to breathe in his intoxicating scent. The both of you remain intertwined far longer than you both know is appropriate but for some reason, neither one of you makes the move to let go.

Finally, Jimin relents first. He stares you in the face and says quietly, “I knew you could do it.”

You let out a small laugh. “I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, Jimin”

“As a reward, we can end the session ten minutes early today,” Jimin replies and sits back down.

You find yourself shaking your head. “Can I request a different reward?”

Jimin looks up at you and nods. You look around the small study space. The room you chose was in the back, the library was relatively empty today and the small window the room provided was on the door and could easily be covered up the shade provided. You mentally prepare yourself for what you’re about to say next. Things could go downhill, fast, depending on his reaction. Still, you steady yourself, look Jimin in the eyes and say, “I want a kiss.”

“What?”

“A kiss,” you repeat confidently. “I want you to kiss me as a reward.”

“I can’t kiss you,” he replies back, taking study materials out of his messenger bag. “That would be highly ina –”

“Jimin, if you don’t want to kiss me, just say so but don’t use the tutor-student relationship as a reason.”

He sighs. “I …” You watch as he struggles to find the right words.

“You were right about me,” you say, giving him a flirtatious smirk. “At the bar. I can take a good pounding.”

His face turns a beet-red, but he quickly recovers. He stands, walking to stand in front of you. “Just one kiss?”

“One kiss,” you repeat.

He leans in and places a soft kiss on your lips, lingering for only a few seconds before breaking the kiss. “That good?”

You shake your head. “I hardly think that’s worth all the work I put in.”

He smiles, genuinely amused, and says, “Really?”

You nod. “Maybe if it was longer …”

Jimin sighs. “Y/N, if it’s longer, you know what that will lead to …”

“Then let it lead to that,” you challenge, you push. “I don’t know why you have to act so anal-retentive all the time. Not everything has to be perfect. Just k—”

He cuts you off with a deeper kiss. It’s slow and sensual. His hands wrap around your waist, one of them running down the curve of your ass as he palms it slowly, indulging in the fleshy softness. You can feel his dick hardening on your thigh as he slips a tongue into your mouth.

Jimin is using both hands to palm your ass now, his dick grinding into you and a low, deep, moan leaves his mouth forcing an electric sensation to shoot down your spine and vibrate in your core.

“You sure you want this?” he asks through a searing kiss.

“Yes,” you think you say but you’re not sure. Your head is spinning that this is actually happening.

He responds by lifting your pleated skirt and smacking your ass, the sound echoing throughout the room. Fingertips dance between your ass crack, and he uses a knee to part your legs slightly further. You break the kiss, throwing your head back as you feel Jimin’s fingertips slowly rub your pussy from the back. He slips a finger into your underwear, running it up and down your slit.

“How long have you wanted this?” He asks, nipping at your neck. “You’re already so fucking wet.” You try to answer but all that comes out is a moan as he slips another finger inside. “Shh,” he tells you. “You want the whole library to hear you?”

He gives you a bit of a reprieve when his hands slip away. You watch as he pulls out one of the chairs and sits, beckoning for you to stand in front of him. Your skirt is still at your waist, so he pulls your underwear down before pulling you close. You feel his large hands grope your ass again, peppering kisses up and down your hips. Another smack echoes through the room before he uses a hand to caress clit. You move your hips in response, holding on to the table for balance.

He pauses. “Turn around and bend over.” He doesn’t have to ask you twice. You obey, and not a second later, you feel him placing one of your legs up on the study table. “Arch that back, baby.” Your ass juts out just a little more as you follow his directions. A moment later you feel a cool, wet, sensation going up and down the slit of your core. It’s slow at first, as if he’s taking the time to let the taste of you marinate on his tongue but he quickly picks up his pace. The tip of his tongue flickering over your clit. Meanwhile, you can feel his thumb, massaging your anus.

Jimin was an ass man, and he was making that very clear.

Both hands were gripping your ass now as he guided your pussy over his tongue. You work your hips in tandem, stifling a loud moan as your world begins to go white.

But he wasn’t done with you yet.

He moves his tongue from your pussy up to your anus, and you jerk, having never quite felt something like this before. You can hear an amused laugh leave Jimin’s throat as he begins to massage your ass with his tongue. His fingers working your pussy, begging for another orgasm. You oblige, your wetness dripping all over his fingertips.

“Don’t move,” he demands. You can hear his belt unbuckling, followed by the tips of his dick moving up and down your incredibly wet slit. He slides it in with the patience of a saint, excruciatingly slow, forcing whimpers out of you, begging him to go faster. “You sure you want it faster?”

“Please,” you moan.

“Please, what?”

“Please, Jimin,” you manage to utter out.

He gives you your wish and begins to pound you like he said he would. His pace quickens and you can feel every inch of him inside of you. Your pussy wraps around him which causes him to smack your ass, and a deep moan leaves his lips.

You realize he can’t have all the fun though and you begin to throw it back on him, your ass bouncing against him, and he lets you. You can hear your wetness as you begin to drain his dick. You can hear his low grunts of satisfaction as you pick up your pace and when you look back, you can see his dark eyes looking at you in a way you never wanted to stop. “Good fucking girl,” he whispers in a low voice.

You make eye contact which forces him to grip your hips and pound into you harder, faster (stronger).  “One more time baby,” he says to you, maintaining eye contact. “Cum on this dick.” You had already been close, and his words only sent you over the edge further than you had ever gone. You close your eyes, your body shaking in pleasure as you have your third orgasm on his dick.

He follows suit, his cum shooting deep inside of you. You feel his body on top of yours as you both try to catch your breath.

“Was that worth all your hard work?’ He asks.

“I think I’ll have to get A’s for the rest of the year,” you reply.

“The rest of your life.”

[august-anon]

Brotherly Duties

Hey hey, @rosiesramblings! I cannot tell you how excited I was to be your @squealing-santa this year!! This fic was so fun to write and I love it a lot, so I hope you love it too!

When I saw your 3 prompts, along with your request for ler!Dick and lee!any-of-his-little-brothers, my brain went "Why Not All Three, Though?" So here's your batbrothers fic, featuring all 3 baby brothers and all 3 prompts! I may have gotten a little carried away lol

And also, a huge thank you to @cantsaythetword for hosting this year's @squealing-santa! You are hugely appreciated, Crow! I know hosting this event is no easy feat, especially with tumblr seemingly trying to block all avenues of communication. We all really appreciate you!!

(also obligatory warning to all that my characterizations are still very fanon-based, as I have been too busy to delve much into comics just yet lol)

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Brotherly Duties

Fandom: Batfamily (no specific source material/continuity)

Ship(s): Gen!!! Platonic!! Familial!! No batcest here

Characters (lee/ler): Lee!Jason, Damian, and Tim & Ler!Dick

Word Count: 6846 words

Summary: Whether it's to get his siblings to take a break or to stop them from being obnoxious little shits, Dick's patented brother-wrangling techniques are always successful.

[ao3 link]

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Dick didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing Jason back in the Manor again.

He was used to forcing brotherly bonding by breaking into one of Jason’s safehouses, or cajoling Jason until he agreed to drop by Bludhaven for a movie night, with or without their other siblings. When Jason started dropping by the Batcave every once in a while, even if it was originally just to steal gear and gadgets from Bruce, Dick thought he might cry. Bruce almost did. And Dick finally did cry the first time he entered the Cave to find Jason giving Tim a few pointers on the sparring mats, because despite all the sarcasm and their argumentative tones, they were bonding.

Alfred, the miracle worker, was the first one to get Jason back upstairs, if only for a brief moment to pick up a care package that Alfred had put together for him. And once Jason had gotten through that first hurdle, it slowly got easier and easier to convince him to head upstairs for a bit, until Alfred had convinced him once more to start joining in on family dinners.

So walking into the den and seeing Jason engaged in a Mario Kart tournament with their baby brothers? Dick had to swallow that swell of emotion damned fast before any of them called him out for tearing up. And then he promptly vaulted over the back of the couch to prove who the real Mario Kart champion is.

Except, after (losing) only a couple more races, Damian was called away by a disappointed Bruce – apparently he had some big test coming up that he was meant to be studying for, but he’d snuck away to play video games with Jason and Tim instead. 

Tim himself only lasted one more (lost) race after that before flitting off himself. Dick knew he was sneaking off to do some work, whether it was for their nighttime cases or something to finish up for W.E., despite the fact that he’d practically been ordered to take a break for the day. Dick also knew he was completely taking advantage of the fact of Jason being here, because Dick hated having to walk away when Jason was right there and willing to spend time with them and was unlikely to follow after and make Tim rest.

But Dick decided to let it slide, just this once. It’s not like he could reach his usual state of overworked before Alfred called them all for family dinner, and Dick could always force him to take a break later. Even if he had to sit on the kid so that he couldn’t reach his laptop. It wouldn’t be the first time.

And then it was just Dick, Jason, and the Nintendo Switch.

“You gonna back out, too?” Dick taunted, raising an eyebrow at Jason.

Jason scoffed, settling more firmly against the arm of the couch, bringing his socked feet up to rest on the cushions. It was a position he took up often when they played video games or watched movies here in the den when Jason was still a short, scrawny kid, all curled up like a cat despite being ready to spring up at any moment. It looked a little silly now, someone as large as Jason tucking his feet up like that, but it made Dick’s heart ache anyway.

“As if,” Jason said. “I’m gonna kick your ass.”

Dick couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, because you’ve been doing such a good job of that so far. Remind me, Jay, how many races have you won since I got here?”

Jason grumbled something that sounded rather like “shut the fuck up, Dickface,” clutching his controller closer to his chest. “Just pick the next race, already.”

Dick chose a track at random and settled in against his arm of the couch, locking into the race. Though it was a close race, Jason staying on his tail the entire time, Dick still won the race. And the next one. And the one after that. Dick couldn’t help but laugh, even as Jason fumed.

Jason chose the next track without a word, refusing to even look in Dick’s direction. Dick couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if he tried, and broke into even more laughter as Jason’s kart failed the startup boost and burst into a cloud of smoke. His laughter was quickly cut off as a foot jabbed into his arm, jostling him and making his own kart almost fly off the track.

“Hey!”

“What?” Jason said, as if he wasn’t stretched across the couch (curse his stupid Lazarus Pit induced growth spurt), and he shoved at Dick’s arm again.

“Cut it out, Jason!”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

Another light kick, this time to Dick’s hands in an attempt to knock the Joycon out of them. Dick cursed, barely keeping the controller from going flying, and Jason crowed as he pulled into the lead.

“Take that, Dickwing!”

“Jason!”

“What?”

Another kick, Dick just barely managing to evade it as he tried to regain first place. Jason’s second foot came into play then, one continuously jostling the arm nearest to Jason while the other tried to knock the controller from Dick’s hands. Dick couldn’t even fight Jason off, because he’d chosen a track with too many twists and turns to take his hands off the controller for too long. When the foot dedicated to shoving at Dick missed his arm and instead jabbed a toe into his ribs (which Dick totally didn’t flinch at, thank you very much), the solution came to Dick all at once.

He just hoped the Lazarus Pit hadn’t made his baby brother any less ticklish.

“That’s it,” Dick snapped at the next kick as he paused the game, grabbing an ankle in the same motion.

“Shit, wait!” Jason’s voice had gone hilariously high pitched, and he started kicking at Dick for a whole new reason. “Dick!”

“I’m not waiting for shit – you deserve this.”

Dick skittered his fingers against the socked sole in his grip and Jason grunted, sealing his lips shut. Unfortunately, Jason was a lot stronger now than he had been at thirteen, and he was easily able to rip his ankle out of Dick’s grip. He spared a moment to shove Dick into the arm of the couch with both feet before rolling over, trying to crawl over the arm of the couch to escape – as if that was somehow a better plan than just standing up from the couch and leaving.

Either way, it gave Dick the perfect opportunity to launch himself forward and sit across the backs of Jason’s thighs. Jason spat out a curse, kicking and twisting and bucking to try and throw Dick off to no avail.

“Get your fat ass off of me!”

Dick tutted, a habit he had slowly started picking up from Damian without realizing. “You’re gonna owe Alfred so much money in the swear jar by the time I’m done with you.”

Jason gave up on squirming, shooting Dick an absolutely lethal glare over his shoulder. “I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Mhm,” Dick said, absently, cataloguing Jason’s body language and facial expressions. “Sure.”

As skilled as Jason might have been at burying his thoughts and feelings (they were both trained by the Batman, after all), Dick was better at prying them out. Not only was Jason his first baby brother, as fraught as their relationship has been over the years, but he was the first son of the World’s Greatest Detective. Jason couldn’t hide those reactions from him.

The laughably awful escape plan, the lack of tension in Jason’s eyebrows, the twitching at the corners of Jason’s mouth. His nose wasn’t even scrunched up in anticipation of a snarl, which always happened when Jason was starting to get pissed off. Plus, while Dick could certainly take Jason in a fight (he’d been in the vigilante business a lot longer, after all), it’s not like he was extending a lot of effort into their little play tussle. If Jason had really wanted to throw Dick off earlier, he would have.

Jason was having fun.

And who was he to deny his little brother some silly goofing off? God knows Jason needed it.

And so Dick didn’t hesitate a second longer, reaching out to vibrate his fingers into the middle of Jason’s ribcage. Jason didn’t bother clamping his lips shut this time, instead burying his face into the couch as he let out a giggly yelp. His legs kicked out behind Dick, drumming against the couch cushions, and he tried to squeeze his arms against his sides for protection despite how awkward his position made it.

“Aww, Little Wing!” Dick couldn’t help but tease. “I think you’re even more ticklish now than when you were a kid.”

Jason peeled his face up from the cushion just long enough to shout a wobbly “Shut the fuck up!” before planting his face back in the fabric.

Dick laughed, squeezing sporadically up and down Jason’s sides just to watch him wiggle around like a frantic little worm. When they were younger, he used to curl up like a little pill bug whenever Dick or Bruce would tickle him, knees up to his chest and arms wrapped around his torso like it could ever save him from their wiggling fingers. It had never worked, of course – and was even less help to him when they realized just how ticklish Jason’s back was.

Speaking of…

Dick pulled his hands back, giving Jason a half-second of a breather, before delivering a series of sporadic, nibbling pinches traveling up Jason’s back. This time Jason shrieked, his legs scrabbling even harder at the cushions since they couldn’t curl up, and he reached back to try and slap at Dick’s hands. Being all bulky muscle now, he couldn’t quite contort that far anymore, so instead he settled for slapping at Dick’s knee.

“You dick!”

“Well, that is my name, Jay. Don’t wear it out.”

“You’re so fucking stupid!”

“I hope you know I’m keeping track so I can tell Alfred later. You’re up to at least six dollars, and that’s not even counting before I started tickling. You’re gonna get the disappointed grandpa look.”

Jason picked his head up to retort, but Dick chose that moment to start poking just below his shoulderblades, following along the edges of them. Instead of cursing Dick out again, he tumbled into bubbly giggles and shimmied his shoulders to try and throw off the attack. Dick laughed again, switching to prodding at the edges of Jason’s armpits.

“What’s-a-matter, Little Wing? Does that tickle? You regret messing with me yet?”

Jason’s laughter spiked, but it had nothing to do with the tickling. “You kidding me?” He warbled through his laughter. “I died, I’m not gonna break for a little tickling, Dickhead.”

Dick frowned at the death joke (he didn’t think he’d ever feel comfortable with Jason joking about it), but narrowed his eyes as the rest of the sentence hit him. He paused his fingers, but even though his panting giggles, Jason still kept trying to (very obviously half-heartedly) wiggle his way out.

“Oh, yeah?”

Something about his tone made Jason freeze in place. Jason slowly turned to look over his shoulder, making eye contact with Dick (bright, smiling eyes, and so full of life).

“Dick.”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “Jason.”

“Come on, man.”

Dick’s other eyebrow jumped up. “You wanna be tickled that bad?”

Jason’s eyes went wide and he started wiggling again. “Wait– no!”

Dick chuckled and wormed his fingers under Jason’s body, settling his fingertips into the divots beside Jason’s hip bones.

“Any last words?”

“Um. Sorry?”

“Hmm. I don’t think you are, though.”

And Dick dug his fingers in, squeezing at Jason’s hips mercilessly. The noise Jason let out was almost a scream before he fell into hysterical, hiccuping cackles. His body went limp under Dick, giving up on fighting or even trying to pill-bug for protection as he laughed himself hoarse.

“Are you sorry now, you little shit?”

Jason managed a mangled “swear jar” through his guffaws.

Dick grumbled, but couldn’t help but grin. It had been so long since he’d gotten to goof off with Jason like this. It felt like something inside him was finally clicking back into place, the final piece left to settle his soul ever since getting Jason back.

“Okay!” Jason wheezed, knocking Dick out of his thoughts. “Okay, I’m sorry!”

Dick chuckled, but stopped immediately. He swung a leg over Jason so he was no longer straddling him, but sitting against the back of the couch with his legs tossed over the backs of Jason’s legs. Jason panted and giggled and finally curled up like the little pill bug he was. Dick reached out and rubbed a hand up and down his back to help him calm down.

Jason’s eyes had drifted shut as he recovered, but Dick caught a shadow lurking out of the corner of his eye. Glancing up, he saw Bruce hovering in the doorway to the den, eyebrows drawn in worry. Dick inwardly winced, recalling the frantic scream Jason had let out only a few minutes before. He couldn’t exactly blame Bruce for coming running at the noise – and clearly just back from the office too, based on his attire.

 But Dick just grinned at Bruce, winking and wiggling the fingers of his free hand in explanation. Bruce’s face cleared, his mouth twitching up briefly in amusement (what would likely be a chuckle on anyone normal) as his eyes melted in that fond way they tended to whenever Dick or his siblings did something Bruce found particularly endearing. Dick had to look away, always feeling oddly vulnerable under that gaze, and after a few more moments of staring, Dick saw Bruce’s shadow retreat. The warmth his smile had left in Dick’s chest had not.

“You know, Dickie,” Jason said, having finally caught his breath, “one of these days, one of us is gonna get you back.”

Dick laughed, briefly clawing up Jason’s back just to hear him squeal again before going back to rubbing it soothingly. “Keep telling yourself that, Little Wing.”

Jason scoffed. “You better watch your back. I’m bigger than you now, and I remember all your tickle spots too.”

The warmth still sitting in Dick’s chest turned into a swarm of butterflies. Fuck Bruce, actually, for tickling him in front of Jason often enough for that information to stick.

*    *    *    *    *

Apparently, being benched meant you couldn’t even run comms these days. Dick had to shove down the wave of frustration as Alfred shooed him away from the Batcomputer, as if a shoulder injury somehow meant he couldn’t operate a keyboard and talk into a microphone. He wasn’t an invalid, thank you very much. But Dick knew better than to argue with Alfred, and his tone brokered no room to do so as he told Dick to “go check on your brother.”

Because Dick wasn’t the only vigilante benched that night. 

And as Dick picked his way through the Cave, Alfred kicking him off comms suddenly made a lot more sense. He could hear heavy breathing coming from the training mats, the sound of grunts and fists meeting vinyl. Dick sighed and changed course, heading for the training area instead of the stairs. Of course Damian was frustrated with being benched. He wasn’t even hurt.

Dick watched Damian train for a few minutes. His face was creased with irritation, sweat dripping from his jaw and hairline. Dick could see where the exhaustion pulled at Damian’s limbs, making his form sloppy and imprecise (at least, sloppy and imprecise for a former assassin and a current Bat). He had his fists wrapped properly in tape, but Dick could see his boxing gloves abandoned at the edge of one of the training mats. The velcro strap on one of them was broken, but whether it was from overuse or Damian’s frustration was unclear.

“Shouldn’t baby bats be in bed this time of night?” Dick called out eventually, kicking off his slides to step onto the training mats.

“I should be out on the streets with Batman,” Damian ground out, throwing a particularly vicious punch at the bag.

Dick sighed again, making his way behind the punching bag to brace it for Damian. “You know the rules, kiddo. No patrol before school tests, not even a reduced one. You need your rest.”

“It is a waste of time! My classmates are imbeciles, I could take the exam high on fear toxin and still get the highest grade of them all.”

Dick bit back a reprimand, seeing as Damian would certainly not be receptive to it at the moment. He’d been doing better with his peers recently, anyway – he had even joined the art club and started making a few friends. It was more than likely his anger talking than any real malice.

“I know how smart you are, Dami, we all do. But Robin still has rules, and they’re there to look out for you.”

At least, most of the time. Dick could still easily recall just how stifling a number of Bruce’s rules could get, and Damian wasn’t the only Robin to ever feel held back by them.

But Damian just heaved out a large sigh, briefly resting his forehead against the punching bag. “I know.” He just as quickly pulled back, fixing the scowl back onto his face. “But that does not mean I should neglect my training. Just because I am forced to stay in for the night does not mean there aren't ways to improve myself.”

Dick pursed his lips and glanced at a nearby clock (analog – all the digital clocks had been removed from the cave shortly after Jason started re-integrating. Dick still didn’t know who was responsible). It wasn’t too late yet, and Dick was all too familiar with how vigilantism could screw up one’s sleep schedule. If he tried to force Damian into bed now, he’d just lie there awake for the next couple of hours. 

“Alright, Dami, we can train for a bit. But only for another 45 minutes, then it’s bedtime for baby bats.”

Damian scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms. “Tt. I do not need your assistance with my training. You’re still recovering.”

Dick rolled his eyes, then rolled his injured shoulder. It twinged a bit, but nothing like the pain when he had fumbled his grapple and almost wrenched it from its socket. “I’m fine – almost good as new! I can help you run through some drills, or work on your gymnastics.”

After some more prodding, Damian agreed to let Dick guide him through some new gymnastic and acrobatic moves, provided that Dick did not do anything to strain his arm and only stepped in when Damian needed it. They worked through a few flips and various ways to incorporate such moves into fighting. As always, Damian was a quick study.

And as always, Damian was far too stubborn and far too focused to quit when their time ran out.

“Dami, come on.” Dick rubbed at his eyes, feeling oddly tired himself despite the hours he usually kept. The injury must have taken more out of him than he realized, even as healed as it was. Maybe Bruce and Alfred were right to keep him benched for this long. “Time’s up, we can come back to it tomorrow when we’re fresh.”

Damian let out a frustrated growl. “I almost had it!”

“I know, buddy. And I bet you’ll get it even faster tomorrow, when you’re fresh and well-rested.”

Damian didn’t listen, continuing to try and execute the flip and only succeeding in flopping himself to the plush mats over and over.

“Damian.”

Damian did not budge. He flipped again, his body once again not reaching the rotation it needed to successfully execute the move. Except this time, Dick could track the trajectory – Damian would try to land on his feet, but at that angle… well, he would probably wind up benched for a lot longer than one school night.

Dick launched himself forward, managing to catch Damian around the middle to stop his momentum and halt the bad landing, but wrenched his injured shoulder in the process. He hissed a breath in through his teeth, hoping it was quiet enough that Damian didn’t hear, and lowered them both to the ground.

“I had it, Grayson!”

“No, you didn’t!” Dick snapped, then paused and took a couple deep breaths. Damian stayed quiet while he composed himself. “We’ll talk about what went wrong and how to prevent it tomorrow. Are you tuckered out yet?”

Damian crossed his arms. “If you’re so tired, then you go upstairs to bed. I’m fine to continue on my own.”

“Alright.” Dick took another slow breath to calm himself. “That’s it.”

Dick dug his fingertips into Damian’s sides, squeezing and wiggling away. Damian, clearly not expecting the sudden attack, had no hope for defense or hiding his reactions. He burst into boyish giggles instantly, slapping and shoving at Dick’s hands as he tried to wriggle away.

Dick grinned, the laughter of one of his baby brothers melting away his frustration faster than anything else ever could. “Maybe this’ll finally tire you out, huh?”

“Richard! Wait!”

Dick chuckled. “Why do you guys always tell me to wait? Wait for what, kiddo?” His hands converged on Damian’s belly, laughing along when his giggles got even squeakier. “It’s not like anyone’s gonna come to your rescue.”

Damian grumbled through his laughter, finally managing to wiggle out of Dick’s hold. “I don’t need a rescue, I can take care of myself!”

Dick let Damian retreat a few steps before hauling himself to his feet. He put on a show about it, stumbling around a bit and bringing one hand up to his head. “Uh oh, Baby Bat – better look out. I think I’m being taken over… by the Tickle Monster!”

Damian tried to scowl at him even as a goofy smile tugged at the edges of his lips. He clicked his tongue, watching Dick’s movements carefully. “Tt, the Tickle Monster isn’t real, Richard. I am too old for such childish games.”

Dick stumbled forward a few steps, reaching a jerking hand out to Damian. “Oh, save me, Dami! There’s only one thing that can help me now!”

Damian’s retreat faltered, one eyebrow raising in curiosity. “Which is?”

Dick grinned. Gotcha. “Your giggles!”

“I do not– Richard!!”

Dick laughed as he tackled Damian down to the mats, careful to twist them so he didn’t land on top of the boy or on his injured shoulder. He rolled so his own back was against the mats with Damian’s back flush against his chest, and made sure Damian was secure in one of his patented Octopus Grip hugs before resuming his attack. Damian burst back into silly giggles as one of Dick’s hands attacked his stomach, the other climbing up and down his sides and ribs sporadically. Every few seconds he would switch hands, and Damian squeaked each time without fail.

“What was that about not giggling, Baby Bat? What’s that I hear right now?”

“Shut up!”

Dick laughed, but laid off the teasing. The kid could only take so much playful embarrassment before he got genuinely upset, and Dick didn’t want to push it when he was already having such a frustrating night. He kept his tickling light, silly, and jumping, not wanting to overwhelm Damian on top of everything, but despite his squirming and protestations, there was no strain to his laughter or genuine undercurrent of anger in his threats.

Yeah, maybe Damian needed these giggles just as much as Dick did.

“Tuckered out now, kiddo? Tickle Monster’s happy to stick around if you’ve still got some energy to spend.”

“You’re ridiculous!”

“Well, in that case…”

Dick heaved them both up to a sitting position, barely giving Damian a moment of reprieve before reaching down to squeeze at the muscles just above his knees. Damian shrieked, laughter growing from giggles to guffaws. Though he kicked out to try and dislodge Dick’s hands, tugging at Dick’s fingers with his own, Damian still easily melted back into Dick’s chest as he laughed. Dick couldn’t help the fond smile that rose to his lips as he tapered the tickling off, pressing a kiss to the top of Damian’s sweaty head.

“Hit the showers, bud, then the hay. Got it?”

Damian huffed out a large sigh, clearly swallowing back residual giggles as he leaned even further back into Dick for a few moments. “Yes, Richard.” He hauled himself to his feet before holding out a hand to help Dick up. “Get an ice pack for your shoulder, and perhaps locate some anti-inflammatories before you head to bed as well.”

“I told you buddy, I’m fine–”

Damian shot him an unimpressed look. “I heard you when you saved me from injury, I know you aggravated it. I will tell Pennyworth if you don’t take care of it.”

Dick sighed, pulling Damian into a side hug with a gentle smile. “Always looking out for me, aren’t you, bud?”

Damian rolled his eyes, as if it was a stupid thing to take note of. “Of course. Just because you’re not Batman anymore doesn’t mean that stops.”

Dick pulled him in for a full hug at that. “You’ll always be my Robin, Damian.”

Damian hummed and gave him a quick squeeze before detangling himself from Dick’s limbs. “I’m serious,” he called over his shoulder on his way to the shower. “I’ll tell Alfred if you don’t take care of it.”

Dick grumbled under his breath, but obediently turned to head toward the medbay. If he wanted to help Damian perfect that flip tomorrow, then he needed to make sure his shoulder was as good as he could get it.

*    *    *    *    *

By the time Dick finished up his patrol and returned to the Batcave, Tim was already planted in the Batcomputer’s chair, hard at work despite the cast that now swallowed his left calf. Red Robin had taken a nasty hit on patrol, thrown full-force through an already-crumbling wall by an irate Killer Croc. Dick was just grateful that he hadn’t gotten hurt worse, walking away from that fight with only a broken leg was a near-miracle. Clearly Tim didn’t feel the same way, if his scowl was anything to go by.

Dick sighed and eyed the several Zesti cans littering the desk. Tim hadn’t even been back in the Cave for two hours. “Bruce is going to kill you. You know his rules about food and drink near the Batcomputer.”

Tim shrugged one shoulder, not bothering to turn around. “What B doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I needed the caffeine.”

“You should be resting, kiddo – Croc’s back in custody, it’s okay to take a break.”

“No time.” Tim waved him off. “Jason asked for my help tracking down some murders in Crime Alley, whoever it is is good. And Two-Face escaped last week and we’re no closer to finding him. Ivy’s seemed jittery lately, despite how well she and Harley had been doing, so I need to keep an eye on both of them. And I’ve got this case for the Teen Titans –”

“Whoa, Timmy – take a breath. Not all of that has to get done tonight.”

Tim took a deep breath in, then suddenly finally turned to look at Dick. His face was twisted in disgust, wrinkled button nose and all. 

“You smell like shit.”

“Gee, I wonder why. Who could we possibly know that frequents sewers around here?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Go take a shower, I can’t focus with you stinking up the place.”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I’ll just stay right here, then. Drive you out with the smell so you can finally get some sleep.”

“I’m fine – I’m not even tired.”

“Tim, your eyebags have eyebags – just looking at you is making me tired.”

“Then maybe you should go to bed.”

Dick pinched the bridge of his nose. Getting Tim to take a break was nearly impossible, and he didn’t know if he had the energy or patience for it tonight after dealing with Croc. He was glad that Batman and Robin were handling things with the GCPD, letting Nightwing head back first.

“Look,” Dick said, keeping his voice light and level. “You have until I’m in civvies to clean up the desk and finish up, and then we’re both heading up to bed – even if I have to carry you up there.”

“Mhm, yeah, Dick. Sure.”

Dick narrowed his eyes at the back of Tim’s head. “I will sit on you.”

“Good luck with that.”

Dick held in another sigh and made for the locker rooms, snatching up some solvent for his mask along the way. He took his time in the shower for once, forcefully scrubbing the sewer stench off his body while letting the hot water ease the aches and pains from getting thrown around like a ragdoll. When he was finished and dried, he pulled on a soft, warm pair of sweatpants and broke into Jason’s locker to steal an oversized sweatshirt (it wasn’t like Jason used the Cave’s locker room often enough to miss his clothes – Alfred always washed and replaced them before Jason even noticed). 

Smelling fresh and feeling cozy, Dick emerged from the steaming locker room and back into the chill of the Batcave. Tim hadn’t moved an inch in the time he was gone, still hunched over the Batcomputer. In fact, Dick could swear there were even more cans of Zesti than when he had left. Where was he even hiding it all? There was no way Alfred allowed that much soda into the Manor, let alone the Batcave.

“Come on,” Dick said, jostling Tim’s chair as he approached. “Let’s take care of these cans and catch some Z’s.”

Tim didn’t dignify him with a response, only throwing him a bloodshot glare. Dick took a careful breath and switched tactics. Flippant sometimes worked with Tim, depending on his mood, but it was more the tactic to use on Jason. Tim, attention-starved little gremlin that he was growing up, historically responded a lot better to affection – so long as it didn’t feel like coddling.

So Dick carefully leaned up against the back of his chair, reaching down to squeeze gently at Tim’s shoulders to try and get him to release some of the tension there. “Alright, bud. Anything I can help with?”

Tim shot him a hesitant look. “Not really. I’m mostly just combing through security footage for Jason, right now.”

Dick hummed, turning his squeezing into more of a shoulder massage. “Two sets of eyes are better than one, right? Let me help – you’ll get it done faster, which means you’ll get some rest sooner.”

“I thought you were tired.”

“Never too tired for you, Baby Bird.”

Some of the tension bled out of Tim and he blinked heavily before turning back to his screens. Instead of pulling up one of the spare office chairs they had tucked away exactly for this purpose, Dick continued to lean up against the back of Tim’s. It left him with easy access to Tim’s neck, shoulders, and upper back – all places he carried immense amounts of tension from hunching over computers and laptops just like this. He kept up the gentle massage as they reviewed Crime Alley’s limited CCTV, and despite Tim’s evident frustration with their lack of progress, his shoulders stayed relaxed under Dick’s ministrations.

After a while, Dick switched up tactics. One of his hands travelled down to rub at the gooseflesh along Tim’s arms, thanks to him only wearing an oversized t-shirt in a literal cave (though, notably, it was one of Dick’s soft old t-shirts, clearly stolen from his locker just like Dick stole from Jason’s, and something about that made his heart melt). The other hand travelled up, combing through Tim’s hair and scratching gently at his scalp. After a few passes, Dick could feel Tim fighting off the urge to go completely boneless. A careful peek over the chair and Tim’s shoulder showed his eyelids fluttering as well, valiantly trying not to close completely.

“I know what you’re doing,” Tim grumbled.

“Oh?” Dick’s voice was low and quiet, as soothing as he could make it. “Do you, now?”

“Yes. And it’s not gonna work.”

Dick hummed. “Seems like it’s working to me.”

Tim frowned, bracing himself for a moment, and pulled away from Dick’s hands, rolling the chair closer to the desk to try and create some space between them. Dick’s blunt fingernails caught on the nape of Tim’s neck as he rolled away, earning him a rather adorable little squeak and a brief turtling of his shoulders.

Well, there was an idea.

Maybe a different method of brother-wrangling was in order.

“Well it’s not,” Tim said, clearing his throat and shaking his head immediately after, clearly trying to wake himself up.

Dick sighed, long and dramatic. “Then I’m afraid you’ve brought this upon yourself, Timmy.”

Tim whipped around to look at him, eyes wide. “Wait– what?”

Dick’s only answer was a mischievous smirk as he rolled the desk chair even further forward, until Tim’s chest was flush with the desk. No squirming away on his watch. He leaned up against the back of the chair (careful not to put too much pressure, lest he crush his baby brother) to prevent Tim from pushing back and set to work, skittering his fingers around Tim’s neck and ears. Tim, tired as he was, immediately burst into bubbly giggles, unable to bury them like usual. His shoulders hunched up as he chased after Dick’s hands with his own.

“Dick! Wait, no!”

“No more waiting, Baby Bird! I tried to be nice, but it looks like now you’re just gonna have to giggle yourself out. Let me know when you’re ready to take a break from working, yeah?”

Tim squealed again, thrashing in his seat as Dick dragged all his nails up the length of his neck, bursting back into giggles as Dick went back to spidering all over the delicate skin.

“That’s not fair!”

“‘Course it’s fair, Timmy! It’s practically Big Brother Law that I tickle you a certain amount per week. I’ve been slacking lately – gotta make up for lost time.”

Finally, Tim managed to latch onto Dick’s wrists, and Dick let him pull them away, if only for a moment. He panted and tried to pout up at Dick, but the expression was rather ineffective when he couldn’t quite wipe the smile off his face.

“Come on, just let me finish? Just thirty more minutes, I swear.”

Dick titled his head, pretending to consider the offer. “Mmmmm-nope!”

At a speed even the Flash would be impressed by, Dick twisted his hands out of Tim’s grip and shot them down between Tim’s body and the armrests of the chair. Expecting the worst, Tim shrieked before Dick had even touched him, plastering his arms down against his ribs.

No matter, Dick could easily come back for those later if Tim kept being stubborn. Dick instead targeted Tim’s hips, readjusting so he was attacking from either side of the chair rather than from above. Tim snorted, which made Dick laugh, which made Tim’s hands shoot up to cover his nose and mouth.

“You’re such an asshole!”

“Sorry, what was that? I couldn’t hear you over all this laughter.” Dick vibrated his hands into Tim’s stomach, making Tim burst out into full-bellied laughter. “Man, it’s so loud in here, huh? That echo really carries.”

“Dick!”

“Hey, could you keep it down? I’m trying to focus on this CCTV here and you’re really distracting me right now.”

“Fuck you!”

Dick laughed again. “Jason would be proud.”

Tim’s hands latched back onto Dick’s wrists. Success. Dick grinned down at the rats nest that was Tim’s hair and put his plan into action, slowly crawling up Tim’s sides. 

The thing was, having not been tickled much growing up, neither by the neglectful Drakes nor his friends, Tim was a bit inexperienced in how to defend himself. Despite Dick’s countless tickle attacks from the moment he named Tim his baby brother (long before the adoption papers came along), Tim had never really grown out of that.

For someone who was always thinking twelve steps ahead and had at least six contingencies for every possible outcome, Tim was on a rather one-track mind when he was tickled. Usually, that one track was simply Oh God, Stop Dick’s Hands. It was a sound line of logic – after all, if Dick’s hands stopped, so did the tickling. However, Tim rarely took into account how laughter weakened even the hardest-earned muscles and leached the coordination from even the most well-trained gymnasts. Dick knew from experience – he flopped around like a fish out of water when he got tickled. All this to say, Tim tended to forget that in trying to capture or push away Dick’s tickling fingers, he left open weak spots that were all-too-easy for Dick to exploit.

Like now, with Dick’s fingers slowly crawling onto his now-exposed lower ribs. Tim cackled and, based on the thumping coming from below the desk, was kicking his legs fiercely. He didn’t seem to realize that the higher Dick tickled, the higher his own arms went too, exposing all his worst tickle spots.

“Last chance, Baby Bird. Taking a break?”

“N-no! I have to finish–!”

Dick let out a fake sigh. “Then you leave me no choice, kiddo.”

Dick latched onto Tim’s upper ribs and Tim’s arms finally crashed back down, trying to launch a defense all too late. Tim wheezed before bursting into the loudest, most hysterical laughter Dick had ever heard anyone make (outside of Harley and the Joker, that was, but they were outliers and should not be counted). He tossed his head back against the chair and shook it, scrubbing his already messy hair into one big knot against the leather.

Even with Tim’s cheeks going an endearing tomato-red from the laughter, Dick didn’t stop. He knew Tim’s bull-headedness all too well for that. He poked and prodded, scribbled and scratched, searching around for those hidden little hyper-ticklish spots across Tim’s upper ribs and armpits with relative ease, despite the arms pressed against them.

“Okay!” Tim eventually shrieked. “Okay, okay!”

Dick didn’t stop his attack, but he did slow his fingers slightly. “‘Okay’ what?”

“I’ll – I’ll take a break!”

Dick blew a stream of air against Tim’s ear and neck, just to hear the squeaky snort he let out, his head jolting sideways for protection. “Hmm, I dunno if I believe that.”

“I promise! Dick, please!”

“Alright, alright.” 

Dick chuckled and pulled back, wheeling the chair away from the desk and turning Tim to face him. His face was flushed, his eyes were teary, and Dick wasn’t even sure if his hair was salvageable at that point or if Alfred would wind up having to cut some mats out. Still, the dopey smile remained plastered to Tim’s lips as he went completely boneless in the chair.

“You, Baby Bird, are sleeping all day tomorrow. Even if I have to sit on you.”

Tim blinked blearily at him. “Don’t you drive back to Blud tomorrow?”

Dick shrugged. “The city can survive another day without Nightwing. Not sure my baby brother can go on another day without Dick Grayson.”

Tim rolled his eyes, but didn’t correct him. Dick fought off a frown. Maybe he needed to make the drive from Bludhaven more often, if Tim was missing him enough to not give him shit. Or maybe Tim was just that tired.

Either way, Dick pushed the thought away for the night. Deciding the cans were a lost cause for the night (which, Tim was totally getting grounded from the Batcomputer for those), he leaned down and swept Tim into his arms, tossing Tim over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Tim squawked in protest.

“What are you doing?!”

“Cashing in on that break you promised – we are having a movie night, all curled up in your bed–”

“It’s covered in W.E. documents.”

“– all curled up in my bed with warm blankets and Alfred’s famous hot cocoa–”

“You’re just trying to get me to fall asleep.”

“You’ll keep beating sleep off with a stick if I leave you alone. If I can get you to rest with some hot cocoa, brother cuddles, and hair pets, then I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

“Oh no,” Tim snarked. “Dick Grayson being forced to cuddle, what ever will he do?”

Dick grinned and bit back a laugh, tweaking the back of Tim’s knee to make him yelp. “Watch it. Timmy. We can still go for round two.”

Tim grumbled under his breath, something about stupid big brothers and revenge, but Dick decided that could wait for another day. He had a baby brother to tuck into bed, and hopefully his own sleep to catch soon after.

[starboy-sirius]

may 6 | strawberry | @jegulus-microfic | 1026 words | slightly nsfw

James is going mad. Truly, stark-raving mad. 

He decided last week that he was going to be a good friend and take Regulus for a relaxing day out, because the boy had been cooped up within the library studying for his end of year exams. The dreaded week had finally come around and Regulus, eyes hard and decorated with dark smudges underneath, had flown through all of them. James already knew that his Potions work was going to be the best of the year because when he asked him how it went all of it flew over his head. And James, contrary to popular belief, is actually really fucking smart. 

It takes skill to pull off so many pranks flawlessly, thank you very much. 

But anyway, James wanted to treat Regulus to a nice picnic out by the edge of the Forbidden Forest where they wouldn’t be bothered by Sirius. As much as he loves his best friend, and he does tremendously, James got the feeling that Sirius was trying to block him from getting closer to his little brother. It seems mad to him because ever since Regulus ran away from home and moved in with the Potters, he and Sirius have rekindled their brotherly bond and James thought it only right if he bonds with Regulus, too. 

When he told Sirius this, his friend had looked at him with eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Do not fall for him, Prongs. I mean it.”

James had spluttered, completely taken aback. “What?! Why on earth would I fall for him?”

Raising one eyebrow, Sirius sent him a deadpan look. “You know why, James.”

At the time James hadn’t known. Looking at Regulus now, he thinks he totally understands. He also thinks that being friends with Regulus is going to be the death of him. 

Regulus is sitting opposite him on the blanket, raving about how stupid James is for setting up the picnic this close to the Forbidden Forest, and all James can concentrate on is the way he feels hot under the collar whenever Regulus insults him. 

Oh Godric, he does have a type.

James also can’t tear his eyes away from Regulus’ mouth and the way it wraps sinfully around a chocolate covered strawberry, his plump lips stretched around the fruit as some of it dribbles obscenely out the corner of his mouth. 

James thinks he might faint.

Regulus looks over at him then, looking at him with judgement. “Goodness, you really are mentally deficient aren’t you, Potter? Hello? Is anyone home or do I have to go back to Hogwarts and inform my brother that the best friend he’s ridiculously co-dependent on is braindead?”

James shivers at every biting word, loving the way they brand him as they fall from those sinful lips. There’s a good deal of strawberry juice lingering on his lower lip, some gathering in the corner just begging for James to take a swipe at it. 

So he does. 

Only, it doesn’t go down the way he was originally intending. He meant to swipe at the juice with his thumb, maybe bring it to his mouth afterwards to get rid of it. Only, his brain doesn’t seem to confer that to his limbs, and so James leans his entire body forward, brings his face so close to Regulus’ that the boy’s eyes widen comically, and swipes at the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

For a moment everything is still, even the sound of the forest hushing in anticipation for their next move, and then Regulus lets out a shaky exhale as his eyes flutter shut. James moves automatically, as if hearing that from Regulus sets him off and he’s determined to hear even more wicked noises from him.

James brings a hand up to Regulus’ jaw and manoeuvres him so that his neck is tilted backwards, giving James the perfect angle to swoop down and curl his tongue over the plump bottom lip. He brings it into his mouth and sucks, relishing in the high pitched moan Regulus makes. 

He’s so perfect, James thinks as Regulus lies there and just lets him take it. Take whatever he wants. 

When James thinks back to all his encounters with Regulus over the years, specifically those over the summer when Regulus moved in with them, he thinks he can see how gone he was for the boy. It was almost immediate, the way James just completely folded as soon as the snarky insults left his mouth. 

A mouth that is parting so beautifully underneath his own. James can’t hold back the guttural groan as he dives back in for a proper kiss, taking everything Regulus has to offer and returning it tenfold. Regulus reaches up to scratch his nails across James’ scalp and James realiates by nipping his bottom lip before pushing Regulus onto his back, moving in between his thighs to hover over him. 

Regulus opens his mouth, allowing James to lick into it and suck on his tongue. His other hand grabs tightly at James’ waist, his Gryffindor jumper clenched tightly between his fingers as he encourages James to press his crotch down into his own. 

James pulls away on a broken moan and Regulus whines at the loss, blushing when he opens his eyes blearily, realising the sound he just made. James stares down at him as if he’s the most brilliant thing he’s ever seen. 

“Please tell me you’ll let me do that again,” James almost begs, brushing his nose against Regulus’. 

Regulus shoots him an unimpressed look. “Potter, if you don’t kiss me within the next five seconds I am going to tie you to that tree and leave you there for the foreseeable future.”

James hums. “If you wanted to tie me up, Reggie, you only had to ask.”

“Fuck off.”

Smirking, James brushes his lips against Regulus’ in a teasing manner. “A bit contradictory with your previous statement, love.”

A pretty blush dusts the high of Regulus’ cheekbones and James watches in adoring fascination as the younger boy groans and pulls him back down to his lips. 

James can’t help but smile into it.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you think Riddle is so short because of what his mom made him eat ?

Like only making him get the perfect amount of calories like in his overblot backstory

Maybe it is because his mom is also short? Anyways she doesn't seem tall, also where is his dad.

***PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT speaking as a dietician or a doctor; the information and interpretations presented here are based my own scientific knowledge and research, and apply ONLY to the analysis of a fictional character. This post is NOT meant to be taken as any sort of medical or dietary advice.*** Personally, I'm not of the belief that Riddle is short due to his controlled dietary intake. In very simple terms, calories can be thought of as the fuel you burn to get through activities. While a caloric deficit can contribute to stunting of growth, I don't think this applies to Riddle since he lives a relatively sedentary lifestyle (sitting and studying) and is provided an adequate amount of calories per meal. I want to take a quick moment to dispel the commonly held belief that Mrs. Rosehearts underfeeds Riddle. This seems to sprout from a misinterpretation of a line in 1-25 when she is serving Riddle a birthday meal. Here, she states the exact amount that Riddle must have in order to not overshoot 600 kilocalories. This is led some fans to think that Mrs. Rosehearts restricts Riddle to 600 kilocalories a day, which is just not true. From the dialogue, it is clear that Riddle is granted 600 kilocalories per meal. Assuming 3 meals a day, that means 1800 kilocalories per day, which is very close to the recommended 1745 kilocalories for the average 8-year old boy (not accounting for fluctuations from individual child to individual child). This is a perfectly normal intake, but is appears strange at first glance because very few parents actively calorie count what their child eats to this extent.

Back to the original topic, nutrient intake also contributes to height. (Think of nutrients as the building blocks to a building called your body, and the calories as workers or the 'energy' that assembles the building/your body.) However, that doesn't mean that I think Riddle didn't get enough nutrients; it is possible to have low calorie meals which are nutritious. (For example, athletes may have to follow specialized diets in order to attune their bodies to whatever sport or activity they do. Similarly, Vil crafts a diet for the VDC/SDC squad in book 5 which cuts out junk food, is overall lower in calories, and still provides the group with the energy they need for practice.) Mrs. Rosehearts has dialogue where she describes the nutritional content of the meals she has prepared, which seem to be tailored for brain function. I'm going to assume that those meals also adequately provided for Riddle's other nutritional needs. I don't have reason to believe Mrs. Rosehearts, a doctor and mother who is detail-oriented and hellbent on her child's success, would knowingly and intentionally sabotage his health.

It’s canon that maintaining physical wellbeing makes for a good mage (which is why NRC makes its students take P.E.). Additionally, eating well is said to be one way a mage can make a recovery from blot accumulation. If Riddle were eating poorly and/or was of poor health, that would only mean struggles with concentration and his magic suffering the consequences—and that’s very much counterintuitive to the success that Mrs. Rosehearts envisions for her son.

You don’t need an abundance of calories or nutrients for growth and development. The excess will get stored as adipose tissue/fat or (depending on the nutrient) exit the body as waste. It’s important for a child to be fed well in order to grow properly, but generally if they aren’t malnourished (ie getting less than what they need) then they wouldn’t be stunted.

By in large, genetics is the major deciding factor in height. I believe current studies suggest as much as 60-80% of one's height is predetermined by DNA sequences (although those DNA sequences can be altered by the environment and outside other factors). It could very well be that Riddle is just short because his ancestors had the "short" gene. Looking back at manga images of Riddle's mom from the manga, she doesn't seem that short to me. Even when Mrs. Clover is bowing her head to her, both moms appear to be about the same height (if Mrs. Clover were standing). Maybe Mrs. Clover is a little taller (it's hard to say just staring at the image), but not by a lot. If I had to guess, they seem to be about average height for women. That doesn't mean anything in terms of genetics though, you could be any height and still carry the "short" gene to pass onto your children (the shortness trait just isn't always expressed outwardly.)

If I had to guess, I’d say Riddle is just “naturally” short or drew a bad lot in terms of genetics (since his height seems to be a sore spot for him). He’s about that age where most men will stop growing too (although some do grow well into their late teens and even early twenties).

Regarding Mr. Rosehearts, we haven't seen him yet but he's definitely mentioned a few times! He is said to be a medical mage like his wife and is implied to not have a happy marriage with her (according to Riddle). That's about all we know of him now. Some parental figures just get less focus than the other, and that’s the case for Mr. Rosehearts as well as many others (Mrs. Trappola, Mr. Spade, Mrs. Asim, etc.).

It’s possible that the short gene came from Mr. Rosehearts, but we don’t know for sure since we’ve never gotten so much as a silhouette for him. Again though, he could be tall or average but have an unexpressed short gene. I believe many fans headcanon him as short though, as the King of Hearts in the source material is smaller and meeker than his wifez

[theboxingwriter]

Piltover's Finest: Origins

Hello hello! My name is Box and I would love some feedback on my newest idea for a CaitVi fanfic. Premise: College Arcane AU. Enemies to Lovers where Vi is a boxer struggling with academics and maintaining her athletic scholarship. Caitlyn is a cool ice queen, top of her class, and trying to start up a Investigation club at their school. Like I said, any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks for reading in advance!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 1: Rough Meetings

Honestly? She thought this day couldn’t get any worse. At first it had been simple enough. An exam to study for here, a paper to type up there… The initial few weeks tricked her into thinking maybe, just maybe, balancing her academic workload and boxing practice wouldn’t be hard. That was before her professors started throwing everything but the damn university at her. She grit her teeth as she attempted to drown her stress out, the punching bag in front of her swinging left to right. Left jab The D+ from her last human bio test flashed through her mind. Right Straight Her calc professor asking for her to stay back after class. The ensuing discussion about her slipping grade

She could see it. The imaginary opponent in front of her throws out a right straight back at her.

The Dean calling her to the office, bringing up her GPA and how her athletic scholarship was in jeopardy. That they were putting her on probation. That she needed to figure out some way to bring up her grade by the end of next semester or…

Vi slipped her head to the outside of the right hand, her weight fully on her lead leg now. She would explode back inside with a left hook to the bag.

It was music to her ears. Glove pounding into sand. Despite the joy it brought her however, it could not silence her worries. Vander and Powder already had enough to worry about in the undercity.

She couldn’t add to their troubles, but what could she do? Piltover U was nothing like the highschool she graduated from. Not that it meant she was dumb by any means, but this? Vi would need a supercomputer for a brain.

(Even if that was possible? Fat chance she would be able to afford it.)

The redhead sighed, letting a quick shoe-shining combo go before finishing it off with a right hook. The sandbag would fold over at the impact with a satisfying crunch. If only her problems were as easy as punching through them. Then maybe she’d be the-

“Excuse me? Are you Violet Lanes by any chance?”

A posh, elegant voice would break her out of her thoughts. Really? The gym was supposed to be empty at this hour. Who dared interrupt her temple, her place of zen?

When she saw who it was, Vi almost choked. It was Miss Prim and Proper herself. Caitlyn Kiramman. Clad in a dark blue jacket and even darker jeans. What the hell was the councillor’s daughter doing here?

“Nope sorry. Think you got the wrong person.” Best to just brush her off and quickly move on. Nothing good ever came from mixing in with the pilties after all. Before the shorter girl could take her gloves off and make a quick getaway however…

“Violet Lanes. Newest rookie on Piltover U’s boxing team with a record of 12-1-1, 10 wins by way of knockout…” A swell of pride would fill her chest as she heard her accomplishments said aloud. Even if they were said in that icy cold voice of hers. “...and subsequently, the newest addition to the academic probation list? Is that not you?”

At that? Vi would glare at her. Why did she know that? Wait, better question. Why the hell did she feel the need to tell her? Like she didn’t already know how screwed she was…

“What do you want?” Vi grumbled, her back quickly turning on the Kiramman. “Since if you’re here to mock me, save your breath Cupcake.”

She could hear her huff in slight frustration. Almost made her feel better about this whole meeting. Almost.

“Well first off Miss Lane, no need for name calling. Surely as adults we are above that, yes?” Caitlyn would be leaning against the sandbag now. That sharp gaze of hers refused to be ignored. Vi could almost feel as if her very soul was being read even as she stared solely in front of her. What was her deal seriously? “And second? I am here to help you.”

Her brow would crease at that. Caitlyn Kiramman.  The literal poster child for their school. One of the richest people on campus. Was here to help her? Seriously?

Vi couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head incredulously. Only when she continued to stare at her did she realize that the topsider was serious. “Really? How?” She could at least humor her a bit. “You gonna use your money and connections to raise my grades? That it?”

“No. That would be improper.” Caitlyn would crinkle her nose, as if the very idea of abusing her influence was terrible.

“Then what? Since if-”

“-If you would let me explain Miss Lane, you would not need to keep asking nonsensical questions.” Again with that cool tone, dismissive and regal. The boxer could feel irritation bubble at her core. Nonetheless, she fell silent.

“Thank you.” Caitlyn would lightly tap the punching bag with her left hand, her words much softer now. “Now as I said, I come here as a friend. The Dean notified me of your… recent academic troubles. Asked me personally if I could help you study considering we share classes. This ‘help’ includes tutoring and should you accept it, the Dean has also agreed to allow you to retake a few of your exams.”

Vi raised a brow at that. The Dean asking one freshman to assist another? Even if this was one of their grade’s top students, something seemed off about that. Before she could question it though-

“There is one condition however.” Of course this help wouldn’t come for free. Vi snorted at that. Caitlyn pushed herself off of the sandbag. The tall girl would start walking around Vi, slowly. As if analyzing her. “Seeing that I am going to be giving up valuable time and energy to assist you, I-”

“Just get to the point Cupcake.” It was her turn to cut her off now, Caitlyn narrowing her eyes at Vi at the interruption. After a few seconds, she would simply look away and sigh.

“Very well. I am looking for members for our new investigation club here on campus. You know about the junior enforcer program correct?”

Ah yes. The newly instated Junior Enforcer Program. To help prepare students wishing to join the force once they graduated, schools were allowed to apply for a Jr. Enforcer license. As long as they stayed out of official business and did not resort to lethal force, Junior Enforcers were allowed to investigate crimes and make arrests. At least simply put, the Zaunite never really having looked into the details too much. Considering her own past with the Enforcers of Piltover… Well, that was besides the point. “Piltover University along with a select few other schools have been granted a license. Despite this however… I have had trouble finding people to form a proper club for it.”

Once again Vi would snort “Thought you would have people climbing over each other to join considering you’re a Kiramman.”

Caitlyn would sigh at that, her arms folding delicately in front of her.

“If they were, I would not be here. Look, I need another person to make the club to start officially investigating and preferably? I need someone that can handle themselves.” Even if they are crass, rude individuals, Caitlyn thought. Best not to antagonize her anymore than she had though.

“Okay, let me get this straight Cupcake” Caitlyn would click her tongue at the derisive nickname. “You want me to not only sell myself out, but risk my life as a narc? All for a few exams and one on one tutoring? Really?”

For a beat they would stare at each other. Vi could see something flashing on her face, though only for a moment.

“Look, thanks… but no thanks. I’d rather not become a rich kid’s guard dog.” She would break away from their staring contest as she said that, taking off her gloves and brushing past Caitlyn. Sure, getting a better score on a few of her tests would help so much in re-securing her scholarship but… She’d find another way. She had to. Still had a bit of pride left after all.

Just as she was stuffing her gym bag and about to make her way out though…

“Fair enough. I understand why you may have a few reservations about this proposition.” A few was underscoring it a bit, Vi thought. Nearly made her laugh again honestly. “I am not asking you to join permanently. Just for one semester. Same amount of time I would be helping you with your classes.”

Vi wouldn’t respond, at least not outwardly. She’d only need to do it for a few months? Considering the situation she was in…

“All I ask is that. After that? Not like we have to be friends or anything. Simple and easy right?”

At that, Vi would shoot her one last look as she slung her back over her shoulder. There was an earnest look on Caitlyn’s face, one of quiet determination. “I can see that you may need time to think it over so… once you come to a decision? Let me know.” Caitlyn would go to walk past the brawler, her steps purposeful and measured. Even in the short amount of time they had interacted, Vi was infuriated by her. The way she stared at her like a puzzle to be solved, the way she talked like she owned the place… And the fact that she assumed Vi of all people would even think about joining her.

“What makes you think I’m even considering it? Huh? Why would I work with some stuck-up piltie?”

Her words would be rife with hostility, Vi spinning on her heels to face her again. Caitlyn would stop at the Gym’s entrance, quickly turning back to shoot her a falsely sweet smile.

“Because if you’re dumb enough to not take this opportunity, maybe you do deserve to flunk out of here.”

Only once she left was Vi able to pick her jaw off the floor. 

[bharv]

2024: My year in writing

Inspired by the incredible @rowanisawriter, I thought I would look back at my year in writing. I thought I might do a bit more fic this year but I think I'm done - partly because I'm also writing original work!

Last year I wrote just shy of 100,000 words - 30,000 up from 2023. And I had such a good time creating with the Baldur's Gate 3 fandom primarily - it's been a delightful fandom to be a part of. I have been so fortunate to have such beautiful responses to my work. Thank you to everybody who read, who wrote beautiful comments, gifted me fic and art. You are wonderful, all of you!

2024 Summary

Words written: 95,603 fic, and 65,872 original work.

Fics published: 25

My favourite fic: A tie, between two favourites...

The Diamond, Gortash/Jannath, a surprise that poured out of me for the fantastic Gortash Week celebration.

Stonemilker, the final "big" piece of my Durgetash writing, which took me a little while and was a real labour of love.

My most written pairing: Durgetash, by some measure

My most used tags: Canon-typical violence, Character Study, Cult of Bhaal (dungeons & dragons)

What I learned: I can grow characters. I can write dialogue people like. And, more than anything, I've learned that people genuinely like my work. It sounds so silly, but I'm literally still sat there in awe every time anybody comments. I'm not for everybody, but I'm for some people who are so generous and passionate and I love that. I have also learned that perhaps multi-chapter is not my strength in fanfic lol, and that is okay.

What I want to write next year: I had high hopes to move into another fandom and write more, but I think that's not happening, which is a blessing in disguise, as painful as it is. I want to finish the draft of my current original work and I want to try out this other idea I have, and that will take a lot of brain space. The one thing I DO want to do is complete Clever Boy, my Haarlep and Gortash piece. I lost a chunk in a data issue and it's meant I've not updated in like 10 months. I want to make sure that's finished.

[rose-of-oz]

𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗦

Turns out my brain never knows when to stop (😅), so now I have even more plot bunnies for Descendants and I thought I’d share them with you!! Keep in mind that I probably won’t do official intro posts for most of these, but you can still feel free to ask me questions about them if you want!!

Bella Wolf, daughter of the Big Bad Wolf, poly Carlos/Jane ship, Fivel Stewart FC. A member of the VKs, despite being a total sweetheart for a villain kid and never really wanting to be evil, because she was the only kid who tried to befriend Evie when she had her mother were exiled and she and Evie have been stuck like glue ever since. Not originally selected to go to Auradon, but the VKs managed to sneak her through the barrier and Ben decided to let her stay. Genuinely befriends Jane pretty quickly since they’re both really sweet and quiet, and doesn’t necessarily like her friends using the girl, but she goes along with it and it breaks her heart to distance herself from Jane after Family Day. Has also had a crush on Carlos forever but doesn’t realize she likes Jane too until after Jane and Carlos start dating, and she thinks she’s missed her chance with both of them until they approach her about being a part of their relationship. Has been purely in human form, like her dad, for most of her life because of the magic blocker on the Isle, but when she gets to Auradon she discovers that she can shift into a wolf and back at will, and also has heightened senses and reflexes, which she uses to join the tourney team after it becomes more inclusive after the second movie.

Charlotte Cogsworth, daughter of Cogsworth, Gil ship, India Eisley FC. Homeschooled in Auradon’s palace for most of her life, because she’s been in training to follow in her father’s footsteps and become an advisor in Ben’s future court and also because Cogsworth is a very protective father, but Ben manages to convince his parents to convince her father to let her go to Auradon Prep shortly before the VKs come to Auradon (and she almost gets pulled out of school again when Cogsworth learns about villain kids coming, but thankfully it doesn’t happen). A bit socially inept since she hasn’t spent a lot of time around kids her age other than Ben, but a very sweet and fiercely intelligent girl who’s accepting of the VKs right away. Offers to tutor the Sea Three and catch them up on any education they might lack after Ben brings them to Auradon after the second movie, and falls in love with Gil that way. Absolute besties with Ben since they grew up together, and is also really good friends with Lonnie and Evie and Doug (and also forms a kind of unexpected friendship with Uma after a while). Her father nearly has a heart attack when he finds out she’s dating Gaston’s son, but he eventually comes around.

Beauregard “Beau” Beast, son of Belle and Adam, poly Harry/Jay ship. Younger than Ben by less than a year, but has always grown up in his brother’s shadow as the “spare heir”; even though Ben never tried to make him feel less than, he’s always known that his father didn’t care about him the same way, that he was meant to just be Ben’s right hand and nothing else. Inherited his mother’s love for reading and knowledge and has spent most of his life locked in his room or the palace library studying history and politics, hoping that he could become a well-known senator or ambassador to another kingdom. A bit wary of the VKs at first, but eventually befriends all of them and starts dating Jay (to Adam’s consternation, especially since Ben’s already dating Mal), and winds up being the one Uma’s pirate crew kidnaps instead of Ben when they go to the Isle to bring Mal home. He and Harry are intruiged by each other and flirt a little while he’s captive (awkwardly on Beau’s part), but he finds out after the Sea Three come to Auradon that Jay and Harry were actually involved for a short while before the fight between the VKs and Uma’s crew got really bad. Eventually Jay and Beau realize that they (still, on Jay’s part) have actual genuine feelings for Harry, and invite him to be part of their relationship. Beau is very sweet but intensely awkward and insecure due to never being the first choice growing up, but as he gains more friends and starts dating Jay and Harry he’s able to come out of his shell and starts being able to stand up for himself.

Wesley Darling, son of Wendy Darling, Mal ship, Tom Holland FC. The son of Wendy and the man she married after becoming a writer and putting Neverland behind her, but there are rumours that he’s actually Peter Pan’s son because of all the mischief he gets into. Hates Auradon’s thinking of “moving past” magic and how perfect and prim everyone pretends to be, so he’s constantly pulling pranks and getting into trouble with Fairy Godmother. Immediately recognizes that Ben’s under a love spell because he sees him eat the spelled cookie and approaches Mal about it, not to confront her or rat her out but just because he’s impressed by her prank skills (he obviously doesn’t realize that it’s part of a bigger plan). He and Mal fall in love leading up to the coronation, and Wesley is so relieved when she chooses good and admits to Ben that she doesn’t have any feelings for him - which he’s fine with because he’s a good friend and genuinely likes Wesley - so they can be together. The very definition of a class clown, laid-back and mischievous and doesn’t take a lot seriously, but also a lot smarter than most people think and would do anything for the people he cares about.

Aurora Andersen, daughter of Ariel and Eric, poly Mal/Evie ship, Zendaya Coleman FC. Ariel and Eric’s younger child, after her older sister Melody who’s already graduated Auradon Prep. Shares her mother’s curiousity and sense of adventure, and so she makes a strong effort to befriend the VKs when they first come to Auradon. Realizes she has feelings for both Evie and Mal after they almost steal the wand at the coronation, and is thrilled when they choose good and decide to stay in Auradon. Confesses to them sometime between the first and second movies, and they all become Auradon Prep’s power throuple. Pretty much exactly like Ariel in terms of personality, bold and inquisitive and kind, but with Eric’s occasional recklessness thrown in. Can change between mermaid and human forms at will, thanks to Fairy Godmother’s magic. Wanted to be on Auradon Prep’s swim team but it was deemed unfair since she’s a mermaid, so she settles on joining the R.O.A.R. team after Lonnie becomes captain.

Delfina Madrigal, daughter of Dolores Madrigal, Lonnie ship, Rachel Zegler FC. Daughter of Dolores and Mariano, and the oldest of the five children that her father always wanted. Received a gift from the family miracle on her fifth birthday like the rest of her family, becoming able to create illusions through her singing voice. Homeschooled for a good portion of her life, like most Madrigals, but Mirabel, now head of the family, decided she and a few of her cousins should be allowed to go to Auradon Prep after the coronation, since she thought that King Adam’s attitude towards magic might be changing. A clumsy lesbian disaster, a bit like her Tía Mirabel, who gets an insta-crush on Lonnie and whose brain tends to stop working when she’s around her. The two of them get together shortly after the events of the second movie, and Delfina attends all of Lonnie’s R.O.A.R. tournaments religiously despite not really knowing anything about the sport. A bit quiet and nervous like her mother, but also has her quiet strength and her tía’s tendency to let her mouth run faster than her brain. Joins Auradon Prep’s acapella club and makes them into sensations, due to her gift making their performances into full spectacles.

Theodore “Theo” Maldonia, child of Tiana and Naveen, Chad ship, Jonathan Daviss FC. He/they kid of Tiana and Naveen and heir to the throne of Maldonia. Very studious, quiet, and dedicated to learning how to be the best ruler he can be, but also doesn’t have very many friends as a result. Unexpectedly winds up becoming close to Chad after being assigned to tutor him when he starts failing a class, and actually helps him to reconsider his ways and mindset when the VKs come to Auradon. They develop a crush on him eventually but acknowledge that he still has a ways to go before becoming a better person, so it’s a while before he asks him out, but they’re very cute when they do get together. Through dating Chad, Theo starts to come out of their shell a little, and becomes really good friends with Doug and Carlos. A member of the Auradon Prep student council, and eventually becomes the tourney coach’s assistant as an effort for them to better learn how to plan strategies.

Maizie Hatter, child of the Mad Hatter, poly VKs ship, Erin Kellyman FC. Wacky non-binary sweetheart, and a complete outcast in Auradon, as most kids from Wonderland are, due to their odd style and outlandish personality. When the VKs originally come to Auradon (already all dating each other), they try to befriend Maizie because they figure it will be easy to convince them to help them steal Fairy Godmother’s wand, but all four of them find themselves falling in love with Maizie over time. After they all choose good at the coronation - and Mal profusely apologizes to Ben for the love spell and explains that she doesn’t really have feelings for him - they ask Maizie to be a part of their relationship, which they’re only too happy to do. An incredible artist and lover of tea who forms Auradon Prep’s art club with Mal and gets all four of their partners addicted to rose hip tea. Exactly what you’d expect the child of the Mad Hatter to be, wacky and curious and often living inside their own head, but also a lot more observant and smart than people expect. Becomes besties with Ben after the events of the first movie when they start to become more accepted by Auradon society and, later, the Sea Three.

Tagging my Descendants besties: @auxiliarydetective, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @ginger-grimm, @ginnystilinski-reblogs, @cecexwrites, @come-along-pond, and @manyfandomocs!!

[jerryspillz]

Sims 4 MLP Legacy Challenge!

Hello! I’m Jerry and I decided to make a legacy challenge based on My Little Pony. Why? Because I have an obsession and needed to bring it into my Sims game lol. I’ve been playing this challenge for a while now and I’ve been having fun so I thought I’d share it with the world!

Packs Needed:

Get to Work, Get Together, City Living, Get Famous, Cats and Dogs, Discover University, Eco Lifestyle, Snowy Escape, Spa Day, Parenthood, and Realm of Magic (SO sorry it’s so many but I did originally make this challenge for myself 😅)

Optional Packs: Nifty Knitting, Cottage Living, For Rent, Home Chef Hustle

General Notes:

I want to note that none of your heirs have to represent the ponies in color scheme and/or gender, though if you want to do that then go ahead!

I will be using their respective pronouns when describing each generation, however, your sims do not have to identify with them!

“We were meant to rule together, little sister.”

You’re a wise and regal sim who can see the potential in anyone, especially your students. There isn’t a single sim who dislikes you and everyone seems to not only look up to you, but go to you for advice.

Aspiration: Zen Guru

Traits: Bookworm, Family-oriented, Outgoing

Occupation: Education (administrator branch)

Rules: Celestia must be a spellcaster and you must also get her a phenix familiar. She must be the highest ranked spellcaster but you do not have to learn every spell as you’ll be doing that later in a different gen.

Celestia must complete her aspiration, become level 10 the education career, and master the charisma, wellness, and cooking skills.

“Sometimes we can worry about a thing so much, the fear can make us feel we're trapped in a nightmare.”

Unlike your mother, you were not seen as wise or regal. The friends you made growing up always wanted to see your mom and often talked about how amazing she is. Because of this, you became resentful of her, and wanted a way to escape the world your mom shines on.

Aspiration: Nerd Brain

Traits: Gloomy, Genius, Jealous

Occupation: Astronaut

Rules: Luna wants to escape from her mom so she must visit Sixam at least once. She must also only have close friendships with aliens.

Luna must complete her aspiration, reach level 10 in the astronaut career, and master the rocket science and logic skills.

“My love will give you strength.”

Even though your mother seemed obsessed with space and getting away from your grandmother, behind closed doors, you saw the love your parents shared and always wanted a love of your own. You love everything about love and can’t wait to meet someone to spend the rest of your life with.

Aspiration: Soulmate & Super Parent

Traits: Romantic, Cheerful, Family-oriented

Occupation: Babysitter

Rules: Cadance wants someone who shares the same passion for love as she does, so she must date/marry someone who also has the romantic trait. She must also have at least 3 children.

Cadance must complete her aspirations and master the parenting skill.

“We've learned that friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for!”

Growing up, you were always well cared for and shown so much love by your family. But you wanted to learn more about the magic that was bestowed upon you, and master all it’s elements. And just like your great-grandmother, you always wanted to become a teacher and teach others everything you know.

Aspiration: Spellcraft & Sorcery

Traits: Bookworm, Genius, Perfectionist

Occupation: Education (professor branch)

Rules: Of course we can’t forget about Spike! Give Twilight a dragon familiar. But what about Owlicious? Lets make it two familiars! Give her an owl as well. She must learn every spell in the book, but potion recipes are optional.

Twilight must complete her aspiration, reach level 10 in the education career, and master the logic and writing skills.

“I love to make you smile smile smile, yes I do!”

Your mother was all about studying, research, magic, all things that are totally and completely BORING. You just wanted to have fun, party, and spread as much cheer as humanly possible! Lets not forget about the food! The cakes, ice cream, fruits, sandwiches, chocolate.. is anyone else hungry?

Aspiration: Party Animal

Traits: Childish, Goofball, Glutton (You can make her a party animal if you have For Rent)

Occupation: Entertainer (comedian)

Rules: Pinkie Pie wants to be the greatest party sim around, so you have to host and get a gold medal in every social event. You must accept every invitation to go out unless you are already doing something.

Pinkie pie must complete her aspiration, and reach level 10 in the entertainer career. She must master the comedy, charisma, mischief, baking, dancing, and singing skills. What? Entertainment means skills.

“What I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth. Let go, and you'll be safe.”

While it seemed everyone in your family was enjoying the party life, you just wanted to be outside gardening. Planting trees, herbs, flowers, anything you could get you hands on. And then turning those plants into juice or even sweet treats is even better! I guess they had one thing in common.

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Traits: Outgoing, Loves Outdoors, Ambitious

Occupation: Gardener (optional)

Rules: Applejack doesn’t just want to make treats and drinks for herself, she wants to sell them. Every time the Flea Market comes into town, she must go there and sell all her goodies. She must also own at least 20 apple trees.

Applejack must complete her aspiration, and if you choose to be a gardener then she has to max it. She must master the gardening, baking, handiness, and juice fizzing skills.

If you own Home Chef Hustle, then you can use that selling table and you don’t have to go to the flea market every time.

“It needs to be about 20% cooler.”

Thanks to your parents, you spent a lot of time outdoors and from a young age and you’ve always been good at any sport you played. Basketball, soccer, you name it! But you want to be the most awesome sim around. So, why not try and become the greatest snowboarder, skier, mountain climber ever! Now that’s cool.

Aspiration: Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Traits: Loyal, Self-assured, Adventurous

Occupation: Athlete (professional athlete branch)

Rules: Rainbow Dash is cool and all but she’s got a bit of an ego. She must be disliked by at least 2 sims.

Rainbow Dash must complete her aspiration, and reach level 10 in the athletic career. She must master the fitness, snowboarding, skiing, and rock climbing skills.

“Look upon me, Equestria, for I am Rarity!”

Just because you’re the daughter of a famous sports sim, does not mean that you, too, have to be sporty. You want to be known of course, but not for being athletic. For being FABULOUS! You’ve always been into fashion, design, things that are oh so shiny. You someday dream of opening your very own boutique to sell your beautiful designs.

Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity

Traits: Materialistic, Proper, Perfectionist

Occupation: Style Influencer (trend setter)

Rules: Rarity must become a 5 star celebrity and date/marry someone who is also a celebrity (the level of fame does not matter). She must own a fashion boutique and it has to have a 5 star rating. She must collect every crystal/gem.

Rarity must complete her aspiration, and reach level 10 in the style influencer career. She must master the acting, charisma, and photography skills. Knitting skill is optional.

“I'm just good with animals. It's my special gift, you know.”

*If you have Cottage Living then you must raise at least one cow, chicken, or llama and Fluttershy must befriend one bunny and one fox*

Your mother made it big, real big. And you’re happy for her, but being a star isn’t quite what you had in mind for your life. You just want to take care of animals, away from the spotlight. Any animal, big or small, you want to make sure they’re all fed and well taken care of.

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Good, Paranoid

Occupation: Veterinarian

Rules: Where do you go when your pet gets sick? The vet of course! Fluttershy must open her own vet clinic and get it to 5 stars. She must only adopt strays and have at least 5 pets throughout her lifetime.

Fluttershy must complete her aspiration, and run a successful vet clinic. She must master the singing, pet training, and veterinarian skills.

“Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?”

Your entire family from the start has had too clean of a record. Why don’t we change that and add a little chaos. Discord is known as the black sheep of his family. He thinks everyone, especially his mother, are way too nice for their own good. What’s life without a little fun?

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Traits: Childish, Kleptomaniac, Mean

Occupation: Criminal (boss branch)

Rules: It’s time to kick things up a notch and have a little fun! Discord has a long line of magic in his blood, so he must become a spellcaster and master untamed magic. No one really likes him given his track record, but he does have one good friend.

He must unalive at least 3 sims using his spells, complete his aspiration, and reach level 10 in the criminal career.

If you do wish to continue after Discord, he can have a romantic relationship with his one friend, have a science baby, or he can just force a sim to love him 😅. I have a part two brewing in my brain and will release that version as soon as I finish it for all you lovely people.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you end up playing it, I would love to see all your screenshots! As I stated before, I have been playing this for a while and my pfp is actually my Pinkie Pie sim lol. I’ve been having a blast so hopefully you have fun too!

Happy Simming!

[rando-lesbo210]

HELLO! I'm still in progress of chapters but I thought I'd share a little character study that went out of hand but anyways it was me studying Angel's implants and cybernetics

I used a mixture of her canon design as well as concept art but here tis all is

ALSO I KNOW THERES NO SIREN MARKINGS I CHOSE TO DO THIS CAUSE OTHERWISE IT WOULDVE CONFUSED ME TOO MUCH WITH PENCIL...

Hand writing fucking sucks but I'll describe parts under the indent cause it's gonna be LONG, I'll also attach the concept and canon refs I used

Main thing!

I think the bigger part on her back and chest are detachable and were added after Jack started pumping her with eridium. The big circle areas on the back parts are where I'm thinking the pumps were attached. Now to nitty gritty (also cw, general mentions of everything that happened to her from Jack) I'll list the main parts for/with details

Collar

okay so top collar i think is the original so the scarring is much deeper and severe due to it literally restricting skin growth slightly and digging in as she aged, Jack didn't like resizing it because that meant taking it off for a bit but eventually repeated issue of suffocation so had to resize it

Oh and I think there's like a type of prongs or needles that will jab either when forcing an ability to be used or when punishing

Second part i think was added when the eridium pumps were attached as an extra measure cause she was getting really strong (and really sick)

More had to be attached because her body was mildly struggling to keep posture/there's a specific part for her wings to sprout at so I think that was Also a form/part of somehow managing the magic there and preventing from being able to use them maybe- but yeah all the extra metal because I think the eridium was really fucking her up

Scarring/Original spinal implant

Okay so I think there was a smaller implant originally (and cause she got it young, not too young but probably soon after mental implant) and so it was soon updated to take attachments like wires and eventually that HUGE metal part, which does jab into the body and so there's scarring dots from where it was literally dug into her skin.

If you noticed, there's wires running from her back implant around her body to her stomach, why this i haven't figured out yet but I wonder if it was a way to replace needing to feed her (i hc the eridium makes it so she Technically doesn't need to eat or drink so she can't "accidentally" choke, typing this all out made me feel rage.) Either way! I think it'd cause scarring to remove that as well.

And now,

The neural cybernetics.

I've looked at a lot of refs, the implants seem (from what I can tell) almost like indented into her skin/skull and look empty, which is SO much brain matter removed. (I have a lot of hcs of how this effected her that I could make a post about sometime if that many people are actually curious-)

That's about it for describing this, but there's a million more things I could say. I don't think I've seen many people break down the intricacies or mention about the spinal implants.

Also like. I've seen no one else talk about it but is it just me or is it really odd the clothing choice Jack did for his own daughter- like the concept design- the outfit is. Something. I just think her canon outfit is really low cut and it's kinda wild a dad would choose to put his daughter in that but that's just my two cents-

[archivus]

MAG[REDACTED] - The Divine and The Machine

Statement of Jeremy Creek regarding a series of strange emails and their sender. Original statement given November 29th 2024. Put to tape on Christmas Eve, 2024. Statement begins:

I'd like to believe I've always been a rational man and am aware that the standards I keep myself to shouldn't have allowed for this to happen. Quick backstory, I had to switch from therapist to therapist because talk therapy focusing on my feelings did nothing for my wellbeing. Rational isn't even the right word, I was overzealously justifying every thought that came into my mind. I never found love and I simply don't believe I even need it. When I tell you I simply had no concept of what it meant to be drawn to someone or something before this and how my brain just blanks when I try to figure out the rhyme or reason to it, you'll understand why I'm reporting on this. I'm quite skeptical still, have no doubt about it, but I've read that your whole institute was built on the supernatural and when that amount of money is involved I can't help but wonder if there's more to you than a glorified Santa's mailbox for the psychotic.

So... I finished my computer science degree two years ago. After spending months in deep depression saying I'm "making up for all the sleepless nights I spent studying" or just "cutting my sleep debt" I finally came across a job listing I was interested in... No, sorry, came across isn't the right word, I subscribed to email notifications for more companies than I could count but I kept discarding the mails because none of the offers seemed enticing. I also specifically turned off recommended content, yet somehow I got more listings from this one company than all the others combined. What's more, I clicked on their page and it didn't exist. Not a single post, not even a deleted account, the waybackmachine had no record of any previous activity under that link, but the emails kept pouring in. They never seemed to stop, not when I labeled them as spam, not when I muted them, seemingly the mastermind behind it avoided using keywords just so the emails would end up in my inbox again. Changing their email address little by little to get through my filters. I was getting tired of this... scammy business so I unsubscribed from the whole site, which was just another futile attempt on my part. My previous address pretty much unusable I tried making a new account, but the new address was also, well I wouldn't say flooded, rather slowly but surely filled up with the same types of messages.

Thanks to the avoidance of keywords the texts began to twist from clear and professional to almost a desperate cry, they lost their impersonal tone and I began to get a picture of who the author was, or rather what prompt it was using. I never for a second believed that there was a human sitting behind a desk somewhere writing me all these twisted letters inviting me to their company. I was at a point in my life where I would have sold my soul to be hired, but if that's what they required they could've sugarcoated their intentions for a bit longer.

This is when I told a friend of mine about these mails and it wasn't long before our combined curiosity got the best of us. We decided to just wing it, with no reply to the emails we went to see the address it supposedly came from. About an hour away from my house, I parked my car tucked away behind a few streets just in case they'd try to do anything weird with my license plate. The apartment complex was ran down, the windows were covered in a layer of dried dust and limestone, the tempered glass doors that once meant to give the house a modern feel and a sense of security had completely failed at their purpose, the handle was rusted and tilted loosely in its socket. The silicon seal has hardened, snapped in half and was hanging out from under the doorframe. It was a cold afternoon in late autumn, so I tried scraping away at the layers of dust with the glove coating my knuckles. As it got more clear I could see a few houseplants wilted and rotting in their cracked pots, clearly uncared for for a long time. "It was dead inside" - I thought to myself - "at least no one was going to jump us". I reached for the doorknob. The smell of dozens of cigarettes once smoked in that staircase hit me as soon as I opened the door. The creaking hinges gave both of us goosebumps, but we pushed on.

Few important things to mention here: I have experimented with urbex as a teenager, so I was prepared to take only pictures and leave only footprints, that's also to say I was familiar with the feeling of an abandoned building. I never even knew what "presence" ghosthunters were talking about. But there was a deeply unsettling feeling that shook me to my core as I walked up the stairs. The address in the emails lead us to apartment 44. That's the 4th floor and to the right.

Well, right off the bat there was something strange about it. The door was torn clean off, slanted against the wall next to its frame. The apartment radiated heat, I can not stress this enough, the weather outside was below freezing and in the corridor it was no different. That signature muted smell of warm plastic mixed with the warmth smacked us in the face, you'd recognize that air anywhere once you've been inside a server room. And once again, no one in sight. The warmth was more inviting than I'd like to admit and well, here comes the part I regret, I unzipped my jacket, headed inside and for some reason my friend didn't object either.

After passing by a ran down kitchen we got closer to the source of the heat. The smell started to numb our brains. I worked gigs in maintenance where I got up close and personal with molten plastic cable covers, but it never smelt this bad. Pushing the N95 into my nose I carried on deeper, something made me want to push on. My friend stayed behind in the kitchen. I walked through an empty doorframe then pushed open the door leading to the innermost room.

I can't describe it any better, what I saw was a shrine. A shrine alongside the author of those emails. A shrine with its deity, its brain and its beating heart all in one. A supercomputer spreading over the walls, filling the room. You'd think there is no way anyone besides Google would have something akin to this. Yet it was there, its cables in an organized chaos, branded into thick tentacles with cable ties. They flowed towards the core of the mechanism that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling. There was exactly one, standard sized monitor in the entire room and it was tucked away behind the door. This wasn't meant to be perceived through human senses, I could tell that much. This wasn't made for people to use. I witnessed the epiphany of machinery and I felt helpless, unable to comprehend it. Only when looking back do I feel the extreme temperature that must have been in that room, as standing right there I only felt adoration for *it* and nothing else.

The rest of the story is a blank unfortunately. I woke up in a hospital bed after sleeping a whole day with second degree burns over my legs, arms and hands. I can only guess I got too close to some burning hot wires in there. My friend came in after me when I didn't react to him calling out my name. Since that day I keep getting these intense visions of similar machinery, they keep appearing in my sight and I seem to completely dissociate. They're not solely about the one I saw either, makes me wonder if there's a whole system of these out there. I also started sleepwalking, which I've never done before. Makes healing all these burnmarks that much harder. I think that's all the relevant information I have for you. Do get back to me if you find anything.

Statement ends. There's a reason I'm recording such a recent case and on Christmas Eve, no less. Jeremy has been reported missing. Two days after giving us this statement he left his flat unlocked and his family found no trace of him since. Notably, his PC has been ripped to pieces. Shallow clues, I'm aware, but the Extinction works in mysterious ways, we need all the data we can get.

Another thing to add, our institute rarely engages with the police, but for an ongoing investigation I can't help but provide the relevant information at our disposal. The details given here are vague and I haven't personally contacted the family yet to be able to see things for myself. As much as I don't like this, we are reliant on what the law enforcement is willing to share with us. But if the Extinction took roots inside Budapest we'll soon have bigger issues at hand than some tech savvy guy joining a cult. Recording ends.

Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays and an amazing New Year! And thank you for sticking with me through my hiatus. I would like to make this the actual formal announcement that I'm no longer that active in The Magnus Archives fandom, but whenever I get the inspiration I will write and occasionally post statements. My AMA is still open for ideas, my long term goal is to actually write a statement for every entity. Ahh, Extinction my beloved.

If you enjoyed you can find the rest of my works here: The Flesh The Vast The Stranger The Dark The Lonely

And here: #magredacted

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Whumpuary Day 29

Whumpuary Masterpost

Prompts List

Prompts: kidnapped | "don't leave me" | devotion

Fandom: Original Work

Words: 700

Tag List: (message me to be added or removed) @fourwingedsnake @whumperofworlds @pigeonwhumps @mr-orion @scaewolf

@the-ellia-west

WIP Wednesday Peeps: @wizisbored @zyrafowe-sny @hurricanebreeze

CW: fever, startled, angst

A/N: Technically speaking this was written on the 29th, but life's been kicking my ass lately so I decided just to post on the 30th and keep to my normal schedule just pushed back a day. Anyway enjoy some angst + feverwhump :3

----------

Reese pressed her forehead to the window. Her breath condensed on the smooth glass, the surface cool against her skin. She stared blankly down at the street below, thoughts moving slowly, as if through a vat of thick syrup. 

The first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, the buildings casting long shadows to the west. Her window faced north, on a high enough floor that she could see the Fells, even from the middle of the Northern District.

She exhaled slowly, trying to think. Her head was fuzzy, like someone had shoved cotton into the space between her brain and her skull.

“Reese?”

She flinched and pulled away from the window as Octavian appeared behind her without warning. The way he moved in complete silence sometimes was eerie, even though she knew logically he hadn’t meant to scare her. “Couldn’t sleep,” she mumbled, “sorry.”

His face was impassive. “How long have you been awake?”

Reese just shrugged.

Octavian exhaled slowly, studying her. Reese folded her arms tightly around herself under his scrutiny. She should have been used to this by now. But… being stared at from behind a glass wall and metal mask was different from being stared at face-to-face with someone.

Sagon never wore a mask. But Octavian wasn’t Sagon.

“You are not well,” Octavian said softly. 

Reese blinked, frowning. “So?”

He wordlessly reached out and rested his knuckles on her forehead. His hand was warm, not as soothing as the window, but not terribly uncomfortable, either. “You have a fever,” Octavian answered, withdrawing. “You need to rest.”

With those words, he turned away, drifting toward the kitchen. Now that she was paying more attention, she realized he did make noise as he moved, his footfalls soft and light. She followed him to the kitchen, where he soaked a towel in water. Twisting it tightly to wring out the excess, he turned and started, eyes widening when he saw her standing behind him.

For a moment they stared at each other. He held out the damp towel. “You startled me. I suppose I deserved that, for doing the same to you.”

Reese hesitantly took the cloth. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted. “Go rest.”

She stared at him for a long moment. She wasn’t entirely sure why. Though, upon later reflection, it likely had something to do with how her thoughts moved, as if time was at a snail’s pace.

Eventually, the uneasy thoughts found a voice. “Are you going out today?”

“Perhaps.”

“When?”

Octavian paused, thinking. “I do not know. Draven is still sleeping.” He considered her for a few seconds. “Why?”

Reese shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I… I just….” She exhaled. “Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

His expression softened, the first time she’d seen the mask of emotionless neutrality fall since that day in the Fells. “You are not well. I do not think it would be wise to leave you.”

“Will Draven be mad?”

“I will deal with Draven.”

She nodded, but did not move. The seconds stretched between them, but this time he broke the silence. “...do you want me to accompany you?”

Reese nodded again.

In future years, she would revisit that moment and similar, when the sleepless nights led her to press her forehead against another window. Somehow, that time was so much simpler. Her thirteen-year-old self would disagree, but she had not known as much as she did one, three, five years later.

With time came healing. With time came loss. With time came burdens. With time came new faces, and new friendships.

With time came a wistful remembrance, and painful curiosity.

Why hadn’t she said those words, when they actually mattered? Would they have mattered? Would anything have changed? Or would the answer have broken her even more?

She didn’t know. Couldn’t know.

And the celestials knew there was no use in trying to find out.

[hinnyfied]

Fireside

@hinnymicrofic June 19th prompt: Parents

It's not as micro as I originally intended, but I couldn't help myself! Read on AO3 here or below!

***

Ginny was in the throes of OWL preparation, and it was severely limiting her time with Harry (much to her irritation). They did their best to find ways to spend extra time with each other, even if that meant just quietly doing schoolwork together.

They were in the common room late one evening, curled up next to one another on the sofa nearest the fireplace. Harry was reading through his copy of Advanced Transfiguration and making additions to his notes from class while Ginny attempted to cram more Potions information into her brain – though she was convinced she was simply out of room up there at this point.

She felt Harry yawn beside her, and she looked up at the old clock on the mantle. It was nearing midnight, and apart from the two of them, the common room was entirely empty.

“Ready to call it for the night?” she asked him.

“Only if you are,” he said, stubbornly suppressing a second yawn.

“You don’t have to stay up with me, you know.” Ginny smiled.

“I know,” Harry said with a shrug. “I want to though.”

Ginny snuggled up closer to him, resting her head on his shoulders.

“I think Mum and Dad started going out during OWL year. I don’t know how the hell they found the time and still got good marks,” Ginny mused, wishing she could toss her book in the fire and spend all her time with Harry by the lake instead.

“Mine got together in their NEWT year,” Harry said, catching Ginny off guard.

Harry had never spoken to Ginny about his parents before. Everything she knew about them came from Hermione or brief mentions in books that touched on Harry and You-Know-Who or passing comments made by Sirius at Grimmauld Place.

“They must have had a hard time too then.” She raised her head, looking up at his face.

Harry nodded, his eyes staring off into some far away place, perhaps wondering – like Ginny – if they too had spent nights like this, studying together by the fire.

She thought she ought not to push Harry for more, but she had the tiniest inkling that tonight was different, that she might get away with a gentle nudge.

“Tell me about them,” she said softly.

Harry looked at her for what felt like ages, his expression difficult to read.

Without a word, he got up, leaving his things on the sofa and walking up towards his dormitory. Taken aback by the sudden departure, Ginny worried at first that she had overstepped, but Harry returned shortly after, holding a small bound book.

He sat back down next to her, staring at the book in his hands for a moment before hesitantly handing it to her.

Ginny opened what she now realised was a little album to the first page, and her heart clenched. There were James and Lily Potter, holding a little boy who could be no older than six months or so. He had round, happy cheeks, smiling as big as he could as his parents cuddled him affectionately.

“You really do look just like him.” Ginny said, looking at James and feeling a sense of warm familiarity despite never having met him. Harry smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Where did you get this?” she asked as she slowly flipped through the pages, pausing to absorb every detail she could from each photograph.

“Hagrid,” Harry said. “He reached out to people who might have pictures of them and gave it to me at the end of my first year.”

Ginny felt an extra swell of affection for Hagrid, alongside the bittersweetness of it all.

She turned another page, and her heart sank. It was a wedding photo, and beside the elated couple was Sirius, looking far more carefree than Ginny had ever seen him.

“She’s beautiful,” Ginny said with a whisper, clearing her throat and pointing to Lily. She was radiant in her wedding dress, full of happiness and hope for the future. It almost hurt to look at her, knowing what was to come.

Harry didn’t say anything in return, just pulled Ginny in closer.

There was a lot she wanted to say, and even more she wanted to ask, but she knew this wasn’t the time for it. That he brought her the photo album at all meant more to Ginny than she could say.

They sat in silence together, Harry watching her intently as she went through the album twice over, soaking up every bit of Harry’s little family that she could.

[eliza-and-her-monsters]

WEEBS!!

okay i was inspired and though anxious regardless- here are my…

Kaiju no. 8 OCS!!

i usually try and write a mix of both x reader and oc content but in all honesty i’m way better at it whenever i have a clear vision of who the character is in my brain so here is who i’ve been picturing!

you’re of course still welcome to picture x reader with any of my kn8 fics but for those who like ocs here you are! they’ll both be set in the same world just different divisions and love interests 🥰

HEAVILY featuring wifey Mina, big brother Narumi, and Rin the rizzler 🩵

also i will be yapping a lot so just prepare yourself-

(also NO character image because i can’t find ANYTHING that isn’t ai and i can’t draw worth shit so- i will let you picture whatever you want 😅🩵) (hair colors are also alluded to <3)

~

Name: Dr. Aria Ashiro

Age: 25

Height: 154 cm

Birthday: July 16th / Leo Sun / Cancer Moon / Scorpio Rising (no she will never know peace)

Occupation: Previous head of the scientific department for the Third Division and Engineering specialist

Backstory: From middle school to university Aria has always been known as a brainiac. Originally from England she moved to Japan whenever she was 16 to study underneath the JAKDF and immediately stunned them whether it was with her intellect or her ability to say whatever the hell she wanted whenever she wanted. Mina was smitten the moment she heard her, though under the watchful eye and influence of her professor, rattling off a series of facts about a plant kaiju emergence in an urban area and then promptly getting attitude with a then lower level officer Gen Narumi for yawning in the middle of her presentation without hesitation. Though underestimated by her peers at first, she simply didn’t take shit from anybody, something Mina really admired.

There was one issue though, well, a few issues maybe. She’s incredibly chronically ill. Starting off with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis that progressed as she got older and then a diagnosis of POTS that only made it worse. One of the worst symptoms was the autoimmunity, leaving her body essentially attacking itself. Nevertheless she fought against almost all the odds in the book until recently.

As for her relationship with Mina it couldn’t have been more meant to be if they tried. She was 18 whenever Mina was more or less thrust into saving her from a kaiju that had unknowingly regenerated whenever she was sent onto the field to collect samples for the science division. Though honestly Mina would be lying if she said she hadn’t argued her way into making herself be the person to take out the kaiju that had regenerated on her. After checking in on her in the infirmary though she felt surprisingly confident and finally let herself confess.

Headcanons/Fun Facts/Likes:

- Their first date was a skate park date, probably odd considering Aria injured her ankle during the Kaiju regeneration but she was down nonetheless, mainly because she thought a girl who skated was sexy.

- She discovered she wanted to be a scientific engineer through her obsession with legos, one that has continued on through this day and now the Ashiro penthouse is ALL decked out with massive lego sets.

- Rin once tried to flirt with her at a banquet for the defense force right after her and Mina got married and Mina was NOT having it. Though this was largely because she wanted to keep their wedding secret for a while considering the fact that for a while, while unattainable, Mina was one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Japan.

- Though she’s such a loved public figure, Mina’s not very active on social media BUT whenever she got married her account basically turned into a fan account for her.

- Works heavily with Izumo Tech on the custom weapons, they don’t make shit for the third division without consulting her first and despite the fact she’s retired they still frequently communicate with her through different designs with ammo and weapons.

- The third division originally wanted to go all out for their wedding (aka Soshiro) however they both ultimately decided they wanted something more quiet. Nevertheless though Soshiro was totally the best man and he walked Mina down the aisle and yes Bakko was absolutely the flower girl. They also had a cherry blossom wedding and Mina totally cried whenever she saw Aria walking down the aisle. Some of the officers in the third division say it was the first time they ever saw her show that much emotion.

- Mina proposed first though it was definitely unorthodoxed. She asked just about everyone she knew for advice but in the end she ended up just rolling out of bed one morning and asking her that way.

- Whenever Kafka became an officer and spilled that him and Mina were childhood friends people always wondered if she was jealous but in all honesty she really isn’t that much of a jealous person (Mina is for sure like MEGA JEALOUS). She actually really really admired him and probably fought the hardest to keep him alive because she’s definitely not afraid to stand up for herself.

- She did always highkey wonder if Mina and Rin had something at one point but jury’s still out 🤷‍♀️

———————————————

Name: Iris Narumi

Age: 23

Height: 152 cm

Birthday: February 4th / Aquarius Sun / Sagittarius Moon / Gemini Rising

Occupation: Medic for the first division / Artist

Backstory: With her and her brother’s parents dying whenever they were just kids, it was sort of up to Gen to raise his sister. Though his behavior showed the exact opposite, much like the two siblings dynamics. Gen was the ‘nightmare’ to have in class whereas Iris was the ‘delight’. All of that being said though whenever he was ostracized from an orphanage she tended to follow suit. She really hated him for it for a while, so whenever he was discovered by the defense force running back towards the orphanage to grab some toys the kids had forgotten, including her own, she didn’t mind him leaving for a while. Nevertheless though despite their estranged relationship he still sent her money with each of his paychecks so she could finally afford to actually get things she wanted.

Things had actually been going pretty well though until she turned 17 and the orphanage and the defense force both determined it would be safer for her to transfer and stay with him. Essentially kissing a lot of her art dreams goodbye to become a medic.

Headcanons/Fun Facts/Likes:

- Narumi was actually the first person she came out to and he was next level chill about it. He just paused his game, shrugged and said ‘Cool’ and went back to playing. (Also probably because he doesn’t exactly think he’s the straightest person either.)

- You would think it but whenever it comes down to the romance aspect of his sister’s life he is ALLLLLL about playing matchmaker. He’s protective, for sure, he’d kill anyone that hurt her in one strike but he would actually love it if she found someone. Mainly so that way she could find other friends besides him.

- Whenever he found out that Iris had a crush on Rin he was THRILLED actually. He made it his personal goal to be her wingman, even if it means embarrassing her in order to get Rin’s attention. It definitely helps though that Rin likes herself a bit of a helpless nerd. Even though any time she’s remotely sore Narumi’s immediately like ‘oh you better go see my sister in the infirmary.’

- Narumi would send her part of his paycheck whenever she was still in the orphanage and living without him so she’d still be able to buy anything she wanted. She was too afraid to spend it though so he was honestly horrified to see how little she had whenever he picked her up to take her back to base. She saved all of it.

- Because Narumi is so lazy whenever she isn’t working in the infirmary she gets roped into doing a lot of the technical jobs of captain which she complains to Hasegawa about a lot. But soon she found out that that meant she gets to watch some of the officers while they train.

- Narumi roped her into dying her hair like his so people would assume more that they were related. His subtle way of trying to give her more status and keep her protected within the defense force. However he ended up being jealous whenever he found out she pulls it off way more than him.

- Lowkey the first division’s sweetheart. Half of the time the officers would go to the infirmary with bullshit injuries and the most ridiculous excuses ever just to see her, something she was completely clueless to until Rin let it slip what was going on. This inspired her to step in because the moment they saw she was sitting with Iris it stopped (the bitch can be scary).

- Since she was a kid the way she showed her love was by drawing portraits of people and he won’t ever tell anybody but Narumi has kept every single one. Rin also isn’t a stranger to being obsessed with herself either so naturally she found it oddly adorable whenever she found out.

- Has an art account on instagram which honestly BLEW UP whenever she started working for the first division and people found out she was Gen Narumi’s little sister. Made her anxious as hell though so she ultimately decided to make it private.

Credits: dividers by @saradika-graphics