#it's mostly fine in this one but some of the others look ..rough lol rip

[megah3rz]

im actually still not over them giving us gen wearing a rainbow scarf during pride month

literally on a date too. no one can convince that this was a coincidence. they knew what they were doing with thisssss

[psalacanthea]

just for the lols.

Zynatheri was regretting, deeply, that she’d chosen to let her daughter handle breaking the news to her father.

Mostly because she’d forgotten that her daughter was, well…very much her daughter.

Lilithera had teleported in just out of town and arrived that afternoon, and had wasted absolutely no time demanding to go see him.  They’d talked about what had happened all the way back to the city, and to the Elfsong.  Zyn had been hoping she’d get a table and be patient, let her go first to try to figure out how to phrase things to…cushion the news.  Unfortunately, Lily had other ideas.

Following behind her daughter, Zyn padded up the stairs, stomach in knots with the impending confrontation.

“Lilly, stop!  You promised me you’d behave if I let you come!” 

The taller figure turned at the top of the stairs, yanking down her hood in one abrupt motion.  Curls were mussed in a halo around her carefully-braided, nearly-iridescently pale hair, her autumnal earth-brown and copper eyes bright with mischief.  Her nose crinkled impishly, the tip of her tongue poking out between her lips.  “Well, I lied,” she said snidely.  “It must be a family trait.”

Zyn lifted a finger in warning.  “So help me, I will Banish you, brat.  Don’t think that I won’t.”

“I’ve known how to counterspell for a century, mum.  It’s going to be fine.  A bit of a shock, and then once it all settles in, he’ll be right as spring rain.  Just have to rip it off like a bandage.”

“That’s not how bandages–”  She cut off, giving a little sigh.  “He’s had a rough go of it, darling.”

“Then we shouldn’t draw things out!”

The door at the top of the stairs banged open, and Zyn let out a long sigh, lips vibrating as she watched her daughter disappear.

“Hello, everyone!  Lovely day, nice to meet you!  Astarion, a word, please!”

“Who in the Hells are you?”  she heard Astarion retort.

Shit.

Steeling herself, and internally rolling her eyes at the immature little wretch, Zyn plodded up the last of the stairs, emerging into the upper area of the Elfsong tavern.  Whatever had been happening before, it had all stalled, every eye in the place on her very self-satisfied daughter.  As she emerged, however, Astarion glanced from Lily over to Zyn, expectant.  

She forced a smile– a grimace.  “Please forgive her, her mother never taught her manners.  Astarion, this is my daughter Lililthera.”

“Not…Lilithera Ancunin?  The restoration Archivist from Candlekeep?”  Gale asked, much to Zyn’s chagrin.  “It is you, isn’t it?”

“Archmage Dekarios!  It’s good to see you again!”  Lily replied cheerfully, still completely ignoring her glare.

“You know this man?!” Zyn asked accusingly, giving Gale a dirty look.  Oh, he had better stay away from her daughter.  Wizards.  Nothing but trouble.

“Ancunin?!” Astarion said at the same time, higher-pitched and louder.

“Why’s everyone shouting?”  Karlach interjected as she poked her head around a corner of a wall, sticking her pinkie in her ear.

Lilithera was still grinning from ear to ear, obviously enjoying the chaos.  Her eyes shifted from Gale to Astarion, and then back to Zyn.  Her daughter’s nose crinkled with merry amusement.  Hells.  Why had the awful imp gotten her sense of humor?

“Don’t torture him, he’s been through enough,” Zyn scolded softly.

“Why does your daughter have my last name?”  Astarion asked her as he paced down the stairs towards them, attention on her as if any of this was her fault.

Silence abruptly reigned, the audience gone very quiet indeed.

Zyn reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose.

The chances that Lilithera would handle this gracefully were basically nil, but Zynatheri had promised her that it was her choice how she handled meeting her father.  She was two hundred years old.  A grown woman.  Somewhere in those centuries she must have learned some tact.

“Hello, father.”

Hope withered on the vine, rotting and foul.

Zyn kept her eyes closed, in the hopes that it would help not to see what was happening.

Astarion’s denial was instant, cracking in panic.  “No!  No, no, no, no no!  Absolutely not!  You can’t be serious!”

“Dead serious, I’m afraid,” Lily said, and then laughed delightedly at her own pun.

“I think I would know if I had a- a bloody child!”

“The resemblance is a bit too uncanny to dismiss, Astarion,” the wizard said unhelpfully.

Zynatheri finally dropped her hand, glancing up tiredly.  Immediately she met a very accusing glare, which she didn’t feel was very fair.  Silently she raised an eyebrow at Astarion.  “What?”

“Well?”

She understood being a bit shocked, but really?  “Well what?  I’m not the one who didn’t take their cassil.  Trust me, getting knocked up by the charming brat that interfered with the assassination I was attempting was not in my plans.”

“You can’t be serious!” he repeated, lifting his hands in obvious panic, taking a step back.

“She just wanted to meet you.  That’s all.  She’s a grown woman, Astarion, trust me, I handled all the parenting that needed doing.  There’s absolutely no need to overreact.”

“I am not! Overreacting!” Astarion shouted at her.  “How could you- this is not-”  He was only momentarily too stupefied to talk.  Or, shout, arms flailing wildly. “I have seven thousand vampire spawn to worry about, and now you’re telling me I have a daughter as well?!  There is no amount of reacting that is too much!”

Lilithera, having the combined comedic timing of both her mother and her father, decided it was a fine time to make things worse.  “And four grandchildren.”

“WHAT?!”

“You have four grandchildren, too.”

It took quite some time for the screaming to stop.

sometimes I let my mind go on little vacations for enrichment while I'm working on the fic rewrite and now I'm just dabbling in the sandbox of the whole 'they knew each other before he died' thing and Astarion finding out after Cazador's defeated that not only is he a father he's actually a grandfather and the panicked shrieking in my head is hilarious.

[jaehyunfirstlove]

CONGRATS ON YOUR 1K MILESTONE <3 can i please request a dad!jaehyun smut? 🥺💗

Pairing: single dad!jaehyun x teacher's aide!f. reader

Genre: fluff, smut (18+ only)

Warnings: cheesy flirting, unprotected sex, oral sex (f. receiving)

Word count: 2k

A/N: aaaanndd another one i got carried away with lol! hope you like it, anon, and thanks for sending it in!

It was the first day of school and also your first day on the job as a teacher’s aide, and you were ushering the kids into the building when you noticed a boy standing off to the side, clinging to his dad’s leg. You noticed his dad had bent down, attempting to encourage the boy to enter the school with the rest of his classmates, but the boy just shook his head, holding even tighter to his dad’s leg. You walked over to see if you could help.

“Hi there!” you said in your sweetest voice, addressing the boy, “you must be Jeffrey. I’m Ms. L/N, your teacher’s helper.” You held out your hand for him to shake, but he just buried his face further into his dad’s leg.

“I’m sorry,” Jeffrey’s dad shrugged, looking at you with anxious eyes, “he’s just really shy since he doesn’t know anyone.”

“It’s fine,” you smiled, suddenly struck with how attractive Jeffrey’s dad was. Indeed, most of the parents and teachers milling about in the school yard were staring at him. “I’ve been trained for this sort of thing,” you reassured him. You bent down to be eye level with Jeffrey.

“I’m new too, just like you,” you told him, and this got his attention, as he peeked at you from behind his dad’s leg. “And I see you like Pokemon,” you continued, pointing at the keychain on his backpack. Now you really got his attention, and he finally emerged from behind his dad’s back. “I have some Pokemon stickers in the classroom, do you want to see them?”

Jeffrey nodded, smiling widely as he took your hand and followed you into the building. You glanced back at his father, who smiled gratefully at you, and you felt a stutter in your chest at the sight of the dimples that emerged in his cheeks.

---

Over the next few weeks Jeffrey became really attached to you, bonding with you over your shared love of Pokemon. He would sometimes play with the other kids, but mostly he would shadow you as you did your rounds during recess. He’d even opened up to you, telling you how his parents had separated and he’d moved into the area with his dad. You were intrigued by the story, by this sweet little boy who obviously missed his home, and a doting dad who had upended his life to take care of his son.

One day, Jeffrey’s dad was late to pick him up so you offered to stay with him while he waited. When Mr. Jeong finally pulled into the parking lot, he was frazzled, apologizing to you profusely for being late to pick up Jeffrey.

“I’m so sorry,” he’d put his hands together in a placating gesture, his eyes pleading, and you couldn’t help but smile at how endearing it all was. “I had a meeting that went late at work, I promise it won’t happen again.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, and he looked at you in surprise. “Mr. Jeong, those aren’t the kinds of promises you should be making,” you said jokingly. You’d only meant to lighten the tone of the situation, but he looked at you then, gears whirring in his head.

“Well Ms. L/N, what kinds of promises do you suggest I make, then?” he tilted his head at you, and your brain was busily trying to decipher if he was being flirtatious or not. You noticed that Jeffrey had wandered off to kick at the wood chips in the playground, and therefore couldn’t hear your conversation, so you decided to be bold.

“Maybe… the kind where I can benefit too, Mr. Jeong?” you raised your eyebrows at him, and he broke into a wide grin.

“You can call me Jaehyun,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he regarded you.

“Then you can call me Y/N,” you answered, then leaned in, whispering, “but not in front of Jeffrey.”

He laughed, a beautiful, velvety sound that was like music to your ears. “How’s this for a promise then,” he put a finger to his lips, pretending like he was thinking hard, “I promise that I’ll be on time to pick you up for our date this Friday night.”

“Is that your way of asking me out?” you asked cheekily.

“Yes? Do you accept?” he asked, now a little unsure but still encouraged by your lighthearted tone.

“I accept,” you nodded, “but let’s see if you can keep that promise.”

---

Friday night came and Jaehyun was indeed late, but just by a few minutes. You couldn’t help but tease him about it the entire time you were out together, and he took your teasing with a very good nature that impressed you. When it finally came time to take you home, he was silent as he walked you to your door, his face pensive.

“Everything okay?” you asked, noticing the change in his demeanor and wondering if you’d done or said something wrong.

“Yeah, I just… I just haven’t done this in a while… the whole dating thing,” he said hesitantly, running a hand through his hair. You noticed he would do that when he was shy or embarrassed, and to you it was the most endearing thing.

“I get it,” you nodded, “so there’s one new rule you need to know about.”

He looked at you questioningly. “What is it?”

“Well, breaking a promise on the first date means you have to come inside and have a coffee with me.”

He suppressed a smile, nodding his head and furrowing his brow. “Ah I see. Well, I would hate to break the rules, so let’s do it.”

When the coffee was done and a lot of heavy looks had been exchanged, but no actual move had been made, Jaehyun got up from the sofa with a sigh.

“Well I guess I’d better go, it’s getting late and the babysitter needs to get home.” Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, he clearly seemed hesitant to leave, but he knew his responsibilities, something about him you really respected.

“Of course,” you responded, but you didn’t want him to leave either. When he turned his back to you, you had the sudden urge to touch him, just to be close, so you placed your hand gently on his back. At your touch he stopped and turned to you, and before you knew it he was gathering you in his arms, kissing you gently, tentatively, his lips soft and warm against yours. You sighed into his mouth, and that made him grip you tighter, and soon enough the kiss became heated and you had the sudden urge to rip his clothes off. But he eventually pulled away, ever so reluctantly, resting his forehead against yours as he tried to breathe properly again.

“I really have to go,” he said, and before you could pull him back and tempt him some more he walked towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” he winked at you, before pulling your door closed behind him.

---

The next time he asked you out he surprised you by inviting you over to his place, saying he wanted to flex his cooking skills. You asked where Jeffrey would be and he said he’d be staying over at a cousin’s for the weekend, and that gave you an inkling that you’d have more than just dinner in store for you.

You showed up at his door wearing your most killer outfit, and it definitely had that effect, because when he opened his door and took one look at you he looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

“Ms. L/N? Is that you?” his mouth had dropped open, eyes roaming all over your figure hungrily.

“Yes it is, Mr. Jeong. Do you not approve of what I’m wearing?” you asked innocently.

“I believe it violates every article of the dress code,” he said, shaking his head.

“Does that mean I have to take it off?” you asked with a smirk, and that was enough for him. He pulled you inside, slamming the door closed behind you, his hands rough and needy on your body as he pulled you to him.

“A violation like that requires a hands-on punishment,” he growled, in between sucking on your lips and then your neck, “which means I get to take it off you.”

He pulled you towards his bedroom, both of you stumbling over Jeffrey’s toys while he apologized between kisses and you alternated between giggling and moaning as his hands squeezed your ass, and then your breasts.

“Oh, Jaehyun,” you moaned, when he finally got you onto his bed, his body engulfing you as he hiked your skirt up to your hips. He groaned deep in his throat when he found you bare, his hand going straight to your pussy.

“Ms. L/N you are naughtier than I thought,” he said, shaking his head in awe, and you only had a moment to smile devilishly at him before he bent down and sucked your clit into his mouth.

You cried out, your body reacting instantly to the way he was pleasuring you, his eyes dark and hooded as he watched you fall apart. You threaded your fingers into his hair as you felt your orgasm coming on, biting your lip to keep from screaming as he continued to suck harshly, like you were the sweetest lollipop he’d ever tasted. Your orgasm came hot and fast, and instantly he released your abused clit, hastily pulling off his clothes before hovering over you.

You looked up at him, eyes half-lidded, lips flushed and shiny with your juices, his beautifully styled hair now falling messily into his eyes. “Are you going to give me my punishment now, Mr. Jeong?”

He smirked, before he reached down, peeled your dress off of you, slowly. Once it was off he ran his hands all over your body, admiring, watching your reaction as he flicked a nipple, or dipped a finger into your folds. When he had you panting and whining for more, he slid his cock into you, so deep that your back arched off the bed and your fingers dug into his skin.

“Y/N,” he groaned huskily into your ear, losing himself in the feel of you as he drilled you into the mattress, “fuck, you feel so good.”

You couldn’t even respond, every sound stuck in your throat as his cock hit you in just the right spot. You clung to his shoulders, his hips snapping into you so hard you’d be surprised if you didn’t have bruises by morning. The knot in your stomach started to form ridiculously fast, spurred on by the sounds he was making as he fucked you, low, deep, from the base of his throat, the reverberations in his chest going straight to your core.

“Jaehyun, fuck, that feels good, just like that,” you moaned, and your encouragement fueled him, his pace quickening.

“Like that, baby?�� he asked, watching as you started to fall apart. He tweaked a nipple, and as your mouth opened to cry out, your orgasm finally hitting you, he crashed his lips against yours, swallowing your cries as you came, your body shuddering, pussy pulsing around his cock.

He released your lips to let you breathe, but he continued pumping into you, pulling you flush against him and pressing sloppy kisses to your neck. His thrusts started to stutter, and with one last deep thrust that took your breath away, he came with a low groan, face buried in your neck.

You were both breathing hard, bathed in sweat, but he still stayed inside you, nuzzling into your neck. You ran your fingers through his hair, and soon enough he pulled back to look at you, his eyes soft.

“I haven’t done that in a long time, so I hope it was okay,” he said sheepishly, a blush creeping up to the tips of his ears.

“Mr. Jeong,” you smiled, continuing to card your fingers through his hair, “I give you an A plus for that.”

[thereluctantinquisitor]

OC-tober Day 4 - Medicine

So heads up for (the, like, five lol) people who might be familiar with Stonebreaker up to this point - there has been some adjusting/reshuffling of the characters to balance things out and help dig me out of this deep writer’s block. So… yeah, just roll with it!

In which Adiran is just relaxing in the one place he feels safe, only for that to all go out (or through) the window (1000 words).

CW for cheap, nasty alcohol.

Prompt is from @oc-growth-and-development‘s OC-tober list!

---

There were very few places Adiran felt were truly his own. The palace belonged to his parents. The city to the people. The training grounds to the soldiers. The gardens were close, but there were always people passing by. Servants whispering as they walked. Gardeners clipping branches and tending to new blooms.

But Adiran’s private rooms? His bedroom, his bath, and the spacious entry for relaxing and receiving guests? Those were his.

It was an unspoken thing, mostly. A person’s private quarters was their space away from the demands of the outside world. Even his mother and father had separate entry rooms and baths, connected by a central bedchamber. As it turned out, even Kings and Queens needed a break from each other. 

Which was what made it all the stranger when he heard a frantic tapping at his window. 

On the third floor.

Frowning, hand automatically dropping to where his sword would have been, Adiran slowly made his way towards the Valcretian windows. Designed to help circulate air in the humid Rosemarsh climate, they had two large ornate panels that swing outward, latched at the centre by a gilded hook. The royal palace simply used the design because it was foreign, and therefore expensive and desirable. Despite their beauty, Adiran’s were almost always covered by a thick blue curtain, designed to block both light and prying eyes. He kept them drawn so often he could actually see a fine layer of dust gathered on the dark material. The house staff would have a fit, if they were ever permitted inside his chambers.

Three sharp taps again, more insistent this time. A muffled sound accompanied them as well; a single - rather colourful - word in a voice that was entirely too familiar.

Heart squeezing, Adiran ripped the curtain aside to find Sylda crouching on a branch of the towering Ashewood just outside his window. Let me in, asshole, she mouthed, pointing exasperatedly at the latch. Still at a loss for words, Adiran unhooked it and shoved open one of the panels. The thief, all elbows and knees, spilled into his room like a toppled pitcher. “Ugh - finally,” she said, picking herself up off the carpet and dusting the bark and leaves off her clothes. “Thought I’d have to spit on a guard just to get some attention around here.”

“I… what… how…?” Adiran just gaped as Sylda shook out her gangly limbs, snapped the curtains shut again, and proceeded with cat-like curiosity to poke around his room.

“Who, what, when?” she teased, dropping her voice in imitation of his own. Distracted, she gave a low whistle as she prodded his duvet. “Divider’s Own - I reckon your bed’s as big as my entire room!”

“What— I—” Adiran caught himself mid-stammer, partly because the look Sylda gave him made it clear she would not hold back a second time. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? How the fuck did you get in here?”

“Window.”

“That’s not what I—” Adrian cringed and lowered his voice. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

She just grinned, spun around, and flopped bodily onto his rumpled bed. “And you know that’s a secret. A trick of the trade, as they say. I can’t just go telling anyone how to sneak in here.” Sighing, she seemed to all but melt into the soft mattress. “It’d be bad for business. And for you, probably. Wouldn’t want any unsavory sorts climbing in through your window at all hours of the day.”

“Yes. That would be terrible.”

“Right?”

Judging by Sylda’s tone, the finer details of just how many people might actually know how to sneak onto palace grounds was, evidently, a matter for another day. Running an agitated hand down his face, Adiran double-checked the window before turning back to confront his latest problem. “Can you at least tell me what you’re doing here?” 

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Sitting up, legs crossed, her boots leaving dirty streaks on his covers, Sylda swung her battered satchel around until it was resting square in her lap. “Hadn’t seen you around in a while. Figured you might’ve caught something nasty last time you were out mingling with us low-folk. So…”

Before Adiran could even muster an indignant response, she pulled out a bottle of something painfully familiar. “You didn’t,” was all he said, aghast, before a wicked grin lit up her face. 

“Didn’t… what? Bring you some medicine, like the kind and thoughtful friend I am?” Her smile widened as she held the bottle aloft, swaying it enticingly. “Damn right I did. Now, you got cups in this fancy palace of yours, or are we swigging?”

Adiran was still trying to process what was happening. Taking his silence as some kind of response, Sylda shrugged and tugged the cork out with her teeth, barely managing to catch a stray droplet on her outstretched palm before it stained his sheets. 

“Wait... you... you seriously broke in here just to torture me with Palmaros Red?” Adiran had had a rough time, after his introduction to that particularly deceptive breed of swill. It was just sweet enough that you could comfortably polish off a whole bottle before the suffering kicked in. Despite his hesitation, Adiran found himself sliding onto the bed beside Sylda, doing everything in his power not to dwell on the suspicious brown streaks left by her boots. “Do you hate me or something?”

Rolling her eyes, Sylda took a long, deep pull of the wine, throat bobbing as she swallowed it with a belligerence that bordered on terrifying. Veteran though she was, even she winced at the after-burn as it went down. “Smooth as gravel,” she rasped, then turned her attention back to Adiran. “And do you really reckon I’d come all this way for someone I hate?” Before he could reply, she shoved the bottle at his chest. “Just drink up, princeling. It’s been quiet without you around to talk shit with me.”

Wrapping a hand obediently around the bottle, Adiran regarded it with pure disdain, almost wishing Sylda had just left him entirely alone. But, of course, that thought drained away when he glanced up to find her watching him fondly, lips twisted in amusement, dark brows raised expectantly, mouth tinged a tell-tale red. That strange pressure in his chest suddenly returned, almost making it hard to breathe.

What could he have possibly done, to make someone go to all this trouble just to drink utter piss with him? 

In truth, he didn’t know. He felt like he barely knew anything, these days. Not where other people were involved. But despite his own self-doubts... there she was. Sitting in the last place he ever expected to see her. A surprisingly welcome sight, even in the one place he dared to call his own.

So, with a defeated sigh, he plucked a stray leaf out of her curly hair, and took his damn medicine.

[blackberry-gingham]

Got to be honest... I love the mermaidau! theme too. Could you pls give us a pt2 cause I need to know how is their rlp gonna evolve. (Feel like even writing a hole 2k word fanfic with this au and im not ashamed 😂)

(Pst, anon is referring to this request!)

Mwaaaha yeeees... YEEEEES !!!! I'm so glad you guys like this au lmao 😂😂 All I have to say is, I hope y'all can come through with this mermaid au when summer hits, bc that's my JAM 😤

Even if I don't get another mermaid au request until then, like please y'all, I'm begging you lol

But anyways, tumblr has decided that doing all four on here is too long, so I’m posting half now and I’ll link Paul and Ringo before the day’s over! (Also bc I lost like half of Ringo's story last night, and I have to rewrite it, so rip :') ) Enjoy!

Paul and Ringo this way!

George

It's quite a bit before George can see you again

He had to take up a job, even with school, and practice, and family, and friends, and the occasional gig... just to save up

But when he finally got enough to buy that bike... It was all worth it

It's almost as prized a possession as his guitar, and the very next day after purchasing it, he loads up a blanket and some food and heads off for the lake

The ride from home to the water is a bit long, but nothing he can't handle

At long last, he arrives at the tiny pier and he can hardly contain himself as he sets the kickstand and grabs his things

He rushes down and sets up shop

In his excitement, George has forgotten to consider whether or not you'll even show...

But he doesn't want to give up yet

So he waits

And waits

And after a few hours pass by, he decides he might as well have his lunch instead of skipping rocks and wading in the water all afternoon

George swims over to the edge of the pier and clasps into the plank to hoist himself up

But before he can complete the maneuver, he finds himself jerked back down again

It's gentle enough that he doesn't get submerged, but it's certainly enough to give him a start

He splutters and flails a little, turning around as quick as he can to see...

Oh, it's you...

George breathes a sigh of relief, even as your eyes watch him from just above the water line, your hair floating on the surface like an angel

Your eyes go wide in excitement, and you peak your head all the way above the water, giving a soft gasp of surprise

"It is you! I can't believe you came back!"

George's heart hammers in his chest, whether it's from the surprise, the physical activity, or something else... He doesn't know

"O-of course I am! I said I would, didn't I?"

You laugh, "So you did! ...By the way, what have you got up there?"

George looks over his shoulder to the picnic basket that's clearly in view, then back at you

He waves you over and pulls himself up at last

When he's turned around, you've disappeared and George's heart drops

Well, not for long. A moment passes, followed by a huge splash as you jump from the water to the pier

It's not a perfect jump, as you need to pull yourself up a bit, but you make it well enough

George is halfway through unloading the basket, but he finds himself incredibly distracted by your tail

He doesn't mean to be rude it's just... It's almost like you weren't real before now

The tail is nearly twice the length that human legs would be. It tapers all the way down to a fine and delicate point that flares out into a transparent, forked fin

There are smaller fins like this along the rest of your tail, George notes, providing gorgeous accents to your shimmering iridescent scales

You swish your tail behind you, feeling a bit shy

George shakes himself out of his stupor, "Oh, sorry! I just... Wow"

You huff a laugh and mumble a thanks, not quite out of the awkwardness

"Um, here, I brought you something", George hands you a carefully wrapped sandwich

You give it a sniff and wait for George to taste his first

It tastes fantastic. Unlike anything you've ever had before

George tells you it's called a "ham and cheese"

Before you know it, the two of you jump into a whole conversation about life above and below water

You talk all afternoon and into the evening. George, doesn't even realize how low the sun's set until he takes a moment to stretch and look up

"Oh, I suppose you should be going..."

"Yeah..."

George looks at you and then the water one more time

It's like a pool of gold out there, the orange and yellow reflecting so beautifully on the water

"Say, how about one more swim?", George nods towards the water

Needless to say, you both race in for a last dip

You swim laps around George as he move slowly through the water, and you find yourself growing bored rather quick

"Ugh, here hold on!", You laugh and roll your eyes as you latch onto George from beneath

He doesn't protest, and you tow him easily back and forth through the water

It's not as fast as you could go, but it's faster then George has ever achieved on his own

It's actually great fun, but all things must end, and after a few rounds you glide to a stop surrounded by golden ripples

You sigh and look around, letting him go, "Sorry, it's late. I didn't mean to get so carried away..."

George wades just inches away from you, "No no, it's alright! I um, I had fun"

"Really?", You smile

"Really...", George floats a little closer to you, and you can feel his warm breath caress your hair, "In fact, m-maybe we could do this again sometime?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Before he even gives a thought to what he's doing George's lips meet yours halfway, pressing far softer then you'd expect from a rough teddy boy like himself

It's one of those kisses where you don't even have to think, or give subtle hints

Everything just feels right

Your heart does a flip when you separate, and George sticks by his promise

It gets to the point where you have a schedule to meet each other, getting the most out of your daylight hours

From now on, no more waiting

Just you, and him.

John

John's been visiting you for quite some time now, bringing you shiny things on occasion, but mostly just enjoying your company

You're on a first name basis and everything

It's strange almost, John feels quite special

After all, he might be the only lad in all of England to befriend a mermaid!

Although lately, he's been feeling... Different about you

He must be mad

But it's just...

You're so sweet, and kind, and you listen and understand him like no one else ever has before, an-

Ugh

He must be going mad

That would certainly explain why he's buying you a locket with his latest savings

It may be from a second hand store, but he knows you'll love it

The locket is shaped like a heart and made of brass

The metal is a bit tarnished but the small heart shaped ruby in the center is bright as ever

It's perfect

John takes it home and hides it away from Mimi

She doesn't know about you, but she has some suspicions about a girl...

That's certainly not something John wants to talk about, so he's trying to be as covert about you and him as possible

But before he can hand off his gift to you, he needs to sneak one of Mimi's pictures of him

She has a few up in the attic, which John is easily able to swipe and cut out to fit in your locket

There. Now it's perfect

John gets a good night's rest and heads out bright and early to your cove the very next day

He arrives to find you splayed out on a bed of shells and trinkets, sun bathing

"Hello birdy!"

You spring up and turn to face him, "Johnny!"

Patches of sand stick to your skin, shimmering like glitter in the sun

John whips off his leather jacket and shirt as he goes to sit beside you before removing his boots and socks as well

It's a bit of a custom for him ever since he started feeling comfortable around you

The beach is rather hot, yes, but more so, he likes that you make him feel confident enough to take all that off in the first place

You don't know this, but it's a huge sign of the trust he has in you

The two of you talk and catch up a bit on the few days you were apart

John tells you about school, and you about your adventures at sea

Both of you are equally fascinated about each other's worlds, and both wish a bit that they could live like the other does

You've offered to take John out to sea, but he's not to keen on wading that far out in the ocean

When the conversation starts to run dry, John remembers his gift at last

"Oh by the way, I brought you something..."

You perk up, not suspecting anything other then the usual shiny pebble or coin

But then again, John seems... Different

You could swear you see a blush climbing his cheeks

"I uh, saw this and thought of you...", He holds out an old, worn locket. The Ruby heart and tarnished brass flash and glint in the sunlight, mesmerizing you

You gasp softly, and reach for it slowly, as though you're dreaming

"Do you fancy it?", John asks nervously

"John, this is beautiful..."

You click the heart open and reveal a raggedly cut picture of John smirking back at you from behind a heart shaped lid of glass

You trace your finger along the picture's edge, a trance like glaze over your eyes

"I um, I thought maybe you could wear this one... You know, that way you could always have me with you when you go out to sea... Or... Something", John mumbles, wondering if he sounds even half as stupid as he thinks he does

He peaks over at you once, then twice as you look at it in silence

"It's alright, you don't have to-"

"Could you put it on me?"

John looks stunned, as though he's surprised you actually like his well thought out gift

"Uh, I- sure"

You hand him the necklace and turn

John lifts it over your head and lowers it slowly

The metal is warm from John's hands as it touches your skin, and John fastens the clasp in a jiffy

"There you are..."

You turn around again, eyes shining brightly with joy, the heart clasped in the palm of your hand

A knot forms in John's stomach, seeing you look so happy with him like that, and suddenly he feels sick

He has to say it

He knows be does

He has to tell you now, or it's going to kill him

And yet, if he does tell you, that might kill him too

"Ugh, I must be mad..."

You quirk an eyebrow, "Wha-?"

"I love you", John blurts it out as though it was tortured out of him

It's not very sweet, or romantic, or charming...

No, it's actually much more like he just spat on the sand and continued on

But you know John by now, and to you, it's more then enough

You put your hand over his and lean in to press a gentle kiss to his burning cheek

"I love you too Johnny"

John's breath hitches in his throat, and looks at you with a gaze he's never given any other woman in the world

"Really?" His voice is the barest of whispers

But you don't need to answer, John is already pulling you in for a kiss as he lays back on your small pile of treasure

It's not his first make out session, and it won't be his last

But with you? Right here, on the beach, in the warm sun, laying cozied up on his bare torso?

It's the one he remembers most, for all his life

[thenamesblurrito]

How did you draft SNAP? I've just gotten to the drafting stage of my comic with my brother but idk if theres some certain way to do it.

it’s taken a bit for me to organize my thoughts on this but I have an answer now, and you might not like it: there IS no some certain way to do it! I’ve been working with comics (and poking into the professional field, too O.O) for a few years now, so I do have some general advice for you-

read comics. really. can’t make a comic if you don’t know what a comic is, and since comics are a very specific medium of sequential visual storytelling, all the elements that make it a comic aren’t easily learned through other mediums. page layout, art style communicating tone, character design, story beats, etc. Scott McCloud has some wonderful books on comics, the Hellboy series is genuinely masterful, and honestly you could reread IDW and call it research. i go back and study my favorite webcomics to try and absorb their excellence: TPOH by @modmad is stunning, @avasdemon is gorgeous, and there’s endless more to browse over at @webcomiclibrary

know your story. this is covered by a Whole Heckin Lot of different places, resources, and writers, so I’ll encourage you to go look at comprehensive help if you need plot assistance. keep in mind that everyone drafts differently! you might need everything plotted out, or you could fly by the seat of your pants. physical writing, digital notetaking, verbal processing, all of it is fine as long as it works for you

THUMBNAIL for goodness sake thumbnail before you dedicate to a page. in fact, make practice versions of everything important. mess with character designs until you’re Absolutely Sure you will be alright with drawing them a bajillion times over and over. but specifically, thumbnails are tiny, rough page layouts. tiny so that you don’t get into any details and you can see how easily the page reads even when small, and rough so you aren’t committing and can keep fiddling. even with pages you’ve had in your head forever, a quick simple thumbnail can help smooth the transition from head to page

there’s other, post-drafting things to consider, like formatting and file size and update schedule and getting it out there, but that’s a whole seminar and I’d like to keep this relatively simple

for me, drafting SNAP was an adventure in taking the puzzle pieces my brain seemed to automatically generate (thank you, MADD) and fitting them together in something resembling order. almost all of the plot and twists presented themselves to me with very little work! arranging them however was a hassle. my episode-by-episode breakdown is uh. a mess. because my drafting process is a stream of consciousness solid block of text. here:

01- Welcome to the Academy! An Upgrade to Primes Orion oh no im late trope, monologue about situation, bumps into megs at front gate as creators are saying goodbye, drags orion inside as excuse to ditch them, cut to trine being weirdos at landing pad, screamers making plans to be awesome but whomp whos that chick its windblade and she can fly in root mode, grr immediate one sided rivalry [... this goes on for awhile]

no punctuation, no capitalization, just wordvomit. not every episode has such specific notes, some just say a general plot hook and some character reactions! this first episode however was daydreamed out until I had a pretty solid series of events

I’m early in thumbnailing right now. wish I was further along, actually I wish I simply had SNAP finished so I could read it myself *sob* BUT. it’s chugging along. my thumbnailing setup is a simple grid I scribble over with new layers for every six pages:

last one is blank because I’m in the habit of arranging pages by side-by-side pairs for printing, since that’s been the usual consideration for the comics I worked on before. you can see how messy these are! and they’re by no means final, either, I think I’m going to have to cut down on some pages once I finish thumbnailing this episode. one thing I have kept in mind for SNAP specifically is anime tropes that I can rip off, hence that fifth page being mostly taken up by Orion running to school with toast in his mouth lol

anyway this got long and I am hardly an expert, still workin on my own comic, but I hope this helps! anyone with more resources, tips and tricks, or advice feel free to chime in too, I’m hardly the entirety of comic knowledge

[bby-ahgastay]

Practice room - M.T.

a/n: hi! so this is my first post ig. i hope it’s okay lol. it’s honestly kind of a lot but mark really just had me like wowww. but i hope you enjoy! it’s very dirty with a couple lil soft moments. but mostly just sin.

member- mark tuan 

summary- mark is stressed since he can’t get down a choreo so you help him out by letting him use you to fuck out his frustration. 

word count-  3.5k 

warnings- so many. public place, face fucking, fingering, slight degradation, dom!mark, sub!reader, rough sex, unprotected sex, mirror kink, choking kink, hair pulling, little bit of praising ig. idk this shit is just filthy man.

mark stumbles once again, landing with a loud groan. "fuck!" he exclaims angrily, tugging on his hair with one hand. he sighs and sits there for moment with his elbows resting on his knees, head in hands. you watch your boyfriend with a frown and get up to move over to him. placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, you crouch down so you're sitting behind him.

"baby, come on," you sigh at him, soothingly rubbing his back. "you've worked so hard today. all the boys left almost two hours ago, we should go home so you can rest." he just shakes his head and stares at the floor.

"no. i have to get this. they left because they had it down just fine. i keep messing this up. i don't know what's wrong with me, i've never had such a hard time with getting a fucking dance down and now it's just..." he trails off with a sigh. he rubs his face in frustration as you rest your head on his shoulder. you leave a light kiss on his cheek, trying anything to help soothe the man you love so much. seeing him so stressed out always brings you down. you just always want to see that smile that you fell so, so in love with.

mark stands and holds a hand out to you. he pulls you to the couch at the back of the practice room and sits down, pulling you down next to him. "i'm sorry, babe. i know you probably just want to go home already. i promise we will soon," he wraps an arm around you and pulls you into his side. a sigh leave his lips as he hugs you tight, his head resting on top of yours. "i just need to get that one move down first, i'm sorry."

"i know you want to get it right now, mark. but you're a good dancer, okay? you'll get it down, i know it. you're just stressed right now. and over worked. you need to relax. rest. or maybe at least blow off some steam." you look up and place a hand on his cheek, rubbing your thumb against his soft skin soothingly. his eyes close as your touch helps him feel better already.

it doesn't take long for an idea to pop into your head. you take your hand from his face and shift so your kneeling next to him on the couch. because of this his eyes open and he lifts his head to look at you, his head cocking slightly when he can see the look on your face.

"what's on your mind baby?" the slight undertone in his voice hints that he probably already knows the answer. when his hand moves to rub your thigh softly, it’s obvious that he definitely knows what you have in mind. he can read you so easily, you don't have to say a thing for him to know what you want and when, but he always loves making you say it anyways.

"nothing, just... i think i know how i can help you..."

you lean forward slightly to catch his lips on yours, one hand move to caress his neck. the kiss is slow and meaningful. you want him to know that you just want to help him. soon enough you pick up the pace, though, moving your tongue into his mouth and nipping at his lips.

he lets out a soft moan when you move to kiss his at neck and what his tank top exposes of his chest. "you're too good to me baby," you move to straddle him and look into his eyes, lust clouding his and no doubt yours too.

you hum and shake your head, leaning to leave more kisses on his neck. "no, you deserve everything and more my love." you grind your hips slightly down on his. "now come on, markie. use me to blow of some steam." your voice a seductive whisper, you take both of his hands in yours and place them on your hips. his fingers dig into you enough to leave bruises later, yet he's still gentle when he pulls you closer to his chest, letting you be in control for a little bit before he inevitably takes over. your hands start on his face as you lean in to kiss his lips. you slowly move your mouth downward as you continue to kiss his lips and neck, leaving plenty of marks on his neck and collarbone. got7s makeup artists will be very bothered when they have to cover all the dark spots on his neck, but neither of you care at all. you kiss and bite all the way down his chest, his abs, all the way back up then down again a few times.

finally your hands settle over his dick, rubbing him through his sweatpants. he lets out a throaty groan as your hands work on him, your lips focused on the sweet spot on his neck as you do. soon your lips are back on his and he pulls you so your chests are pressed together and your arms go around his neck, you hold each other as close as you can as you move your hips over him again and again. he does most of the work, his hands on your hips guiding your movements and pace.

it doesn't take too long before you're both moaning loudly and he's hard as a rock.

he tangles a hand in your hair and pulls you back, your eyes closing as the sensation rips a moan from your mouth, and his other hand is keeping your heat moving against him deliciously. the thin material of your leggings let's you feel his dick under his sweatpants rubbing against you so nicely, making you glad you decided against underwear today.

"look at me," he growls lowly as he pulls your hair roughly, to force you to open your eyes and meet his as you try to roll your head back. you gasp and look at him while panting, the look in his eyes telling you that he's no longer going to give you any control. you being in control never lasts long as mark just always ends up wanting to completely dominate you. he loves knowing you’re totally at his will, ready and eager to do what he tells you to and let him do whatever he wants to do to you.

"you really want me to fuck you in the practice room, baby? i know everyone is gone this late, y/n, but still... we're in public and you want me to fuck you anyways?" his voice is deep as he leaves kisses on your neck every few words. his tone is teasing, fake sweet. he digs his fingers into your hips even harder than they were, the slight pain blurring to pleasure. you moan and nod quickly, not even caring how desperate you must seem as you whine pathetically. you started wanting to pleasure him, but you know he is pleased seeing you like this. he could get off just on how needy you can get for his dick.

"look at my little slut. always so quick to get worked up," he smirks while watching your hips against his. marks eyes flash up to meet yours for a moment before he can't help but pull your head forward again, hurriedly crashing your guys’ lips together. after kissing you for a moment, just enough so he can taste your mouth again, he pulls away and looks at you fondly. "i want you on your knees baby. i need those pretty lips on my cock now."

you nod slightly before quickly moving from his lap, settling yourself so you're kneeling between his legs on the floor. he strokes your hair as your hands rub up his thighs, making your way for the waistband of his grey sweats. your fingers move under his waistband and he lifts his hips up to let you pull his sweatpants and boxers down at once. as you watch his dick swing up and hit his his stomach you can feel how excited you are to have him in your mouth.

you bite your lip and lean forward, starting by pumping him in your hand. you nearly moan just at the feeling of having your hand wrapped around him again. you can never help how you're just always so eager to feel his dick every time you guys have sex. whether it's with your hand, mouth, pussy, or anything you just love touching his thick cock.

slowly, you stick your tongue out to lick his head, looking up at him to watch his reaction. he stares down at you, breathing heavy in anticipation. you take the tip into your mouth and swirl your tongue around, mark sinking his teeth into his lower lip at the feeling. he lets you take your time for a while, you slowly work further and further down his length and his head falls back into the back of the couch as you take all of him. your nails dig into his thighs as his tip hits the back of your throat, forcing yourself to hold back your gagging.

after a few minutes of you just slowly moving your mouth up and down on him, taking every inch every time you go back down. but he can't hold himself back for too long before his hand is back in your hair, starting by just lightly pushing your head down and pulling your hair to bring you back up. he grunts slightly as he picks up the pace, and eventually his hips are bucking up to meet your mouth. tears begin to pool up in your eyes, but you don't even care.

you grip his thighs harder and let out a moan as he roughly fucks your mouth, almost making you gag every couple of thrusts. the way his low moans and grunts sound only makes you wetter against your leggings, your thighs pressing together for some sort of friction.

finally he pulls your head up, you gasping in a breath immediately. he pants while taking in your appearance, and you look so fucking pretty to him like this. with swollen lips and messy hair, still catching your breath, tears running down your cheeks and drool going down your chin and neck. "shit, baby... you look so fucking hot," he growls and pulls you back up to sit in his lap again.

despite how rough he's being with you he still lifts the hem of his shirt to your face, tenderly wiping your tears then the drool from your face and neck. "you're always so good when you let me fuck your pretty mouth... are you okay baby?" he tilts his head. you can tell he's still intending to treat you rough, set on completely ruining you, but he genuinely wants to make sure you're still okay with how rough he’s being. even when he knows you love being handled like this he never wants to go too far on accident.

you smile and nod with a hum. you lean down to kiss him and he remains sweet for a moment, kissing you so passionately and softly you could melt away. but soon his hands are on your hips and he pulls you back against him, his hands slip under your sweater and rub at your warm skin before pulling back and lifting your it off of you. he reconnects your lips and next he's hooking his fingers to pull your leggings down just enough so he can fuck you, but not all the way off. he quickly pulls away from your mouth and his eyes go right to your bare core.

"you're not even wearing underwear?" there's a dark look in his eyes. all you can do is shake your head and hum no, your voice caught in your throat. "you really are just my little slut, huh, baby?" he presses his thumb against your clit, rubbing circles against it a couple times. his fingers move up and down your slit, moving around your wetness as he does. he laughs when he feels how wet you are already.

"you like sucking me off this much, hm?" he looks up at you, tilting his head to the side with an amused and smug smile. "come on baby, i know i was rough on your throat...” he moves his hand as if he’s about to choke you, but he doesn’t put any pressure. “but it's not like you've lost your voice... answer me." his smiles falls just as he shoves two fingers into you, your jaw dropping at the sudden stretch. all you can do is let out small whines as he takes no mercy, scissoring his fingers apart inside you. "now," he speaks through gritted teeth as he fingers you.

"yes," you rasp out, your voice sounding rough with how abused your throat just was. "i fucking love sucking you off mark, and i fucking love when you fuck my mouth. it always makes me so wet, mark. i fucking love it,” you ramble a little as your breathing becomes heavy. “god... please, markie, i want your dick inside me so bad right now. please fuck me, mark."

he has to hold back a moan at your words, still not stopping his fingers inside you. the expression on your face as you beg him to stick his dick inside you is so innocent and it completely contradicts not only what your saying, also the fact that your letting him do all this to you in public. at his work place, nonetheless. his head moves down to kiss your neck and shoulder while he ignores your pleas, having the time of his life with his fingers attacking your pussy. he pulls back so he can see, watching his fingers slip in and out of your soaking pussy.

hoping he'll hurry and give you what you want, you whine and force another please to slip from your mouth, but it sounds more like another pathetic moan than an actual word. once again the corner of mark’s lips turn up into another smug smirk, tilting his head up at you to watch you struggle to keep your eyes open.

"you're so fucking needy," he growls out. but he still moves his fingers away, placing his other hand on the back of your neck to pull your face closer to his, your noses almost touching. "if you really want me to fuck you that bad then fine," he crashes his lips against yours, only lingering for a moment before pulling back away. "get up," he demands with a sharp slap to your ass that makes you gasp. you're quick to listen, standing up in front of him.

he pulls your pants down the rest of the way and uses his hands on your hips to spin you around and pull you back down on his lap, feeling his dick right against your ass. he lifts your hips and brings you back down on his dick, stuffing all of himself in you all at once just because he wants to hear you moan out loudly. he hums at the feeling of you around him and the sight of your ass on his lap.

one of his arms is wrapped across the front of your waist, his other hand grips one of your tits as he moves his mouth close to your ear. you shiver as his breath hits your ear, him already guiding you to move up and down on him at a fairly quick pace. "look at yourself in the mirror, baby. i want you to see how fucking hot you look while i fuck you," his voice is so deep and low in your ear, sending another shiver through your body as you can only nod. you stare at yourself in the huge mirror on the wall across from your guys’ spot on the couch.

mark leans back on the couch and holds your hips in place with both hands, beginning to buck his own hips up hard and fast. you can't help the moans and curses that pour from your mouth as your left hand goes to grip mark’s arm, trying to steady yourself as his thrusts make you jolt forward every time, even with his hands on your hips to help with keeping you in place. you try your best to do as he said and watch him fucking you in the mirror but you get so lost in the pleasure that your head falls back and your eyes close in bliss.

his right hand stays gripping your hips tightly, your own hand gripping that arm tightly as well still, but he lets go of your other hip. he uses that hand to plant a loud smack on your ass and then he grabs a fistful of hair and harshly forces you to look back up at the mirror. "watch," is all he says. you breathe heavily and whine, but still listen and force your eyes open to look at yourself in the mirror.

your hair is so messy, your cheeks are red and tear stained, and hickeys litter your neck and chest and shoulders. you look roughed the fuck up but that thought only makes you even wetter, as if you weren't already soaking. mark watches as his dick slides in and out of you with ease, low groans and grunts coming from his throat as you drip all over him.

"you're so fucking wet. how are you so fucking wet," he grumbles. "and you sound so fucking filthy. the way you’re moaning so loud for me, baby. you like me fucking you here? right here where you know someone could still walk in, hm? fuck, you're such a dirty little slut for me."

his words only push you closer to the orgasm you feel building while his tip hits your spot every time he snaps up into you. he wraps his arm around your front and pulls you to lay back on his chest as he keeps up his fast and rough pace. one hand stays in your hair and the other travels up your body, his touch raising goosebumps on your skin. his hand stops at your boobs, taking some time to knead each one in his hand, pinching and pulling at your nipples. his lips are on your neck again too and you watch the whole scene, taking in how dirty this is. the pleasure keeps building and building and it's all too much, you know you're going to cum soon. you let your head fall back on his shoulder as high pitched moans fall from your mouth sinfully.

he can feel it too, your walls are clenching around him so tight and it pushes him further and further towards his own high. he knows both of you won't last much longer, so he moves on from your boobs and goes up even more, resting on your neck. his hand tightens around your neck, just enough to make your mind foggy with all the pleasure, and he tugs your hair harder.

"come on baby, i know your gonna come. will you be a good girl and watch yourself cum for me?" you try to force your eyes open, your vision blurred as you can barely get them open. it’s difficult, but still you manage to open them more. "good girl," his voice is so honey like in your ear even as he's panting so hard. you know you need to cum, but you can't say anything with his hand around your throat, not that you mind.

"it's okay, baby, let go. go ahead and cum all over my cock," with his permission you don't hesitate to let your orgasm wash over you, taking over as your sounds get caught in your throat, your mouth open wide and tears pricking at your eyes. feeling you cum around him makes mark speed up even more, brutally fucking you through your high while still chasing his own. his hand also tightens around your throat, and now you can barely breathe but you fucking love it. you shudder from the overstimulation, your brain is too clouded to think anything.

it's not long before mark’s thrusts get sloppier and he's twitching inside you, his cum painting your walls as he slows down. the hand on your neck loosens as he cums, the other dropping from your head too. he moves both hands back to your hips, grinding you hard onto him once as you both come down.

"fuck." he pants and just wraps his arms around you as you go limp on top of him and your head falls back on his shoulder. his dick still inside you, you both catch your breaths and mark leaves soft kisses on your shoulder. after a minute he lifts you slightly and pulls out of you, making you wince at the feeling of being empty.

"i love you so much, y/n. thank you so much," he pants out, both of you still breathing pretty heavily. you smile softly and turn your head to look up at your boyfriend.

"i love you too, mark. anything to help you relax baby. besides, i guess i had fun too."

he raises his eyebrows and scoffs, smiling a little as you smirk. "you guess? did you hear yourself a few minutes ago?" he laughs as you blush, looking away from him and bringing a hand to cover your embarrassed laugh. the light moment is turned dark again in a second when mark moves to whisper in your ear.

"i know you saw yourself. how fucked out you looked," your breath hitches in your throat at the reminder of the sight of yourself.

"but if you only 'guess' you had fun, we'll just have to get home so i can really show you a fun time, huh?"

[icharchivist]

hello icha!! i finally got around to finishing the stranger haha,, by which i mean i just watched it today. was veryyyy excited for it as i really like the poster design for this one. anyways. this event starting w/ the sort of portrait format or whatever / that narration is like. god. threw me right back to autumn troupe. I kind of love that the storytelling format itself is so distinct for autumn! the moment I realized it was omi I started getting teary… like oh man oh man… omi…. And the connection with him taking photos! ahh!! now that I think about it… omi kind of seems a bit like early version tsumugi, huh? also I keep forgetting this man is a college student lol. suspension of disbelief I suppose. onto the play i think like. mankai should invest in a fainting courch for tsuzuru. i also went to watch the play and 1) im betting yuki had a hell of a time costume design wise like the vines on the body? such fun costuming wise and 2) the ethical implications of whatever this play has,,, fun fun. tsuzuru was clearly having some kind of thoughts. i love zeros design and am always up for a3 characters crossdressing bc 1) i think its fun and 2) the costume design. i also dearly wish this whole thing was animated bc I feel like it’d be o fun to see taichi act as zero. or at least I hope this event gets full voiced one day... moving on to the scene where omi adds soy sauce to the paella I know it’s just like haha homare funny so lets five him a lil bit but like everyone in autumn troupe making their comments on the paella and like homare just jumping in. homare autumn troupe besties. just thinking. also the way they just r like. no no no omi it’s fine if u made a mistake!! it’s ok! we like it (you) anyways <3 it’s got it’s own special taste. something something omi’s perfectly pleasant as he is now but even if he weren’t on his a-game and was dealing with all of the biker gang stuff they would love him just as hard. another thing that got me was omi telling banri that he’ll give him something sweet so juza will stop grinding his teeth in his sleep… guys… guys you’ll give him cavities…. mb omi is a college student after all lol.

anyways when i saw the actual costumes. appreciative of them, i like the lil circuit-esque detailing on banri’s outfit, and that sakyo and taichi (nine and zero) both share that like collar detail? its very symbolic and probably also literal but its a nice way to sort of signify their relation to each other visually! also sakyo just looks nice. seeing him without glasses is so great. whoever thought up the like two mole detail for him was doing gods work.

something that confused me was ryo mistaking juza for nachi for a split second? like. does juza… look similar to nachi? or was it just that ryo only heard juzas voice and made that mistake. if it’s appearance wise too. kumon nachi confirmed. I’m joking lol bc I feel like I would’ve heard at least something abt it in one of the like small conversation comments, plus that doesnt seem like itd fit summer troupes style and kumon is for sure the wrong age… but still.

i really like how for this event, the roles for taichi and omi were kinda reversed. and taichis just so like. idk. smiley. rly lifts ur spirits. its kind of nice how this event contrasts to that cg where taichi is crying on omi. I also think like. idk. considering the story of the stranger. wolf gives zero a sense of purpose and life and I think that zero helps wolf lose his apathy. it’s about “the stranger” and the ending makes him like… not a stranger, right? because he’s got a companion. in the same way, taichi brings omi out of his emotional isolation. the picture taking! also the stickers coming back… thats such a good setup! the found family of it all!!

when he was trying to work out zeros character as soon as taichi mentioned a sharp speaking style I KNEW it was Yuki… yuki would never be as honest as zero is though lol… to me i imagine she’s got a sort of juza internal monologue feel? anyways. the taichi yuki dynamic intrigues me. havent yet decided how I feel abt it but when I do… yes. sorry that I make literally no sense. I think it’s very obvious that yuki is my fav chara kind of? I’m just. hmmm it makes me think! I’ve been monologuing to myself abt the yuki and juza dynamic lately which, to my a3 knowledge so far, doesn’t exist, but its ok bc I’ll make it exist! uhhh anyways this event was very good i liked the pacing. i think it didnt drag too hard and it really properly honed in on just omi and taichi, which was quite nice. they really did a lot for just an event!

time to listen to the event song,,, ok so. ah. i rly enjoyed just for myself it was very much to my taste so. out of curiousity i was like ok lemme look up the composer / producer AND IT WAS YUYOYUPPE....... that guy is like!!!! one of my FAV producers ever!!!!!! i know him from like. his vocaloid days and god leia is still one of my fav songs to this day...! this knowledge gives me so much joy omg!!! like wow!! wowwww!!! like i knew yuyoyuppe was out there doing other stuff (i know he worked on a lot of babymetal music which is cool) but like idk. to suddenly encounter it like this. heheh.... its so nice! made me soooo happy. going to relisten to leia now haha

WAIT ONE MORE THING. i was like "haha let me look at other songs i remember liking a lot" which. for me was rakuen oasis and don't cry. anyways. rakuen oasis is ALSO by yuyoyuppe???? oh my god!!! oh my god... sigh. feel like im in heaven.

OH HI FRIEND!! so good to see you with an a3 update!! :D

godd yeah The Stranger started so strongly and the idea to still incorporate portraits in his story was really something to make us cry!

And linking Omi and Tsumugi like this is pretty interesting :O <hat is your reasoning exactly? :O

For the fainting couch for Tsuzuru LMAO and i'm letting you know there's a webcomics that addresses it in Act 2 (hough there's no spoilers aside from the fact Chikage is here)

Im glad you liked the costume and the play!!! yeah i love the designs and it is always a blast to see them this into it, and yeaaah Tsuzuru has thoughts huh. It'll get voiced sooner than later hopefully and there we'll see more in details :3c but also that's what made the seiyuu live so fun bc they perform the songs in play cosplay and replay a bit of the play everytime and it's *chief kiss*

HOMARE AUTUMN TROUPE SOLIDARITY YES. LOVING IT.

And yeah the scene itself was so cute TwT they all want to reassure Omi and be there for him it's so sweet :( but yeah i love how you say it all, Omiimi TwT

and dLKFJDFLKJFDFD Giving Juza cavities is the price to pay for sleep i guess??

yeah agreed on the costume they all look so cool! and nice catch on how those three seem linked like that with their costumes, Yuki (and the designers) does such a good job! and god yeah for Sakyo.. yeah. He has sucha good design dLKJFDF

aND DLKFJD yeah no Juza is supposed to look like Nachi physically, but mostly his face? like i think Nachi was had green hair? we see a sprite of him in a future story, and yeah, everything is in the eyebrows. so Kumon should be safe? Omi mentions he sees a lot of Nachi in Juza, and while it is mostly due to their passions i think, the fact they're also rough looking guy with a heart of gold must play a part as well. but yeah, he does look like Nachi a bit.

and i love your deeper analysis of the event yeah!!

I feel like Taichi is really an emotional core of the troupe in the sense that is, he tends to catch on what others are feelings easily. And he uses it in the early chapters to ease off the tensions and stuff, but he was being held back by knowing he was deceiving them. So now that he's more free, he can be more of himself. but yeah i also love the contrast with how Omi was the one to help Taichi through his breakdown and guilt, and now it's the other way around, it's Taichi helping him through it. and the parallelism between the play and their dynamic is spot on imo! well said!!

and god yeah the sticker things made me cry sO HARD, and the pictures! and everything!! sobs it's such a sweet found family i'm going to cry :(

And! i love what you say about Yuki, Taichi and Juza on this one. I love that Taichi keeps bringing it back to "that childhood friend" and it's always like. so obvious who it is for us rip. But it can make you wonder if Yuki was more honest as a kiddo when Taichi knew him, though now he's clearly not. I love the mention of how Zero is more like Juza's internal speech (which, if anything is another argument about why you should let Juza wear a dress, cOWARD)

but also your mention of the Yuki and Juza thing, while i can't think of them having a dynamic per se yet, but i actually wrote a post during my reread about how i was baffled at the fact they treated Muku the same way?? like both of them tried to push Muku away because they were scared of how people would react if they say pure, sweet Muku was associated to them. And i find it fascinating because i guess those two are pretty aware of how the world see them, and it used to stop them from fully allowing them to be themselves.

I also find it relevant with the fact Yuki says in his personal song that while all of this way people judge him weight on him, he rather be himself, and "I want to love myself". Meanwhile we have Juza who's also aware of the way people judge him and it weight on him, and he wants to change himself from this person he hates, this self loathing - and in a way, he can grow in a way to be "someone" he may not hate, even on stage. I feel like those two have quite a bit in common in this way of being rejected by their peers in some sort of way.

I really want them to share some stuff at some point because there's really a groundwork on it all :(

But i'm really glad you liked that event!! agreed on the pacing and i do love what it brings to the characters! it really fleshes them out and have them move forward a little and it's pretty sweet.

AND OMG THAT'S SO COOL FOR THE SONG!! i'm so glad you liked it, but that's incredible it turned out to be from one of your fav producer!!! ahah sometimes life is like that where you end up finding the stuff you loved back into new stuff! and the fact Rakuen Oasis was from him as well... that's so cool!!! just, so so cool!

im pretty sure he has more songs going forward so i hope you'll enjoy the ride even more!!

thank you once again for sharing your thoughts about a3 :3c it always makes me so happy to see them!!!

Thank youu <3 have a good day :3c

[aatsms]

My Turn To Fix You (Connor x Reader)

This is my first fanfic that I have ever written so pls be nice! I know it’s long but tbh I wrote this mostly for myself lol. It basically follows the story of a CyberLife engineer (the reader) and our boy Connor! I plan to write multiple chapters for this if anyone actually becomes interested lol!  

Chapter 1

Work at the station had been more intense than usual these past three weeks. Protesters  had been extra violent  in Detroit, protesting against the manufacturing of androids. They usually took their anger out on the police androids in the streets. You guess it made them feel more powerful to rough up an android that was supposed to act as a type of authority. You thought it was kind of pathetic and pointless to cause so much damage to android simply doing its job. It also gave you a shit ton more work than usual since you were the CyberLife engineer working at the Detroit PD to repair any police android that might need it. Police androids are only used for basic police work, such as giving tickets, stoping pick pocketers on the street, and staying alert of anything that might be suspicious or threatening. They don't even carry a gun or weapons, serving more as an extra eye for cops on duty. Connor, the RK800 that works with Hank, is the only android that acts as a fully working detective, able to have a weapon and upgraded with CyberLife's most advance technology.

 You had to admit, he was incredibly impressive. When you had received the blueprints and manuals on his wiring before he first arrived at the station, you found yourself actually a bit overwhelmed. He barely used any parts that were similar to the ones that most androids used, and his wiring was so intricate. He was the most advanced model of android you had ever seen. It took you a few days to get comfortably familiar with his systems so you would be prepared to fix him up if ever he needed it once he arrived. You figured you would be seeing him a lot since he was the only android in the front line of  dangerous work. 

Tonight is the first Friday in a long time you can remember being able to actually leave work on time. It was honestly a miracle. It seemed there was always paper work that needed filling out or an android that needed tending to. It was nice to be home on your couch, under a warm blanket, with food that wasn't takeout for a change, and all by 11:30. You were swiping through an article on the debate of weather android police dogs should also be used in police departments. It seems unlikely. At least until it is confirmed by CyberLife that they are reliable; that they can't disobey their orders or even go deviant. (If that's even possible for android animals.) You were thankful either way because android animals would require you to become familiar with a whole new type of engineering. Learning the ins and outs of Connor was enough. 

It was pouring rain as you were reading. The occasional crash of thunder and lightning was almost comforting to you. You began to dose off to the sounds of the familiar Detroit weather outside. You were suddenly jerked awake by a loud crash of thunder. Or at least that's what you thought woke you up. Standing in the frame of your front door was the RK800 android from the station. He had forced open the door, breaking the lock, and was completely soaked from the rain. He was hunched over, clutching his torso. His LED was flashing bright red. 

"Connor?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Sorry for the unannounced visit y/n. I hope it's not an inconvenience."

  You were suddenly aware of the massive flow of blue blood seeping from his midsection. He could barely stand. You rushed over to help him stay upright. 

"Oh my god Connor what happened?!

"Do you think maybe we could talk about the details once i'm not losing an unsafe amount of thirium?" 

"Right, right, right." You were trying to take deep breaths and not panic. He really looked like shit. "I have a  room in the back with a workbench and a whole bunch of extra android parts and emergency thirium. Let's get you back there fast."

You put his right arm around your neck to help him stand and used your other hand to apply pressure to the general area where he was bleeding. Based on the amount of blue his shirt was drenched in, you could tell he was wounded in multiple places. You quickly helped him as he limped to the back room.

 You shoved aside half finished diagnostic reports and old projects off the work bench and helped Connor onto it. His entire shirt was now covered in blue blood. 

"Connor, you're going to need to take off your shirt for this one. I can't even tell where the hell you're bleeding from!" He began to undress as you frantically searched for your crate with supplies to perform a blue blood transfusion. You were not used to having to repair androids at your own house. This was the first time anything like this had happened. You were wondering how the hell Connor even knew where you lived. 

Finally, you found the crate with the supplies you were looking for. Quickly, you turned around, looking directly at a shirtless Connor on your work bench. You weren't sure why, but you felt yourself freeze for a moment, taken aback by the android sitting in front of you. You couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was about him that was so intriguing in that moment. Maybe it was the fact that he was in such incredible shape. You weren't sure why you weren't expecting him to be so ripped. "I mean of course he is." you thought.  "Why wouldn't CyberLife give their newest super weapon abs y/n??" You chuckled to yourself a little under your breath at your own thoughts.

"Is everything alright y/n?" He seemed more concerned about you than the flow of thirium leaving his body.

"Ya sorry, I just... I don't know. Let's get you fixed." You shook away your thoughts and began to focus on the task at hand.

You immediately began work on him, having to use his shirt to wipe the blood from his abdomen so you could get a sense of where all the blue blood was coming from. You discovered 4 bullet holes. "Holy shit Connor what were you doing?"

"Well, my mission didn't go exactly how I expected" he managed to huff out. You could tell the loss of thirium was starting to catch up to him. God only knows how long it took him to find your house after he was shoot. 

Once you cleaned up enough of the thirium to see what you were doing, you began to work on assessing the damage and removing the bullets. You also decided to try to get some answers.

"You must have really pissed someone off for them to have shot you 4 times."

 "Well I imagine getting caught while dealing 20 pounds of red ice would be rather aggravating."

"20 pounds?! How do you even come across 20 pounds if red ice?"

"That's why I was put on this case. They want me to find out where exactly these dealers are finding so much red ice."

"Alright Connor, i'm removing the first bullet now. Be ready to apply pressure."

His LED flashed a quick red as you removed the first bullet. He barely flinched, letting out nothing but a silent grunt. You proceeded to the next bullet.

 "You're lucky you got here so quickly. Any longer and there would have been nothing I could do. How did you even find my apartment?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to find you in the precinct because I overheard you talking to detective Reed that you were planing on getting home early tonight. I knew my mission tonight was dangerous so I saved your address in my database in case of emergency."

You let out a small laugh and smiled up at him. "You're lucky you were listening in." 

"My programming requires me to be listening to any conversations happening around me within a 20 foot radius."

You thought about what he just said as you finally reached the second bullet. You and Reed were on the other side of the precinct, opposite of where Connor's desk is, when you told him your plans of leaving early. Connor was at his desk, definitely farther than 20 feet away, when you were talking to Gavin. Was Connor....trying to listen to your conversation? Why? You shook the thought from your mind.

"Okay, next bullet out in 3..2...." You removed the second bullet right under his rib. This time he had to brace himself slightly by grabbing the edge of the bench. You put your hand on his shoulder.

 "You good?"

"Yeah" he huffed as he placed his hand over yours on his shoulder. "Move onto the next bullet, i'll be fine." 

You were amazed by how calm he was, considering you were on the edge of having a full fledged panic attack. Quickly, you moved to the spot of the third and fourth bullet. They were relatively close to each other.

"Thank god they didn't hit your thirium pump. It's hard to find those parts for a standard android, let alone an RK800. I don't think I even have one that would fit your model here in my office." 

"You're smart y/n. You would have figured something out."

You tried to convince yourself you believed that statement. Connor seemed to have a lot of confidence in you. Probably too much you thought.

"Last two Connor. I'm gonna take both out at the same time since they're right next to each other. Get ready." You pulled the bullets from his waist with one last tug. He let out a sharp whine, clenching his eyes shut and grabbing your wrist as you removed the last bullets. His grip on your wrist was surprisingly gentle and warm. You forgot that the flow of thirium through his body allowed for him to give off at least some body heat. CyberLife really knew how to make these androids seem so human. 

He slowly let go of your wrist, as his LED circled from a wild red back to yellow and then to blue. You let out a sigh of relief. Finally the hard part was over. All that was left to do now was transfuse some blue blood back into his body, and check to make sure none of his parts or wiring was damaged from the shots. He's able to heal over the wound himself with prosthetic skin.

"My diagnostics program is telling me that there doesn't seem to be any major problems. Only minor motor function issues that can be fixed with a system reset."

"You're lucky Connor. You could have been done for shit." You finished setting up your equipment for the transfusion. Thank god you were done. It was now that you realized that you were sweating. You were used to being under  intense pressure, that was part of your job most of the time. But never had it made you this stressed. Connor could have been gone....and it would have been your fault.

You sat yourself down on the center on the floor, laying your legs straight out in front of you and placing your hands behind you for support. For what felt like the first time in the past 20 minutes, you were finally able to catch your breath. You shut your eyes and began to take deep breaths. It was finally over.

"y/n, I noticed that the situation has caused your heart rate to increase rapidly. I'm sorry for any distress I might have caused you. It wasn't my intention." Connor was not knelt down beside you on the floor. His LED was circling yellow from scanning you.

“Of course you didn't, it's not your fault Connor. If anything i'm thankful you got here before it was too late."

He now sat down across from you, sitting perfectly in a criss-cross position. You both sat in silence for the next few seconds, taking the opportunity to rest after everything that just happened.

"Thank you y/n."

You lifted your head to look across at him. It felt like he was staring right into you. You knew he was an android, but the sincerity in his eyes seemed so real. You couldn't help but feel like he meant it. You gave him a warm smile. "No problem Connor." You started to get up from the floor. "And besides" you smirked, "it's kinda my job to save your ass."Connor looked up at you from the floor, the little light on the side of his head circling with blue. "So" you sighed. "What now?"

Connor swiftly stood up from the floor.

"I learned some critical information for Hank and I's investigation tonight, however I doubt he would appreciate a visit from me so late."

You started to clean up the supplies, parts, and thirium from your workbench as you talked to him. "The precinct is always open, you could go there and file everything in the database until tomorrow morning.

"I need to conduct my system reset before I do anything. If too many of my basic functions are down, my programming won't allow me to do much."

"How long does this reset take?"

"Four hours." Connor seemed annoyed with his answer

. 

"You could just do your reset here. If for some reason anything goes wrong or I somehow missed something when fixing you up, you're right here."

He seemed to be considering what you were offering, his LED flashing yellow. "That would seem to be my best option. I hope you don't mind" The sincerity was back in his eyes.

"It's not a problem at all. Plus I'd rather be able to keep an eye on you for the night."

Connor made his way toward you at the workbench, reaching for his jacket. It was then that you realized Connor was still shirtless. You weren't sure why, but you felt slightly embarrassed as he come closer to you. He seemed to notice something was off. He turned to look at you, his face only inches away from yours.

"Is everything ok y/n?" he asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

You turned your head back to look straight in front of you instead of looking at Connor.

"Ya sorry I...I was just thinking that maybe we should get you some clothes until I get yours washed." You glanced at him with a nervous smile, trying not to look at his bare chest. Even though he was an android, you still felt you needed to be respectful for some reason. Connor turned to look at his once crisp white shirt now covered in a milky blue.

"I would definitely appreciate clothes that aren't covered in my own thirium."

[thehoneyedhufflepuff]

2019 Top Five

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2019. Tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

thank you for tagging me @ninemagicks @sourcherrymagiks @f-ing-ruthless-baz @sharkmartini 💜

2019 was the year I found Carry On & this lovely fandom. It was the year I started writing & drawing again after many years of being creatively stagnant (& I wrote a LOT; over 310k published on AO3 & who knows how much is currently sitting unpublished in my Google Drive). It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride—lots of self-doubt & uncomfortable feelings about my own work—but this book ultimately gave me my creativity back, & some wonderful friends, & self-growth, day by day. I’ve been in a bit of a funk since the end of the countdown, & especially these last few weeks, so I think this will be a good opportunity for me to reflect on the things I’m proud of & try to say some nice things about my own work. Let’s get the party started.

1. Between the Lines

Y’all probably aren’t surprised, right? I feel like BTL has really helped me grow as a writer while telling a story that’s very personal & important to me. When I first started this fic, it was meant to be just a little bookshop AU. I’m very proud of what it’s become, & the reception it’s had has blown me away. I appreciate everyone who’s read it/reading it/yet to read it so very, very much. I never would’ve guessed that I’d still be working on this fic, let alone how long it would be. I think it’s probably my best work stylistically & in terms of the story, even if sometimes I cringe when I reread the beginning. (I either cringe or really like my work when I reread it, there’s no in-between.) (I mostly really like this one when I need to go back & study it.)

IDK, I’ve talked about BTL a LOT the last eight months. I’m not sure what else I can say about it right this moment, but I’m sure I’ll think of something eventually, & hopefully y’all aren’t sick of hearing about it because I don’t think I can help it.

🦖💛💙🦖

2. A Pair of Splendid Morons

This fic is still near & dear to my heart. I like to say it was the first fic I finished in the fandom, but it was actually my second (I don’t...like to talk about Merry Gentlemen. At all. I think I’ve been scarred since I got a scathing anon review in the comments [which is why I no longer allow anon comments on AO3, RIP].) (I made some...choices with that fic. ANYWAY.)

So Splendid Morons was the second fic I finished in the fandom (it’ll be a year old on Valentine’s Day; can you believe?!). It’s my second-longest (after BTL, of course, lmao) & I wrote it in just six weeks, which is lightning-fast by my standards. (This set me up to think I was a fast writer. I was sorely disappointed when I discovered that’s not the case.) It’s also my most-read fic, though BTL is super close to taking the crown.

My writing’s improved a lot since I first posted APOSM, I think, but I also think it holds up pretty well! (I do worry sometimes that I wrote Simon too soft, & there are a few mistakes I made by not properly researching [ahem, looking at you, Suitgate].) (One thing I found slightly amusing was the influx of readers this one got after Wayward Son, lmao. This fic is not in the vein of WS at ALL.) (Okay, that might be sort of false? I do mention trauma etc. in the fic, but I guess the main difference is that Simon & Baz really try to face these things together instead of apart. And also they communicate, albeit somewhat awkwardly. It’s a dream come true.)

For anyone who hasn’t read it, it’s a Carry On-era canon first time fic, & it spawned my post-Carry On series that is now an AU. I still have stories to tell on that timeline, but it’s sort of hard to forget Wayward Son completely, you know? When I first started writing this, it was technically still possible. Now it’s only possible as an AU, which is fine. (I’m not really sure where I’m going with this...I just have weird feelings, lol.) OH, also this was the first time I ever wrote a sex scene. I think it’s actually pretty good for a first time (mine & theirs, lmao).

3. Housewarming

Sort of cannot believe I’m picking the smuttiest thing I’ve ever written as one of my top fics of the year, but also??? I’m proud of this fic. It’s super hard to write smut—no euphemism—& I reread this one recently & thought I did a pretty good job. (I was actually slightly ashamed after I posted it, but I got over that once I got some nice comments. Nice comments are always very helpful.) I’ll share one here, which I think is fine since AO3 comments are public anyway:

Your writing just has so much LOVE in it and you write their companionship and connection so beautifully. You know, I wasn't going to read First Bite because that's not my kind of thing and usually grosses me out, but I've loved your other stuff so I gave it a shot. Turns out, it's just that stories like that tend to focus on the kink and grit, but you focus on everything that's good between them instead. And then you show how those good things lead to the perhaps more-than-vanilla coupling.

This fic, too, is grimy and steamy, but it's also sweet because you include the right details... This is not a smut fic of the rough kinky variety. It's a smut fic about two people reveling in a sacred space/act they've created together. Props to you because the difference is palpable. (I have never in my life written so much about sex on a fic review so sorry about this ramble lmao)

Y’all...this comment meant so much to me. This is what it’s really about, you know? I’m trying to show them expressing love, & this just made me so happy. Numbers-wise, stories with a focus on sex seem to get fewer kudos/comments, & I think part of that is the anonymity factor (which I totally understand), but I just want to say that something like this means A TON to those of us who write stuff like this. Many thanks to @sappho-said-i-could ; this comment single-handedly made me much less self-conscious about this particular work. 💜

4. Crashing Through

This is one of my favorite ficlets from the countdown, & also my most popular countdown fic on Tumblr in terms of notes (not that that’s a deciding factor, but it DOES make me happy). It’s a little alternate ending to WS (just a what if? for the beach scene at the end of the book.)

Like many, Wayward Son hit me really hard. I love Wayward Son a lot, but I spent days feeling so emotionally drained, & then weeks just unable to write. This was one of the first things I wrote that even had anything to do with Wayward Son, & fun fact! I wrote it all by hand in the car on a day trip. While it’s obviously not a canon-possible scene at this point, I still really like it. (I reblogged it yesterday as part of my Fandom Anniversary Reblog Thingy that I’m doing, & I read it & thought, Huh. Sometimes I’m decent at this whole writing thing.)

I actually felt stuck when I went to write Be With Me after this, because I didn’t think I could top the way they said I love you in this one (I still...sort of prefer this to the scene in Be With Me but oh well, what’re you gonna do).

5. “Love”

Can y’all tell I don’t normally name my art pieces? I don’t normally name them. I’m super proud of this one; it was the last piece of art I made in 2019, & I think it’s one of my best. It’s one of my least “popular” pieces in terms of notes, but I still really like it a lot & I did a side-by-side comparison of this next to my first fanart last year & it was super encouraging to see my progress. Sharing art has been scarier for me than sharing writing, but seeing how far I’ve come since June was very helpful.

ANYWAY! BTL is super close to my heart, as y’all know, & I had a moment where I just really wanted to draw them in this moment where they’re finally getting some time to just be together & enjoy the newness of their relationship. This was done in copic marker for the most part, though I also used colored pencil for their blushes (my brand 😏) & Baz’s sweater. (At one point I thought I’d completely ruined the whole piece because of how Baz’s sweater was looking, but then @knitbelove gave me some sweater advice & I went back to work & held my breath & everything turned out okay in the end.) This is also the last traditional piece of art I’ve done, & I should probably change that soon. (Please give the original post some love if you’re so compelled. 💜💜💜)

I think I’m a few days late in terms of doing this, so I’m not sure who all has gone yet! I’ll tag @warriorbeeofthesea @krisrix @pipsqueakparker @icarus-n-flames @vkelleyart @singerofsimplesongs @fight-surrender @knitbelove @annabellelux @pitchpatronus @subpar-selkie @neck-mole @cynopoe @gibbarts & anyone else who sees this & wants to do it! Seriously, that means you! 😉

[rosemalin]

R O S E  M A L I N full biography

G E O M E T R I C S

↬ Full name ↫

Rose Bertha Malin (Adams)

↬ Nickname ↫

Rosie (only by Ben)

↬ Birthday ↫

October 30th 

↬ Birthplace ↫

Isle of the Lost

↬ Zodiac ↫

Scorpio

↬ Height ↫

5′2

↬ Orientation ↫

Heteroromantic, bisexual

↬ Social Class ↫

Was lower as everyone is on the Isle but soon will be upper. However i don’t feel like money is too much of an object in Auradon (wishful thinking ya know)

↬ Wealth ↫

Same as above soon girl’s gonna be queeeen (she already is a queen lbr)

A P P E A R A N C E

↬ Tattoos ↫

Wings on her ribcage and she is going to get a little tiny crown on the inside of her ring finger for Benny

↬ Piercing ↫

She’s got a couple ear piercings but nothing crazy

↬ Outfits ↫

She loves some dark colors. When she was younger she dressed much more rough around the edges with ripped clothing, short skirts and leather. Now she’s lightened up a bit and has nicer clothes. Still loves a combat boot though.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

↬ Normal mood ↫

Rose is usually a little cold. She’s guarded and doesn’t like to show her emotions. There’s a lot of RBFs going around. She comes off as scary but typically nowadays she’s just indifferent. (Unless there’s a Benny around)

↬ Temper ↫

Oh...man is there a temper. There sure tf is. She can get mad over small things and she will hold it against them

↬ Discipline ↫

She’s actually more disciplined than people give her credit for. Rose is very in control of when she acts out. She can be patient but it’s her decision when.

↬ Strengths ↫

Her magic is really strong. Physically..yes ish but she’s smol. Emotionally...there’s good days and bad days.

↬ Weaknesses ↫

For a long time she thought her weakness was being in love with Ben but she’s turned the page on that. Now I think her weakness is her past. She thinks it’ll be held against her forever especially for being a future ruler.

↬ Drive/dreams ↫

Truthfully she’s still not sure but we know it’s actually being with Ben and having a future with him. I think eventually when she accepts that, her drive is really going to be showing Auradon the positives of magic and helping all VKs with their potential.

↬ Fears ↫

Her whole family lmao. Briar, her mom, her dad. But not just them as people, them hurting the people she cares about.

↬ Likes ↫

Art, she loves painting or spray paint mostly. And magic. She enjoys still continuing to learn and practice it. Fruit, lace, motorbikes.

↬ Dislikes ↫

She still hates swimming, she just still doesn’t really feel comfortable. Beer, getting sweaty, bugs, sand. Rose also hates Cora lol

↬ Soft spot ↫

I mean obviously Benny

↬ Depression ↫

The past and when Briar came to Auradon, He became a trigger in regards to her past and made her go down a dark path for a while.

↬ Inspiration ↫

Her initial inspiration growing up was making her mom proud. Now I think her inspiration now has become her friends and Ben. The rest of the core really thriving in Auradon and then seeing how Ben is kind and strong.

↬ Role model ↫

Probably Ben & Evie

↬ Mental disorder ↫

She may have a bit of PTSD from the Isle especially when she first arrived and when Briar got there.

↬ Habits ↫

I feel like she has a habit of staying up really late and she probably taps her fingers or pens a lot when she concentrating. 

R A T I N G S

(5 Stars means very high strength, 1 star means very low strength aka weak)

↬ Psychological strength ↫

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ - She’s strong and doesn’t want others to ever think she’s weak.

↬ Physical strength ↫

⭑⭑⭑ - Again she’s small bUT girl has her magic.

↬ Leadership ↫

⭑⭑⭑⭑ - She was great at leading the core however now that its come to the point where she does have the option of power with being queen, she is actually very hesitant. 

↬ Wisdom ↫

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ - I’d say she’s pretty calculated and doesn’t make a decision typically without thinking it through.

↬ Intelligence ↫

⭑⭑⭑ - She’s smart but not always in a traditional way. School was fine but she really only wanted to focus on the subjects she’s interested in.

↬ Confidence ↫

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ - Even if it’s feigned confidence sometimes, she’s usually on top of it and keeps her confidence up.

↬ Endurance ↫

⭑⭑ - She’s not the best at dealing with things. She tends to push it to the back burner and bottle up hardships.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

↬ Father ↫

Hades is still on the Isle but Rose never had much of a relationship with him. Briar and him were always closer. Her parents despised each other and she was closer to her mom so she barely saw him. 

↬ Mother ↫

Maleficent was released as a lizard back to the Isle. Rose couldn’t keep her a lizard anymore when Briar came to Auradon. As far as Rose knows, she’s still there somewhere. Their relationship was tricky because she was cold, mean and tough with her but Rose still looked up to her and wanted to make her proud.

↬ Siblings ↫

Briar is still in Auradon and the sibling rivalry lives on but Rose has started to try and move on. She tries to avoid him and his lackeys at all costs. He thinks he’s stronger than her and always tries to compete. Rose is trying to figure out how they can solve things enough to co-exist in Auradon.

↬ Other relatives ↫

Since coming to Auradon she’s learned of having cousins from her dad’s side of the family like Sloane. But Rose still doesn’t feel the connection to them as family since they had such different upbringings.

↬ Enemies ↫

Briar and anyone who opposes the VKs

↬ Rivals ↫

Briar again lol

↬ Friends ↫

The Core - Evie, Kai and Chase are her closest friends and essentially family. She’s gotten closer to Sloane from Evie and even accepts Nolan as Ben’s best friend. 

↬ Best friend ↫

Even though she loves Kai and Chase, her relationship with Evie is different. Rose tormented her for a long time from mostly jealousy. When they finally bonded, the two became sisters. 

↬ Love interest ↫

Benny :) 

↬ Marital status ↫

She’s currently engaged to Prince Ben.

↬ Children ↫

Eventually - Violetta, Regan, Acacia & Mitchell

↬ Pets ↫

Hm no. Rose never had much experience with animals on the Isle.

P A S T - T I M E

↬ Hobbies ↫

Paint, practice magic, hang out with the core and Ben. She wants to start learning to cook a little bit but she doesn’t expect to excel at it.

↬ Talents ↫

Her magic is one of the most advanced in Auradon and she’s not bad at painting and art.

↬ Sports ↫

She’ll watch tourney but only for Ben.

↬ Classes ↫

Rose definitely preferred art, english, or any creative classes. 

↬ Occupation ↫

Well she’s a student and now future Queen. She’d has had a few freelance painting jobs around Auradon to make money and used to help when new VKs would come to Auradon.

H O M E   L I F E

↬ Location ↫

Rose and Ben bought a house together to have as their personal home then they also have the castle.

↬ House size ↫

It’s big but not as big as the castle.

↬ House type ↫

It’s a gothic and classical style home.

↬ Level of luxury ↫

Well the castle is very luxurious and their house is definitely really nice and big but they want it to feel more homey.

↬ Outdoor description ↫

Their house is private and secluded with a lush outside area. The actual house has ivy growing on it and feels like a storybook.

↬ Indoor description ↫

It has plenty of room for a future family and some bonus rooms like a theater. The style feels warm and classic with a touch of gothic style for Rose’s taste.

↬ Bedroom description ↫

The best part of their bedroom is the fireplace and balcony. It’s styled very romantic yet simple.

L I F E    S T O R Y

↬ Age 0-12 ↫

Growing up on the Isle was tough. She had to grow up fast. During this time she became more and more angry. Part of it was at her situation. She was jealous, angry and constantly trying to get into trouble. She was influenced by her mother and tried her hardest to make her proud by being rotten.

↬ Age 13-18 ↫

Leading up to going to Auradon, she got even worse. She had her friends and with them they had their fun pranking and finding trouble in the Isle. They were making the most of the terrible and disgusting place. At 16 when they got picked to go to Auradon, things changed. Not only did she finally see there could be light and a future, she had decided she didn’t need to be evil.

↬ Age 19-25 ↫

Then Briar finally came to Auradon. This became a catalyst for Rose to resort to her old ways. She always was still a VK. She loved still teasing people and creating some drama but with Briar she completely turned back around. Rose was tormenting people and broke up with Ben...a couple times. She would turn on her friends and just wanted to be alone, thinking that if she was alone, Briar wouldn’t be able to hurt her friends. As the years went by, she realized what she had for her in Auradon prior to her brother was stronger than being alone and mean. She came to this realization and slowly pieced her life back to where it is now.

↬ Darkest secret ↫

Rose doesn’t have many anymore but she feels like her biggest secret is her fear. She keeps so many walls up and tries to be portrayed as tough and cold. In reality, she’s afraid of her brother, her family, or anyone hurting the people she loves and she can’t be strong enough for them.

[ofmara]

*record scratch* *freeze frame* yep, that’s me. BVCNJ hey lads ~ i’m ally, i’m twenty2, my timezone is est, i use she/her pronouns & full disclaimer: i don’t know what the fuck i’m doing! just keep that in mind when you read this.. trash lmao. anyways! if u wanna plot, feel free to hmu on d*scord at HE IS SO BIIIIG 😩👌🏼🧡#2581 or yk use the lil chat thing on tumblr if u wanna start small or w/e FDCNK no pressure. moving on..

mara’s pinterest: here!

content warning: ..none?? who am i???

( ariana grande & cis female. ) oh my god look, it’s mara de luca! she is a 24 year old singer/songwriter from queens, new york. they were first associated with the met cartel 3 years ago, and the tabloids are always saying she is so impulsive & irreverent, but their stans on twitter say that she is actually really magnetic & passionate.

first thing’s first.. i haven’t written a coherent intro in a fucking Minute, so i’m offering premature apologies for the shitshow that’s about to follow, especially since i really waited til the last second to type this out even if this blog’s been Done for a week smh ANYWAYS!

ok so! mara is what i like to call ‘a textbook new yorker’ in that she’s Loud, she Loves Her Family and she’s Unapologetically Herself. my character inspirations for her are joey from netflix’s the circle, fran fine from the nanny, molly gunn from uptown girls and a little bit of cher from clueless sprinkled in there ( mainly bcos of this gifset lmao ). since i came up with her a few weeks ago, i really had so many different personalities for her but like.. let’s keep reading to see that literally all of them were apparently Not True ~

she was born into a very tightly-knit family & grew up constantly surrounded by them. she’s got three older brothers, meaning she’s the Baby of the family, so she’s been uhhhhhh doted on all her life! we stan! that said, she’s never known what its like to be on her own, especially considering that her family was right by her side every step of the way as she slowly grew her career from childhood. she got her start singing the national anthem at a knicks game when she was 8 and slowly built from there. her parents were always suuuper supportive and did all they could to help her achieve her dreams, even though they were struggling to make ends meet.

her parents own a small bakery in queens that they started when her oldest brother was little and have been a staple in the city ever since. though they��re a somewhat popular spot for tourists and locals alike, ny real estate isn’t cheap, so paying rent both for the store and their apartment above it has always been a struggle, especially once they started dedicating a good portion of their money to plane tickets and agents and all sorts of necessities mara needed in order for her dreams to come true. the extra expense was difficult on her brothers as well, though they made a point never to complain when they had to get a second or third job to help pay the bills.

ANYWAYS she grew up veryyyy close to her family and the sacrifices they made on her behalf didn’t go unnoticed, so the first thing she did when she finally Made It was buy them a bigger space for their bakery ( since her parents Love working it even if its rough sometimes, buddy ) and a new house so ;) we love a Family First mentality!

HOWEVER!! when mara first moved to LA in like?? 2015 or something?? idk timelines.. but anyways when she first moved to LA she was.. how u say.... Depressed cos like even though she was Living Her Dream as the artist she’s always wanted to be ( she lived in queens w/ her family up until after her first Big Break cos she’s a big time daddy’s girl ) .. she was essentially on her own since her family stayed in nyc :/ yk, where they live? yeah. so she was on her own for the first time... Ever & it was scary and stressful and essentially, she wasn’t doing great mentally or emotionally, even if she put on that *ari vc* fake smile.

that was untiiiiiiil she got her first ~ hollywood boyfriend ~ aka someone famous who helped both with her career and as a salve to the constant loneliness the bitch always feelin. long story short, he didn’t last long, but she Needed to feel Wanted so she got Another ~ hollywood boyfriend ~ until it became, like, Her Thing to Always be attached to someone in the tabloids and the press and on Entertainment Tonight. we love a codependent bitch! that’s also kinda how she got to be part of the met cartel cos she immediately attaches herself fully and completely to everyone she meets & falls a little bit in love with every person who has ever said hello to her, so.. Yeah! most of her friendships were likely formed because she just would not leave them alone ( she’s clingy and needy As Fuck, but she knows she is, so she’s constantly worrying about it aka she’s always wondering if people really like her cos she’s been said to be “too much” and “annoying” by some people who.. weren’t interested in being her friend ) anyways.. feel free to lmk if u want ur chara to hate her cos she will fully have her feelings hurt but still want them to like her cos shes a, say it with me kids, people pleaser ~

its v clear why i thought of joey & fran for inspo ( espeeeeecially fran, now that i think about it: i.e. constantly searching for love, lovingly obnoxious ) but as for why she’s like molly gunn... bitch is uhhh naive as fuck and will trust anyone who is even a little bit nice to her so peep her constantly seeing everyone through rose colored glasses and immediately feeling like her heart is broken when they turn out to be someone completely different lmao! also yk in the little mermaid when ariel was like “but daddy, i love him!” ??? YEAH, that’s mara to a fucking T, m8!

i could quite literally go on and on for hours, but to keep it short and sexy, here’s her stats page & i’ll follow up with a list of some little tidbits of info.. some Quirks, if u will..

she hiccups when she cries & BOY does she cry often BVJNCDKM

cannot cook a single mf thing to save her life? yeah.. her parents wanted to let her work in the bakery but .. she burned everything so she was cashier ;)

can quote the entirety of bring it on: all or nothing & as a segue from that, she is very chatty during movies if she’s with even one other person but Silent when she’s alone

will challenge anyone and everyone to mario kart wii as long as she gets to play yoshi ( she has a vendetta against baby peach )

is Constantly Freezing, so she’s always in thick socks and turns the heat up high when she’s at home

has a cavalier king charles spaniel named piper ( yes, i'm using a fc for her dog )

i’m gonna b p selective with which ari songs she’s released both bc i dont like All of ari’s songs & for character purposes ( rip in peace, sweetener )

is classically trained on the piano and sometimes just plays classical music for fun, making up silly lyrics at parties and whatnot lol she’s just Fun & Quirky like that

owns every season of the o.c. on dvd

she has a car but i havent decided if she ever drives it ( or what kind it is, tho i assure u my virgo ass will be researching it at some point ) since she really just barely passed her driver’s test

is constantly in the tabloids for one dumbass thing after the other mostly as an excuse for me to make tabloid edits but like... i love that for her & will 100% be down to include any and all of u if u lmk u wanna be in one

and many more, but i’m really just sitting here rambling UGH EW so lms for plots cos i’m unprepared & i don’t have any wc’s! very on brand for me, i must say

[marlahey]

time only heals if we work through it now

a chicago pd fic pairings/characters: rising upstead, jay + hailey friendship if that’s more your speed episode tags/spoilers: set during and post 6.22 (reckoning)  warnings: a lot of angsty avoidance of talking notes: this is the first really creative thing I’ve produced in like three months so please be gentle lol. title courtesy of the jonas brothers song ‘hesitate’ which I love and also stole from my friend grace. love you.  read on: ao3 // ff

i.

Jay is always the last person she touches before they breach a door. 

Depending on who goes first (usually her, though she never knows if that’s out of respect for her abilities or old ranger habits) there is one hand on the shoulder, (usually his) a final, I’ve got you, before the doorframe splinters or groans and anything can happen on the other side. After their bricks shatter the glass, she is first through the stash house back door. And until they’re back at the precinct unloading their spoils, Hailey’s heart seems to live in her ears, a roaring soundtrack to the story cloaked entirely in black and spoken in aggressive shouts. Though it’s not nerves, not more than the standard I really don’t want to get shot, it feels like everything is muffled beneath a pressing reminder of everything they stand to lose. “That was a five hundred thousand dollar rip,” she marvels aloud. “...that we can’t tell anyone about.” “And if this whole thing doesn’t work,” Jay says in that dry tone of his, “We’re gonna go back to writing traffic tickets.” Levity feels like the only way they can look at the possibility of their failure head on. It’s too much, she thinks, to consider how everything might change for the unit if they can’t bring Kelton down. And for them. The second thought is a little harder to bear, though it’s an admission Hailey makes only to herself. “Your sergeant at organized crime take you back?” she asks. Would he take me, too? “No,” he replies around a laugh. It’s nice to hear him laugh again. “He holds grudges. He was so pissed when I left. Besides, I’m going where you go.” Jay says it so matter of factly that Hailey has to stop and look at him. “Yeah?” He keeps her gaze. “Yeah. It’s hard to find a good partner.” Something’s happening inside her chest, that thing she’s been trying to ignore for months now. “That sounds good to me.” Her cheeks can’t hold up a smile too long. “We both know Kelton won’t let any of us stay together.” Jay’s jaw sets, but before either of them can say anything more, the rest of the unit reappears and it’s back to business. Later, Hailey thinks. Think about this later. ii. Later, of course, there’s no time to think. The first shot pops off – barely muffled – her hand lands instinctively on her gun but it’s useless; the next four tear through the van like it’s made of butter. “Get down!” Before she can even gasp, Jay is yanking her down to the floor. Only instinct and training keep her from hitting her head. He peels away; she can’t catch her breath. Hailey gives up on her gun. The unmistakable weight of a vest falls open over her back and then Jay’s arms are around her again, dragging her closer, tight around her shoulders and her neck, forcing her head down against him. The part of her brain that says, this might be it is shouted quiet by the rest of her brain that says, Jay’s here. He’s got you. Debris and dust and light hail down; he growls and it jolts her out of her panic. She wants to tell him that one vest isn’t going to cut it. She wants to tell him that by holding her this way he’s exposed – his arms, his hands, his head – she wants to ask him if her ears are ever going to stop ringing – and then it’s over. The whole thing couldn’t have lasted more than eight seconds, but it felt like years between one heartbeat and the next. Does Hailey look as different as she feels? Jay’s solid warmth pulls away again and she wants – for a split second – beyond all reason or logic or anything resembling professionalism, to fold herself back into him. Where she’s safe. His hand is on her face, calluses rough against her cheek. Hailey can see his mouth moving, forming the syllables of her name, but she can’t hear yet. “You good? You okay?” She can’t speak yet either it seems; Hailey just nods, almost frantically. Voight’s voice from outside the hollowed van sounds as though it’s coming from underwater. “Jay! Hailey! You good?” “We’re good, we’re good!” Jay shouts back, and she jumps; her hearing is back, now dialled up to eleven. Are we? “Do not exit till we get the all clear! Who’s got eyes?” Jay’s chest heaves with exertion as he pushes up to his elbows above her. Adam is audible through the radio on the table, miraculously unscathed, but she can only just understand him over the tinny sound still in her ears. Wilson is down. Dread curls like a root in the pit of her stomach. Hailey has to swallow before she can speak. “Jay,” she says, and that’s all her mind can come up with. His hand lands on her shoulder, squeezing gently. I’ve got you. Hailey finds her eyes glued to his stomach, where she knows the scar of a bullet should have lived beneath his shirt. As they haul each other mostly upright, the vest slipping to hit the floor with a solid thump, her fingers brush the spot of their own accord. “I’m okay.” Jay touches her hand with his own and Hailey pulls away, feeling oddly like she’s been caught. “I’m okay.” I thought he was dead. Her breath shudders on the way out; the next is better. Hailey can feel the weight of his stare, as familiar as the kevlar. He starts, “You sure–” “I’m good.” She meets Jay’s gaze to prove her point. He just looks back, some of the adrenaline fading from around his eyes, and it’s a little too easy to fall back into the routine. Upton and Halstead: partners in Intelligence. She nods once and he lets go, shifting back only enough to sit heavily against the desk with a sigh. Hailey doesn’t think; she just follows him down to the floor, suddenly too bone-weary to care that they’re pressed together from hip to shoulder. She finds her eyes glued to the kevlar vest still splayed half-open at their feet. We almost died. He probably saved your life. You’re alive. “Think we have to write up the cost?” Jay asks sardonically, gesturing at the side of the vehicle riddled with holes. Hailey just snorts. He doesn’t say more and neither does she, suddenly content to come back down to earth in comfortable, relative quiet. It’s hard to tell how much time passes this way, though Hailey just lets herself be in it a while. Give us a break. But soon enough, sirens and tires and clamouring voices fill in the silence. Someone thumps on the side of the van– “All clear!” – and if Jay notices her flinch, he doesn’t say anything. Hailey takes one last deep, steadying breath and pulls herself to her feet. “I’ll take Wilson’s body, you check in with Voight? Maybe we can get lucky with his phone.” “Sounds good,” Jay replies. A uniformed officer pulls the door open; she has to squint against the light. He touches her shoulder again, just once, and lets her out first. iii. She knows something’s up the moment he appears at the top of the stairs. When she follows him into the break room and asks what’s going on, Hailey is half-expecting Jay to lie, for her to have to work a little harder to get at whatever it is that’s bothering him. “I have no idea.” And he doesn’t, she knows; it’s the same not knowing that’s been plaguing half the unit for weeks now– ever since Eva. While Kim and Kevin may be more content to politely pretend they can’t see the furtive looks Voight, Adam, and Antonio have been exchanging, it prickles beneath Hailey’s skin– and now, clearly, it’s come to a head with Jay too. “Voight just left and he said–” Jay breaks off and it takes everything in her to be steady– “he said something about me running the unit.” The root of dread coils tighter. Hailey follows Jay’s gaze out to the bullpen, where the announcement of Kelton’s victory still plays, and then back. “We lost.” She hasn’t seen him look this way in a long time– not since he almost died and she was almost too late to save him. Hailey takes a deep breath. Jay’s not wrong. So what’s left? “Kelton is who he is,” she says firmly. “His time for reckoning is coming.” He scoffs a little, more out of frustration than anything. “Not in time for this unit. For us.” Us? Her heart stumbles. “We’ve only been partners a couple years,” she starts, going for more levity and probably failing. “You’ll forget about me just fine.” Hailey forces a smile, but she can’t hold it up against the way Jay’s looking at her now, too open and unguarded to handle. “Hailey…” He does that thing where he laughs with just one corner of his mouth and trails off, shaking his head. Jay opens his mouth as if to speak. She thinks, not now. I’m not strong enough. Hailey knows him, and he knows her; Jay doesn’t say whatever he’s thinking– because he won’t (or can’t) give voice to whatever their partnership has become. She tries to smile again. Maybe she’s the one who can’t let him. “We’ll be alright,” Hailey says, and wills it to be true. iv. Kelton’s reckoning occurs through blood and bullets; theirs could also be counted in shell-casings and scars, but at least she and Jay have survived. So far, at least. With half the unit out of commission (speaking of things Hailey can’t look at head on), Voight’s strangely dark premonition comes to pass. As the most senior remaining detective, Jay assumes command of Intelligence. All their attempts to reach both Antonio and their sargeant go unanswered, which only carves deeper frown lines in Platt’s face. (She’s taken herself off the front desk to help them and pulled her best patrol officers up into the bullpen. Kim takes responsibility for them without being asked; Hailey mirrors Jay’s immensely grateful look at the routine grunt work being taken off their plates for the time being.) Whoever had killed Kelton had been careful; there’s evidence of a break-in but absolutely no DNA that isn’t their former mayor’s. It’s also hard to decide whether it’s a relief or not that the potential list of killers is long, since Jay had pointedly avoided eye contact when he told them that both Hank and Antonio were in the wind. I’m going to do what needs to be done. Voight’s last words to Jay keep replaying in her mind, but Hailey can see that they haunt her partner. Chicago, as difficult and often corrupt as it already is, feels truly rocked by this – the Ivory Tower calls for an update seemingly every time the unit tries to come up for air. CPD’s new interim superintendent is not exactly sympathetic to the strain the 21st district (and arguably the entire force) is now under; as the days wear on with few leads, Jay takes fewer and fewer breaks and stays behind later and later. Is their city just full of monsters? Are they only pretending to fight a darkness that already exists inside of them, rooted and watered by the horrors of this job? There has to be light somewhere, Hailey thinks, as she buzzes herself up the stairs in search of her phone she’d left behind. The solitary glow of her partner’s desk lamp lighting the Intelligence bullpen is perhaps a bit too on the nose. Voight’s office is still shuttered and closed; Jay refuses to work in there, even though his paperwork pile is already twice the height of hers. “You good?” he asks, beating her to the punch. Hailey nods, reaching into her drawer and holding up her cell. “Just forgot this. What are you working on?” Jay sighs, dragging a tired hand over his face. He’d tell her he needed a shave, she knows, if she pointed out the two-day scruff. She doesn't. “I hate reports,” he complains. It’s a familiar conversation. Hailey feels an abrupt urge to smile that she hasn’t had in at least a week. “I dunno how Voight dealt with all this red tape all the time.” He didn’t, a lot of the time, she thinks. Hailey doesn’t say that either.   “Have you been home since yesterday?” she asks instead. “You were already here when I got in this morning. You haven’t eaten.” The scratching of pen slows. “What day is it?” “Wednesday.” Jay’s jaw flexes just slightly, his version of a wince. “You gotta get some rest Jay,” Hailey goes on. “You can’t keep this up. You’re gonna be dead on your feet.” “I’m fine,” he says. The stubbornness in his tone is familiar, too. “We have to get this right. Intelligence isn’t safe just because Kelton’s dead.” “We’re a team,” she counters. “You don’t have to do this all by yourself.” A shadow creases his face. Hailey knows there’s some things about his last conversation with Voight that Jay didn’t tell her, that his relationship with their (former?) sergeant is longer and more complex than even Adam’s was. Is. But she won’t back down. “Finish that and then I’m taking you home. You can ride with me tomorrow and get your car after shift.” Years or months or even a few weeks ago, Hailey would have considered what their co-workers would think at the sight of them arriving together. Besides the fact that neither Kim nor Kevin would say anything (Platt is probably another story) tonight she finds she doesn’t care. Her partner opens his mouth as if to argue, but Hailey just shrugs out of her coat and settles across from him in her own desk chair. She can be stubborn too. After a long beat of silence, Jay exhales slowly and his pen resumes its task across the page. Hailey forces herself not to look up from her phone, but every so often she can feel the weight of his stare. He doesn’t often accept support; even the spoken value of their ‘beer and talk’ arrangement sometimes isn’t enough to get Jay to cave. Hailey would cave though, for him. She’d do nearly anything if he was the one asking. Hailey has to resolve, right then and there in the silent and mostly dark bullpen, to never examine that truth too closely. “Okay,” Jay says sometime later, pulling her out of a mindless game of Crossy Road. “I’m done.” He leans back in his chair with a long sigh. “Tell me we’re doing the right thing here, Hailey.” You know I can’t tell you that. Though the unit and the district may have their suspicions as to the timing of Kelton’s murder and Intelligence leader disappearances, no one dares speak them aloud. Hailey squares her shoulders and meets Jay’s eye. “We’re doing our jobs.” It’s not an answer, of course; his scoff calls her out. But when Jay speaks again, it’s full of a quiet desperation she’s only heard a handful of times since they became partners. “I just hope I’m wrong.” Hailey doesn’t bother pretending. “I think we’re all hoping that too.” She picks up her coat and he follows as she hoped he would. “We can only do our jobs. The rest is for someone else to decide.” Jay possibly (probably) disagrees, but he just ushers her through the gate. As Hailey turns out of the district lot, he props his elbow against the window and tilts his head against his hand, staring out at nothing. She finds her attention drawn, almost unwittingly, over to him as the late night lights of Chicago pass them by. He looks so far away, even with the scant distance between them. So she reaches out the only way she knows how. ”Molly’s? I could use a drink.”  Jay stills; Hailey braces herself for a refusal. Please just let us be us. “We can drink at mine,” he says. “I know I have a bottle of something kicking around.” She squeezes the steering wheel a little in relief. “Sounds good.” When they arrive, he holds the door open for her to enter first. “Sorry about the mess.” There’s a somewhat rumpled blanket over the back of the couch, half a newspaper on the coffee table, and Jay’s beanie dangling from a hook by the door. “This is a mess?” He laughs dryly. “Old habit.” Hailey drops herself onto the couch as he disappears into the kitchen. She hears cabinets and the clinking of glasses and wills her shoulders to relax. Jay isn’t the only one taking on more than usual; she’d never hear the end of it if he caught her not taking her own advice. A minute later, a heavy glass of amber liquid lands in front of Hailey with an audible thump. Jay pulls the blanket from behind his back and tosses it unceremoniously into her lap. “You’re always cold,” he says when she just looks at him. “Don’t even try to deny it.” Hailey just busies herself with the throw and her glass so she doesn’t blush. “Thanks.” She holds her glass out; Jay clinks against it with a silent nod. There’s gratitude in his eyes. Hailey just smiles gently and hopes it’s enough. The scotch burns on the way down and she thinks, you’re alive. You’re alive.  

*

She wakes with a start; the blanket slips from around her shoulders (when had that happened?) and Hailey’s mind flashes back to the kevlar vest on the floor of their ruined surveillance van. But she blinks blearily and Jay’s apartment returns, quiet and dark. And when she turns her head, she’s surprised to find him slumped beside her, still holding his empty glass. Something aches deep inside her chest. Hailey sits up carefully. Leaning forward, she wraps her fingers around Jay’s glass and pries it gently from his hand. Before she can do anything more, his eyes snap open, bright and wild; Jay seizes her wrist in an iron grip before she can even reel back, and Hailey’s heart leaps up into her throat. “It’s me,” she says, as quiet and calm as she can manage. “It’s just me.” “Hailey,” Jay breathes. The hair on the back of her neck rises. He releases her. “Shit, sorry.” She just shakes her head. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.” “You and me both,” he replies. Hailey musters a faint smile. “I should–” “Stay.” Jay isn’t touching her anymore, but he may as well be for the way all her limbs suddenly freeze in place. Hailey sees a flash of that open expression from the break room, before everything truly went to hell. “It’s late,” he continues. “You’ve had a few.” “I’m fine, Jay.” It’s not a lie, exactly. But her body won’t stop betraying her. They haven’t been this close since the van. It’s like she suddenly stopped knowing how to be around him. Jay swallows; Hailey watches his Adam’s apple bob and hates herself a little. “I’d feel better if you stayed.” She can only stare. How can he be so inarticulate one day and so unselfconscious the next? Hailey wishes she could blame the alcohol, or the hour, but Jay is a Ranger; he’s asleep to alert faster than she can blink. “We can stop by your place before we go in.” “I keep an emergency go bag in the car,” she blurts, unthinking, and Jay exhales a laugh with just one side of his mouth. “Of course you do.” This is a bad idea. “Are you actually going to sleep?” she asks, “If I stay?” Jay’s jaw works. Gotcha. “Probably.” Hailey rolls her eyes fondly. “Gotta work on your poker face there, Halstead.” He chuckles and leans back. “Pretty sure it’s no use with you.” It’s so frank and honest that her stomach pitfalls. Hailey stands then, handing the glass back to Jay and feeling abruptly silly for playing hot potato with it. “Be right back.” When Hailey returns, Jay is in sweats and a t shirt, putting sheets on the couch. It’s the most dressed down she’s ever seen him. “I just washed the ones on my bed,” he says with a smile. “Promise. All yours.” “I’m not kicking you out of your own bed,” Hailey protests. “I’ll take the couch. You’ll barely fit on it anyway.” Jay goes to counter, but she musters her best don’t fuck with me glare. His lips twitch like he wants to laugh; he just puts a pillow down. It feels downright domestic, standing in the bathroom with him and brushing her teeth. The part of Hailey that wants to fidget in her pajama shorts and t-shirt struggles with the rest of her that is always a little more instinctively relaxed around her partner, in a way – if Hailey’s being honest with herself – she had to work for with Adam. Besides the disaster that was Booth, Jay makes no demands of her, never asking for more than she’s ready to give. They’ve disagreed before, certainly, on cases. But never morally – never fundamentally – or in a way that spoke to the core of their personalities clashing. Hailey supposes that’s the upside of dragging each other’s demons into the light and finding support in looking right at their own darkness. “Sure you’re okay out here?” Jay leans on the doorframe of his room and watches as she slides beneath both the throw and another blanket he’d insisted on leaving out for her. “Beats a concrete basement floor,” Hailey quips. He makes a face and she laughs lightly at him. “I’m kidding. Jay this is fine, really. Go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” Jay looks at her a moment longer, before apparently deciding against whatever’s on his mind. “Night.” Hailey lies awake for longer than she’d like to admit, but he doesn’t have to know that.

*

The smell of coffee draws her into awareness. Hailey tries to sit up quickly, suddenly too mindful of Jay potentially catching her asleep and vulnerable again. But there’s no sign of him until she’s folding the blankets carefully into a small pile on one end of the couch. Jay emerges from the kitchen with two mugs and offers her one, which she accepts with a grateful, “Thanks.”  Hailey pulls her legs up to sit cross legged, leaning back against the arm of the couch while he shifts to face her. It would be too easy, she thinks, to shuffle forward a little and be touching knees. Somehow it seems more intimate than being locked in his arms with nowhere to go. “Get any sleep?” Jay asks, eyeing her over the rim of his mug. “Yeah,” Hailey admits after a moment of thought. “Actually. You?” She can see the edges of a smile: the corner of his mouth, the gentle crinkle of his eyes. “Yeah, actually.” There’s something inexplicably tender in his expression, despite the fact that she can’t see half his face. Hailey suddenly wishes she could flee, but just wraps both hands around her cup and drinks instead. “Bathroom’s all yours,” Jay says. “I’m just gonna get dressed.” The rest of the morning passes in the same quiet camaraderie that settles in during a long sting. By the time they’re pulling back up to the precinct, Hailey can almost pretend the last 12 hours were just a strange dream. She and Jay are early enough to work that not even Platt has arrived quite yet; the buzzer of the gate up to Intelligence feels almost jarring in the quiet. Hailey can see Atwater’s desk before they hit the top of the stairs. She’s almost there; they’re almost back to normal and then– “Hailey.” His fingers brush her elbow and she turns. Just behind her, Jay is just below as well; they’re very nearly the same height. The air feels close, like it did on the couch, and the van, like something electric is rising, or a flash flood that might just sweep her away. He glances down then up, as though suddenly boyish and bashful. It’s somehow difficult to imagine any other version of Jay that isn’t calm and confident. His jaw flexes. She sees that same look, that almost lost, vulnerable, and open one that always catches her off guard; she’s unmoored and the one thing that usually grounds her is the same thing knocking her off balance. Jay’s just looking at her, like he wants to speak but he knows that the truth – whatever the Truth is – might be the thing that shatters them both to pieces. She thinks, tell me. She thinks, don’t. And then Hailey stops thinking. She just leans forward and slides her arms around Jay’s neck, letting herself fit between the open edges of his jacket. He stiffens, but before Hailey can jump back over the enormous line she’s just crossed, Jay pulls her in. His arm wraps around her so far that she’s sure he can feel her ribs against his fingertips, while his other hand touches the back of her neck, so lightly at first that Hailey shivers. And then Jay tightens his grip and she’s suddenly safe again, despite everything. Hailey hooks her chin over his shoulder; he turns his face into the curve of her neck. She can only keep breathing as Jay sighs, so deeply that Hailey can feel his whole body rise and fall against hers. The whole world seems to have narrowed into sensations: fingertips tangling into her hair, calluses on the nape of her neck, warm breath over her collar. Hailey closes her eyes. You’re alive. She pulls back first, if only because she risks never moving again. She also risks crying, with the look in Jay’s eyes. But Hailey manages a smile and puts her hand on his shoulder. “C’mon. Let’s get to work.” As she turns, Jay’s hand touches her own. He squeezes, just once. Hailey returns the pressure without looking back and Jay releases her, following her up into the bullpen. It’s not enough, she thinks, a little selfish and foolish and desperate. But for now it has to be. 

[nerd-bastard]

ok so over the... /checks calendar, past five days i have managed to tear through act one of DQXI and hoo boy. hooooo boy. 

i fucking love this game *_*

@flutiebear​ thank you so much for your notes, they were super helpful!! my thing with JRPGs is mostly the turn based combat-- i can get SO BORED with it, i definitely prefer ARPGs where i can button mash things to death. DQXI seems to have found some kind of sweet spot for me tho, where battles are just long enough for me to like. pick a strategy and implement it, and get satisfactory results. sometimes those satisfactory results are just Talc helichoptering an entire group of enemies to death in one swing, which scratches my ‘button mash them to death’ itch :D I definitely like the easier monsters and relaxing while i play too, i’ve literally failed exactly ONE boss battle and that was bc my initial strategy sucked, not bc i didn’t have the muscle to pull it off. and omg, THE NO’S. BEST TIP EVER, THANK YOU.

and, as per your request, thoughts! :DDD full disclosure, i watched a playthrough up through the MMA tournament before I got the game, so these aren’t exactly first impressions. tons of screenshots and rambling below the cut, RIP mobile users :(

OH and because I got it on PC, i literally modded it before I even fired up the game lol. found some nice retextures on the mod nexus and installed the orchestral music overhaul too, it’s nice. The retextures are Wild Side Erik and Chainmail Luminary, i love them and I recommend the hell out of ‘em. Just a heads up so folks know why my Erik and Hero look different :D

ALRIGHT I WAS TOO DISTRACTED TO TAKE SCREENSHOTS FOR THE FIRST PART UP THE TOR but: i love gemma and i would die for her and sandy, and so would Talc. also christ, slimes are the most adorable enemy ever, DQ did a good thing with slimes. 

/NERVOUS LAUGHTER

horsey!! her name is Whisper and Talc loves her :D

so, initial Hero headcanons: Talc does not want to be a Luminary. He wants to stay in Cobblestone, and continue spending days at a time alone in the wilderness hunting for his family and culling monsters and riding horses and whittling wood and carving soapstone to pass the time. He knows he’s not Hero material-- he has to work too hard to hold his temper, and he’s too stubborn, and and and (he’s fine-- he just really wants to be like Chalky, but he’s a 16 year old kid who thinks good people ((like Chalky)) don’t have to try so hard to be good people, not a man with 60+ years of experience and time to mellow out. he’ll get there.) So Talc’s plan is 100% ‘Go to Heliodor, explain the situation to the king’s Knights and give them the pendant so one of them can go defeat the evil instead, then go home to Cobblestone.’ and well. We know how that turns out.

the most hardened, you say ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

THIS FUCKER. WHAT IS THIS FUCKER. 47 HOURS INTO THIS GAME AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS FUCKER IS. ARE YOU GOOD? ARE YOU EVIL?? ARE THERE A BUNCH OF YOU, OR IS IT JUST FUCKING YOU FOLLOWING ME EVERYWHERE? TELL ME

THERE HE IS!!! THERE’S MY BOY!! <3_<3 

In Talc’s defense, he was trying to open the jars, not smash them. yes i absolutely have to reconcile breaking into people’s homes and smashing their stuff with his character, he’s a country bumpkin who struggles to remember the concept of ‘private property’ and is so stupidly strong from rock climbing and swinging a greatsword around that is is a genuine struggle for him to lay hands on ceramic without shattering it. he’s a bit of a bull in a china shop, and it’s only growing up with Gemma that let him develop a reflex-bordering-on-instinct to be as gentle as possible with other human beings that, unfortunately, does not translate well to inanimate objects.

also... ngl, it took... a minute for that accent to grow on me. that accent, man. more like ‘those accents’ JUST PICK ONE AND STICK WITH IT DUDE

talc: you know those days when you’re like ‘this might as well happen, adult life is already so goddamn weird’

also, those SHOUJO SPARKLES. i will NEVER BE OVER THE SPARKLES.

holy shit i love Erik’s expressions and poses so much, he’s so fucking expressive (all the characters are, the voice acting and animation in this game has been a delight every step of the way, but i just. adore Erik’s in particular, everything he does is so endearing to me.)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS QUEST NAME, IT COULD NOT BE ANY LESS SUBTLE

little did he know what monster he had created

seriously tho i LOVE the crafting system in this game, it’s a good challenge and a little frustrating when one of the random events screws you up, but SO SO SATISFYING when you finally get your +3. also it works really well with my headcanon that Talc is very much a “show your love by providing the ones you care about with anything they could possibly need or want” type of person. he’s actually very good at anticipating said needs/wants and has a knack for giving his friends things before they even properly knew they needed/wanted the thing. he also has a tendency to...kind of forget that he can get things in return, and gets really flustered and happy when he does get something which also leads to a tendency to treasure and consequentially hoard small dumb things BECAUSE they were gifts.

this is where Talc’s heart starts to go doki-doki-- he's very much a people pleaser, if he can make folks happy it makes him happy. the little bit of trouble is it was pretty much the status quo in cobblestone, and a little bit taken for granted by the time he strikes out-- not by everyone, or all the time, for sure, but getting out into the world and getting a sudden influx of gratitude is like crack for him. Also Erik is Nice and Handsome and was happy to do all the talking in downtown Heliodor so Talc didn’t have to worry about it, so Talc now definitely wants to keep Erik. It’s also hilarious to Talc that Erik is clearly skilled with knives, and yet has zero clue how to dress or cook a rabbit-- he’s very determined to keep the city boy alive (watch me walk this headcanon back in a few days when i finally get his back story and it turns out he lived off the land for years)

oh man, my HEART, MY HEART. even knowing it was coming, playing through this part was rough, especially since now it’s my Talc running around the ruins of the one place he wanted to live out his days protecting. ;_; that was his job, that’s what he was good at and contributed to his home, except for the one time it really, really needed him. he’s more than a little fucked up about it, but it’s a big part of him really leaning into the Luminary role- he can’t stand the thought of it happening to anyone else.

this. this is kinda a big deal for him, after cobblestone. after learning people blame him for Dundrasil, and then feeling responsible for Cobblestone, he’s already starting to have tiny, niggling doubts about ‘oh shit what if i AM some kind of darkspawn??’ Fighting alongside Erik through the Kingsbarrow and getting to feel like he’s helping and protecting Erik helps, and then so does this. 

it also plays right into his thing for doing justice-- which, he tries to hold Chalky’s words close to his heart, he does, and his vision isn’t the first time Chalky has had to encourage him to let grudges go. it was the main motivation for the vast majority of his pranks as a kid: make Gemma cry by telling her proper ladies don’t play at catching frogs and getting dirty? enjoy the frog hidden in a jar leaping out at your face, old lady. accuse him of being a darkspawn and throw him and his family in jail? hell yes he is going to help this thief steal your greatest treasure, and love every minute of it.

and now, to wrap things up bc this post is already way too long and i’ve got. the rest of act one to yammer about later:

YES

YESSSSS

YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS

in conclusion: this is a good game and a good ship and i already have 300 words of fic sitting in my gdrive <_<;;;

[rantingnbanting]

It’s finally time

Spider-Man: Far From Home Movie Review

Hee hee i had a shit ton of this done already and then my dumbass accidentally closed the tab so yeah :’)

For some reason, this took me so long to want to write. I saw the movie this afternoon, and it’s almost midnight as I’m writing this. Granted, I am on vacation and was a little busy, but I just needed time to process this movie. The movie seemed really dense to me, and I just had to scroll through tumblr looking at other posts to finally get the nerve to write this.

So, the moment you’ve all been waiting for...

***SPOILER WARNING. MAJOR PLOT POINTS AND THE ENDING OF THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED SO IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS DO NOT CONTINUE***

Just as an FYI, I saw this with my sister, a fan of the MCU, and my dad, a diehard DC fan but just saw this for shits and giggles. And I will be referencing endgame a lot during this too.

- Did I like it?

Yeah!!!! I loved the humor in it, and the plot was well written. Mysterio is an awesome character in this, though he is a villain.

- What didn’t I like?

(I’ll go into more detail later) The cgi in this, the lack of some of the topics introduced in endgame, the casts’ age, and some of the Peter X MJ scenes (I said some! I do love Peter and MJ together!)

- Pacing?

Honestly? Pretty good for a marvel movie. Marvel usually has some issues with pacing *cough cough endgame cough cough*, but I was thoroughly impressed with this one. Everything seemed well drawn out, and I was never left feeling that a certain scene was too long/short. Kudos because that I am very picky with pacing lol

- Humor

This movie is probably one the funniest movies in the MCU, and it was one of the most memorable aspects of the movie. The morning announcements made my sister and myself wheeze and I had tears rolling down my face as I cackled. Ned and Betty were the truest presentation of Highschool romance I have ever seen. Starting on a whim, being attached to the hip for a few weeks (maybe even a few months), and then breaking up. I honestly loved them together. I’m happy they didn’t go down the “sad and neglected best friend” route with Ned because he deserves so much better. “I’m strong and sticky” made my stomach hurt because I was laughing so hard. PETER BITCH-SLAPPING FLASH WHEN HE WOULDNT GIVE BACK THE GLASSES. AHDHDBDJDHDJ

- plot?

I thought the plot was really clever. Like I said earlier, anyone could see mysterio’s real side from a mile away, but the way they went about the conflict and the climax of the story was very interesting as well. The only thing is that when they were first explaining the secret plan and thinking everyone, I got a little lost. I did finally realize how the bots produce an illusion, but I kind of had to figure that on my own. I was confused how things were being broken and destroyed by the creatures, but the team said that nothing was actually getting broken because it’s all just an illusion. Idk there were some plot holes, but they got mostly filled, so I’m not worried about it lmao.

- Favorite character?

While I do love Ned with every fiber of my being, he just didn’t have the same spark that he did in homecoming. Maybe that’ll change as I see the movie again, but my favorite character in this movie was definitely Mysterio. Jake Gyllenhaal is a phenomenal actor, and I don’t think anyone could have pulled off Mysterio like he did. As I assume most of the internet knows, Mysterio is an actual villain in the Spider-Man comics, and he has powers that create illusions, and I thought that this was a really cool way to portray Mysterio with making him a person. Even without knowing that Mysterio is a villain in the comics, it wasn’t that difficult to predict that he would reveal that he’s a villain. Thinking back, there was a part during the the fight with the fire monster in Prague when something broke off of the Ferris wheel, and I thought to myself “damn, it was almost like the Ferris wasn’t really there” And the illusion scene was by far the coolest scene in the entire movie. It gave me strong Doctor Strange vibes (I wonder why I like I so much lmao) and it showed how vulnerable Peter is. But Mysterio has the aura that just made you love to hate him, and I love characters like that.

- Soundtrack?

It was awesome. Mysterio’s theme is definitely the best. I actually listened to the soundtrack before I saw the movie, and it was cool to hear some of the familiar tunes. It would fucking awesome to hear an ensemble perform the Far From home suite live.

- Peter and MJ

Okay, I understand what they were trying to do with their relationship: display a typical, awkward high school relationship. Ngl, they kind of overdid the awkwardness. Not every relationship is both people constantly stuttering and muttering when they’re next to each other. And that fuckin kiss. It made me so uncomfortable. Me and my sister literally looked at each other and said, “That was the most awkward thing I have ever seen in my entire life” after the kiss. I like that the writers were trying to break from the stereotypical high school relationship, but I do think they overdid the awkwardness a bit.

- WHERE THE HELL WAS MORGAN STARK

HOW DARE YOU RIP A FATHER FROM A BOY AND GIRL AND NOT HAVE THEM INTERACT AT ALL. This is probably one of my biggest critiques because this movie makes it look like they introduced Morgan just to take her away. Same with Harley! Imagine how awesome peter and Harley could be together.

- CGI

Okay, I blame my dad for this. He was the one who introduced me to CGI (Computer-generated imagery) and how to spot it. In marvel movies, CGI is not uncommon, especially in the fight scenes. And I honestly did not give endgame enough credit when it came to CGI hulk. He looked absolutely phenomenal, but I have to say that a good amount of the CGI in this movie was rough. I always say, if you can tell it’s CGI, then it’s bad CGI. It’s really hard to explain, but if something looks like it belongs in a video game rather than in a live action movie, then the CGI is pretty rough. It takes experience to learn how to point it out. Mysterio didn’t look bad the entire time, but some shots of him floating (like the rooftop scene) just looked so fake. And the swinging scene at the end was absolutely horrendous. It looked like MJ was swinging with the peter from the ps4 videogame. The background imagery and the elemental monsters looked real for the most part, and they looked great and real. Just some character mods were really wonky.

- Cast

Okay, I’m going to just say it. What the fuck was that cast? To me, everyone looked so much older than the first one. Like I get it that some of them were “blipped” and aged, but holy shit Ned and peter looked so much older than in the first movie. And, holy shit, Peter is ripped in this movie. I know Tom mentioned in an interview that he was more buff in this movie compared to homecoming, but he was so much more, for lack of better phrasing, wide.

I mean, come on

If the next movie is set in high school again, I honestly have no idea what they will do because, right now, Tom is 23 and Zendaya is 22. And yes I get it that it’s not that old, but if the next one is going to wait 2 years at least for the next Spider-Man movie, they’ll be less like high school students and more like adults.

And while I would have been extremely pissed if they changed the cast, I’m just kind of peeved on how mature the cast looked.

- Ending?

The first ending was what everyone wanted. I could have left the theater then and would have been perfectly fine. But I had to watch the end credits scenes. And then my world crumpled. Hearing Mysterio reveal Peter was so surreal. Almost too surreal... but that’s for another post ;). It provides for a great cliffhanger, but it makes me wonder how they’re going to continue the MCU from here. Obviously, they’re going to do the Black Widow Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 (hopefully) but what next? Is there going to be another “avengers” movie? If so, what about Peter? Bc he’s in quite the pickle rn. And the pair credits scene just confused me ngl. So, Fury and Hill were never actually there? It does make sense why fury didn’t catch onto some things, but it does allow for some interesting conversations. This plus BARF equals who knows what for the future because this stuff is practically the reality stone. No one knows what’s real or not. And that’s scary. Also, does the multiverse exist? I know Beck and his crew made some stuff up for the purpose of tricking Fury and Peter, but the avengers still used the quantum realm to time travel, and who knows what types of alternate universes that created.

What does the future hold? No one knows

But it does allow for interesting theories ;)

Side note: I really noticed the resemblance in these in ffh

Hey marvel please introduce Deadpool played by Ryan Reynolds into the MCU thansk ily

[hannahindie]

Signs

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jack Kline, Castiel Word Count: 4,089 Warnings: Destiel, language, some angst, but then no angst! So there you go. A/N: So, I have newly embraced the idea of Destiel, and I had actually posted this on a side blog that was going to be where that stuff went until both @pinknerdpanda and I decided that was silly. She was the sweet angel that beta’d this for me, and I’m super proud of how it turned out. It’s an interesting concept that I wish would have really happened...but then again, I suppose I’m a little biased. lol Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

I will only be tagging those that have specifically shown interest in Destiel things. If you’d like to be added, then please let me know.

“I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”

It had been awhile since those words echoed in Dean’s mind, but lately, it was the one thing that kept coming back to him in the dark, the memory of electric eyes and shadowy wings spread across the abandoned hangar still vivid despite the long passage of time.

But that's all he had left, wasn't it? Memories...of Cas, of his mom. Both of them gone, taken away from him by Lucifer. As if they hadn't lost enough because of him, he lost his mom and his best friend in the blink of an eye. What they had left was a broken family and a kid that didn't know up from down, left from right.

It had been weeks since Cas had fallen, the sand marred by the tattered remains of his wings, and Dean couldn't understand why this was different. He always blamed himself, always felt a deep anguish for things that were inevitably his fault, but Cas’ death had torn something from him and, though he was almost ashamed to admit this, it was far worse than losing Mary. The only time he'd felt remotely like he currently was was when he'd left Lisa and Ben behind, and even that paled in comparison. The image of the angel blade piercing Cas’ chest, the slow crumple as he fell, the bright blue light that shot from him as his grace flickered out...it was like someone had reached into his chest and ripped out his heart.

He attributed it to Cas being his best friend, the closest person to him other than Sam. Hell, Cas had saved him, literally pulling him out of the fire. Dean had done what Dean had always done in these kinds of situations; he'd hit on every waitress, bartender, and witness that he could, and slept with half as many as he would have liked. It wasn't a great way to deal with things, but it usually worked as a temporary distraction. This time, however, it only seemed to make it worse. Sam kept asking him what was wrong, but how could he answer a question he didn't know the answer to? So instead, he stayed grouchy and irritable, and threatened to kill the nephilim every chance he got.

That was, until this morning. He had been sleeping; not well, chasing nightmares he couldn't quite grasp, but he'd finally fallen into a fitful sleep. Suddenly, he was awakened by a sudden fire, a flame running up his arm and coalescing in his tricep, and he sat up as he grasped at the burning flesh, a strangled scream caught in his throat.

“Dean?! What's wrong?” The light clicked on abruptly and Dean squinted at the sudden brightness.

“Jesus, Sam, it’s fine. It was just a dream.” His hand lingered over the spot, his fingers slipping under his sleeve and finding rough skin where it once was smooth. “Go back to sleep.” Dean reached over and clicked the light back off and waited as Sam rolled over and pulled the blankets over himself. He quickly fell back into a deep slumber and Dean shifted, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed as he ran a hand over his face. Though the initial excruciating burn was gone, he could feel a tingle just below the surface, a reminder that whatever he'd thought he'd dreamed was real. He quietly stood and walked to the bathroom, checking to make sure Jack was also still asleep as he walked into the darkened room. He shut the door behind him with a muted click before flipping on the light. A bedraggled mess looked back at him; hair sticking up every which way, a five day beard that was slowly obscuring his face, and tired eyes that could use at least eight more hours of sleep.

His eyes traveled down to his arm, and he squinted at the slightly puckered, pink skin peeking out from below his sleeve. There's no way. The thought echoed in his mind, a denial that he knew he couldn't keep up. And then another thought, the first thing he'd ever heard Cas say.

“I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”

His hand moved on its own, gripping the soft edge of his t-shirt sleeve, and pulled. He stared wide eyed at the mark that, just a few moments before, hadn't been there. The mark that hadn't been there for almost a decade, the one that had disappeared over the years of death and resurrection.

The hand print that had saved him from a millennia of pain and torture, and the undoing of his very self. Cas’ hand, burned into him like a brand, a reminder of who he was and what was expected of him. There it was, plain as day, and there was absolutely no explanation for it.

He looked back up in the mirror, the exhaustion replaced by confusion and, if he was being honest, a little fear.

“What the hell?”

The car was silent other than the low rumble of the engine and the quiet rock music Dean had put on for background noise. Sam had spent the majority of the afternoon scrolling through his phone, and Jack had sat in the back, quietly flipping through a magazine Sam had grabbed for him at the last gas station. Dean rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had settled deep into his muscles while he ignored the dull ache in his upper arm.

“You okay?” He glanced over to see Sam staring at him, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Yea, why?”

“You seem...tense.”

Dean rolled his eyes, “This is kind of a tense time, Sam. Mom is gone, probably dead, Cas is dead, we’re stuck with…” he looked up in the rearview to see Jack looking at him and sighed. “We’re not exactly living the dream.” His eyes returned to the road, and he tried to ignore his brother’s concerned gaze.

“What about last night?”

“What about it? I had a bad dream, it woke me up. I think we both are well versed in those.”

“I heard you talking to yourself.” Jack’s voice chimed in from the backseat, and Dean glared at him through the rear view.

“You didn't hear shit. You were asleep.”

“I don't really need sleep-”

“I said, you didn't hear shit.” Dean fell silent again and once again the only sounds in the car were the deep rumble of the engine and the low din of Metallica pulsing through the speakers.

Dean tried to ignore the pulsing in his arm, an insistent beat like a drum, set to its own rhythm.

What the hell was going on?

Dean sighed, the breeze cool against his face as he sat in the sun, his legs stretched out lazily in front of him. The worn handle of the fishing rod fit easily against his palm, almost as if it had spent countless hours resting in the same spot. The lake he was sitting in front of was a pristine blue, surrounded by mountains and green trees as far as the eye could see.

It was perfect.

Despite the seemingly calm perfection, he had a nagging thought in the back of his mind, the familiarity of the scene egging it on. But what was it? A tug on his line distracted him from the question, his hand automatically shifting from the handle to the reel, and slowly began turning.

"Dean." The low, gravelly voice startled him out of his idyllic moment, and he turned to see Cas standing next to him, looking out over the lake but standing close enough that they could touch if Dean just put his hand out. Instead, he returned his gaze to the water, and began slowly reeling in his line. "What are you doing here?" "You should ask yourself that. It is your dream." Dean rolled his eyes, "Yea, but I was perfectly content just fishing. I didn't want to see my dead best friend, alright? Not my idea of a dream.” He cast out his line again, and watched as it clung to the surface of the water before breaking the tension and sinking into the darkness.

“It is important that we talk, Dean.”

“How important can it be to talk to a dead guy? What else can we possibly talk about other than the fact that you’re gone, and Sam and I are on our own?”

“You have been on your own before.”

Dean gripped the rod tighter, his knuckles turning white as he forced himself to stay calm. “Just because I’ve been on my own doesn’t mean…” He took a deep breath, then continued, “It’s not the same, Cas. I...we...were on our own. And then we weren’t, okay? A person gets used to it, and it’s not like we have much family left. I’m tired of losing people.”

“I do not think you are as alone as it seems. It is only a matter of time before you will see.”

Dean looked up at Cas, his eyes even more blue than he remembered as he looked down at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He was surprised Cas could even hear his question, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Wait for the sign.” Cas dropped his hand on Dean’s shoulder, and Dean’s chest tightened at the touch. He closed his eyes as he reached up, his fingers just grazing Cas’. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he moved his hand upwards, his palm covering rough knuckles.

Suddenly, his arm was on fire again, an intense burn that moved from his fingertips all the way to his shoulder, stopping just below where Cas’ hand was resting.

“Wait for the sign.”

Dean sat up with a jerk, and hastily wiped away the tear that was still rolling down his cheek. The dream was already fading into a mostly forgotten memory, except for a pair of exceptionally blue eyes standing out in the darkness. He heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Sam staring at him. “What?” he asked roughly, throwing back the blanket and shuffling to the bathroom before the younger Winchester could answer. He avoided looking in the mirror; he knew whatever he saw there would be rough; no need to dwell on it.

“What was that about?” Sam asked as Dean reappeared from the bathroom, and despite his obvious effort to mask it, Dean could hear the concern in his voice.

“It was just a dream.”

“A dream about Cas isn’t ‘just a dream’,” he air quoted annoyingly.

Dean sat down on the edge of his bed, reaching for the jeans that were hanging on the end of it, “How’d you know it was about Cas?”

“You repeating his name over and over again kind of gave it away.” He paused, then tilted his head as he caught a glimpse of Dean’s arm as the sleeve shifted. “What happened to your arm?”

Dean grabbed his shirt from the chair and pulled it on, “Nothin’. Bruise from the last hunt, nothing to be concerned about.”

Sam left his spot at the small kitchenette table and walked over to the bed, “Lemme see it.”

Dean glared at him as he pulled on one of his boots, “Why would I do that? It’s not a big deal, I already told you it was a bruise from the last hunt. Let it go, Elsa.”

“Come on, let me see.” Sam went to grab his arm and Dean dodged it as he pushed him away.

“Back the hell up, man. I said it was nothing.” Although a majority of the burning was gone, it was still tender to the touch, and it took everything Dean had not to grimace as the flannel rubbed against the mark. Sam looked at him for a moment as if contemplating his next move, then suddenly moved towards Dean, one hand going for the edge of shirt, the other coming down on where he thought the mark was.

Sam’s aim, despite not knowing exactly what he was looking for, was true, and he landed directly on the hand print. Pain shot down Dean’s arm and back up, and he shoved Sam as hard as he could away from him. Sam hit the ground with a resounding thud, and he looked up at Dean from the floor in surprise.

“Goddammit Sam, that hurt!”

“I barely touched you! What the hell was that?!”

“He has a brand.” Both Winchesters spun around to see Jack sitting quietly on the couch, watching the television with the sound all the way down.

“The fuck did you say?” Dean growled, taking a step toward the nephilim.

“I said, you have a brand. It's Cas’ handprint.”

“Is he right, Dean? Is it?”

Dean ripped his flannel off and threw it angrily to the side, then grabbed his shirt sleeve and yanked it upwards, displaying the newly burned mark.

“Fine, yes, are you happy?!”

“I don't know that happy is the word I would use. Confused, yes. Happy, I'm not really sure. When the hell did that show up?” Sam pulled himself out of the floor and resumed his place at the table.

“I dunno, couple nights ago. I just...woke up and it was there.” Sam narrowed his eyes, “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Why the hell did I need to? Cas is gone, Sam, he's gone. This changes nothing, and,” he threw a hateful glare towards Jack, “we have bigger concerns on our hands.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “Did it ever occur to you that this might mean Cas isn't...gone gone? That maybe it's some sort of sign that he's still here, somewhere?”

“What kind of sign? A reminder that we failed yet again? Sign, my ass.” Dean tried to ignore the obvious use of the word, images from his dream resurfacing as he tried to ignore it. He didn’t need any signs; his best friend was gone.

“Not a sign of failure, more like a sign of your…” Sam trailed off, afraid of pointing out the thing they’d all pretty much been ignoring.

“My what, Sam?”

Sam sighed, “Your connection to Cas. We both know it’s much stronger between the two of you than Cas and I. You guys...you have a bond.”

“What does that mean…bond?”

Dean glared at Jack but remained silent, shifting his gaze to Sam.

“It's just that Cas saved Dean, and he's always...I mean, he cares very much about-”

“Alright, that's enough of that. I'm leaving.” Dean grabbed the keys from the table and stormed towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

He threw the door open, then turned back to Sam, “For a drive. Don't wait up.” He slammed the door shut, then went straight to the Impala. He needed air, a chance to think. Sam had no idea what he was talking about...did he?

Dean pulled into the overgrown field and put the car into park, his mind racing with thoughts of Cas and his dream, what Sam had said, and the now constantly aching hand print on his shoulder. He got out and slammed the door shut, pacing back and forth as he mumbled to himself.

“Bond...he doesn't have a damn clue what he's talking about. He's my best friend, obviously there's a...a bond.” He stopped walking and sat on the hood of the Impala and leaned back, his hands behind his head as he stared up into the sky. He hadn't prayed for awhile, not since Cas had been killed, and he didn't really see what good it would do now.

He sighed; it couldn't hurt either. “Cas...if you've got your ears on, I...we could really use you down here. Everything's gone to hell, I don't know what to do with Jack...and I don't understand why your handprint is back. Sam says it's because of our bond, but that sounds like bullshit. We’re family, of course there's a bond.” He reached up and put his hand over the print, matching his fingers with Cas’, and sighed. The warmth flooded from it, moving from his fingertips all the way up to his shoulder, then downward, until it buried itself deep within his gut.

It was a familiar feeling, one he'd felt hundreds of times when he'd go home with whatever piece of ass he could get his hands on. Crass, and not exactly the same, but it was as close as he could get to describing the sudden tightening in his stomach. For a moment, it almost felt like the fingers he'd aligned with his own were shifting, filling in the empty spaces and curling around his hand. His eyes flew open, but just like that, the feeling was gone.

He looked down at his arm, the scar a deeper shade than before, and sighed. He didn't understand any of this; why the mark had returned, this feeling of longing usually only reserved for those that caught his attention at the bar, and the ever present denial of there being something more between the two of them than anyone else.

“Cas...please come back. We need you to come home. I need you to come home.” After a moment of silence, he sat up with a sigh and slid off the hood. “Figures…” he mumbled to himself as he reached for the door handle. Suddenly, the fire in his shoulder returned, and he collapsed into the closed door, nearly biting his tongue to keep in the pained yell. As quick as it began, it stopped. No fading away, no slowly relinquishing tingling like before; just a hard stop, as if he had imagined it.

He reached down, his fingers tracing along the edge of his shirt sleeve before slowly raising it to find smooth, freckled skin. No hand print.

“What the hell?” He swiped his hand across where the print had been just moments before, but not only was it gone, so was the feeling it gave, the feeling that Cas was there. Whatever it was was gone, and Dean felt his stomach drop. Cas was gone. Truly gone. Whatever hope Dean had of Sam being right...well, it had disappeared with it.

Then his phone rang.

Dean had always overlooked traffic laws and speed limits while traveling back roads; in the rare instances that he did get pulled over, he simply would flash a smile and charm his way out of it. Sam was always impressed by it, and though he'd never admit it, a little jealous. But tonight, nothing would stop Dean. He ignored yield signs and stop lights, flew through intersections, blasted through a railroad crossing as the bar came down, and narrowly avoided being caught by a state trooper who, by sheer luck, had already pulled someone else over for weaving back and forth over the center line.

Always the one to use a map rather than GPS, Dean had also broken that rule; his eyes constantly drifted over to look at the phone in Sam’s hand, the estimated time of arrival dropping as he pressed the gas harder.

Seventy five miles.

Fifty miles.

Twenty-five miles.

You have arrived at your destination.

Dean abruptly stopped as he caught sight of the shadowy figure hovering at the phone booth, the shadow from the grimy streetlight obscuring most of the details. He didn't need details; the tight feeling in his gut as he stared at the figure was answer enough. If it hadn't been, the fluttering edge of a trench coat in the sudden breeze certainly was.

“Dean.”

His breath caught at the sound; deep and gravelly, the voice almost didn't go with the owner.

He had arrived at his destination. Although, if he really was honest with himself, he'd arrived as his destination way earlier and had taken his time actually getting there.

He climbed out of the car and walked towards Cas. Jack began to follow and Sam held out an arm to stop him. Jack looked at him in confusion, unsure as to why he couldn't go to his father, the man who was supposed to keep him safe, but obeyed Sam’s silent request to stay put. Dean stopped just short of Cas, his hands still at his sides.

“How?” It came out a whisper, and Cas’ gaze darted over his shoulder towards Jack, then back to Dean.

“I am unsure, though I believe it deals with the child.”

Dean took another step forward, “Where were you?”

Cas shook his head, “I...I do not know. I was somewhere and nowhere. There was darkness...nothingness. It was...disconcerting.”

Another step, then another, until Dean was standing toe to toe with him. Cas’ eyes narrowed, locked with Dean’s, and Dean wondered how he'd missed how blue they were. Without thinking or thought to anyone else standing around, he threw his arms around him and gripped him tightly.

“You can't leave me again. You hear me? You can't leave me like that again,” he whispered fiercely in Cas’ ear, his voice breaking as Cas’ arms found their way around his waist.

“I am sorry, Dean. I did not realize-”

“Don't...don't apologize. Just...don't ever do that again.” He pulled back and stared at Cas, taking in everything he could. It occurred to him that their arms were still around each other and for a moment, he considered moving away. Instead of doing that, however, he leaned his forehead against Cas’ and closed his eyes. The feeling was back; only this time, it was his entire body that felt like it was on fire. Every part that touched Cas tingled, spreading warmth through him until he thought he couldn't take it anymore.

“Dean?”

“Hmm?”

“I would very much like to kiss you. Is that okay?” Dean opened his eyes, and for a moment didn't know how to answer. He took in Cas’ wrinkled brow, furrowed in concern, his messy hair, and crooked tie. Kissing Cas had never really occurred to him, not until he was gone and Dean realized there was more to them than just the angel and the hunter, but now that Cas was back...should they? Cas’ arm began to loosen around his waist and Dean panicked; he had waited too long to answer. So, instead of answering, Dean did the thing he knew he was better at than talking.

He pressed a palm on each of Cas’ cheeks and moved in, his lips pressing gently, almost chastely, against his. They were chapped, just like always, but Dean was surprised to find that they were even softer than most girls he'd been with, warm and plump. His tongue darted out as he decided to push his luck and explore, and not surprisingly, his lips tasted of honey. He jumped a little as Cas’ tongue joined his, but quickly recovered and let his lips part so that Cas could do his own exploring.

Then it was over. Dean took a deep breath and let his hands drop, staring at Cas as if he'd disappear any second. “Whoa.”

Cas gave him a rare smile, “I believe that is a good response. Can I tell you something?”

Dean nodded, “Of course you can.”

“While I was gone...in the empty, as the entity I met there  called it, all I wanted was to go home. And after being there for awhile, it felt like millennia, it occurred to me that when I thought of home, I was not thinking of Heaven. I was thinking of you. I held onto that, and though I believe it was Jack’s powers that pulled me physically from that place, I never would have made it out whole without the thought of you.”

Dean’s mouth dropped open, unprepared for the eloquent and touching speech. “I...I don't know what to say, Cas.”

“You do not need to say anything. You are here, that is enough.” He nodded over Dean’s shoulder, “I believe we should probably discuss this more in depth later, as we have an audience. And also things to take care of.”

Dean looked back in time to see Sam forcibly turn Jack around and pretend that neither of them saw anything. “Yea, let's go,” he chuckled as they walked back to the car.

As he slid into the front seat, he smiled to himself. Next time, he would believe in all the signs.

Destiel Tags: @pinknerdpanda @mrswhozeewhatsis @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @jeweldancerwrites <--I feel like I tagged the wrong person...please tell me if I did. lol