#it's possible I just really like playing with colors when crafting

[tj-crochets]

Batting is pieced together from batting scraps, backing is ironed, and the quilt sandwich is pinned and ready to sew!

Another little quilt top! This one is made using the remaining squares from the other green baby quilt I made, so I did not have to cut out any squares or do any initial ironing and it only took an hour :D

[takes1]

asahi x feral reader w/ a size k!nk

this was indulgent for me. asahi is def a favorite of mine. idk where the kuroo's little sister idea really stems from, but it just came to me and worked with my prompt (mostly adding conflict/humor). thirsty lead-up to some pay-off smut

warnings. asahi thirst. eventual smut. minors DNI info. lite!nsfw to future smut / gentle giant!asahi / asahi appreciation / size kink / kuroo's sister!reader / kuroo cockblocking / 860 words / multi-part smut so reply to be added to taglist! haikyuu collection. more here. part two here. part three here. final part here. more links. masterlist. my ao3. requests/submissions: open

Great, hulking muscles slammed a ferocious serve through the other side of the court. An easy point for his team.

Screams of adoration from Karasuno supporters and his own teammates echoed in your ears: Asahi.

Yeah, that was a name you could get used to screaming.

Your jaw was on the floor. Your trembly hands seized the railing to keep your wobbly body barely upright. The sigh you gave felt like it lasted minutes, so when you went to gasp for more air, it sounded like a demented groan.

"I need him biblically," You heard yourself declare.

It may have been the show of force, but there was something about a kind face attached to that weapon of a body that set your senses on fire. You were already crafting plans to seduce him after the game, making fictional arrangements to ensure you could be under him in the shortest wait time possible.

"What?" Your friend laughed at you, a hand on your shoulder to jerk you back to reality.

You were on the opposite side of the court, after all. What you could see of him was through the net.

That was not your team by any means- you were connected to the one in front of you by blood.

"Number 3," You sighed, leaning against the railing. Maybe you'd fall into the court and he could catch you in his big arms. Then, you'd start making out and--

"Yaku??" She laughed.

"No!" You made a disgusted sound, "God, not-- Karasuno number three!"

Her laughter only made you feel like talking to him was as realistic as Nekoma winning right now. With a 7-point difference, it was pretty self-explanatory.

"Yaku's not that bad," She grinned at your eyes rolling all the way back into your skull, "Hey! You've gotta calm down."

Your head was on your arms, crumpled against the railing. There was no chance in Hell you'd let this opportunity slip from your fingers.

The energy pumping through you was straight-up biological.

It was the only explanation for a need that went this deep, so strong that it carried your legs down the stands and into the hallway behind the gymnasium after the game was over.

This deranged arousal only felt out of place when your brother stopped you from moving further down, to where Karasuno was packing their gear up.

"Woahwoahwoah," Kuroo narrowed his eyes at you and spun you around by your shoulder, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

He knew something was up. There was a sick scheme playing out in your eyes.

He glanced from you, to the rowdy group of giants the next space over, then back to you with a harder look.

"None of your business," You spat, thinking him funny to try to get in your way like this in front of people. He usually acted like you were the dirt on the bottom of his shoe in public.

You only went to his games to spot cute boys, anyway. This time you were actually successful and felt so inclined as to approach said-cute-boy.

"Let go," You wrenched your arm out of his gross, sweaty hand and scoffed, walking off towards Karasuno's beautiful, meaty Ace.

There was a muttered, 'Whatever,' and you knew he didn't care enough to foil your plans again. They did just lose.

The thought crossed your mind to remove your Nekoma school hoodie only after it was too late. Karasuno spotted some enemy colors and quieted upon your approach.

Any confidence you had gathered shrank tenfold-- but you locked in on the subject of your desire and remembered your divine mission.

Get railed. This week.

That wouldn't happen if you backed down now or fucked up the plan.

He was in the center of his team, so you had to give some small 'Excuse me's to get to who you were here for.

Shocked, silent looks were exchanged all around when you stopped in front of him at last.

You were gathered in a sea of players, trapped to carry out the reason that brought you here.

"Um," You found it impossible to look at his face, so you looked forward at his chest while you gathered the courage, "That was a good game."

You tried to swallow the growing need to scream when you looked up. He had facial hair, you realized- his eyes were deep brown, his skin dark tan, and he was one of the two tallest on the team.

It occurred to you that you picked the biggest, baddest guy in this hall.

You grabbed his hand and deposited a piece of paper inside, "Call me."

Unable to look at his face again, you decided that was enough to get your point across and sifted through the gathered crowd of Karasuno's team members.

With your back turned, head swimming with regret at your forwardness, you couldn't see nor understand the strangled sounds of teenage boys celebrating their cowardly ace getting a cute girl's number like that.

Pushing, pulling, laughing, shoving, and other celebratory verbalizations were far behind you when you joined Nekoma once again- your home team beyond curious as to what you did to make their rivals even louder.

taglist.

none. reply to be added!

masterlist. taking requests.

[musickgeek]

Happy (SDV Sebastian x Farmer!Reader)

945 words, unedited

Warnings: None

The first time you'd met Sebastian was the first Friday after your arrival in Pelican Town. You saw him bent over the pool table, lining up his shot. Your face got hot, and butterflies flew in your stomach. He looked so at peace, in his element. The small smile on his lips, and comfortable stance he took up. You were wondering how to introduce yourself, but Sam, who you'd met earlier in the day, waved you over. Nervous, you tried to walk over as casually as possible, brushing dirt and dust off your clothes. "Hey (Y/n), these are my friends Abigail, and Sebastian." Sebastian makes a shot, knocking a few of his balls into the pockets. Sam frowns, but quickly refocuses on introductions. He bumps Sebastian's shoulder with his own, almost teasing. "Sebastian, this is the new farmer girl." 

The dark haired boy looked at you, curiosity in his eyes. "Oh. You just moved in, right?" You nodded. "Cool." He pauses for a moment, as if thinking about it. "Out of all the places you could live, you chose Pelican Town?” You couldn't help the small laugh that came out. "I know it seems small and confining, but for me, some of the best memories of my life were made here with my grandfather." He nodded thoughtfully, accepting the answer. You found him to be so pretty, it almost embarrassed you. You'd just met the man for Yoba's sake! Oh well, you'd already decided you wanted to get to know him better.

~~~~~

You tried to speak to him every day, trying to figure out the things he liked. What do boys like him like? You came to an easy conclusion while in the mines. When you found a little piece of clear crystal. "You may think it's not much, but when in the right light," you moved it into the sun to show off how it glimmered, "it shows it's true worth." Just like him, you decided. And so your ventures into the mines became more frequent, finding colorful gems and crystals that Sebastian might like. 

You would walk in the house, scuffed up and dirty, but smiling widely. Robin would look at you strangely. You'd greet her cheerfully like you weren't bleeding and bruised before disappearing down the stairs to her sons room. She was confused for weeks until Sebastian asked her to build a shelf for him to display the fruits of your labor. 

~~~~~

"You know, I'm starting to think you're obsessed with me." He teased one Friday, you guys walking to the saloon together. "In your dreams!" It wasn't you fault, you thought. He was the one who plagued your mind with a late night motorcycle ride a few nights before. You found him working on his bike, and he suggested brining you along on time. You said you were scared, to which he promised to keep you safe. That moment played in your mind over and over like a broken record. You'd become a little clingier, and the fact that he'd noticed startled you. His phone chimed, luckily changing the subject. He frowned, and you asked what had happened.

"Sam isn't coming by tonight. He hurt himself on his skateboard earlier, and is stuck with Harvey tonight." Little did either of you know, it was a crafted lie designed by Sam and Abby to get you guys to hang out. "Do you know how to play pool?" 

"I get the idea, but I've never actually played. I don't know how to execute it, really." He gave his little smile that you adored. "Tonight is going to be interesting." He sped up, almost giddy at the idea of sharing his skills with you, leaving you to chase after him, laughing.

~~~~~

Your skin was on fire. His body had never been so close to yours. You could feel your face burning. You could feel his breath on your neck. His hand covered yours, his chest was pressed against your back. You could smell the woodsy scent of his room on him. To the other patrons, the act was innocent. He was just showing you how to line up a shot for pool. But to you, everything about this felt like carnal sin. You felt like you could pass out. The sound of the lively talk and music faded away, all you senses focused on him. Could he feel it too? You when for the shot, but were too distracted to make a hit. 

"You're even worse than Sam." He said, pulling away. "I'll just have to practice more." You insisted. "Oh, by the way, I found this for you." You pull the blue, teardrop shaped crystal out of your pocket. The shock on his face pleased you. He took it carefully, afraid of breaking it. "I really love this." 

"It's no big deal." You shrug. But he shakes his head, frowning deeply. "But it is, I know the lengths you have to go to for something like this, for any of the crystals you give me. You go down there all the time, risking your life just to give me some silly trinkets. I don't even understand why." Now you frown, feeling hurt. "I thought you liked them..." He realizes his mistake, and gets panicky. "No, I do, I really do! But...I like you more. Sometimes I wait at the rivers edge for you to come back. Just to know you're safe." 

You felt your heart pounding in your chest. What was he saying? "I...I can handle myself, Seb. I promise. I do it because it makes you happy." He looks down, and smiles. You so badly wanted to kiss him. "(Y/n), you make me happy." 

[alcqraz]

★ summary — after yet another tough loss in the australian open, y/n finds solace within her boyfriend. ˖˙ ꔫ —★★★★ pairing: carlos alcaraz x fem!reader ˖˙ ꔫ —★★★ content warnings. n/a. carlos being a cutie patootie? ˖˙ ꔫ —★★ word count. 3.2k ˖˙ ꔫ —★ genre. fluff. it's carlos. what do you expect? ★ authors note: for the girls! i really need to write some x male!reader for myself... ben drabble coming next and then we go from there. also ugh, he's so cute i love him so much. after 6 decades, 4 redbulls and 25 million complaints, you shalt recieve whatever the hell this monstrosity is... i apologize, this is terrible. ⠀⠀⠀❛⠀⠀ @yungbludz ; @csainzcalcaraz ; idk who else to tag.

Bitterness was an odd sort of sensation. It wrapped around the heart within a warp of seamless, thick fog- the cold tendrils seeping into the crevices of positivity that she deemed to find after such a loss. It whispered to Y/N in moments where she stood in front of the media, rumbling off a number of responses given by her public relations manager. One for which she believed to have almost no effect upon her relationship with the public. It lingered, like some sort of lurking shadow amongst the thoughts that crowded her back of mind as the reality delved deep into her bones. As the media had swooped down as vultures and ripped her performance apart with each piece of mindless critique that, most of the time, could be said to have been terribly wrong.

She’d known the drill. Exchanging hands with the devil within every turn that crossed her path, with every early round exit that haunted her presence as she packed up to head towards the next tournament. One which would lead to the abiding taste of victory or once again; bitterness. It followed her every step, with every ground stroke, with every serve missed. It was only when the umpire would shout out the words- game, set match; followed by a name that was not hers, would she realize. It settled in slowly; similar to the dust that set on the shelves after being unused for far too long, and eventually did she finally feel the truth of it all. 

Australia seemed to disdain her existence as a whole. Y/N had decidedly chosen to believe so after a handful of upsets. Within the premises of a place far too beautiful to be spiteful, does she drown within her sorrows of the match. The Australian Open always rubbed like salt within her wounds, lost matches after lost matches, and she wondered to herself what she could possibly be doing wrong with her career. It was not as if it were common. Undoubtedly, Y/N would lose; just as the greatest to ever have played the game had done so before, but within the years that passed by, it only tended to happen with a good run. Perhaps losing upon the semi-finals or the finals could be regarded as a wider received upset, however the expectation that crawled upon her skin with every waking moment only pressured her further to go for a deeper run.

And yet, as the sun dipped lower upon the evening-lit sky, it sank deep within the horizon as such a carefully crafted and cared for gold coin slipping into the darkened waves of the ocean. Casting hues of colors that in any other situation, Y/N would find extraordinary. What was not to appreciate a good sunset for? But it was not the stunning beauty of the sunset that plastered her thoughts, and to her utter surprise and relief, was also not the stalling weight of the loss. Instead, her mind subconsciously drifted to the Spaniard that she knew would be waiting upon her arrival. 

Carlos was never one short of a support system for Y/N. In a sort of way, she wonders faintly what she would do without his constant encouragement and advocacy. Who would be there for her after such a loss? Who would be the one to woefully wrap their arms around her as she doubted her ability, the one who would whisper sweet nothings into her ears until she truly believed it? Y/N knew that she couldn’t escape it again this time, despite the need to potentially be alone for multiple hours before truly being in a mindset to talk to others without resulting in a bout of tension due to snappy answers. 

She knew that he would’ve watched the match. Sitting atop his hotel room bed in which she had fallen asleep in for many days beforehand, never daring to book a shared room due to the fear of being caught by, not his team, but others. News outlets, reporters- those who would do nothing less than to dwell low for an eye-catching title. Sprawled across the sheets, she could imagine him, his mouth pursed into a tight line; not at the loss, but at the disappointed glances the camera would’ve caught with ease. He never cared for her results, not in that sense, but in the sense of that he would not judge her for an early round exit such as today. The only thing that mattered to him would’ve been what she had felt- frustration, agitated, disappointed, seemed to all be on the table on this fateful night.

And in a certain light, she looked forward to those tender moments. The feeling of a ripple of being loved and appreciated within an ocean of critical and in times, cruel comments that had been made of her. For her tennis, her looks, her image; there always appeared to be something to grumble about albeit it be for the tiniest, most inconspicuous things. Carlos always shook his head, his head of grown hair shaking in such a way that was endearing to Y/N. He’d reach over, gently plucking the phone from his hands although unable to hide his pique of interest in what his girlfriend so… encapsulated. He’d learnt quickly that it was never good in instances as such. 

There would be some form of tension as the Spaniard would look up, an odd frown stretching across his face. It never fit him right- frowning, it just didn’t feel right, like a human in an animal enclosure. Unbelonging. Conceivably, it was because she was used to his bright, joyous and up-lifting grin, that goofy smile that could assault a ray of light upon the darkest of days. Seeing the opposite of it was unfathomable. There would be a mumble of words, half mixed with Spanish as he would set the phone down, an arm slowly easing up to provide a source of comfort. 

Arguably, the drive back to the exquisite hotel in which she had been assigned could be determined to be the longest and shortest drive she’d ever experienced. The driver made no attempt to start a conversation in any variation, instead decidedly for the better, kept his mouth tightly shut. Y/N had assumed that one not so nice glance, which- for the record, she did not mean to give, shut him up real quick as from a viewpoint, he looked fairly friendly. Like the sort of person to make small talk with strangers without making either party feel vastly uncomfortable. She’d never gotten out of a place faster in her life. Mumbling out a soft thank you, because if honesty was policy, it was the least she could do after such a drive.

She was thankful that at least the hotel had a welcoming atmosphere, the constant chatter of guests that could care less of her arrival. Or even better, did not recognize her for who she was. Her team had followed back within another car, not that Y/N had requested so, but it felt more of a moral perception. They knew what to leave things at, and she could come to appreciate having a group of people that understood. Within the dynamic lighting in the building, she could vaguely make out one of the tournament cars pulling into the entrance. 

Hauling the bag that slung across a singular shoulder, and quietly adjusting the hanging strap, Y/N stumbles her way back towards her room. The hallway stood eerily silent, the usual foreigner- or group of foreigners had either disappeared into the night, taken an early exit, or drunk on a dance floor. The latter, she had assumed. Notionally, it would’ve been far better than having to be questioned by the eyes of another guest, making polite small-talk as the elevator shuddered and picked up its pace. They’d wish her luck, not knowing the slaughter that had happened on court not even hours before. 

A part of Y/N wants to immediately head over to Carlos’s room. To drop everything and melt within his strong arms, to go home. But she knew better than to show up at his front door, sweaty, pissed off and with an arm load of bags. And so she resisted, grumbling a number of curses as she punched in the floor that her suite had been on, waiting as the elevator whirred to its heart's content. It feels far too long, the walk back grudging and slow, with every drag of her foot feeling as she were walking through puddles of wet concrete. Perhaps it was the exhaustion after a match dwelling down, or perhaps it’s the mental aspect of everything- Y/N never could truly pinpoint this feeling, despite the half-hearted attempts at understanding.

Her bags are carelessly strewn across the floor, allowing her jacket to fall upon one of the unused chairs of her suite. The room is big; far too big for a single person living in it, and whilst Y/N had admired the spaciousness of the area when she had first arrived, now it had felt more despondent than ever. Even showering felt enervating, too hot for a minute, then too cold for another, and she wonders how such an expansive hotel could reserve for a lavish waterfall in its lobby, yet not have enough for a capable showerhead. She had to admit though, she’d felt better after such a shower, muscles relaxing and the stench being wafted away within a moment's notice. It feels as if she’d done it a million times, coming back after a match, trying to take a relaxing shower before she was to be grilled by her coach for the next. It felt more of a simulation, as if things were repeating itself over and over again, like a clock resetting after every twelve hours. The only time that would differ would be around Carlos, the Spaniard making time feel irrelevant to the universe, until it was only them that mattered. Nothing else, nothing more.

It’s always for that reason she found herself back in this position, new comfortable clothing that hung loosely around her shoulders, hair up for it to dry faster. There would be no makeup involved, she’d known Carlos for long enough that she knew he could not care for what she looked like in these moments. Instead, worrying about further issues. It’s almost embarrassing how many times she found solace within him, as he would finally open that god damn door to his hotel room, that stupid smile that could light up the entire town, the way he never seemed less excited to see Y/N no matter how many times he’d actually seen her. He was so… how could he be so… she never grasped at how or why, never could comprehend. It never changed. 

“Y/N?”

Carlos peers curiously, eyes glinting with a sort of inquisitiveness no one else could replicate. That look, the one that Y/N could never get used to, one that shone like the moon upon a dim evening sky. “Estas bien?”His words cut through the uttered silence, his head cocking to the side like a mackerel. For a moment, she profoundly forgot where she was, taking more than just a second to process the Spaniard’s words.

Her eyelids flutter, open and shut, shut then open, as if trying to clear a haze that had clouded her vision. Deliberately, she let her head sway from one side to another, strands of hair falling from the elastic that held her hair together. “Oh, uh-” She stumbles over her words, as if she were suddenly at a loss, a lump forming cautiously within the midsts of her throat. “Yes, yeah- I’m fine, estoy bien.” The words feel jumbled as it comes out of her mouth, as if she hadn’t spoken in many years before advancing her way towards Carlos.

He looks around, protruding his head from the frame of the wooden door, as if he were searching for something, or perchance, it was looking out for her. When he had decidedly chosen that the coast could be deemed as clear, Carlos gently ushers Y/N in, a hand swiping behind her back and brushing her into the room. It’s far messier than her room, as well, Carlos was Carlos and old habits die hard, but it feels much more of a humble abode. The smell of Carlos wafts airly within the room, like a warm, familiar embrace, dancing lightly throughout the suite. It wraps around like a fuzzy blanket, easing the tension that spooked through her veins, allowing her to sink into a contraption of intimacy. 

Carlos’s mouth opens, as if he were to say something, but he hesitates wearily. Y/N is sure that it’s because he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, that would rub her in the wrong way. The thought stings a little, knowing that Carlos felt as if he couldn’t say what he truly thought to her without the fear of retaliation. “No estuvo mal.” He says the words slowly, dragging across his tongue, syllable by syllable. “Te veías bien.”

There’s a hint of truth that comes with his words, Carlos didn’t enjoy lying, especially to her, Y/N quickly realized soon into their relationship. He knew of the pain of hearing those around him lying of how he played- good or bad. He discerned, to only speak of the truth. Yet he also, deep down, fathomed that she would not believe what he said despite the sincerity. Knew that it was a battle already lost, and there was not much he could do about it other than whisper caring endearments until the discomfort of the loss passed. 

“It didn’t feel good.” She responds, not quite a snap back to Carlos, but more of a defense mechanism to protect herself. 

“Losing does not feel good ever, yes?” His words are coated with an accent, one that she found more endearing than anything else. The attempt was enough to fill a crack of her heart with warmth, and it only grows further as Carlos takes a couple steps in to enfold his arms around Y/N, in a well meant attempt to shield her from any negative critiques or thoughts. “Pero eso no significa que no fuera bueno, ¿verdad?”

She knew what was to come. Knew the little spiel of words he had crafted carefully within his mind. He would remind her of the positives. Of how it could do more good than bad, and that it was just a single tournament in an ocean of others. She would come back, win the next title, and all would be forgotten as the media turned back to the bouts of adoration for her antics and play style. 

Carlos sighs, shaking his head in such a manner of disappointment. “Ven aqui.” He mumbles softly, his words barely breaking the silence that touched the room. He takes a few purposeful steps toward the bed, tugging her alongside him. His touch lingers, a gentle pressure that presses Y/N against the comfortable mattress in a way that feels tender and intimate, exuding a warmth and familiarity that only Carlos could convey to her. It’s a moment cuddled with unspoken connection, where every brush of his hand spoke volumes of the devotion he felt.

There was nothing she would want more, nothing that could comfort her in such a way that it made the whole world feel at peace. He could make her forget in a number of ways, but this- his body pressed up against hers, breath hot against her skin as he tangled them into a spooning position. It feels as if heaven were on Earth, the sensations greater than whatever pleasure tennis could bring to her. “Todo va a estar bien, si?” Carlos whispers, carrying not only a sense of warmth but tinged with secrecy as well. A sacred space that only withled the two of them, with no allowed space for others. A fleeting moment, that has Y/N’s heart thumping within her body.

“Maybe if you’re always here after I lose in straight sets.” 

Her response isn’t biting, it’s not bitter as she would’ve expected it to be. Perhaps it was because he found it nearly impossible to act so rudely towards Carlos. He smiles though, in an answer, his lips stretching lazily into that stupid, stupid grin. “Siempre estaré aquí para ti, amor.” Carlos says, lips just tracing over the lobes of her ears, and for a moment, Y/N shuddered at the touch- so intimate and close, so indescribable. His fingers lay on her delicate skin, one that had been soaked upon sweat just hours ago, and it feels as if the area had been set on fire. His touch warm and fascinating, his lips soft and ginger as he slowly bestows a kiss on her own. 

It’s a feeling Y/N would never be able to shake off no matter how many times it happened. The elusive tingle that tinged up her spine, then throughout her bones, every nerve as if it had been lit on fire. The way his hands slowly caresses her face, not intruding and not pushing for anything further, just to have her in such a way that only the luckiest woman in the world could imagine to have. And when he pulls away, it leaves Y/N yearning for more, eyes trying to convey a message of need and desire. But Carlos is quick to shake his head, and although dismay aligns across his features, he’s firm about it. 

“Descansa un poco” He murmurs, turning so that Y/N would lay on the mattress in a manner that he knew she’d prefer to anything else. Likewise, she was tired. In spite of everything- the match, the weight of the loss, the media that gawked, their smirks playing along their faces as she spoke, every word a better headline for them, in a fashion of twisting her own words and using them to stab her against the back. It was, perhaps, the worst part of tennis, one that Y/N wished she could evaporate with a snap of her fingers. But she could not, she did not have the power to do so, and it was not as if it would be of any use if she had tried. 

With a defiant huff of a breath, she tried to ease the restlessness that lodged between her bones, letting her eyes fall shut, easing into an acquainted darkness. With the pressure of Carlos around her, the soft breathing that snuck in and out, sweeping across her right ear, Y/N mitigates into a calming state of bliss. One in which she only found moments like these, where she did not have to shine as a radiant poster boy, where she could finally just let herself be. And during that interval where she felt not quite asleep, yet not awake either, she smiles to herself, knowing that for one, she could rest easy for the time being. That she was safe, within the consolation of home. 

[steddieas-shegoes]

eddie's 1st xmas

for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt 'ornament'

all of my holiday drabbles will be from the bear hugs universe. many of them could probably be read standalone, but will make the most sense and be enjoyed best if you read that first!

rated t | 940 words | cw: mention of character death in the past | tags: established relationship, sentimental, christmas fluff

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

The ornament is hung in the back of the tree when Steve first notices it. He’s sweeping the pine needles up when he sees it glittering between the lights, pushed back so it’s almost hidden from view.

He recognizes it immediately, even though it’s been 12 years or so since he’s seen it.

He’s careful when he touches it, knows that it’s already broken at least once and has been glued back together with gorilla glue and patience by Wayne. He sees one of the cracks as he tilts it closer to one of the lights on the tree, smiling sadly when he remembers exactly how devastated Eddie had been when it fell and shattered into pieces. Luckily, only a couple of the pieces couldn’t quite fit back together, and they were small.

Eddie’s mom’s handiwork deserves a better place on the tree than facing the wall.

Steve sets the broom down and gently lifts the ornament off the branch. The glitter on the top of the ball is nearly gone, and what’s left is dull. Steve thinks he has this exact color in his craft bin, but he wouldn’t dare touch it without asking Eddie.

Unless…

Eddie won’t be home for hours. Rory’s at practice. He already caught up on his lesson plans for the week.

All he has to do is touch up the glitter. It’ll make it look brand new, might even distract from the cracks.

He walks carefully to the spare room that’s mostly used for storage and sets the ornament on the table. He finds the glitter he needs, the clear liquid craft glue he saves for his own projects, and gets to work.

It’s a simple task, but he can’t risk the ornament falling or even cracking further.

When he’s done, and he manages to set it up to dry properly, he smiles.

Eddie’s 1st Xmas is painted in red around the middle, glitter covering the top.

Wayne explained to Steve why this one ornament meant so much while he was fixing it years ago. Eddie had been so upset, he locked himself in his room and wouldn’t even let Steve in.

“She made it while she was still pregnant with him. Before things got hard for her. It’s the only thing he really has as a reminder that she loved him.”

Steve knows he probably kept it hidden in the back so there was no chance Rory would accidentally break it while playing knee hockey, but they can set new rules for Christmas. Eddie deserves to have something special on display just like they do.

Steve finishes up with his chores and starts to head back into the spare room when the front door opens.

He walks to the living room and suddenly feels nervous.

Eddie is removing his jacket and shoes at the door, hasn’t even noticed Steve yet. He may not even realize Steve’s home since he insists on Steve being the one to park in the garage.

“Hey baby,” Steve greets him.

Eddie turns and gives him a small smile. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Everything okay?” Steve asks. Something seems off.

“Yeah. Just a long day.”

Steve nods and plants a soft kiss on his lips. Eddie kisses back, but it’s not his usual enthusiastic response.

“Can I show you something?” He asks, hoping it will cheer him up to see his ornament with a makeover.

“Sure, Stevie.”

Steve leads him into the spare room and tells him to close his eyes and hold out his hands. He places the ornament in his palms as carefully as possible, leaving his hands there to catch it if Eddie accidentally drops it.

“Open your eyes.”

Eddie is silent. It’s alarming. The strange mood, the quiet, it’s enough to put Steve on edge. He tries to stay positive though.

“I saw it on the tree earlier and thought it could use a little fresh glitter. I hope it’s okay,” Steve is ready to start apologizing for touching it when Eddie bursts into tears. “Shit.”

Steve takes the ornament from him, or tries to, but Eddie holds it to his chest instead.

“Today’s the anniversary of her death,” he sobs.

Steve pulls him close, wraps his arms around him and squeezes as tight as he can while keeping space between them so he doesn’t crush the ornament. He didn’t even realize the date, and he’s not sure he would’ve remembered anyways. Eddie doesn’t talk about her much.

“I didn’t realize,” Steve whispers against his hair, kissing the top of his head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, this is-” Eddie takes a shaky breath. “This is amazing. Thank you for doing this. I’ve been so scared to touch it up.”

“Do you wanna hang it up in the front of the tree?” Steve asks.

Eddie shakes his head. “No. I don’t want it to break.”

“We’ll make Rory play in her room if she plays while the tree is up. I think it deserves to be front and center.”

Eddie pulls back and tries to wipe his eyes on his own shoulder. It’s useless as more tears fall.

“Okay. As long as we’re careful.”

“You wanna tell Rory about her?” Steve asks. He knows Eddie doesn’t remember a lot of his mom, that she was sick from the time he was a toddler, and died before he even started school. He knows most things Eddie can tell are things Wayne’s told him. But maybe it will help to talk about her, especially today.

“Yeah, if she wants to hear about her.”

Steve takes the ornament from him and leads him out to the tree. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Omg, we need a emma d'arcy x fem reader! Pleaseee!!!

Let me help you here

Emma D'arcy x fem!reader

warning : fluff, flirting, comfort, nicknames, no use of Y/n, i really hope emma is not too ooc, i hope all pronouns are right

Summary : The latest season of House of the Dragon is about to start and final filming is underway. Emma as the Queen Rhaenyra finds themself in a quiet scene with a fellow actor and the two need some help from each other getting dressed…professionally of course.

info : normally i don't write for actors but i feel comfortable with it so i hope you like it anon and emma looks like the queen herself too. have fun reading ;)

ps : I love the gif not only a queen but Ewan in the background so sweet

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The acting group needed for the scene had already gathered at the slightly unfinished set. The lights over there were sometimes bright, sometimes dark, with a wide variety of flares and lanterns, some lit with real flames, of course, and some with no real light.

The sets, as you all knew, served mainly as backgrounds for the actors and for the special effects specialists as the big screen which, in addition to the scenery and the actors and props, brought them all to life, giving them that fantasy look.

The large set the hall of Dragonstone went almost to the ceiling thick walls some with steel thickness some finely crafted with foam served as a set. It was really impressive to see how they did it all thought the young actress and let her gaze wander only briefly knowing that the camera was still on her co-worker Matt who was discussing the war plans as Daemon as he had learned.

Especially in the final edit when they had all watched the greasy series together, it was really nice to be back. The camera on the table moved around it again from Matt to her as Daemon looked at the Nachirhct's delivery. ,,Be assured the sea route is supported by Lord Manderly. This also goes out to your ships Lord Corlys your safety is our concern" she said her sentence as scripted letting her eyes wander over the sea route and nodded to Matt and Steve in their roles as Daemond and Corlys who also gave her a nod and thanks before the camera panned back.

It was a few lines she had played a newsbringer a high lady from the lake house as she had done a little research on the internet and even read a little blood and fire. A really good book.

But then she knew her cue when it became quiet at the table and the guards could be heard announcing in loud voices on the set that a queen was arriving. Instead of the short hair, Emma's head was adorned with a long, light-colored wig, which made their face slightly pale, but the expression Simply incredible she thought and looked at the older one who Matt then placed next to her around the table.

There was silence as everyone looked at the Queen, who looked at the card with a broken look of hatred and after another shaky breath gave a determined ,,I will…Aemond Targaryen" everyone lingered like that for a moment before there was a loud ,,Cut!" and a clap was heard and everyone fell out of their roles. Immediately there was talk and laughter, and everyone was curious to see what the scene would look like, ,,What a cute curtsy my lady," she heard Emma say as they came over to her and mimicked the movement, making them both smile.

,,So much training," the younger one mumbled, pretending to strain before D'arcy took the younger one's arm and pulled her along, ,,Nice to see you having fun and everyone going so well," the taller one began, giving her an assuring look.

It was only a small role and she had been in a few smaller TV series here and there, but it was still something completely different, it was really exciting to be around movie legends and such good actors.

A possibility she really appreciated…and maybe she appreciated Emma even more. The English actor was really impressive, even though they only played a few roles, but the expression, the voice and just everything about D'arcy was engaging and so captivating.

,,Everyone take a break, later we might do a post-production but until then you can get out of your costumes!" they heard the head of the costume department say and most of the actors went straight to the dressing rooms and Emma to the caravans.

This time, however, the younger one, who was only a supporting role, was about to say goodbye when the older one took her hand again and pulled her along. ,,I promised you I'd have a Negroni Sbagliato with you, come on, sweetie," they said and before she knew it they were actually in the actor's cozy caravan. Yes, they had made that promise after they realized on the first day they had met that they had not only gone back to the same acting school but had also run into each other more often than they wanted to.

From auditions, to plays and in real life it was almost romance ripe. ,,So with Orange without?" they asked, still standing at the small bar in their full outfits, which made the younger ones smile, ,,As the Queen takes him, so do I," she demanded with a look that went over the actor's body. The dress and the coat and the hair it was so impressive to see how versatile Emma could be.

But she had noticed the younger girl's stare, not just the little smirk on her lips, but when she turned to her and put the drink in her hand, their fingers deliberately touched and Emma let them touch. There seemed to be something between the two of them.

She had often invited Emma to her small but pleasant apartment and they had spent the evenings doing all sorts of things. In return, Emma sometimes invited her to extraordinary restaurants or something, it was like a friendship, even if some of the looks went deeper.

The two of them talked for a while about the costumes and the stunts with the "dragons", how exhausting and yet beautiful it was. She had watched D'acry do some of the flying toes and it looked incredible. ,,I'm glad to see you're enjoying it so much…you see I knew it would do you good not to give up now that we're here together," Emma winked and stood up after taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage before turning around and standing with their back to the younger one.

,,I can get the wig off by myself, but would you mind taking off the dress?" the actor asked and the younger girl jumped at the sight of a slightly rapid heartbeat, slightly sweaty palms and suddenly the alcohol was pounding much harder than usual. ,,Gladly for you-I mean, of course I'll help," she mumbled, stammering, and slowly began to help the taller girl out of her jacket, the smell of Chinoto Dark's citrusy, smoky scent enveloping her now that it had settled on her skin.

She liked the scent strong and yet slightly sweet because of the hint of lemon it was really something nice. ,,All good sweetie?" came the voice of the older one who turned slightly and looked at the younger one who was still holding the jacket in her hand ,,Yes-yes all good" she shrugged and felt the warmth on her cheeks.

Pull yourself together, you're not a schoolgirl anymore, she admonished herself and put the coat away before tying the dress, but she heard the slight smirk and Emma's words, ,,Don't be nervous, you're just undressing the queen," Emma joked, giving her a wink. A wink that only made the younger girl's heart beat faster.

Maybe it was Emma's intention, maybe it was the actor's style, or maybe it was just for fun. Who knew, but as her fingers tightened on the laces, the taller actress held still and let her friend do her thing, stepping out of the dress before reaching for a robe.

The back was nicely defined by the light muscles, not just for acting, the underwear a quick glance and her cheeks almost got hotter. ,,You were a grateful help, sweetie," Emma said, standing in front of the younger girl, they towered over her with their height in addition to the boots.

Her wispy dark blonde hair was slightly tousled and she had to resist tousling it and greenish eyes were looking at her. But then suddenly D'acry reached for her hand and brought it to her lips, placed a grateful kiss on it and seemed about to continue. The moment deepened and the younger girl clung to the fabric of the robe, fearful of falling over in devotion, when a ringing from her cell phone threw her off balance.

,,Fuck," she muttered with a determined look and Emma just smiled again. She picked it up, ,,I'm um what-yes of course-yes I'm on my way," she mumbled as the voice of the debriefing leader at the other end called for her to go over the script again when a few changes were made.

Sighing, she gathered her things and had forgotten all about the actor when Emma held her lightly again, ,,I'll wait here honey," Emma winked and gave one last kiss on the hand before she let the younger actor out of the caravan with an embarrassed look, knowing that something was finally going to happen, just a dance of the actors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[sunny44]

Chapter 2 (Love is in Mallorca)

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Fem!Reader

Warning: none

Summary: Y/n goes to Mallorca intending to leave her life behind, at least for a while. Then she meets a mysterious guy who makes this trip, to say the least, unforgettable.

Previous chapter

The next day, I woke up to the soft sunlight streaming into the hotel room. It was almost noon.

There was something calming about being in a new place, far from any obligations, where the only sounds I heard were those of seagulls and the distant murmur of the sea. But the truth was, even surrounded by beauty, I couldn’t stop thinking about the previous night.

I didn’t know anything about the man I met at the bar. He was just a casual encounter, someone who helped me when I needed it most, showing me a rare kindness. What intrigued me was the feeling that he knew exactly how to make me feel comfortable, as if he had experience dealing with awkward situations. But for some reason, he chose not to say much about himself.

I got up slowly, the memory of walking through the streets of Mallorca still fresh in my mind. I had promised myself not to get my hopes up, but part of me was eager to see him again. I took a quick shower, slipped into a light summer dress, and decided to explore more of the city before our possible reunion.

The streets of Mallorca were busier during the day. The outdoor markets were full of colors, smells, and sounds that filled all my senses. I passed stalls of fruit, hanging peppers, and local crafts, appreciating the vibrant simplicity of the place. I decided to get lost in the narrow streets, without any particular destination, just letting my feet guide me.

After a while, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was a message.

“Hey, want to take a walk on the beach?”

My heart skipped a little when I saw it was him. He hadn’t forgotten. I replied quickly, saying I’d be ready in a few minutes. I was excited, but there was also a small sense of nervousness growing inside me. A walk on the beach? That seemed a bit more intimate than a simple night exploring the city.

When I arrived at the meeting point, he was already there, wearing sunglasses and looking relaxed, as if life here was always slow, unhurried.

“Punctual,” he commented with a small smile when he saw me.

“I tried not to be late.” I smiled back, trying to hide how curious I was about him.

The beach wasn’t crowded, which was a pleasant surprise. We walked barefoot on the sand, while the sea gently lapped at our feet. The warm breeze played with my hair, and the salty smell of the water brought a peace I didn’t know I needed until I was there, with him, without having to worry about anything.

“How did you find this place?” I asked, looking around. The beach was more secluded than the tourist areas.

He shrugged, seeming amused by my curiosity.

“I have my secrets. I like to come here when I want some peace, away from the crowds.” He paused, looking at me. “I think you needed that too.”

“Yes, I did. Thank you for last night… and for today, you’ve really made this trip much better.”

“No need to thank me. You’re also making my time here much more enjoyable,” he replied with a genuine smile. “I needed the company too.”

We continued walking in silence for a while, until he suddenly stopped and looked out at the horizon.

“What brought you to Mallorca?” he asked, this time with genuine curiosity, as if he was finally ready to know more about me.

I hesitated. It wasn’t a hard question, but the answer made me feel vulnerable.

“I guess I needed to escape. Escape from a routine that didn’t feel like mine, from a cycle of relationships that never ended well, and come to a place where I don’t have to be myself… And you?”

He looked at me for a moment, as if deciding how much of an answer he could give.

“Something similar, maybe. Life can be... a bit intense sometimes. I needed a break too, something far from what I know. A chance to just be normal.”

That vague answer only made me more curious. Who was he? And why did I feel like there was so much more behind that casual smile and relaxed demeanor? Something about him made me feel comfortable, but at the same time, I knew he was hiding behind a wall.

“I saw you at the bar last night, and you looked… lost,” he continued, breaking the silence. “I kept wondering what made you be there alone, trying to order a drink without much luck.”

“Oh, that…” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “I think I was just frustrated that no matter how hard I try, Spanish always seems to slip away from me.”

He laughed too, that light laugh that seemed so natural.

“It takes time. But I think you did well, all things considered.”

The conversation flowed with surprising ease. With each new exchange, I felt more comfortable with him. Still, there was a part of me that knew something was being left out. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the way he spoke about his own life, without many details, made it seem like he had something to hide.

After a while, we reached a part of the beach where there were rocks and a small cove. He sat on one of the rocks, looking out at the sea, and I sat next to him, the sun shining above us.

“I really like it here,” he said after a long silence.

“So do I,” I agreed, feeling a strange connection to the place. “It feels like time passes differently here.”

“Maybe because you don’t have to be who people expect you to be here.”

His words hit me with an unexpected truth. I didn’t know who he was, but for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone.

The sun began to slowly set on the horizon, and we sat there in silence, watching the natural spectacle. His closeness beside me, the sound of the waves gently crashing on the shore, all of it made me feel a peace I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

When we finally got up to leave, he offered me a ride back to the hotel. I accepted, knowing that the day had been special, but still wondering who he really was.

As he dropped me off at the entrance of the hotel, he smiled again, that smile that held secrets.

“Maybe tomorrow I can show you an even more special place.”

I smiled back, curious and intrigued.

“Maybe.”

He waved and drove off, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the certainty that something about him remained a mystery.

Bonus scene!

Yourusername Instagram stories

“Beach day”

Next chapter

Tag list: @lieslostinsilence @iloveallmyboys

@r4zberrygirl @hoya122 @sid-is-gr8

@marvel-ous-miss-maisie @barcelonaloverf1life

@willowsnook @barcelonaloverf1life

[angelinpiink]

❥ note: wrote this at 3am,, just needed to get my dirty thoughts out of my head and onto tumblr.

❥ warning: this writing contains mature content and themes such as dry humping, scissoring, perv mikasa, and dirty talk.

personal trainer!mikasa who pushes you to your limit during workouts just to watch your thighs tremble. she loves seeing you sweaty and flustered to get an image of what you’d look like when she finally has her way with you. she wants you so bad she doesn't know what to do with herself. her interest in you hadn't faltered once since you first started attending the gym and you can bet she’s been scheming on how to get you alone. at times when she’s tough on you believe its simply because she wants you to achieve your fitness goals but really she’s only frustrated that she can't bury her face deep between those pretty thighs of yours. and because she wants to see you as often as possible she recommends that you come to the gym far more often than you actually need to. during workouts she has a habit of being touchy and as sly as she is, she simply plays it off as correcting your form. her hands-on approach convinces you to purchase more sessions with her. being trained by mikasa several times in a week surely had its benefits, your body became more toned, the most noticeable change being your ass becoming more firm and oh so grab-able. There was nothing she wanted more than to get her hands on you outside of just a few mere seconds of contact. Who better to explore your body than the very person who helps craft it?

After your workouts she watches you make your way to the showers, waiting a few minutes before following you to get a peek of you without those annoying clothes being in the way. When she goes home, she’ll fuck herself to the images of you she’s burned in her mind. The second the shower stops, she’ll swiftly make her way over to the connected locker room and pretend she was only getting a drink of water from her bag. She’s so slick, you’d never even suspect a thing.

Mikasa offers you complementary yoga services on your rest days. You view it as her being sweet, causing you to grow more fond of her. when in reality she actually despises yoga, but because she gets a gets a room with you all to herself, she endures it. Did i mention that she’d do anything for you? It’s more difficult for her to keep her attraction hidden whenever you too are alone. She finds herself praising you, her fingers coming in contact with your skin anytime she gets the urge to do so. “Good girl.” she’ll say when attempting to teach you a new pose. You will often question if you are hearing her right because her expression remains impassive, and unchanging. Trying your best to hide the effect that has on you, you switch into the next position. At the end of each session she tend to make some sort of innuendo that you have to force yourself to not interpret as dirty. “Enjoy being stretched?” With cheeks of red you give her a nod, telling her you’ll see her tomorrow. Waving, you take your exit.

tomorrow rolls and around you show up in a tight gym set, that highlights your curves and is so fitted that the outline of your cunt is visible whenever you bend over, leaving mikasa’s own core hot and throbbing. She tells you that you have tension in your lower half, another lie she tells to get her way, offering for you two to try a new yoga exercise that she claims is a perfect solution. Trusting her expertise, blindly you oblige with her instructions and spread your legs exactly as she tells you.

Your obedience only serving to make her all the more eager to have you. With your cunt now exposed, mikasa takes her rightful place between your legs positioning herself so that her leg is just above your own. Your heat mere inches away from hers and the color leaves your face the second you notice. Her fingers caress your thighs as she gives you the order to move your hips. shes even so kind to reassure you that it you that i may feel a bit funny at first but that means it's working. Wiggling your hips just as ordered, your cunts meeting each other. It was electric so much so you couldnt hold back your gasps, heat pooling in your core when she too began moving her hips. The friction making things all the more unbearable. you found yourself wishing that your leggings weren't in the way. “N-need more please.” You had no shame in begging for it, and mikasa had no shame in being eager to give you just what you asked for.

Ripping into your soaked leggings to expose your pretty cunt, Mikasa looks at you, her eyes heavy and clouded with lust. “You dirty girl..” she says, noticing that you weren't wearing any panties. her finger rubbing away at your swollen clit again and again earning a symphony of needy yelps from you.

She slips out of her shorts and panties, returning to her spot between your thighs. Nibbling at her lip she began moving her hips, her cunt dragging against your own, your clits came into contact, kissing each other sending jolts of pleasure through both of you. Her juices dripping onto your cunt, mixing with your own as you cried out. “F-Faster Please!” You began to sob, the pleasure becoming way too much.

Your legs wrapping around her while she grinds against you. “That’s it baby. Gonna cum for me?” You nodded. “Wanna come for you so bad, please..” You were sobbing, the tension in your stomach becoming unbearable. you came as her movements became sloppy and desperate. she followed suit a string or praises leaving her lips before she connected them with your own, kissing you deeply. Once was not enough to get you out of her system. your training sessions from that point on would surely end in such a manner, being burnt out from something other than an intense workout was something you could get behind.

heres my masterlist!

[nancydrewwouldnever]

Remember the comment Tarantino made that was a bit insensitive the way he came off? He may not have been wrong.

Chris has never been a movie star without Marvel, but he was very well-liked on the internet for several years there. A lot of buzz, but not really anymore but he wasn’t ever movie star. He wasn’t exactly ‘actor’ either (in the vein of movie star vs. actor) Even Rian Johnson didn’t exactly want him right off the bat for KO, Chris had to push for it. He’s never been a good script picker, or maybe he doesn’t get the offers. But he pushed and he was good in that role. He doesn’t seem to push or fight for things often.

Marvel really made his career. It’s not a bad thing or something to be disappointed about. I’m sure many starving actors would love to switch places!

Without Marvel, he’s back to being a bad script picker. Everyone has duds, and I like cheesy action movies sometimes, but he hasn’t had a full blown win in some time, just so-so to it’s ok, not bad, not great response to projects. R1 just isn’t it. The CGI even looks horrendous.

I think a lot of us fans had rose-colored glasses on, or higher hopes for him post marvel, you know since he went on and on how much he wanted to direct post-marvel and all the things he wanted to do post-marvel contract. A lot of hype or excitement from himself and his words that seems to have fizzled.

Still fans out there that will defend him, but not as many as there used to be. I kinda went all over the place with my comment 😂 sorry about that but I definitely see what you mean with your last couple of posts.

I think there's many more forces at play than just Chris' own possible "bad script picker." For one, the very real fact that typecasting exists at multiple levels within the film business. Actors get typecast in the minds of producers, directors, casting agents, writers, agents, and probably their own friends/coworkers. How hard must those prevailing assumptions about you as an actor be to "kick" against? I think there's some freedom in the starting phase of a career when you audition for anything and everything, and that can bring in a little bit of variety to your career. But then, you get typecast as much by your successes as your failures. The big budget action flick you're in hits big? Then those are what your follow up offers are. Maybe a small, edgy indie movie you're in gets moderate buzz and good reviews. Then your agents probably see more of those come in to their desks with your name mentioned. It's hard to be seen as more than one thing, because the human mind likes things to be easily categorized as discreet signifiers.

So, I think it's possibly telling that while he was having huge success with Marvel, he wasn't going for other big budget action films (like Hemmy has). Instead, he was filming smaller things like Before We Go, Gifted, RSDR while still in his Marvel contract. He tried going back to stage while still in the Marvel contract. I think that shows that at least then he was still trying to push himself and possibly still grow in his craft. Now, were those the greatest projects? Probably not, but then the "better" level of small movies - the prestigious indies or awards bait films - are routed by directors/producers/casting agents/agents to the actors who are "typecast" as the kinds of actors who star in those films. And, unfortunately, he wasn't included in that category. Even now, when he seems to be somewhat trying again, you can see he's not being thought of for those kinds of movies first. That Marvel success was such a double-edged sword.

[ryusuisloveinterest]

My contribution to Night Kids November

hi guys! I heard it’s night kids November so here I am with some headcanons! I hope you like it!

Night Kids x Reader Headcanons🩷

Takeshi Nakazato

One day you saw a black r32 outside of the coffee shop you were going to

Of course being the big car geek you are you start taking pictures and admiring it until you hear a voice 

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

You quickly stand up and see none other than Nakazato himself

“I’m so sorry! Is this your car? It just seemed so cool I wanted a couple of photos to show my friends… I can delete them if you want….”

You look back at the man to see his face being a bright red color

“I-it’s fine! Just wasn’t expecting someone as good looking as yourself to- I mean-!”

He’s still a nervous wreck lol

You’ve been dating for months since then but he still finds himself stuttering and blushing at the littlest things you do

I’m sure Nakazato has some kind of money cause dude has a whole r32 so I’m sure he’d spend the rest on you

I just read he possibly does something with pharmaceuticals so he definitely gonna spend that money on you. Buying you jewelry, the plushie you looked at through the window, and definitely a nice expensive dinner

Gets so excited when you come to his races

The first time he saw you in the crowd he freaked out 

He was happy you were there, but he was scared of all the weird guys that hung around too 

So from then on he just took you with him to wherever he went

If you really don’t wanna be part of the race or you don’t like actually racing then he trusts his team enough to let you stay with them

But if you’re in the car with him while he races he’s gonna wanna show off so much in front of you

But at the same time he’s so scared he’s gonna big a guard rail too

It’s just best if you stay with his team, but he’ll drive for you once the race is over!

He’s such a gentleman

Doors always opened for you, feet rubs, cuddles, you name it and he’s doing it 

His favorite thing to do with you is crafts with you 

Like HE personally doesn’t like doing it, but he loves it when you finish making him a bracelet or a painting and comparing it with his

His definitely isn’t the Best but your smile makes it worth it 

Shingo Shoji

This boy💀

Where as I can see Nakazato with a a partner who doesn’t race or doesn’t like racing, Shingo has to have someone who at the bare minimum likes cars

He probably saw you racing one night, and just as you passed by him he saw your face 

He needed to get your number!

He asked everyone if they’d see this car

It wasn’t until he asked Sayuki when he found out who you were

“A red NSX? Oh that’s y/n! Me and Mako drive with them sometimes. What about it?”

He begged her to give him your number or set you up on a date

Once you guys finally did meet you guys clicked right away

The both of you do weird couple things 100% and have no shame

You’ll get up to grab you and him something and he’ll just smack your butt and be like, “thanks babe” like nothing happened 

A few hours later and you do the same back to him, “it’s payback” you say

The rest of the night you’re chasing each other around smacking each others butts giggling and laughing at each other 

Shingo doesn’t really give gifts, however he loves to do random things with you 

The both of you will look up random things to do around Miyogi or wherever else you guys feel like going 

Or you both will try new things together like cooking, walking around looking for rocks, or even playing basketball, etc.

He’d love to see you at his races

If you were part of a team or races against others too he’d definitely show up to show his support, using every opportunity to say, “yeah she’s my babe,” or, “I bet you wish she was yours huh? Too bad, I guess you’re just gonna have to keep looking from afar.”

If you know how to gum tape then I don’t think he’d mind too much for you to go against him, but he would still prefer not to

If you don’t have a clue about it then he doesn’t wanna risk you getting hurt

His favorite thing to do with you is late late drives

He likes when your in his passenger seat, he likes when he’s in yours

He likes when your racing with each other

At the end of the day as long as he’s with you he’s satisfied 

[sweetmariihs2]

Since TADC was released I've been thinking what the characters could do/what I would do to prevent going crazy (abstracting). Living day after day in the same place can bring you to madness and depression makes me people upset just by staying 2-3 days at home, so imagine what would be like to be locked there everyday without even having notion of time or any day or night. The circus looks a bit boring after they're used with it and the adventures are made to keep the characters entertained, but what if there were other activities to keep their mental health less bad more stable?

Useless list of things that could prevent the characters from abstracting - going crazy (at least for a certain period of time):

Singing

Making karaoke shows (it's fun)

Talking and sharing everything they can remember of their lives (they do remember their lives in the show) (this can give them some ground as to not go crazy)

Have a journal/diary to write about their everyday thoughts and tasks. Who cares if Jax finds them, at least they will have something to do

Have a journal/diary to write everything they can remember of their real lives so that they won't forget their memories and can always remember about who they are when things get bad

Drawing (ask for Caine to make a painting room - he seems to listen when you ask for simple stuff, he can comprehend) (wait I think they can already draw)

Ask for Caine again to let them play dress up and give them new outfits (tadc dress to impress when?) (dressing up is good for mental health and in their case that can give them a bigger variety of everyday clothes, so each day won't be exactly the same) (and I'm saying this because my sensory issues would NEVER allow me to wear a hat 24/7, being in Pomni's skin looks like hell to me)

Dress to impress contest I swear (+the runway too)

Hairstyles too. Imagine Pomni and Ragatha with pig tails. Imagine Kinger with a wig and bows/hairclips because Ragatha and Gangle did his hair. What if then.

playing games like truth or dare - they don't die, nothing is too dangerous to try

Literally ask Caine for more stuff because he can give it to them: Ask for an adventure on a beach where the challenge is to just have as much fun as possible. Or an adventure where they have a tea party in a field of flowers, very easy and without obstacles. What bothers Caine and encourages him to make the adventures more "exciting" (scary and more troublesome) is to say that they are bad, right? Just say that they are good, that he is very good at it and say that you really want a quiet adventure to relax. Manipulation skills guys

They can ask for virtual arts and crafts adventures/rooms/or just objects to do it on the lobby. Virtual sewing can't be that hard (I believe that they can already draw)

Ask for beads and stuff to make friendship bracelets and accessories. Ragatha and Pomni friendship bracelets when

Ask for teddy bears or plushies. Or even make them by themselves with their arts and crafts materials. It sounds silly but everyone is bored and on the edge of madness here

They can ask for cooking minigames. Even though they can't eat them, it might be fun. I like cooking minigames. (Edit: I'm pretty sure that there is a short video made by glitch of Pomni eating a hamburger so I think it's possible to eat)

They can ask for Caine to let their rooms be customizable. Or maybe not, idk, Kaufmo scribbled all over the walls of his room, so maybe it's possible. I had this idea after seeing Pomni's room and thinking that I couldn't be comfortable in such a bright colored room, and it doesn't have a lot of color variation, it really bothers me. If the characters could draw they could put their drawings on the walls, and if they could do arts and crafts they could make little decorations for their rooms as well (they can already draw)

Gift eachother their arts and crafts

Make things from their life memories in those arts and crafts to always remember their past friends or who they are (and put them in their rooms)

Choose random days to do birthday parties, because even though they can't know what day it is or don't have any notion of time at all, they can still have fun

The parties don't even have to be birthdays. They can make parties just because.

Do surprise parties for eschother

Do a surprise party for Caine, it would be very unusual since he probably never got one and never felt the need for any (he's an AI but it's still funny (that's why it would be funny)) (he would get confused and yet flattered) (I swear he's not my favorite character even though I had mentioned him so many times in this post)

Make raves lmao (they can ask Caine for flashing lights) (and a dj table lmao) (and instruments in case they want to play something)

Ask for instruments and get together to make a band and play songs because it would be fun. Don't let Jax get anywhere near of them or else they will hear loud noises everyday for hours and hours (he would do this just to annoy the other characters). They can even play songs that they remember from their lives. Some of them might even know worldwide famous songs.

Dance to the songs that they sing

Whaf if they're allowed to practice ballet. What if they can dance flamenco. Waltz. It sounds fun

Ask for virtual cameras to take pics of themselves or things around them so that they can put them in their room

Do a group therapy (and don't include jax because he will certainly make fun of their troubles)

Parkour in the circus sounds fun too

Explore the outside part of the circus/the grounds and play with the things they have there (take a swim at the lake, go to the carnival, go to the forest etc)

Ask for Caine to make sport areas. I know that there will be a baseball in the next chapters but still.

Make picnics next to the lake, or inside the forest. Or even in the circus

Idk there is something about the "you are stuck with this outfit and appearance everyday" that does not fit well to me. The characters are already stuck in that world, but they can't even play dress up? I don't know if they chose their avatars before joining the circus, but if not, it must suck not being able to change your appearance in a digital world. I mean, look at Zooble there. If they can't change their bodies, can they at least wear something they want to express themselves in that limiting reality? If Caine is capable of making more body parts for Zooble, even if he got their problem wrong, he is capable of allowing the characters to paint their clothes in the colors they want or allow them to wear different things sometimes. (I wonder what would Caine answer after someone ask "can I change my avatar?", that is a genuine question of mine.)

What a lazy post. I'll add more later

[vinnies-invasion]

🍁 Fall-Themed Activities 🍂

These hands-on activities are ones I actually use as an educator! They can be a ton of fun, great for age regression, and can apply to different age groups! Some may require some adult help, others could be done by yourself. Some of these are super simple, some require a bit more effort, but this list should provide different options!

🍁 Googly Eye Sensory Bag - Sensory bags can be fun, interesting, and easy to cleanup and reuse! For this one, fill a plastic ziplock bag with green slime and googly eyes! With this, you can push the googly eyes around, squish the slime, whatever feels right.

🍂 Fall-Themed Sensory Bins - Like the sensory bags, this is all about doing what feels right and playing on sensory. For bins, you can buy a box at the dollar store and just use that. For fall themed, you can fill bins with colored rice, plastic spiders, tiny plastic pumpkins, fake leaves, small plastic bones - go with the flow. You can then play with these bins using small shovels, buckets, tweezers, or just your hands!

🍁 Washing My Pumpkin - This is really easy! If you have a pumpkin, you can put it in the sink or bathtub and give your pumpkin its own bath! Pumpkins need to be washed, too :3

🍂 Pumpkin Painting - Buy yourself a small (or big!) pumpkin and paint anything you want on it! You can also buy plastic pumpkins!

🍁 Nature Art - You just need a paper plate or piece of paper and some glue! Go outside, collect leaves, sticks, pinecones, acorns, and glue them down to make art from nature!

🍂 Pinecone Bird Feeder - This is great if you have big pinecones where you live! You only need a pinecone, some peanut butter, and bird seed. Cover the pinecone in peanut butter and roll it in the bird seed! You can tie yarn around it to hang it up or just set it outside somewhere - watch out! This is messy!!

🍁 Corn Shakers - For a fun and noisy activity you can do, take an empty plastic bottle, can be big or small, and fill it with dry corn OR popcorn kernels. Close the top and shake! shake! shake! You now have a little musical instrument you can shake around for fun! And the best part, if you use popcorn kernels, you can always take them out and make them into popcorn (just ask for help :3)!

🍂 Shaving Cream Art - You will want a tray, maybe a baking sheet, just something big enough to cover a piece of paper, shaving cream, and paint. Pour the shaving cream onto the tray, then take your paints, could be red, yellow, orange, black, fall themed colors, and drizzle them over the shaving cream however you would like. Next, take the paper and gently press it ontop. When you lift the paper up, your colors and designs will be on the other side! You could also do this with something that is already printed on the paper.

🍁 Make a Treat Bag - All you need is a paper bag and anything you want to decorate it with! This can include paint, markers, crayons, googly eyes, glitter, pom poms, feathers, glue, and more. Make a pretty bag for holding some of your candy for Halloween!

🍂 Paper Plate Crafts - You can do so much with paper plates, like paint them into pumpkins, add tons of eyes and pipe cleaners and make them into spooky spiders, or give them pieces of cut paper to make into a scarecrow, there are many possibilities.

[sodalitea]

I - Miracles of the White Nights [Il Dottore x Reader/OC]

For Valentine’s Day I’m sharing the first chapter of my longer fanfiction about Il Dottore and my Genshin OC Marie Snezhevna (this story can be perceived as reader insert type of thing; the characters' names play a big role in the plot and I decided to pick them by myself). In this chapter I have not provided the most detailed background of the current circumstances between Zandik and Marie, but I plan to do so in the future. I don’t really know if I’ll update it in any regular schedule, but for sure I’m going to continue this story. Meanwhile, enjoy!

TW: Minimally suggestive! Mentions of Marie's guesses about Dottore's true intentions.  Summary: Small gestures make a big difference. Due to the long lasting effects of a serious argument with Il Dottore, Marie Shnezhevna gets degraded on the lower position in Haeresys despite being one of his most reliable workers in the lab. Three months later a ceasefire is established. Zandik finds surprising but efficient way to trick her into getting promoted again. Don't repost my artworks/writings please! I'll appreciate likes, comments and reblogs. I am the author of both text and signature illustarion. ♡ English is my second language, there may occur some grammar issues!

AO3 link

I - Miracles of the White Nights

“The days in Snezhnaya seem identical. Wherever you go, you will find your hair and eyelashes frozen. It's so cold that you have to keep moving your body constantly in order to survive, even in the properly chosen clothing. Everywhere you look, you'll be surrounded by the snowy desert. If you stray too far from human settlements, your eyes will be obscured by one of the sudden snowstorms. Bunch of snowflakes will cut into your face like tiny, marvelously crafted blades. Somewhere on the horizon you may spot the outlines of deep, impenetrable, coniferous forests. You will find it difficult to stand straight due to the violent blows of the whistling wind trying to bury you alive in the frosty grave. It's worth mentioning that the typical Snezhnayan days are rather short in comparison to local nights that can last even for months. This land is harsh, but it still possesses unique, raw beauty. Those cold nights offer truly charming views in the form of multi-colored aurorae you couldn't experience anywhere else in equally rich form. The artistry of almighty Cryo Archon is undeniable, only the canvas she uses to paint her abstract compositions are painfully fake. Of course, these aren't the only charms of the Ice Nation. This country is huge and full of contrasts. What may seem surprising is this special time of the year when the sun takes control over the sky completely, so it doesn't set at all. The local population describes this phenomenon as the "Miracle of the White Nights''. Over the course of four hundred years, one could experience many of them, but they could not compare to the fragrant, inflaming nights in the Nation of Wisdom.”

Zandik, as he wasn't holed up in the deepest dungeons of Haeresys, stopped next to one of the windows in the southern part of his mansion and locked his gaze on the distance. The scarlet irises wandered somewhere along the glittering horizon, seemingly without any specific goal as the Harbinger enjoyed pervasive silence. Since he got rid of the segments, it had been happening more and more often. Sometimes he was just trying to shake off a strange feeling of lightness inside his skull. He was fed up with everything. Exhausted with the amount of delayed work. Instead of dealing with serious matters, he wasted too much time on trivial affairs such as correcting the mistakes of people less competent than himself. For centuries he wasn't relying on his employees that much and now he was just even more disappointed with them. After all, they were only humans with ordinary lifespans, without the satisfying amount of experience that would possibly match the level of Teyvat's most powerful mind. Zandik felt frustrated by the lack of quick alternatives to slow down the pace of his own work. He was alone with all of the projects he started when his other selves were still present. By the time he still handled most of the things on his own in different forms, but for now he couldn't even rely on himself truly. This would be a disgrace to him if he addressed this issue to Pierro or their Archon, since for hundreds of years he had been an exceptional professional, the master of planning and reacting quickly to every breakthrough revelation. He was always a few steps before everyone. At this stage, it was not possible for him to return to such a tedious work alone. It would be much less problematic if only deadlines never existed. Escape in thought was his way to break away from the unfavorable situation at least for a short moment. His thoughts traveled to the place where it never snowed. To the forests that sheltered a much richer variety of living organisms. The days were longer there, and the hot nights often made it impossible to fall asleep. The scents in Sumerian air could effortlessly mess with the restless minds of angry young men living for some greater purposes… For the Second Harbigner of Shneznaya, looking towards Sumeru was an involuntary, bitter flirtation with his own past. Currently he was in a place so incongruous to his homeland, but it was the only nation that guaranteed him complete freedom and support in turning his wildest daydreams into reality. It was the only place in Teyvat that allowed him to prove himself the way he was. He had everything he wanted to continue his journey and test the ideas that many would not even dare to think about… And yet, somewhere in his suppressed consciousness, he understood perfectly well that even here he was just a stranger meant to simply play his part. This time, as the man continued staring out the window, he heard the echo of someone's slow footsteps on the marble floor behind him. He recognized the sequence of these steps extraordinarily well… Those were inimitable. If only their owner walked barefoot, she would reach him in perfect silence. The corners of the Doctor's mouth turned up involuntarily.

“Marie Snezhevna,” he said without even turning towards the woman. Instead, he laced his fingers together behind his back. “Is this an emergency? At this hour I would rather expect to witness your presence in the laboratory or in your chamber.”

His voice echoed crystal clear between the walls of the corridor occupied by him and his underling. As usual, the scientist chose his words in a stiff, somewhat archaic way. Although it added seriousness and supposed politeness to his overall image, he himself seemed distant. Despite Zandik's cold demeanor, his interlocutor did not feel rejected. She was used to talking to him. Marie's interactions with Il Dottore resembled rituals based on some unwritten rules which the main participants managed to learn over the last few years. If there was an ordinary side witness there, the said unrefined observer could experience the eagerness to say that both Marie and Dottore enjoyed engaging in these subtle games.

“I will leave immediately if I interrupted something important,” the woman replied calmly, keeping her demeanor professional. Zandik remained silent for a moment, giving her no answer. This made the woman sigh heavily before she turned her back towards him to fulfill her promise. The quiet rustle of her clothes alerted the Harbinger, who slowly turned towards her and squinted his eyes hidden under the raven mask.

“Stop.”

It was an order. Naturally, the woman immediately stopped and turned her face towards him, allowing him to continue his speech. After all, she had to respect his will. He cleared his throat, seemingly offended by the whole situation.

“You wouldn't come here without a reason. Besides, I don't think it's respectful to be in a hurry when you're talking to your boss.” Indeed, he had known her for a long time and he knew what he could expect from her. He had to play it cool, precisely because — since he had fully understood his own position over the last few months – he didn't want to miss the opportunity to finally talk to Marie alone.

Since he delivered the two gnosis to Tsaritsa, he cut off almost all forms of communication with his former main assistant except her reports on the progress of her research under his command. Although the heretical scientist usually didn't care about time, now it felt like the whole eternity had passed. A really strange thing. Deep down in his heart he was a simple coward, or maybe his unwavering patience was reasonable and had finally paid off as the woman herself announced her readiness for a face-to-face confrontation? Marie shrugged her arms and shifted her body weight to one of her hips before shaking her head, sighing again with a faint smile on her lips. It was an extremely familiar gesture, as if everything before had never had the opportunity to set them apart.

“Of course, naturally…” she looked up at him, and then her facial features softened noticeably. “I just want to thank you for everything you did for me. I really didn't expect this. Certainly not after I caused additional problems in a very crucial situation. I made it all about myself. I think you deserve an apology for what I said, when I stated that you're…”

“Your apology is unnecessary.”

The Harbinger made a gentle gesture with his hand to silence her. He didn't want Marie to take old skeletons out of the closet. He also did not want to elaborate more about the choice of his that had a negative impact on his daily functioning. He wasn't even bothered by the earlier behavior of his former assistant anymore. Even though he still couldn't fully accept what she truly meant back then, he understood her perspective on an intellectual level. During that mission, he was caught off guard by Kusanali and he just did what was necessary to succeed. However, he could have done it all more skillfully to minimize the unpleasant side effects of the special operation. However, he did not take this into account at the time, so he was delaying an adequate response to Marie's complaints. No honest apology passed his lips in ages and he wasn't very likely to utter that magical word anytime soon.

“Follow me. It will be much more beneficial,” he gestured and clasped his hands behind his back again. Then, he started moving further into the southern nave of the mansion. He walked leisurely, visibly waiting for Marie to go after him. True to his expectations, she caught up with him very quickly. When Marie glanced at his face from closer distance, she spotted his poor state immediately. He looked extremely tired and couldn't hide it even under the mask. His skin was paler than usual and it had a sickly greenish undertone. Exhaustion would explain his growing isolation in a convincing way. His own pride was his downfall. As they walked through the corridors in silence, listening to the wind blowing outside, Marie noticed that they were approaching the sector of private chambers. His intentions could be... everything and anything.

Dottore's supposed intentions caused Marie's consternation, but in order to avoid hasty guesses, she decided to keep all comments to herself. The time on his side teached her that the worst things were usually caused by the incorrect assumptions about his agenda. Yet, when Zandik started unlocking the door to his dorm, the woman cleared her throat quietly and took a step back.

“I'll wait outside.”  

Slightly awkward smile appeared on her face. She received a reply in the form of a nod. It seemed that he didn't care about the goal that could stereotypically motivate any man to take a woman to his apartment. Overally, Zandik loved privacy, so Marie was going to respect that as well, leaving aside the obvious moral issues. The Doctor disappeared inside his apartment for around five minutes. When he came back, he handed her a small box wrapped in a papyrus. He had a gentle yet wry smile on his lips that only fools could trust. He warned the woman before she started asking him any questions.

“In Sumeru I managed to obtain some new chemical samples which I expect you to analyze, describe, and maybe even extract something completely new from them. I just require you to be extremely careful when handling them. I didn’t choose any intermediary, considering the high value of those resources… I'm strongly against unpacking them outside of the laboratory environment.”

“I see. I will do my best to keep them safe,” Marie took over the package with extreme caution. She seemed to turn pale when she heard a silent clink of glass under the packaging. She looked fearfully at the Harbringer, who rubbed the tip of his nose with his knuckles, covering the lower part of his face at the same time. It took a lot of effort for him not to burst into manic laughter. Fortunately, Dottore was an excellent actor.

“This is another urgent project that has been delayed unexpectedly, so get on with it immediately… If you can make it this evening, I might even consider promoting you again.”

The man sounded as categorical as promising. Yes, exactly, it was a great idea for Marie to return to her previous position. Of course, if only that's what she wanted. Zandik just intended to convince her to do so, being fully determined to achieve the desired effect. Among all of his employees, he memorized cooperation with Marie as the most pleasant. Moreover, he could keep an eye on her constantly to avoid particularly embarrassing accidents involving her... This woman's reliability required appropriate supervision to shine fully.

“Promoting me, you say… For how long?” Although the woman turned it into a joke, she slowly moved towards the opposite side of the corridor, remaining very careful around the package received from her boss. Since Marie was cut from the same cloth as Zandik, she also didn't want to admit that she simply missed the infamous heretic's company. “Apart from formalities, I just wonder what it is. Naturally, I will prepare the report as soon as possible!”

The Harbinger watched as the woman took up her task. It was amusing to witness her curiosity and willingness to gain knowledge. In this particular case, he had a feeling that it would herald a real breakthrough in their united research.

“I'm counting on your expertise, Professor,” he added in Fontanian as she left, before the storm of woman's black curls disappeared from his sight. He expected very quick results from this long-awaited experiment.

══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════

When Marie entered her study room in the lab, she put the package on the table and rubbed her hands together with excitement. Sumeru was the region with the best samples of poisons. What could be inside the parcel? Small colorful frogs for the production of poison darts, medicines and antidotes, rhizomes, roots, leaves, mushrooms, insects… The tropical jungle hid countless treasures and the fact that Il Dottore himself managed the trouble of obtaining raw materials was exceptionally valuable. Marie didn't know anyone who was more familiar with the local flora and fauna. She herself might not have even paid attention to some things during her on field delegations, but now she had the opportunity to learn something new directly from the mastermind himself. On top of that, he offered her another promotion. Wonderful. Low importance tasks weren't as fulfilling as experiencing the true science. After conversation with Zandik she felt extraordinary happiness that she had not expected to return these days. The way he referred to her as Professor scratched the right part of her brain a bit too pleasantly. She was more willing to try to forgive him for scaring her to death when he destroyed his segments out of nowhere. At the same time, was this really necessary to wait so long before handing her the new project?

The woman tied her hair back and put on protective clothing, quietly humming the first random melody that popped into her head. Then, she walked over the table and began unrolling the package. As soon as she saw its contents, she felt the wave of heat on her cheeks. This wasn't what she expected… She slipped the protective mask off her face in bewilderment, and then, with wide eyes, she began to look at the containers. The bottles indeed contained chemicals, but at first glance none of the substances had something to do with the poisonous flora of Sumeru. Those weren't even standard vials from Zandik's laboratory, but some colorful glass flasks decorated according to the Sumerian manner of design and sealed with appropriate labels. Marie sank heavily onto her stool and began carefully turning the bottles over in her fingers. Maybe… Dottore made a mistake or someone miraculously robbed him, replaced the original cargo and even managed to escape with his life? Sounds a bit too silly, but it was all just women's cosmetics. Nothing really valuable to the scientist.

Rose water, kohl, aker fassi and several niche perfume oils. What's more, at the bottom of the package there was an original Sumerian halva decorated with dried fruits.

Marie tried to maintain her denial, but instead of relief, she felt a pang in her heart. At this point her face felt as if she was on fire. If Zandik planned to give it to her right after he returned and her sulks prevented him from doing so… She felt so bad about herself. Willingly or not, she blinked her eyes a few times, as for a moment her vision became blurry. He had no reason to be so generous. Maybe it was a suggestion that he noticed her getting old slowly, or maybe she should just look for some specific, new purposes for simple household chemicals? Maybe the halva was poisoned or packed with elixirs he hadn't tested before? After all, Dottore always devoured it himself and he was reluctant to share it with anyone. Or maybe Marie was just overthinking at the moment and what Dottore really expected from her was terrifyingly simple. Was it that he wanted her to try those substances on herself, like she always used to do in her job? Zandik wished to see the effects of her work in the evening, which meant there was no time for typical scientific inspection… Marie had just enough time to do her makeup. It was exciting, moving and scary in its own way. It wasn't usual to get any prosaic, non-scientific gift from Zandik.

However, if this was the only requirement to restore the old order in the laboratory, Marie was willing to do it for both of them and touch the precious part of Sumeru that he brought to Snezhnaya for her. Soon the woman's green eyes got embraced by a beautiful dark frame. Her cheeks and lips got touched with the color of a pomegranate with a golden glow. She placed the sweet scent of honey, sandalwood and rose behind her ear. She cut the halva into pieces. For now she was almost ready to face him again. It was one of those white nights, when endless days asserted their domination over the lenghty times of darkness again.

[loquaciousquark]

Finished the Astarion origin run, got my Honour mode achievement, and have enabled my gold dice.

That said, and despite some very funny things that happened over the course of the run, I really did not enjoy playing as Astarion and don't think I'll be running any other origins anytime soon.

It didn't just feel like I wasn't playing with Tav, it hardly felt like I was playing with Astarion. As a companion he's richly developed, with a beautifully crafted arc and frequent colorful commentary and viciously strong opinions on just about everything Tav does. He grows and changes based on the events of the game and reacts to moments of doubt with fear or courage, depending on where in the plot you are.

Origin Astarion is almost as much a blank slate as Tav, with nearly all of that wonderful color stripped out. Aside from a handful of unique scenes (most notably a nightmare in Act 1 leading into the first bite), everything else happens exactly as it does to Tav, and there's no little voice in the back of your head informing your characterization. No notes on the Araj encounter like, "You fear being touched. Even now it brings up a sense of fear, loathing. Is it worth it to sacrifice your body, to bite this drow, for a potion?" No clear suggestions during your romance that you might have hangups about having spent two hundred years using your body to lure people to their deaths over and over, nothing suggesting outright that you might have some hesitation to engage in sex. Just a dialogue option here and there, one of four, that allows for that choice, if you choose to even think about it in the first place.

Even worse, things like the drow scene--which, in a Tav run, is a moment of great fear and uncertainty for him transformed into a moment of defiance & strength, a pivotal point in his characterization--has been revamped, if you'll pardon the pun. Araj is deferent and polite to origin Astarion, not assumptive and proprietary. She formally requests the bite and is gracious when you say no, and in-universe I couldn't find a single reason for him to be offended or to decline. You don't even find out her blood smells/tastes bad until you bite her; there's no forewarning, no choice, no crisis of exchanging your body for power. No companion steps in and says "you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Tav isn't there to support his first "no" in two hundred years. It's just a transactional offer, no harm no foul, and all the weight of it is yanked away.

It really felt like there was no guidance. All the strong opinions that made Astarion Astarion had been stripped out, and you really could shape him however you wanted, without much input from the narrator or his own history.

I tried my best to stay true to what I thought Astarion would do in each moment, and it turns out without someone (Tav or anyone) checking in on him and occasionally holding him back, he became this hedonistic possessive creature who slept with everyone and loved no one at all, not even himself. Tav wasn't around to make him feel safe, so he took power until he made himself safe. Tav wasn't around to suggest sex could be anything but physical, so he engaged in its physical transaction whenever he could to make sure he had everyone as hooked as possible. It didn't matter the trail of hurt people he left behind him. Nobody bothered to tell him he didn't have to sell his body for a potion. Nobody bothered to tell him they wanted to be with him with or without sex, and after two hundred years, old habits died hard.

Lae'zel - slept with immediately, but after the bruised "everything hurts" feeling the morning after, he decided not to pursue it. Successfully persuaded her to stick around after siding with the Emperor and letting him assimilate Orpheus, not because he really cared if she stayed but because he didn't want to have to expend the energy to fight her.

Gale - had sex with him in the Weave, then broke up with him. He became the God of Ambition at Astarion's encouragement. Probably the most hurt by Astarion's inability to love. As delighted as Astarion was by Gale conjuring up towers and libraries for him, I think for all Astarion's sexual experience he wasn't able to get his footing in the Weave, especially when Gale started growing extra arms and heads. He was put off enough by not having control of the sex that he never wanted to repeat it, and Gale was totally heartbroken.

Wyll - danced with him and kissed him, but broke up with him immediately when he stated he preferred a long courtship & old-fashioned romance. Encouraged Wyll to take as much power as possible, leading to him becoming Grand Duke.

Karlach - flirted with her the whole first and second acts, and for a long time I thought having to actually get to know her as a person and remember her likes & dislikes--actual facts about her outside of her sexual preferences--might finally teach Astarion how to let someone into his heart. Except then, thanks to a series of unfortunate cutscene priorities in late Act 2, other people's romances came first all in a row, and by the time Karlach's night finally triggered, he'd already made his way through Gale, Wyll, and two very tense scenes with Tavish-Emperor, and he'd hardened his heart again after hurting all three of them. Karlach ended up being endgame romance in that he went to Avernus with her, but I don't think he felt anything more than a possessive affection for her by the end. The dialogue option I picked even reflected that; it wasn't the "I know you're afraid to be alone, and this time it'll be different because I'll be with you" choice, it was the "I refuse to allow you to die. Get up and let's go" choice. Unfortunate.

Tavish-Emperor - slept with, and sided with in the final battle. She assimilated Orpheus and ran off into the city, so Lae'zel didn't even get her dragons.

Halsin - slept with regularly, much to Karlach's unhappiness. No real affection here, just a release of tension and I think a very selfish assurance to himself that Karlach didn't "own" him just because she loved him, that he was still free to do whatever he wanted.

Minthara - propositioned him, but because saying yes would have permanent consequences with Karlach, he declined. Again, not because he really cared about hurting Karlach at this point, but because it would get too messy and dramatic afterwards if he didn't.

Shadowheart - did not engage with romantically and ended up catty BFFs, which I honestly found such a relief. She saved Nightsong (mostly because Astarion couldn't be bothered to intervene) and moted her parents. :(

This Astarion also ascended, because that's what his search for power culminated in, and again, there was no one saying "my guy, I love you for who you are right now. You don't have to do this. Not because it would be sad to kill all those people, but because I'd be sad if you became something else." I hated that cutscene the first time I recorded it for the Astarion Supercut and I hated watching it again now as the Astarion origin. I won't be letting that happen again.

Anyway. I know I was in control of the character and could have made different choices, but I was really trying to play him as I thought he would react in those moments, and I didn't care for the outcome at all. I felt like I'd lost almost two whole characters this run, and even with as much as I really like Minthara, I'll be going back to my tried and true (and very much missed) Tavish as a palate cleanser in the next few days.

[zr-art-world]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP MMMEEEEEEE DX

I've been playing with these twos designs since forever, but I can never be sure if their actually good, like, objectively.

Can people look at these and tell me what I might need to remove/improve/add

Some character info

I'll try to make this concise as possible

For one, this takes place in a superhero scifi setting.

Psi

With Psi, I was going with android with insect motif, in particularly, butterfly and moth.

He was a human who's psyche was put into a techno organic robot body because he was on the verge of dyeing.

He grew up in a privileged setting but was mainly raised by robots made by his family.

He used to be always sick as a kid

He is a child prodigy that has a hard time with people because of his up brining.

Before being put into a robot body, he worked as a scientist (robotics specifically, however, he heavily dabbled in other fields as well)

He put himself in the robot body after a group tried to kill him and steal his technology and use it for their own gain

He feels like his intelligence is his one good defining trait, something that he relies on and something he thinks is the only thing he can offer to help people

Because of his upbringing, he is naturally curious about almost everything, despite him probably already knowing about it from his research.

After having his psyche put into an android body, he left his previous position to proses his thought and feelings and he also felt like he could do more good with his new body and intellect

Aster

Aster and their younger siblings were orphaned kids and were captured by Venlarians (a faction of bad guys in my story baseikly) and were trained and brain washed to be assassins and soldiers. (Aster became a well known assassin and sniper)

They were also experimented on a given powers (Aster specifically has minor mater manipulation abilities and can heal really fast and from major injuries. They can also teleport and harden their skin)

At the age of 18-19, they escaped but were separated from their siblings

They are adopted by another character, Mar (Who was the adopted son of the bbeg and emperor of the venularian empire before killing him)

After living with him and Mar trying to give them a normal child hood and saying that he and his colleagues will find them. (After defecting from Venularian empire, he joined the coalition of heroes which is like the justice league to put it in short terms), Aster wants to go out and find their siblings.

They also want to help others because they want to repent for what they were made to to while being controlled by the empire and so no one has to suffer under the empire.

Once their old enough, they take a space craft to explore the galaxy and to find their siblings and to help people.

They love exploring different planets and parts of the galaxy

She often hides her true feelings under a happy go lucky veneer, not wanting to scare people and not wanting her loved ones to worry about her.

Because of her powers and background, she doesn't have a lot of worry about her well being, often saving her friends and people in need at the expense of her well being because "I'll just heal right up! Don't worry, I can take it"

Aster originally had some avian aspects and I want to add those features again.

some other aspects for these two, they were slightly inspired by Psych and Eros

Idk if I want to make psi a different color other than blue, make his color pallet black and white like before or what.

sry for all the text, I always feel weird when talking about my oc's for some reason but I felt like the context was needed for me to get help with their designs

[strawberryfloofs]

Caregiver Ibuki Mioda headcanons!

Ibuki plays you songs on her guitar and even makes up her own to keep you entertained while you're small! If you're not too little, she'll even let you fiddle around with her instruments! If you're a bigger kiddo, she'll teach you simple songs or some cool chords! She loves playing childish songs like "Mary had a little lamb" but with her own metallish shred!! :))

She is ALL about you having fun in your littlespace! If she knows your little age, she DEFINITELY researches age-appropriate activites for you and sets up stuff and games according to that! Anything from arts and crafts to competitive video games, she's got you! You'll be having a blast with her!

Ibuki isn't really a strict caregiver, she doesn't wanna seem like a pushover, but she actually thinks punishments are pretty boring and lame! That's why she only has the essential rules like eating enough, drinking water, etc. Whenever you're in a fussy mood or upset, she tries to talk to you or distract you by being silly, it usually works!

When you're little, she calls you her little rockstar or superstar! She also likes kiddo, rascal, muffin, munchkin, and other silly names like that! She absolutely loves being called Mama as a caregiver name, but Mimi also melts her heart!

Definitely the type of caregiver to give you piggy back rides and ruffle your hair! You think you're safe from tickles? NOPE, tickle monster Ibuki is on your back! WILL also smother you in kisses, hugs, and affection in general!

I think she'd be really good with kiddos aged 4 and older, because she can do a huge range of things! You wanna do pretend play? She's the goofiest actress around! Play outside? She's already packed your bag! Video games? She's got the snacks and everything!

She absolutely adores younger regressors though! Ibuki would give a ton of noise-making toys like rattles, button ones, and more! (She might end up using them more than you...I mean how else will she show you how awesome music is?!) She'd be happy to make your stuffies talk and build blocks with you! And yes, she'd even let you pull on her cool looking hair!

LOVES to dress up her little one in colorful looking ways! If you'd let her, she'd dress you just like she is!

If you're upset or something is wrong, it might take it a little to notice, but once she does, you'll be attacked with ALL the comfort! Snacks? Cuddles? Words of affirmation? Whatever you need, she'll be there and won't leave your side!

Ibuki's pretty possessive over you, getting a little jealous if you're happy with a babysitter, but she tries not to show it!

Definitely prepares little snacks for you in character themed plates or containers. (Yes she does take notes of your favorites!)

Bath time is SOOO much fun because she's got bubbles and toys everywhere! Rubber duckies, floaties, turtles, boats, you name it!

While you're playing with your toys, she air guitars to get some giggles and smiles out of you!

Ibuki puts so much effort into making your regression as comforting and enjoying as possible because she really cares about you! She wants you to have the treatment you deserve and it makes her happy whenever you're happy. The warmth she feels from your smiles and giggles melts her heart in a way she didn't know was possible

"Okay, rockstar! Bathtime's over....BUT how about we get your favorite cartoon playing! That's my baby!"