#just a heads up the transparent are not that great I didn't really try to fix them up

[geospiral]

Order up for a jester and a bunny girl! You guys remember when I made those paint 3D pictures for some of the Alien Stage OCs? Well, here are two more!

Transparent versions:

Flor by @sotogalmo

Noora by @kamersona

[sunshine304]

FTH Fanbinding: "Concord" by Deastar

@youhideastar won my FTH auction and gave me a great gift: She wanted me to bind her CQL fic "Concord" including the thorough author's commentary she'd done. I was so happy when she chose this fic because I'd loved it so much and had pondered doing a fanbinding of it at some point anyway. 😄

Now that the book has finally arrived (spending two days in the air even, I guess, at least when one looks at the tracking info 😆), I can show it off here!

I tried some new stuff on this bind and also some things that I'd only done once before and that definitely need some, uh, perfecting. 😅 But overall, I'm very pleased with how this book turned out, as it's pretty close to what I'd imagined when I started it.

The fic is set in Cloud Recesses and Dea and I agreed that the colour blue should be prominent in the design, as it not only fits the setting, but also is of significance in the story itself. As the rules and traditions of the Lan sect also are quite important, I wanted a very clean, simple style for the case, a bit reminiscent of traditional Chinese bindings.

I did the title as a cut-out and used Japanese transparent paper for some extra flavour. The paper shows up inside the book as well early on and I liked the recurring motive of it. I'm also really pleased how well the hot foil came out on it! I was a bit scared that it might rip or something, but it's quite sturdy, after all.

I thought about doing a faux stab binding with red thread to get even more of a traditional feel, but then decided against it as I'd wanted to use two different blue book cloths and I felt that it might get too busy. Instead, I used the red ribbon as a nod to Wei Wuxian.

The little cloud illustration is used several times in the typeset and I like how it comes out in the title. I didn't even mess up this title, yay! (Mine's got a few tiny blotches but uh well, better mine than Dea's!)

I painted the edges with metallic watercolours - the second time I tried painting edges, but this time with several colours and trying to do a little illustration as well. Big thanks to @zhalfirin who quickly answered my question about how to get the paint to actually stick. 😆 I'd read several posts about how awesome water colours are for foreedge painting, but none mentioned that this kind of paint just rubs off again (I am no artist and have no knowledge of different kinds of paint). Zhalfirin told me to mix in glue and also wax the edges afterwards, which I both did and I think it's fine now. At least my fingers didn't turn blue. 😅

I really love how the shading came out on the head/tail; it could've been better on the foreedge and it looked great while the paint was still wet. Steep learning curve, this thing. I also died trying to sand the edges and I didn't get them completely smooth, but at least smooth enough to work with. That also needs some more work, I guess.

First time I sewed endbands with four different colours! I think they came out quite well! I also forgot the second row of dark blue on Dea's book and had to unravel half the endband again when I noticed at the very end... 🤦‍♀️

Nice marbled endpapers. For the title page spread, I used part a very famous Chinese painting, as it not only reminds me of the Gusu mountains but also, again, is very traditional. I played around with the colours to give the picture a bit of a bluer tinge.

The typeset itself was very straight-forward. There's the fic without commentary, and then the second part with it. I used a grey background for the comment parts to make it stand out from the actual story.

I had lots of printer issues with this fic (my copy actually had even more issues because the printer treated every page as an image for unknown reasons and therefore it not only took forever, it's also a tiny bit blurry. Hmpf.) and the greys tended to have a bit of a blue tinge, which was not my intention. But at least it works with the overall theme, I guess! 😅

I also did an extensive Appendix with all the meta links mentioned in the commentary as well as cut scenes and a little "praise for the author" section.

Last but not least, I decided to try making a slipcase for the first time! DAS_Bookbinding on youtube has good tutorials on that and I used one of them. It worked well on the first try. The second try, I used sturdier cardboard and should've added a few millimetres to the width, because the book didn't fit - the ribbon got stuck and I feared that it might get damaged. So I had to redo the case and then it was perfect.

I used wallpaper as cover material. 😄 The one you see on the outside? That's my living room wallpaper, a light blue with a lovely pattern and soft shimmer to it. My camera unfortunately is refusing to get the colour right.🤷‍♂️

The assembling process went well, for the most part. I'd forgotten to shorten the endpapers a bit which I only realised after I'd started casing in my copy. I carefully separated the textblock from the case again and then, in a moment of complete mental blackout, tried to cut the wet paper. 🤦‍♀️ That didn't go well. I managed to salvage it, mostly, and of course didn't repeat the mistake with Dea's copy, but ugh. 😆

This was a super fun project and I'm very happy with it! Thank you again, Dea, for your faith in me and your super generous donation! 💙

Materials used:

Printed on Clairefontaine DCP 100g

Case and endpapers:

booklinen Colibri cornflower

booklinen Paradise aqua

marbled paper 120g

transparent Japanese paper

Hot Foil (Memory Keepers)

Slipcase:

fleece wallpaper Newroom Nisa lightblue

fleece wallpaper grey glitter

[incorporealbombchelle]

Friend of the Family

Mr. Reed × Fem! (Mid-20s) Reader (18+)

Synopsis: Part 3 - (y/n)'s Christmas wishes are finally fulfilled...

[A/N: This part takes place immediately after the events of Part 2, which can be found in my blog's pinned post.]

⚠️TW: Age Gap, Oral Sex (Female Recipient), Raw P in V Penetration, Minimal Dirty Talk, Light Slutshaming, General Smut. 🎄

He removes the oven mitts and his attention is back on me, where it belongs.

Mr. Reed perches his glasses on top of his head and strokes my cheek, sympathetic to my plight.

I narrow my eyes at him "You don't even mean it. You're a total tease."

He grins.

"And you, sweet (y/n), are a brat." He takes on a more serious tone, "All those eyerolls, all that huffing and puffing when you dont get exactly what you want, right when you want it. You've abdolutely no restraint. You're entitled, and especially to what's not yours." A self-satisfied smirk "You're clever, beautiful, naughty, and you think those traits are enough to get by on. The quintessential Oxford scholar by day, party princess by night. I knew a great many girls like you when I was an Oxonian. Which is why that behaviour," he points a finger at me "must end immediately, if you're to be respected."

I scoff at his indictment.

"You're wrong-"

"You've spent the entirety of the morning trying to get me to bend you over the kitchen counter. Even before your father had left the house, why is that?" His brows raise momentarily and he knows he's got me pegged.

I feel myself go red.

"Because..." I trail off, unable to find the words or meet his gaze. I don't like him calling me out like this, it makes me feel dirty, but I listen when he speaks.

"Because, (y/n), you want it so desperately that you can't even wait for me to take you to bed." He leans down, lips just centimeters from my ear and whispers. "You need it right here. Right now. And you think you'll get it too, if you're persistent enough. " he chuckles.

I shiver at the sensation of his breath on my neck and he's not wrong, but I can't let him be right.

"No-"

"You've been so completely transparent from the moment you crossed my threshold, it's a marvel Jonathan hasn't noticed by now. I almost want to tell him, if just to point out the true depths of his incomptence, the poor bastard."

My eyes go wide and my mouth is dry and- "Please don't. Don't tell him. I'll behave, keep my hands to myself, I promise. I swear, Mr. Reed, I'll-"

His hands are on either side of me, trapping my body in its place against the counter.

"Well. Let's not be hasty, mm? I was only making a point. I didn't say I was going to tell him. Despite your best efforts and worst behaviours, I find you to be quite...captivating."

"Oh?" 

He's so close I can feel his body heat, it would be so easy to kiss him, to touch him, but I don't. Restraint. His eyes hold mine and Mr. Reed looks down on me like he has what I want, knows something I don't.

"There it is."

"What?"

"That look. The look you gave me last night. That look, says everything without a word. It says 'touch me. Use me, harshly. Make me Whole.' And is that what you want, (y/n)? Ultimately, I mean. To be with someone through which you see yourself made complete?"

Yes. Yes.

"No." I state, defiant.

The air between us is charged as he leans down to press a few small, soft kisses into the side of my throat. "You, " He murmurs into the skin of my neck, continuing his trail of light pecks down onto my collarbones, "are a terrible liar," his fingers rake up under the fabric of my sweater, pulling it over my head and throwing it aside. He takes a moment to appreciate my breasts before resuming his succesion down my body, sinking to his knees before me. "but I shall grant you your wish," Mr. Reed's eyes meet mine and his fingers hook into the sides of my pajama shorts and the dampened panties beneath, dragging them swiftly down my legs, "because really, who am I to deny the need of a gorgeous, entirely desperate young woman, hm?" A close-lipped smile.

I'm completely exposed before him and I step out of the shorts. He discards them over his shoulder, looking up at me, eye-level with my sex. Taking a deep breath, I part my legs for him.

Mr. Reed holds my calves steady as he licks a long stripe up my left inner thigh from knee to labia, then does the same to the opposite side. "(y/n), rest your elbows back on the counter for me."

I do, and he sweeps the backs of my thighs up, letting one rest on either of his shoulders. He's surprisingly strong for his age and I watch his eyes close as he inhales my scent before dragging his tongue up my vulva eagerly, methodically. His mouth is hot and his eyes are somehow bluer than they were, I watch them roll back, closing as he carries on.

His grip is firm on my thighs and I gasp at the way he moans into me, a heavenly vibration as he slips a finger inside, pumping few times in a slow and steady rhythm before adding a second. Plucking the glasses from his head, I set them on the counter, and weave a hand into his hair.

I'm tense with need and feel myself starting to tighten up around his fingers. "Mr. Reed," I pant, "Please-" crossing my ankles over his back as he continues.

The tip of his tongue works agonizingly slow circles over my clit and I clench a couple times. "Mister R-Reeed, I'm- mmh," I moan, hips bucking involuntarily, as he gradually speeds up the pace of his fingers.

It's a dizzying feeling in tandem with the slow friction of his tongue and I'm almost there. "Mister Reed, I- ohh my God!" It comes out as a helpless whimper and my head falls back as orgasm drives through my body in a series of demanding pulsations. My eyes close and I feel weak, hot and filthy as I attempt to catch my breath.

Mr. Reed stills his movements as I start to come down somewhat, flustered and trembling. He withdraws his fingers and gives them a quick taste before rising from his kneeling position and grabbing a tea towel from the counter to freshen up with. He gives my forehead a peck. "Thank Y-you," I breathe, blinking up at him

"You're very welcome..." he murmurs. I take a second to let my gaze drag over him. He's so pretty. Hair disheveled, panting, cardigan askew. His cock is hard, throbbing, ready. I reach for it but he seizes my wrist, eyes wide in warning.

"Ah-ah. No dessert without dinner," I flush at this and he smirks. "Tonight, you learn temperance. And if you're good, you might earn yourself a nice shag. In a bed, this time." He teases.

Mr. Reed gives me a wink, dropping my arm, and snatches his glasses off the counter, removing a phone from his cardigan pocket and leaning back against the kitchen island. I watch him adjust himself and his brow furrows as he reads a text.

"(y/n), purple or green?" He asks, not looking up.

"Why?" I collect my clothes from the floor, pulling them on hastily.

"Why do you think? It obviously has to do with your gift, now choose."

"Green."

He taps at his phone some then places it back in his pocket, flashing me a contented grin.

"Perfect. Now, I believe you were headed upstairs to change, yes?"

"No, I-"

"So you'd like to be sat here in the same pajamas, smelling like sex and shame when he gets back then? Bold of you."

"Okay fine, I'm going."

"Good choice."

I simper at him, exhaling through my nose, and wait til my back is turned to roll my eyes this time, making my way down the hallway and up the stairs.

After a long shower, I treat myself to a quick hour nap, only to be awoken by my phone buzzing violently under the pillow. It's a text from an unsaved number.

303-555-4844: Don't wear that slutty red top to dinner tonight. x

It has to be him and I tap back : how did u get this number?? have u been going thru my suitcase????

303-555-4844: Your dad's phone doesn't have a passcode and I wanted to get to know you better. He's back, by the way. Chewing my ear about gifting, the election, Zillow listings. Considering a shot of bleach. x

I  stifle a laugh and save him to my contacts before figuring out a response.

Me: don't u have cookies to decorate?

Reed: They're done & drying. Are you?

I sit up and write him back, resituating the towel I'd fallen asleep wrapped up in.

Me: yep & avoiding the 2 of u

Reed: You wound me. Come down. x

Me: 🙄 do I have to?

Reed: Your insufferability reads well over text, I like it better in person. Come down. x

Me: fine gimme a sec

He likes me and I get ready, I get all dressed up, in black jeans and what I can only assume he meant by 'that slutty red top'.

In actuality, it's a somewhat thin, incredibly soft long-sleeved red henley shirt with snaps down the front. I undo a couple for effect, sort out my hair, slip my phone into my pocket and walk downstairs.

The kitchen smells fantastic and Mr. Reed and Dad chatter on either side of the island, sipping red wine and laughing loudly. Mr. Reed wears a maroon button down shirt, the top button undone and sleeves rolled. He's devastating. I take a breath and collect my thoughts, greeting the room with a sheepish smile.

"So he lives," I joke, giving Dad a quick side hug before taking the seat next to him at the counter.

"Hey Bug, yeah I barely made it out of there alive. I was just telling Mr. Reed that apparently the other shoppers were just as desperate. One lady even shoved me in the checkout line! But I guess that's what I get for waiting to shop til 2 days out, it's war out there!" He giggles.

"Get me something nice?" I question.

"No comment." Dad grins excitedly and gives Mr. Reed a look.

"Mr. Reed, did he?"

He smiles, looking up from his wine glass. "Not at liberty to say, I'm afraid." He winks at me as he sips, eyes flitting to my chest momentarily.

"Fine then," I cross my arms, looking between them "keep your secrets. I would like to know what's for dinner, though."

"Coq Au Vin," Mr. Reed states proudly, his French accent immaculate. "And Pinot Noir to compliment, obviously. Would you like some, (y/n)?"

"Love some. Small pours this time though." I laugh.

"Small pours and small sips, eh?" He quips back, pouring a half glass and pushing it across the counter to me.

We eat and laugh, drink and talk and 9:30 comes fast.

Dad's eyes are half-lidded and he yawns, rising from his stool.

"Well, it's been fun kids, but this old man must rest, lest my legs seize up from all that walking."

"Night, Dad."

"Sleep well, J."

Dad pads down the hallway and I watch Mr. Reed clear plates and pans, rinsing them in the sink, his back turned to me.

"So...Coq Au Vin, huh?" I sip my wine.

"I thought I told you not to wear that."

"I don't take fashion advice from old men."

He dries his hands, stepping around the counter to stand in front of me. I'm tipsy, not drunk, but my whole body goes warm as he looks me over, eyes lingering on my chest.

"To every action, (y/n), an equal or opposite reaction. What do you believe the equal or opposite reaction to this saucy little garment will be?"

"I dunno, Mister Reed..." I look but don't touch and my teeth sink into my lower lip as his eyes catch mine. He studies my face for a second and smirks.

"Upstairs. Now. Last door on your left."

I scoot off the stool and our bodies brush past eachother momentarily as I wander towards the hallway.

"Will you be joining me?" I ask over my shoulder.

"I'll be along in a minute. Get yourself comfortable in bed, text if you need anything."

I give him a quick nod and make my way upstairs to the last door on the left side of the hallway, pushing it open slowly.

Mr. Reed's bedroom, not unlike his kitchen, is obscenely large and incredibly well designed.

A four-poster bed, overlapping Persian rugs, and what appear to be stained glass windows. The walls are coated in the same bright green wallpaper as the living room and he's got cases upon cases of books and records lining them. I note a vinyl player on one end of the room, and a scented candle on one of the nightstands.

I close the door behind me gently and pad over to the nightstand with the candle on it. Yanking off my shirt, bralette and jeans, I carefully climb into his bed.

The sheets are silk and the room is warm and maybe I'm a little past tipsy, because laying in his bed feels like a divine experience. I'd be content just to be held here for hours on end. I stretch and relax my body, letting out a deep breath.

The door's handle turns and Mr. Reed steps inside, closing and locking it with caution. He stands at the end of the bed, taking in the sight of my body, warm, languid, vulnerable. All for him.

"Ohhh, you are Glorious. But are you comfortable?"

"Verrry," I purr, smiling as I sprawl out. "Your bed is so cozy..."

"If you're impressed with the bed alone, just wait till you find out what I plan to do to you in it." he smirks.

I prop myself up on my elbows to look at him properly. "And what is it you plan to do to me, Mr. Reed?"

"Turn over and I'll show you."

I follow his instruction, laying on my stomach, and look over my shoulder at him as he untucks and unbuttons his shirt. His arms are uncharacteristically muscular for a man his age, his chest is toned, his torso slender, and I have to swallow to keep myself from salivating.

I watch as he undoes his belt and unzips his pants.  His boxers are navy blue paisley and his cock strains against them urgently as he climbs onto the bed behind me. He grinds its length against my ass, letting out a low groan into the crook of my neck as I arch back into him instinctively. I can't help the moan that leaves me as one of his hands wraps around my throat, squeezing lightly while the other snakes around my hip and under the hem of my panties, exploring the slickness of my folds.

"Not so contrarian now, are we, (y/n)?" He chuckles under his breath, slowly rubbing himself against me and my mind goes hazy when I feel his clothed cock twitch against the gusset of my panties.

"Mmmh, Mister Reed," I whimper "I need it..."

"And you'll have it, impatient little thing you are..." His fingers circle over my clit and I gasp.

Both of his hands leave me at once and I groan at the loss of sensation. He hooks his fingers under my hips, arching them higher to meet his own. Mr. Reed pulls my drenched panties aside to line himself up with me and without warning or hesitation, he slips inside with a singular harsh thrust.

I bite hard onto a pillow to keep from crying out. I'm not used to his length or his girth yet and it's shocking to feel this completely filled out all at once. His fingers return to my clit and I suck in a sharp breath, my whole body on edge as he starts to gently buck into my core, picking up pace quickly and I feel myself tighten around him.

"M-mister Reed..  ahh-hmmm, ke-eeep doing that, fuck!"

"I intend to, darling. You're so cute when you take it like this. Tell me something, (y/n), are you my good girl?"

"Y-yesss,"  manage,  breathless.

"Mm? Sorry, didn't hear you there. I said: Are. You. My. Good. Fucking. Girl?" He rumbles. Every word is punctuated by a thrust and my mind goes blank as he continues ramming into me mercilessly.

"Yes! Oh my god, yes Mr. Reed! Yes!" I mewl, needy.

"There you are, and so pretty too. My sweet, pretty, dirty girl..." he pulls out and turns me over in one fluid motion, his mouth claiming mine in a hungry kiss.

He licks and nibbles his way down my neck to my chest, leaving tiny love bites on my breasts as he trails further along my torso and then finally he hovers over my center, drawing closer.

Mr. Reed flattens his tongue and laps from entrance to clit a few times before focusing the warmth of his tongue solely on my clit and inserting two curled fingers into me, working my G-spot thoroughly and I whine. "Oh my god-" my hands find his hair as he continues. "Mis-Mister Reeeed, if you keep doing that I'm gonna come..." I breathe. He groans into me and firmly grips my thigh with the hand that isn't working me to ecstasy.

I feel myself starting to tighten and clench and I try to hold on but it's useless. I fall apart around his fingers, whimpering and shaking as I do, and Mr. Reed gives me no time to recover.

He's instantly fucking me, pushing my knees up to my chest and dipping the fingers he just had inside me into my mouth. I take them in, sucking enthusiastically as I blink up at him.

"Ohh, you are just the most unbelievable sight, and making all these indecent little noises just for me.... tell me, (y/n)" he leans in to whisper in my ear, "where do you want it?"

I heave "anywhere, everywhere, please, I-"

He gives a few more jarring, final thrusts before pulling out, eyes fixed to mine as he slowly strokes himself, groaning, teeth sunk into his lower lip, eyes closing as his release beats out in thick spurts down my neck, chest and stomach.

His breath comes in ragged huffs as he takes a moment to collect himself before looking over my degraded, flushed and depleted figure.

"Stay right there, don't move an inch," He breathes unsteadily, making his way across the room to  the dresser and tugging on a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a t-shirt.  Mr. Reed exits the bedroom and returns a couple seconds later with a fresh towel for me. I take it and wipe myself off to the best of my ability, discarding it over the side of the bed.

He crawls back into bed and pulls me into his arms, pressing a kiss into the top of my head. "That," he pants " was brilliant. You're a vixen, (y/n),  you know that?"

I sigh, trembling "Thank you."

"Oh you are more than welcome, thank You, (y/n)."

I plant a gentle peck on the center of his chest.

"One question. Small question."

"Anything."

"(y/n), do you believe in a God of some variant?"

"No, never, why?"

"You do a lot of 'oh my God '-ing when we...I thought I'd ask. I don't believe in that ridiculous nonsense either. It's all a system of control to keep people like you and I subdued, unambitious..."

"Oh." I feel myself blush "I didn't even realize.... yeah, no. I'd have to agree, I'm not a fan of organized religion."

I nuzzle my forehead into his chest and he rests his chin on my head.

"Mr. Reed?" I ask, somehwat muffled.

"(y/n)?" He chortles.

"I don't want to go back to my room..."

"Oh? I suppose you don't have to, necessarily... it is nearly christmas..." he strokes my hair, comforting. "but be there before he wakes up, mm?"

"Mhm." I confirm, eyes closing.

[lovelaughsimp]

"✿︎☾︎ ᶠⁱˢʰⁱⁿᵍ ᶠᵒʳ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ☽︎𖧷"

Tags:

Fluff, post-wedding game ( a tradition) , suguru being a tease.

Pairing:

Husband!Suguru x reader

Summary:

Having a cute little wedding tradition with your beloved husband.

Note:

guys if you know about this tradition then it's good to know but if you don't, well allow me to explain. After the wedding, the bride and groom are asked to find a ring that's hidden in a huge pot filled with milk, kumkum, turmeric and flower petals, so as to reduce the transparency. The one who wins is said to be the dominant one in the relationship. It's just a playful game. If you do not know about this tradition just consider that you get to know about this tradition and you were really interested in doing this ceremony and how could your dear husband say no to you?

When you told Suguru about how you were interested in this ceremony, you thought maybe Suguru would play it off by saying that this is a silly game, we need not do it. To your surprise, Suguru listened patiently and was even more invested in it.

"Sounds great, we should do it." Suguru smiled and looked at you lovingly.

"OH MY GOD?! Can we really?" You seemed surprised and hugged him tightly, muttering thank you's to him. Suguru laughed putting his left hand behind your head to caress you, hugging you back.

"Aw is my baby that much excited about dominating me?" He teased, brushing his fingers around your hair, kissing the crown of your head, smiling softly at you. It is intriguing, how it seems like happiness was following him whenever he was around you. Smallest act of yours made his heart swell up with joy.

"Wow, you are shameless." You chuckled, playing with the hem of his shirt, "I didn't know my husband was such a dirty man." You laughed kissing the tip of his nose, trying to hide your smile.

Suguru gasped dramatically, " Me and shameless? I was just simply talking about what you told me, not my fault you took it the wrong way." He puts his hand at his heart, and sighed dramatically. "God, I didn't know my wife was such a pervert. I was scammed into this marriage." He sighed dramatically, trying to control his laugh.

You laughed in disbelief, you can never win against him. He's lucky that he's hot, always using his face to an advantage, I mean how much can your poor heart handle?

"Just you wait, I'll win and then I will MUAHAHAHAHA–" You said trying to mimick a scary laugh, Suguru looked at you smiling at you trying to scare him off, how cute you are, he thought.

"Oh yeah?" He whispered seductively, looking at you like a shark looks at it's prey, "then I'll see you try, Mrs. Geto" Suguru smirked at you, you got embarassed due to him eyeing you up.

The house was full of chattering, your family members, Suguru's friends, the bustling sounds of people talking around the house, some sitting, some fixing their clothes, some taking pictures, the house was looking so beautiful. At the centre of the room you and Suguru sat , eyeing each other. Suguru looking dashing as ever, his hair in a manbun, his bangs illuminating and shining when the light falls on his face, between you, there's a pot full of milk, turmeric, kumkum and some flower petals, and a ring that you have to search for. Suguru is looking at you, you looked so excited, he had always wanted to marry you, start a family with you, he still couldn't believe that he was married to you and now you were his wife, his heart was beating fast. You were looking so beautiful.

You looked at him, waving your hand in front of his face cause he looked deep in thought.

"What happened? Are you alright?" You asked him, he nodded his head smiling at you.

"Keep zoning out like that and I'll win." You cockily said to him. He just smirked, giving you, "I'll see you try" look.

Soon enough, after some time you both put your hand inside the milk pot, everyone patiently waiting to see who will win, Suguru winked at you, your eyes widened, embarrassed, forgetting about the game. Soon after, you came back to your senses, he's trying to charm you with his looks, thinking you will fall for it, you did. Not your fault he's so handsome. You searched for the ring, your hand bumping against his, he poked at his cheek, concentrating on searching the ring. He's so hot, you thought. After that, Suguru would deliberately brush his hand against your fingers, sometimes even squeezing them.

You still couldn't find the ring damnit. You searched hurriedly but to no avail. Suguru suddenly brushed his hand against your palm and passing something in your palm, it was the ring. You got embarrassed , shyly looking up at him, only to find him already looking at you. This man will be the death of you. He's dangerous, illegal even.

You gave him your "what are you doing" look and he just smiled and mouthed something, something which made you utterly embarassed, you just hoped nobody caught him, what is he even doing in front of all these people and especially your parents. He really is shameless.

Your eyes widened in shock. Did he just winked at you? He was really a cheeky bastard, you put out your hand with the ring, everyone clapped for you. Suguru just looked at your embarassed face, clapping for you and tried to hide his smile, he was so happy

"Congratulations, Mrs. Geto." He said, teasing you, as if he wasn't the one who gave you that ring.

He didn't care about who the winner of the game was from the start, he just wanted to make you happy, he didn't care. Even Satoru would often make fun of him for being such an obedient puppy for you, always spoiling you, he didn't care. He could be anything you wanted him to be. He will do whatever you want. For God sake, he literally worships the ground you walk on, no pun intended . Even though he sometimes tease you, he's still afraid that his love will overwhelm you. Well, only if he knew you are also down bad for him as he is.

[starkenobi]

Menace | Tony Stark x reader

masterlist — warnings: mcu; +18 romance; explicit sexual content; flirting; tension; explicit language.

Summary: Tony and Y/N can't hide their attraction and the effect they have on each other. And what should have been a simple photoshoot's interview ends up becoming the trigger for an important step in their relationship. [same universe of dracarys! and draw me like one of your french girls]

Tony felt ridiculous. It was as if he had forgotten everything about what it was like to live in the spotlight, as if he suddenly didn't feel bored to the others who lived in the spotlight either. It was as if he had gone back to his teenage years, freaking out over a really gorgeous celebrity and getting a terrible erection without even realizing it. However, Tony felt a little less stupid when he saw the rest of the people in the set suffering from the same effect that it was to be in Y/N's presence. And, well, in his presence too, he couldn't forget that he was considered one of the Avengers' sexual symbols.

“Is this all because of me?”

Y/N's melodious voice sounded too close, her lips brushing Tony's ear at the same time that one of her hands slid down Tony's thigh until she held his erection. Tony tensed, his worried eyes searching around the studio to see if anyone was paying attention to them. Without any shame, Y/N squeezed her hand and giggled innocently.

Tony pushed her hand away, while wrapping his arm around Y/N's waist. With a smirk on his lips, he pressed their bodies together and muttered a warning. "No messing around in public, sweetheart."

Letting out a sigh, she leaned to kiss Tony's jaw. “Tell that to the monster in your pants, I just came to say hello. You weren't in bed when I woke up.”

But before he could retort, their manager yelled for the security. The spell was broken. They were filmed and exposed on the internet by some intern.

The photoshoot was rescheduled, and Tony felt anxious to see Y/N, the two hadn't spoken since the confusion. She was sent to a mission soon after being exposed as the new it couple, and he had to deal with some Stark Industries shit. So, Tony was also afraid that Y/N'd act differently, and change her mind about wanting something serious with him after the fiasco. But, well, his fears and concerns were proven wrong the exact moment Y/N entered the studio next to the new photographer.

She had a determined sensual aura around her, which seemed to intensify when her eyes landed on Tony. Licking her lips, Y/N smiled mischievously as she slowly admired him head to toe.

Unlike the first set, this time the photoshoot only had five people authorized to stay in the room. Namely Tony and her, the photographer, the stylist and their manager. It wasn't that difficult to make this decision, since the risk of more leaking didn't exist only because of electronic devices.

As a precaution, they decided to do solo shoots first, a few clicks to highlight the clothes they were wearing - and the lack thereof - as well as show a different side to the public. Tight leather pants, transparent blouses, skirts with fishnet stockings, button-down shirts with colorful prints, high heels and lots of makeup.

The theme was a mix of fun and sensuality, although they were about to burst into flames due to the palpable sexual tension when it was time for the photos together. Both the stylist and the photographer chose not to comment on Y/N's swollen lips or Tony's messy hair, the makeup and hairdo were touched up in silence and the photoshoot resumed.

Tony held his breath, trying to keep a serious expression as he stared at the camera, uselessly pretending that the hand sliding down his thigh to his groin didn't affect him. But Y/N seemed determined to get a reaction, sitting on the leg she was previously leaning on, making sure to face Tony.

“Great initiative, Y/N!” the photographer exclaimed in the background, but to Tony it seemed like just white noise, making the mistake of focusing on Y/N. “Use your right hand to hold Tony's hair, see if you can rest your left hand on his knee... That's it! Now look here!”

Giving in to the teasing, Tony rested one hand on Y/N's thigh and the other on her back, a mischievous smile when he realized he had caught her by surprise. When he felt the tug on his hair, Tony squeezed her thigh with some force and pulled Y/N to sit on his thigh. Then he leaned towards her neck, placing a few kisses until he reached her jaw, nibbling lightly, making Y/N gasp.

“Amazing! Y/N holds his neck. Tony, slowly try to lie down on the couch.” the photographer ordered amid the camera flashes. Their breaths gradually became labored as the desire intensified. “Excellent, now reverse positions! But there in the area of ​​the giant pillow, Tony starts kneeling on the floor between Y/N's legs, alright?”

Before Y/N could do anything, Tony slid his hands down to her ass, holding her firmly before getting up from where they were and going to the indicated area. Y/N wrapped her arms around Tony's shoulders, letting out a soft "fuck" in a mixture of lust and surprise.

After practically throwing Y/N onto the huge pillow, Tony crouched down without breaking eye contact, resting his hands on her thighs and sliding his palms down slowly. Tony only looked away when he had to obey the photographer’s instructions, trying to maintain a casual pose while facing the camera.

The photographer's voice led them both into a state of hypnosis, or maybe it was just the desire they felt speaking louder. But when they realized, Tony was lying on the huge pillow, one of his legs folded on top while the other remained on the floor. And Y/N had one resting between Tony's legs, the rest of her body lying on the pillow as well. She had one hand on Tony's chest, while Tony held her neck, slowly bringing her for a kiss.

“Wonderful! Perfect!” Clapping his hands, the photographer seemed to be controlling himself not to laugh when he saw the confused expressions on Tony and Y/N’s faces. “The shoot is over. Congratulations, by the way.”

Without waiting for an answer, the photographer quickly left. Tony ended up laughing in disbelief, throwing his head back in an attempt to dispel the slight embarrassment he felt for losing himself in Y/N once again. However, his laugh turned into a moan when Y/N rested both her hands on his chest before grinding down her hips.

Leaning in until their lips were close, Y/N gasped, “Don’t lose focus now, baby.”

“Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart.” Tony retorted, his hands going to her ass and squeezing it tightly, helping her move for a moment before standing up without warning, taking Y/N with him. “But if I'm going to fuck you, it's going to be in our bed.”

Trying to pretend that the strength display and possessiveness didn't affect her, Y/N lightly tugged Tony's hair in retaliation, grumbling, "I didn't say anything about fucking, Stark."

Tony just smirked, placing a kiss on her neck as a promise. “Alright, just some heavy petting, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, maybe fuck me in the car?” Y/N whispered in his ear, hand still on his hair.

“Don't tempt me, woman.” Tony groaned, putting her down when they entered the elevator. “You're supposed to be the responsible one, not me.”

Y/N snorted. “Just decided to keep you on your toes this month, I guess?”

“That's it. You're grounded. No heavy petting for you.” Tony declared, a bit exasperated, but couldn't hide the smile on his lips for so long.

“Oh, but we're fucking in the car?” Y/N insisted as the elevator’s door opened.

“A menace. You're a complete menace!” He declared.

Y/N's laugh echoed through the garage. Tony guided her to the car with a hand on her back and a silly smile on his face.

comments, likes, and reblogs are welcome and appreciated! thank you for reading and supporting my writing 💜

note: english isn’t my first language, and i don't mind if you call me inbox or dm to point out errors or typos. but please be kind!

[shanastoryteller]

Happy holidays!! Could we get a continuation of the Lady Mo au, please and thank you!! 💖

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Between jumping off the cliff, the spar, and various other almost deadly stunts he's managed to get away with doing with no one noticing, his core has grown enough that he can probably manage to track his curse mark back to his owner.

Wei Wuxian is still pretty sore, since he'd had to bolt from the healers halfway through to prevent them from finding said curse mark. He should be completely healed on his own by tomorrow, though, which is a welcome difference to having to heal at the ordinary, painfully slow pace of someone without a golden core.

"You should at least go to the cold springs," Sizhui frets, hover anxiously at his side.

He's such a worrywart.

"Don't you have lessons you should be attending?" he asks.

Jingyi winces, which is a yes.

"You're hurt," Sizhui insists.

He rolls his eyes. "I'm fine, you're all so dramatic. You should have seen some of the - uh, nothing. Get to lessons, I don't want to hear it from your great uncle if you're late."

It doesn't seem like Lan Qiren will ever be fond of him, although at least he seems to consider it his duty to be courteous to his nephew's wife, even if he's constantly radiating disapproval anytime he's nearby.

It takes some more prodding, but the kids eventually go on their way with a promise to see him after dinner that sounds like a threat. He almost goes back to the jingshi, but the cold springs don't actually sound like a bad idea.

He's alone when he gets there and strips down to just his inner robe before getting in. The warm summer air means there's more steam than normal. Wei Wuxian blames that on not notice that he's not alone.

"Xuanyu."

He jumps, slipping on the rocky bottom, and is saved from falling back by a large, warm hand on his wrist.

Lan Zhan is standing in front of him, shirtless and very close and wet, and he's maybe had a dream or two like this before.

"Wangji," he returns, trying to make his voice come out level. "I know I didn't hit you hard enough to make you come out here."

"It clears the mind," he answers, and it takes Wei Wuxian a moment to realize something is off. Lan Zhan isn't looking at his face. Instead, his gaze is just a bit lower.

He flushes, realizing that in the water his thin inner robe is basically transparent. "See something you like?" Lan Zhan jerks his gaze upright. His guilty discomfort just eggs Wei Wuxian on. "I am your wife. You're allowed to look.” He leans forward until they're pressed chest to chest, his body plastered against Lan Zhan's.

Either that's a rock or Lan Zhan is happy to see him. In the cold spring too! Wei Wuxian thinks he's flattered.

"You're quite skilled with the blade," he says, settling his other hand against the small of his back. It feels so warm there, like the heat from Lan Zhan's hand is seeping into his skin.

"I'm skilled at lots of things," he says, even though that's not really true, especially in this body where he's barely explored the equipment.

This is wrong. Lan Zhan doesn't know who he is. The body he's in doesn't even belong to him.

He means to pull back, but then Lan Zhan lowers his head and kisses him. He gasps and Lan Zhan deepens the kiss. Wei Wuxian is so dizzy with all the sensations that it takes him several moments to taste the alcohol on Lan Zhan's tongue.

"You've been drinking," he says after breaking the kiss. "We shouldn't do this."

"You are my wife," Lan Zhan says and Wei Wuxian's body feels hot all over. "I am allowed this."

Wei Wuxian has some compelling reasons one why Lan Zhan doesn't want this, but then he reaches beneath Wei Wuxian's inner robe, running his hands up his inner thigh to the hottest part of him, and all those very good reasons they shouldn't do this fly out of Wei Wuxian's head.

He's already died a virgin once. It seems a shame to do it twice.

[staybabblingbaby]

Felix Tinder AU (First Date Part) A2 D3

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: You match with what you think is a Stray Kids fan account on Tinder. You get along great with the account's owner, and think it's probably your most successful match to-date. Little do you know who's actually behind the screen...

Word Count: 1,580

Notes: So this will probably be the actual beginning. Maybe. Some version of it, anyways. idk, the formatting for this one is a bit... And I still have to figure out how to make fake Tinder stuff without photoshop. I do not own adobe products. This may actually end up being the first writing part in a hybrid SMAU, so it might not be the first part at all. We'll see. I didn't read this one back for any editing notes bc This entire fic is fighting me rn and I don't wanna look at it lol

Warnings: None as far as I'm aware

Leave me comments or questions or anything! Love hearing from folks <3

Masterlist | Next Part (Coming soon!)

You nervously tap on your steering wheel, anxious gaze glued to the side door you were parallel parked directly in front of. You felt sketchy as hell, but this was the manager-approved pick-up method apparently. Or at least leader-approved. You weren’t really clear on the details.

You were still sort of processing that this was your life, actually. Details were a bit secondary to the big picture here, you thought.

At last, the door creaks open and the blond head you’d been waiting for pops out. After a brief cautious sweep of his gaze, his eyes lock on your car. You roll the window down to offer him an awkward smile and a little wave.

Then, with a bright smile that made your heart do stupid little summersaults, Yongbok Felix Lee is sliding into your beat-up little jeep. You’re shamefully distracted by his (very) pretty face for a solid 10 seconds before you roll up the window and start moving to a proper parking spot.

You may be dazed by his presence, but by all things good in this world you were not carting off a (sort-of) stranger without talking to them first.

“Hi!” He’s the first to break the momentary silence, sunny grin on full, blinding, blast in your passenger seat. Your brain stalls a second time as your (again) realize that Stray Kids’ Felix is in your car. Like right now. Currently.

“Wazzup?” You greet back with a cheeky little smirk. You feel a bit bad for Felix. Making light of things was your one and only coping mechanism. You hoped he hadn’t been expecting a serious candle-lit dinner from you.

Well. Candles, maybe. Depends on how late the two of you ended up staying out.

Luckily Felix seems delighted by your overly-casual demeanor, bumping your arm with gentle playfulness. It almost feels like you’re two close friends meeting up after a long time instead of (sort-of) near-strangers.

You know that if he spends enough time with you the shell of confidence you’re currently wearing will become transparent, but hopefully the façade would carry you through tonight.

“We’re just moving so we can talk without being in the way before we head out.” You explain, pulling into a shaded parking spot in the corner of the lot. You’ve pulled hopefully far enough away to not attract attention from the doors, but also not far enough to be creepy.

Felix nods, tilting his head curiously at you. “Sure, what are we talking about?”

You put the car in park and laugh a bit at his cuteness. “Just expectations and whatnot,” You say, unbuckling so you can turn and face him properly.

“Before all that, though, are you a hugger?” You hold your arms open a bit, not enough to actually touch him, and making sure you’re not leaning forward, letting him take the reigns of contact.

You worry you may be being a bit too forward, but you were trying for normality with all of this, and you really did open most interactions with hugs when you could. You were touchy like that.

Fears once again unfounded, Felix grins widely and quickly reels you in for as tight a hug as the two of you can manage whilst still seated. He reels you in so quickly, if fact, that your arms become trapped between the two of you and you struggle for a moment to wiggle them free and wrap them firmly around his waist.

As you settle in, you rock the two of you to-and-fro, and Felix lets out a content little sigh that has you melting into the embrace.

You sort of feel like giggling madly and tearing up at the same time. You feel a bit like you need to vomit, as well, but you hold all three urges back. It’s just that Felix holds you so warmly and delicately, you feel a bit like you might shatter before the night even begins.

You reluctantly pull back before you cross the bounds of appropriateness for a first meeting, skootching around so you can bring your legs up into your seat in a weird pretzel and start the conversation properly.

You want to coo at Felix as he imitates you and gets himself comfy as well. You’re down bad for this man already, unfortunately. IT’s best that you don’t let on quite how badly if you can help it. You don’t know if you can.

“So!” You start with a clap, “First of all, allow me to welcome you to our humble city.” You do an awkward showman’s bow, gesturing as grandly as you’re able when you’ve crumpled yourself into the world’s cringiest ball.

You’re so damn lucky that Felix seems so charmed by you so far. You’re begging with everything you can that your innate silliness will guide you through tis interaction without you panicking too hard.

“I’ve been here for several days now, first of all,” Felix starts, eyes twinkling with amusement and mischief. You play right into his hands, squawking with offense and playfully swatting at him.

You both dissolve into giggles as he tries to catch your hands to keep them from hitting him, and you loudly begin to complain, “Oh well, I’m sorry someone was too busy playing two fabulous shows to come see little ol’ me before now!”

“Oh, come on now, you wouldn’t let me get you seats, you deserve this ribbing!” He retorts back, finally catching your hands and putting a stop to your flailing. He pauses then, and you can practically see the gears in his head turning.

“Wait.” He tugs you forward by your hands, staring you down with an expression of delighted disbelief. “Fabulous show? Were you there?”

You quickly turn your head to hide the mirthful smirk on your face, replying only with a drawn out “Maaaaaybe.”

Felix gasps loudly, letting go of your hands only to lightly slap your knee, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have gotten you backstage or something!”

You wave your hands in front of you, both warding off Felix’s playful attacks nd waiving off his words.

“No, no!” You deny him, continuing on to confess, “I actually had the tickets before we even started talking, I got them right as they went on sale.” You pause and duck you head a bit to hide your blush, “Besides, our first real meeting should be our first date, right? That’s how this works.”

To your slight mortification, you can very easily tell that Felix is trying his hardest not to coo at you, so you quickly rush to move on before he can interrogate you further.

“But we’re getting off track!” You exclaim, pointing at him in gentle threat. He holds up his hands in surrender, but you can tell by the smirk on his face that he wouldn’t let it go that easily. Still, he lets you move the conversation forward for now.

“So, I’m a bit paranoid,” You suddenly confess. Felix’s brow creases with concern, but you continue before he can get any weird ideas into his head, “I just wanna make sure we’re on the same page before we actually go anywhere.”

Felix makes a noise of understanding and gestures for you to continue.

“So I just want to make sure we’re both expecting this to be a romantic date and not, like, a platonic one.” You explain. Felix tilts his head a bit in confusion but nods along.

“Yeah, we’re on the same page there.” He agrees. His gentle smile feels a bit like he’s humoring you, but you plough on regardless.

“And I know we’ve already talked about this, but I don’t put out on first dates. I’m not into hookups, so even if you’re leaving tomorrow I’m expecting this to be the first of many or the first and last date.”

Felix seems to be cottoning onto the intended severity of the conversation, despite its relatively light tone. He nods along, seeming pleased about something. You pause to let him interject, but he just gestures you to continue.

You hesitate a moment, but then finish with, “That’s all, really, I just want both of us to be happy with things at the end of tonight.”

Felix smiles so fondly at you that you think you’ll combust, so you quickly reach across him to open your glove box to pull out a couple of papers, to Felix’s utter bafflement.

“Moving on!” You exclaim, pretending that your ears aren’t burning with the force of your blush, “I also have these!”

You present to Felix a paper with an address and your vehicle details as well as a map with a certain area circled.

“Ok, so, keeping as much a secret as I can,” You begin to babble as Felix examines the papers with confusion painted over his delicate features.

“But I was thinking about what we could do that didn’t involve being in public much and wasn’t expensive or anything, and I came up with a plan. A friend of mine owns some forested land with some nice hiking trails, so I thought we’d start there, but it’s a bit rural and I know it’s weird, so I brought both the lot address and coordinates and my car details so you can tell your people exactly where you’ll be and if phone service dies or anything no one freaks out and-”

You cut yourself off, realizing that you’d probably said way more than you needed to

[usergayeddie]

Hiii your icons are so pretty, would you have a tutorial on them or tips on how to do it?

hello lovely and thank you so much!! i have been making icons for a long time, but have also just started with this style of icon, so i don't know how much of a help i can be but i'll try my best! i make all my icons in photoshop, but when i first started i used gimp, it works similar and i'd recommend it if you dont want to commit to ps just yet. this ended up getting kinda long because i went step by step on how i make my icons like the ones from this post, with a bunch of tips and tutorials linked, so i put it under a read more. i specifically go deeper into how to change the colours of his hoodie depending on your background/preferences. i hope i could help even a little bit!

1. the base

one of the first steps is deciding what you want the base to look like. you can do just a solid colour, gradients, patterns, etc. you can use the solid colours and gradients that are already a feature in photoshop, but there are also a lot of amazing resources and bases by other talented people either on here or on deviantart. just look up icon textures on deviantart, you'll be able to find a bunch of textures and pre-set gradients you can use as your base. this is a really great pack you can find on deviantart that offers a bunch of bases. if you'd like to make gradients yourself, here's a really good tutorial! i am not really an expert on explaining how to use textures because i've only really just started with headers.

2. the picture/png

onto the star of the show - the person you want to have in your icon. i usually get those from screencaps from whatever show/movie i am making icons of. you can get screencaps of most shows and movies from screencaped.net. i then isolate the person i want to be in my icon so that the background is removed and transparent. you can do that yourself, here is a very good tutorial on how to do that in photoshop, or you can use other platforms like canva or adobe express, that have features to remove the background for you. you usually cannot adjust those, so if they dont cut out things the correct way you have to adjust in photoshop afterwards. when chosing a screencap you should make sure that the person and silhupette are clear and delinated from the background, without any obstruction in the foreground, so that you can cut out the entire figure easily without parts of their body missing. i usually also look for screencaps where the head and the sites aren't cut off, so that i can freely adjust the sizing and move the figure around. i also try my best to get a scene where the lighting is alright so that i don't have to fight for my life colouring it, but sometimes it can't be helped.

this is one of the screencaps i used for my recent eddie icons and it's a good example: his upper body is clearly seperated from the background, nothing is cut off, etc.

this screenshot is an example that i personally wouldnt use because there is a jug in the foreground in front of eddie that would be in the icon as well.

buck looks very cute in his lil hat but the shot is cut off on the right and on top, so i didn't end up using it either. you just kinda go through the screencaps you have (or take your own) and figure out which frames fit for the type of icon you'd like to make.

if you'd like to make screencaps yourself, here is an easy tutorial to follow!

3. basic colouring

when i make icons like these, i usually dont go too crazy with the editing, i mostly just adjust the lighting and colouring the create a well-lit base. here you can see the unedited png (first picture) and then once ive used a basic colouring (second picture).

this is a very good tutorial on basic colouring using curves, hues, etc, as i've done as well. it is for gif-making but those same editing steps can be applied to still pictures as well.

4. colour isolation

the icons i am currently making are in a style that you can see a lot around tumblr - where parts of the person in the icon, usually their clothes and other accessories, are edited to be a certain colour that matches the background, and that colour can be changed to match different bases. you can see that the hoodie eddie is wearing has a different colour to match the different colours of the background.

i desperately tried to find the tutorial that i used to learn how to do this but i can't, so i'll try my best to explain it myself (brace yourself). i have seen people do this by drawing onto the png, but i use a different method. for this you'll need to have some basic knowledge on layer masks.

we're gonna start with our png image that already has the colouring applied to it (1).

now, click on the layer and add a solid color layer (2). you do that by clicking the symbol i've marked on the bottom and then selecting "solid color...".

in the screen that pops up now you can select the colour you would like the accents to have (3). choose the colour you want and then click "OK".

your entire image should be in the colour you chose. now right-click on the solid colour layer in the layers panel on the right and select "create clipping mask" (4). this will apply the solid colour layer only to the cut out of your lil guy. it should looks like this now (5).

now we're going to adjust the blend mode. right now it should be set to "normal" (6). click onto the drop down arrow and select the blend mode "colour"(7).

now we can see eddies features again! now we want to edit it so that the pink is only on the parts that we want to be colourful. for this left-click on the white box in your solid color layer (8) so that it's selected. after that select the brush tool (9) and make sure it's set to black. we use black to take colour away and white to add colour back in.

now go over all the parts that you don't want to be colourful. if you accidently take too much away don't worry, just switch the brush colour to white and go over what you want to add in again. it looks like this (10) for me afterwards.

you can change your colour if you double click on the little pink box of your colour layer and adjust it however you want.

5. adjustments

after i've done everything listed above i usually group the two layers (your cutout and the solid colour layer) together so i can move them as one (11). after that i pull the group over onto my base and adjust it so that fits properly (12).

now that the cutout is on the base layer i usually go in to properly adjust the colours and make sure the colours on the cutout match well with the background. you can do that by changing the colour manually or using the eyedropper tool. and voilá! i know it sounds like a lot right now reading this, but once you've gotten the hang of it, it really isnt that hard.

i hope this was at least somewhat understandable and that i could help a bit! there are a ton of amazing tutorials out there for all parts of editing and photoshop in general that go deep into details in case there is a specific part you want to learn more about. for now i hope this gives you at least a small overview.

[angelsanarchy]

Like A Pretty Boy: Gabe x Y/N Midi Series- PRT 4

Tagging: @icarus-star@kappasbbgirl@starry-eyed-wild-child@luzclarita57@bonesgirl11 @444rockstargf blondiezluvbrowniezpretty-girl-bloggfallin444niyaliquidsmoothdomme@rootin-tootin-pootinethical-cain-vinnell3viathan-sin666crowfullofwoe@8klil@spoilingthemilk @romanroyapoligist anakinskywalkerssgfzoloftsh4wtywomenloverlmaoberrymeringuepostselvira-aarseth @agornotsworld

Gabe had been giving Y/n space since their spat. He knows that Y/n isn't the type of guy who wants to be love bombed or pestered when he's upset so he sat in the other room to work while Y/n took over the living room.

He had just come out to make something for lunch when he saw Y/n on a Zoom call.

"The office is getting a much needed face lift anyway. We should be back in there next month." A voice on the computer said.

"Great because I'm actually starting to miss you bitches." They all laughed.

"We need to get together and do another Tipsy Tuesday! Come on! Y/n we know you're in!" Y/n chuckled shaking his head.

"We'll see. For some reason, working from home zaps my energy." Y/n rested his chin on his palm.

"Must be the shadow man sucking all the energy out of you." Gabe looked over at Y/n who cleared his throat.

"Don't start that shit again." Y/n said shaking his head.

"We know he's real, he's just...transparent." The group laughed.

"I'm suddenly not missing yall at all." Y/n said making them laugh harder. They all started praising him and telling him how much they loved him.

"Seriously Y/n, think about drinks. Maybe he'll want to come out and actually meet your friends." Someone with a soft tone said.

"Fat chance." Another snorted.

"I'll talk to you guys later." Y/n finally ended the call and Gabe brought a mug of coffee over to the table and sat down.

"Do I want to know what that was all about?" Gabe asks passing the cup towards Y/n.

"They're just being stupid, like always. It's nothing." Y/n took the cup and brought it to his lips. Gabe knew how to make his coffee perfectly.

"If you want to go out for drinks, you totally should. I'm sure spending all your time around here is draining, especially with me in your hair." Gabe pressed and Y/n sighed.

"You aren't in my hair Gabe. I'm just tired from working." Y/n explained.

"I'm not trying to start any sort of argument Y/n. I just know you're upset with me and I'm sure spending time with your friends would cheer you up." Gabe tried but Y/n turned his body towards him, grabbing his cellphone and showing him the screen.

His screensaver is a blurry photo of them kissing that you can't really see Gabe's face in.

"That's why they call you the shadow man." Y/n said firmly.

"Why haven't you shown them a picture of me? I mean this isn't the best but-"

"Because Gabe, I'm not trying to be the reason you end up tagged on Facebook by one of my friends and outing you to your family." Y/n explained with annoyance.

"I don't even have a Facebook, Y/n. Why are you getting so upset about this?" Gabe asked as Y/n started gathering up his stuff.

"The fact you even have to ask is kind of sad. I'm just..." Y/n started but took a deep breath.

"Look, I love you. I picked you, I want you to be my partner in this life but I can't help but feel like I'm not a solid choice for you. I know you can't say you love me and I know you aren't ready to be out to your family but we've been together so long it feels like I'm always going to be living in that shadow with you." Y/n said putting his hands on top of Gabe's.

"I'm sorry I make things so complicated. I promise you that I'm not trying to-" Y/n cut Gabe off.

"But you aren't trying to make it easier either. You don't do anything to try and fix what's going on in your head. I didn't just wake up confident in who I am. I lost people I loved along the way and people I thought were conditioned to love me no matter what but here I am. I have my own family that I created and I have you." Y/n touched his face.

"I just wish you knew you had support too." Y/n frowned before gathering his stuff and heading into the bedroom. Gabe sat on the couch annoyed with himself. He knew it had been far too long to have Y/n put up with his fears of being outed. He deserved far better than Gabe and his friends clearly knew it.

If he kept this up, he would lose him and he knew that he would deserve it.

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Rivals 2 (PSP)

Does Rivals 2 really rival Rivals 1?

Almost exactly a year after Rivals, Backbone produced a sequel. Given the quick turnaround you can't expect too much has changed—we still have a 2.5D race-based platformer—but they've done a good job stuffing new features and content into the package this time around. Is the new stuff a worthy addition though?

First I'll address the general refinements. Characters' signature moves are no longer at the whim of the rotating pickups, but given their own button and a dedicated meter that fills by collecting rings. This is a great change that adds dynamism to play, and makes character choices more meaningful. The action feels faster paced, with shortened windows to execute vaulting moves, for example. Presentation is a little more slick and the card collecting more transparently tied to your accomplishments (although they don't factor into the plot anymore). Weapon use has a little more depth as it's possible to avoid hits, and stage gimmicks get more involved at times. All these tweaks make for a stronger game experience, but I did feel like the bot players were harder, and story levels took me more retries on average... especially when playing as the characters with weaker abilities.

So the headline feature is the new playable characters. Added to the prior game's roster of Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Knuckles, and Metal are Tails, Rouge, and for some reason Espio. They bring new abilities of varied usefulness; Tails's flight is rarely helpful and Espio's merely makes you disappear from the level progress bar, but Rouge's homing bat missile is great. Apart from these powers, everyone plays identically. Story mode is still split into four perspectives as the roster of eight pair up... you can pick either character within a pair but I think this only changes which order you play out events within a zone, while each character still has a separate campaign progress. It's an odd choice.

The story follows its predecessor's example of constant misunderstandings and miscommunications as an excuse for the characters to get into petty conflicts. It also reuses the "Nega disguising himself as Eggman" plot device, although this time Eggman has an actual role in the plot. Not content to rip off its own prequel, Rivals 2 steals shamelessly from Sonic 06, as it culminates in a city of the future devastated by a raging beast of elemental fire whose name is taken from Islamic folklore, Iblis Ifrit! At least this game doesn't completely erase itself from history. Anyway, more characters means more interactions and this time the cutscenes—while still just text boxes and portraits visually—are all nicely fully voiced.

A new world map screen helps to contextualise things well and the new environments are just as nice and colourful as they were in Rivals 1. Among the race levels and boss fights (whose quality is on par with the prior entry's) are new level types. Some just have you run through a level solo against the clock or trying to collect rings or Chao; not very satisfying. Others are head-to-head battles in small arenas, and despite pushing them hard in the story mode I feel like these are a dud. Even with the standard multiplayer-type variants of deathmatch, capture the Chao, bomb tag, etc. these always seemed a drag when they came up in the campaigns. It's a shame that all these attempts at adding new things to do end up not as fun as the core gameplay.

At least the soundtrack is a step up, catchier and more exciting. The exception is the addition of a key vocal track, which only plays on the title screen and oddly in level one. It stands out, and not in the good way that His World stood out in 06. This sums up Rivals 2 in a nutshell: the core is enhanced and refined, but its new additions and ideas are a real mixed bag. This leaves Rivals 1 as a purer if rougher experience, which I prefer. Unfortunately Backbone didn't get another chance with Sonic as a couple of years later after a flurry of acquisitions and mergers this particular studio was closed down. There wouldn't be another Western-made platformer in the series until Boom seven years later... well, unless you count Unleashed for mobile phones, Jump, Jump 2, Jump Pro, Jump Fever, Dash, the Sonic CD remake, Sonic for Didj... you know what, never mind.

[starflungwaddledee]

(This ask got so long I had to split it into 4 parts, sorry about that!)I love your AUs so MUCH, oh my GOD!! Bandee realizing that the world is Wrong because no good, just world would let Kirby be so, so miserable... the heartbreak of him being powerless to stop Galacta poisoning Kirby's worldview, because to directly interfere is to doom them all... the way that he does everything in his power to support Kirby and tries to protect his heart (1/4)

haha... haha...! 😅 *nervously checks under my desk for secret cameras*

but in all seriousness, thank you so much for enjoying the work and reading it with such dedication and perception!! ngl i am genuinely curious who this is tbh!

all your kind words mean a lot, i'm so happy to know the emotion comes over well in my comics work!!

rest under the cut just due to length. just general excitement and responses to the content of the asks, some minor mentions of lying/psychological manipulation.

i'm also super thrilled that you see and understand the bandee-centric vision. seeing this written out so transparently by someone else as though it was straight from my own hand was a really fun experience!! he is a loyal and heroic little dude... he loves kirby so much! save an entire timeline for his best friend? he WILL do it, no matter what!!

it does drive bandee nuts and hurts him so bad not to be able to talk about any of this with kirby directly, but galacta knight is paying such extremely close attention to kirby at that point that if bandee tried any harder than he did during that café scene, it would definitely get back to him and the jig would be up.

and indeed, kirby is directly parroting stuff galacta knight has said, word for word. it's hard to tell but some of kirby's dialogue is even in a tweaked colour (vibrant galacta knight hot pink, rather than the warmer kirby pink) to help make that clear. it's like... not what kirby would ever say or even really think, which is what makes it so sinister.

galacta knight is, as you said, poisoning kirby's worldview; and with it, kirby's legacy itself. by the time star allies occurs and they are trying to combat the effects of the jamba hearts, the citizens of dream land are not pleased when the great hero kirby shows up to help them. they're terrified

simultaneously, as you correctly pointed out, he's also damaging kirby's view of bandee. not directly bad mouthing him or anything, because he figured out that didn't work early on, but galacta knight himself certainly thinks that bandee is weak and expendable, so it's easy for him to feed that fear in kirby. especially because kirby has lost so many other friends to 'dark matter' at this point

especially because bandee is indeed all kirby has left

you absolutely hit the nail on the head with regards to the end of that café scene. it was incredibly intentional phrasing on galacta knight's behalf. he didn't even bother telling that to bandee who is- at this point- the last waddle dee in dream land. just "they're invading."

it's not even necessarily untrue; they were coming to take the waddle dees! but galacta knight can absolutely rationalise many things to kirby, at this point, by saying it puts bandee in particular at risk. he can and does weaponise their friendship, especially in the later stages of the au

we cannot afford to delay when faced with threats, kirby, not everybody is strong like you. mercy could get someone killed. make sure you train so, so hard, kirby, to protect the people you care about. make sure you make him train hard, so he isn't viewed as the vulnerable target he is.

make sure you act decisively to keep him safe.

you can ask questions later.

and if something were to 'accidentally' happen to bandee... well that would probably just confirm everything galacta knight had been saying all along.

wouldn't it?

[poetthewriter]

can you pls write a poly grian and zedaph x reader! maybe like just a cute date night with them?

Of course I can I hope you enjoy<3 feel free to give feed back <3

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛&𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 🌱🧄🌿

𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐙𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐡

𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭♥️

The sun slowly drifts down the sky and soon it will be out of view, Y/n stands it the kitchen looking down at the vegetables on their cutting board as they precisely cut the potatoes with a big stainless steel knife. the small wooden kitchen is filed with the warm and amazing smell of a beautiful roast covered in herbs, broth, vegetables and a viberent red wine that all lay in a crock pot.

Y/n puts all the food scraps in to a bucket and open the sliding door to the back of their house, the garden is in full bloom and forest is quite accept for the lake across the bumpy dirt road. The mini wooden hatch swings open as Y/n unlocks it, potato peels, celery roots, animal fat and other compostable foods all fall out when Y/ns hands turn the red bucket downwards towards the grass.

Crack

Y/n turns around quickly to look at where the sudden sound came from but nothings there accept for a little stick that fell of one of the maple trees snapped half, a small chipmunk makes a clicking sound as it runs up the tree and Y/n laughs at themself for getting so worried about sounds they hear from the forest they live in every day but just as they wind down from laughing two blond boys come up from behind Y/n and..

"BOO!"

A loud scream echo's through the forest in reaction from Y/ns lovers scaring them.

"'WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO, YOU SCARED THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME!"

giggles turn in to loud laughs as Grian and Zed hear their partners response to there little prank all Y/n can do is look up from them now as now they are sitting on the dirty grass, the warm air hits all of them even though the sun is close to being gone, Y/n gets up and walks to their door locking the two jerks outside. Running up to the door Grian and Zed pound on it begging for their partner to let them in.

"Y/nnnnnn were sorryyyyyyy!"

"We were just trying to surprise you, will let us in for date night already we want to see youuuuu!"

Slowly but surely Y/n slowly opens the door Zed and Gri immediately smother them into a warm, soft, hug. the two lift their heads goofy smiles lay across their faces as the look at their partner and take in the aromatic peppery smell lingering across the cottage. they look down at the beautifully set dinner table, red table cloths spread across the table and Lady of Shallot roses are placed in a transparent red vase.

"it looks lovely, darling" zed says to Y/n as they start to prepare all of their plates.

"it sure does, it smells amazing too" Grian follows up Zeds question, all Y/N does is give a bright smile to them as they walk over to try and help, once again as they rest behind Y/ns shoulder and the smells of the two immediately their smell runs past them. Zed smells like fire and a bit musty from working on him projects and Grian smells earthy and woodlike.

Holding three plates in their hands Y/n place them all down on the table mats, the three sit down to eat the warm meal and talk about their day.

"What did you do today!" Gri say with a smile as he devores his food.

"it was great! I feel like I did so much and now I get to end off with a date! I first dropped off some berries to Ren then I helped Pearl with some of Scars chest monsters and then I ended off by hunting with Tango! it was a fun day, what did you two do?" Y/N says happily putting their hands behind their head.

"I tested Mumbo's Vault today and proud to say it was not Grian proof" Grian quickly chimes in after Y/n.

Zed laughs and talks about his day "I really didn't do much different then a normal day at the lab, Impulse did come visit me though, so that was nice!"

the three continue chatting about their day and the small little details of their work and interactions as they finish up their plates, Zed gets up taking the plates and putting them in the water filled sink. Grian comes up behind the two and swing his arms over their shoulders.

"what do you wanna do now its only 8:00?" he says groaning.

"go put on shorts and a tank top, you two" Zed says looking at Y/n with a sly face, after a few minutes the two come down to see Zed already dressed, he grabs Grian and Y/n pulling them somewhere outside as he tells them to close their eyes.

basically feeling the giddy smile coming off of Zed, Y/n and Grian start to feel a bit nervous, the nerves don't stop until gasps come out of the blind partners cold water engulfs their feet as they step forward.

"HOLY! THATS COLD!" Grian screams, his wings flap up as he feels it, but now as they open their eyes its two late Zed pushes them right into the cold lake, screams and splashing are shared by the two freezing bodies in the lake.

"ZEDAPH!" Y/n yells at him before tackling him into the water with them, now the screams come from him as the two laugh at what he just did to them.

The three partners laughs could be heard miles away from the moon covered lake and no one could do anything to stop them from loving the times the are together cause in the end no matter how much time they have they know they will love each other for every second they breath.

[kencoded-kengirl]

can i just say something? back at your sister’s wedding, we had been promising the whole world that we could pull off the takeover and then you just went all around, the very next day, telling them all that your dad’s plan was actually better. no, it was implied, lightly, as a little... god! part of a tactical kind of joke. will you explain to me… the joke? because i don't get the fucking joke. MY GOD, STEW! i don't get the joke, i don't get the joke. it was something that dad said, that wasn’t true, that i needed to say. but you stood by his side, and he told you to say it, and you were like "okay, well, that sounds good to me." fuck's sake, i'm not doing this right now. you know i was in serious trouble, that was a play. you were okay because you are a tough fucking bitch who will always survive because you do what you need, you will do what — are you even listening? i was okay? — you will do whatever you need. yeah? really? yeah, you sure you're not projecting, because that is actually you. should we have a real conversation? with a trojan horse? no. that was a friendly thing. that was a friendly thing. yeah. sure. real friendly. yeah, no, i'm a trojan horse, you're a swan, you're a... you're a snake. actually, no, you're a fucking vampire. "here's a severed horse’s head for your ex-wife’s apartment, stew, why aren't you laughing?" i wonder if we shouldn't clear the air. yeah? yeah. sure. i think you can be a very selfish person and i think you find it very hard to think about me — what the fuck? — and i think you shouldn't have even signed those papers, actually. what the fuck? what the ACTUAL fuck? you proposed that to me. you proposed the bear hug at my lowest fucking ebb. i had relapsed, what was i supposed to say? perhaps "no"? i didn't want to hurt your feelings. thanks! thanks for that! yeah, you really kept me safe while you ran off to hide behind daddy. fuck off. you're a junkie — and then, and then… — obsessive junkie — you hid, you hid from me because you were so scared of how fucking awful you are. you were only with me to get to power. you got it now, stew, you've got it! I'M WITH YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! bullshit, you're fucking me for my DNA, you were fucking me for a fucking ladder because your whole family is striving and parochial. that's not... thats not a fair characterization. no? well, your dad loves me more than he loves you, because he's cracked. you want to... you want to actually clear the air? fine. you betrayed me. YOU WERE GOING TO LOSE ME FOUR BILLION DOLLARS, KEN! AND THEN YOU RAN AWAY TO NEW MEXICO AND YOU WON'T TELL YOUR FAMILY ABOUT US BECAUSE YOU NEVER EVEN THOUGHT, HONESTLY, THAT YOU’D BE WITH ME MORE THAN FOUR FUCKING YEARS, I DON'T THINK! YOU AGREED TO THE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE! YOU AGREED BECAUSE YOU WERE TRYING TO BACKSTAB ME! you're just... YOU’RE A BACKSTABBER! YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF THINKING ABOUT ANYBODY OTHER THAN YOURSELF BECAUSE YOUR SENSE OF WHO YOU ARE, KEN, IS THAT FUCKING THIN! oh yeah you read that in a book, stew? YOU'RE TOO FUCKING TRANSPARENT TO FIND THAT IN A BOOK! you're pathetic, you're pathetic. youre a masochist and you can't even take it. i think you are incapable of love, and i think you are maybe not a good father to your children! well, that's not very nice to say, is it? i'm sorry. i'm sorry, but you... you... you have hurt me more than you can possibly imagine. and you, you took away the last year i could've had with my dad. no. yes. no! yes. you tricked me and you made him hate me! it's not my fault that you didn't get his approval. i have given you endless approval and it doesn't fill you up because you're broken. i don't like you. i don't... i don't even care about you. i don't care. have we cleared the air, huh? feel good now? yeah. yeah. fucking great. tip top. you don't deserve me, and you never did. and everything came out of that. so fucking flat.

[overlyimmersed]

Wings

This takes place sometime post-7ds but pre-4kota

It's a warm summer afternoon and the pair of Fairies are resting on a branch of the Great Tree in the Fairy King's Forest. Helbram is laying on his back next to his lover, who -like usual- is hunched over a book, scribbling away. At least this time she's just drawing for her own amusement, instead of transcribing some human text or drawing up another revision of her census plan... or illustrating medical instructions, or recording something for the Fairy King, or any other of the constant work she's always fretting over.

At least Helbram hopes she's not doing work this time...

He opens his eyes and lifts his head to double check. The page she's working on is littered with sketches of wings. He sits up further to get a better look, trying to figure out who's wings she's drawing, but upon closer inspection he finds they don't look familiar. She seems to just be...making them up...

"What are these for?" he asks. He should be annoyed that she seems to be doing another study when they're supposed to relaxing, but he's too curious to think of that right this moment.

"Huh?" she questions, as her concentration breaks and her attention turns to him, "Oh, uh nothing. I'm just drawing."

"Wings?"

"Yeah. I think they're pretty and the vein patterns are fun," she smiles and raises the book to show him the sketches deliberately.

He looks at them again, most of the basic shapes are simple, but the branching vein patterns and cell configurations are all pretty intricate. "So, you're just drawing wings for fun?".

"Yeah," she replies, setting the book back down in her lap.

"Hm. Well, they're pretty."

"Thanks."

The silence settles back between them as she returns to her drawing, slower at first till she gets back into her 'zone', and he lays back down, listening to quiet sound of the quick, sure pencil strokes.

Helbram's eyes don't stay closed for long though, as now he has something on his mind. He's never really put much thought into wings. Not the way Maranwe apparently does. The shapes and vein patterns, and all of that.

He looks over at her, her wings are sitting at kind of an odd angle. A lot of Fairies have rather stationary wings, sitting at the same basic position no matter what they Fairy is doing -even his own are like that-, but Maranwe's are so expressive. They tilt and move depending on her feelings and thoughts. Right now they're tilted down a little from their standard position, like they do when she's absorbed in something. They just look sort of relaxed. They're shaped like bumblebee wings and the vein pattern, and the cells created by them, remind him of the insides of an orange segment -except for them being bright magenta. They're transparent, and move a little with each of her breaths. A breeze rustles the Great Tree's leaves, allowing little sunbeams through. When the light hits Maranwe's wings, a faint sparkle becomes apparent.

They're really quite pretty. Though everything about her is pretty, so that's no shock.

The scars are hard to ignore though...

Paler pink, roughly round, spots on one of the central cells of each forewing. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were just that; spots. But he saw them before her wings were fully evolved, when those spots were gaping holes...

His eyes shift from her wings to her face. Her tongue is sticking out a little as she concentrates, and her eyes have a joyful shine to them. She's clearly not thinking about the spots, or how she got them. He's grateful for that.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Trey Clover Outdoor Wear Personal Story: Part 3

"Something a little tastier"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[Dwarfs' Mine – Interior]

Trey: What is this place…? There are red and green stones shining all over the bedrock. Are these all magestones…?

Trey: No, I can't feel any magic from them. They're big enough that I'd think I'd notice immediately.

Rook: Whether they have magic or not, it does not change the fact that these stones are exquisite.

Science Club Member A: We were hoping to unveil the true nature of these stones. That's why we were trying to find some way to bring them back.

Science Club Member B: But the bedrock in this area is way too hard. Basically, we were digging in a way to try to not damage the stones, and that was taking way too much time.

Trey: Hmm, but if it's a gemstone that has some worth, wouldn't it be bad to take it out of the mine?

Science Club Member A: We confirmed with the ghost on that front.

Ghost C: Yep, it's no problem. This is just another part of this extracurricular learning experience. Go ahead and take a few and research them.

Trey: Wow, that was a quick okay… Maybe the ghost knows what these stones really are?

Trey: Well, I guess that pretty much throws it being a valuable gemstone out the window, then.

Trey: Well, whatever. I'm also pretty interested in what these stones are. Let's dig them out quickly and bring them back to the tent.

Trey: I say that, but yesterday, it was Malleus who did this task for me, so this is my first time I'll be digging.

Trey: I don't have any skills in using a pickaxe, let alone know how to use one, so I might not be that useful.

Science Club Member B: We're just happy to have more hands to help. Trey, Rook, let's do our best!

Rook/Trey: Oui!/Yeah.

[clink, clink…]

Rook: This bedrock truly is so very hard. We may be chipping away at it, but at this rate, it'll be dark before we know it.

Trey: We only came out here to find our delayed clubmates and this is what happens… We should probably pause here soon… Ah, oops!

Science Club Member A/B: AAAAAAHH～～～!!

Trey: Oh man… I got distracted by the conversation and my hand slipped… The pickaxe hit the stone. My bad!

Trey: But still, this rock is pretty brittle compared to the bedrock around it. I can't believe this many little pieces broke off with just one hit.

Trey: …Hm?

Rook: Trey-kun, what is it?

Trey: I just though the way this stone broke looked familiar. Hm, what could it be…?

Trey: Ah, I know!

Trey: This stone' true nature is… rock salt.

Science Club Members/Rook: ROCK SALT!?

Trey: Yeah. I couldn't tell while it was embedded in the bedrock, but the broken shards look exactly like the salt I've used to make sweets with.

Trey: The one I bought at the school store was colorless and transparent salt… If I recall correctly, the package said "crystal rock salt."

Ghost C: Correct. Just like Trey-kun says, all the stones you can see in this area are rock salt.

Rook: Rock salt, I see… Vil has used it in his meals and skincare products, but I didn't realize there were any that would be this transparent.

Rook: I cannot even fathom how it would taste. I will try just a few of these pieces.

Science Club Member A: Don't do it, just because he says its salt, doesn't mean we know what else might be in it…

Rook: [bite]

Rook: Urrgh…

Trey: Rook…!?

Rook: What a complex flavor. Within that mild salty flavor, I also taste a hint of bitterness and sweetness.

Rook: It is a very flavorful salt. With just these pieces, I don't think I'll have any problem replenishing my salt intake while attempting to survive in the woods.

Trey: Just what kind of situation are you coming up with in your head…?

Trey: But still, rock salt, huh…

Trey: Ah! If I use this to salt the grilled fish, don't you think it could taste better?

Rook: Très bien! That's a great idea, Trey-kun.

Trey: Now that that's settled, let's try to take a few pieces back with us.

[clink, clink… clank!]

Trey: Right, I got it!

Trey: I never expected to find salt in a place like this… Maybe it really was true that this place all used to be underwater ages ago.

Trey: But, really… This has such a beautiful color. I don't think I would have guessed it was salt just by looking at it.

Trey: It didn't even cross my mind that I'd get to see a rare spectacle like this before we headed out this way.

Trey: When we get back to the tent and before I use it for cooking, I think I'll have to show this to the other Science Club members.

Trey: Ah, that's right. Maybe I'll reach out to Idia if he's back at camp then, too.

Trey: He did say he had a bit of interest in this kind of thing… I bet he'd really like it if I told him about this.

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[incendio22]

FOR THE HOPE OF IT ALL

Chapter 13: Snow Falling

October passes quickly. The castle seems to get colder and colder by the minute. Most students exchange their regular, white shirts for knitted sweaters. It's something beautiful about seeing all the Slytherin students in the common room, all wearing a Slytherin-green knit.

During my free period I decide to take a walk on the castle grounds. As I exit the castle I see massive, white snowflakes falling from the sky. The courtyard is already covered in a thin, yet beautiful, blanket of snow. In the distance I can see the owlery, looking colder than ever. I stand still and look around for a solid second before someone sneaks up on me and covers my eyes with their hands.

''Guess who?'' The familiar voice asks.

''Some first-year finding it exciting to interrupt my peaceful alonetime.'' I mutter back.

The hands drop down and I turn around to see Sebastian's face.

''For you, I can be anything.'' He says and gives me a charming smile. ''Although I find it rather suspicious that you would want me as a first-year. Maybe that's your type?''

''I never said I wanted a first-year.'' I mutter, slightly annoyed to have my moment of peace interrupted. ''I just assumed the only one who would pull a prank like that would be a first year.''

''I thought I'd surprise you with a little mystery. You looked so peaceful and from what I have seen and heard, your year hasn't been too eventful this year.''

I raise my eyebrows. For me, sneaking in the castle every night and finding a prophecy is quite eventful.

''Actually, that's not why I followed you.'' He admits and kicks his foot in the snow. His body language is nervous and I notice him scratching his hand.

''No?'' I ask him curiously. ''Well, go on.''

''Do you remember the night in the Undercroft in the beginning of the semester?'' He asks softly.

Of course I remember. Us playing wizard chess, arguing about what was a 'real Sebastian Sallow-date', me trying to tease him about the fact that I'm a better duelist. I nod at him and smile at the memory of that specific evening. He seems more relaxed now and he takes a deep breath before talking.

''Let me take you on a real Sebastian Sallow-date.'' He finally says. The butterflies in my stomach feel as if they are released and my face lights up in a massive smile.

''I don't fully recall, did these kind of dates include dark dungeons and fighting magical creatures?'' I ask with a grin on my face.

''Oh no. I don't know if you remember, but we decided that was a Y/n-date. Mine are way cozier than that.'' He says jokingly.

His hair and shoulders are covered in snow. For some reason, this seems to be just the finishing touch he needs as I have never seen him looking more attractive. I feel sparks of passion running through my entire body.

''However, since both of us seem have a thing for dark dungeons I suggest you set that up for our next date.'' He continues and smirks. ''Will you meet me at The Three Broomsticks tonight? At eight, perhaps?''

''It's a date.'' I reply and give him a smile. If he only knew that all I wanted to do was to wrap my arms around him and never have him leave my side.

I don't see Sebastian at dinner in the Great Hall, which surprises me. He is almost always sitting alone on one edge of the table with a book. But not tonight. After I finish dinner I start heading towards Hogsmeade. It's still snowing and the air is really cold tonight. There is a thick blanket of snow, covering the trees and the ground. My footsteps are light and I feel as if I'm walking on the butterflies that are constantly in my stomach.

I see him waiting outside with something in his hand. His face turns into a smile when I approach him.

''A little something for the new girl.'' He hands over a transparent bag filled with what looks like some tea and candies, all pink themed. I smile at him.

''You didn't have to.'' I admire the gift bag and feel like the most special girl in the world. ''But thank you. Really.''

''I got the tea from Madam Puddifoot's.'' He says. ''We can have it in the Undercroft later.''

''I'd love that.'' I smile at him. ''I've never been to Madam Puddifoot's.''

''Then I know where I'm taking you next.'' He says as he holds the door open for me.

Once again we choose a seat on the upper level. More privacy, Sebastian told me. I assume that is reasonable, given that the pub is filled with other students. However, I wouldn't mind letting everyone in the entire world know that I'm on an actual date with Sebastian Sallow.

''Merlin, it's like you cast some spell on yourself.'' He says after a while of silence. For some reason, the tension between us is a bit awkward. Sebastian seems nervous and I have never been on a date before. ''I can't take my eyes off you.''

I smile, yet feeling a bit uncomfortable. He is trying his best to make the most out of this date, but something makes it feel unnatural. I find him most intriguing when we are in our natural state, alone. For some reason I struggle to answer him.

''What's wrong?'' He asks and looks a bit disappointed.

''This feels weird.'' I admit and he nods in agreement.

The tension is forced and I don't understand how our chemistry can feel so off when I know for a fact that I am head over heels crazy about the man sitting in front of me.

''Okay, I have an idea.'' He says as he pours his entire fire whiskey down in one sweep. ''Maybe you were right, butterbeer is for friends. Let's go on an adventure. Finish your butterbeer quickly, you're going to need it. For courage.''

Now this tension is more what I'm used to when it comes to Sebastian. He gives me a fiery look and I finish my butterbeer quickly. When we pass the bar he orders two fire whiskeys and tells me that we're going to need even more. I laugh at him but decide to sweep the whiskey with him.

''I don't know what's best, just heading into the Forbidden Forest or finding some abandoned cave.'' He says in a low voice. ''You decide.''

''The Forbidden Forest is always tempting.'' I tell him.

''Right, as always.'' He says as he starts leading the way.

I feel a bit dizzy from how quickly the butterbeer and fire whiskey went down, but I also feel more alive than ever. The snow is creaking under our shoes and he grabs my hand as we're walking through the dark forest. In the far distance we hear screams. We keep moving up a mountain and see an astronomy table.

''The forest never stops surprising me.'' He says. ''Care to give it a go?''

''I doubt we'll be able to see much.'' I say with disappointment in my voice. ''But let's see.''

I use the astronomy table, but as I was suspecting the snow and fog is making it impossible to see any stars. Sebastian is walking around as if he's trying to figure out a way to make the stars appear. I sit on the table, the coldness of the stone making my entire body freezing. I lay back down, looking up at the sky and admiring its beauty even though I cannot see much. I'm just taken by how grand it is.

I sit back up and see Sebastian standing in front of me. His knees are almost touching mine. He gives me an intimidating look and squeezes his eyes slightly.

''Am I really boring you so much that you're falling asleep?'' He says in a daring tone.

''Oh no.'' I reply quickly. ''Just admiring the sky.''

He nods understandingly. He lays his hand on my thigh, gripping it firmly. I'm taken by surprise and need to gasp for some air. He removes his glove and puts his hand on my cheek and leans forward. We're face to face, his lips only a couple of centimetres away from mine. I almost struggle to breathe as he keeps stroking my cheek.

''Do you want to?'' He asks softly.

I nod, leaning even closer but his hand stops me. The hand on my thigh moves up to my hip and I feel as if I'm on fire.

''Tell me you want it.'' He says firmly, only his thumb separating our lips from each other.

I can feel the heat from his breath on my lips, driving me insane.

''I want you.'' I say in a low, breathy voice.

He pulls away his thumb from my lip, putting it back on my cheek. He leans in and allows our lips touch. I feel as if sparks are flying around us. Everything else ceases to exist and then and there, it is just the two of us locking lips. He opens his mouth and our tongues start intertwining, obviously hungry for more. It feels as if we're melting into one being and my body is telling me I want more. My hands on his back, his hands on my face and hip. I never wanted, or needed, anything more.

I don't know for how long we have been at the astronomy table, but in my mind we'll stay here forever. Just like this.