#lasting impressions. 🎉

[newsourcehub]

🎁✨ Elevate your festive celebrations with exclusive corporate gifts from NewsourceHub! Thoughtful gifts, lasting impressions. 🎉

[creepyscritches]

Taking a day off work that should lol...hopefully be pretty chill. 8:30am infusion seemed like a hell schedule, but it's not bad!! After this finishes, I go to get my hair silvered again. Literally scheduled for 5hrs so. Well it is what it is. How else am I supposed to pull hot MILFs like Eva Sparda if I don't have some of that mercury rizz. After that I'm going to the dentist to get a crown placed again and hopefully is the last dental stuff this year? (10 crowns lol...)

[merakiui]

there is a knock at your door.

yandere!jade leech x (gender neutral) reader x yandere!floyd leech cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, stalking, fear/paranoia, kidnapping note - will you open it? // a birthday gift for the lovely and amazing @fish-brain-go-brrrr!!!!!!! may your special day be filled with eels, tako, and boundless happiness. (´▽`ʃƪ)♡ thank you for being a wonderful friend!! have the best birthday and enjoy this little gift hehe!!!! 🎉

Knock, knock. 

The door opens to reveal your friend since forever: Azul Ashengrotto.

And, more importantly, his Alaskan Malamute, who bounds over in quick clicks to greet you. You laugh as she all but pushes past Azul’s legs in an effort to reach your outstretched arms.

“Well, excuse you!” Azul laughs. She slobbers all over your face in her form of affectionate greeting before pulling away to sniff curiously at your suitcase. “Someone’s excited to see you.”

“I haven’t even gotten through the door,” you remark in between giggles.

“Okay, Pepper, that’s enough.” Azul clicks his tongue and she parts from you (not before delivering one final lick to your cheek. He smiles and pats her affectionately. “Good girl.”

Despite Pepper’s impressive size, she’s nothing but a softie. A gentle giant, some would describe her. You remember when she was just a puppy, small enough to be cradled in Azul’s arms like a human baby. How she’s grown!

“If you’d come this way, you can put your stuff down.” Azul shuffles aside to allow you to step fully into the foyer of his smartly-furnished home. “I’m sure you’re already familiar with everything, but it won’t hurt to reiterate.”

“Please do. It’s been a while since I’ve been at your place. Doesn’t seem like anything’s changed, though.”

He hums and shuts the door behind you. It locks smoothly. You trail after Azul, wheeling your suitcase down the hall and into the sitting room. Pepper bounds after the both of you and makes herself comfortable on a fluffy dog bed.

“Pepper’s feeding schedule hasn’t changed. Although I did switch to a different brand of dry food. This one is much better. Vet’s orders and all that. And every month I have a chef come in to prepare her a special, nutritionally balanced meal with only the freshest ingredients.”

“Wow! Isn’t she spoiled?” you tease in an exaggerated baby voice.

“I take care of my things,” he replies simply, shrugging your playful remark off, “and Pepper deserves only the finest.”

“I’m sure she appreciates it.”

As if having realized she’s the subject of conversation, Pepper barks.

Azul leads you through the house into the kitchen. It looks different from the last time you saw it and you realize he must have had it redone. Every appliance is brand-new, winking back at you when you peek into each gleaming surface.

Sleek, you think, admiring the wall oven. 

“Pepper gets one cup of dry food twice every day. Once in the morning and once at night. On Fridays, I give her a can of wet food as a treat. She can have that whenever you think is best. I usually do it around late morning, early afternoon.”

“Dry food twice each day. Wet food Friday. Got it.”

He opens a small door to a cupboard packed neatly with cans and containers. “This is where I keep her food. This bigger door is for human food. The wonderful pantry.” He knocks on it playfully.

Knock, knock.

You attempt a poor joke. “So it’s not just all dog food?”

“I have to feed myself,” he says, dramatically aghast. “I’m not a dog.”

“You sure about that?”

Azul barks out a chuckle. His mouth quirks up in an amused half-grin. “I’m sorry to disappoint. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve stocked this one full of everything indicated in the preferences you sent me.”

“So that’s why you asked me for that list! I just thought you wanted food recs.”

“That, too. You have unique tastes.”

“Microwave and canned meals are always there for me in my darkest hours.”

He hums. “Well, I’ve made sure to get each of your human favorites, so you needn’t feen for those too much.”

There’s a razored edge to his remark that makes you shrivel inside. As if your appetite is cheap in some way, more like a dog’s than a person’s.

But this is his house and it’s his money. You wouldn’t put it past him to factor in the pay cut for unnecessary sass. So you simply bare your teeth in a smile and take the punch, whether it was intended for you or not. Sometimes you forget he’s supposed to be your friend. 

“You’re welcome to use the kitchen. The whole house is your oyster, really,” he continues, guiding you towards the back door. It’s then when you notice the little black camera positioned in the corner of the room, its red eye peering soundlessly back at you. You wonder if that’s a new addition—the dog cameras. You can’t remember if they were there the last summer you were here. “Pepper has a tendency to stay out longer than she needs to after she’s done her business. She’ll come to the door once she’s had her fill, so there’s no need to fret. Although I’m sure she’ll listen to you. She’s quite obvious in her favoritism…”

You laugh but not because it’s funny. Because it’ll hopefully land you within his good graces, which is patently absurd if he’s meant to be your friend. You’re not even sure you can call these favors friendship when they’re transactional. If anything, you’re friendlier with Pepper than you are with Azul.

Am I really closer with a dog than a human? you think as he opens the door for you to view the fenced-in yard. You watch Azul gesture, his lips moving with his words. Actually, maybe Azul’s the dog.

Doubtful, but that doesn’t make the imagery any less comedic.

“I’ll be back next Monday. If you need anything or have any questions, you have my number. Oh, but just in case I’ve written the schedule for you and pasted it on the fridge should you forget.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

At that, he smiles sincerely. “Thank you. I really do appreciate this, considering everything was such short notice.”

“Nah, don’t worry. We’re friends. Plus, Pepper loves me.”

He chuckles. “I suppose that’s more than enough of a bonus. Speaking of which, how much would you like to be paid?”

“However much you’d like to give me,” you blurt and immediately regret it.

“I researched the average pay for dog-sitters, but there were just so many conflicting opinions and variables. So what do you think would be best? Please don’t sell yourself short on account of my asking. I’m always willing to give you more for your services.”

Taking a pause, you contemplate his words. If you factor in the grocery trip he made on your behalf and his letting you stay for the week alongside the tasks you’ll be completing for Pepper…

You open your mouth to suggest four-hundred madol, but he beats you to it—and with a completely different amount.

“Does three-hundred suffice?”

“Sure. No, yes. Yeah, that works.” You smile, but you aren’t very pleased.

“Wonderful! If you ever find yourself thinking you might need more, please do tell me. I want to make sure you’re paid accordingly. Good work deserves equally good acknowledgement, wouldn’t you agree?”

You nod. If you know anything about Azul, it’s that he’s always willing to work with you when it comes to finances. He’s a businessman, so of course he’d know how to flawlessly navigate these types of situations. And having built himself a career and life on hard work, he has the confidence to throw numbers around and see which one sticks.

Briefly, as you follow him to the front door, you try to imagine yourself in his shoes—a businessperson who dresses smart every day, who never has to worry about money, who doesn’t have to be silently amazed by shiny appliances and refurbished kitchens.

And then you wonder if Azul is in the market for a spouse, but that idea is swiftly stamped out when you realize how silly it sounds.

He props his suitcase against the wall and bends down to welcome Pepper, who can easily match his height, into his arms. She licks at his face, sniffing the cologne spritzed on his suit, and he doesn’t seem to fuss over the hair.

“I’ll see you in a week. Be good to (Name) while I’m gone.”

Upon hearing your name, she whips her head up to look at you.

“She’s always good no matter what,” you vouch, reaching to scratch behind her ears. Her tail wags wildly. “The best girl.”

“I’m glad.” Azul pulls away. He plucks a lint roller from the side pouch in his backpack and casually brushes down his front. “I trust you’ll be fine in my absence? Do feel free to sleep wherever—whether on the sofa or in the guest bedroom upstairs. The sheets were just washed and the room is clean. Mine is as well, but I suppose it may be awkward to offer it.” He coughs into his fist. “Regardless, whichever space you find most comfortable, consider it yours for the duration of your stay.”

“Thank you for everything, Azul.” You hold the door for him as he drags his suitcase over the threshold, his backpack hanging from one shoulder. “Have a safe flight.”

Pepper joins you at the door to watch. You wave to him while he lifts his belongings into the trunk of his car, and then within mere minutes he’s pulling away and driving out of sight.

“And that’s that,” you announce, ducking back inside with Pepper. You shut the door and lock it. Surveying the sitting room, your hands situated on your hips, you wonder what you should do now. She peers up at you, just as expectant. 

The first thing you decide to do is peruse the pantry and the fridge. All of your favorites are arranged within. It’s actually too much, you realize, now unable to settle on a single option for dinner.

So instead you swipe the money Azul’s left for you on the counter—in case of emergencies, the note reads—and decide that this predicament is dire enough for pizza.

Knock, knock.

You pop up from the sofa and trot over to open the front door. Pepper gets there before you, barking loudly at the person on the other side. Gently, you shush her and peek out through the small crack to greet the driver. They smile and hand over your food. Rushing through the process, you give them the amount owed.

The door shuts and locks with a click.

“You’re babysitting for the same rich guy? You’d think he’d give you a raise or something since you do it so often,” Ace mutters into the phone.

“Yeah, well, it’s only a week.”

“Still a week’s worth of work. Why do you even feel bad? Ask for more. He said he’d give it to you, didn’t he?”

“I dunno… I mean, we already agreed on an amount and I don’t wanna seem like a greedy asshole—”

“(Name), he’s rich. They’re all greedy assholes. If he has the money to spoil his dog with monthly fancy feasts,” he says, putting on a posh accent, “then he has the money to pay you what you deserve. If you want, I could always say something. J-Just because you’re too chicken and all, I mean! Sometimes you need superstar Ace to step in. No need to thank me. I know I’m great.”

Propping your feet on the armrest at the end of the loveseat, you roll your eyes at the ceiling. “Whatever would I do without you?”

“Case in point! So you should totally ask him for more. Wring him out like a money rag.”

“We’ll see… He did buy a bunch of food for me and he’s letting me stay. He even left money for emergencies.”

“You used it, right?”

“Of course I did! I’m not stupid.”

Ace laughs. “So you’re alone then?”

“The dog’s here, too. You wanna say hi?” You tap your phone. “Okay, you’re on speaker. Pepper, you wanna meet my friend?”

“What’s up, Pepper!”

She lifts her head from where she’s resting on her cushion, her ears raised curiously. Her only response is a soft huff.

“She says hi.”

“You sure you’re not putting words in her mouth?”

“Surprised you couldn’t understand her, you dog.”

“Hey!”

Grinning, you pick at a loose string on your sweater. Azul’s house is always so cold. “But, yes, it’s just the dog and me. Why?”

Ace is quiet for an uncharacteristic beat. Eventually, he clears his throat. “Dunno. Just figured you might want some company. I could come over.”

You understand the implication coyly woven into his words. “I’d say yeah—”

“Really?!”

“But he’s got cameras. For the dog, I think.”

“So just cover them up?”

“Wow, great suggestion. How long did it take you to think of that one, brainiac?”

“I’m just saying… He’s away on a business thing, right? How much time is he gonna have to watch the cameras?”

“If he’s neurotic enough, he’ll find time.”

“He shouldn’t be if he trusts you to look after the house.”

“He also trusts how easy it’ll be to connect the dots if something goes missing from his house.”

“It’s not criminal to have a guest over! Geez. You make it sound so illegal…”

“Tough luck. If you really wanna hang out, we can just get lunch next time I’m—”

Knock, knock.

You sit up slightly on the sofa, brows furrowed. Is someone at the door? At this hour? You’re certain Azul isn’t expecting anyone, and the mail isn’t due to come until tomorrow morning. You glance at Pepper. Her eyes are closed, but her ears are raised, listening.

“Hey, Ace?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Hold that thought. I think someone’s at the door.”

You manage to catch the very end of Ace’s don’t-get-murdered warning just before you set your phone down. Azul’s door has a panel of frosted glass, so even if you wanted to discern the person’s features on the other end you’d have to open it for confirmation. All you can go off of are shadows.

Unlocking the door, you pull it open and poke your head outside. The crisp air hits you like a slap.

No one’s there.

You check around in case someone dropped something off, but there’s nothing in sight. Nothing on the stoop. No mail to collect.

Did someone have the wrong house? you think, trying to picture the scenario in your mind. Or maybe some dumb kids are pranking me. 

Now irritated, you shut the door in a huff.

It’s summer. Don’t they have anything better to do?

Maybe it’s precisely because it’s summer that they don’t.

You choose to brush this annoyance aside in favor of picking up your phone to return to the conversation.

“Sorry about that. I’m back.”

“Everything good?”

“Yeah. No, yeah. All good here. Just some kids thinking they’re funny.”

“Yeaaah, no surprises there.”

“You’d think they’d stay away. Azul’s probably got enough money to sue them for disturbing the peace or some other stuffy nonsense and win.”

“They’re kids. They’re not gonna know any better.”

“Says the public menace.”

“I’m not that bad! Cut me some slack. I’ll have you know, I’ve matured significantly since my school days and I am very much a changed man.”

“Yeah, oookay.”

“I’m serious!”

“Sure, Mr. Mature. Anyway, it’s late. I should let Pepper out and get to bed.”

“You sure you don’t want me to sing you to sleep?” he teases.

“I actually value my sense of hearing, so no. Thanks, though.”

Before he can retort, you bid him sweet dreams and hang up. Gazing at the camera positioned in the corner, you rise to your feet.

The cameras are definitely new.

“Pepper, sweetheart, you wanna go outside?”

She seems to have understood that last part, for she scrambles out of her bed and pads over to the back door with a swaying tail. You open the door for her, and she rushes past you in a blur of fur.

Good. She’ll get one last run and bathroom break in before bed and hopefully we’ll be fine until morning.

Like a wine stain on a white shirt, your eyes are drawn to the camera once more. You can understand having cameras outside the property, but inside the house feels…unusual. But then you’ve never had a dog of your own and you’ve always lived in apartments on the highest floor, so maybe this is what most dog owners do when they need to monitor an overactive animal.

Maybe they’re those cameras that you can speak through! If that’s the case, then I can totally see him talking to Pepper or scolding her if she’s up to no good. Okay, that makes a little more sense now.

Another reason hits you, and you feel foolish for not realizing it first: For safety and security’s sake, too. Of course.

Your phone buzzes then and you pull it from your pocket to read the message. Ace has sent you something stupid on Magicam, no doubt. You’re about to open it and confirm when—

Knock, knock.

An admonishment on the tip of your tongue, you storm through the hall towards the front door. You throw it open this time, and like before you find empty space.

“Not funny,” you seethe, stepping out into the cold night to peer through the neat hedges and flower bushes. Surely those kids are hiding somewhere… “It’s late. Go home already!”

You don’t receive a reply. For a moment, you wait in anticipation. Wherever they’re hiding, they’ll have to get up and retreat eventually. It’s oddly quiet. You strain to listen for any giggles or whispers.

Nothing but suffocating silence.

And then Pepper barks, and you nearly jump out of your skin. You shut the door slowly, watching the outside slim down until eventually all you see is your warped reflection in the frosted glass.

Weird…

Again, Pepper barks.

“I’m coming! Wait just a moment, Pepper!”

You lock the door and scurry to let her in. 

Come tomorrow, those kids won’t be able to hide in the daylight, you tell yourself as you brush your teeth. And when I catch them, I’ll make sure to give them a talk on why it’s not nice to bother other people, especially at night when it’s dark out. It’s just unsafe for kids to be out late anyway!

When you settle into bed, you realize the house is perfectly still and silent. Pepper is snoozing comfortably on Azul’s bed. You never realized it, but Azul’s house seems bigger at night. More rooms. More space. Lots of shadows. A creak every now and then as everything settles. It’s in between sleep that you begin to wonder if you locked the door.

It’s fine. I’ve got Pepper to keep me safe.

Comforted with this knowledge, you fall asleep.

Knock, knock.

There is a knock at your door.

You jerk awake and, rather clumsily, feel around in the bed for your phone. It flashes the time back at you. The rest of the world comes trickling in through dull, still-sleepy senses. You finally register Pepper’s bark, which is beginning to sound more like an alarm with how relentless it is.

“Shit. It’s already afternoon?” And then you sit up. “Shit! It’s already afternoon!”

You rush down the stairs, apologizing profusely to Pepper with each step. She’s waiting for you at the very bottom, pacing in circles and barking at you.

“I know, I know! I’m sorry. I completely slept in. You must have to go really bad.”

She races you to the door and you yank it open in your haste, heaving a relieved breath when she bursts outside. You lean against the doorframe for support and bask in the sunshine that spills in.

The weather’s beautiful today. I can’t believe they were saying it might rain.

While Pepper runs laps outside, you busy yourself with filling Pepper’s bowls with the recommended amount of dry food and then fresh water. Her shadow appears against the door a few minutes later and so you let her in.

“Just in time,” you praise, watching as she trots eagerly over to her bowl.

With that out of the way, you begin preparing a very late breakfast for yourself. You can’t remember when the dishes from before were cleaned. Did you do them last night before bed?

“Doesn’t really matter,” you murmur, slicing fruit for a salad. “One less thing I have to do. Thank you, (Name) from the past.”

You skim through the notes Azul’s pasted to the bulletin board. Instructions for Pepper’s feeding schedule, reminders, times and dates. But then there are also things he’s left for himself. A calendar with important events marked. Various notes for miscellaneous things: Bring suit in for cleaning. Meet with dietician at the end of the month. Celebrate colleague’s birthday. These tiny slivers of his life remind you that Azul is a busy person like you. When you look at the stars he’s doodled around dates of particular importance, you feel yourself smiling. He’s not such an intimidating figure when you look at him through his calendar.

A text from Ace coaxes you out of your thoughts: u still on for tonight?

Tonight? But then you remember. Oh, fuck! Deuce’s birthday! I forgot we planned the surprise for today.

hell yeah!!! is your enthusiastic reply.

Later, while you’re getting ready for the evening, you think you hear someone knocking. But the running water drowns out all sounds from downstairs. If Pepper isn’t barking, it’s likely nothing.

You leave the house somewhat frazzled, hoping to shake off the strange suspicion that something isn’t right.

The biggest surprise, aside from jumping out to shock Deuce when he walked into the restaurant on account of thinking it a date—yes, you and Ace catfished him for this very cruel, irreverent birthday joke—is perhaps the text you receive from Azul.

Is it raining? Did Pepper track mud in the house?

You read it three more times and then you peek outside the window. It’s been raining ever since you arrived. So much for perfect weather… But Pepper couldn’t have gotten into any mud because the ground was dry earlier today.

No?? you write back, confusion bubbling in your chest. I haven’t sent her out since this morning when it was sunny. It’s raining now, but she hasn’t been out at all.

Horrified, you begin to wonder if you somehow spilled something during breakfast. Or did Pepper have an accident in the house? Did she get into something? A million questions headline your thoughts, overwhelming in their intensity. Thankfully, it’s Ace and Deuce who bring you back to the present.

“Ace told me you’re doing that house-sitting gig for that guy again.”

“Oh, yeah! I am. Dog-sitting, too.” You stuff your phone away.

Best not to think about it.

“Didja catch those kids?”

Deuce looks between you and Ace, a brow raised. “What kids?”

“You totally missed it! I guess some kids were knocking on (Name)’s door all night long.”

“They’re still doing it. I think…”

“No way!”

“Sooner or later, it becomes less annoying and more like harassment.” Deuce cringes. “And you haven’t caught them yet?”

“No. Or… Well, I thought I heard some knocking this morning. But I was still asleep and the dog was barking.”

“This guy has cameras, doesn’t he?” Ace looks to you for confirmation.

“Yeah, but it’s not like I have access to them.”

“Maybe that’ll drive whoever’s bothering you away. If they see the cameras, they’ll realize they’re being recorded and hopefully leave you alone.”

“Hopefully.”

“I offered to come over.”

“It’s not that serious.”

Ace and Deuce share a look of doubt.

“Really! It’s not, guys. All they’re doing is knocking on the door. Irritating as hell? Yes. But it’s all harmless. They’re outside. I’m inside. Plus, I’ve got Azul’s dog. She’s huge.”

“Just…keep yourself safe. Call one of us if you need to. We’ll come over,” Deuce says, poking around at the food on his plate.

“I will. Thank you. But let’s not worry about any of that. It’s your birthday! It’s supposed to be all about you.”

Somehow the unsettling atmosphere ebbs away, replaced with the joyous delusions of short-lived celebration.

You return to Azul’s house to find muddy pawprints on the floor. It takes you thirty minutes to scrub the floors clean, and for the entire time you’re racking your brain trying to understand how this happened. Was there mud in the backyard that you just weren’t aware of? Or did Pepper truly go outside when it was raining? Did you leave the door unlocked?

Surely Azul must have seen what happened on the cameras.

Something isn’t adding up. You spend your entire shower constructing the scene and its many possibilities, but none of them make a lick of sense.

It’s just you and Pepper, right?

As you toss and turn in bed, struggling to relax under a duvet that feels too itchy and hot, you think you hear someone knocking on the door.

Or maybe it’s the window. Maybe it’s right below you, tapping at the ceiling, pacing around in the kitchen, reaching to pet Pepper.

Maybe you’re just dreaming.

Azul calls you on the seventh day to check in. You consider telling him about the knocking, the dishes, that rainy day when Pepper tracked in mud, but you can’t seem to form the words without sounding utterly insane. So you smile and lie.

“No issues here. Pepper’s been wonderful.”

Azul hums, pleased. “Aah, I miss her something fierce. Oh, can you tell her I said that?”

You repeat his words to Pepper. “I dunno… I think she’s starting to like me more than you.”

“Well, isn’t that a problem? How else will she get her fix of you once you’re gone?”

“I’ll be back next time you need me.” And then you hesitate. “You…will need me again, right?”

“Of course. I always need you, (Name).”

There’s an awkward pause on his end. He clears his throat, but you don’t add anything to break the tension.

“Um, right. Yeah… Enjoy the rest of your business trip. I hope all is well with…that.”

“It is, yes. Thank you.”

“Then I won’t keep you.”

You end the call before he can say anything else. Pepper, who had been resting beside you on the sofa, tilts her head at you.

“Don’t tell him I said this,” you whisper, “but your owner is really bad at words sometimes.”

She leans in and licks your cheek.

Someone knocks on the door and lies in wait. You watch with bated breath, repeating the same phrase over and over: “Don’t open the door. Don’t open the door. Don’t open the door.”

Knock, knock.

She reaches for the knob.

“No… Come on. Don’t do it. It’s so clearly a trap!” You almost don’t want to watch. You know she’s as good as dead as soon as she opens the door, for the killer will descend and drag her back inside her own house.

Knock, knock.

She’s already opened the door. As expected, the killer pounces like the Grim Reaper and she shrieks like a banshee.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

Remote in hand, you lower the volume and focus on the silence that creeps in shortly after. You wait for a creak or another knock—a disturbance of some sort.

Slowly, you turn to glance at the door and then at the windows nearby with the curtains drawn. As quietly as you can manage, you set the remote down and slither off of the sofa. Pepper doesn’t seem bothered by the sounds, but you can tell she’s listening, her body tense.

No one’s out there. It’s nothing. 

You peel the curtains back ever so slightly and peek out at the darkness. There’s no one on the stoop. No one at the window. No one.

So then where was the knocking coming from? Was it really just the movie?

Or… No, certainly not. You refuse to entertain that thought.

But, if not the movie and not from outside, where else could the sound be coming from? Where else if not from within these very walls?

You shut the curtains and return to the sofa. Horror is swapped for a cheesy rom-com. You need the laughter and the cringe and every fluffy thing in between to calm the electricity in your nerves.

And it works. You fall asleep by the third rom-com, listening to cheesy one-liners and bad jokes with terribly written punchlines.

Knock, knock.

And then a noisy clatter.

You’re shaken from your slumber in a daze. You’re not sure what time it is or where you even are, and it takes a moment for clarity to filter in through the grogginess. You’re wrapped up in blankets on the bed in the guest room in Azul’s house and there’s someone standing at the foot of the bed, watching you in the gloom, and—

Wait.

How did you get to bed? Most importantly, what’s that blinking back at you? It can’t be Pepper. Pepper doesn’t have two-toned eyes. Pepper can’t stand on two legs. You squint through the shadows to pick out the shape of them, and your blood freezes when you realize it’s a person.  

A person. A person.

Someone’s inside the house and they’re looking right at you.

Do they know I’m awake? you think, your thoughts racing wildly. You lie there, rigid as a board and stiff as a corpse, and hope that they can’t tell. Calm down. Relax. Pepper will scare them off.

But then you notice she hasn’t barked a single time since you opened your eyes. Is she sleeping?

Terror pierces your heart. Did this person hurt her? Is she—

Don’t think about that.

Your eyes slide over towards the doorway, and you just about scream when you see another figure. The breath sticks in your throat. You know it’s another person because the way they lean so casually against the doorframe suggests a certain nonchalance with this situation. A nonchalance that can only belong to a person.

“Knock, knock. Aww. Did we wake you up?” It’s a man’s whispery drawl that combs through the room, raking through your scalp with sharp fingers, prodding at your ears like a hornet. “You looked so peaceful, too. Sorry about that.”

You’re not sure what you should do. Should you even try to run or escape when you’re already so cornered? Is there enough time to call for help? Will Pepper hear you if you shout? Should you play dead or feign sleep? What should you do?

What can you do?

You glance at the other figure. Unlike the other one, who sways and fidgets like he’s caught in a perpetual, invisible breeze, this person is perfectly, eerily still. Almost like a doll.

But then the man in the doorway laughs. “Layin’ it on thick there, ain’tcha? They’re already shakin’ like a leaf. No need to overdo it.”

A razored smile cuts through the gloom. Your eyesight adjusts enough to catch sight of a J-shaped strand of hair and the glint of an earring.

“No need to look so scared,” he continues, but you can’t pry your eyes from the other’s smile. It’s a smile of grotesque pleasure—one that feasts on fear so palpable it might as well be a three-course meal for him. “We’re not gonna hurt you.”

Then will you do something much worse? you want to ask, but all you can do is blink.

“Just gonna take you somewhere nice and cozy. Nothin’ scary about that. Ain’t that right, Jade?”

“Indeed, Floyd.” A voice as smooth and soft as melted caramel. Maybe it would’ve been soothing in a different situation. 

Before you can scream or lunge out of bed, arms are reaching out to restrain you. A hand slaps over your mouth. Fingers curl into your arms. A sickly sweet rag is stuffed against your nose.

Your feet kick against the wall, a steady knock-knock-knocking like a heartbeat, until your muscles still and the fight is drained from you. Unconsciousness blankets your body and mind within minutes.

There is nothing more unnerving than returning to an empty house, especially when it was once filled with human presence. No one knows anything, but they could’ve if there was evidence. Incriminating footage is no good.

Azul certainly thinks so while he dons his finest suit and practices a few expressions in the mirror. Pepper watches him from where she lays curled on his bed.

“A hero must look exceptional when he rescues his dearest one. Most of all, he must be innocent and trustworthy. Wouldn’t you say so, Pepper?”

At that, she can only offer a halfhearted whimper. He smiles.

“Let’s go visit my (Name).”

[albanarthan]

wrote almost 600 words of my diss today

[nathaslosthershit]

“Notice me” “Beg for it" (LN4)

Summary: After what feels like centuries of back and forth flirting, Lando and his Mclaren teammate have tired people out with their inaction to do something about their very obvious crushes. Aka the 5 times they confused fans with their interactions + the one time they made everything clear (SMAU)

Part of my summer event! Warnings: Zak Brown, Reader sort of takes Oscar’s place? Also the timeline on this is weird sorry

mclaren

liked by georgerussell63, landonorris, and others

mclaren Proud to announce our official driver lineup for the next season as yourusername joins the McLaren family🧡! Can’t wait to see her and Lando in action next season👊🎊

username1 oh I am about to be unbearable once we get more content with these two

username2 i have no one i can tell about this

mclaren guess how we felt having to keep it a secret!

zbrownceo welcome to the family yourusername!

yourusername happy to be here!!!

yourusername Thank god the news is finally out, you all don’t know how hard it was to not scream it from the rooftops once I signed my contract

landonorris Wouldn’t want anyone else as a teammate 👊

yourusername I would

landonorris wasn’t what you were saying earlier

landonorris “oh Lando, what a dream come true to drive alongside you, I’ll be such a good teammate you’ll forget all about Carlos-whats-his-face and the other old guy”

danielricciardo why am I catching strays?

yourusername you’re saying I haven’t made a pretty good impression? Maybe I should have stayed at Alpine…

landonorris definitely not saying that, please don't leave

username3 the vibe between these two is off-

yourusername

liked by landonorris, mclaren, and others

yourusername P3! My highest yet 👊! What a blast this year has been so far and we have still got a couple races to go! While I could talk about how thrilled I am with my first podium in F1, it wouldn’t be right to not mention my teammate’s spectacular race, earning him his first F1 win. So happy I could be on the podium right next to you, Lando, to celebrate your first (of many) wins! 🎉

username1 they sure do put every other duo to shame with how much they support each other

username2 Lando’s win was amazing but my god I would rather talk about her overtakes

landonorris always the best supporter 👊

f1gossip

liked by 15,158 others

f1gossip Spotted: landonorris and yourusername seem to be spending quite a lot of time together on their summer break! While most teammates like to take this time to get away from the people they work with every day, these two seem to do the opposite, getting quite comfy with each other while on a eurotrip together.

username1 they can’t do this to me oh my god

username2 completely unprofessional in my opinion! They are coworkers they should not be vacationing together, especially since they are wearing revealing outfits at the beach. Disgusting how much this sport has changed

username3 you will live i swear its not that big a deal

username4 usually id argue against getting into drivers' business but it does seem inappropriate to be going to the beach and having dinner alone with your teammate…

username5 dont know who i am more jealous of tbh

username6 im sorry do you people not want them to get along?

yourusername

liked by zbrownceo, carlossainz, and others

yourusername team meetings and court (mclaren) ordered teammate bonding

username1 lando norris make it less obvious how in love with your teammate you are challenge (impossible)

zbrownceo I don’t think we ordered any bonding, you guys are close enough already. Maybe I will file a restraining order between you two so you guys stop distracting one another?

landonorris sorry boss 😞

yourusername boo you are no fun old man

zbrownceo want to rethink that last comment yourusername?

yourusername we promise we won’t distract each other as much, Mr. ZakBrownCEO

landonorris notice me

yourusername beg for it

carlossainz you both may be happy now but just wait until he replaces you with a fancy new teammate and forgets all about you

yourusername stop being a diva

landonorris

liked by 53,836 others

landonorris Going into today I wasn't expecting the technical failure that would cause us to have to retire the car. Because it wasn’t an easy day for me by any means, id much rather take the time to congratulate my favorite person on her first Formula 1 win. Seeing you grow from your rookie season till now has been such a wonderful thing to witness. Its even better to be by your side while you do it. No one is more deserving of this win. Congrats on your first (of many) wins :) 

username1 he is so in love i am sick

username2 who do they think they are fooling

usernamer3 so sorry to see you dnf 😢but glad to see you are in bright spirits

yourusername Lando 😭 such an incredible day and an even better celebration afterwords. Thanks for being by my side all this time, I couldn’t have done it without you

landonorris we both know damn well you would be just as successful, maybe even more considering how much of a distraction I am for you 😉

yourusername the only thing distracting about you is your stupid face and annoying personality

landonorris I guess you are just spewing out a bunch of lies today huh?

username4 they are already hot rich drivers why do they get to be in love too? 

username5 fr leave some happiness for the rest of us

yourusername

liked by 97,839 others

yourusername yes, we know you all knew this but let us have this moment please

username1 oh my god what a shock 🙄

username2 how will we ever get over this news🙄

username3 how could they have deceived us for so long

username4 nah i can’t even pretend like this is breaking news.

yourusername I knew it was a rumor but I wasn’t expecting everyone to know 😀

landonorris I always thought we were kind of discreet about it…

username5 are you kidding? It would be less obvious if you guys held up signs that said “we are in love”

[kurooh]

Thanks sweetie🥺🥺

Can't believe my boys don't have a birthday💀 ALSO, now I can't stop thinking about riding Ino in the backseat and hearing him whimpering🫣

🐺

⊹ ₊˚. TEST DRIVE. car shopping with ino goes in another direction when you’re looking around the backseat.

warnings. 18+ content — mdni, f! reader, fluff, cowgirl, car sex, ino’s whimpers, cockwarming, creampie

xoxo, juno. happy birthday again <33 🎉

“she runs well, don’t you think?” ino’s fingers squeeze your thigh as he takes the car down the road, cruising along smoothly. despite a few bumps in the asphalt, the car cushions them with a bounce so that neither of you feel it.

“this is a pretty nice car, babe,” you sigh, leaning back in your seat and savoring the view of the sunset through the tree leaves.

since your last shared car broke down, ino decided to take you shopping for a new one. he prefers the sports cars, and wanted to take one out for a test drive, but you’d told him absolutely not. knowing him, it would be easy to get carried away and then end up having to pay thousands after an accidental crash.

“do you like the color? we can always get it wrapped with your favorite,” he turns to you with a wink, beanie sagging on the back of his head while stray hairs hang around his forehead.

“always so thoughtful,” you laugh, “i think the fact that this car runs well is more important than the color. oh, wait, we didn’t look around at the trunk to see how much space it has.”

“shit, you’re right,” ino agrees, turning on his directional just before pulling off to the side of the road, tires sliding on a patch of grass. he unlocks his door but doesn’t unlock yours, making you roll your eyes.

“give me the keys—”

“ahem. you may step out now, m’lady.” before you know it, ino’s raced over to the passenger side to considerately open your door for you.

“come here,” you hold your arms out, jumping onto him happily, and he spins in a circle with a laugh. “ugh, you’re such a cutie.”

he giggles, his beanie slipping off the back of his head and onto the grass. you’re quick to pick it up and put it on your head, and he kisses your forehead with a chuckle.

“you’re almost rocking it better than me.”

“that would be a true statement if you didn’t use the word ‘almost’.”

ino hits a button on the key fob, effectively popping open the trunk for you to both look into. it’s spacious, with plenty of room for groceries or whatever else you may be driving around with.

“backseat,” you instruct, closing the trunk and opening the back doors. ino climbs in beside you, thoroughly impressed.

“well, well, well,” he strokes his chin with a finger, eyes closing in faux contemplation. “this is quite a nice backseat, wouldn’t you agree? it’s very roomy, in my opinion.”

“mmm, yeah,” you play along, laying down and resting your head on his thigh. “i can even lay down fully without being cramped. you should try it too, taku.”

“really now?” and you nod, sitting up and scooting over to where he’s sitting. ino lays back, knees bent just a little because you’re taking up some of the space.

“this is quite a nice backseat,” you both fight back your laughter, playing along with the dumb little scene. it’s clear you’re both thinking the same thing when the smiles fall from your faces the second you’re straddling his waist, squeezing him between your thighs.

“wow, hot stuff. look so good wearing my beanie.” his tone is playful as his hands squeeze your hips, making you roll your eyes as you lean forward.

“shut up and give me a kiss, taku.”

ino’s lips meet yours in an impatient, hungry kiss. the force behind it is practically bruising as he sneaks a few light bites to your lower lip to get you to open up. your lips part around a gasp as you start to bounce on his lap, feeling his hard cock through all the layers of clothes.

“s-shit,” he whines, back arching and lips pulling away from yours after a particularly hard drag of your hips against his. “baby, i want these off.” he tugs at your shorts, quickly shimmying out of his jeans and sweeping up the hem of his shirt to expose his belly.

“what do you want, hm?” you ask, shorts and panties off. your ass is up as you kiss at his belly, fingers sweeping beneath his waistband.

“uh, i-i want to be inside you,” ino swallows, fingernails digging into his palms as you slip off his boxers, exposing his hard cock to the air.

you giggle, blowing out some air on it, and he bites back a whimper, hips twisting. “doors are locked, right?” you ask, distracting him. he pulls out the key fob and fumbles with it, locking the doors and almost popping the trunk in his haste.

“calm down, taku,” and your voice is honeyed and sweet as you plant a hand on his stomach, slowly lowering yourself down onto his cock. the head nudges between your folds and grows sticky with a mix of precum and your own slick.

just a little grinding and kissing, and you’re both this desperate. it’s impressive, really, the way you’re already trembling and he’s biting marks into his lower lip as he wills himself not to cum yet. the beanie on your head combined with the way you’re panting as you rub your wet cunt along the length of his cock is too much.

“d-don’t,” ino huffs out, and you look up at him. “don’t start up with that damn teasing, please don’t. baby, i need you right here, right now.”

“patience,” you answer, swallowing at the sight of cars racing by from the corner of your eye.

“come on, i just want you to—” he cuts himself off with an embarrassed noise, throwing an arm over his eyes. “you know i don’t say this often, b-but, i want you to fuck me.”

“taku, you know i will,” you let out a breathy gasp as you sink down on his cock, moving so slowly that he’s forced to buck upwards. in one movement, his cock is fully sheathed inside you, wrapped by your twitching walls. his throat bobs as you start to move, eyes widening as he watches your pussy eagerly swallow his whole cock.

oh god, is it possible to get lightheaded from sex?

only thoughts of pleasure race through your empty head as you fuck yourself onto his cock, breath hitching each time his tip hits your cervix. he’s so deep, so big — the perfect size.

ino’s enchanted, tears building in his eyes as he watches the delicious bounce of your tits and savors every single moan that falls from your lips. your pussy’s so wet and warm, comforting in a way that nothing else could ever be — fuck, is he really about to cum this quickly?

you notice as his breathing grows frantic, heat rushing through your body at the prospect of him finishing this quickly; excitement chases it, the idea of overstimulating him electrifying. you’re squeezing around him like a vice, pussy eager to drink in everything he’s got, and it’s hard to hold on.

“babe, baby,” he huffs out, his voice tight. “kiss me, i want a kiss.”

ino’s hands help you lean forward, fingers digging into your sides as his lips mesh against yours. once again, a perfect fit — he’s so in love, so absolutely infatuated with you in every single way someone could be. the loose beanie slips forward, off your head, onto his face.

you giggle, pulling away to fix it; his lips drag along your cheek as you adjust it on his own head, hips pausing momentarily. he’s so cute like this — a flush high on his cheeks, eyes glassy, lips pulled into a pout as he waits for you to hurry up with his beanie. if you’re still busy with that thing in the next three seconds, ino swears he’ll throw it out the damn window.

“you okay?” you pant, hands falling away from his head and cupping his face.

“i was worried you’d take forever with that thing,” he confesses with a laugh, hips thrusting up. “still got the energy to ride me?”

“i’m just getting started,” you roll your eyes, picking up a quick pace and bouncing on his cock. it happens fast — within a minute, he’s as close as he was before, weakly rutting his hips upwards while you shove them down with your own.

ino’s fingers wander to your clit and he rubs sloppy circles on the sensitive nub, whining deliciously at your body’s immediate response.

“‘s good, taku, keep going,” he thinks his name sounds best when it’s coming from your mouth.

despite how overwhelmed he is, ino’s fingers don’t falter, and with his free hand he gestures for you to lean on top of him like earlier. he tucks his face into your neck, tears pouring down his cheeks and wetting your skin.

white hot pleasure races through your body, bolting between your legs like lightning. “t-takuma, baby,” you huff out, gasping into his skin as you squeeze around him frantically, “‘m gonna cum— want you to with me, please—”

a needy moan tears from your lips and his skin absorbs it, your hips stuttering against his with a few last smacks of skin against skin. before you know it, you’re cumming hard, barely able to hear his words over the pounding of your heart in your ears.

ino’s whimpering, shaking beneath you and sobbing out, “wanna fill you up, c-can i?”

every one of your senses is hazy, and you manage to nod against him, pressing your lips to his ear. “y-yes, ‘course you can.”

with that, his cock spurts white inside you, hot and thick and deep — for a moment, you wonder how long it’ll take to drip out of you. you’ll be able to keep it inside till you get to the dealership, won’t you?

“you okay?” you ask, body shifting and tearing a choked whine from his throat. “takuma?”

he exhales sharply, taking a second to answer you as he recovers, chest heaving beneath you. “yeah, i’m okay. hey, let’s turn over?” you oblige, ass pressed against him and cock still buried deep.

“we’re supposed to get this car back to the dealership, we can’t just sit on the side of the road—”

“yes we can,” ino hushes you, trailing kisses along your jaw before moving to your neck. “let’s just wait for a while and cuddle. also, i’m kinda cold and you’re warm.”

“how could you possibly be cold after full on sex?”

“i have no idea, but it doesn’t matter, does it?”

“five minutes,” you say matter of factly, although you curl up against him comfortably. “then we have to go.”

“yeah, yeah,” ino huffs.

later, you’re charged a ton of money for bringing back the car a few hours late. ino blames it on you for falling asleep against him and you blame it on him for enticing you to fall asleep by cuddling.

[helloliriels]

HELLOLIRIELS WRAPPED 2024

🎁 36 VIEWS OF LONDON :: a FTH gift for @thegildedbee

A patchwork image of John & Sherlock’s London, as seen through their eyes. This is Plot Without Plot (which I'm told is 'the good stuff'). 😎😋📸 Meant to be taken in bite-size chunks. It is a fully finished fic. I hope you enjoy!

💝 PRETTY in (a Frankly Alarming Shade of) PINK &

🎁 NEVER TRUST TO GENERAL IMPRESSIONS [COVER ART] :: two FTH gifts for @thetimemoves

a.k.a. Never Judge A Book By Its Cover (unless its cover is smexy) 😉 my second FTH gift for their gorgeous fic of the same title!!

💌 THE REMEMBER ME MAN by helloliriels - (WIP) a continuation of Remember Me {Though Poppies Grow series} ongoing series

🎄 CHOOSE YOUR OWN JUMPER :: (WIP) Experiment at Baskerville. A new fanfic adventure awaits in this holiday special!

🐝 God Save the Queen :: Sussex & bees never looked so dangerous

🐝 Protect the Hive :: A beekeeper has two rules ...

🐝 You've Disturbed a Beekeeper ... :: There’s nothing that I or anyone else can do to stop it now …

💎 Liri's Treasure Chest :: Hoarding treasure from WoW like a dragon, and decided to start making art of my favourite pieces.

✍️ Better Luck Next Time :: (WIP) Mike had meant it in a kindly way ... but John was in no mood for platitudes.

🏆 New Achievement Unlocked! :: a series of bloggable cheevos.

🎭 MAY IS FOR LIMERICKS :: 20+ limericks full of johnlocked angst. Welcome to limerick hell. Inspired by Calaisreno's may prompts!

Found Fandom (Found Family)

Cardiac Arrest

Pining Idiots

Fitting In

Buried Deep

Open Carefully

Awkward

Operation Wedding

Lurid Ringtone

I (May) Have Miscalculated

Made You Look

Weather Together

Smooth Move

(That's Why He Stays)

Five Minutes

Dammit Sherlock

One Last Dance (Inamorato)

Idiot (Affectionate)

Red Pants (I Imagine They Sparkle)

Examine Me

The Dying Detective

C A L A I S R E N O

Forgiven?

✍️ One More Time (With Feeling) for @totallysilvergirl :: Sherlock gets help from another Doctor. A chance to change his answer and maybe even change his future?

✍️ Warm Open :: Siri ... play 'The Game is On' ...

✍️ Open Your Eyes :: FFF#249

🏆 HELLO AWARD SEASON 2024 :: Hey, if Oscar can do it ... we're gonna have a Wilde time!!!

🏆And the award goes to ... Arwamachine

🏆And the award goes to ... Salambo06

🏆And the award goes to ... Ceruleanmindpalace

Where do🏆awards come from?

🏆And the award goes to ... Silvergirl

🏆And the award goes to ... Barachiki

Where do 💧 awards come from?

🏆And the award goes to ... Chrys

🏆And the award goes to ... Floccinaucinihilipilificationa

When You're In 🌍 Fandom Spaces

📜 One Thousand and One (Words on the Tip of My Tongue) :: a poem. John is processing his grief.

✍️ A Johnlocker Walks into Heaven :: insane wish fulfillment

🎭 S4 Goes Wrong! :: The Goes Wrong Show takes over BBC's Sherlock for the 4th season with disastrous results!

Celebrating 167 Works & 375,000 words on AO3! 🎉

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | HELLO POETRY | HELLO PODFICS

@johnlocky @chinike @rhasima @fluffbyday-smutbynight @totallysilvergirl @friday411 @ghostofnuggetspast @calaisreno @sarahthecoat @khorazir @iwlyanmw @raina-at @chriscalledmesweetie @7-percent @safedistancefrombeingsmart @kettykika78 @aquilea-of-the-lonely-mountain @whatnext2020 @londonlock @lisbeth-kk @meetinginsamarra @a-victorian-girl @naefelldaurk @impalaparkedat221b @dragonnan @loki-lock @gaylilsherlock @inevitably-johnlocked @elwinglyre @jobooksncoffee @amyreadsandstresses @jawnn-watson @holmesianlove @sgam76 @janetm74 @ninasnakie @peanitbear @safedistancefrombeingsmart @discordantwords @bluebellofbakerstreet @john-smiths-jawline @topsyturvy-turtely @gregorovitch-adler @lololollywrites @solarmama-plantsareneat @blogstandbygo @justanobsessedpan

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Birthday!!!🎊 🎉🎊

Anything FMA or MDSZ please?

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Lan Wangji senses a wave of resentful energy more powerful than anything he's felt since the war, since Wei Ying.

"What is that?" Jingyi demands while Sizhui's face scrunches up.

Their sensitivity is above average, but it doesn't even have to be for them to have noticed that. "This way," he says.

"What about Lady Xuanyu?" Sizhui asks anxiously.

Sizhui knows better than to question him in the middle of combat situations, but they're not in one quite yet, and he's worried. He'll let this one slide. "If she's near that, we should get there as quickly as possible. If she's not, it is our responsibility to handle this until your uncle and the others arrive."

He hopes she's not there. She's a decent enough fighter, far better than he expected her to be after see her slight, awkward frame for the first time over that breakfast that feels like a lifetime ago. But resentful energy is tricky and dangerous and traditional cultivation doesn't fare well against it.

But if they were anywhere nearby, Song Lan would have felt as duty bound as they do now to go investigate.

He just hopes that Xuanyu was smart enough to stay behind even as he knows that she's too stubborn to do make the smart choice.

~

Stealing the corpses out from under Xue Yang's influence isn't easy, exactly. He's sunk a lot of his own resentful energy into them and he's fairly talented, as far as demonic cultivators go.

However, Wei Wuxian isn't just talented in this field.

He invented it.

This flute isn't Chengqing but it his energy flows through it cleanly and easily, the amount he's able to easily manipulate with a golden core so much more than anything he'd been able to handle without one.

Xue Yang doesn't stand a chance.

His corpses abruptly coming out his grip is more than distracting enough for A-Qing to lead Xiao Xingchen far enough away for Song Lan to swoop down, toss each of them over one of his shoulders, and step back onto his sword and away. It's an impressive display of balance, if nothing else.

"What's this?" Xue Yang demands, that crazy glint in his eyes just the same as it was when Wei Wuxian saw him last. "What's a pretty little Lady Lan doing all the way out here with this type of skill? What a naughty girl."

Blech.

"Why are you talking like that?" he demands, unsheathing Pengyou. Sometimes he thinks about the fact that Mo Xuanyu named her sword friend and feels so desperately sad for her that it makes his eyes burn. "Just be normal."

Xue Yang cackles, wagging his tongue in a way that makes Wei Wuxian genuinely uncomfortable, and he makes the first move just to make it stop.

Xue Yang is a good swordsman.

Wei Wuxian is better.

He's not as strong as he used to be, but he pads every one of his blow with the resentful energy he's pulling from the fierce corpses, eventually using Xue Yang's own energy against him.

He's got several slices across his legs and one curving over his hip from blows he couldn't quite avoid, plus a step wound through the shoulder that he's lucky didn't go all the way through, to say nothing of all the bruises from the several times he and Xue Yang have bodily thrown the other into a building.

Wei Wuxian is starting to slow and tire, seriously considering if he's going to have to use demonic cultivation to kill him, which will be significantly easier to do and significantly harder to explain, when Song Lan flies down to join them and shouts, "Xuanyu!"

"You," Xue Yang hisses, eyes alight with fury.

Wei Wuxian uses the moment of distraction to shove Pengyou through Xue Yang's chest, breaking through the bone of his sternum and piercing his heart.

His eyes bug out and his mouth opens in a silent scream. before his body slumps and he slides off his sword and thumps onto the ground.

There's a eerily, echoing thump as all the fierce corpses that had been standing around watching them fall to the ground, now nothing more than dead bodies. Xue Yang hadn't been talented enough to give them a consciousness that would outlast his own and Wei Wuxian has no use for an army himself.

"I told you to stay with A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen!" he says to Song Lan, wiping his sword clean on Xue Yang's body.

Song Lan is staring at him. "I was worried about you. Unnecessarily, I see."

Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes and cut off from responding by shouts of, "Lady Xuanyu!"

"Oh, shit," he says, shielding his eyes as he looks up. Lan Zhan, Sizhui, and Jingyi are rapidly descending towards them.

He waves back, hurriedly resheathing his sword. He shouts, "We found Xiao Xingechen! And Song Lan killed Xue Yang!"

"What?" Song Lan blinks.

Wei Wuxian steps close enough to step on his foot, the motion hopefully hidden by their robes.

"Um, right," he says, shooting him a look that Wei Wuxian refuses to acknowledge.

Damn. He'd thought that Lan Zhan might over react and go looking for him, but he hadn't expected him to find them.

[mysteriouslyjovialcolor]

United States 2024

-Thought Lewis would start from the pit lane (to change his setup) but I guess George is?

-“COTA: Constant Outstanding Track Action” (haha how do they come up with these things)

-“I get the feeling that the Scuderia are pretty confident this afternoon” I hope so

-“You’re on your own now” Hello? Taylor Swift?

-Having both Ferraris in a row behind you seems frightening

-WHAT WAS THATTTT

-CHARLESSSS OHMYGODD

(Had to look away for a second at the start and when I looked back a Ferrari was leading and I thought it was Carlos, but it’s Charles????)

-Through goes Leclerc!!!!!!

-Lewis??? Oh no!

-Just remembered that the safety car does in fact exist this season. Welcome back queen.

-“That was just opportunistic for Max”

-I was looking forward to Charles and Max racing! I hope we get it!

-Logan definitely cursed the Williams at his (sort of) home race today- as he should

-Guys I really think cosplaying the McLaren allowed Gasly to mimic their speed as well

-How are we only ten laps in? So much has happened

-Completely forgot to check on how Liam Lawson is doing

-p9, not bad

(Please Daniel come back)

-Carlos: “No power…it’s costing me a lot”

Ferrari: “I know”

I know?? I knowww? Do something about it!

-Go Yuki! Go!

-McLaren to Oscar: “Feedback on Plan A please”

Oscar: “Ambitious”

He has such a way with words

-Unfortunately for Mercedes, I think a good race for them would be just George finishing the race (I mean Lewis is already out, they’re already having a bad day)

-“Found a bit of an issue” Now Red Bull?? Now??

-“What?!” ~George Russell on his 5s penalty.

-So valid

-“Total joke George, with the penalty, total joke”

-Don’t know if I’ve mentioned, but I’m so grateful for radio subtitles.

-No hate to Liam but I will hate if he puts Nico out of the points

-“Hopefully he (Perez) can hunt down Piastri and Norris” Now that’s ambitious

-Did the Haas get new strategists? Did they successfully pull off an undercut?

-Woah, Yuki and Nico!

-“If Gasly gets enough points, Alpine can overtake Williams in the constructors” Yes let’s do that

-“Clever strategy down at Haas” omg

-Now that’s a rookie Fernando Alonso won’t have issues with- let’s go Franco!

-“Don’t leave me out for too long, I don’t want to be under pressure” Ferrari please pull through

-Alex Albon: always bringing the excitement to the midfield

-“It hasn’t gone right for Pierre Gasly in this second stint” Oh well, you can only cosplay someone for so long

-“I don’t know what that means” haha Carlos

-“Germany situation” McLaren pit wall, just saying anything

-Please let me have Charles and Max racing

-I’m asking for a miracle

-So many 5s penalties today

-Well there go my dreams for a Max vs Charles

-“It does look like the Ferraris have got it covered up front” at least that’s going well

-NO KEVIN!

-Okay that wasn’t too bad. I thought he was retiring

-“Couple of feisty drivers here” Yes, Kevin and Franco. Do your thing!

-Franco really is so impressive

-Yellow flag? Yuki?

<interlude cause for the next few minutes all I could hear was my own heartbeat>

-The driving that both Max and Lando have shown today????

-Screaming, crying, throwing up

-HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLES LECLERC

-He wins in Monza! He wins in Austin! (Both from p4!)

(Holy shit post race Sainz)

-Funny how the last USGP I watched was also a Ferrari win

-Ferrari wins are always so special. Everyone is so happy; i.e I’m so happy

-🎉🎉🎉

-George actually had a not so bad race himself

-And yay on Haas points!

[luffyvace]

Aizawa crush headcanons

”aizawa crush headcanons, but like make him realize he’s in love with you at the end, so that like, he can do something about it or he can’t ignore it”

asked by a good friend of mine irl. she didn’t mention gender so i’m going with afab since i haven’t written for that yet ♡

(ps i’m not going to mention what type of person he would like unless you req that i want to keep this as neutral as possible)

aizawa having a crush on you means finding cats to take care of together

it means warm, comfortable, solidarity silence

he would still be himself around you for sure, he would want you to like him for who he is

changing himself is too much effort. if you don’t like him back he’ll have to move on whether it hurts or not

people still need teaching and saving after all and the world isn’t going to stop just for him

being a realist he’s aware of that

but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to clean up if you go out somewhere together (prior to dating, first impressions are everything)

he wouldn’t be afraid to tell you like it is if you ask for his opinion,

in his eyes sugarcoating things aren’t going to help you

but he wouldn’t necessarily be as harsh on you as he is on his students or mic

to woo you he wouldn’t really do anything above and beyond

he acknowledges that he likes you but he doesn’t want to waste time if his crush on you doesn’t blossom into something bigger

so instead of going all out he relies on things like little compliments, little favors and quality time

examples;

”you don’t look half bad today l/n”

”not too shabby, i guess” *combs hand through hair* (yeah that’s another thing, he’ll do little gestures to sway you but we’ll dabble into that more later)

”you smell fresh, that’s a nice aroma”

for little favors……

you: “ahh crap i left my keys in my car”

him: *magically knows a way to open locked out cars* you: *clearly having a rough day* him: *opens a window for you to vent* you: “awww man the last of ____ is sold out!”

him: “hmm..well, i’ll keep an eye out for when it’s back in stock” *the very next day* “oh yeah turns out i already had one i just forgot, here you can have it”

im not lying he actually did have one and forgot

as far as quality time:

inviting each other over for movie nights (he always falls alseep so you get most of the popcorn- 🎉 unless it’s his favorite movie- then he stays up eyes red and all, while sucking nothing out of an empty juicy box)

although movie night only happens when your closer friends though- he keeps his friend circle small because anyone could betray him and he doesn’t like people (he doesn’t hate them either he just stays to himself)

quality time for him can also be texting and checking up on each other

it doesn’t always have to be physical for him to feel appreciated

if YOU want to sway HIM though

get him a cat

self explanatory

but you can also listen to him when he talks, shoulder massages (only when your real close tho), give it to him straight.. definitely don’t be phony…and yeah!

pretty much be yourself

if he doesn’t fall for you himself there’s no way to convince him to

and if he falls for you it’s not for any facade you put on

its for your real true self

your personality.

he accepts your flaws and who you are but he will talk to you about bettering yourself a few times if they’re really bad and habitual (which he’s perfect if you have low self esteem because he’ll help you realize you might be overthinking and underestimating yourself, bringing you back to reality like the realist he is)

he’s not necessarily judgmental though

i feel like the part of him that’s not afraid to tell it like it is, is being misunderstood as him being judgmental

anyway that’s for when he has a crush on you

now its time for love

😍

okay so what (for), when, where and why right?

(“what about who? 🤓☝️“ YOU, FOOL!)

so what (for):

i dabbled in this okay? he loves your personality

for your flaws, your strengths, your weaknesses, your IQ (high or low), your fears

he loves everything about you

when?:

probably when you guys are pretty close

not him and mic close

but y’all have been friends for some time now

i say a couple of months

he doesn’t fall fast

maybe first though, if you an oblivious typa person

where (does he realize);

he was probably sitting on his couch after dinner, waiting for his shower to get hot, snug as a bug in his sleeping bag, drinkin a juicy box.

see the vision?

okay

so he was thinkin n thinkin n thinkin…

about you.

wait.

about you

why was he thinking so much about you.

omg wait..

he just remembered..

your beautiful smile (don’t care if it’s crooked, missing teeth, over/underbite- it’s GOREGEOUS)

your beautiful hair

your beautiful eyes

your personality

he realized he was thinking about you so much because…

he loves you

sits there head empty for a hot minute…

then falls asleep..

(rip water bill- shower still running)

why?:

wym why he fell in love? your YOU!!

your amazing even if he doesn’t say it all the time

or even if you don’t think it

even if no else thinks it!

someone does!

him!

he’s not the type of person to romanticize the person he loves

but he does accept you!

but as i said he loves you most for personality!

purely, truly—you

now let’s dabble back into the little gestures he’ll do to sway you once he realizes he loves you

for one like i said he’ll comb his hair in his fingers

and if he sees you find that attractive he’ll do it a little more around you

now keep in mind

your special

he doesn’t go around doing things like that for just anyone

no matter how small the change if it’s not beneficial he won’t do it

but this is beneficial

because he’s trying to court you ;)

he loves you, and he wants you to love him back now :)

but anyways

back on topic

he’ll also shrink his personal bubble around you

so now you can;

stand a little closer than normal

brush your fingers together

have your arms side by side

touch knees together when sitting

lay your head in his lap during movie night and he won’t say anything

(he wouldn’t pet your head but he’s not going to move you either)

rest your head on his shoulder as he does stuff/work (usually in private like when he’s planning his lessons on weekends)

speaking of that you can now come over unannounced and he’ll be glad to see you, ask you about your day, etc

back on topic to gestures he does,

his favors can get more personal,

like if you need to run errands but aren’t feeling well he’ll go shopping for you

(although i will say he doesn’t like shopping and has no idea what brands of products you normally buy he’ll do it to help you out)

he’ll also feel comfortable putting his arm on your shoulder (not around, on)

the gestures aren’t a lot because he isn’t the most cuddly guy (in my realistic headcanons)

but they mean something to you

AN: i tried to write canon aizawa more than fanon because it’s better that way to me but if anyone wants a little more cuddly/fanon aizawa i’d be happy to give it to them

i’m really happy with the way this turned out so i hope everyone can enjoy as well

ps: if you want specifically how he asks you out id love to do that (i might do it anyways 😋)

[luluwantstosleep]

“Agoraphobia” (1/5)

Micheal Gavey x Reader (y/n)

okayyyy, soooo i love micheal so much that i just had to write something to get this obsession out of my system. I’ve created this new blog for work related to Ewan centred fics as i can’t really post this on my main lmaoooooo. This will hopefully be one part of about five, a nice shorter story i hope. I don’t know that much about oxford but i have a few friends there who answered some of my odd questions without asking too many questions of their own. Might write part two tommrow on my long train ride as the production i’m on have put me in first class which means i get to sit alone 😈🎉🎉

You collapsed onto your bed with an exhausted sigh, knowing it had only just begun. Boxed possessions surrounded you in your new dorm room. The place smelt old but in a good way, like museums sometimes did, Despite not being able to stamp your own individuality on the place yet: it felt cozy.

Disbelief was the only suitable word for how you felt, disbelief that you were a student at oxford, about to study art history. Even if some people back home thought it was a waste of a degree, you were buzzing. There was something that you weren’t too thrilled about though, which was the whole freshers thing. You were not much of a partier or a drinker, you’d rather be spending your hours calm, exploring the buildings and reading in the libraries you had always dreamed about.

Dreading the mammoth task of unpacking, you laid on the bed massaging your temples and feeling your body go limper and limper.

*knock, knock*

You questioned if you had heard right at first. Did someone knock at the door? maybe it was a hallucination, a result of the nauseating headache all of the stress had brought. Alas the shadows underneath the door showed two feet stood outside. Nope, ugh, someone had definitely knocked.

Groaning, you slowly stood up; not too quick. Perhaps your mother had second thoughts about leaving you and she had already returned?

The heavy doorhandle clicked as you pushed it down and pulled the door open.

Upon its opening, a tall boy with dark golden hair, blue eyes and silver wire glasses stared back at you. He gave you an unsure but sweet smile as he stared.

“Hi, I’m micheal” He told you as he offered a hand for you to shake. You obliged in your almost woozy state of exhaustion.

“hey” you mumbled back, still wondering why he was at your door

“I think we are neighbours” Micheal stated sensing your bewilderment “w-well we are neighbours, I live there” He pointed to the door across the corridor, smiling hopefully at you.

Enthusiastic, He continued on talking before you had time to respond. “I do maths. and you were the first to move in…. well, after me; Obviously”

Unfortunately although you felt bad, you could do little but muster a few mhms and nods here and there. Even though you liked him and maybe even found him a little attractive, your lack of energy had other plans.

Micheal didn’t seem discouraged though, his persistence impressed you “I hope we can be friends, unfortunately i’ve already met some right cunts” he rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling, he was sweet “Im gonna go to the pub later, you should join me”

Micheal said the last part as more of a statement than a question and at any other time you would have gladly agreed, and been exited that someone wanted to spend time with you; even if it was because you were his only option. Finding yourself incredibly fatigued, you felt bad for using tiredness as an excuse. Rather stupidly you blurted the first thing that came into your head.

“I’m agoraphobic” The words left you, barely even a sentence, more a jumble.

Micheal seemed confused

You sighed “I can’t, I’m sorry, I’m um agoraphobic so i don’t leave’

You nodded as if to seal your statement, this was torture because you knew how bad of a liar you were. Why on earth did you say that?, god you wished the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

It seemed almost as if micheal looked a bit sad, you immediately felt guilt after he had been so perfectly kind to you

“Oh” The air fell still for a second then Micheal looked down at the floor, finding words “Well I guess i’ll see you around then. Or, or not, of course. Because i guess you don’t go out then.”

It fell silent once again “Nice to meet you” Micheal then disappeared into his room, the door clicking shut before you could even answer him.

Great. Not only did you lose out on making a friend but now you’d have to orchestrate the next three years trying not to bump into him whilst leaving, or he’d know you were lying.

You had been at oxford for two months now. There was good and bad, it was hard to get used to but you found yourself falling into routines and comfort. Friends weren’t something that came naturally to you but you had managed to make yourself one good friend, Izzy, and even though sometimes your lack of a social life made you feel like a failure, you were for the most part; content.

The last lecture of the day had finished twenty minutes early this particular Friday, and you were glad. Even though you loved your course, your most recent study of modernism for a particular unit bored you greatly.

Clumsily, you fiddled with your keys in your frozen hands. Why on earth did you have so many stupid keychains when you only had one key?, you cursed yourself.

Aha, you managed to slip the key into its lock, hearing the dull thud of the mechanism before the door swung open. you heaved your heavy bag and tossed it into the room.

Content, you turned around to close the door behind you. You were startled as you looked up to catch two wide blue eyes looking back.

Fuck, it was your neighbour, the one you lied to about being agoraphobic.

“Micheal!” You gasped, shocked

He stood there, also having returned from his lesson early. You usually left ten minutes late after yours to make sure you wouldn’t bump into anyone. Wheels began turning visibly in his brain, he looked at you, it was clear to him as you stood there wrapped up in your winter clothing that you’d definitely been outside, not to mention he’d just watched you fiddle with your keys, oblivious to him being there.

“Sorry” was the next word that escaped your lips. The facade had fallen

The poor boy looked very confused. You shut your door so that it was just the two of you in the corridor.

“Everything I said the first day was,” pausing, you sighed “it was a lie.”

His brows met, knitted together in further blind confusion “Why would you lie about that?”

Oh god, you felt so bad “I.. I” You shrugged in a big motion with your hands “I don’t know. I was tired, I think a-and. I wanted an excuse to stay inside that made sense and for some stupid reason that’s what i told you.” You looked towards the floor.

You imagined he must think you as weird, or mean and this made it all the more worse.

“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? that would have been fine” He asked, you missed the innocent smile he greeted you with when you first met him.

“i know, i know. I was just afraid you would hate me for it but instead i lied and made it a million times worse. It’s ridiculous I know” Great now you had to live next to someone who thought you were a massive lying freak for the rest of your degree. You decided you had to do something, it would be weirder to leave it like this and you wished for Michael not to think that the reason you lied and avoided him was his fault.

“feel free to tell me to shut up and go away but if the offer is still up we could go to the pub together tonight, first round on me to say sorry for being odd?” almost wincing as you asked him this, like prey ready to be devoured, you fully accepted that he would probably deny you and slam his door in your face. It would be deserving.

“Yeah, alright why not” He said

Your gaze that had once been planted firmly on the floor sprung up to look back at him. You were Unsure but you thought could almost see that smile coming back in slight.

“really?” you were filled with hope as your fingertips pressed into the sharp corners of the keys in your hand, trying to quieten your nerves.

Micheal adjusted his glasses then smiled like before and you swear it felt like a ton of weight had been lifted from you instantaneously. “yeah, I’ve not got nothing going on, and it seems as if we are both norman-no mates” He joked “Meet in the corridor at 8.30?”

Giddy, you nodded at him.

“See you later” Micheal turned around to disappear into his room

“see you later” you managed to whisper out before the door clicked shut and he was gone.

Anyone would think you had just received amazing news the way you jumped up and down, probably annoying those on the floor below you. Thank god, you thought, not only had you hopefully avoided what could have been the most awkward living situation ever but maybe you would even make a friend out of this, or more. You wouldn’t lie to yourself, there was something about him you just couldn’t ignore. Unable to deny you were a bit of a sapioseuxal, you wouldn’t close yourself off to thinking about Micheal in more than friendly ways.

I will link ch2 here later

[3rdeyeblaque]

Today we venerate Ancestor & Hoodoo Saint Nat Turner on his 223rd birthday 🎉

King Nat was a Seer, prophet, preacher, & Freedom Fighter who used his intuitive gifts to spearhead one of the greatest slave rebellions in U.S. History; one that would shift the trajectory of Black lives under Maafa for decades to come.

King Nat was born enslaved on the Benjamin Turner plantation in Southampton Co., VA. He was a highly intuitive and gifted child. He could easily recall events that took place in his life as early as 3 or 4 years old. He also foretold of events that occurred before his time. His grandmother was a deeply spiritual elder and nurtured his spiritual development. His mother and many of those enslaved on the Turner plantation knew that he would become a prophet & was surely destined for a higher purpose.

For his "uncommon intelligence ", Nat learned to read & write at a young age at which time he was also indoctrinated into Christianity. His interpretation of the Christian bible convinced him that the Christian God condemned Slavery. This inspired him to become a preacher.

By age 21, King Nat was a prolific Seer & was known as, "The Prophet". Nat received many visions & Divine messages over the course of his life. Much of which guided him to avenge slavery & free our peoples from bondage. He had a series of 3 visions that would set him on course to fulfilling his highest purpose, thus forever impressing his name upon in U.S. history.

The 1st vision came as he was following in his father's footsteps, fleeing the plantation. To everyone's astonishment he returned of his own volition after spending 30 days in the woods because, “the Spirit appeared to [him] and said [he] had [his] wishes directed to the things of this world, and not to the kingdom of heaven, and that [he] should return to the service of [his] earthly master.” One year later, the devil died.

On May 12, 1828, Nat he received a 2nd vision, as he witnessed a solar eclipse. He “heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first.” This, he believed to be the sign he had been promised.

On, August 13th 1831, Spirit delivered a 3rd message; in the form of lights across the night sky. At which time, an atmospheric disturbance across the sky in the aftermath of an eruption at Mount St. Helen's (3,000 mi away) caused the Sun to appear bluish-green in color. Nat prayed to learn their meaning. For Nat, this reaffirmed the work that he'd been called to do; to move forward with his mission to avenge Slavery & free those he could. From then on his plans were set into motion.

At 2am on August 22nd, King Nat led his peers & allies into rebellion. They struck their slaver's household first; slaughtering the entire family. From there they went from house to house, killing every single devil in their path. By noon, they marched toward the neighboring town of Jerusalem where a White militia of 3,000 men lie in wait for them.

Most of the rebels were either captured or killed - except for Nat. He managed to escape & eluded Virginian authorities for 2mo. He hid in the woods just miles from his former slaver's plantation. He was discovered on October 30th by an armed farmer who stumbled across him hiding in a foxhole. Emaciated and weak, he surrendered willingly. After his arrest, Turner was taken back to Jerusalem where he stood trial & was convicted, then sentenced to death by hanging. Nat was killed on November 11th.

To our deepest disdain & no suprise, he was denied a formal burial. Instead, his body was taken to doctors for dissection, to be distributed among affluent White families. He was skinned to make their purses. His flesh was turned into grease. And his bones were divided up into trophies. These became heirloom souvenirs to be passereceive among these affluent White families for generations.

Although King Nat did not end slavery as he had hoped, he & his allies avenged those who wronged them, and they did, ultimately, achieve their freedom from this world. Nat became immortalized as a symbol; of warrior strength (for us) & a catalyst of White fear. King Nat single-handedly shook the institution of Slavert at its core. So much that it stretched the divide between Pro-Slavers & Abolitionists. Pro-slavery advocates began calling for greater restrictions on "Freefolk" & demanded that Abolitionists cease their interference with Slavery. In Virginia, politicians saw Nat's intelligence & education as a major threat, thus outlawing the practice of teaching enslaved Peoples how to read or write. Abolitionists' efforts to end Slavery only intensified. This set the stage in U.S politics for the Civil War.

"I had a vision - and I saw white spirits and black spirits engaged in battle, and the sun was darkened - the thunder rolled in the Heavens, and blood flowed in streams - and I heard a voice saying, 'Such is your luck, such are you called to see, and let it come rough or smooth, you must surely bear it." - Nat Turner; "Confessions of Nat Turner".

Let us remember that it was more than bravery, nerve, & standing ten toes down that drove King Nat's rebellion to success. It was, first and foremost, leading with Spirit & trusting in our intuitive/Ancestral gifts.

We pour libations & give him💐 today as we celebrate him for his gifts, Divine trust, bravery, and sacrifice. May we lift him up in prayer & offering in gratitude & lace toward his elevation.

Offering suggestions: prayers toward his healing/elevation, a Methodist bible, libations of water - especially on the battlegrounds of rebellion in Courtland, VA/Benjamin Turner plantation/, read & share his confessions

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[missmyloko]

Hello Justine,

I was able to book an ozashiki experience with Yuzuha 🤯🎉. But as the date grows closer, I’m starting to feel a bit nervous about interacting with her one-on-one (none of my friends are interested in geisha 🥲).

I don’t know how much chatting time there will be, considering it’s 2 hours with Japanese tea and sweets, ozashiki asobi, and a dance performance. But do you have any tips for chatting with maiko/topics to avoid/etiquette to be careful about? I admire Yuzuha so much and the last thing I want is to make a bad impression. Thank you!

Ah, you're very lucky! Just remember that Yuzuha is a young woman, so just ask her things you'd ask a young woman about, like what she's interested in, if she likes Sailor Moon (almost all geimaiko LOVE Sailor Moon lol), and what her favorite dances are. Keep the conversation light and fun and you'll do just fine ^^

[patrophthia]

congrats on 1k girl! 🎉

could i please request charms professor!reader x remus ?

remus comes back to teach at hogwarts and they meet again after having had crushes on each other back in school and reader and severus are kinda friends since they work together and maaaybe remus gets a little sad/jealous :(

but not too sad still super cute sorry if this is too much or doesn't make sense!

omg i haven’t written remus in so long,,, jealous remus has a chokehold over me it’s no good

it’d be an honor | remus lupin

pairing: remus lupin x reader

genre: fluff, meddling weasley twins!!

part of my 1k celebration event !

Remus knows that it's wrong for him to look at you this way, to even dare to think of you in this way when it's been oh so long since it happened.

And though his Hogswart days has long passed, his feelings for you never really did. Especially since he's been seeing you almost every weekend when the Potters get your friend group together for dinner and you'd —without fail— stick to his side the entire night. He knew you reciprocated his feelings then, now though? Maybe not so much.

Remus also knows that you're friends with Severus —has been ever since you've gotten your job as the Charms Professor, and though he understood —through and through— that the two of you were only friends, he can't help but feel his stomach drop whenever you'd smile at Severus a little too bright for his liking.

But he digress, you were only his friends and he has no right to feel jealous over something as ridiculous as this.

"You'll like him, Professor!" A voice insisted, tone nagging as Remus turned around a corner. "He's funny!"

"For the last time Fred," you sighed exasperatedly, catching Remus' eyes as you did so. Remus raise a questioningly brow at you, only for you to shake your head in return. "No."

Remus doesn't mean to pry, but the look on George and Fred's face reminded him too much of his two best friends —both of which were related to the Weasley's might he add! That he had to chirp in. "No to what?"

George grins brightly, "a date! Can you believe her? She's turned down ten very good looking men (They'd asked for Ginny and Hermione's approval before presenting them to you) just for Professor Snape."

"First of all, Snape is a fun person to be around." There's that pit in his stomach again, threatening to swallow him up and spit him back out. "Secondly, he's my friend. And thirdly, if you're this insistent on trying to find me a date then do it sometimes after your OWLs, I don't want you to waste your time on this instead of studying."

The twins laughs loudly, finding it hilarious that you thought they'd study for OWLs —they did end up studying at the end of the year, but they have a few months left and wanted to use it for something more fun. "Do you like Professor Snape, Professor?"

You choke, baffled at the question. "No, what gave you that impression?"

"Well you're quick to defend him," Fred says.

"And you're always with him," George adds.

Then simultaneously: "Excuse us for assuming that you fancied him."

"I don't fancy Severus," you sigh. And Remus tries not to make it obvious just relief he felt by those words. "I'm just not interested in dating right now."

"Hmm," Fred hums thoughtfully, "how about Professor Lupin then?" He's looking over at Remus now, glossing over the second portion of your retort. "Do you fancy him?"

"He's my friend, Fred."

"That wasn't his question," George says, smirking. "Bloody hell, you do like him!"

Childish. That's what this conversation was. Still, Remus can't find it in himself to not get excited by the twins next words. "Professor Lupin, are you free this weekend?"

Remus turns to look at you, noting how you're avoiding his eyes as he did so. "No, why?"

"Would you like to go on a date?"

You're peeking at him from below your lashes and he pretends not to know that you're doing so by glancing between the twins instead.

"With?"

"Oh but with this lovely, Professor. Of course!" Fred says dramatically, making jazz hands on your left side while George did the same from your right. "What do you say, sir?"

"It’d be an honor.”

[mushyfart]

I just read the french adaption of the original lovecraft reanimator story and in celebration I drew their/lovecraft's version of him😋😋🎉🎉

bonus: some horribly translated pictures from the comic that I liked:

"West will collapse. For long months, he had dared such events. In some sort, he was waiting for them.. There are still, a few years ago, I could have had a compassionate gesture, but at that moment, I was totally incapable of it."

______________________

(FIRST PANEL) "Herbert spent most of his life in Boston. The West family lived in a modest apartment, in which the father had built an office where he received his patients."

(SECOND PANEL) "Pragmatic, he chose to care for the sick, rather than treat the illness (/rid it from their body)."

(THIRD PANEL) "Herbert's grandfather, Luli, had devoted his life to research. He lighted all his life against poliomyelitis, in search of a serum, or a vaccine.. I don't know anymore (/any more?)."

(FOURTH PANEL) "In vain, he died of it."

(FIFTH PANEL) "Herbert only knew him through what his father said. His words were impressed with deep respect. He was before, fully aware of the capital importance of their respectful choices. Very early, Herbert knew that, he too, would become a doctor."

(SIXTH PANEL) "He was then attentive to what was going on in his father's office... who encouraged him in this path as much as he could."

_______________________

(FIRST PANEL) "In any case, until that October evening when a fire ravaged the immelibile."

(SECOND PANEL) "Herbert was the only survivor."

(THIRD PANEL) "He then threw himself into studies; he was brilliant. Driven by a thirst for knowledge, he spent more time in libraries than with the aunt who had taken him in providence. As soon as he was able to enroll in medical faculty, he committed his meant inheritance to financing his studies."

______________________

I also really enjoy the panel of West leering at the lit fireplace, completely fixated. I think it very well reflects his memory of the incident and how it still lingers, especially with how it affected him psychologically, and is overall (in my opinion) a very good visual representation of how trauma can effect both the brain, and the general behavior of its victims. (I'm not actually sure if the last panel was a purposeful reference to the incident with his parents' death, but it'd be a very interesting detail if so.)

_______________________

"After the war, circumstances made that we were separated for a few weeks, which I'd taken the advantage of setting up alone in Boston. I live West sporadically (??). I sat that he was no longer the man impermeable to fears and emotions that he was. Line (/like?) some sort of relief overwhelmed me. He was not a cold, inhuman rock, and I was not the fragile, emotional invert. Little by little, I understood that he was living in permanent terror, and in a state of growing depression. The latest events of his military career had left sequelas(?), if not physical, at least mental."

[xxsycamore]

Congrats on many followers! 🥳🎉 You deserve each and every one of them! 💖 For your event, could you please do 🤭 for Clavis (ikepri) 😇

NINNI, SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU HERE, THIS TIME TOO 🥹🥹 Thank you! Hope you enjoy!

[🤭] 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜 '𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚑𝚞𝚝 𝚞𝚙…

CLAVIS:

There hasn't been one instance where Clavis didn't showcase a new creation of his while declaring that this time it's very important and special!, and attendance in the Foreign Affairs Faction office is a must. Why believe him now? Well. Being his lover, you're doomed to sit in the first row every time. But you also happen to love him. Which makes things more bearable.

"Of course, our imaginary enemy would be well-prepared for any and all poisoning attempts. But what if our killing agent is hidden in Rhodolite's specialty? Behold, a brand new species of a Rhodolitian rose - beautiful and twice as deadly. The perfect addition to every fancy-looking last supper. Brought to you by your very own wonderful prince Clavis Lelouch, born out of his love for cookery and mischief."

Okay, this IS a bit impressive, but not without flaws. That much you can conclude by Chev's judgemental gaze. Or is this just what he's been looking like since he set foot in the room?

You stand up from your chair, and everyone takes in a barely noticed breath of hope. You're about to disappoint them, though, because you're only after your own amusement...

To Clavis who welcomes you with open arms, you dodge the offered embrace and insteal shield your mouth with a hand as you whisper in his ear.

There's something so hot about you when you're confident.

Clavis is now broken. And noticeably red-faced.

"Haha. Ahahaha!"

He taps harder against the blackboard littered with his unreadable writing and somehow even more unreadable graphics. Speaking with even more passion than before, you suddenly have a valid reason to worry about the others suggesting you for being the very first test subject of Clavis' deadly creation. Fortunately, as you expected, Clavis cuts his presentation short, seeing the others out but asking you to stay behind so you can tell him more about what you said earlier...

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