#my first time participating in something like this

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Congratulations to TEAM CHEESE for winning the popular vote on the Charcuterie poll!

[cowboylikedean]

#also phone addiction is real its just not recognized as a disorder by the APA just like how certain illnesses are thought to not exist#but are still real. if we follow ur logic anyways i really just care to at least be having the convo but not in this rude way but i'll give#u the benefit of doubt no hard feelings#thanks for participating

So first of all... No, the APA does not recognize smarphone addiction as a disorder. Second of all, the APA doesn't recognize disorders that are not in the DSM, and smartphone addiction is not in the DSM 5TR (our current edition). Third, it's also not recognized as a disorder by the International Classification of Disorders (ICD), either. Fourth, there's literally no diagnostic criteria for "phone addiction," which proves that is, undoubtedly, not a real disorder. No one can be diagnosed with phone addiction, that doesn't exist. Fifth, A LOT of money and time and research has gone into proving it, and other behavior disorders, because treating those would be a lot easier, cheaper, and more stable to the current power structures than treating the systematic problems that lead to these unhealthy and unhelpful behaviors. This is not me invalidating, it's me correcting your unscientific use of language. Thanks for participating.

That said, my response actually wasn't mad or arguing with you, though I see how you got there. When I said "I hate this," I didn't mean "I hate you op" I meant "I hate that this perspective shuts down conversation about structural problems." Because from what I read in this thread, the other poster in this thread was like "lets talk about the social problems going on here instead of how sad it is people are doing this" and then you responded "I don't think we should talk about that, because we all know it's disordered and sad" which shuts down the point the other poster was trying to make, which was "lets talk about how we got here". This is something I've observed often when discussing these kinds of issues and it bothers me that when someone tries to open the door to systemic talk, people shut it down.

over a million likes and everyone in the comments talking about how they’d rather talk to an ai because it meets their emotional needs, this is the new epidemic.

[astrologysaysno]

[Hi, Hello, like 8 people wanted more of what I wrote about Strange Omega Qinghua so I guess I'm delivering on that]

[The Prequel]

To Shang Qinghua, scenting is a useless phenomena.

He understands it theoretically. It's the process in which an item is marked with the pheromones of an individual to indicate an underlying social context.

The problem is, he has no idea what it's actually like.

Despite his omega status for his secondary gender, he has never actually participated in the process. Being scent blind, the smell of pheromones is something he is unaffected by, and as something that's so key in the use of social interactions, it forces Shang Qinghua to really be able to understand other cues to give a tell on how things work.

For the major characters, he doesn't need a tell. He has wrote them down with painstaking detail, dedicating chapters and paragraphs and enough words that it would make a novel feel like a drabble in comparison. He can see the twitch in Liu Qingge's hand whenever he wants to hunt, the movement Shen Jiu's fan does when he's pissed, and the way Yue Qingyuan's smile becomes a little more lifeless whenever the Qing Jing Peak Lord passes him silently.

For the characters he didn't write, he sometimes fumble. He can't smell them sometimes when they hide their anger but after years of practice, he can tell when they're mad.

It was what made him advantageous when it came to deals. Though he could never tell when a merchant was happy with the deal or not, he would be unable to be intimidated by scent. The scent of particularly aggressive suppliers who uses their scent to pressure their business partners into agreeing to a more lucrative agreement find trouble with Shang Qinghua, he simply sits casually, as if the room that is heavily intoxicated with the scent of danger was only a figment of your imagination.

But scenting itself is an instinct, an instinct that Qinghua does not have. Sure, he can emit pheromones, but it's a rocky attempt at best, and uncontrollable at worst, with the scent of these pheromones coming out at random with no clear way to start or stop. Scenting is an intentional process that relies on a person's innate ability to imbue an object with the smell of them.

It's not like he can smell it anyway.

It's why, despite his Omega status, he has never shared his scent with other omegas. it would be impossible to properly practice normal omegaverse customs without the capabilities to do so.

In my idea of the Omegaverse, people give and mark their scents to each other regularly to indicate their belonging to a pack, whether it be something such as a family, or an organization like Cang Qiong. Many have tried to gift Shang Qinghua these in the form of pillowcases, robes, or accessories.

But ignorant to his own place in the world and the way people feel about him, he takes this as his role on An Ding to be inadvertently assigned as an outer disciple in charge of the laundry; and being charged with the task of becoming the Peak Lord of An Ding by the system, he swallow his pride to take it in stride, washing vigorously and returning them back to the person in pristine and sterile condition.

This has caused strain and even a punch to the face for Qinghua, with him wrongly assuming it was simply his destiny to be mistreated. Of course he's treated like dirt, ut's probably why he became a traitor in the first place. Time passes, and he slowly gets less and less of these gifts and continues his unprecedented distance to the people of his peak.

Maybe it was why it was so easy for the people in the caravan to throw him to the man who would one day be his demise, a sacrifice for a world that values the people of their pack so highly, that seems to place such a significant weight over protecting their own.

(He hears the whispers that pity him, that suspect him, that makes guesses on why he survived, all of which center around his distance. That the demon had came for Cang Qiong specifically and his detachment gave him an out to lie about his allegiance and pass himself off as a bystander who was just unfortunate enough to be there. He seems pitiful enough, why not let him live.)

Maybe it's also why Mobei-jun has such a hard time trusting him for so long. You would assume from a man that said he would dedicate his entire life to you, that he would give everything to be your servant, he would be unashamed in being part of your pack. That he would show a visible attempt at indicating that. Pride for your pack is important in such a territorial world.

He's grated that his subordinate seemingly refuses to show his loyalty by keeping his scent, that whatever he has marked will be scrubbed into sterility.

(Shang Qinghua was once asked by his fellow disciple what that scent was, and it clicked pretty fast that Mobei-jun was marking his things. He stays up late and scrubs and replaces everything regularly, praying that the system gives him a hand if it wants the plot to stay on course.)

[brittle-doughie]

The Deal with Ancients V2 (Golden Cheese/White Lily Cookie)

About time I wrapped up the original post with these two. I tried dabbling some of the main story here too.

Golden Cheese Cookie

You, who reigns from the throne of gold. Blessed to bask in opulence and splendor.

Golden one, your coffers gold riches unparalleled. Does your insatiable greed match the infiniteness of your life?

A choice is awaiting you…

———————————————————————

You had set out on a journey with the Brave gang alongside Adventurer and Black Raisin Cookie on a mission to find the Golden Cheese Kingdom and deliver the letter he wrote for her. It was proving to be difficult with little map direction and the desert sun making long travel even more challenging. After many tribulations and running into a fairly enthusiastic archeologist, Olive Cookie, you had finally managed to reach the gates, where a gatekeeper was waiting.

He called himself Burnt Cheese Cookie, the keeper of the gates. In order to make it through, he asks that you complete a set of trials ranging from fighting monsters to weighing your souls on the scale. He found your soul to be the brightest among the group’s, a common thing you keep hearing about oddly…

Black Raisin Cookie was protective of you throughout your trek across the Golden City, supercar cookies wanting to take you out to on a night on the town with riches and crystals they want to shower you in to Marzipan Cookies getting too close for comfort when monitoring your group.

It wouldn’t be until the colosseum fight that you captured Golden Cheese Cookie’s interest. You and the group decided to fight the monsters to capture her attention, doing what you do best to bring them down one by one, making the cookies that had bet on you very wealthy. Taken to a cell, the Marzipan Cookies were suddenly given a change of orders. They were to take YOU to Golden Cheese Cookie’s throne room, much to the protests of your group. Black Raisin Cookie constantly demanding on wanting to know where they were taking you! The group would break out and make their way to the throne room, only to see you sitting on her throne’s armrest, lavished in gold!

Golden Cheese Cookie: “Do you like what I’ve done with them? It was only fitting that something as shining as them gets trinkets that equal in value! They simply enjoyed basking in my golden glory. Until now, I had only seen them as yet another one of you outlanders. But having a closer look at them, I can see that they’re worth much and more!”

Black Raisin couldn’t understand the words that were coming from Golden Cheese Cookie. First, she won’t participate in the fight against Dark Enchantress Cookie and now she wanted to hold onto you as if you were a trinket?! She wanted to hold in her frustration as Golden Cheese Cookie whisked you away with her to the Cheese Fondue Springs. She didn’t want you to do anything that would ruin your own radiance, but you weren’t just going to standby and let your friends handle the errors themselves!

To Golden Cheese’s surprise, you abandoned the glamour you wore on your body and helped Brave and the gang fight off the errors all around the city. A mental conflict spurs on within the gleaming goddess, you were going to ruin your crispy dough fighting all over the place light that! Yet, you shined all the same even during the heat of battle, was..was she going about your value all wrong? She stopped protesting your involvement with dealing with errors overtime, content with watching you fight and share in victory with your friends, Black Raisin Cookie was particularly glad to see that you didn’t let all that gold cloud you.

The cheese restaurant would be where Golden Cheese Cookie wanted to express her changed feelings. After having spent time with you and seeing you fight those errors earlier, she saw now that you were worth more than gold.

You: “What do you mean, Golden Cheese Cookie?”

Golden Cheese Cookie: “I see it now that you’re worth more than any amount of gold I can have, Y/N Cookie.”

You: “Oh! That’s…pretty high praise coming from a greedy goddess like you!”

Golden Cheese Cookie: “Ha ha! I know! Rather odd, isn’t it? It would be a waste to send you away once you’ve wrapped up your business here. I wish to bestow upon you and your friends a chance to become denizens in my Golden Kingdom! It will allow me to appreciate your true value as a dear friend! You can even bring your family here if you like!”

Y/N Cookie: “But…I already have a home and that’s the Cookie Kingdom! My cookies need me there, Golden Cheese Cookie.”

Golden Cheese Cookie: “The city would be even more perfect than before with you in it! Your greed may be great, but mine is greedier! You’ve already caused quite a ruckus amongst my cookies, I strongly suggest that you think it over!”

The moment would soon be interrupted when Smoked Cheese Cookie attacked, spilling the revelation to the people of the Golden Cheese Kingdom and robbing Golden Cheese Cookie of her soul jam! He couldn’t control the power and everyone falls into the Golden Cheese Temple Dungeons. Her citizens watch as Golden Cheese Cookie fought off the monsters from the sarcophagus, murmuring conflicting feelings amidst themselves.

Black Raisin shared a time similar to the situation and propose the solution to let the Golden City go. Golden Cheese Cookie refused, believing that everything can be fixed and go back to normal, but even you knew that it was an only a temporary solution. Everyone in the group provided their own solutions. Wizard will track down scholar he could, Olive would not publish anything to keep the kingdom a secret and Adventurer would spread rumors to keep explorers away.

Golden Cheese Cookie: “Cookies…”

You: “Golden Cheese Cookie, I and everyone’s greed here would be to help you restore your kingdom again. If we work together, our combined greediness will see your kingdom revived and your citizens return! I promise that whatever you desire, me and the others will do our best to help.”

Golden Cheese Cookie: “Y/N Cookie….my desire was to build a happy and flourishing kingdom without hardships, seeing my followers living happily and freely in my kingdom!”

Her words enter your mind when it was all over, seeing her citizens fade away. You will admit, a few tears were shed especially when the denizens specifically bid you and the group farewell. You weren’t going to give up on them, no matter what.

Golden Cheese Cookie: “I’ve always had a feeling about you, Y/N Cookie. After all this, I’m glad to have that feeling reinforced.”

You: “Hm? What do you mea-HUH!”

Golden Cheese Cookie suddenly brought you into a squeeze!

Golden Cheese Cookie: “That you mean so much to me, ha ha! At first, it was to see you shine just like my gold! I see now that you are much better than that! The Goddess of the Golden Cheese Kingdom shall join you! Let us fight together!”

C-could she let go first?!

White Lily Cookie

Listen to my voice, White Lily Cookie needs your help once again. She must wake up…

So that she may hear my voice once more..

Pure Vanilla Cookie…

Pure Vanilla Cookie!

———————————————————————

You shake your head, there was that voice again in his dreams. It was getting more common as you trekked with Pure Vanilla and the Gingerbrave group towards Beast-Yeast. Seeing you shake your head and clutching it at the land of Beast-Yeast growing closer, Pure Vanilla wanted to ensure that you were alright, he should be more worried for you then his dreams. You were nervous in his eyes about going here, but that was just because this was new territory for you, you’ll get used to this land eventually..right after this crash landing of the airship. That wasn’t going to be cheap to fix…

Following the path lead you all to some Light of Freedom fragments, and with that came memories of White Lily Cookie long ago in this land. Yeast spores, wanting to see the truth of how Cookies came be. If only she knew what such curiosity would lead her to doing. This other dream, White Lily helping Silverbell Cookie, a Faerie Cookie…and this Elder Faerie. Just who were these cookies?

Silverbell Cookie: “Who goes there! Outlanders, how did you find this place! What business do you have in Faeriewood?”

You: “Woah, hold on there! We mean no harm, we simply want to explore Beast-Yeast in pursuit of what Dark Enchantress Cookie is up to!

Silverbell Cookie: “H-huh? Was that…No! Shallow excuses hold no sway here! You are not welcome in our land!”

Wizard Cookie: “Well, we tried…”

You: “Hang on, Silverbell Cookie. What about White Lily Cookie? Did you let her into your kingdom a long time ago?”

Silverbell Cookie: “Y-you know my name and White Lily Cookie? Hold on, are you the friends of White Lily Cookie?”

It would be where you’d find yourself in the Faerie Kingdom after Silverbell Cookie led the way and with that, came White Lily Cookie resting in her bed, she..looked exactly as she was back in Crispia. As Pure Vanilla heads for the bed, you stop yourself. She’s known Pure Vanilla Cookie before all this, yet you’ve only met her through illusions and shadows. But…your interactions with her felt real, she had to recognize you!

Elder Faerie stood before you all, he saw you all as cookies who bear the fate of the Dessert World before him. He took note of you as a cookie who can bring together cookies and civilizations with a bright heart and an even brighter soul….something he hasn’t seen in a long time..and something he fears that the Five Beast Cookies will want to have for themselves.

These Beast Cookies…they haven’t sound like anything you’ve encountered before, it’s felt like a chill was creeping up your spine. As if he sensed your worry, Elder Faerie reassured you that your friends, along with himself, will make sure that the Beast Cookies cannot rise up again by keeping that seal contained, which only fueled the need to find the memory shards for White Lily Cookie.

You: “I know what you’re planning, Elder Faerie Cookie. You’re important too, would any Cookie’s life powder suffice? What if…I could-“

Pure Vanilla Cookie: “Y/N Cookie, no!”

Gingerbrave: We aren’t letting you do that, Y/N Cookie!”

Elder Faerie Cookie: “Your friends are right, Y/N Cookie. I would have to agree as well, you’re important to others for them to see you give up your life. You’re important to her as well…”

You: “Elder Faerie Cookie…”

It was tough seeing Elder Faerie Cookie give up a majority of his life powder, but you saw movement within White Lily Cookie. Her eyes slowly open as she sits up from the bed.

White Lily Cookie: “Where…? Ah!”

Silverbell Cookie: “White Lily Cookie!”

You: “White Lily Cookie, are you alright?”

White Lily Cookie looked at her hands for a moment before slowly turning to look at you.

White Lily Cookie: “Y-Y/N Cookie….?

You: “You recognize me…?”

White Lily Cookie: “I-It’s you!”

She quickly went to hold you close, gripping your back tightly as she held you, wanting to take comfort that she could actually touch you now whereas she was unable to before.

White Lily wasn’t in high spirits for long, feeling like it was all her fault for causing Dark Enchantress Cookie to exist in this world, wanting time alone. You didn’t believe in that, you felt like she needed someone to talk to, the others agreed and suggested that you go to her, White Lily needed your company. You agreed after some hesitation, you decided to give it a go.

You felt like you’ve gotten a little closer with her after the talk, White Lily thought so too! You did ponder on if you would’ve really made an impact on her, that..she could’ve gone a different path if you were around.

But you had little time to hang onto that thought, for you and everyone had a visitor….

“Oooooooh! I see that those pesky little vine shackles that have held us captive for oh so, so, SO long are GONE! Eh heh…he he he he HE HE HE HE HE HE!”

It begins…

[8-evil-annoying-catboys]

like, im not against the idea of assisted suicide in certain cases, because i believe that bodily autonomy extends to the right to have an option to choose when (sort of), where, and how you die and the right to die with dignity… but i think we have a lot of societal improvements to get done first before it’s fair to allow assisted suicide to anyone who isn’t, like, literally already terminally ill/dying either way.

and i agree that stuff that maybe theory sort of glosses over sometimes or refers to only vaguely as third places, like dance classes and clubs and other group activities, should be part of that. for example: in my city, there’s this yoga studio that runs primarily on donations, and while there is a minimum required donation to take classes inside the studio, they also have permits from the city to hold an outdoor class at this park that overlooks the sea, and that’s open to everyone even if you can’t donate a single coin. it’s close enough to be accessible to me, free, and it happens daily, so i started going like a month or two ago, attending at least one class every week but on my best week i went to 4 classes, and it’s been incredibly helpful. i haven’t even, like, made friends there or anything, not yet, i’m very shy so i just kinda go, participate, then go home—sometimes i hang out after class but i mostly keep to myself.

even so, having this genuine third place, regular gatherings where i exercise in a large group, has helped me SO MUCH. i’m very prone to depression and this year sucked for me and made me even more depressed than usual, and this past month has been so hard, but i haven’t sunk nearly as far as i usually would and i have to partially attribute that to my regular attendance of this free class. about 3 times a week, i get up before noon, leave the house, and go work out, outside, in a big ass group of people who are all doing the same thing and mostly live in the same city as me, and i don’t have to spend money to do it.

before i moved to this city, there was nothing like this near me. i won’t pretend i can know what i would be like if there was, but i would definitely be different, and probably less scared of Everyone On Earth. i would probably exercise more and go outside more, take more walks. everyone should have access to something like this, even if it doesn’t involve exercise or being outside, just doing the same thing with a similar group of people around the same time(s) each week and leaving the house to do it.

gonna’ be honest. fighting for assisted suicide for mentally ill people before fighting for something like free and widely available dance classes … community centers … free transportation… expanded meals on wheels… etc. is the kind of praxis that accurately shows you just want mentally ill people fucking dead. there’s nothing liberating about it. it’s convincing disabled people that they should act on their illness and simply rid the world of the burden that is themselves instead of doing literally anything else to help them.

[starlight-sev]

December 1: December Moon (Snape x Reader)

(Part of @deepperplexity’s Rickmas 2024 prompts)

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything, but I really wanted to participate in Rickmas this year!

Writing’s been tough as I have a new (much more demanding) job, but I’ll do my best to get as many prompts out there this month as I can.

Gender neutral reader as always for this one. It’s platonic too. Enjoy, and happy December!

The first hour of the Yule Ball had been fun, but now the novelty was starting to wear off.

The glamour and elegance that welcomed you when you first walked into the Great Hall was now gone; napkins littered the floor, chairs were haphazardly strewn here and there from students rushing to dance in excitement, and the music had changed to ear-blasting rock.

On any other day, you would’ve loved it. But sitting here at the teacher’s table, in shoes too narrow and a fancy outfit that was beginning to itch, you just felt like crawling out of your own skin.

You were technically still on supervision duty — Dumbledore had scheduled all the teachers in one hour shifts to ensure there were chaperones at all times. Casting a glance at the silver clock on the wall, your heart sunk as you realized you still had another 45 minutes before you could retreat back into the comfort of your own chambers.

Surely no one would notice if you left for a few moments though, right? If you left your jacket on your chair, you could easily pass off a quick absence as an emergency bathroom break.

You got up out of your chair and rushed out of the Great Hall as quick as you could. You forced yourself not to look back as you turned the corner and headed into a secluded spot in the courtyard.

The winter air was a welcome chill that crept across your skin as you settled down on a step. You could relax for a moment, finally. Even if it were only for a quick smoke break. You thanked Merlin for formalwear with pockets as you snagged a lonely cigarette out of your side pocket, and fumbled around looking for a lighter in the other pocket. You did bring it with you, didn’t you?

“Escaping duty, are we?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin as a quiet, yet deep, voice spoke from behind you. You shot up to your feet quickly and whipped around to see Severus smirking at you.

“Bloody hell, you scared me.” You gasped, taking in his attire. You had to admit, even in all black, he still cleaned up nicely for an event as formal as this. He had on a wool coat, and what looked like a handknitted scarf. Though he wore his usual stoic expression, the way his hands were jammed in his pockets suggested he was just as cold as you were.

“Sorry.” You muttered. “I’ll go back in. Don’t tell Albus.”

To your surprise, Severus scoffed.

“I’m escaping as well, if it weren’t obvious enough. I’ve had enough of that music.”

You laughed at that. “I thought you’d like what they’re playing.”

“Why? Because of what I wear?”

You glanced away, and out of the corner of your eye, you swore Severus smirked at you.

“I didn’t know you smoke.” He observed with a murmur, quirking an eyebrow slightly as he nodded to the cigarette resting between your fingers. You shrugged.

“I usually don’t. I’ve managed to kick the habit for the most part, it’s only in situations like these when I need something to keep me sane.”

You searched your pockets again and swore under your breath. You had forgotten your lighter.

Severus almost seemed to read your mind, and with an unreadable expression, he took out a lighter of his own. You raised your eyebrows.

“You have Muggle parents too?” You asked, somewhat astonished. Most wizards would simply use their wand as a lighter, but something about having a physical object with only one purpose felt comforting to you. Familiar.

Severus nodding in response, rolling his eyes while doing so.

“Yes. My father. You?”

“My dad too.” You replied. You held the cigarette between your lips, and, to your surprise, Severus held the lighter up for you. It was a strangely intimate gesture, and your stomach did a little flip-flop as you locked eyes with him, before lighting your cigarette.

“Thanks,” you mumbled. He just nodded.

“I’d offer you a cigarette,” you continued. “But I only brought one. Sorry. I try to limit myself.”

Severus shrugged, slipping the lighter back into his coat pocket. “I don’t smoke.”

“Then why do you have a lighter?”

There was a thick silence that filled the space between the two of you as Severus pressed his lips together.

“It belonged to my father. I suppose I keep it out of spite.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but you caught the warning in Severus’s eyes as he shifted to gaze at you. You remained quiet, and turned your gaze upwards to the sky instead.

“It’s a nice evening. Full moon tonight.”

“Mm. Indeed.”

You keep your gaze on the moon as you smoke. Neither of you speak for a while, and as you finish your cigarette, you wonder if Severus glided back into the castle as softly as he came. As you finally tore your gaze away from the moon, you caught the shadow out of the corner of your eye.

“Oh. You’re still here.”

Severus smirked a little. “Do you want me to go?”

“No, no!” You mumbled quickly, shaking your head. “It’s not that. I just… didn’t think you liked me enough to stay this long.”

As if to challenge that statement, Severus stepped a little closer to you. “And what exactly brought you to that conclusion?”

You tried to mask the way your breath caught in your throat. “Nothing, I just… I don’t know. Seems you don’t like many people here. Me included.”

“I’m selective with my company.” Severus replied slowly. “The fact that I am still here should prove you wrong, should it not?”

You couldn’t exactly argue with that. You sighed, wrapping your arms tightly around your torso. The cold was starting to hit you.

Severus noticed your feeble attempt to stay warm. Rolling his eyes, he unraveled the scarf from around his neck and draped it around you without a word.

“Oh, no it’s okay-”

“You’re shivering like a damn dog. Take it.”

You go to protest, but the fire in his eyes shuts you up quickly. You give up quickly, and nod your gratitude.

“Thank you. I owe you one.”

“Two, actually. The lighter.”

His face is serious, but you could swear you see a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

“Okay,” you said sarcastically. “What’s your payment then?”

To your surprise, Severus actually considered your question. He cast his eyes back up to the moon and exhaled slowly before gazing at you.

“Tea tomorrow. Say, after the staff meeting?”

This wasn’t at all what you were used to from Severus. Maybe it was alcohol talking. Maybe it was the full moon. Nevertheless, you nodded slowly.

“Deal.”

Severus nodded, the faintest smile on his lips.

“Good. Now go back in there. Or else Minerva will have your head.”

You snickered, shaking your head. To your relief, you felt lighter than when you walked out fifteen minutes earlier.

“Are you coming in too?” You asked Severus as you began walking. He shrugged almost imperceptibly before following you.

“I suppose.”

“There’s still music playing. We could dance together.”

Your suggestion was a joke, but there was a part of you that was silently hoping he’d agree. Instead, Severus laughed and shook his head.

“Absolutely not. But I’ll share a drink with you.”

“Drink and a dance?”

“No. A drink. Two, maybe. But no dancing.”

You grin as the two of you walked back into the Great Hall. You slid into your seat at the teacher’s table, and Severus sat down beside you. You slide him a bottle of Firewhiskey from the middle of the table.

“How about two drinks and we sneak out of here for the night, for good this time?”

Severus smirked as he picked up a glass and held it out to you.

“Deal.”

[visenyaism]

sorry man but i just gotta point out some people (like me) have actual, serious trauma from attending private school- mine manifests as severe ptsd and agoraphobia; my time in private education literally left me disabled. I had no choice in the matter, i did not want to attend that school, but i was raised by awful abusive parents who ignored the absolute hell i was experiencing and my multiple suicide attempts. If you’re gonna post derisive things about private school kids needing to be mocked, please at least tag or something so i can block it bc ngl reading first thing i the morning that i deserve to be made fun of for my abuse is extremely triggering. I don’t think it’s wrong to make fun of ALL people who went to private schools; but please, please take those of us who’ve experienced extensive abuse into account. We have been through enough and don’t deserve to be clowned on for being forced to the attend schools we were abused at? Sorry if im taking this personally (like i said, i have ptsd and this just happened to be a trigger i am not upset with you i just feel like you need to know this going forward), i would just really love if the abuse kids (especially queer disabled and otherwise marginalized kids) face at private school was taken seriously. especially because all of your other education takes are so good. Like i said there are private school kids that SHOULD be made fun of (the kids who participated in my abuse and got away with it come to mind for example), but for those of us with struggling with trauma PLEASE do not put us in the same category as our tormenters, thank you! 🫶

It sounds like you went through a whole lot and I’m sorry that happened. I hope you are talking to someone that is not me a random stranger on tumblr about it. However if you read this:

And interpreted that as me making fun of your specific personal situation and not the broader context of like lightly making fun of the wealthy I do not think that is fair. Do not put that on me.

[cherryfyre]

Speed Dating, Figure Eight Style

The sun dipped low over Figure Eight, casting a golden hue over the sprawling lawn of the Cameron estate. The event—hosted by one of the Kooks’ most prominent families—was as absurdly extravagant as you’d expect: a speed-dating competition, Kook-style. The twist? It wasn’t just awkward small talk. Participants would be paired up at random and forced to complete a series of ridiculous couple’s challenges. The grand prize? Bragging rights, free dinner at The Pearl, and a bottle of Dom Pérignon.

Martini!Reader had no idea why she was here. Technically, she wasn’t even supposed to be. But Pope and JJ thought it would be hilarious to infiltrate the event. While they snuck into the catering tent to swipe hors d’oeuvres, you were left to fend for yourself in a sea of Kooks, feeling every bit the fish out of water.

That’s when you saw him: Rafe Cameron, standing by the check-in table, radiating smug entitlement in his crisp white polo and tailored khakis. His sharp jawline tightened when his eyes landed on you.

“Great,” he muttered, running a hand through his perfectly-coiffed hair.

“Trust me, I’m not thrilled either,” you shot back, folding your arms.

It turned out, through some cruel twist of fate—or maybe just Kelce’s bad handwriting—you and Rafe had been paired together.

“Let’s make one thing clear,” he said, stepping closer. His cologne was annoyingly intoxicating. “I’m only doing this to win. Don’t get in my way.”

“Likewise,” you snapped, squaring your shoulders. “Try not to screw it up.”

The First Challenge: “Newlywed Trivia”

The first event was a rapid-fire trivia game where couples had to answer questions about each other, despite having just met.

“Alright, Cameron,” you said, grabbing a clipboard. “Let’s make this quick. Favorite color?”

“Blue. Yours?”

“Green,” you lied, just to make it harder.

The game began, and to your frustration, Rafe was ridiculously good at guessing. He nailed your fake favorite color, guessed your favorite season (“Summer. You look like the type who likes sunburns”), and even got your dream vacation right (“Italy? That’s so basic.”).

Meanwhile, you struggled to read him.

“Favorite hobby?” you asked, scribbling.

“Winning,” he said, smirking.

“God, you’re insufferable.”

“And yet, you’re stuck with me.”

Despite the bickering, you somehow scored the highest points, advancing to the next round.

The Second Challenge: “Obstacle Course”

The obstacle course was set up along the Cameron property, complete with water balloons, rope swings, and a three-legged race section.

“Try to keep up,” Rafe said as the whistle blew.

“Oh, please. Don’t trip over your ego,” you shot back.

It was chaotic from the start. Rafe was fast—annoyingly so—but you were nimble, darting under ropes and dodging water balloons like a pro. When it came time for the three-legged race, things got… complicated.

“Stop pulling!” you yelled, nearly falling as Rafe’s long legs dragged you forward.

“Stop being slow!”

By some miracle (and a lot of yelling), you crossed the finish line first, collapsing into the grass, breathing hard.

“Not bad, Pogue,” Rafe admitted grudgingly, offering you a hand.

“Not bad yourself… for a Kook,” you replied, taking it.

The Final Challenge: “Trust Falls”

The last challenge was designed to test trust. One partner would be blindfolded and guided through a maze by the other.

“You trust me?” Rafe asked, tying the blindfold over your eyes.

“About as far as I can throw you,” you muttered.

“Cute. Let’s go.”

Surprisingly, Rafe’s guidance was steady, his voice calm as he navigated you through the maze. “Left. No, your other left. Watch the step. There you go.”

When you finally reached the end and removed the blindfold, you were face-to-face with Rafe, his smirk replaced with something softer.

“Not bad,” you said, brushing off your hands.

“You weren’t completely useless either,” he replied, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

By the end of the event, you and Rafe had somehow managed to win, much to everyone’s shock—and your own. The cheers and applause were almost drowned out by your mutual bickering as you accepted the prize.

“This doesn’t mean I like you,” you said, clutching the Dom Pérignon.

“Good,” Rafe replied, leaning in closer. “Because I definitely still don’t like you.”

But the way his eyes lingered on yours told a different story….

[steddieasitgoes]

marshmallows roasting on an open fire

Happy @steddiemas to everyone who's celebrating/participating! I'm pulling double duty with this one, fulfilling the prompt "fireplace" and my prompt for @thefreakandthehair Spicy Six -ber Month Challenge which was: “There’s only one right way to roast a marshmallow, and it’s to light it on fire.” Tags: Established Relationship, Eddie Munson Is A Menace, Blizzards, Idiots In Love wc: 1225 | Rated: T read on ao3 | ao3 collection

“I can’t believe you invited me over here without having dessert for me,” Eddie groans, clutching his stomach. It doesn’t matter that he had to unbutton his pants twenty minutes ago to make room for his seventh slice of pizza; his stomach still growls angrily as if it's been starved for weeks. 

Steve rolls his eyes, shaking his head as he plucks a fallen pepperoni from the empty pizza box. “Don’t blame this on me. You’re the one who showed up on my doorstep unannounced with pizza and no dessert in the middle of a blizzard.” 

As if on cue, the wind howls outside, whipping around the freshly fallen snow into mini tornados that crash into the house's many windows. The power went out hours ago, plunging the too-big house into total darkness until Steve managed to find the flashlight Dustin got him for Christmas last year. When Eddie showed up, he managed to get the stubborn fireplace Steve was convinced was just for show lit, saving them both from hypothermia. 

Since then, they’ve been lounging on the floor of Steve’s living room, basking in the warmth of the fire and slowly shedding layers of dusty blankets Steve found in the linen closet. It’s not how Steve planned to spend the day, but he’s not complaining either. It’s unlikely he would have survived Hawkins's first blizzard in a decade by himself. 

He could do without Eddie’s nonstop bemoaning about dessert, though. 

“How is a man supposed to live without a sweet treat?” Eddie whines, throwing his hand over his face like an overdramatic housewife on those soaps El is obsessed with. 

“You’re worse than Henderson, dude.” 

Eddie scoffs, flipping Steve off immediately. “I take great offense to that. Henderson is a grade-A whiner with a know-it-all-tone. I am merely pointing out an injustice that has befallen us here in this humble abode you begrudgingly call home.” 

“Good to know your lack of dessert doesn’t affect your theatrics.” Steve chucks one of his mom’s ugly ass throw pillows in Eddie’s direction, but it dips at the last second, landing squarely in Eddie’s lap instead of decking him in the face as he intended. 

“Come on,” Eddie whines again. “I know you have a mean sweet tooth, too. Buckley told me all about your frequent trips to the freezer at Scoops. Tell me, did the cookie dough gallon really get delivered empty, or did you eat it all in one shift, big boy?” 

Steve’s face reddens, and it, unfortunately, has nothing to do with the fire burning a few feet in front of him. “I’m going to kill her.” 

Eddie cackles and slowly pushes himself up from the floor. His unbuttoned pants fall slightly without his belt and button to secure them around his thin frame, but he pays them no mind, already tripping his way into the kitchen with Steve’s flashlight. 

“What are you doing?” Steve asks, trying his best to untangle himself from the mess of blankets he’s still cocooned in. 

“There has to be something in this big ass kitchen that’ll satisfy my sweet tooth.”

“Am I not sweet enough for you, darling” Steve teases, sneaking his arms around Eddie’s bloated stomach. He hooks his head over Eddie’s shoulder, tilting his head away enough to bat his eyelashes in a way he knows drives Eddie wild. 

Like clockwork, Eddie makes a strangled sound before shrugging Steve off of him. “Did you forget the last time you played this game with me?” He doesn’t wait for Steve to respond and instead shoves his head into the walk-in pantry. 

“I had your teeth marks on my ass for weeks!” 

“Yeah, and you’re lucky it was just your ass, baby,” Eddie says, words sounding distant as he shoves himself further into the pantry. 

The rustling of bags has nothing on the howling wind outside, definitely not after there’s a clatter of bins that follow. Eddie swears, but Steve doesn’t dare interfere. He’s learned not to interrupt his boyfriend when he’s on some sort of mission — the bruise on his hips is the only reminder he needs. 

There’s another cacophony of falling baskets and swears before Eddie emerges with half a bag of marshmallows, a sleeve of what appears to be graham crackers, and one Hershey bar that Eddie’s already taking a bite out of. 

Eddie thrusts them over his head in victory as he kicks the door shut behind him. “Victory is ours, Sir Stevery, fore I have secured us the sweetest of provisions.” 

“And tell me, Eds, how are you going to make S’mores in the middle of a blizzard? We don’t have a bonfire!” 

Eddie tsks, shaking his head fondly as he comes to pats Steve's shoulder. “Oh silly, Stevie, you don’t need a bonfire for S’mores. That’s just something the government wants you to think. We have a fire right there!” 

Steve follows Eddie’s extended finger to the lit fireplace, still burning its way through the handful of logs Eddie had arranged hours ago. And okay, yes, technically, they do have fire, but Steve doesn’t think they should go around sticking marshmallows into the damn thing, especially when they don’t have wood skewers for the marshmallows to go on. 

There’s no time to voice his concern, though, because Eddie races toward the fireplace with a marshmallow skewered on a serving fork he must have found in the depths of the pantry. 

“Be careful!” Steve shouts as Eddie thrusts the marshmallow into the flame without a care in the world, as if he’s not holding a metal fucking fork that’s not meant to be used for roasting marshmallows. Reluctantly, he settles on his knees beside Eddie and runs a hand through his hair. “Maybe you shouldn’t stick it in all the way.” 

“Never heard that before,” Eddie jokes before waving off his boyfriend’s fretting as he peels his eyes away from the toasting snack and looks at Steve pointedly. “There’s only one right way to roast a marshmallow, and it’s to light it on fire.” Eddie shoves the marshmallow deeper into the flame, rotating it slowly, ensuring the entire thing is engulfed. 

“Yeah, maybe when you’re outside!” Steve snarks, trying his best to tug Eddie’s arm and the fork free from the growing inferno. “You’re cooking that thing in a fireplace in my house!” 

“Stop being such a drama king, it’s fine! See!” Eddie says, yanking the marshmallow free. 

It’s not fine. 

It’s the complete opposite of fine, actually. 

The marshmallow is its own inferno, now, growing bigger despite Eddie trying to blow it out. His efforts only make things worse, sending embers around the room and setting the frayed edges of one of the dusty old blankets on fire. 

“Jesus H. Christ!” Eddie shouts, shoving the flaming marshmallow into the ash bucket before running to help Steve stomp out the growing flame on the blanket.

Burnt socks, an ash-stricken carpet, and a few minutes later, they manage to get everything under control, and when they do, they collapse onto the floor in a panting, exhausted heap.

“So, that was a bad idea.” 

“You think?” Steve asks before immediately doubling over in laughter. “I can’t believe your sweet tooth almost set the house on fire!” 

Eddie pouts before his lips twitch into a mischievous grin. “Guess you’ll have to be my sweet treat after all.” 

[msschemmenti]

girl next door 🏠 - 8

The following morning Tina, while slightly hungover, was kind enough to escort Y/n back to her car. With a smile, Y/n leaned against her open drivers side door to address the older actress. “So what night are ya getting me a ticket to your show?”

Tina shook her head in amusement, “When will you be able to pull yourself away from your cul-de-sac orgy? I wouldn’t want to disrupt your usual weekend plans.”

“Oh you think you’re so funny, huh? How about closing matinee on Sunday? Even the devil’s gotta rest sometime.”

“If your morning is free, why don’t you just come hang with me at the theater? I’ll come pick you up and buy you breakfast.” Tina suggested.

“You can just say you miss me, you know?” Y/n laughed watching Tina’s cheeks redden as she rolled her eyes. “But sure. I’ll send you my address sometime before then. And call me if you need me, alright?” Tina nodded and threw a thumbs up awkwardly and Y/n just chuckled pulling her into a hug. “Too awkward for your own good. I’ll see you Sunday honey.”

-

Y/n stood at the front of her final class of the day and watched as their eyes glazed over a bit. “Oh come on y’all, it’s not that bad. I just want ya to watch a musical from the golden age and write a reflection.” At the groans she shook her head and placed a hand over her heart, “Bless your hearts, have it to me by next class. Get outta here.” The students hurried out and Y/n gathered her things and made her way to her office. She had to start grading her most recent music lit test tonight since she’d already signed her Sundau away. And if the previous weekends were anything to go by– Emily and JJ would probably have her other evenings tied up as well. Securing the tests in her bag she was ready to go– until she watched her department chair pop her head through her open door.

“Professor Y/n! Glad I caught you. Do you have a minute?” The Flutist beamed. The tall lanky woman was known to take much longer than a minute but Y/n knew she had to stop.

“Of course, Dr. Kelley. What can I do you for?”

“I just love your little Southern sayings. I just came by to see if you’d decided on your pieces for the faculty showcase in November. I know we’ve still got a couple days left of September– but we like to give the accompanist as much time as possible to learn the music.”

Y/n nodded her understanding and moved to her repertoire cabinet. They’d een mentioning this showcase since the first staff meeting back in August and it was slated to be a pretty big deal around campus. It was volunteer based in the department and every professor participating would need to prepare three selections to be presented during the college’s parents week. As much as she’d tried to get out of it– she was very heavily encouraged to participate. “I have. Would it help to have the sheet music now?”

“Yes! That’s be excellent. That way when we start rehearsing they’ll already have it.” The woman accepted the pages with an eager smile and practically skipped down the hall onto the next office. Y/n shook her head as she watched her go but was quick out of the door herself– more than ready to get into something comfortable for the evening.

After spending most of her afternoon grading, Y/n tore herself away from her desk and wandered through the house in an effort to stretch her aching muscles. Cooking dinner was the last thing on her mind right now so ordering out was the plan. A pizza was ordered and when it arrived she met the teen at her gate to exchange the pizza for the payment. And as she wished him a goodnight, she caught sight of her favorite neighbors climbing out of their car.

“Hi,” Y/n smiled and waved over the fences and yards separating their houses. JJ and Emily closed their doors and walked the short distance to the younger woman.

“Surprised to see you home.” JJ replied pointedly. Emily eyed her wearily and nudged her side as they came to stand outside of the gate.

Y/n quirked a brow at the older woman’s words curiously, “What do you mean?”

“JJ mentioned you have a friend in town, and we noticed you weren’t around last night so we figured you’d be with her again.” Emily jumped in.

“Oh, that. We had a little too much to drink in town and Tina was kind enough to let me sleepover. But sorry I wasn’t around— I didn’t realize you’d notice.” Emily and JJ both shrug in response. Y/n studied the women curiously, fairly confused by their behavior. The last time they’d hung out everything seemed fine and friendly but now there was some weird tension she wasn’t understanding. “Well I don’t know what your weekend plans are but if you’re looking for me Sunday, I’ll be in town.”

“With your friend.” Emily supplied.

Y/n nodded slowly, “With Tina yes. I’m seeing her show. If you’re around when she comes to pick me up, I’ll introduce you.”

“Sure. Definitely if we’re here.” JJ nodded noncommittally. At JJ’s response Y/n looked between both women and really couldn’t ignore the clear tension in the air.

“Right… are y’all good? You both seem a little— perturbed honestly.”

“Us? We’re fine, a little tired. You know with work and stuff. Nothing we can’t handle. Nothing to be concerned about.” JJ waved off.

“Oh okay,” Y/n nodded, checking her watch. “Well don’t let me keep you. Just wanted to say hello. And Goodnight, I guess.”

“Goodnight. Oh and have a nice weekend.” JJ called as they parted ways.

-

“Guess you guys waited too long.” Garcia sighed as she walked into the bullpen. JJ was leaning against Emily’s desk, case file in hand. Both women eyed Penelope curiously as she tapped at her phone and made her way over to them.

“Waited too long for what? What are you talking about?” Emily asked turning her chair to face Garcia.

“I’m talking about this hot blonde your neighbors been with all week. I thought you gals were gonna lock that down. What happened?” Garcia shook her head.

“Tina is a hot blonde?” JJ questioned, reaching for Garcia’s phone quickly. The tech analyst’s eyes widened at her best friend’s eager hands and passed her the phone in surrender. Emily was quick to rise from her chair and peer over JJ’s shoulder. The phone screen was paused on an instagram story of their neighbor– wrapped around a (unfortunately) hot blonde who’s face was partially buried in the younger woman’s neck. Her bright blue eyes were trained on Y/n and it was clear how smitten she was with the younger woman.

“Who’s Tina? And again, what happened to you guys making the moves on her? I was positive after girls night that you would’ve–” Garcia rambled, but stopped at the looks on JJ’s and Emily’s faces. “Wait, maybe I read this wrong. And you aren’t too late at all.”

JJ and Emily finally pulled their eyes from the phone and glared at Garcia. “Do you really think this is bullpen appropriate conversation, Pen?” JJ warned.

“When have I ever participated in bullpen appropriate conversation— I’ve been deemed a walking HR violation. And it’s clear to me you’re just trying to deflect from whatever is going on with this. Which is only making me want to know more. So spill.”

“Y/n’s ex, Tina is in town for a show and she’s been spending a bit of time with her this week.” JJ shrugged, turning her eyes back to the picture of their neighbor.

“Right okay, so why do you both look like you’re trying to kill this Tina with your eyes?”

“We are not.” Both women adamantly denied it.

“Uh huh sure. My guess is you’ve bed her but not exclusively and now her ex is here and you’re both being super weird. And

bonus points to me because I just showed you how hot her ex is.” At the women’s silence, Garcia groaned. “Oh come on, I love you girls I really do— but you’re ridiculous. You, jealousy riddled women, didn’t think any of this through?”

“Well it’s not like we expected her hot ex to pop up and keep her out all night.” Emily shrugged.

“I personally didn’t expect her ex to be this hot.” JJ chimed in.

“Oh my god. What have you been doing since then? Being weirdly jealous and catty?”

“I wouldn’t describe it as catty…” JJ answered sheepishly.

“I can’t believe this. Obviously there’s a conversation you both need to have with each other and Y/n. About the nature of your arrangement. If you’re both too chicken shit to discuss it fully, at least lay down the ground rules. So you’re not treating her oddly every time she’s out past her curfew.” Garcia chastised, poking at both women’s crossed arms. Their faces were set in frowns and they could only roll their eyes at the tech analysts words. Obviously they knew she was right— still didn’t make it easier to hear.

-

“And that’s the house, what do you think?” Y/n asked as she brought Tina back to the main floor. Playing the hospitable host, a tour was a must.

“You always did have a way of making any space feel like home. I think the whole townhouse suits you though. White picket fence and the yard. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten a dog already.”

“It’s on my to-do list. But I’m glad you like it, next time you visit you can book a stay at Hotel Y/n.” Y/n teased with a wink. “Come on let’s head out. I’m hungry and was promised breakfast.”

“Yes of course.” Tina laughed, stepping down the porch steps as Y/n locked her door. She turned to head for the rental she’d been using this week and caught sight of a pair of joggers down the sidewalk. Well jogging was obviously what they intended to look like they were doing but their eyes were trained on Y/n’s house and the brunette seemed to actually be walking. “I’m gonna assume these are your mistresses coming in hot.” Tina whistled as Y/n joined in the yard.

Y/n snickered as she waved at the women with a smile, “You’d be right. Come on I’ll introduce you.” She grabbed Tina’s wrist and pulled her over to the driveway where Emily and JJ were stretching. “Morning ladies. Getting some exercise in?”

JJ stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips with a smile, “Yeah, I got this one out here with me for once.”

“Gotta get those steps in.” Emily threw in as convincingly as possible.

Y/n chuckled and turned her eyes to Tina, “This is Tina, my friend from New York. T, these are my neighbors JJ and Emily.” Tina extended her hand toward both women with a knowing smile.

“Nice to meet you both, I’ve heard wonderful things about you both.”

“Oh, wonderful things you say?” Emily replied.

“Oh yeah, she’s told me all about how satisfying DC has been for her.” Tina answered, emphasizing the word ‘satisfying’ with the same knowing smile.

JJ and Emily’s eye move to Y/n curiously and when the younger woman shrugged they chuckled. “She wanted to know who was handling my business here.”

“Just making sure she’s being taken care of.” Tina shrugged.

“Glad to be of service.” JJ offered, studying the women briefly. This was weirdly platonic and she wasn’t sure what she expected but it wasn’t to basically be praised for fucking someone’s ex. While Tina was objectively attractive and clearly comfortable with Y/n— they sure weren’t acting like reunited ex lovers.

“Y/n mentioned you both have high pressure jobs but didn’t mention what.”

“FBI. And you’re an actress?” JJ asked, fighting the challenging edge in her voice.

Tina either ignoring the edge or missing it completely answered, “Oh cool! And yes, I teach from time to time but right now I’m touring.”

“Oh that’s really nice.” Emily nodded, watching as Y/n’s eyes shifted between the three of them. As concerned and jealous as they had been over this whole thing— seeing Y/n’s eyes shift from her chest to lock on JJ’s exposed midriff really made her wonder what exactly they’d been worried about to begin with. It had been JJ’s idea to do the whole morning run bit but if this was anything to go by, Y/n was not thinking about Tina (In that way at least).

After some intentional attempts at focusing and a playful nudge from Tina, Y/n spoke up with a smile. “Well don’t let us keep you from your run. There’s a waffle somewhere with my name on it and I’m ready to eat. I’ll see y’all later.”All the women bid each other farewell and parted ways. Emily and JJ watched as Y/n and Tina climbed into the car and peeled away from the neighborhood. And as soon as they were out of sight, Emily turned to head back to their townhouse.

“Glad that’s over, for a moment I thought I’d actually have to play the part.”

-

“Okay, so we both know they’re not sleeping together, right? And we were just being weird and jealous for no reason.” Emily sighed as she closed their front door behind her.

“I wouldn’t say for no reason…” JJ tried but stopped at Emily’s rolled eyes. “Okay, maybe for no reason. But what else were we supposed to do at the prospect of her sleeping with someone else?”

“Nothing actually. Because we’re not in a relationship with her. It’s not as if we’ve set parameters for anything that we’re doing with her. And I don’t think us being weird is gonna help anything. Like come on, you didn’t even have to be a profiler to see they’re no longer fucking.”

“I know I know. It’s silly to feel possessive over someone we’re not exclusively attached to. But we both fell into it a little too easily. Maybe this is a sign that we should consider a more established situation with her, Em.”

“I mean I don’t know if you’ve realized but we’ve unconsciously become pretty exclusive for the last few weeks. And that wasn’t even on purpose. I think the only person who may not know that— maybe Y/n.”

“and maybe instead of being jealous weirdos we should at the very least show her we’re not sleeping with anyone else but her.”

“Yeah,” Emily sighed. “I hate when Garcia is right.”

“Ditto.” JJ rolled her eyes with a grumble. They sat in silence for a moment, mulling over the decision they’d just made. If they were this jealous over after only a few weeks it was obviously something worth discussing. After sometime they turned to face each other eagerly.

“I must say— it was nice seeing her struggle to look us in the eyes.” Emily grinned.

“Her eyes couldn’t figure out who they wanted to look at first. I told you the workout gear would work. With the way she was undressing us with her eyes right there in front of Tina? Very satisfying, very affirming for sure.”

“I do have to give you props for that one. It was worth the two seconds of leisurely exercising I did.”

[theguildawards]

Term 2 2024 Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the second term 2024 hosted by The Guild Awards! The mod-team is excited to see so much amazing fanwork and their creators recognized, as well as the love shown for this fandom!

Without further delay, here we are!

Winners of The Guild Awards for Term 2 2024

Best Action/Adventure Fiction: "Flame's Desire" by @kiliinstinct / rougescribe (AO3) Best Alternate Universe/Reality Fiction: "More than just a Fairy Tail" by @chaotickori Best Canon Fiction: "So This Is What Home Feels Like" by @spot-of-tea / spot_of_tea (AO3) Best Angst Fiction: "Redemption" by @spot-of-tea / spot_of_tea (AO3) Best Dark Fiction: "The Last of Us" by @classysassy9791 Best Drama Fiction (tie): "Accepting Fate" by Perfect Memories (FFN) and "World's End: Aftermath" by CairnCircles (AO3) Best Humor/Parody Fiction: "Magic Council Complaint Form #1024: there are mages hiding in the trash cans" by Fireflower34 (AO3) Best Oneshot: "is/was/will be" by Fireflower34 (AO3) Best Character Portrayal: "Silence" (Gajeel) by @firapolemos05 Best Romance Fiction: "Accepting Fate" by Perfect Memories (FFN) Best LGBTQ+ Romance Fiction: "Between Moon and Venus" by Woethe (AO3) Best Serial Fiction: "Taming The Beast" by @dawnwynters Best Ficlet: "Fairy Tail Platonic Week 2024 -Chapter 2: I Missed Our Shenanigans" by @fairytail-multishipper /Luminousrain (AO3) Best NSFW Fiction: “Love Rehabilitation” by annequinox (AO3) Best Completed Fiction: "Finding Forgiveness" by @teleiapotami / Teleia_Potami (AO3) Best Action/Adventure Artwork: "Team Natsu" by @astral-fairyy Best Alternate Universe/Reality Artwork: "the haters can't stop me" by @captainuranium543 Best Canon Artwork: "Red, The Colour of Life" by @pencilofawesomeness Best Angst Artwork: “Happy Rogue Day🖤🐸” by @oryu404 Best Dark Artwork: ""Acnologia Eats Irene" by @love---mandy Best Humor/Parody Artwork: "Pay back" by @shiiro-arts Best Kiss Artwork: "untitled" by @lidiscr Best Romance Artwork: "a soft Lokana" by @artsophiehml Best LGBTQ+ Romance Artwork: "causing problems and sucking face" by @phoenix-before-the-flame Best Character Artwork: "My first fashion icon was Lucy" by @hyun-illus Best Duo/Pairing Artwork: "Leave this to us" by @celestialrayna Best Group Depiction Artwork: "Team Natsu" by @ars-de-elysium Best Manga Coloring: "Fairy Tail/Lolu Coloring" by @almaween Best Redraw Artwork: "erza redraw" by @raptortier Best Overall Artwork: "Art Contest" by @pencilequipped

Congratulations to all the winners! Your awards will be ready soon! Please send one of the mods or our ask box your preferred email address so we can send them to you!

And thank you to those who voted for the Roulette Category for next term! The Roulette fanfiction category for next term will be: Best Mystery Fiction. This will be defined as: A story that has a character holding a profound secret or something kept cautiously concealed. May tend to excite curiosity or wonder in the reader, or may include something that cannot be explained.

As this term comes to a close, The Guild Awards will be taking a short hiatus. This time is always spent reviewing the process and seeing what can be revamped for the next term. We also love hearing from the fandom (ie: YOU!) for suggestions regarding any changes or additions.

We will officially be back in full swing on March 1st! We will still be around in case you have questions or concerns, but please take this time to read new fanfiction and find new fanart.

Want to stay immersed in all things Fairy Tail? Join our Discord! It's open to everyone!

You can also keep up-to-date with all current fandom events by checking out the @ftguildevents page!

As the day gets closer to the start of the next term, we will be keeping everyone in the loop when it comes to changes and updates. We hope everyone has a lovely holiday season! Thank you again for making this such a fun experience! See you soon!

~ The Guild Awards

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Special Announcement for the Blog!

Hello to you all, my wonderful audience! I’ve come to make an announcement! 

As I’m sure you all know by now I made this blog to provide the small community of fans for this relationship as much art as they could handle, a bounty of soft Junkan for the masses! However, by the time this post is going up we should be just a few days past the big No. 60, we’re over halfway through with the event! December practically marks the end of the event despite a small amount of overlap into the new year. I very much want to extend the lifespan of this blog, even if I am still putting out art of these two on my main, However unfortunately I don’t think I have it in me to do something like 100 Days again, at least not for a very, very long time (and potentially for a different ship as well).

However there is one way to keep this blog alive for the foreseeable future, especially for 2025 specifically. You might have seen me make mention of it before in previous posts, however I’m happy to say that you can all look forward to-

Junkan Week!~ Coming February 11th all the way through the 17th! That’s right, we’ve roped Valentines Day into this!

The official prompt list for the event will go up later in the month! What day specifically is yet to be decided but I’ll be sure to make a proper post as a small heads up for ya’ll! 

And do not worry for those of you who want to participate but are worried about this blogs usual content of Softness above all else. I’m aware that while I am among many peers who like to see Junko and Mikan having a happy, soft relationship, there are plenty of you who like the ship to be depicted with a darker, more toxic tone even if I’m not among you!~ 

I’ve made plans and designed this event to give everyone who wants to depict the more twisted potential of this relationship! How so? You’ll just have to wait and see!! I also plan to offer a bonus prompt list specifically for AUs if that’s more your speed! I sincerely hope to see what you all have to offer, it will of course all be featured on this blog! 

But that’s not our only announcement! 

You may have noticed that I mentioned wanting to at least keep the lifespan of this blog going throughout 2025 specifically, however one week does not make a full year. Well while I can’t say this account likely won’t become a big quiet for a majority of 2025 unless I come up with another way to breathe some extra life into the blog (Suggestions are welcome! The asks are open!)

Let me ask you, are you full of ideas? Too many ideas even? Or perhaps you want a challenge, craving a true gauntlet. Do you wish to fully indulge in your desire for more Junko making out with Mikan media? Well look out for November 2025 because alongside it shall arrive-

A WHOLE MONTH OF JUNKAN! 

The prompt list will be released as soon as Junkan Week comes to a close, giving you nearly a full year to prepare! 

Keep in mind there is no requirement to do all 30 days! While I personally plan to do every prompt (It’s not my first rodeo with drawing a lot of art in November), I would be overjoyed by even the smallest participation! 

So whether you choose to go all in and do a full thirty days, or pop in to create something for a single day, we’re happy to have you! 

At the end of the day this is all just for the sake of bringing more Junkan into the world, whether it’s the twistedly toxic flavor of Evil Girlfriends, the tooth-rottingly fluffy Soft Style this account has been making for the past several weeks, or even somewhere delightfully inbetween!~ 

I hope you all look forward to the events, whether you plan to participate in either of them or just watch and have a good time! Have a lovely day!

[destinygoldenstar]

TRAILERRRRRR!!!!!

Okay, so Netflix DIDN'T lie. Confirmed.

I'm NOT as scared about the release date as others. I'm still worried. But I can also see it because from what I've heard, Episodes 2-4 were being made around the same time. So, by that logic, the quality should be similar.

"But why was there such a gap with 2 & 3 then?" MURDER DRONES WAS RELEASING ITS FINALE IN BETWEEN. THAT'S WHY. Some of the animators for Digital Circus work on Murder Drones too. So OF COURSE, to avoid overworking them, there'd be a gap for Digital Circus content.

And now that Murder Drones has ended, there's not that issue anymore.

That's the logic I'm going with, anyway. I would wait to raise the red flags till AFTER this episode comes out and we hear Episode 5 comes out in, like, a month or something.

I HOPE TO GOD THAT LINE AGES HORRIBLY.

Also, um... an episode about working minimum wage labor.

These episodes are built for me, I swear.

We also have the characters in different outfits, which is neat. Clearly just for this episode. Still.

I NOTICED THIS POSTER.

"Customer is always right! Serve with a smile!"

THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS INSANE AND DRIVES ME ABSOLUTELY NUTS.

I WOULD GET SCOFFED AT AND SCREAMED AT BY PEOPLE, AND I'M THE ONE THAT GETS IN TROUBLE.

We also have Ragatha and Gangle interacting.

I wonder why they're playing with a baseball specifically.

Because in the last episode the leisure activity played into the adventure.

JAX'S NAMETAG SAYS "I DON'T CARE"

LMAO

Gangle looks like she's been possessed by Monokuma.

This is DEFINATELY a new mask.

Here's my prediction:

Gangle has a background actress-related. (Comedy & Tragedy Mask Duality) And she is bullied CONSTANTLY in the previous episodes.

So when she's given the role of manager, she creates a new mask for herself, A NEW CHARACTER. One that gives her confidence and a character so ruthless that she can't be pushed around.

It's her spotlight. It's her time to shine.

So is the comedy&tragedy duality bipolar disorder?

We'll see. I got Kinger's mental issue wrong.

It could also be that Gangle is autistic. I KNOW AS AN AUTISTIC PERSON MYSELF. It's pretty easy for autistic people to latch onto a character they can bring to life in order to interact with people. But when provoked as themselves, confidence can easily break.

So no, I don't think she's being psychotic. I think she's putting on an act for her self esteem.

And I think whatever damage she causes in the episode will not have malicious intent from her.

I say this because we ALSO see her looking at herself in the mirror.

THIS IS ZOOBLE'S ROOM BTW. THAT'S INTERESTING.

Did Zooble loan Gangle this?

Assuming they did because we have THIS hand reach out to Gangle.

So what I'm thinking the start of the episode is: Gangle and Ragatha are playing baseball, by accident, the ball breaks Gangle's masks.

She's crying, she's writing, and then Zooble eavesdrops and offers to help.

And we know this is Zooble's hand because they're participating in the adventure with that hand.

YAY!

This guy is so stiffly animated. Or maybe it's just me.

Maybe there's a story reason for it. Idk.

They advertised this guy awhile back, said "He's everyone's favorite character".

I'm calling Glitch's bluff. I'm gonna say this guy is going to be VERY INTENTIONALLY written to be UNLIKEABLE, ANNOYING, AND MISERABLE.

And it's gonna be COMEDY GOLD to have Caine and the Circus go around exclaiming how he's the best.

CAINE GETTING THIS SUGGESTION BOX IS SO INTERESTING.

I THINK this is from Zooble.

After their therapy session, and Zooble saw first hand what could happen if Caine cuts adventures altogether, I can see Zooble making adventure suggestions that would be comfortable for them to participate in. To please Caine and to protect the circus from collapsing.

We're also getting Caine lore. BECAUSE WHERE IS THIS ROOM SUPPOSED TO BE? THIS LOOKS FAR TOO NORMAL.

AND WHAT IS POMNI DOING HERE CRAWLING ON THE FLOOR?

First off, I'm okay with her taking a backseat. She's the main character so obviously she'd get the lionshare of screen time. BUT there are other characters in this show and the show knows that. So as a Pomni Stan, I'm completely okay with this.

BUT is she snooping on Caine???

Two possibilities: One, this is just the burger place. Which is likely.

OR this is where Caine is, and she dips from the adventure to eavesdrop and figures out some lore stuff.

Not seeing her doing much else this episode anyway.

CAUSE LOOK AT THIS. SHE'S TRYING TO THROW AWAY SOMETHING AND GETS CAUGHT BY GANGLE? SHE HIDING S&#T DOG.

THE GLOINK QUEEN IS BACK.

Probably as just a cameo. BUT THE GLOINK QUEEN IS BACK.

Hmmmm... if the Gloink Queen is coming back, I wonder if someone else could show up...

[wineaunt420]

I need to share my opinions about my fav hogwarts legacy Characters because I am bored and just want something to kill the time

~~~~~~~~~~☆

Sebastian: What a charming little guy, his heart is in the right place, that place may be a firey shit stew of his own creation but...atleast he can cook?

Ominis: unwilling participant of a comedy Trio between him, seb and MC. They may as well put Ominis on a stage production of "How many times will I let my best friends disappoint me" starring as the voice of Reason. Bless this boy, he works so hard.

Imelda: At first I thought you were just rude, then I saw that you were just so passionate about your craft. I have a love and respect for her now, she can do no wrong in my eyes

Garreth: I needed more of him and less of him at the same time. More because what an absolute cutie pie. Less because potions class would stress me the fuck out. He walked so Sebastian could run, this ginger biscuit is one surname change from Brewing Illegal Vodka in the Gryffindoor commonroom. Also he is Audhd, I know my people when I see them.

Leander: I love him because he is stupid. He wasn't just dropped as a child, he was pelted. And that's OK, I love him all the same. At first he annoyed me....and then I realised he has the same IQ level as me and that is not alot. Little Autism in him, I love him to bits, bless his little cotton socks.

Amit: the most unproblematic guy, Love this guy. He is just here to do homework and look at stars, and he is all out of homework. Absolutely zero Amit slander in my house, ok?

Now in terms of my favourite Teachers

Sharp: this is my Dad now. If I had a coun for every Miserable old Git I kidnapped to make my father figure, I would be very rich with a concerning amount of Miserable old gits in my house. And he hides that he likes to draw!!! Aesop the man you are.

Fig: Also my dad, sometimes (After he kicked the bucket) I visit his old classroom and I actually find it quite difficult to be in there. I feel physical grief not seeing him in there. My MC misses him so much

Headmaster Black: he is a British head teacher. Only a handful of them out there are actually decent people. He isn't one of them. Although he does have serious Style and I respect him for making tough decisions

Ronen: What a Unit. It's so rare you actually meet a teacher who doesn't hate their Job. There is nothing more to say, This is a top Geezer

[unhingedangstaddict]

Several Sentence Sunday! Got tagged by the incredible @quintessenceofdust88 and equally incredible @typicalopposite There's many sentences from my bucktommy mpreg fic All Of You, All Of Me (Intertwined)

“I think I’ve known my whole life, just deep down. But the first time I can explicitly remember feeling like I wasn’t enough was the day after Mother’s Day 1987,” Tommy started.

“Wait ‘87?” Buck asked. “Tommy, you- you were six years old.” Sure, Buck was pretty young when he figured out getting hurt got his parents attention, but Tommy was just six years old feeling like he wasn’t enough? Buck’s heart was breaking for Tommy.

“Yeah.” Tommy confirmed.

“What happened on that date?” Dr Akili asked.

“At school they’d brought in I don’t know who or where from, but someone to show us how and help us make clay sculptures for gifts for our moms for Mother’s day. Like a month before they came and we made these little bowls I guess, coulda been ashtrays too looking back,” Tommy shook his head. “They showed us a few different styles we could make, and there was a flower one, and it was supposed to be harder and had a higher chance of not turning out but I picked it anyway. They took the bowls, fired them and brought them back to the school and mine turned out fine. I painted it to look like a sunflower, so my mom could have something sunny on a rainy day.”

“That’s very thoughtful for such a young age.” Dr Akili commented.

Tommy couldn’t meet Dr Akili’s eye, and he couldn’t even look at Evan- he was sure if he did he’d start crying. “I worked so hard on that stupid bowl and a home-made card for my mom and hid them in my backpack all of Friday night and Saturday. Sunday morning came and mom wasn’t home. I waited in the living room, watching to see when she got home all day. My dad wasn't paying any attention and didn’t realize I was up past my bedtime. It was dark out when she finally got home and I presented her with the bowl and the card and she hardly even looked at them, just yelled at me for being up so late. The next morning at school my classmates all talked about how much their moms loved their bowls, and my mom didn’t even take two whole seconds to look at mine, and all I could do was wonder what I did wrong.”

“So you felt that despite a massive effort and thought put in, the bowl and by extension you, weren’t enough to make your mom happy?” Dr Akili asked to clarify.

“Yeah.” Tommy rasped and tried to blink back tears that threatened to fall.

no pressure tags for @ladyeyrewrites @desert--moonchild @sunnywithachanceofbi and anyone else who wants to participate!

[sensorydephrivation]

okay it’s been a few days and I think I have cooled down enough to make a post about my experience at tit! The actual review is still forthcoming mostly because I have too much to do and can’t really justify spending time on it rn but it’ll be done at some point. Gonna put the rest of this under a cut for length, there aren’t any spoilers or anything.

First thing, obviously I had a ton of fun! The show was incredible and it was equally incredible to get to meet other phannies irl and everyone who talks about the community at tit is 100% right, it really is a feeling I’ve had nowhere else. It doesn’t really surprise me that “people from an almost identical demographic group with a very specific common interest” is an audience that would make someone feel safe lol, but I do think there is something about phannies that makes this event so special and magical in a kind of hard to articulate way.

When I first got to the venue, I completely by coincidence ran into @fromemotoangel @lizardsmp3 and @laddersmp3 in the line which was very exciting and I felt like I was meeting celebrities lol. You guys were super great and I loved getting to hang out with you! We traded bracelets and chatted until we got inside the venue.

Once I got in I was like, immediately overwhelmed. I had planned on getting in the merch line right away because I was worried the photocards would sell out, but the person scanning tickets told me which direction my seat was and I just immediately headed that way. Honestly I kinda felt like everyone else there knew what they were doing and I didn’t, which obviously wasn’t true, but the fact that everyone I ended up talking to that night had been to other shows while this was my only one didn’t really help. Just as we got inside, the pre show started (after apparently a long delay), and I was surprised to hear dnp’s voices through the walls. Honestly it was like a siren song drawing me to the balcony where there were no doors and I could sort of hear the pre show. It wasn’t until I saw the merch line going all the way up the stairs that I remembered I had meant to be getting merch, lol.

Photocards were far from sold out thankfully and I ended up in a big trading circle with everyone which was super fun! While I was in line I also met @yonpote who gave me a cute drawing and a VIP bracelet. I wish we had gotten to talk more, you’re super cool!

Final photocards after several rounds of trading:

Then my friend and I found our seats for the show. I was worried we’d have a terrible view because we were in the balcony but I could pretty much see everything. There were some parts of the show that would’ve been a way better experience in orchestra but it was still plenty enjoyable from anywhere. The one disappointment was that we were too far away to scan the QR code that was onstage before the show so I couldn’t participate in that bit.

At intermission I just kinda went to the bathroom and had a drink and didn’t talk to anyone lol. I was really having fun but also super overstimulated by everything so I needed a few minutes of quiet.

After the show I hung out with @fromemotoangel and @yonpote a little bit more as well as some of their friends and got rid of my remaining bracelets! I kinda wish I had gone to stage door but it was okay, I did get to see the phour phus before the show lol. And that’s about it!

Final bracelets (some of these are mine lol):

I felt kinda wild on the way home like I couldn’t turn my filter back on after being with people who made me feel like I didn’t have to filter myself, which I think is a testament to just how comfortable I felt at the show. It was a really wonderful time and I wish I had the chance to do it again. Thanks so much yet again to everyone who spent time with me there, you guys are all such fun and wonderful people!