#oh and the short stories in the field guides are enjoyable

[the-owl-tree]

Hello!

I started reading the series this year out of pure curiosity so I'm very new to Warriors. I just finished the first four arcs of Warriors + The Apprentice's Quest and while there are a lot of things I didn't like about the series there's something about it that just makes me want to see what happens. In particular I liked OotS a lot and I'm really looking forward to the rest of AVoS,

My question is: is it worth reading any of the novellas, super editions or mangas as someone who has 0 nostalgia for the series? I have been told that they contradict a lot of things and/or retell things we already saw so they don't sound like a great time. Yellowfang and Hollyleaf are my favorites so far and I heard how bad Yellowfang's Secret was. I considered checking out Hollyleaf's Story but I'm not sure if it's worth my time after hearing all this.

it's a mixed bag and honestly up to what you find personally enjoyable in the series, wc side books have some good stuff and some bad stuff. if you like journey books then you'll like some of these, if you enjoy more dialogue than action then you'll like some, it really is up to preference! my own recommendations would just be to skip whatever doesn't sound interesting to you if you're not interested in reading everything lol but if you would like some recommendations:

(this got long sorry lol)

for super editions, bluestar's prophecy is a fine book, if you're interested in an in-depth exploration of bluestar's life and a better understanding of some bg characters in tpb then i'd recommend it! while the core conflict and relationships are weak when you think about it, i think it does well enough in selling the situation that you can give it some suspension of disbelief

crookedstar's promise is arguably the best written with great conflict and some great relationships. it's popular for a reason and i think it earns the hype it has in the fandom as a solid book. it's flimsy in some parts but it does better than expected when compared to usual wc books.

i'm tentative to put tallstar's revenge simply because i actually don't think it deserves a lot of the hype it gets lol the conflict is weak, the resolution is disappointing, and jake doesn't get nearly enough spotlight imo however if you like travelling books and want some more books that talk about windclan culture and history, i recommend this one simply for the worldbuilding!

uhhh for more like supplementary reading, firestar's quest is fine (with some creepy romance conflict) and does well enough for what it has to do. i haven't read hawkwing's journey (and haven't heard good things) so i can't comment too much on it but i think, even though i haven't read it, i would recommend tigerheart's shadow as both avos reading and a general understanding of his character for the newer arcs

everything else i havent read or did not like lol

for novellas, i actually enjoyed hollyleaf's story! it's a contained narrative about hollyleaf dealing with everything and if you don't mind a lot of talking and reminiscing with some not subtle writing, it's a decent character piece.

cloudstar's journey is a sombre novella and for that i recommend it, i love the interactions in it and the growing desperation of the characters. if that doesn't sound appealing to you, feel free to skip but if it does, then i recommend!

mapleshade's vengeance aka the scourge of fandom discourse is a fun read, absolutely recommend. it's nothing new or original but it's great to have a protagonist who just fucks shit up.

pinestar's choice another interesting read, pinestar as a character is divisive (for a lot of reasons) but on its own, i think it's really interesting. there's some great moments where he reflects on the clan and i wish there were more moments like that in the series!

blackfoot's reckoning what if god tortured you psychologically with your own memories? very enjoyable even if it isn't that meaningful in the long run

and moving onto the mangas, i actually recommend them all? i love graphic novels, manga, manwha, webtoons, etc. so i'm quite biased towards any visual book and will enjoy myself reading them lol but for more detailed thoughts:

the rise of scourge is a classic for a reason, solid villain origin story.

graystripe's adventure or whatever it calls itself is...fine, it's a fun little adventure trip that gets you invested in graystripe and millie's relationship as well as showing how he got home. if you want a low stakes adventure comic series, check it out.

ravenpaw's path is just a little post-bloodclan adventure for him. if you want to see more of ravenpaw and barley or see what happened to bloodclan after the darkest hour, check this out!

tigerstar & sasha is contentious series, some people like it and others don't. i enjoyed it as a bleak trio of novels, i genuinely feel so bad for sasha :( if you can get past the wonky art then i recommend it!

skyclan and the stranger is...mixed, it's got some nice background designs. if you like gorge skyclan or a certain eclipse antagonist then i'd recommend, just don't expect anything amazing.

a shadow in riverclan has a strong start, a weak ending, and some very confusing characterization if you read the new prophecy after lol i enjoyed feathertail's struggle and would recommend it simply if you want some acknowledgement for whatever the fuck happened in tigerclan

winds of change is an excellent standalone manga that highlights mudclaw's perspective during the windclan rebellion in tnp, it's enjoyable and while he's definitely not in the right, you do understand his perspective a little more after it.

exile from shadowclan is one i'd recommend just for the art, the way james barry utilizes shadow and the landscape is great and i found myself looking at the pages more for the artwork than the story at times! while it's wonky and has some...really weird choices, i'd just read it if you're interested more in brokenstar's reign over shadowclan.

aaannddd those are my recommendations! apologies it got a little long, i wanted to ramble lol i'm probably not the best person to ask since i havent read everything but i appreciate you reaching out nonetheless! hope you find something you like :)

[sasa-gay-yo]

His Little Teacher (Levi Ackerman x Teacher!Reader)

Request: Here

Summary: You never knew your favorite kindergartener, Isabel Ackerman, had such a good-looking father until Parent-Teacher Conferences. 

Timeline: Modern!AU

Warnings: this bitch is LONG, Some slight mentions of sexual activity, drinkin 

Art Credits: ? help pls

She was the only child who never had a chaperone, or a parent come with cookies or treats on their birthday. If you didn’t look at her profile, you wouldn’t even know what day her birthday was and that it had passed a month prior to today. Even when you would go on field trips, like today, sending home permission slips encouraging parents to come to museum, all that came back was the five dollars for lunch and his elusive signature.

Levi Ackerman

Despite that, you loved the little raven-haired girl. She was smart, she always listened, washed her own face and hands after craft time, and she always talked about her father. Even now, on the bus to the museum with her pink princess backpack on her lap, she was talking about her father to you. From what you gathered, her mother had passed away when she was born, and he was the only one taking care of her. That’s what her preschool teacher had said to you in the teacher’s lounge last week. You felt bad that you judged his parenting when you finally learned that, now knowing he was probably working hard to take care of her and raise her as well as he did. You just wanted parents to be involved with their children, especially with your favorite child. However, from what she’s told you about her father, you didn’t need to worry about that too much.

“And he’s so strong Miss. (Y/L/N)! Yesterday, Daddy and I went to pick out a fish tank and he carried it even full of water to our kitchen table. Daddy got a Dory fish and I got a Nemo fish.” You smiled down at her, nodding at her stories. She grabbed at your hand harder, trying to convince you at how strong her father was. You did wonder what the man looked like, again, having the preschool teachers tell you all about her glorious looking father. Still, halfway through the school year, you’d never met him, and she took the bus back and forth from school every day. You just had his neat signature.

Throughout the whole field trip, she didn’t let go of your hand, dragging you around to all of the stations while you let your other fellow teachers deal with the whole group. They knew that they couldn’t do anything to drag you away from that child. She was like a magnet to you, even on the first day of school. Your fellow teachers said that your first class of students was always special, and so it made sense that you had a relationship with a child like that. Bright-eyed, cute, and very insightful on certain things. The only thing that you would write down on her monthly report cards was how blunt she was to her fellow students.

You would have to hide your laugh with the things she said to them. In her defense, nothing she said was wrong, but you did have to teach her how to give constructive criticism without insulting anyone. When you sat her in the time out corner, she would give an annoying look at the calm-down toys, her arms crossed. It was comical, but oh, so cute. This is why you taught kindergarteners. They were just learning how to live life, and you were there to guide them along on their quite funny mistakes... and you got a front row seat to those hilarious moments.

“Miss. (Y/L/N), did I tell you that Daddy can come to student teacher conferences? He gave me a note to give you!” She dug through her backpack again and pulled out a cleanly folded white piece of paper to give to you.

“That’s great, Isabel! I can tell your father how good you are.” She beamed up at me, and you knew how much she loved when you praised her. It must be what her father does at home. You took time to read the tiny note, taking in neat and orderly handwriting.

Miss. (Y/L/N),

Next week’s Parent-Teacher conference openings are at weird times in my work schedule, but I do really wish to attend to talk about Isabel’s first school year. Is there anyway we can have a meeting later in the night? I’m sorry if it’s too much of you to ask to stay in the building that long, but either 8 or 9pm would work best for me. I am able to get Isabel a babysitter then.

My email is: lackerman23@gmail.com

Thank you in advance,

Levi Ackerman, Isabel Ackerman’s father

There it was, that signature. You had seen it almost every week on a random piece of paper or Isabel’s planner. You would make sure that you would stay late for him. You wanted to meet the man that raised your favorite student on his own. Even if it was Friday and you were planning to go out for drinks, you were sure your friends would understand your lateness.

When you had waved all the children goodbye, including Isabel who was always last on the bus wanting to keep talking to you, you went right away to email Mr. Ackerman back.

Hello Mr. Ackerman,

This is Isabel’s kindergarten teacher, Miss. (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). I received your note today, and am totally willing to meet with you at 8:30 or 9 pm. The last scheduled meeting for Friday is at 8:00 pm, so you won’t be holding me back in the building at all. I am excited to meet you and talk about Isabel’s progress!

Best,

(Y/F/N) (Y/L/N)

You sent the email and sat back in your chair, thinking about the man before you got to grading the color tests. From what the other teachers had told you, he was short, but very good looking. He also seemed a bit young to be a father, or at least that’s what their judgement was. You probably wouldn’t be very focused on his looks, but his personality. If it was anything like Isabel’s, it was to be enjoyable. You wouldn’t be upset to stay back for that.

In the teacher’s lounge, you took out the early dinner you packed, turning to the others who had done the same. The town had to be small enough that even if they didn’t have Isabel in their class, they would know about the Ackermans. You didn’t grow up in this town, and you only did your student teaching here, so you knew absolutely nothing besides what the PTA moms gossiped loudly about in your classroom.

“Do any of you know about Levi Ackerman? All I’ve heard is that he’s young and good looking. I have a conference with him this week.” You sat down with the younger teachers whom you formed a bond with your first day here. They also looked eager to answer your question in hushed tones.

“The only thing I know is that the woman he got pregnant was like a one-night stand or something. They didn’t like each other, were in the same friend group, and then it was like a drunken fantasy or something.  Then, she shows up a few months later after he got hired at this big company in town, pregnant. Rumors say that she was going to terminate her pregnancy, but he vogued to keep it. The day after Isabel Ackerman’s birth, she took off, never to be heard or seen from again.” You mouth widened as you shoveled in your rice.

“I thought she died? Isabel said something like that.” The all shook their heads no.

“It’s probably what he tells her since she’s too young to understand.” You nodded in agreement and turned to Mella who was student-teaching for the preschool when Isabel was there. She was the one who told you how he looked, and she apparently went to school around him.

“Is he as handsome as they say?” She shrugged and took a drink.

“He is, short, but like, he’s a dark handsome if that makes sense. It’s the personality that people didn’t like. He’s really antisocial and mean to other parents, like he’ll insult you for anything. He was the best at everything during high school, and people always thought he was cocky, hence the attitude..”

“So that’s where Isabel gets her little problem from. I hope he isn’t like the other parents then, thinking their kid is the best. If he is, I guess he’ll just be nice to look at.”

Friday 8:39 PM

“Yes, well, sometimes when we see this behavior in a student, we first tell the parents to see if it is something at home affecting them. Perhaps other older siblings? Someone who may show negative emotion to him?” She scoffed in your face and grabbed the behavior evaluation sheet out of your hands.

“There is nothing wrong at our house! How dare you to assume that about us!” The husband just sat back in the chair almost glaring at his wife. Right, right, nothing going on at your house. You felt bad for Ryan too. The boy was smart and incredibly creative, but he couldn’t play well with anyone else. He felt the need to yell at any child who tried to get him to share, probably emulating behavior of an older sibling or parent. No doubt, the mother… but you had to be professional about the headache she was giving me.

“I’m so sorry if my words offended you! I didn’t mean anything like that,” you held your hands up in defense, “Maybe it could be TV shows he watches that models this type of behavior? Something to spur anger?” That made her calm down and think about it. You didn’t think a six-year-old was watching violent TV shows on PBS, but who knows what goes on in that house.

“Maybe we can monitor his TV intake, yes.” You sighed and looked up at the clock. This had gone over thirty minutes because they had to pick apart everything you said about Ryan. You sneaked a look out the door but saw an empty hallway. When was he going to come?

“Thank you both for coming. It means so much to me that you are involved in your child’s education at such an early age. It shows them the importance of an education and makes my job that much easier!” You gave them your spiel, standing by the door, and she refused to leave for some reason. She probably wanted to stay and brag loudly to the next parent who was coming. That was a common thing, for the parents waiting to talk about their kids, but how much genius could you find in your kids scissor practice paper?

“Do you know what parent is next? We’re friends with most of them, you know, PTA president things! It’s getting late however, are we the last ones?” She was looking left and right down the dimly lit hallway to stalk her prey.

“Next is Mr. Ackerman. He’s the last parent to go.” Her smile dropped.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around. He doesn’t donate for the fairs; he hasn’t come to any of the Daddy-daughter dances we’ve had… I wonder what he even does, all alone like that.” You heard the tone of judgment ricochet through her words and your headache got bigger. She had no room to judge other parents.

“Well, I think it’s very commendable how he’s raised such a wonderful child in the circumstances he’s been given. Being a single parent is never easy. My mother raised me and my siblings by herself.” She looked you up and down, now judging you for your upbringing. She should be judging how her attitude affects her son’s interpersonal skills.

“Ah, yes, how commendable of your mother! Honey, we should get back to the kids.” She gave me a sickening smile before hauling her husband down the hallway, no doubt to insult you. You made sure she turned the corner, and the hallway was clean before you collapsed back on the door frame, holding your head.

“I swear I never had such bad parents when I was student teaching. Ugh, my head. How much can you analyze a five-year-old’s sight word recognition?”

“And they want judge me for not going to any PTA meetings when they act like this.” You jumped, covering your mouth as a silent scream ran through your body. How had you not seen him? He was leaning on the wall right next to the door, suit coat in hand. You were sure you checked both sides of the hallway before you said that. Damn it. Strike one to you acting professional.

“M-Mr. Ackerman. Nice to meet you finally!” You re-tucked your shirt back in before extending a hand. He looked down at it, smirking, before shaking your hand back.

“Nice to meet you too, Miss. (Y/L/N). My daughter seems to only talk about you these days.” You almost blushed at his words and from the fact you finally got to see him. He was incredibly handsome. You didn’t know why you didn’t listen enough your fellow teachers, and you wish you prepared yourself more than the sweater and the midi-skirt you were wearing. You did have a change of clothes for the bar you’d be going to with your friends after this, but that was highly, highly school inappropriate. What was also inappropriate was how long you were staring at his suit clad form. It was the way he had his sleeves rolled up and two buttons undone that made you stare.

“Let’s go in,” you smiled at him, gesturing to the circular table you set up in the center of the classroom. You had Isabel’s file right on the desk waiting for him. It was funny to see him sit in the small chair that was meant for a child who tagged along, but you didn’t have the heart to tell him. It fit his height a bit, and was very cute.

“That chair is for the children unless you would like to sit in it. I have no judgement though; they are surprisingly comfortable.” He looked up at me before seeing the regular sized chairs at the other end of the table. He then just shrugged and set his suit coat to hand on the side of the purple chair.

“We have these at home, so I’m used to it.” You nodded and opted to sit down on an equal sized chair to be eye level with him. He noticed your gesture and smiled at you. Now that, you would literally pay to see him smile again. You thought back to what Mella said. Cocky, insulting; you didn’t see any of that now. Maybe he’d matured the few years after they went to school or just was trying to act nice in front of his daughter’s teacher.

Isabel had talked so much about her father, but he never said how incredibly hot he was. I mean, that made sense, but still. He couldn’t have been older than you, there was no way. How was this man hiding in the midst of all the middle-aged parents? You were excited to share the news with your friends after this. A hot parent was always nice, and you hadn’t had one yet. He would be your first.

“Well, Mr. Ackerman, this is going to be a short meeting. Isabel is my model student really. Here’s some work of hers to look at. She’s smart, attentive, clean, and very, very sweet.” He smiled down at a drawing Isabel had made of him and that made your heart sing even more. This smile was very different from the short one he gave you. It was like his soul was singing through his eyes. How could he be so hot and so loving of his child at the same time? You could see it. The genuine love he had for that drawing and the little girl who made it. The little girl who looked exactly like her father, minus the eye color.

“But she does have a mouth, I know that for a fact. The fat mom called me a few weeks ago complaining about what Isabel said to… what’s his name? Rock? Rufus?” You couldn’t hold in your laugh this time, even if it was unprofessional to agree with him. The whole meeting was unprofessional at this point. You were sitting in foot tall chairs and thinking about how good of a figure he had. It was actually refreshing how laid back he seemed to be, unlike the other parents, especially this late at night.

“Yes, she is sometimes very… critical of her peers. Ryan is a student who doesn’t get along with others. She had to let him know that. To be honest, it is very funny, but still, we have to teach her to be constructive with it.” He nodded, now listening to your words with the same attention he gave to Isabel’s drawing. It made you melt even more. He cared so much about his child. Oh god, why was he perfect?

“I’ll work on her with that. She gets that from me. During quarantine, when she was doing preschool at home, I was also working. She probably heard me talking to some of my workers in that tone.” That made me perk up, knowing absolutely nothing about him. You usually do parent introductions at the first all-class meeting, but he, obviously, wasn’t there. Now that he exceeded all your expectations, you want to know more.

“If you mind me asking, where do you work?” He leaned back as much as he could in the chair, trying to spread his legs under the table. The way his ankle brushed against yours didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m a Lead Captain in the Survey company in town. I’m fifty-fifty office work and on the job work, lifting and things.” That would explain how good his arms were looking under his sleeves. He did manual labor half of the time. 

You nodded and handed him Isabel’s behavior sheet out of the folder. You got your pen to explain him the scales, and when you turned back, he had leaned in pretty far to hover over the paper. Trying to hide your blush in your hair, you tried not to react to his closeness. He didn’t seem to pull back, so you continued to explain to him how her score was perfect except for group behavior. Again, he listened so intently to your suggestions and what you had to say about Isabel it made your heart glow with warmth.

“I guess when she was younger, the only interaction she would get was at morning preschool. She only has a babysitter since I can’t afford daycare. That’s my fault, one hundred percent. I-I heard that you know how single parenting is.” He pointed to the door with his thumb, referring to the interaction you had with Ryan’s parents. It was refreshing for a parent to take the blame too. He was getting more and more perfect by the minute. A perfect child and a perfect father. It made so much sense.

“Yes, growing up I was an attention hog. I only had older brothers, so when I went to school I expect to be treated like a princess. I had my first great awakening when a boy threw mud at my face during recess because I refused to share my swing.” He leaned his head back and let out a deep laugh and you matched him, taking in the view he was giving you. This seemed to be a one night only type thing, so you’d take your liberties where you could. I mean, if you didn’t study his face, how were you going to describe him well enough to everyone at the bar?

No. You shouldn’t be thinking this much about how good looking and perfect a student’s parent was. You shouldn’t be thinking about what’s under his clothes either.

“With the way Isabel talks about you, you might as well be a princess. It’s ‘Miss. (Y/L/N) does it this way, Daddy’ or ‘Daddy, today Miss. (Y/L/N) and I did this!’ You seem to be taking my child away from me, Miss. (Y/L/N).”  You smiled, and almost blushed at what he was telling you about Isabel and put a hand over your heart. The teachers were right about your first class.

“You can call me (Y/F/N), Mr. Ackerman. We seem to be similar in age.” He sat up again, nodding and taking the behavior sheet you gave him.

“Then it’s Levi to you, (Y/F/N). I’m thirty-two. May I ask how old you are?” Your mouth dropped and you couldn’t help it. You didn’t think he would be in his thirties and now your numbers were thrown off.

“You don’t look at all like you’re over thirty. I’m twenty-seven.” He smirked again and seemed to be comfortable enough to lean back again, arms coming together behind his head. The pose made your heart beat faster again. Oh yeah, you were telling your friends all about this.

“Well, thank you, (Y/F/N). I’m glad you think I’m so young. Isabel calls me an old man already.” You laughed and looked up at the clock. 8:52. You had time to talk more, pushing a few minutes, but you didn’t know if he had somewhere to go. This meeting itself was set up because of scheduling conflicts. You wanted to talk to him more about Isabel and his experience raising her, but you didn’t know if that would be too personal for him.

“Now, that might be my fault. She asked me sometime during our lesson about family how old did someone have to be to be considered an Uncle and I told her above 30. Then she asked if I was old, and I told her that compared to her I was. So, she now thinks that people about twenty-seven are now old.” He shook his head and let out one huff in laughter.

“Now because of you I have no game. Imagine, first, I already have a child, and now when I bring a date home, she tells her that I was an old man. I never get a third date because of that. Are you trying to keep me forever single, (Y/F/N)?” Was he… was he flirting with you? No, it couldn’t be. He was just talking, just bantering like every parent does. The problem was is that he was a very single, very good-looking parent. This was a dangerous situation and it happened during your first-year teaching. This was bad.

“I’ll talk to her on Monday to tell her to stop calling her father an old man. Does that atone for my sins?” He quirked an eyebrow up, smirking again, but this time you could tell that he was definitely flirting with you.

“Maybe, I’ll have to come to these meetings more often. To check up on your progress with getting my daughter to go against me. The only reason I don’t come around the school often is because of the other parents.” You leaned your head in your hand, finally just deciding to go along with it. Even if he said that, this was probably the only time you two were going to meet and Isabel was going to progress on to a new teacher in a few months. You both were young too, nothing was going to get to HR.

“Next week, I’ll try to get her to call you a silly, old man, how about it? We can have a progress check next Friday.” You felt your Apple Watch buzz, looking down to see who was calling. Armin. He was probably wondering where you were, but you thought you told them you’d be late.

“I’m sorry about that, it’s just my friends.” You went to hang up, knowing that in a few minutes Eren would call. Then Jean. Then Connie. Then Sasha. Then Historia. Mikasa wouldn’t care, but at this point, the train of calls would be never ending. You were going to yell at them for cutting into your time with Levi.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I also have something to do tonight, but it was great talking to you.” You almost pouted when he went to stand up, grabbing Isabel’s folder. You were dumb to think he was flirting with you, and now you got your hopes up.

“If you have anything you need or any questions about Isabel, I’m here to answer them. Also, I’m supposed to extend out an invitation for our Spring Festival celebration next week. If you would like to come, it will be on Friday at 2 pm.” You stood, matching his height. You really wanted him to come this time, as he never came to anything, but you knew he probably wouldn’t.

He smiled at you, “You know, maybe I will come. You’ll just have to protect me from the PTA moms.” You both started walking to the door and you took the chance, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Levi, I stay as far away from them as possible. It’s an all-school thing, so it will be easy to avoid them.” You saw the little glance down to your hand before he just nodded once and continued to walk out of your classroom. He put on his suit coat and looked back at me, smiling a bit to say goodbye.

“Have fun with your friends tonight, (Y/F/N). A great teacher like you deserves to relax.” You smiled back at him, leaning on the doorframe.

“You, too, Levi. With whatever you’re doing tonight. A single father like you deserves to relax.”

Club Rio 

“Eren, if I have to tell you to stop touching me one more time, I will break your arm off!” He winced, taking his arm off of your shoulders and drinking his beer. The bar was packed tonight, so there was almost seven of you crowded around a single circle tabletop. You already felt smooshed, so you didn’t want Eren to make it worse.

“How were your conferences today, (Y/F/N)?” Armin asked you from across the table and you held a thumb up while taking a drink. It may be squished, but it was worth it to get this buzz. You took Levi’s advice and relaxed hard. The amount of bullshit you spewed in the last three days to make the parents happy to it out of you.

“Most of them are the same old, your child is great, I love having them in my class, here’s something to work on though, and then they blame my teaching. It’s really annoying having to agree with their criticism of me, but I want to keep my job. However,” you held a finger up, “the last meeting was with a single father in my class. He was amazingly hot. A bit over thirty. He also is the father of my favorite student, so it just added to it. Like a treat at the end of a hard week.” You could hear Jean and Eren scoff, but Historia leaned in, her blue eyes wide and sparkly from the drinks. 

“What did he look like?”

“He’s short, like my height, but he has black hair. An undercut. Then he’s definitely muscular. You could even see it through his button up. Thirty-Two. His eyes are really narrow, but like a type of grey that shines. One of the teachers described him to be a dark handsome, and I completely agree. She also said he was kinda of cocky and insulted people a lot. Too bad he doesn’t show up around the school because he’s busy at working at some company in town.” You saw Jean and Armin exchange looks and you pointed at both of them.

“Hey, hey, hey. What was that?” Jean spoke up first.

“Um, well, is this person - is his name Levi Ackerman by chance?” Your eyes widened and you stood straight up, your body colliding with Eren’s. Jean now had your full attention.

“How do you know him? You two didn’t live here before!” Jean leaned to rest his arms on the table, looking at Eren to explain since he wouldn’t have to yell over the crowd.

“No, but he’s our team captain at work. Short, black hair, mean, grey eyes: I think you described him to a T. But, you said he was a treat? That doesn’t sound at all like the Levi that chewed me out today because I didn’t put a signature at the end of my email.” Eren answered and you gave him a confused look. Levi seemed really nice and he joked with you. Maybe it was just his work personality.

“He was though. He even called me a great teacher and we went by first name basis.” This time Mikasa spoke up next to Eren.

“Levi’s nice to women, Eren. Not to people who probably mess up all the time at work.” Eren groaned and you arched your body around his so you could look at her. She did look a little like him, but she was half Asian, so there was some doubt in your mind. From what you could connect though, they may act alike in certain situations. Maybe it was on her dad’s side.

“Ackerman! Are you related?! How did I not think about that before?” She nodded as Eren nudged her for the comment she made about his work ethic. 

“On my father’ side. We’re cousins, but distant. I don’t talk to him unless we’re forced to at family functions. But he does act how they’re saying. He’s cold and calm, you can’t tell what he’s thinking usually. Most of the time he has a scowl on his face and doesn’t talk a lot unless it’s an insult or something. Then again, you’re a pretty woman, so that could have changed his attitude.” You blushed a bit, trying to hide it in your hair, but Connie caught you.

“You have a little crush on the DILF, don’t you?! I can see it!” He poked your cheek, him and Sasha roaring in laughter.

“No, he was just nice to look at! He also really cares about his daughter, which is just… girls like guys who are good with kids. Teacher’s also like parents who care about their kids, it makes my job easier.” They still couldn’t stop laughing and you couldn’t stop blushing.

“A teacher-parent relationship, how scandalous,” Jean added in on making fun of me, “What will the PTA moms say about that (Y/F/N)?” You glared at all of them as they laughed.

“I told you he was just hot!”

Paradis Elementary Spring Festival     

“Do you need any help reorganizing this whole table so the PTA mom’s stop roping me into work I don’t want to do?” You jumped at the body that came close behind you. You also jumped because you didn’t expect him to show up. The little raven-haired girl ran to the playground and you turned around quickly, eyes wide.

“Levi! I mean, Mr. Ackerman. I’m glad you showed up!” He nodded and used both hands to lean down on the table seeing the cupcakes that I rearranged four times, so I didn’t have to talk to the mothers about their kids.

“You said you’d protect me from them, but there I was carrying all the boxes from their damn cars.” You looked over at the mothers, now huddled around staring at you talking to Levi and gossiping. Figures. Last year, one of the third-grade teachers breathed in the wrong direction and there were rumors about her having an affair with a married man. You hoped you weren’t next on the PTA list.

“Well, its not common for a father to come to these types of events. Notice how there aren’t any on the PTA.” He switched positions so he could lean on the table and watch Isabel play on the swings with her friends and the older children. You picked up the Capri Suns from the ground, deciding to organize them by flavor.

“You know what Isabel asked me the other night? After our conference?” You perked up at his words, signaling that you were interested in what she said.

“Hm?” He scratched the back of his neck, now debating whether he should tell you this. It was a bit personal and maybe would make you, as a teacher, uncomfortable with Isabel. Either way, he did it.

“Well, I actually had a date that night,” your heart dropped a little bit, and you scowled down at your chest, “and my date needed an umbrella, so I went in to get her one. When I came out Isabel was there outside our apartment, glaring up at this woman, arms crossed and everything.” You giggled at that, imagining it in your head. You could see her signature glare now looking up at someone three times taller and five times older. You looked over to Isabel, matching Levi’s stance against the table. Right now, it looked like she was lecturing a boy on how to play the floor is lava.

“She asked me why I didn’t bring you home,” he said through a laugh and you followed his cue laughing. You weren’t doing any laughing on the inside. Your mind was swirling now after he said that, but he couldn’t have meant that. It was just Isabel thinking like a six-year-old. If Levi told her he had a date, she might have just thought that the two meetings were connected. Yeah, he couldn’t mean anything other than that.

Still.

“Ah, she’s funny, isn’t she?” You almost winced at how dismissive your tone was. It sounded like you wanted to move on from the conversation and you were afraid he took it the wrong way. You didn’t want to dismiss the opportunity of it being him flirting with you, but you also didn’t believe that was his intention. Now he thought must have thought that it was your intention to ignore it anyways. He stayed silent after that. Goddamn it. You had to fill the space somehow.

“Are you related to a Mikasa?” He seemed to perk up after that, turning his head to look right at you in recognition.

“She’s my cousin, yes. How do you know her? Are you friends with those brats?” You huffed in laughter at his tone. Brats wasn’t a word you would use for your friend group, but you guessed since he was a bit older and, from what you heard, was annoyed all the time by them at work.

“We know each other from college, yeah. Since they had secured a job at Survey, I decided to follow by teaching here so we’d all live by each other. I met Eren first.” He lifted up an eyebrow and you could see a little trace of annoyance gloss over his face. It was very much an Isabel look, or rather, she’d gotten it from her father. Pretty much copy and paste.

“You met him first and wanted to meet the rest of them?” You rolled your eyes at that. You can see how Connie and Sasha got a bit wild, Eren and Jean a bit intense, but overall, they were great people to be friends with. Armin had helped you through a required science class, Historia and Mikasa stayed with you and bought you ice cream when your boyfriend had broken up with you, Connie and Sasha were the life of the party any hour of the day, and Jean and Eren, respectively, would provide you some stress relief and good times when you were down. No, they were the greatest people you’d met.

“They’re my best friends, Levi. I love all of them.” The annoyed look still didn’t leave his face and he crossed his arms. Was he really going to argue with you about your friend group? If he did, you would definitely text the group chat to make his next work week a living hell for revenge.

“You don’t seem to be like them. Maybe Historia, but still, I wouldn’t peg you to be with that group.” You turned back around, seeing the children starting to walk over to the snack tables. Soon, once they were done with their lunch, they would descend on the cupcakes you were guarding and destroy the orderly table. You had to tape down the cheap plastic tablecloth, so it stood a chance.

“What do I seem like then? They’ve told me about you, you know. I couldn’t believe what they were telling me.” You grabbed the tape, ducking under the table do you couldn’t see his expression. However, his legs moved as he turned to face where you once were.

“Much more professional and put together than them. Maybe Armin is okay, but the others, I had to teach them how to write a formal email.”

“Well, you’ve never seen me outside of a school setting. Arguably, you know all of them more than you know me. If I had to compare myself to any of them it would be a mix between Armin and Jean. When we all go out, it seems to be like that. I can see, though, how they’d be a bit tough to handle at work.”

“Well, then why don’t we meet outside of school?” Your breath had to have stopped, but his face was completely serious. Did he just ask you on a date? Right in front of the kindergarten cupcake table?

“Miss. (Y/L/N)! Can we have a cupcake now?” Two or three of your students gathered at your leg, and you looked down at them, probably with your eyes still wide. You then looked back to Levi who was giving the children a very annoyed stare, before stepping back from the table so they had full access.

“U-Um, what did you – Cupcakes! Yes, El, you can have one cupcake each. What color do you want?” You went to hand them the specific colors you wanted, and you thought that your business would make Levi go somewhere else, but he was there staring at you while you handed them out. His gaze was unwavering as he leaned up against the basketball net’s pole. Even when Isabel came to stand next to his legs, he didn’t look down at her. You knew he was waiting for an answer and you were having an internal crisis.

You didn’t think you’d get this far, actually, no you never thought this would happen. It was going to be the one parent-teacher meeting, then you’d never see him again and only complain to Mikasa and Historia about how you let him get away. Now, he literally just came out with it. Was this his whole intention of coming today? Your stomach did flipflops because of that. But now, you were thinking of how unprofessional it would look if you two did start something. You would be offender number one for the PTA moms and it was only your first year teaching. Then, on the other hand, the school year was almost over, and you would soon not be Isabel’s teacher and you and he were both single. And he was very good looking. And he was good with kids. And you did like him a bit, only having talked to him for thirty minutes. Still, what could fully develop if you took up his offer?

“Can I please have all the parents and their children gather?” You turned your neck to look at the principal who had yelled that through a blowhorn. He was standing on the makeshift stage in front of the school, probably going to give the day ending speech before dismissing the children with their participation medals for the games we played. You would have time to ask your crisis hotline and you were thankful that Isabel so eagerly pulled her father towards the front of the school. You still couldn’t shake his gaze, him looking over his shoulder at you while you tried to hide your blush.

Once you were alone on the basketball field, you used your watch to send a text to you, Historia, Mikasa, and Sasha’s group chat.. You knew whatever they were doing, they would take the chance to slack off. It also had to be important if you were texting during the school day. 

From Mi: What are you texting us for?

From Mrs. Potato Head: Yes, aren’t you at school?

From (Y/F/N): Okay, well a situation has occurred, and I need quick guidance. I only have like two minutes

From My Queen: We can help!

From (Y/F/N): Thank you, Historia. I know I can count on you.

From Mrs. Potato Head: Just get on with it! I didn’t eat lunch today and I’m starving!

From (Y/F/N): Ok, ok, ok! 

You glanced over at the parents and there he was, staring at you while holding Isabel’s hand. 

From (Y/F/N): Oh god, I can’t believe I’m even saying this to you guys. I think Levi asked me on a date!

From Mrs. Potato Head: OUR BOSS LEVI ACKERMAN?!

From My Queen: You sound like a sixteen-year-old, (Y/F/N)! Of course, he would ask you out, who wouldn’t?

From Mi: So, what are you asking us? It’s a yes isn’t it?

From Mrs. Potato Head: Yeah, by the way you were talking about him at the bar last week, it has to be a yes

From Mi: If you two get married, we’ll be cousins

From (Y/F/N): Stop that! I don’t know if I should! I’m his daughter’s teacher and I barely know him 

The principal was on his ending notes, and you could tell that Isabel was going to race up to you before saying goodbye. She always did. At the end of the day, you would take he to the bus with the other kids, and she would have to run her homework by you, tell you one or two random things, and then get yelled at before she would go on the bus.

From My Queen: Isn’t that why you go on dates with people or am I mistaken? Mikasa, is your cousin a serial killer?

From Mi: No, Historia, I don’t think he is. I think you should do it, (Y/F/N). Even if it’s kinda weird I’m setting you up with my cousin

You rolled her eyes at her remarks and the clapping notified you that in about thirty seconds a little raven-haired girl was going to be at your feet.

From (Y/F/N): Don’t tell the guys about this please. Not unless the date goes well, okay?

From Mrs. Potato: Oh, so you’re accepting! That’s mad crazy. My best friend and my boss. I’m going to tell Connie

From Mrs. Potato Head: Oh, wait, shit sorry. Nevermind

You groaned and knew that your request would fall on deaf ears. Soon you’d have Jean and Eren at your heels telling you that you shouldn’t go out with anyone but either one of them.

“Miss. (Y/L/N)!” Isabel started her bounding run towards you, and you could see Levi starting to walk in that same direction, his eyes never having left your figure. Jesus, this man’s gaze was so intense.

From (Y/F/N): We’re talking more later 

You put your phone away, turning around to face Isabel with a big smile hiding how nervous you were in her father’s presence. Everything wrong was going through your mind. What if he didn’t mean a date? What if he thinks you’re too young for him? What happens when the date goes terribly that you end up hating him?

“Miss. (Y/L/N), I got a medal from the principal, look!” She held up the participation medal that all the children got. Something about everyone deserving to win something. You were falling asleep during that meeting.

“That’s great, Isabel! You can hang it on the fridge, yeah?” You could see his eyes spark when you said that. He smirked, too, finding it funny that you knew about their fridge, completely covered with Isabel’s drawings, report cards, and various other trinkets. Perhaps it was even a bit heartwarming to him.

“Is, can you go get your backpack from the classroom? Daddy needs to talk about you to Miss. (Y/L/N.” The little girl just lifted her head up, almost falling over to look back at Levi.

“But Daddy, I’m not done talking to Miss. (Y/L/N)!” One second of annoyance reappeared on his face before urging her to go do it again. This time, with a pout, she walked inside with the rest of her classmates to go get ready to leave.

“So, how does Saturday sound?” He was really direct, and you’d guess it was his age or the fact that you haven’t dated anyone other than college frat boys in their early twenties. You looked back at him, remembering what the girls said. They wanted you to go on it and you, yeah, you definitely wanted to go on it too.

“At seven?” You suggested and you swear you saw a smile break across his face before he dropped it to nod. That made the butterflies come back again.

“Seven, yeah. I’ll get your address from Mikasa.”

Saturday, 3:57 AM

“I couldn’t believe he posted that either! When Mikasa showed me that, I thought he was for sure getting fired,” my hands moved with my words as I explained to Levi about Eren’s awful thirst trapping social media posts. While I was doing this, he gripped my shoulder with the hand shrugged around me, trying to steer me in the right direction. Granted, I was also probably a little tipsy from the alcohol we consumed at the second bar. It was cheaper and fruitier, so I obliged, and Levi seemed to find it amusing.

“Oh, he definitely got reprimanded. It took everything in me not to kick him. Erwin is usually away, so I’m the one who has to deal with everything. One time they started, oh what are those things called, the pictures that are supposed to be funny?” He was gesturing with the hand next to my ear, trying to get me to fill in the blank.

“Memes? I knew you were old, but not this old, Lev.” He rolled his eyes at you, ignoring your insult and continuing with his story.

“They started a Meme fight in the company group chat even though I clearly laid out the rules to them. Apparently, their explanation was that if they got everyone to do it, I couldn’t punish everyone in the office.” I smiled up at him and grabbed loosely at his fingers, trying to hold his hand, but not really. I ended up just playing with them as we walked up to my apartment building.

“So, you punished everyone twice, yeah?” He smirked as we stopped outside the doorway of my building.

“Three times.” This made you both giggle like children, and you were sure the alcohol, the third round of drinks, was starting to have an affect on you both again. You’d make sure he’d call a cab to get back.

“I can walk you up to your door?” He suggested and your eyes widened, shaking your hands in front of you. He couldn’t know that Historia, Mikasa, and Sasha were on a stake-out at your apartment. It was something you all did when the other would go on a date with a new person. It was to make sure that they got home right and that they had someone to immediately rant, cry, or laugh with depending on how the date went. Last time, you, Mikasa, and Sasha almost went to egg a guy’s house that made Historia cry. However, this stake-out was going to be very different.

“No, it’s fine. It’s fine. I’m actually against gender norms. If anything, I should walk you home.” He raised an eyebrow, taking his arm off my shoulder. He wore the same suit had had during the parent-teacher conference and you made sure to comment on how hot you thought he looked back then. Rolled up sleeves, buttons undone, and now, tousled hair courtesy of you. It was a very good look.

“You wouldn’t want your kindergartener seeing you drunk.” You hit his chest after that comment, knowing you weren’t completely intoxicated. You could get up to your house, take off your makeup, and have a very productive conversation about how he had treated you to ice cream halfway through your bar hopping session.

“I’m not drunk, just happy. Tonight was really fun.” He smiled at you and nodded in agreement.

“Let’s do it again? And again? You up for it?” You matched his smile and grabbed his hand.

“Of course I am. This was probably the best date I’ve ever had, Levi.” You saw the blush paint his cheeks as he went to scratch the back of his neck.

“Me too, (Y/L/N). Me too.” You sent him off in a taxi, a single kiss on his cheek that left a smirk on his face. You stood there for a while too, letting the cool spring wind blow over your bare legs. Yeah, that was a few hours of heaven. Your heart warmed as you went up in the elevator, replaying the events in your head over and over again. You were sad it had to end, but it was almost four in the morning and you’d exhausted all open sit-down bars.

When you got inside your apartment, you saw them all sleeping on the couch besides Mikasa who locked very annoyed eyes with you. You just smiled and slid down the door, sitting on the floor.

“Oh god,” Mikasa groaned, seeing your lovesick face. She never though she’d meet someone who’d act like this for her cousin, must less one of her best friends. Sasha and Historia woke up, rubbing their eyes to look at the time. You wondered when they fell asleep.

“Why are you back so late?” Sasha mumbled, seeing the clock hit four in front of her eyes. At least you left her a stocked fridge. Historia was the first of the two to be wide awake, seeing your face clearly. She almost jumped up from the couch and ran over to you on the floor. You smile was still plastered over your face, thinking about Levi.

“How was it? How was it!?” Sasha covered her ears at Historia’s yells. She would care in the morning when she was awake. For now, she just looked at you as you stared Historia right in the eyes and said those bone crushing words.

“Historia, I think I’m in love.”

“Love?!” Mikasa popped up, sounding so taken aback by that. No, she’d never, ever bet on someone liking, much less falling in love with her cousin. What had he done to you? She rested her head on the back of the couch, looking over to you. Historia grabbed your hand hard, excited for you.

“No way! Are you sure? How do you know? What did you two do for some long? Huh! You didn’t!” You shook your head, knowing what she was thinking. No, he was a gentleman the whole night with you, even if you did exchange a few buzzed kisses here and there on the fake leather couches of a swanky bar downtown.

“We went for dinner first at a hibachi place. We talked for hours and hours, I couldn’t tell you how long. It was just, I could’ve sit and talked to him in that uncomfortable chair for hours. We just walked about everything. Our lives, Isabel, how I became a teacher, you guys; it was just so refreshing. Then, when the hibachi place closed, he said he didn’t want to end it there, and so he took me to this high-end bar, and I had an overpriced martini and we talked and talked some more. I just couldn’t run out of topics, Historia. Maybe it was because I drank so much, but still, I was buzzing the whole time around him. Then when that bar closed, we went to ours, the one we go to, and I drank more. He did too. I guess the alcohol just opened us up. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to someone for that long about absolutely nothing. Even on the way back, we walked by the river, it was so pretty and there were almost no people. Just a little slice of heaven. I’m sad it had to end, but he asked if I wanted to do it again, and again. He’s just so nice and gentlemanly and funny and handsome and cute and-“ Sasha cut you off with her hand. She couldn’t stand someone talking about her boss like that. If she kept listening to you, she would definitely say something at work and she was too afraid of what Levi would do to her.

“Guys, she’s completely whipped for our boss.” You smiled up at her, acknowledging that fact. Being with Levi just felt so good. Your heart was light and your head was buzzing around. Every time he leaned over to kiss you, you had butterflies in your stomach like some little girl. You even went into the date telling yourself you’d have to act more upright than you really are, but that went out the window when the hibachi chef squirted Levi in the eye with water and you couldn’t handle it. You were just so comfortable around him, it was hard to be professional and upright. He did tell you that you were correct, you were different outside of school, but he loved it.

“He told me that my personality came out tenfold when I was outside of school grounds. He said he liked it a lot and thought I was cute.” You were wringing your hands together, the feeling hitting your toes. God, you never had a man make you feel like this. All of the fairytale books you read the kids now made complete sense. Even Sasha’s gagging sound didn’t take you out of that trance.

“You look so head-over-heals, (Y/F/N),” Historia said, laughing next to you while looking at your eyes. She took, well, they all had never seen you like this around a man you went on a date or one-night stand with. Not Jean, Eren, the one guy you dated in college, or the one right after graduation; none of them made you look like this. It almost made Mikasa sick looking at how lovestruck you were on the floor. All for Levi.

Five Months Later

From Captain <3: I venomed you for the pizza last night. You should use it to bring me a bubble tea from that shop we went to last week

From my little teach: I’m in a meeting, but in like an hour, sure.

From Captain <3: I never understood how you seem busier on summer vacation than you did during the school year

From my little teach: Not my fault you chose to date a teacher, at least I’m always free at night

From Captain <3: Then you have to leave early in the morning and the bed gets cold

From Captain <3: You know I’m anemic ☹

“Miss. (Y/L/N), do you find something funny about the change in our core curriculum?” Your eyes looked up to the fifth-grade teacher presenting and smiled to try and hide your embarrassment.

“No, Mrs. Warnas, I was just thinking about the unique drawings I’m going to get from my kindergarteners once we introduce them to storyboarding.” That seemed to satisfy her enough to turn back around and smile to herself at my compliment. I’m glad that was in my head still, because I didn’t want to get caught in front of all the teachers. They already knew I was in a relationship with a past parent, so them catching me texting like a high schooler in class would be mortifying.

From my little teach: You just got me in trouble

From Captain <3: I’m texting you in a meeting too

From Captain <3: You’re just bad at being sneaky

When you showed up at the office, two bubble teas in hand, you were greeted first by Connie who wanted one.

“Pleaseeeeee, I’ve been working so hard today!” You moved the drinks away from his grabby hands and glared at him. You knew that if Sasha came over too, you’d have to guard these drinks with your life.

“They aren’t for you, Con. I’ll buy you one another time.” He whined again and Jean’s head popped up from over a cubical, one arm resting on the edge.

“Jeez, (Y/F/N). Isn’t this the third time this week you came here? I don’t remember you ever visiting us this much before you started dating our boss.” You stuck your tongue out at him and took a sip of your tea to rub it in his face.

“You’re just jealous you didn’t land me. You had so many chances, yet it slipped through your fingers. You and Eren both.” His eyebrow quirked up, smirk breaking over his face. He was going to say something either sexual or annoying.

“I mean, if you want to talk about my finge-“

“What did you say, Kirstein?” Jean dropped his head, mumbling something, and sitting back in his chair. You turned around, locking eyes with Levi who was in the doorway of his office. His face was one you had gotten used to over the few months of visiting him at work. In this building, he was constantly on edge and it showed all over his face. His gaze was harsh, non-smiling, and always laced with annoyance or sleepiness. His words were the same way. Even the tone he took with Jean was the complete opposite of the one he talked to you or Isabel in.

“If I have to hear about Jean or Eren’s college relations with you one more time, I’ll fire both of them. I swear, I thought it would calm down, but almost everyday they have to say something and giggle to each other like fucking school children. Did you get the brown sugar boba?” You handed him his cup, sitting in the chair opposite his. He looked cute sipping on the boba while in his professional setting. The only time he wore his suit jacket was at work, but as he walked out of that door after clocking out, it was the first thing to come off.

“Bad day? You only ask for extra sugar when you’re feeling bad.” He huffed once in agreement with his bad day, taking another big sip and running a hand through his hair.

“A deal with a Japanese company we thought would be easy is toying with us and since Erwin’s out of town, it falls on Hange and I. I’ll probably have to take stuff home tonight and work.” You frowned, putting down your cup on his desk and leaning forward. He’d been stressed recently about work, which culminated in him needing daily visits to his office for you to calm him down. Pretty soon, he’d lock the door, making sure the blinds are all pulled, and have you sit on his lap to calm him down.

“I can take Isabel to mine if you need to concentrate tonight. We still have a few Barbie movies to watch.” That made him smile, but he shook his head, looking down at the papers sprawled all over his desk. 

Isabel had been very quick to accept the fact that her teacher and father were dating, and she probably happier than either of you. You both told her after school ended so she didn’t start something with the PTA moms, but it was your carelessness that caused all of them to find out over an email thread. Isabel, however, didn’t care that Ryan would make fun of her for having “Miss. (Y/L/N) as a mommy” because there was finally someone in her like that would play princesses with her that would fit the role. You asked Levi if, before you came, he was forced by the seven-year-old to wear a crown and fake earrings, but he refused to answer. It was also very easy to transition your relationship with Isabel from teacher to, basically, co-caretaker since she already saw you as such. When you told her she could call you your first name, she went crazy being able to call an adult by their first name. Now, she’d gotten more and more comfortable with you over the summer and just recently was able to finally see you as Daddy’s girlfriend and not Miss. (Y/L/N). Soon enough, she was falling asleep with you on the couch or your bed when you babysat her, and had just mistakenly called you mommy a day or two ago.

Levi and you had talked about that situation happening before, so you were prepared to sit her down and tell her that you weren’t her mommy yet, so you’d have to make up an easier nickname to call you. Both you and Levi were pretty sure that you were the person for each other, so there was no reason to forbid her from calling you that. Actually, it was during a post-steamy cuddle session that he’d brought it up.

“I can’t see myself being with anyone else. I know it’s early to say that. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, I feel the same. No one I’ve been with has made me feel like you do, Levi.”

“M-me, too.”

“I was going to ask you to come over tonight anyways. Mikasa offered to babysit Isabel over the weekend.” He trailed off on the last word, trying to suggest that we had three open days without a little girl trying to sleep in between us at night. Of course you’d go over.

“I guess I can come. You’ll just have to help me test out some kindergarten activities for the new core curriculum. School starts again next week.” He groaned, more work, but agreed to do it. How hard could it be? It was just cutting and coloring and he did that with Isabel on a daily.

“Mikasa and I are going to watch the Twelve Dancing Princesses tonight. I know you wanted to watch it with me, (Y/F/N),” she said lowering her head onto your chest as you laid on the couch. You laughed and ruffled her hair that you’d just combed out for Levi. He was still in his home office running over papers and making phone calls. Your job was to get Isabel ready and packed to go to Mikasa’s, but she was running late, so you decided to watch videos on your phone till she got there.

“That’s okay, Bel. I’ve seen it before. That means when you come back over, you can watch the Princess and the Pauper with me.” The little girl smiled, which was followed by a yawn as she watched some toy opening video on YouTube.

“Can we sing like last time?” You laughed a bit, so you didn’t disturb her tired form, slowly slipping into a nap as she laid on you. Apparently, Levi let her stay up last night, forgetting that this little girl won’t tear her eyes away from the television until you force her too. He had gone back to do some work and when he emerged at two in the morning, there she was struggling to keep her eyes open. So much for trying to get her back into a school sleep schedule. You were no better though, going to bed at three last night because you waited last minute to start writing lesson plans. This made you yawn along with her and close your eyes.

“Yes, we can sing like we did with Frozen.” She hummed a bit, snuggling again against your chest as she decided it was time to take a nap. You quickly agreed with that idea.

Knocking on the door broke Levi from looking at the figures for the latest project and he leaned out of his office to see both you and Isabel sleeping on the couch. He smiled to himself, heart singing at the view, and went to open the door for his cousin.

“Where’s she at?” He frowned at Mikasa, moving so she could walk in and see you two sleeping on the couch. Levi didn’t want to move you two, and in actuality he wanted to add another picture to the album on his phone, but it would be way too embarrassing to do in front of Mikasa. Mikasa on the other hand had put a pizza in the oven and was ready to go. Levi grabbed her arm to stop her from shaking you two awake.

“Let them sleep. They both stayed up late.” She rolled her eyes at Levi and he responded with an even more annoyed eye roll. Couldn’t she calm down for a few minutes?

“They get five more minutes of beauty sleep.”

“How gracious.” He stood there, arms crossed, looking over at the two who had no idea Mikasa walked in the door. You had one hand over Isabel’s head and the other hanging of the couch, gripping a phone still playing some YouTube video in the background. Isabel had her small hand touching your cheek, head buried in your chest as she snored soundly on her favorite bed. When Mikasa looked over at her cousin, she thought she was going to be sick. It was the same look you had coming back from you two’s first date and one she’d seen on your face when you bounced into their office. She’s gotten used to you, but this was the first time she saw Levi like that. She snorted at him and he dropped it, morphing back into his normal, harsh glare.

“Never thought you’d be so wrapped around (Y/F/N)’s finger.” Levi scoffed at her, making sure it wasn’t loud enough to wake you two.

“I’m just admiring my girlfriend and kid; can I not do that, brat?” Mikasa laughed a bit at him trying to hide his embarrassment with another insult. He did the same when she walked in on you two making out in his office, having forgotten to lock the door.

“You can, just not with my best friend. Makes me sick.” Levi felt like his eyes were going to roll out of his head. Once you two started dating, that whole friend group had been insufferable to him. Eren and Jean talking about all their college flings with you, Connie and Sasha always bursting out laughing for no reason, and Mikasa made fun of him for showing emotion. The only one he still liked was Armin who inquired about your class activities as school and the other kids besides Isabel. 

“When are you going to marry her?” Levi was taken aback by that question, but Mikasa was completely cool. It sounded so natural coming from her lips that Levi couldn’t help but actually answer back. It wasn’t a surprise to Mikasa when he told her his intentions. From the day you came back from your first date, she knew you’d probably become her cousin in less than a year.

“Haven’t planned out anything, but I have a ring.” She laughed at him again, this time adding a tad bit of happiness into it. Yeah, she was okay with Levi and you, but she didn’t know how the others would take the news. Eren and Jean would be distressed, Historia and Sasha ecstatic, and Connie and Armin probably neutrally happy. She’d probably have to pull Eren “that should’ve been me” Jaeger and Jean “if only she gave me a shot” Kiersten home from some random bar.

“Did you tell Isabel?” Levi nodded, remembering the conversation he had to have with her about keeping very, very important secrets. He even said that if Isabel told you, he would cry, which made it seem very serious to Isabel.

“She helped me pick it. Something about knowing what plastic rings (Y/F/N) liked. She slipped up this week though and called (Y/F/N) mommy. I had to bust my ass to cover that up.” This made Mikasa actually smile. Her best friend would be a great mom, but she didn’t want to think about it. You weren’t the first person she thought was going to get married in their group. Probably Historia, or Armin and his girlfriend, not you, the girl that fell into the Education major who partied all the time stereotype. 

“You’re marrying someone crazy; I hope you know that. By day, she’s a wonderful kindergarten teacher who all her students and parents love, and by night, she’s on top of some table in the club singing to Abba.” Levi grit his teeth, remembering clearly the first time he was forced out with you and the brats. Eren challenged you to a drinking contest and you stupidly accepted, which made it Levi’s job to drag you home and nurse a hangover the next day. It didn’t help that the next day you had another Teacher’s Institute meeting and complained to him that everyone there knew you were hungover. Those were some giant hoops Levi had to jump through to explain to Isabel why you were “sick”.

“Who do you think is the one getting her down and waking her up for school the next day?” Not caring anymore about saving face with Mikasa, he took his phone out, taking a picture of his two girls. Staring down at you holding his daughter, his heart swelled even more. You were going to be a great mom to Isabel, even if you told Levi that you weren’t made for it. Levi thought the same thing when he held Isabel for the first time, alone and abandoned. He reassured you, saying that Isabel has never had a mom in the first place, but you were still worried.

You don’t have to be worried, he thought watching Mikasa kick you awake, you’re perfect. His perfect little teacher.  

“Five minutes is up. Time to come to Aunty Mikasa’s so you won’t end up in therapy later in life for childhood trauma!”

xx Perhaps I got a LITTLE carried away, i hope you like it though! It’s a bit less cute than originally planned

[xantchaslegacy]

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Multiverse

A quick and dirty rundown of some of the premier MtG planes, ranked by how nice a place they would be to live. Very subjective obviously, and I’d love to hear if people agree/ disagree/ have any strong feelings on the matter at all~ I stuck mostly to planes where I felt enough was known about it to make a tentative judgment call on its general safety/ enjoyability.

Note that for the below list, the criteria is that you are a) a human, who b) is primarily interested in living a long, peaceful life c) ideally with minimal external control by outside powers.

1) Kaladesh

– Periodically corrupt government, but overall a plane which offers lifestyles for urban and rural preferences, has plentiful clean energy, and supports both the arts and the sciences for public benefit.

2) Kylem

– Not many options for a quiet life, judging by the admittedly small sampling of the plane seen so far. Does seem to have a fairly lower fatality rate for all that, and Cloudspire City ranks high on places to visit for a fun time.

3) Eldraine

– Surprisingly benevolent monarchy, even verging on democratic in areas. Dangers of wilds exist, but odds of random monster death are reasonably mitigated compared to other planes. Limited career options for the layperson, though more fields open up if willing to take on the life of a knight.

4) Equilor

– Peaceful but dull, which is basically exactly the criteria for this particular test.

5) Dominaria

– Lots of world to see if you fancy adventure, and a diverse number of places to settle down if you don’t. Options for scholars, warriors, farmers, traders, artists, and writers alike. Currently no pending apocalypse, but the track record is not so good. Death machines just a few layers of dirt down.

6) Alara (Bant)

– Not a bad life to be had, if a bit over-codified. Even life as a warrior is not bad, at least pre-conflux. Peaceful and well-ordered, and passes the criteria for this list, albeit only for a brief period of time.

7) Theros

– Many options re: career path, from farmer to warrior to philosopher to herder. Do have to contend with sudden, violent death from monsters, minotaurs, or gods getting bored, so constantly on edge, probably.

8) Ravnica

– Pretty much the gold standard for variety in life paths. Entertainer, provider, lawyer, doctor, scientist, artist, spy, usurer...the world is your oyster if you’ve got the gumption. Semiapocalyptic events fairly frequent in recent years,  though nothing has stuck. Very few options for the non-urban inclined that don’t involve joining a cult or grafting new parts onto your body.

9) Shandalar

– current status a bit unclear, but a great plane for anyone looking to incorporate casual magic into their day-to-day life. Likely still a ripe target for planeswalker visitors looking to harvest the rich mana therein.

10) Fiora

– Fairly interesting and relatively low-key place to live if you keep your head down and out of the hardcore politicking. Rural living options exist.

11) Plane of Mountains and Seas

– limited information, but seems pretty chill.

12) Bablovia

– here for a good time, not a long time.

13) Alara (Naya)

– Not too bad, if you don’t get stepped on. Mostly jungle living, but if you’re down with that, there are fun adventures to be had.

14) Kamigawa

– Sure, your Daimyo may occasionally invoke the wrath of the sizeable and omnipresent spirit world, casting the whole of the plane into bitter, arcane civil war, but in any other situation you’ve got a fairly diverse and interesting world to live in, and nowadays there’s even a pair of spirits protecting you from extraplanar threats.

15) Lorwyn/Shadowmoor

– Depending on the side of the aurora you find yourself on, you will either want to seek out the elves for sanctuary, or avoid them at all costs. Lorwyn is pleasant enough, if you resign yourself to not seeing any other humans, and are good with extremely rural living. Watch overhead for giants at all times.

16) Alara (Esper)

– Long life options available, if you are good with artifacts™, and cool with swapping out some of your fleshy bits. A wee bit classist.

17) Kephelai

– peaceful and ordered enough, but definitely leaning on the oppressive side of the political spectrum. Not the most fun people to live among, either.

18) Regatha

– Some like it hot; some might not.

19) Muraganda

– The perfect plane for all you paleo diet enthusiasts out there. Living might be a little too bare-bones and dinosaur-filled for the average person.

20) Ixalan

– A few options here, all pretty narrow. Piracy and vampire imperialism both involve a life of violence and in the latter case, a high degree of servitude. Sun empire pretty viable option for humans comfortable with dinosaurs, and, as of the most recent story, going full aztec.

21) Tarkir (Khans)

– A varied lifestyle options to pick from. Very few leisurely ones available, barring a life of deceit and treachery with the Sultai. Inter- and intra-clan conflict more or less unavoidable, but not of a disastrous scale that you’ll find on different planes.

22) Zendikar

– Excellent opportunities for forging your own path in life, and endless options for adventure. Lacking in safe places to settle down and live without sudden death by avalanche/tidal wave/typhoon/ eruption/ sinkhole/ eldritch horror.

23) Mercadia

– Opportunities for rural and urban living, if you are at peace with living in a trash heap/ dust bowl. Forest living is an option if you don’t mind the mercenary raids, but at least others will have your back. Options for piracy as well, though not as flashy as the Ixalan variety. No apocalyptic events to worry about, which puts it head and shoulders above a few other planes on the list.

24) Gargantikar

– See Segovia; this time, it is you who gets stomped. May be ideal for anyone who saw Disney’s jack and the beanstalk and decided life on a giant kitchen table was the life for them.

25) Segovia

– Oh jeez, please be careful where you step. If you could just – we’ve got a lovely hundred acres of pasture for you to take a seat in if you would just take care not to step on OH MY GOD YOU’VE KILLED THEM ALL (Yes, Segovia corrects for scale with planeswalker visitors, but I stand by the joke)

26) Serra’s Realm

– Fairly peaceful in theory, but the oversight is pretty strict, and it’s no good if you’ve got a fear of heights. Very limited time to enjoy living there if floating fields and angels are your jam.

27) Vryn

– Regularly corrupt government, in constant conflict with other major power over contested energy sources, with everyone else placed firmly in the middle of the meat grinder.

28) Innistrad

– You can certainly live long as a vampire or free as a werewolf, but as both are of dubious desirability for the average person, this plane will rank a bit low.

29) Mirrodin (Pre-besieged)

– Prospects for living a quiet life exist, with major caveats regardless of which human society you wind up in. Basically take your pick between constant danger of attack, subservience to another species, living in a place not designed for habitation by any form of life, or some combination of the three.

30) Tarkir (Dragons)

– Much narrower lifestyle options than the khans timeline, and higher odds of dying within your own clan, though which dragon you end up under makes a huge difference in the quality of life. Dromoka and Ojutai probably the best options if your goal is longetivity.

31) Ulgrotha

– Dead/ dying plane, and the management sucks.

32) Rath (pre-overlay)

– Mercadia situation amped up to 11. Oppress or be oppressed, with an uncomfortable middle ground where you will experience both. Also a generally hostile landscape due to nanomachine silly putty.

33) Alara (Jund)

– Spicy Naya. Probably can last a while if you’re quick on your feet, but no one dies of old age here.

34) Amonkhet

– Dead/ dying world, even if it wasn’t host to a horrific logan’s run/ hunger games inspired colonialism. Not so bad short-term, if you want to work on your beach body. At least you have a god looking out for you, unlike...

35) Alara (Grixis)

– The living hunted for their life-force...hellscape of zombies and demons...Grixis fails most of the criteria for the list, but you’ve got a slightly more sporting chance of survival here than with some of the planes further down.

36) New Phyrexia

– NOT GREAT

37) Phyrexia (Nine Spheres)

– Pictured above: the worst place in the multiverse, as a backdrop to the most wonderful person in the multiverse

[newobsessioneveryweek]

If you're thirsty have a drink, just not this one.

Chapter 1: Vilia

I'm definately changing that title. My very first fanfiction ever is finally here (draft 1 I guess. Not sure how I feel about it yet)! Requested by the amazing artist @hylianfury

For some this might be too short; for others it might be too long. Hope you enjoy it either way.

Original post that inspired this story.

Overall Summary: a fanfiction in which Sidon slowly comes to realise how many people are thirsty for Link.

Chapter summary: Sidon and Link take a trip to the Gerudo desert and come across a certain female (?) Hylian. (I'm bad at summaries. Sorry friends)

"-and then I said-ok what's wrong?"

Sidon gave Link a confused look at the question.

"What do you mean dearest?"

"You've been acting way less enthusiastic lately. What's bothering you," Link asked, his expression revealing concern.

"Oh! Um... I wouldn't want to concern you with my musings dear. What was it you were saying?"

Link gave Sidon a deadpan expression, presumably waiting for a better response.

Sidon wavered on whether to tell him what was wrong or not, but, deciding that he would rather not lie to his beloved, he confessed.

He sighed. "I've just... I've never gone far beyond the Domain. The closest I've come to travel is going to Luralin, and I can't say that experience was particularly enjoyable," Sidon confided, absently stroking the scar on the side of his head. "I've always wanted to explore this beautiful land in which we live, but my duty has always confined me to my kingdom."

A sigh left Sidon's lips as he pondered his misfortune. He was always expected to be the dutiful pince that his father wanted and his people deserved- to live up to his sister,

- but Sidon wanted more. Travelling had always been an unreachable wish for him. He had always dreamt of exploring vast fields and climbing soaring mountains and traversing thick green forests, but could never act on those ambitions. He felt trapped in his own home.

Sidon felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Link grinning at him. He held up his hands to sign something, but quickly lowered them, seemingly hesitant.

Appearing to have decided to speak his mind, Link held up his hands once more,"What if we travelled together," Link asked with a hopeful glint in his eye.

Sidon smiled sadly. "Link, I already told you, I have duties-"

"What if we go to other regions as a means of establishing political bonds, kind of like a business trip? We go and we strengthen the Domains relationships with surrounding powers."

Sidon blinked. "That...that could actually work." Sidon thought about the possibility of experiencing more of Hyrule and getting to know more of the many cultural groups that inhabit the land. All he had to do was get his father to agree to let him go. After all Link's plan could actually benefit the Domain!

"I shall attempt to persuade my father tomorrow, though it might take some convincing."

0_0_0_0_0_0

"Well that didn't take much convincing at all," Sidon noted, floating calmly in the waters of the East Reservoir Lake, Link sitting beside him on the crystalline platform.

"He knows you need the time away. He's not without empathy, you know," Link stated with a smirk as he kicked his feet in the calm, cool water.

"Yes, I know," Sidon turned his face in the direction of the Domain, smiling to himself. He couldn't believe his father agreed to an excursion like this; full permission to go wherever he pleased for two whole weeks- business trip excluded!

Link promised to show him everything: the stables, the cities and towns, even interesting locations he crossed on his journey. Sidon very much looked forward to meeting some of the interesting characters Link mentioned. Tomorrow his journey with Link would begin.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would set out to the Gerudo desert with Link. He could feel the excitement rising in his chest and setting butterflies loose in his stomach.

Tomorrow...

He turned to his beloved wearing an expression of absolute elation.

"Thank you," he whispered, his words projecting every bit of the gratitude he felt.

Link simply smiled and kissed the top of his head.

They stayed like that for the majority of the night in comfortable, soothing silence.

0_0_0_0_0_0

If it weren't for the Skeika slate's warping technology, Sidon would have melted after taking just a few steps into the sweltering heat of the Gerudo desert. Even after drinking a chilly elixir it still felt like the harsh sun was drying out his scales.

"The elixir offers some heat resistance, but it's cooler inside the walls. We just have to get you an outfit to fool the guards into letting you into the town," Link signed. He promptly started walking in the direction of the Kara Kara Bazaar where he claimed he could find Sidon traditional Gerudo garments. Sidon followed, wiping the moisture from his forehead and dragging his feet through the loose sand.

"How are you moving so quicky? This sand is nearly impossible to traverse," Sidon complained petulantly. Truly he was excited to be so far away from the Domain, but the horrid conditions of the desert seemed to sour his mood more than he liked. Link's indifference certainly didn't help matters.

He pointed to his boots and signed something.

"Sand boots. I got them from the snow boots guy. Didn't I tell you?"

Sidon made a displeased face. Oh. THAT guy. Sidon remembered cutting off Link's story about how he obtained his snowboots.

"You did not. Well I certainly hope that's not the man who will be supplying my clothing as well."

Link snickered then simply shook his head.

Good. Sidon was not fond of that particular gentleman.

The pair made slow progress toward the bazaar thanks to Sidon's short legs and once they arrived Link guided Sidon to the top of the lone sandstone building where a figure dressed in pink waited.

The figure waved enthusiasticly.

"Link! I'm so glad to see you! It's been a while," the figure, who Sidon assumed to be female, pecked each of Link's cheeks, though he imagined the veil she wore made the action difficult. "Have you come to consider my offer by any chance," the woman winked at Link, who blushed and, instead of answering, went straight to asking for a set of Gerudo garb to purchase for Sidon. She didn't even seem to notice Sidon's presence until Link mentioned him.

Sidon thought on the woman's previous question. Offer? What offer? What could she possibly offer the Hylian champion, other than clothing?

He was pulled from his thoughts when the woman called for him to try on the clothes, promising to turn away.

Sidon fitted them on, and the moment the silky fabric of the last article of the set touched his scales the intense warth that had been bearing down on him lifted.

"EEEEEEEEE! You look adorable," the woman squealed, "Isn't the fabric so breathable. Aside from being fabulous, it really makes the desert heat a little bit more bearable."

Sidon couldn't help but agree. The material was light and loose and if Link looked as adorable as he did in his light blue set, Sidon was sure he looked adorable as well. The woman even noted how the orange of Sidon's outfit paired well with his scales.

"Of course, you look adorable too Link dear! I can't wait for you to stop by again! I could use some better company than from those sweaty men waiting bellow."

With a wave and a promise to visit when he got the chance Link left the rooftop with Sidon in tow.

Sidon cleared his throat prompting Link to look at him.

"So... what exactly is this offer that that woman mentioned?"

"Oh! Um... well she invited me to have dinner with her is all."

"I see. And that's all? Are you sure it wasn't at all a request to be romantically involved," Sidon questioned, his eyes narrowed, his suspicion only growing at Link's unusually red blush, though that could've been caused by the glaring heat. He leaned closer to Link to look into his eyes.

"I don't think that's how that works, but sure, I guess it is." Link shrugged.

Curious. Yet another individual pining for his beloved's affection. Sidon was awefully perturbed by Link's nonchalance towards the matter.

"...And you're not at all put-off by her advances?"

Link seemed to think about that. "Not really. Vilia's cool. Plus, she hooked us up with some very nice clothes."

"Hmm, I suppose you are right," Sidon said, slightly disgruntled with the response, but willing to drop the matter. "Your attitude toward this is still worrisome," he said with finality.

Link laughed at that and they continued to make their way toward Gerudo Town, now able to enter the women-only city.

0_0_0_0_0_0

Next

And that's that. This is the first draft. Feel free to critique my writing if you find any problems. I'll gladly fix them!

[okimargarvez]

MISSING (IN THE WOOD)

Original title: Dispersi (nel bosco).

Prompt: Penelope and Luke out for drill.

Warning: none.

Genre: comedy, romantic, friendship.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: oneshot 34 in Garvez collection.

Legend: 💏😘.

Song mentioned: Breathe Gentle, Tiziano Ferro feat Kelly Rowland.

GARVEZ STORIES

MISSING (IN THE WOOD)

 The woman snorts for the hundredth time since she was left in this wood. Her blonde hair is collected in two infant braids. She also wears a baseball cap that makes her almost unrecognizable, a short-sleeved T-shirt with the FBI logo, three-quarter pants and hiking boots. On her shoulders she has a backpack that is almost bigger than her. -I still didn’t understand why I'm here. I come to the field with the team at most once a year...- the man walking a short distance from her, lets go to a thought not very suitable for a colleague, but without expressing it aloud: Unfortunately.

-Well, change will do you good.- he doesn’t even know if his intention was to affectionately making fun of her complaints, or simply provide her with a positive reason for being here. In any case, the woman ignores him. He is dressed exactly like her, with the difference that his is a backpack of mountain ones, much bigger, with rolled up sleeping bags that sprout from the top. And he's definitely a lot more comfortable. -And, those boots, you know, are very nice on you.- this time is a clear provocation, although he really thinks so. She answers him sticking her tongue out. In order not to be habited to this place, the blonde woman walks very fast, much more than he would have expected. -I had never realized how much you were lower than me.- he adds after a few minutes of silence, appearing behind her. She is leaned against a tree, perhaps to catch her breath.

-Ha ha.- she imitates an ironic laugh, without turning around. -Have you finished?- and she starts walking again. -I didn’t even understand why I ended up paired with you. - here, just this was missing, he was almost upset that she still hadn’t protested for this.

The man supports her until he can see her face and in turn forces her to watch him speak. -Just because you are the least experienced in this kind of exercises, while, it happen that I hold the record of less time to get back to the base.- it comes out a bit too boldly, but the goal was to seem self-ironic, although he is proud of that goal.

-Oh, wow, this makes me happy, Mister Nature.- a new nickname. But it doesn’t good as Cold Hand Luke. -And let me guess, the medals that have given you are those of the Junior Woodchucks with Mickey Mouse comic book?- the man chuckles, not at all offended, indeed, as usual admired by her imagination in developing responses. They walk for another stretch in silence, the only sounds that are heard are those of the forest, mainly various songs of different species of birds. Then, perhaps because she is too intent on listening to the melody of nature, the woman stumbles into a root. She ends up sitting on the ground, but the backpack breaks the fall.

-Careful!- he exclaims a little too late. He reaches for her, but she refuses his help and by holding on to a tree she manages to stand up on her own. -Are you hurt?- she can also pick up some notes of concern in the male voice, but as always she pretends nothing. The man bends down to check if there have been consequences. -There is some cut, it would be better to disinfect them...- she snorts, crossing her arms.

-If you have to do it, do it quickly.- and that is precisely what he does, with precise and delicate gestures, then applying a bandage on each cut.

-Fortunately they are all superficial scratches.- he comments. -In two hours it will be better to remove them, to give way to the wounds to heal...- she has had difficulty enduring that slight contact between them and see him handle with her legs, which she feels not quite sexy in those damn pants and, above all, shoes with the heel that can exalt them and slim them... it's too much. So, she pulls him off badly.

-Do not worry about me, ok?- she tries to sound hard.

-I can’t, partner.- he says. -In this thing we are together, whether you like it or not.- yes, he is the one who has the upper hand. The best thing is to accept it, to deal with it. After all, she has to survive at most twenty-four hours. Tomorrow afternoon she will be safe again, behind her desk, surrounded by her babies.

-We have even to sleep in the same tent?- her voice sounds horrified or frightened. And yet, how many women would like to be in her place! He deliberately turns to her, nods and gives her an expression of pure enjoyment and satisfaction.

-Yes, but don’t worry.- strategic break. -I don’t snore.- she can’t help but laugh with him, but there are other things that worried her about spending a whole night alone with him, in a space as small as a camping tent.

They walk in silence for a while, she is very careful to look where she puts her feet, and he, a few steps back, verifying that she supports her leg well, that she hasn’t lied to him and hasn’t hurt himself. She would be able to say nothing, just to avoid his help. Man sighs.

-Are not you worried about ruining your guinnes record?- her voice, so different from the usual and so similar to when he'd caught her crying in the bat-cave after she'd visited Reid in prison, breaks the silence. He laughs at it, as a first instinctive reaction, at the idea that she may have believed such a thing.

-No.- a short break.

-It was since I was a child that I hadn’t set foot in a wood.- she starts to talk, but he is not certain that she is really talking to him. -Before my parents died.- they're ending up on dangerous ground, and though he's glad she's opening up with him, that crack in her soft armor is starting to expand, he's also worried. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake of the other time.

-Uh, yes?- he sounds interested, maybe too much. -How ever?- the slightly shrill tone as he tries to control his voice.

-I don’t know.- she replies in all sincerity. -I find myself much more comfortable in front of a screen, than in the real world, outside. Let alone in a wood! Without technology. No, thank you.- these are things that man had partly expected, while, on the other hand, they left him blown away, because she always seems so good at conquering people. He saw it punctually happen in the evening by O'Keef. Anyone fell in love with her instantly.

-Uh, well, I'm sorry.- it's all that comes out of him. -Nature is the best show that exists.- he feels ridiculous. He hates the platitudes.

But she agrees. -Yes.- now it is man who leads the way. -You'll think I’m stupid.- he stops suddenly, turns to look at her, because she sounded terribly sad. They almost collide.

-What?- he hardly withholds the need to shout to express his upheaval. It would only frighten a lot of animals, and maybe she too. -You?- he needs confirmation and she nods. -No, I never thought this! You're a genius, Garcia, I'm sorry to have made fun of you, but I really meant it, you're the best, and not only available.- it was a long time he wanted to apologize for hurting her, even though, at the time, it was a real satisfaction, to be able to silence her with her own weapons. But she had avenged herself shortly thereafter, making him jealous by flirting with Walker. Poor Stephen!

-Uh, thank you.- the woman didn’t expect that string of compliments and in this case he seemed really sincere, so she has to believe him. In the meantime, it's starting to get darker and darker, and she struggles to make out anything that is not a big tree. There is certainly another root that just waits to make her its prey. Ok, she must stop talking like the silly protagonist of a B-horror movie. She walks much more slowly, following the man's backpack like a beacon, as tourists follow the umbrella held high by their guide. At a certain point he stops and unloads the ballast.

-Here, it's perfect.- she sits down on the backpack and contemplating him. It is a full moon night, and now that it has come out of the clouds, the shape of the man is perfectly visible. He pulls out the curtain and begins to assemble it. It is not one of those that open automatically but he doesn’t seem to have any kind of problem. Who knows how many times he did it in his life! And this forest must seem like nothing to him, compared to the arid areas of the warring countries he visited. She trembles, she doesn’t know whether by a sudden shiver or by the thoughts that swirl through her mind. She wonders according to what criterion, not putting it in question, he has chosen this place. There are no trees. Virtually, nothing, apart from the flat terrain. After disappearing inside the tent, he emerges to start digging a kind of ditch around it. She doesn’t ask any questions, but tomorrow, at home, she plans to do a google search. While he is working, moving from one point to another, he seems extremely sexy. The muscles also flicker through the shirt. Ok, Penelope, stop it. This is not a slasher.

Gradually the woman begins to feel devoid of any use, in fact it is since she has set foot in this clearing that feels like that, but now she can’t do it anymore, just to keep it only for herself. -Sometimes I feel useless. As in this precise moment.- what is it, what does she want? His pity? It seems that it worked. The man stops refining the camp and turns to her.

-You must never believe this, Garcia.- he tells her in a damn sweet tone. -I'm sure this experience will bring out qualities that you didn’t even know you own.- she also loathes his optimism. It makes it all much more difficult. And then, he smiles at her. One of his smiles. The teeth reflect the light of the moon.

-Luke, you're too good with me.- since they met, it's perhaps the fourth time that she calls him with his first name. -I don’t deserve it.- if he had known that would have sufficed a woods, a solitude and a few kind words, he would have falsified the documents to force the Bureau to have her do this kind of practice before.

-But come on, don’t be stupid.- he turns around, starting to traffic with other things in the backpack, to hide the redness on the cheeks. He disappears in the tent. -Come in, to see what it's like inside.- he calls her. The woman doesn’t make him beg and reaches him. Of course she didn’t expect such a thing. She can almost be in a completely upright position. It is really spacious and... divided into some rooms. In one, two sleeping bags are already mounted and waiting.

-Wow.- she lets herself go to a surprised exclamation. She feels him behind her.

-You should see the rangers' tents. You can stand comfortably and there are many areas, the kitchen, even a kind of bathroom. It's like a mobile home.- she lightly turns her head to look at him and checking for another smile on that Hollywood actor's face. There it is. He noticed how the tent has positively hit his colleague, and barely retains his enthusiasm. -Are you hungry?- he asks her, moving to another room. -I brought the rice salad. No meat or fish, of course.- he hastens to clarify. She swallows, because the man continues to behave in an overly considerate way with her. She had never told him clearly that she was a vegetarian. And he didn’t even bring two different plates, one for himself and one for her, making her feel "the different", as often happened to her. -It is not very refined, no Michelin starts, but it is, I hope, good and nutritious. Like my lasagna.- already, with that I hope, the blonde's heart is exploded; with the last sentence, every brake fades and she leaves definitely for the bribe.

-Yeah, your lasagna!- she exclaims, a bit too nostalgic. -If we survive this night, I promise I'll taste it. If you still want to cook them, I mean...- she has a bit exaggerated, but the man doesn’t seem willing to take advantage of it.

-Really? Of course, for me it is not a nuisance, but... there is no need.- she looks at him as if to communicate with her mind At least when I give you reason, could you just be silent? They sit and eat in silence, looking secretly at each other, just. He is worried about her judgment. It's not just men who can be conquered with cuisine. But he is also aware of his limits.

-Phil didn’t say that your kitchen was a danger to public health?- here's the moment of truth. With the fork she turns the last grain of rice into the plastic plate that is on her knees. He nods, blushes, but at the same time chuckles. Maybe she will not eat his lasagna, after all. -Well, it may be that it is the fault of the air of the forest, or for the fatigue... but I didn’t find it bad at all.- at the man's ears sound like a declaration of love, and Phil would also agree. He can’t help smiling, so happy.

-You’re sure you don’t say it for pity?- he decides to venture, pull a little the rope.

-Yeah.- she answers with firm tone, but, it is not only an impression of him, it seems that they are also talking about something else.

 They spend a quiet hour, exchanging anecdotes and taunting. She discovers that life can be beautiful even without a computer, television or cell phone. Sometimes. She lets himself go even further, to tell him about that time she found a dying man in Alaska, and stayed with him until he was gone, careless of the danger of becoming the next victim of the unsub. He remains impressed, even if he already knew how big the heart of the computer technician was. To wipe out that melancholy air he tells her some mess up done when he was little with his cousin: over all, when they had eaten the pills for the heart of Grandma Alvez, kept in the candy box.

-From that time, never again, I didn’t eat even a little mint.- they burst into laughter together, although she understands how much he ran the risk of dying. Then a yawn runs away from her mouth. -I think it's time to go to bed.- he says, while half of his brain wonders how it could be to wake up in the night with a Penelope completely asleep at his side. Without makeup, heels and provocative clothes. Deeply human.

-Well.- she replies, merely looking at him strangely.

-Uh, I'm going out for a moment, so you can change your clothes. Call me when you're done.- she nods. She congratulates herself on the choice of clothing. Unlike him, she didn’t even know that she would be forced to do this exercise, let alone with who. Better to be safe and neutral.

-I’m done!- she shouts, with a voice that trembles a little. When he returns, she is completely immersed in her sleeping bag. He has no way of finding out what's down there. He always imagined that she slept with open blouses and fishnet stockings, not to say worse. -Good night.- she says first, looking at his large suit with the words FBI RANGERS on the legs. There is something extremely intimate about seeing someone in their pajamas. More than naked.

-Good night, Penelope.- she gasp feeling her name and turns on the opposite side to that of the man, which instantly turns off the travel lamp hanging from the "ceiling". In any case, she couldn’t sleep in a different way, she was always afraid and anxious to turn her back on the void and know that he is there, on the other side of her back, making her feel protected.

Still, she can’t sleep. And the fear that a killer monster can come and kill them has nothing to do with it. She resists for about an hour, alternating moments with wide open eyes and others in which she is forced to keep the eyelids closed. She continually changes position and eventually finds herself in the most loathsome one. She stares the features of her partner's serene face for another quarter of an hour. He's so beautiful that it looks fake. And yet, in the last year, let's say at least for the last six months, she fell asleep thinking of this. About him, and his damn gift. About his attention for her. About his smiles. Forcing herself to forget it was too late, because another woman, much smarter than she, had taken him. But, breaking news, if her source (Tara) was reliable, they had broken. Absurd. What could have gone wrong? They seemed so happy together. She would never... The result was still the same: the field was free again. But for how long?

-Luke...- she calls him, a first time with a tone so low that he wouldn’t even hear her even if he was awake. -Luke, are you sleeping?- little more than a whisper. Nothing. -Luke, are you awake?- it's ironic that she uses his name when he can’t hear it. She leans a little too much in his direction and when the man suddenly opens his eyes, from the fright, she staggers and risks to end up on him. Having half body wrapped in a sack doesn’t help sure her to keep her balance.

-I'm now.- he says, pulling out his arms and rubbing his eyes. He is partially seated. -What's going on?- he doesn’t look angry or annoyed. He turns on the lamp, lifting and closing the eyelids a few times, until he seems to see well again. A mark on the cheek, a fold of the sleeping bag, which conveys a lot of tenderness in her.

She tries to get away and compose herself. She shrugs. -Nothing, I can’t get to sleep.- she seems a little girl on a school trip. -I'm not used to... all of this.- but she doesn’t refer only to the woods. Fortunately, he can’t understand it.

-Uh, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help you?- her clouded brain instantly creates a lot of attractive options, which she would never have the courage to propose concretely. They say that there is no better way to relax, nothing relaxes muscles like...

-No. Sorry for to wake you.- where is the Garcia self-confident and with the joke always ready?

-Don’t say it.- he doesn’t seem willing to let it go and turn away. -Try to think of something beautiful, I don’t know, a unicorn...- if he knew she had already tried, and it was useless. With his proposal, however, he snatches a smile. He hadn’t even seen that she was wearing a pajama with a big unicorn printed on her shirt. The words of man are covered by a growing noise. It starts to rain, more and more intensely and then, a flash and less than a second later, the thunder.

-Luke!- she moans terrified, leaning towards him before consciously aware of it. His hand gently caresses her shoulder.

-Calm. Hey, it's just a bit of water and a few rumbles.- he tries to calm her down. -We're safe, here. I had seen the predictions, before leaving and I chose this area, without trees that attract lightning, or currents of water that can swell suddenly, on purpose.- she nods, but doesn’t stop shaking. The lamp goes out due to a vibration of the ground. He doesn’t know that more he talks and the more she shudders, because of the shocks caused by his breathing on her bare skin areas.

-I'm so cold. It is the fault of this damned humidity. My hair will become frizzy.- but she doesn’t move a millimeter, is leaning against his shoulder and even the man's hand hasn’t moved and continues to caress.

He would be able to stay like that all night, but tomorrow his back would ask for the bill. So, he sighs and throws himself. -Uh, don’t think badly, Garcia, but what do you think if I put the sleeping bags together in one? Maybe it could help you.- he doesn’t even hear thunder, from how much is focused on her response.

-Oh, I don’t know.- he can see that she is really out of herself, otherwise she would have already said one of her jokes. Instead, she takes it seriously and seems lost, undecided. -I should try.- for the man is more than enough.

-Good.- and he doesn’t wait any longer. He comes out of his sleeping bag and she does the same. Yet another flash allows him to enjoy a fleeting vision of her pajamas. Exactly the opposite of what he had expected, but he isn’t disappointed. It makes him even more desire to cuddle. Patience, Luke, you'll soon be able to do it. Quickly he opens them both in half and joins the two hinges. -Done.- he exclaims, swallowing. He lies first and she immediately after, at the maximum distance granted by what in the jargon of the campsite is considered as a real double bed. The last time he was in one of these, he was with Phil. They were a cold executioner and any warmth was welcome. Another thunder and here, she is falling into his arms.

-Can I?- she asks and the man doesn’t reply anything, consenting. He feels her hair tickling his neck. She leans her head against his chest. Strangely, the position doesn’t increase his breathing, or the beating of the heart. On the contrary, he feels extremely relaxed, as it has not happened for a long time. He stretches out an arm, without asking permission, and wraps it around the woman's shoulders, resting his hand on her side. No protest. He sighs, listens for a few minutes her heavy breathing that clarifies how this time is really in the arms of Morpheus. And he falls asleep instantly.

 They both waited for a much more awkward awakening, instead, when they lift their eyelids, at the same time, they exchange a quiet smile. -Good morning.- he says first.

-Hey.- their bodies are separated. He has a numb arm, but he is not at all sorry. She has overcome the fear of giving her back to the void. -But it's still dark!- she notices as soon as she wears glasses. The man chuckles, continuing to say how right he was: the spectacle of Penelope sleeping or Penelope as soon as she wakes up, with her hair out of place and her soft face still half owned by Morpheus, is something priceless.

-Yes, it's almost six o'clock. I'm sorry, unfortunately, we have a few hours walk before we can get back to the base.- she surrenders, stretching her arms. -I’m beginning to fix something out, while you changing.- she nods as she watches him disappear outside with a bundle of clothes in hand. After a moment she sees the shadow on one of the curtain walls. A single layer of fabric divides her from his body almost entirely naked. Stop it, Penelope, you've already had much more than you could dream of. She still feels his hand on her hip. When he leaves, he wastes no time, rearrange the sleeping bags and begins to close the curtain. The woman looks around. The storm must have been quite violent, because she can see several fallen trees in the distance. No recognizable landmark. Fortunately, he has a much more developed sense of orientation than hers.

After about twenty minutes, they start walking. They don’t speak, but he starts to give her strange looks and she misinterprets. -OhmyGod!- she pronounces everything as it’s a one word. -We're lost, are not we, Luke?- the anxiety grows, seeing the lost expression of the man. -We will never come back home! We will wander through this wood forever! Until some animal will eat us!- she is in the grip of a record hysterical crisis.

He is forced to choose between work and love. -Calm down, Penelope, we aren’t lost at all.- he still feels guilty and doesn’t sound sincere enough. -Just...- she realizes that they are passing around in the same stretch. Forgive me.

-Just you have no idea of what direction we should follow, I mean well, Mr. Most Decorated?- if she wasn’t really scared, he would laugh at her joke and the new nickname. Then she begins to proceed on her own, moving further away from the base.

-Garcia!- he calls her, but she doesn’t pay attention. He must increase his pace to keep up with her.

She stops suddenly. -No, look, I wasn’t completely honest yesterday.- he doesn’t know what to expect. -I don’t go to the woods, because... I'm afraid of it. Once, I would have been seven years old, I got lost and it was horrible, all those hours alone, and those noises, at night... there was also a storm.- a lot of things become clearer. But her confession only increases man's remorse.

-I...- she doesn’t let him talk.

-I don’t know why I had to tell you, the point is that... I'm about to faint or have a heart attack and...- seeing her swaying he hurries to support her and soon it turns into a hug. His fingers create small circles on her back, trying to calm her down. -I told you I'm useless, without a computer. Worse, I’m a burden for you. You will surely lose your record!- she whimpers, without spilling true tears.

-What you say, don’t worry, it's all right, I don’t care about the record or medals.- he pulls off to look her in the eye and make her understand that he is sincere. She nods, for a moment it seems that something else is going to happen, then she recovers and pushes him away from her with a thrust on his chest. The man sighs, resigned. They start walking again, this time, but she can’t know it, in the right direction.

Again, however, she suddenly stops, forcing him to do the same. -Sorry, if I behave in this way so crazy with you, swinging... it's that I believe... I have a crush on you.- she says not looking at him, holding her head down, guilty. -It was quite inevitable, I mean, any free woman would have a crush on you, you're so beautiful and damned thoughtful...- he sees her blush even from under the hat. It must be a joke, she really can’t have said it. -But don’t worry, I can handle it, at home more easily than here, but... I can do it.- but no, she's talking seriously. Man's guilt becomes a boulder. In the meantime, the sun starts to rise, and it becomes impossible not to notice where they are. -But that...- she points her finger towards the horizon and then stares him. -Alvez!- stormy air.

-Yes, it's the base.- he sighs, preparing to explain. -This type of exercise provides that there is a simulation of the temporary loss of orientation, to verify the reaction and learn to manage panic attacks...- he doesn’t add that she wouldn’t have pass it. -I wanted to tell you, but the procedure...- she shakes her head, apparently calm.

-Did you always know?- she pronounces it as if it weren’t a question. -We never got lost. You took advantage of my fear!- she gives him a push to move him away.

-Yes, Penelope, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, really. In my defense... I didn’t know about your phobia, and I hadn’t planned anything... but the opportunity was too tempting.- the woman doesn’t reply anything and this scares him even more. -Maybe I ruined everything, but I'm ready to face any consequence. Tell the others, tell to Emily, insult me with the worst things you think of me, beat me...- she keeps her eyes tight and her is a sphinx expression. Enigmatic.

Every time I run somehow love is faster… Without you loneliness is everlasting... I still feel you but I hear you loudly… Screaming: “please wait for me”… Cause I don’t want to hurt you... And I don’t want to lose this love this time…

-Everything? Are you sure, Alvez?- the man is quick to nod. -Whatever? At your own risk.- she warns. But he doesn’t give up. -Yeah, you asked for it. Close your eyes, however, I can’t do it looking at your face.- he expects a slap. Instead he soon recognizes the woman's lips pressed against his. Without lifting his eyelids, he takes her face in his hands, kissing her back and deepening the kiss. -You would have deserved a punch.- she pants when they pull off. -One only, not too strong.- she clarifies. -To have taken advantage of me. But I would have broken my nail.- they laugh together, then she comes back serious. -Never do it again, though. Never lie to me again.- she orders.

The man certainly doesn’t need to hear it again. -Yes, of course, Penelope, I would never hurt you.- he hopes that she will believe him.

-I know, but, as they say, it's better to be safe.- she fixes her hair. -Now, the right direction?- she's probably kidding him. But he is fine with it.

-Do you see, what would you do without your human navigator?- he asks, putting his arm around her shoulders.

-Very funny. Shut up, and make way.-

TAGS: @theshamelessmanatee  @arses21434 @kathy5654 @martinab26 @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @thinitta   @myhollyhanna23 @garvezz @mercedes-maldonado  @shyladystudentfan @cosmicmelaninflower

[h-eckers]

Bad Thoughts

A/N: First time writing Jason and it’s borderline smut, what does that say about me? ..... Who cares! 

Request: Could you do a Jason Blossom imagine where they haven't been dating for that long (maybe like a month or 2) and one day he sees her at cheer practice and can't control himself lol and his sister ends up cockblocking him

Word Count:1,768

Warning: Borderline smut,kinda, almost??? y’know?

Cheer practice had always been enjoyable for her, she was incredibly good at it and fortunately enough, Cheryl had a particularly soft spot for Y/N, which meant she wasn’t constantly being analysed for the slightest mistake. Another new found benefit of her position on the cheer team was being able to watch her boyfriend in football practice when the squad was lucky enough to run through the cheers on the actual field.

Jason was Riverdale’s star player and as cliché as it was, he had ended up with the cutest cheerleader on the whole squad, Y/N. “Knees up, girls! It’s not that difficult!” Cheryl shrieked as the Vixens tried to get everything exactly as the redhead wanted it, but that was an incredibly large task to fulfil when it became clearer every day that even she had absolutely no idea what she wanted. The amount of stunts and running around she ordered be done were making Y/N think that they might actually be working harder than the football team.

Thankfully, somehow after two hours of excruciatingly repetitive runs of the same routine, Cheryl called a break and half the girls wandered over to collapse in the bleachers, the other half, including Y/N, stayed on the side of the field, talking amongst themselves about the new moves that they’d recently incorporated into the routines. While Y/N talking to the girls, coach called a break for the team, she hadn’t even noticed the players dispersing, and she didn’t notice Jason walking over towards the squad, ruffling his hair and smiling with exhaustion flushed cheeks.

“Hey, sis, practicing on the field today?” Jason asked, addressing his sister as he got close enough for her to hear, Cheryl scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Well, the biggest game of the year is in four days and somehow we barely have a single routine down perfect.” The cheerleading tyrant complained, folding her arms across her chest and letting her eyes scan over her already exhausted team.

“I’m sure you’ll turn it out, Cheryl.” He grinned, patting her back in a way he thought was gentle but had her lurching forward slightly at the contact.

“Oh, I know I will.” She sighed, stepping just out of her brother’s reach for fear of being pushed into the dirt in another intended display of affection. “Thankfully, not everyone on this squad is entirely useless, Y/N seems to be managing the new changes just fine so I can’t comprehend why the others can’t.”

Jason smiled even at the brief mention of her name, they hadn’t been dating long at all really, close to two months now, and they couldn’t get enough of each other, every spare moment they had was spent together. “Yeah, where is she?” He asked, not-so-subtly. Cheryl rolled her eyes and chuckled.

“You’re hopeless.” Chery mumbled, gesturing over towards where Y/N was standing with a few other girls, chatting happily. Those uniforms were a source of mixed emotions for him, they were so short and tight that it was slightly unnerving to see his sister in it, but he just pretended he couldn’t see that, in his mind Cheryl was constantly wearing clothes fit for a Siberian winter. However, that uniform on Y/N was an entirely different story, it was ridiculously sexy on her, and thus it was an incredible source of frustration for him and a weapon of mass seduction for her.

“God, she looks good.” He smirked, more to himself than anyone else, however it was an unfortunate fact that his little sister was standing right by him.

“Okay, great, but I don’t need to hear that.” She pointed out awkwardly, her brother looked back at her and laughed.

“Fair enough, I’ll go and tell her then.” He said, already walking away towards his girlfriend. She was still talking away when he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him, Y/N giggled quietly and relaxed back into his chest. He leaned down to her cheek and the other girls her around were emotionally sitting somewhere between swooning and searing jealousy. “You think I could steal you away for a minute?”

“Of course.” She mumbled softly, lifting her head so she could kiss him softly over her shoulder. “I’ll be back in a second.” She told her friends, Jason grinned and slid his arm around her shoulders, guiding her away from her friends and the leering eyes of the cheer squad and the team, both with not much else to do on their break than stare. He led her away from the field towards the school, which lay deserted at this time in the evening, afterschool practices meant all of them stayed back well after all the other students of Riverdale high were gone.

The halls were getting dark as the afternoon sun faded and he walked through, she huddled close to his body, letting him lead her. “Where are you taking me, Blossom?” She finally asked quietly, when she’d wracked her brain for every possible idea and come up blank.

“Just here should do.” He said simply, opening the door to an empty classroom and guiding her in with his hand on the small of her back. Y/N walked in tentatively, glancing around for whatever reason he might have had for bringing her in here. The room was illuminated with the pink and orange hues of the sun beginning to set. He watched her weave through the desks to get to the window, the skirt of her Vixens uniform brushing against her thighs delicately, his eyes wandered up her body as she leaned against the glass, following every line of her form. She was indescribably perfect, the curve of her hips and the softness of her lips, practically glowing in the light. It was becoming less and less an urge and more and more so a need to touch her. It wasn’t the uniform entirely, he knew she’d be gorgeous even without it, especially without it. He wandered over to her, slowly, taking in every part of her like his sight had been starved of her for years.

“You alright, babe?” She asked, careful concern lacing her words as she turned her back to the window and faced him entirely, he looked her up and down slowly and she blushed slightly under his stare, even though it wasn’t necessarily uncommon.

“I’m fine,” he breathed quietly, getting so close his chest was pressed to hers, she only moved nearer to him, meeting his eyes “but you are fine.” He smirked and she chuckled quietly, feeling his hands move to her waist slowly.

“Yeah, well, what are you gonna do about it?” She asked seductively, moving her hands up to rest on his neck, her thumbs tracing the lines of his jaw, she bit her lip and that was all he could take, he ducked his head and captured her lips in a searing kiss, his grip tightening on her waist.

Almost immediately her fingers moved to tangle into hair pulling him in and deepening the kiss, as he spun her around and pulled her up to sit on one of the desks, never once letting their lips lose contact for anything more than a split second. Y/N shuffled back on the desk, pulling away for a minute, to pull his shirt up, he got the message quickly and pulled his shirt off, going back to her instantly, his lips finding the soft skin of her jaw, trailing down onto the flushed skin of her throat. She groaned quietly grabbing the front of his pants to keep him as close as was humanly possible.

His hands moved from her waist to her thighs, gently massaging her flesh as his hands lipped higher and higher under her skirt and her breath came shorter and faster. Looking up at her for a moment he caught the lust in her eyes and she saw the same thing staring right back before he hastily re-joined their lips and moved his hands under her ass, moving her against hips, not that he had much work to do, the contact made her shudder and she started grinding against him carefully, listening as he started to dissolve into a moaning mess as her fingers traced the lines on his stomach and chest, before they roamed lower, teasing at the waistband of his pants.

“Excuse me, degenerates.” Her voice was sudden and demanding as always and it made Y/N genuinely yelp, she retracted her hands immediately and tried to scramble away from Jason’s grip that had her pinned flush against his body.

“What the fuck, Cheryl?!” Jason snapped at her angrily, careful removing his hands and planting them on the desk behind Y/N’s thighs as he tried to steady his ragged breathing.

“I wish I was sorry for the interruption, but your break actually ended ten minutes ago and so did Y/N’s, so if it’s not too much trouble…” Cheryl trailed off, raising an eyebrow at a very flustered Y/N, with cheeks tinted crimson. After a moment passed and neither of them had moved, Cheryl cleared her throat impatiently, “Well?”

“Yeah, sure, just give me a minute.” Jason muttered out through gritted teeth and the blush across Y/N’s cheeks worsened tenfold.

“Think bad thoughts.” Y/N said hopelessly, attempting to help him calm down enough to be presentable.

“I am, and your little skirt pulled up like that isn’t helping.” He chuckled, though there was a certain bitterness to his tone, not directed at Y/N, but it was present none the less. She stuttered for a moment, pulling her skirt down as far as it would go as she shuffled off the table.

“O-oh, I’ll see you later.” She stuttered, kissing his cheek hastily and scuttling across the room to Cheryl. Jason, as stupid of an idea as it was, couldn’t help but watch her walk away. He groaned helplessly and fell into the closest chair, glaring at Cheryl when Y/N was out of the room.

“You’re a bitch.” He hiss venomously, she just smiled and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

“Maybe so, but coach will give you a harder time than I will.” She grinned evilly, walking away and dragging Y/N with her.

Jason sat alone in the darkened classroom, trying to think of where he could take Y/N to get away from interruption, but the more he thought of her the more distracted he got which brought him back around to the original issue.

Between explaining where he’d been and calming himself down enough to function, it was going to be a long night.

Everything tags: @gryffndor @itsjaynebird @vanessa-sanch-blog @lost-in-wonderland-x​ @annoyingsibling

[naturesass]

im genuinely curious, why do u ship ike and lucina? btw ur art is cute

First of all, thank you for the compliment! 

But oh boy, I’ve been waiting for this one.

(The doc version reads better and has more images, but don’t forget to reblog this if you read it there!)

Well, grab a nice bucket of buttered popcorn and a can of soda–pull up a chair and recline a bit with a nice blanket, because I’m going to tell you the legendary story of how Ike x Lucina came to be.

Way back in the year 2015 (feels like eons ago!) I started talking to this random chick named @hollyfig (Holly). I won’t spill all the sappy details into this essay that actually is about two fictional characters, but long story short, she got me head over heels into Fire Emblem. With me now poisoned to love Lucina, and her drowning in her love for Ike, we decided to play Smash Bros. together. Basically, she didn’t like me beating her all the time and so we started to play on teams. We starting playing more with her as Ike and me as Lucina, and then it began.

We both draw pretty frequently, our minds are naturally constantly creative and spanning out to discover new things. On August 20th, 2015, school girl little me sent a picture over to Holly, shamelessly saying I had been discreetly thinking about them as a couple. I got lucky and she admitted it to, and then it began. We simply started sharing art and it blossomed.

Now why, you ask? Well, when you share something in common with someone, you sort of just build off from it. Our conversations about them quickly became more frequent (we are normal people too, we talk about real life stuff) and they simply just grew into something we never expected with 10+ AUs under our belt. Texts turned into drawings and headcanon talks turned into fanfictions.

Let’s really look at why now.

First off, Lucina is a strong girl. She traveled back in time, met her then-alive-soon-dead father (unable to give away her identity at first glance), and stopped an apocalypse from happening. She’s a gorgeous, blue-haired general of her childhood friends who is level headed, can’t take a joke, and has horrible taste in clothing. She’s stubborn at times, but will talk and stand up for herself when she needs to. In my personal opinion, and in Holly’s as well, we believe that no one in the Awakening universe is really suitable for Lucina–they don’t deserve her for how perfect she is.

Now let’s look at Ike. Let’s be straight up with each other alright–Radiant Dawn Ike is hot. He’s a man who lets no one get in his way at all and will do anything he needs to do to reach his goal for what he knows is right. He’s a beefy man who is incredibly talented with his sword and will protect the people he loves and cares for. He’s stubborn sometimes too and very blunt with what he has to say and lacks the mannerisms.

Take a warrior-princess and a brutish mercenary and what do you get?

The ultimate love-story.

The both have similar characteristics like both being stubborn when they know they need something done. It would be fairly easy to read each other if one was upset about something. In general, they have different experiences in their life, like Lucina being in royalty for her younger years while Ike was being trained rigorously by his father.

Whether it be in just general romance or becoming parents, they would balance each other out. Ike is strong and will get in touch with his feelings if he needs to with Lucina. Lucina would break his tough exterior down and show him immense care. They both are strong alone, but with someone to lean on who is so similar, it makes life more enjoyable for them both.

Let’s just talk about them meeting in general Smash Bros. right now.

Ike and Lucina meet, Lucina being the newcomer obviously. They think nothing of it, ask for a few spars as fellow sword fighters. They realize their skills in combat are nearly unstoppable with his powerful, slow hits and her speedy, quick slashes. They start practicing together more and more, both just naturally caring people.

It grows into more without themselves even knowing. Suddenly, Ike will take hits for her, Lucina will check up on him to make sure he’s okay. They don’t leave each other’s mind, but the problem is they both think they don’t deserve each other.

Take into account insecurities for some creative liberty and a bit a flavor: Lucina’s lacking a figure compared to other girls around her and Ike is gorgeous. Ike’s trying to get a princess’s heart–he doesn’t even like royalty and wants nothing to do with it.

Eventually, Ike takes the step and they become a couple. They’re literally invincible on the field.

It’s more complex than it sounds, trust me. I can’t explain all of it so easily, there’s so much that actually happens that Holly and I are constantly talking about. We add characters, plot twists, just general sad moments because we all have that hunger. I think mostly any pairing could work honestly if you have someone to talk to about them, it’s all about building the pairing up into what you want them to be.

Before I end, take some things into consideration:

Since Lucina is a bit sheltered most times, Ike guides her a bit with love in general

Size difference in general–Lucina’s like a small stick and Ike towers over her with his beefy arms. She looooooves to be hugged by him

As much as Ike loves to feel like he’s protecting Lucina and being the big spoon, Lucina loves to feel his back muscles and be the jetpack

Instead of Ike buying an engagement ring, he takes some metal from Ragnell

Ike dominates her most of the time, but Lucina can turn things around (Ike blames “Grima’s blood.” Shark week can get uglyyyy)

Whoever wakes up first tends to stare at the other, sweeping their hair out of their face and just watching them in such a peaceful state

Lucina absolutely hates when Ike takes hits for her because she’s strong enough to take them, but Ike refuses to see her hurt

Ike is a nervous MESS around Lucina at first just unsure about how to properly express his feelings

There’s so much more, I can go on, but we like to keep things private too. But please, consider these two blue lovers. I feel like people have constantly been curious about this from both of us–I post art publicly here because I feel like it’s what I mainly draw now and she reblogs it, I know people are wondering. Now you know, I hope you consider, and let us know if you’ve fallen down the hole with us to.

[nuriem2-blog]

7 Physique Optimistic Buying Ideas For Shopping for A Swimsuit

Everyone knows the recommendation — we have seen it on numerous journal covers, heard it preached at us on makeover/vogue exhibits on TV, and had salespeople, associates, and household espouse its advantages to us. These 4 phrases that make me shudder and run a chill up and down my backbone: "Store on your form."

The recommendation is given out year-round for any kind of clothes: "Which denim to put on on your form," "How you can decide skirts on your form," "This is the purse you must carry on your physique form," "What canine must you get to flatter your form," "The cutest meal to eat on a date to flatter your physique," and many others. OK, so perhaps I made the final two up, however inform me that you do not half anticipate them to point out up in subsequent month...

What then follows is normally an try to sum up the thousands and thousands of ways in which individuals have our bodies into 4 or perhaps six classes which might be normally named after fruits or precise geometric shapes. Neither of these items ever truly find yourself resembling an actual reside human lady's physique, however fairly include ideas to assist ladies with smaller busts "improve their cleavage" and ladies with a little bit of a tummy to "reduce their drawback areas." And oh yeah — these "useful" little guides are virtually all the time only for ladies. Being a girl: So enjoyable, proper?!

However what is the deal should you wanna present your small bust off to the world or let your stomach hang around and benefit from the rays? Properly, the traditional swimsuit procuring information is not for you, I suppose. Swimsuit procuring, or purchasing for garments normally, is fairly annoying for most individuals, however should not there be a method that will help you get what you need out of a showering go well with and escape together with your physique positivity in tact? Uh, yeah. Yeah there ought to.

From purchasing click here ,for my very own fits to serving to clients on the plus-size retailer I work at discover their very own excellent go well with, I've seen a lot of the physique loathing and totally different precise issues that folks come throughout when searching for some cute swimwear to splash in. There are such a lot of extra issues to have in mind than simply: "What components of you do you wish to disguise?" So listed here are seven ideas that will help you really feel as cute as you look on a seaside, on the lake, or when tanning by the pool this summer season:

1. Be Reasonable

What are you truly going to make use of your go well with for? You are going to be searching for an entire totally different go well with should you're trying to find one thing to SUP in, play seaside volleyball in, swim laps, or simply lounge by the pool. Work out what your favourite summer season actions are and go from there. Positive, a bandeau high goes to look so cute and stop seen tan traces — however should you're planning to hit up the water park a bunch of occasions, you are in all probability going to finish up flashing a bunch of individuals. Be sensible!

2. Assume About Your Physique Actually

Positive, carrying a fatkini is a pleasant objective to have for your self or carrying a low-rise plus measurement bikini or a tankini or no matter it's that you have all the time wished to rock on the seaside. I am all for pushing our boundaries in the case of what we really feel like we're allowed to put on, however should you're not snug and feeling assured in what you are carrying, then you definitely're by no means going to put on it.

Why purchase a cute go well with after which have it reside in a rumpled ball in your closet? What is going on to be the joyful medium between these two? What's thought of "perfect" or "fairly" by the mainstream should not dictate how we really feel about our our bodies, however it could actually and it does. Present me an individual who's 100 p.c content material with how they appear always and I am going to purchase you an ice cream cone.

3. Assume Exterior The (Huge) Field

Whereas there are thousands and thousands of various methods to have a physique, there may be usually just one explicit make of every swimsuit design. Womp womp, unhappy trombone. This implies to seek out the proper go well with, you are in all probability going to have to look in a couple of place to seek out one thing that fits your distinctive bod.

Some good locations that you'll have neglected: Specialty swimwear retailers outdoors the mall, on-line impartial firms like Nettle's Story's body-positive swimwear, classic retailers (have a seamstress or tailor substitute the liner), and sporting items shops.

4. Know Your Physique's Precise Shapes

Understanding your physique's curves and edges is helpful when attempting to asses what form or silhouette of go well with you are searching for. When individuals inform me they're "pear formed" and might't discover a go well with, I all the time ask what being pear formed means for his or her physique. Usually we discover the issue is that they cannot discover one thing that matches over their hips and thighs with out gaping within the waist. See how that is a a lot simpler drawback to unravel than pondering your entire physique is inflicting you bother?

5. Embrace Separates

Should you're having a tough time with the matching tops and bottoms factor since you can not seem to discover one thing that is good on your chest that is not simply sagging off your butt on the identical time, flip to 2 separate items. You do not simply must put issues collectively as a result of a retailer tells you to or put on two issues in the identical measurement, even! Discover one thing that matches and that you just suppose seems nice, even when it means having items in two totally different kinds, sizes, or from two totally different shops. Guidelines? What guidelines?

6. Do not Be Afraid To Go A Little "Unconventional"

So a pink string bikini's not your factor? You are non into one-pieces? Possibly you favor an androgynous swim look however can not seem to discover one. In a perfect world, we would all be capable of discover garments that make us really feel assured and comfy in our personal pores and skin. However that is not all the time the case on this world we do have, so generally you need to get artistic!

Possibly some compression shorts and a sports activities bra are precisely what do it for you. Hey, what a couple of swim romper?! Maybe a rash guard and a few board shorts fit your wants. Do not feel like you need to put on what instantly pops up while you consider "swimsuit" and put on what makes you are feeling such as you.

7. Have Some Freaking Enjoyable

It is summer season and issues are heat — what extra might you ask for to place slightly smile in your face? Significantly, you are purchasing for one thing that is going to allow you to transfer your physique in a enjoyable method, swim in a lake, surf, and/or hang around with associates on a sizzling, carefree afternoon. Uh, that sounds fairly nice to me!

Conserving in thoughts why you are shopping for a go well with and taking a look at it as one other probability so as to add some fierce garments to your wardrobe can put all of it again in perspective. I imply, you put on a go well with so occasionally in contrast together with your different clothes: Why not purchase one thing you'd by no means decide to an entire costume or high in? Take a look at it as an opportunity to have enjoyable together with your look and experiment a bit together with your model. So have some enjoyable, for heaven's sake!

[airoasis]

Weight Loss Inspiration, Tips + FREE GUIDE!

Hello My name is Nicole Kellerman and I'm founder and developer of Effective Weight-loss School

I am likewise a personal fitness instructor and weight loss and way of life coach If you would love to lose weight, well tightening and toning your body and remaining that weight forever, I'm going to show exactly step by action on how to do that without dieting or packing on a dreadful treadmill If you re having a hard time with your weight and feel like you're stuck in a body that you don't absolutely love then you were going to enjoy this complimentary weight loss training that I have for you Now is the time to take action since here are the realities: when you feel better about yourself, your world lights up? You laugh more You smile more

You feel more happiness And for that everybody profits So there's no reason not to pay for this totally free video training due to the fact that I'm gon na be showing you step by step on ways to slim down, have more fun and never ever have to fret about acquiring it again Simply a fair warning; this is not some quick repair diet that's going to provide you short-term outcomes There's no restrictive meal strategies and workout routines

I don't think in that things This is about life long change and this is a weight reduction method that you have actually never seen prior to We're all about teaching you on ways to slim down by having more enjoyable Yes Weight loss and fun can go hand in hand and I'm going to show you precisely how they do

I understand this sound a little out there and maybe you question it Well, felt confident this works As being a personal trainer and weight loss and lifestyle coach over the last 7 years, I have countless customers slim down and stating they really had a good time while doing it One of my God-giving presents was to encourage Ever since I was a young kid I could see the capacity in everyone

And I was bad zipping my lips about it, which got me in trouble a few times And I'm likewise an extreme type A which might definitely a course in some cases however when I learn on ways to use for advantage in my service, I had the ability to come a formula for weight-loss that is easy, easy and efficient I can show you a way to carry out weight reduction strategy like you ve never ever seen So you most likely wonder how I got into the fitness field Well, let me tell you, I was not an athlete in high school nor did I consume healthy

I like junk food I was a junk food addict and I hate to exercise I really nearly stopped working in PE in high school So this is not something I was born with

I needed to learn it So, long story short, I got a high school and I acquired 30 pounds I was lost I had no idea what to do And so I was lost but also figured out

I'm telling you, I'm figured out, a little sucker So exactly what did I do, I chose to attempt every single diet out there weight watchers, diet pills, body for life, working out 2 times a day, eat stop eat, Jillian Michaels making the cut video, just consuming veggies, working out for two hours, juice fasting for days, the master cleans (oh! I got ta go) And top it all, I was a big starver and binger If I attempt to rack my brain, I might probably develop a couple of more, you understand I was a diet junkie I like to be on diet plan

I believed that was the only way you could drop weight So what I truly learn during that time was not to deal So that in mix with being a personal trainer and weight loss and lifestyle coach of the last 7 years, I developed a formula that is simple, efficient and works for the long term And that's precisely what we carry out in Effective Weight-loss School If you join I would like to assist you too

So now that you got here, I wanted to tell you how buying an expensive coat actually assists you drop weight Alright, for the number of times you said, "When I Slim down I'll lastly go shopping" Right So numerous fingers, you don't need to count Well, that stop right there could be busy holding you back from dropping weight

It's been scientifically shown that like a tracks life and thoughts become things This isn't some airy fairy predisposition; do not roll your eyes at me If you want to see incredible evidence that this is real, Google Emoto's Water Crystals So you tell me how you feel getting dressed up every morning, right? Doesn't it sucks? I know how you feel You opened up the closet door, your stomach drops

Right, you hate this part Suck You try out all various sort of clothes only to figure out that they don't fit you, making you feel even worse about yourself and you finally choose on among the four attires that you wear that do not make you look regrettable, right? If you're constantly walking around in clothing that make you feel fat and frumpy for example, and keep in mind, like a truck's life and ideas become things, it's no marvel you're stuck Alright, are you still with me here? Or you're getting exactly what I'm throwing down? I know this is a little out there however remain with me Okay, if you keep playing, 'When I Reduce weight I' video game, you are going to be having problem with your weight for the rest of your life

I have a concern for you How will you feel and what will you do if you lose weight? Do you have that shopping list? Well, I actually like you to write them down So go there get the pen and paper I desire you to do this with me here and today So hurry

Go yell And get your pen and paper Come back And I desire you to write down and offer you 30 seconds

How will you feel and exactly what will you do when you slim down? Wasn't that great? Aren't you beginning the feel those sensations just by writing that list? Yes! That's precisely where I need you to stay When you keep generating those sensations due to the fact that keep in mind like a truck's life and thoughts end up being things So, there are two more projects to assist you create those feelings; the very first one is the costly coat impact Yes I am informing you to shop Yes! Shopping

You do not need to go out and buy an entire brand-new closet All you require to do is purchase 2 new outfits Do not roll your eyes at me Don't shake your head Do not inform me it's going to be terrible

Get a sales girl to assist you She can help you to find clothes that fit your body The only requirement that I have for at least two clothing is to make sure there's color Preferably red but any color work will do And black? Not a color

Sorry sibling Likewise, ensure to get some accessories It's a great method to make you look good and feel great And I know you're probably questioning why I'm telling to go on shopping when you're planning on slimming down and not having the ability to use these clothes any longer however trust me, this works You can constantly contribute them or send in tailor

Do not use that as a reason This is going to make you feel extraordinary Now, prior to you stop this video (since you think I absolutely lost my marbles) let's think of this for a minute If you're walking around with those two new clothing that make you feel hot and sexy, what sort of message are you now setting up there? Hot and attractive baby! Yeah! We require more of those hot and hot feeling all the time I am informing you start doing this

The weight is gon na come melting off Because this is the bottom line of it all, "The better you feel, the healthier choices you will naturally make" Oh! And by the method, if you haven't hopped on over to SuccessfulWeightLossSchoolcom, I hope you go on over there and put your name and email address to get more of this weight loss video training This is only the pointer of an iceberg

The second thing that I need you to do right now (told ya a little bossy) is a homework project I 'd like to call, "Damn, I ROCK!" There's a PDF that you can print off right listed below this video that s gon na reveal you step by step ways to generate more of those feelings Thank you a lot for sticking with me through this video up until now Now let's do a quick review of exactly what we've discussed Number 1: Like a truck's life and thoughts become things Number 2: The much better you feel the much healthier decisions you are naturally going to make

And, Number 3: 2 research projects to begin creating more excellent sensation So if you made it fun with this video, I want to congratulate you due to the fact that undoubtedly, you're a female who believes you deserve better You deserve more to have enjoyable Now is the time do something about it due to the fact that understanding without action is completely pointless So we're going to do this together right now

In the remark section listed below I want you to begin writing down your 'Damn I ROCK' assignment and tell me 3 of your top achievements Cool? Write below in remark area, 3 of your top accomplishments I hope you got a lot of value out of this training video and I sure hope you produce some of those great feelings Let's not be self-centered and share this with 3 other ladies you know Now is the time for us ladies to come together and support each other through weight loss training

It makes me so sad to see how lots of women mess up each other So I'm here to alter that And you can start that today by sharing out with 3 other ladies you know In the next video, I'm going to give you my filthy little secrets to dropping the tension for excellent Because truth is, tension = FAT and we do not want that

Now that you have this foundational of weight-loss, you have to know there's little secret so you can keep the weight off for-ev-a The last thing that I wish to inform you is, Now is the time Are you hectic? Yes Super busy? Most likely Well that's life

And the fact is it's never ever going to slow down So you can either remain in the body you can have now, saying I'm-too-busy-to-lose-weight excuse, or you could transport who I wish to call, your determine badass and just figure it out I'm informing you, you can do this Don't let any person inform you differently because if I can do it, you can too I believe in you

Alright, I'm gon na stop talking now Get to work on your homework and I will see you in the next video

[guitarpornography]

Versus Steam: Game of the Year Awards: Runner-Ups

Rather than do this after the list or right before the number one game as I originally planned, I found myself thinking this placement would make the most sense. Honestly, the top three for me were difficult to order, as I could easily pick each as my favorite game of the year based on how I was feeling at any given moment. Though I’ve finalized a proper ordering, you could easily just consider them my Triforce of Game of the Year as each offered something amazing that I really want to talk about. However, I did play plenty of other games this year, though I’m sure I missed more than a few. So if you don’t see a game you loved in this post or the three that follow it, send me a message to let me know. I’ve also decided to categorize this with some silly award titles, befitting just why they deserve mention. Without further ado…

Versus Steam’s “The Last Game I Cut Out of the Top Ten” Award

Developed by: Stoic

Published by: Versus Evil (PC, PS4, XBox One)

Oh, I feel so bad about leaving this one off the list proper. When The Banner Saga won my Game of the Year Award back in 2014, I was immediately excited for the sequel and Stoic did not disappoint. Picking up immediately where the last one left off, the player continues the rocky road of managing life versus managing strength, resulting in a tumultuous trip in which every decision feels weighty. The art style continues to be gorgeous and the consequences the first game have a real impact on characterization, adding layers of depth to characters that were already pretty complex. Where it fails is in what we might call Trilogy Syndrome, as the second part of any trilogy has to shoulder a lot of weight in setup, without giving any sense of finality. While The Banner Saga 2 has an exciting climax, it’s hard to piece together what it will all ultimately mean for the series as a whole and it makes it very hard to say that that is satisfying. Still, the epic journey is on display and with characters starting more powered up, the layers of strategy have increased in building a team for the field. And as always, the aesthetics of the game are top notch to a degree I cannot express with a mere picture or sound clip. They must be seen in motion.

Versus Steam’s “This Game is Soooo Long but I’m Really Enjoying What I’ve Played So Far” Award

Developed by: Square Enix Business Divison 2

Published by: Square Enix (PS4, Xbox One)

I cheated a few years back and included Dragon Age: Inquisition on a Game of the Year Award list, but I had been drawing towards what I felt was the conclusion, making me comfortable with putting it on the list. With Final Fantasy XV, I feel almost like I will never actually finish this game, since I’m always getting sidetracked from any sort of story progress. But I like what I have played so far. The world is huge and full of interesting, though not wholly fleshed out things and the mvoe towards an active battle system has encouraged me to explore more, as it gives a sense of urgency during random encounters rather than a feeling of being stopped. The visual design is stellar and while I at times feel lost for context, I become more and more drawn into the characters we have as our protagonists, making the road trip we’re playing through feel very lively and fun. My only major disappointment thus far has been the game's tendency to kind of phone in motivation for people, assuming we’ll understand why they do things based on what they do rather than adding weight to their emotional states or follow-ups. But this is the first time my beloved Final Fantasy has provided me with much of anything I’m interested in since Final Fantasy XII, so I am most thankful for that.

Versus Steam’s “You Will Not Believe This Shit” Award

Developed and Published: by DEVGRU-P (PC)

So you’ve been assigned to a tank training school in Japan, only to find out that it's really just a normal highschool run by the military and the tanks are in fact, cute girls. I cannot begin to express how novel and enjoyable the premise of this game is alone, as my head immediately tries to imagine actually using one of these girls in combat, piggybacked to them with shells being fired from their normal sized mouths. If it sounds ridiculous, its because it is, but that’s all the fun. I’ve really come to enjoy streaming visual novels and dating sims over the past year because they can be so silly and enjoyable (not to mention its fun to read the dialogue aloud in funny voices) and Panzermadels may be the most fun I had with this. The only thing that really hurts the the game is the fact that it has a short length and scenes that are constant to all scenarios, making some stretches kind of dull since you’ve seen it before. But the tank waifus are cute and FOR ODIN’S SAKE! THE PINK HAIRED TANK IS A RUSSIAN TSUNDERE! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT PEOPLE?!

Versus Steam’s “I Put Way Too Many Hours Into this Game” Award

Developed by: FromSoftware

Published by: Namco Bandai (PC, PS4, XBox One)

Seriously, the amount of hours I’ve poured into multiple playthroughs of the game proper and yet additional hours dedicated to PvP is quite robust. I didn’t include Dark Souls III on the proper list mostly from the vague feeling that I was enjoying it because it was Dark Souls more than that I was enjoying it because it was an awesome game, but all the key ingredients are there. The story is vague and obscured, referencing events of the first game but never firmly latching on to anything but glimpses and providing a lot of other fan service for us die hards. The combat is slightly faster than before, echoing a bit of Bloodborne in making sure your aggression never fully wanes. The boss’ are a mixed bag, though Dancer of the Boreal Valley, the Nameless King and Champion Gundyr are among my favorites to ever be in the series. It all works just how I want my Souls game to work and I love the addition of Weapon Arts to the game for adding a wrinkle in PvP. I know people love to Estoc spam there, but I keep managing to catch them off guard with Weapon Arts they’ve never or rarely seen, making it a very satisfying experience.

Versus Steam’s “I Didn’t Actually Play This, but the Let’s Play I Watched Made it Look Awesome” Award

Developed and Published by: Front Line Games

I don’t normally watch a lot of Let’s Plays, though Maize ended up cropping up (hahahahaha) on one ot the few channels I follow and i must say, it was one of the funniest games I’ve seen in a long while. Built as a first person puzzle game, the player guides themselves through a farm that secretly houses a science base and well… sentient corn. Along the way they pick up an angry Russian Teddy Ruxpin knockoff as a companion and things keep spiraling out of control from there. This joins a handful of games I really just want to recommend based on the crazy things I saw happen in them, but this is so much dependent on the irreverent humor. Passive aggressive post-it notes fill the lab, as the seeming madness traces its roots in all sorts of ways, most notably the thickness of the corn and the seeming lack of objective for interacting with them. While the puzzles seem on the easy side, it looks like such an enjoyable ride and I cannot wait to play it for myself.

All of the above games are ones I would recommend for you to check out, even if they’re not quite the niche you’re looking for usually, since they present a wide range of styles to experience maybe for the first time. Still, we have three more actual awards to give out and I promise, they’re gonna be good ones.