#okay the app is being deleted again now I promise

[diviedrawn]

Figured I should post my first batch of (late) Christmas drawings

[arminsumi]

★ Nanami Kento is on a dating app

★ Pairings : fem reader / Nanami Kento

★ Synopsis : Gojo and his students make Nanami a dating profile without him knowing. And he passes on all the profiles except yours, which catches his interest. So the two of you go on a dinner date and hit it off.

★ Content : fluff, humor

★ Warnings : 🔞 MDNI/18+, smutty/suggestive, light angst

"Okay, what else can we add?" Yuji asked.

"He's friends with the handsome Gojo Satoru." Gojo said, peering into the phone.

"—Friends with the handsome Gojo Satoru. Okay. Got it. How tall is Nanamin again? Gotta have height, it's important."

Gojo thought for a moment, "Six and a half feet."

"Okay! Aaand voilà; Nanami Kento is now online." Yuji finished up Nanami's profile.

Yuji and Gojo high-fived to celebrate their efforts.

Megumi looked up from his own phone, "He's gonna kill the both of you once he finds out about this. You know he's allergic to his phone."

"Hush, Megumi, you helped us commit this crime. You added the "bad at texting" part didn't you?" Gojo said.

"What — you added that!? I was just stating a fact, you idiots!" Megumi cringed.

What was the meaning of this? Well.

Yuji, Megumi and Gojo were worried about Nanami's recent gloom. He'd just called it quits with his wife a year ago, and only now was he really starting to feel the impact of heartbreak. Though he remained pretty stoic about it, Gojo picked up on his gloominess.

They decided that he needed to start dating again, to get out into the world and meet potential soulmates, so that maybe he could realize there are plenty of fish in the sea. Of course, none of them had been married. They didn't really understand that he couldn't just "go out and try again" after being married to someone for 5 years.

Gojo had come up with the idea of secretly making Nanami a profile on a dating app.

Oh boy, when Nanami found out...

"Satoru what the fu—"

"—You have sooo many requests just look through 'em at least! Promise me you'll go on at least one date, okay? ATTA BOY!"

"You're seriously annoying." Nanami sighed.

So he looked through the profiles of people who sent him requests. He frowned so intensely that frown lines formed on his aging skin.

He kept deleting request after request, barely paying more than two seconds of interest to the icons let alone the profiles. Nanami was thinking judgmentally about each profile.

Then his thumb stopped moving. He stared and paid attention to your icon when it showed up.

He read your profile.

YOU

Bio : I like reading. Dilf-enjoyer. Need a beach vacation that lasts the rest of my life. 🥲 My friends forced me to make a profile.

Then he looked at your profile icon closer, zooming in on your face. You weren't smiling in the picture.

Gojo peered over and opened his big mouth;

"Ah, not her — she looks like a party pooper with that kinda frown."

A frown. He accepted your request. Gojo seemed totally confused.

Your phone buzzed.

🔔 LOVEHIVE

↳ NANAMI KENTO ACCEPTED YOUR REQUEST

↳ 1 NEW MESSAGE FROM NANAMI KENTO

Kento : Hello. How are you. Sorry about the weird profile description. My annoying friend Gojo and his students made this profile without my knowledge.

You scrunch your face in confusion and laugh. You've just finished your nightly routine and stroked lotion on your freshly shaven legs when you receive this message from Nanami.

He waits, tapping his foot on the cold kitchen floor as he drinks a glass of wine — languidly and sophisticatedly.

You : haha it's no problem. why did you accept my request?

Kento : I don't know. I liked the fact you were frowning in your profile picture. It resonated with me.

You : 😂 oh thanks. love that

Kento : What about you? Why did you send me a request?

You : your description was a perfect match so my friend sent the request.

Kento : Same friend who made you make this profile?

You : yeah 😭 to be fair tho... we do match. we're practically made for each other.

Kento : Yup. "Aspiring dilf" and "dilf-enjoyer". Legendary romance in the making.

You and Nanami kept talking... huh. Go figure.

An hour and a half went by without Nanami even realizing — he was texting, something he genuinely hated doing and only ever did out of necessity for work. And usually he ignored messages from friends, especially that idiot Gojo.

But Nanami wandered around his penthouse, texting you, chuckling to himself and smiling at your texts until his dimples and smile lines showed up.

You : alright then. see you tomorrow at 5:30 pm yes? you can cancel if you change your mind or don't feel well.

Kento : Yes sure. Same to you. Don't feel pressured.

You both said goodnights... but then talked a little more.

Then another hour later, Nanami finally got into bed.

He slipped into the silky, satin sheets after completing his nightly routine. His was a little different to yours — he had no interest in skincare so that part was entirely neglected. You'd talked to him about your routine.

Nanami thought as he stared at the ceiling; maybe she can introduce me to some magic products that take away these dark circles.

Usually when he falls asleep, he thinks about all the problems in his life and all the pending, imminent work that he has to complete the next day. Even if it was the weekend coming, or a holiday, nothing cured his need to work. Gojo called him a workaholic, but that wasn't entirely true. Deep down, Nanami really just needed that big vacation.

And the date with you was like a type of vacation.

Now, listen, when he first saw you standing there waiting for him in the slight drizzle, his gentleman guilt ate him up.

"I'm so sorry. The traffic wouldn't budge." he apologized immediately. "Get inside, you'll get sick."

This man was by far the biggest gentleman you'd ever met. Before even saying hello, he already showed care by steering you out of the rain.

You sat across from him, and easing into the conversation was awkward — because he tried to break the ice by asking you which books you enjoyed reading, and you replied honestly.

"I uh... so do you know this app?" you pulled out your phone, giggling, "I read on here. Usually smut."

"What's smut?" he asked.

You burst out laughing, thinking it was the funniest thing in the world to tell this to someone you'd just met. He got your humor, although it confused him — what's smut? You didn't explain. He figured it out for himself.

Well, the ice was certainly broken.

The two of you talked over a bottle of wine. The night deepened. You felt a bit out of place in this fancy restaurant. No other men had taken you to such an exquisite place before.

"What music do you listen to?" you asked conversationally.

"Uh," he thought for a moment, "Lots of Billie Holiday. Does that make me sound like an old man?" he chuckled awkwardly.

"Not at all." you replied.

"I just like relaxing to that music." he said.

"What else? Any music that isn't from the dinosaur age?" you asked.

There's a slightly flirty edge in your voice that he picks up on. He doesn't know what to do. He tries to sound flirty back.

"Hey now don't be rude... I'm still in my twenties."

"In your twenties... and you enjoy dinosaur music." you teased.

You pulled out his first smile of the night. His smile lines and subtle dimples showed up.

He got the hang of flirting. It had been a while, so it took some easing into. He hadn't been romantic since... well. You know.

"So, you're divorced?" you asked sensitively.

"Yeah. Have been for a year now." he nods.

He started circling his thumb on the rim of his wine glass. He couldn't meet your gaze — your eyes made him feel entranced.

"Do you mind if I pry?" you asked. "I just want to know why it didn't work out. I mean, personally, I'm scared of marriage and I don't think I'll ever tie the knot with anyone."

Nanami chuckled, "Scared of marriage? I understand. If I could offer you any advice for getting ready to marry... I'd say choose your men like you'd choose wine." he advised.

Then he continued, "Anyways, she cheated on me. I mean, I saw it coming and I could have ended it sooner so I don't know why I held on for so long and talked it out with her. I think I just wanted to believe that the one I loved wasn't a bad person. But she was."

"Oh. That's heavy. Are you doing okay?" you asked.

Nanami finally looked up at you and made lingering eye contact.

"Nothing wine can't fix — kidding. I'm doing my best. I mean, truthfully, if it weren't for my work to keep me busy I think I'd just sulk around the house in my slippers." he said.

"You shouldn't sulk in your slippers, you should sink your feet into sand." you said. "Get that vacation in Malaysia."

His mouth spread into a dimply smile at this.

"Well, if I go on vacation, I feel it would be right to bring you with. As attractive as you look with a frown, I'd like to see you smiling." he said.

Your cheeks warmed up. "Gee, I'd love to go on a vacation with you... but I've only just met you. What if you're a serial killer?"

He chuckled, "I work a nine to five job and listen to Billie Holiday. Does that spell "serial killer" to you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Maybe." you joked, "I'm sure lots of serial killers work nine to five jobs and listen to Billie Holiday."

He laughed again. You admired his dimples. Suddenly, you remembered something funny about his profile.

"So, what about that "aspiring dilf" part of your bio?" you asked humorously.

"Oh, are you intrigued by that?" he flirted, "I'm sure it was my friend Gojo who added that. I swear, I mentioned to him just once that I wanted to have a family, and he interpreted me as an... "aspiring dilf"."

Your lips curled into a smirking smile that made Nanami's stomach muscles tense up.

"Well if it counts, I like the process of baby making. Don't know about having a huge family, though." you said.

Nanami blinked and became completely flustered by what you had said. He was taking a sip of wine and nearly choked on it.

"Good to know." he replied. "Can't say I feel the same about the process of baby making, though."

"Why is that?" you asked.

You and Nanami talked about sex over dessert. He distractedly nibbled on his tiramisu.

"... my first times for everything were really awkward. Not bad. Just jarringly awkward. And then with my wife, she seemed a bit disappointed in me for not being sexually inclined. Probably part of the reason she went off with my co-worker, you know."

You listened to him, and he was thrilled to feel so at ease. It was just the first date and yet he could be so raw with you.

"Well, my first time was awful." you reminisced, then went on to talk about your first times.

Nanami nodded slowly, then spoke up, "Maybe you just needed a more experienced man to take care of you properly."

You squeezed your thighs together tighter and felt your skin flush hot.

"Maybe. Do you know a guy?" you joked flirtatiously.

Nanami smiled bashfully. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be too forward there."

"Not at all. I'd love to try with an experienced man who knows how to treat me right." you murmured.

You leaned over the table, looking up into his eyes.

Nanami reciprocated your sultriness. His heart was beating faster, and he stopped eating his tiramisu.

"... how do you want to be treated?" he asked.

"... well, I'd love a strong gentleman to grab me by the hair... and give me his babies."

Nanami's breath hitched. He had a tent forming in his pants, his cock was squished against his inner thigh getting longer as it got harder.

"... I think I can do that." he replied breathlessly.

He felt a small shiver when you brought your hand up to his cheek to caress it. Just that small touch sparked so much inside him.

By the time he paid the bill, his boner was calming down. But when you said goodbye to him and caught your taxi, you did something that made his cock stiffen again.

You got on your tiptoes and planted an appreciative kiss on his dimple.

"Thank you for showing me a good time." you murmured into his ear.

He swallowed hard, "Of course... thank you for being good company."

"Mhm. Look forward to keeping you company again."

© arminsumi

I do not permit the copying/reposting/translation/plagiarism of my works. Do not steal what I've worked hard to create.

This is fictional work.

[whogivesafughck]

My entire life has always felt somewhat re-lived.

Though every now and then I am immensely overwhelmed by a sudden entity, a miraculous, beautiful being. And it didn't take long to realize that nothing is permanent, people come, and they go, much like the tides kissing the shoreline repeatedly. Or the sun creating the early morning dew, the moon nonchalantly being disguised upon the sky throughout some days. I'm well aware of what I am, the traits I possess. How I've always been a natural magnet upon countless strangers. It didn't take long to mentally scoff, sigh, roll my eyes and weep after being told "I'll always be here for you, I promise", because that is all people ever fucking do (leave). And that's okay, such is my stupid beautiful life. I am a collection of a vast variety of people who at a point were overly fond of me, then one day, after many, just cast me aside. Like a stupid toy in Toy Story. The thing is, despite how much I allow people to use and take advantage of me - I'm not a fucking toy. I am an overly emotional, complex, dark, wonderful, lost, hurt, isolated soul. I've shut myself away, ever since I was 4 years old. Growing up all I yearned for was to meet someone Vaugely similar to me yet at the same time it'd desecrate my heart, knowing they felt the ways I have and do. Every fucking day I do things I don't want to, via work - favors for other people - fucking merely existing sometimes. More so as of late. And I do not discuss those wretched disgusting thoughts with Anyone., Because I learned about a decade ago that it's easily dismissed - shunned - misunderstood. That is the epitome of my life. And it just fuxking Hurts. I opened up to a girl I hardly even know about a week ago and ended up with saying that - It fucking hurts - I hurt myself every gods damn day. I am Constantly torn between what I want and what I cannot have - due to my own actions and or lack of. The thoughts of just..perishing have been overwhelming lately and I fucking HATE it because I declared Many moons ago that that isn't even a fucking option - so why do I still have those thoughts. The only reason I didn't long ago was to prevent heartbreak / pain unto my loved ones and friends. Yet again, placing others before myself. I'm stuck at a cross roads. I know what I have to do in order to achieve what I crave, desire. It just isn't the same anymore. I'm not even sure I deserve such a life anymore, despite it being all I've ever yearned for. I stupidly find myself wishing I were anyone but myself. Which really sucks because..well I'm a beautiful person, or so I tend to think & constantly be told. Obviously not. Nobody fuxking knows the depths of the darkness that dwells and resides within me, and that itself breaks my fucking heart. Am I just a facade. A mask worn daily? I cannot stop imaging simply piercing a bullet through my heart so I may finally, eternally as well as peacefully sleep. The agony that would briefly spring unto those I care immensely for, sigh, just isn't acceptable. I am drowning in despair, while looking up at myself basking in the light - reaching out unto myself. I absolutely fuxking hate resorting to using this app, but my gods, it's much faster than physically writing., and I almost always delete it shortly after. plus, no one reads it anyway which is a bonus. I Love but Hate being me, I just wish to achieve the better versions of this essence, despite the consistent general heartbreak.

[moffnat]

hello hello! potentially random question (and if it's invasive, mb, please delete and pretend you never saw this) but do you have any advice on starting to date? i haven't dated since 2017 after unrelated trauma and mental health issues (which are now doing considerably better) and have been thinking of giving dating a try again lately, but am at a loss on how/where to start!

Aw, hey stranger! This isn't invasive at all. I'll do my best to help!

I think you've already given yourself a huge advantage by waiting until you've recovered mentally to be able to date. That's half the battle sometimes. I know it was for me!

Here are some things I can think of that might help you:

Recognize your needs. If you have something in your heart that you're set on, that you absolutely need from a partner in a relationship, understand that you deserve to have those needs met and anyone who says otherwise isn't right for you. This can be as simple as "receiving gifts makes me feel loved," or "I want to have sex often," or "I don't want to have sex often." It's not selfish for you to have needs and want someone to respect them.

Prepare for disappointment. Sometimes you're talking to someone great and things seem really promising, and then you get ghosted, or the conversation fizzles out and it's awkward. It's okay. Don't be upset. If it's not meant to happen, it's not meant to happen. Let it go and keep searching.

State your intentions in your profile. I'm assuming you're using dating apps like the rest of us. Make sure you clarify if you're looking for serious connections, are poly/monog, open to hoopkups or not, etc. It makes it easier for people to swipe left or right if they know what you're looking for, and it sucks to talk to someone cool only to have them say something like "when can I motorboat those tits," and then it's over. (True story.)

You don't owe anyone a date. If things are going really well with someone and you set up a time to meet, but get cold feet and really don't want to go, be honest and tell them. It's okay. You're not an asshole for taking care of yourself and you're not selfish. If they get mad, you win anyway by blocking their ass.

Fight for your vulnerability. I say that because people like us, traumatized and mentally ill people, we might say we're open to dating but then the reality of it sinks in, and it's fucking terrifying. It's so much easier to run and hide instead of allowing someone else to see all our layers. Don't run. If you've got a spark with someone that you really want to pursue, you owe it to yourself to seek your happiness, even if that means getting uncomfortable and showing vulnerability. The right person will make you so grateful that you did. (I'd like to clarify that this doesn't mean fucking on the first date, but rather being open with someone about your feelings and needs and past experiences. You'd be surprised how much the right person will give you in return, and how rewarding it is to receive that.)

Accept the road ahead. When you find someone good and it clicks, be prepared for a lot of learning and potential revisits to your therapist. Being seen and known is going to bring up all sorts of awful emotions and coping skills that you've learned to survive. You will have to unlearn those to welcome this new person into your life. I won't lie, it fucking blows -- I'm seven months into my relationship and I'm still working on it -- but sharing joy with someone else is absolutely worth the pain. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I don't know what else I can say without knowing your exact situation, but I really wish you luck! You deserve good things, now and always!

[jupitermelichios]

i put some stuff in the comments but i ran out of space so i'm reblogging

firstly, lying about the tuition isn't great, but i can't say i wouldn't have done the same in your situation, especially at your age. being 20 is fucking hard.

secondly, your dad sounds like a piece of work, and you would be absolutely 100% justified in lying to him about not deleting your discord. a) you're a full grown adult who can make their own decisions, b) the idea that having social media accounts makes people fail exams is some technophobic nonsense, and c) it kind of sounds like he's trying to isolate you which is really not okay. lie to his face about it without guilt, just be careful. definitely delete the app now rather than waiting for him to check, password lock your devices if you haven't already, get in the habit of closing tabs when you're not using them so you don't accidentally leave discord open, and stick to incognito tabs or clear the browsing history if you're using a shared family computer at all

second-and-a-half-ly, medical care is confidential, if your dad does decided to seek mental health treatment no one but he and his therapist ever need to know unless he wants them to, don't worry about it hurting his reputation.

thirdly, i hope you'll accept some tips from someone who also really struggled with physical and mental health all through university, and ended up having to repeat a two years (but got there in the end)

a lot of people irl are probably going to tell you some real bullshit about yourself and your situation (maybe not, for your sake i hope not, but it's unfortunately more likely than not based on my experience). so you need to look yourself in the eye now and accept that no matter what anyone else might say, you did the best you could. yes even though you didn't sit the exams. yes even though you didn't get the grade you needed. you did your best, and the fact that you didn't end up where you wanted to be is no kind of moral reflection on you. you did your best in a crap situation, and you should be proud of yourself

but, and it's kind of a big but, accepting that you tried you best also means accepting that 'next year i'll work harder, be healthier, be better at the things i struggle with' isn't a plan, it's wishful thinking. accepting it means sitting down and making a plan for how you cope if things don't get better, because sometimes you try your best and things still end up being crap.

that doesn't mean they won't get better of course, and it doesn't mean you haven't grown or learned important stuff over the last semester that will help you cope if things get bad again in the future, and it doesn't mean you're giving up, even though i know it can feel like it at times. think of it like putting on a lifejacket before getting onto a boat. you might not need it, but promising yourself you won't crash the ship won't do anything to stop a storm blowing in, and trying to get back to land to collect one after your boat is in trouble is going to be really fucking hard. putting on a life jacket isn't you giving up on being a good sailor, it's just taking reasonable precautions. so you make a plan now, and then you've got it ready for when you need it.

there's four main things you need in your plan:

1. getting medical support if at all possible, and getting it now while you're relatively okay, so that it can help you stay okay, rather than waiting until a big crash comes. see if your university offers any kind of student mental health services (they often do in my country but every country is different), and if it doesn't, try to find services yourself. without knowing your country i can't advise on what that would be, since every country is different

in addition/instead you can look into what doctors recommend people do for themselves to manage your particular flavour of mental health problems, and try to incorportate that into your daily life. don't try and fix all your problems yourself, or set huge goals (it'll just end up being a source of stress when you inevitable struggle if you aim too high), find something you genuinely think you can do most of the time, whether that's a guided meditation app, mindfulness excercises, going for walks (i know it sounds like bullshit but unfortunatly all the resrarch agrees it helps with most mental health stuff), yoga, drinking more water, whatever the research recommends and you think you could do on an average day. the point isn't to cure yourself, it's just to reduce the chances of a big crash and generally give yourself a bit more mental energy to deal with problems if or when they do happen.

2. talk to your personal tutor if you have one (i don't know what other countries call this - universities here assign students a lecturer to act as your first point of contact for any concerns or academic issues you might have, we call it a tutor), and when you know what classes you're going to be taking this next semester, talk to the lecturers, as soon as you can. let them know now that you have some chronic health problems. that's scary the first time, but it gets easier every time, I promise. if you prefer not to do it face to face (and having a paper trail can be useful anyway) you can write up one formal email and then just tailor a few details and send it to each tutor. you don't have to tell them anything about what your health problems are, although it's best not to actually lie because you might need to produce medical evidence at some point down the line. just tell them you're looking forward to their class, and you wanted to let them know in advance that you have chronic health issues which can occaisionally impact your studies. you don't anticipate it being a problem, but you wanted to check, if it does impact you ability to attend class, whether lecture notes/slides are shared anywhere online, and if not, whether they would be willing to email them to you, and whether there will be classes (such as practicals/labs/presentations etc) which can only be done in person this semester, so that you can plan accordingly.

this works regardless of whether you actually think you'll need the slides or whether there will be in person classes, because the actual point isn't the slides, it's a) to make sure that if things get bad again and you have to ask for accomodations there's already a record of you having issues, which usually makes people more likely to accept you're being genuine, and b) make sure they know that you're pro-active and eager to learn, so they'll want to help to you if you need it.

(and since lecturers are only human, and sometimes humans are unfortunately dicks, it also lets you know which lecturers are the most likely to be kind and understanding)

3. find out now what the policy is on extensions to deadlines for coursework or homework. it might be university wide, or it might be department by department, or it might be lecturer by lecturer (in which case you can incorporate it into your email above). if you have a personal tutor, start there, or ask the university office who should be able to point you in the right direction, or if you have a student union, they probably have someone who can help. find out if you need medical evidence, and how much in advance you need to request the extension, so that if you do end up struggling, you know in advance what to do.

4. take a serious look at the last semester, and the one you dropped out of before, and try and figure out what the big stressors are. i know it probably feels like the answer is 'all of it', but there will be some stuff that stresses you out more than others. if you're living away from home, is it stuff about that, like cooking for yourself, or washing up, or laundry? do you have a friend who stresses you out every time you talk? is there a specific class or type of class you really struggle with? is it having too many exams all at once? did you have to do a lot of academic reading you found difficult? did all your classes combined involve more outside study than you had time for? do you really hate having to chose what to wear to class? have you used alcohol or drugs in a way that's stressing you out? are there noises or smells that you find seriously unpleasant? is it a person you live with? sometimes surprisingly small things can have a big impact. I have to limit how many crime stories i read, which sounds kind of silly for a 33 year old adult, but for some reason they happen to be one of the things that sets off my anxiety really badly. brains can just be assholes like that sometimes.

figure out what your stressors are, and then you can start figuring out ways to reduce or remove them. don't worry about what a "normal" person would need, who cares about them. everyone everywhere needs some kind of accomodation or has to compromise between that they think they should do and what they realistically can do, it's just that it usually happens behind closed doors so we don't see other people do it. it's not weak or shameful to alter our lives to fit what we need, it's a sign of maturity. and there's almost always at least a partial solution to stressors or mental health triggers. if you can't think of one, try searching online or asking people because there are no new problems, and chances are you're not the first person to ask. if the issue is about the number or type of classes, try and mix up what classes you take to balance out the ones you find particularly hard with easier ones (if you don't get told in advance automatically what coursework or exams will be like, or if you don't know what the lecturer will be like, ask other students - if the school has a message board or forum online for students you could ask there, if you don't know anyone irl to ask - there's usually someone who'll know).

and then, with these done, if things do get bad again, you know the process for asking for extensions, you've primed lecturers to support you if you need to skip class or ask for extra support (and in the unfortunatle situation that any of them didn't respond well to the email you know which classes to prioritise if you have to let some things slip), you'll have coping strategies and ideally professionals to support you, and you'll know what makes things worse and you can take steps to temporarily remove it from your life while you get back on your feet (for example, if you know cooking is a stressor, you can't permanently remove it from your life because you need to eat, but if you hit a bad patch, there's no shame in living on bananas and sandwiches for a few weeks to remove that stress from your life until you're feeling better)

good luck! you've totally got this 💚

AITA for asking my parents to pay my tuition for the semester, lying about how I lost my scholarship, and then planning on lying to my dad regarding his requirements in exchange for him paying the tuition?

My (20X) college has a scholarship for offspring of faculty members, and I was lucky enough to have my application accepted by the college that my dad (53M) works at. This means that I get a full ride scholarship; if I graduate within 4 years, I won't have to pay a single penny to my college (books and supplies not included, of course).

Unfortunately, the scholarship does have two requirements; I need to have taken at least a certain amount of credits semester before (not a ridiculous number), and for that semester, I need to have gotten over a 2.0/4.3 GPA. Easy enough, right? Who can't get a GPA over 2.0?

Well. I suffered a mental health downfall the past semester and I ended up failing half my classes. I was unable to sit my finals. I know this wasn't smart of me, and I think I should've done something about my academic situation other than just wait for the semester to be over, but I had quit a semester due to my mental health decline previously and I didn't want a repeat of that. In any case, I got a GPA of about 1.6. I'm not on probation but I did receive a warning.

Fortunately, this doesn't mean I lost my scholarship for good. I just need to fulfill those requirements in the upcoming semester and I get it back.

I realized I did need to pay my tuition this semester two days before tuition fee acceptance closes and I debated telling only one of my parents. My mom wants me to finish college no matter what, and my dad has told me that he does not care anymore as long as I don't stress him out. He's also told me he no longer has any expectations for me whatsoever. I did also consider talking about it with my brother and borrowing money from him to put together the tuition fee.

I figured I'd bite the bullet and just told my dad, who I know has been stressed about my future and how badly I'm doing in college. I just casually dropped it as I was making breakfast for myself and then we had a lengthy conversation that my mother (51F) joined when she got back home.

I don't remember much of the conversation (I may have memory problems) but the AITA mentioned part is that I lied to my parents and told them I did sit all my finals and try my best. I didn't. I tried that for mid term exams but I had nothing to write, so for finals I didn't sit them at all. This happened with three of the classes I was taking. I just didn't take my finals. My dad was suspicious of my claim; he said that as a professor himself he wouldn't fail students who at least submitted homework and sat their exams to write anything at all, but I maintained that I tried.

The conclusion was that my dad would be willing to pay my tuition if I got my shit together and also deleted my social media, which he thinks is a drain on my time and energy. He's not wrong. I deleted my Twitter accounts immediately afterwards (which my parents don't know about) because I've been thinking about it, but I can't really bring myself to get rid of Discord, where so many of my friends are. People I've met while studying internationally, long-term friends who moved to other countries; Discord is the only way to contact these people.

This is the AITA part; if my dad follows up on that particular requirement to check if I deleted Discord, which he particularly dislikes (he has previously confiscated the electronics I bought with my own money that I earned, after he saw me on muted call at night with some friends), I plan on deleting the app/program on my devices but using it anyway as a website. This would be a betrayal of my dad's trust in me, but there's no love lost between us anyway. He's already told me he doesn't love me unconditionally. (Yes, I'm his biological child and he did raise me.)

I also feel like an asshole because I could've settled this with the help of my brother; I'd pick up a job during the winter break to pay him back, but it would have been done eventually. Or I could've just gone to my mom. She works her own job, and we could've figured it out together without telling my dad. I told my dad anyway, wanting him to pay the tuition, even though I knew that talking about having to spend money on his kids stresses him out deeply.

My mom also told my dad to go to therapy (in detail, so I know it wasn't just something she said as a throwaway thing) during the conversation. It did get heated. I don't disagree, but I don't know if that'd be okay; mental health is stigmatized where I am, and my dad as a grown adult man and a respected professor if seen going to therapy could have his reputation kind of effected. It wouldn't have happened if I just brought up this whole situation quietly up to my mom, or just my brother.

So I lost my scholarship, I lied to my parents about the technicalities of how that happened, and I'm asking for some amount of money from my parents but also planning on lying to them in regards to the terms they set out. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[eratolasting]

Magic (Eddie Munson x Reader)

Summary: Modern!Eddie. You get a tinder for the first time and meet someone interesting.

Warnings: Smut, semi-public sex, fingering, oral (f and m).

Beta Reader(s): @syddsatyrn @hargroveharlot @eddiesdungeon

MINORS DNI. 18+ ONLY

You'd never done this before. Not really, anyways. The thought always slightly scared you. However, after some goading from your friends, you made the account. You loaded your most recent photos onto it -- the ones where you thought you looked the prettiest -- and made a quick bio to reflect who you were and what you were looking for. 

Then, the swiping began. Left; right; left; left; right; left; right; right; right; left-you stopped on one person in particular, your eyes scanning his visage. He was unlike anyone you'd really seen before, seemingly stuck in 80s fashion with his long hair and his vintage Metallica shirt. You swiped through his pictures and seemed to learn a lot about him just from that. 

He played guitar. He had friends. He played D&D. All things that were good and normal. He was a little nerdy, but that was okay. 

You scrolled down to his bio, head tilting slightly as you read. 

Mage Hand gives me extra magic fingers – if you know what I mean.

That was it. That was all he had in his bio, and while you found it funny and charming, you wondered if you should swipe right on him or not. 

He definitely came off as a fuckboy; but he was cute. Very different from anyone else you'd come across on the app so far. Finally, you decided to go for it, and swiped right on him. 

You continued swiping for another ten or so minutes before a notification popped up on your screen, telling you that you had a match. 

Well, it wasn't the first time it had popped up, but you weren't too interested in the other guys who had matched with you. You'd been hoping for the 80s metal head you'd seen. 

Here he was. Excitement bubbled in your chest as you opened up the chat to message him - but he got to you first. 

hey, sweetheart.

You flushed a bit at that, and bit your cheek. So, he was a pet names kind of guy. Two could play at that game. 

Hey hot stuff.

You sent back before you could change your mind about it. 

hot stuff, huh? You think so? 

Yeah. I like your whole vibe. 

well I like yours, too. 

You bit your lip and brushed some hair behind your ear. 

Thank you! 

you’re very welcome. tell me, what’s a pretty girl like you doing on an app like this?

Same as anyone else, I imagine. Looking for someone with magic fingers.

well you’ve come to the right place (;

You shifted on your bed, wondering what the hell you were doing flirting like this. If you continued, this was more likely to be a hookup rather than a date; but he sort of gave off that vibe with his whole bio situation. You didn’t know if you minded that or not, or what you were really looking for with this. Just -- something. 

sorry if that was too much. promise i’m not a fuckboy or anything. i just flirt a lot.

No, it’s okay! I don’t mind it. Tell me some stuff about yourself?

well, what do you want to know? anything in particular? 

What kind of music you play, maybe? 

oh yeah, mostly metal but we throw a few solid rock covers in there.

So you’re in a band?

yeah! it’s called corroded coffin. we play at the hideout on tuesday nights and if we’re lucky we get to open for the bigger bands on saturdays. pretty good gigs if you ask me.

That’s really cool! Looking for any groupies? :p

groupie applications are always being accepted. why? interested? 

Maybe. Just depends on how magic those fingers really are.

You tapped your thumbs against your phone as you waited for a response, more matches popping up in your notifications, but you didn’t really care; you were only interested in this one right now. After a few minutes of no response, you bit your tongue and wondered if you went too far. 

You typed a message, then deleted it, then typed it again, then deleted it, before finally deciding to leave it alone. He was just some guy on the internet. If he got offended by your joke then you just had to deal with it and move on. You put your phone down and decided to go about your day, getting some chores done. You didn’t even find yourself thinking about Eddie while you did your laundry or cleaned the kitchen. You did have a passing thought about him while you ate dinner, but being attached to your phone was unhealthy; so you didn’t check it. 

Not until you got ready for bed that night, and you saw that there was a notification from him. Your heartbeat sped up, but you didn’t look at it; not yet. You got ready for bed and after snuggling in beneath your blankets you picked up your phone.

oh they’re really magical. trust me on this, princess. 10/10 reviews on yelp.

You laughed at that, happy he wasn’t as sensitive as you thought. So you could fuck around with him; that was good to know. 

Glad to know the reviews are good. I have high standards for them now.

i promise they don’t disappoint. when would you like to give them a spin?

I’m free tomorrow?

tomorrow it is.

You ironed out some details and went to bed with a smile on your lips, both excited and nervous for your first date with someone off of the internet.

The next day breezed by, and soon you were getting dressed and ready for your date with Eddie. Nerves bubbled up in your belly as you waited for him in the cafe, your fingers tapping on the table. You were a little early out of fear of being late, but now you had to wait for him, and it was making you a little more nervous. 

Finally, after an eternity, you saw him walk in and look around. You lifted your hand to catch his attention; he grinned when he saw you and walked over to the table. 

“Hey, sweetheart. Wow, you’re even prettier than in your pictures.” He complimented as he slid into the booth across from you. 

You bit your lip as you looked him over, taking in him and his style. He really was different from what you were used to, but that definitely wasn’t a bad thing by any means. God, he was hot. 

“Could say the same about you, but I dunno… I think you may have been hotter with your guitar in hand.” You teased. 

“Ouch. I get it, ladies love it.” He nodded, grinning right back at you.

The waiter came over and took your drink orders before leaving to give you time with the menus to decide on food.

“Thanks for meeting up with me. I know it’s weird to meet people for the first time.” He spoke up after a moment of silence between the two of you.

You smiled at him, and brushed some of your hair behind your ear. ��Yeah, it was.. A whim, but I don’t regret it.”

“Good.” He smiled back at you, and laced his fingers together on the table. You couldn’t help but look at them, your eyes scanning the various rings that decorated them. They were…really hot; and you definitely believed they were good at what they did, with him being a guitar player and all. 

He seemed to notice your staring and laughed a little. “Don’t worry, angel. We’ve got time for me to show you just how magical they are.” He winked.

Your face felt hot at that, and you turned your attention back to the menu.

The waiter came back to take your orders after that, and you thankfully got through that without stuttering too much. When he was gone, Eddie descended on you again.

“Mind if I come sit next to you?” He asked.

You bit your lip and nodded, scooting over to give him space next to you. 

He climbed out of the booth and moved over to slide in next to you. You could feel the heat from his body radiating against your skin and you flushed a little. 

“That’s better.” He grinned, delicately placing his hand on your thigh. You looked up at him and smiled, placing your hand on top of his. It was almost as if you had been dating forever. 

But you didn’t mind the familiarity. It was cute, he was so comfortable.

Cute, however, turned to something else as his hand slid between your legs. You didn’t stop him, just lifted your hand off of his and onto the table as your cheeks began to feel hotter.

So… he was going to show you the magic hands now. 

It was kind of hot. You weren’t complaining. Even if, normally, you wouldn’t let someone do something like this on the first date. He was just different; Eddie hit differently than some normal guy did.

Taking you not stopping him as a go-ahead, his fingers pressed against you through your panties and rubbed slowly. You gripped the edge of the table and bit your tongue to keep a moan from ripping from your lips. No one had ever touched you in public before. Especially not someone you didn’t know very well. Not that you were complaining; he was hot.

His fingers slid up and down your slit, just feeling now. Feeling how warm you were through your panties, how wet you already were. He shifted slightly, covering you up from view to those passing by. You wondered how long this was going to go on for; how long Eddie would be able to keep this up. Especially if your food was coming soon. 

His fingers slipped your panties to the side and the tip of one digit found your clit, slowly swirling around it. You clenched your teeth together, your toes curling in your shoes. You couldn’t believe this was happening. You were thankful that the din of noises around you, covering up the soft wet noises your pussy was making. 

He looked at you for a moment, before sliding a finger down to your entrance. He slipped it in and curled it. Your eyes fluttered shut as you leaned heavily against him. His chuckle vibrated through his body. 

“Wanna get out of here?” He asked you, his voice low.

“God, please.” You responded.

Gently, he slipped his hand away from you and wiped it off on a napkin before grabbing his wallet. He placed a few twenties on the table before adjusting himself in his pants and standing up.

You were quick to follow, smoothing your skirt out as you stood and trailed him out of the diner. 

He winked at you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders as you made it out the door together. "Think you can make it back to my place, or should I take you right here in the back of my van?" He asked, his voice low, his breath in your ear. 

Your face felt hot as you shook your head. "No, do it here." You told him, pressing your thighs together as you waited for him to unlock his van. 

He chuckled and opened up the back for you, before climbing in with you. 

He shrugged his jacket off and tossed it to the side. You wasted no time dropping your bag and wiggling out of your panties. He'd worked you up quite a bit, it seemed. 

He laughed, but didn't complain, as you settled on your back against the pillows he had back there. He scooted between your legs and spread them with his hands, rings cold against your skin. Black painted nails scraped against your thighs as they descended; closer and closer to your heat. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his fingers found your slit again. They pressed between your folds teasingly, making you whimper as they slipped down towards your wet hole. He collected a bit of your juices on his digits before they found their way back to his lips where he slipped them past pink plumpness to find his tongue. 

You watched him lick his fingers clean as he made a low noise at the taste of you. Your jaw clenched and you closed your legs once more to press your thighs together, looking for friction. He was so fucking hot. 

He spread your legs back for him again and settled between them, bending to press his face against your cunt. You could feel his hot breath on your folds as he leaned in close, his hands on your knees. You felt his tongue flick against you once, twice, three times; a soft moan left your throat at the feeling. 

His hands pushed your skirt more, flipping it up fully to rest against your belly as he fully descended on you. His mouth pressed against you, lips closing around that tiny pink nub and giving it a good suckle. Your toes flexed out and curled inward as your fingers found his hair. 

This was the last thing you were expecting out of today. Sex was high up there, but being eaten out? Fuck you were gonna lose it to this man. This was only the first date. Imagine what the second or third date would be like. Imagine years of this. He was going to ruin all other men for you, you could already tell. 

Somehow, without you realizing it, he'd slid his hand between your legs and pressed a finger inside of you. He curled it while his tongue flicked against your clit at a steady pace. 

Your cunt clamped down around his finger as he fucked you with it, your hands pulling softly at his hair. Your back arched into his touch, moans steadily flowing from your lips. He was working you up to the edge already. You couldn't believe how fucking good his hands were. 

He added a second finger, his pace picking up. "Fuck," you moaned, pulling at his hair. 

Soon, you were shot right over the edge, a high pitched whine leaving your throat as your legs shook and your body tensed up. Your cunt milked his fingers, trying to pull in anything they could get as he worked you through your orgasm. 

You released his hair as he sat up, panting softly. You brushed your fingers through your hair before sitting up and descending your hands on his jeans. You pulled his belt off and tossed it aside as he chuckled from your franticness. 

"Promise, it's not going anywhere, sweetheart." He teased you.

But you didn't care. You pushed his jeans and boxers down his thighs and the moment his cock sprang out your mouth was on it, tongue and lips teasing the tip. The taste of precum was prevalent in your mouth as you bobbed your head on him, the both of you shifting in a slightly more comfortable position. 

His hand rested on the back of your neck, a soft coo coming from his lips as you took more of him into your mouth. He tasted good. So fucking good, you didn't know if you could even handle it. 

Your pussy tingled as you used your mouth on him, and you slid a hand between your legs to play with yourself. Your other hand came up, releasing his balls from their prison in his boxers. You were gentle with them, cupping them, giving them a soft squeeze. 

He groaned as you popped off and slid your tongue down his shaft before sucking one delicate testicle between your lips. His musk wasn't overpowering, thank God, and he tasted slightly like soap. He'd showered very recently, in preparation of seeing you. 

His fingers tightened in your hair as your hand wrapped around his shaft and pumped him, your tongue rolling around the skin in your mouth. You moaned around him before shifting to take the other into your mouth. 

"Fuckin'... Perfect." He breathed to you. 

Your heart pounded in your chest as you felt the heavy weight of his balls on your tongue, on your face, and you moaned loudly against him. 

Slowly, reluctantly, you pulled away from his balls and brought your mouth back to his cock to finish him off. He was getting close, and you wanted to taste his seed. 

You bobbed your head up and down his length, and he groaned as his tip pressed against the back of your throat. You gagged softly, drool leaking from the corner of your mouth. 

"Gonna cum…" he warned you, but you kept on going. You wanted it. You wanted it all. 

Your hand cupped his balls to feel them clench and shift as he came, his cock twitching in your mouth as he filled it up with his spunk. 

You moaned at the taste of him, swallowing what you could before bobbing your head a few more times to clean him up. 

You pulled away and looked up at him, licking your lips to get what had escaped you. Your hand slid from between your legs - you didn't need to cum again. 

His cheeks were red as his breathing slowly stabilized, and he smirked at you as he stuffed himself back into his jeans. 

"You got something up your sleeve for that?" He asked teasingly. 

"Nah, just natural talent." You joked, brushing some hair behind your ear. You bit your lip and looked at him, wondering if this meant the date was over. 

"Wanna see if they kept our food?" He asked, laughing a bit as he grabbed his jacket. 

You smiled and nodded, moving to follow him back out of the van. 

. . . . . . . . . .

Tag list: @eddiemunsons-girl @spiderrrling @syddsatyrn @mayeddieandstevegf

[caitkaminski]

So, they’ve done it again.

Fusebox doing a mass firing? That’s so 2021 - be original now. But to fire the community team? That’s mad. And we should all be mad af.

The community team launched the official discord server , they run the socials and promo the episodes each week. Okay, I have my own personal issues with them but all that aside, they promised this new server would be a way for feedback to get directly to the game developers in a much better way and our voices actually be heard.

Twitter posts from former employees gives us a scary timeline. We can see they started around May 2022 and got made redundant end of October 2022. Not even 6 months. We can only speculate at the moment why this is but I have a couple of theories:

1. Fusebox is financially struggling. I guessed this with the major gem increases we’ve been seeing. Just makes sense. Then to make most of a team redundant? A team you only just really invested in? Guess they say Last Ones In, First Ones Out.

2. Socials are platforms where people can vent their frustrations and thoughts about the current season. Needless to say, the comments this season are not exactly nice. So in managements eyes are the community team not doing their job of getting people hyped for episodes and singing their praises? But tbh, this shouldn’t be blamed on the community team. It’s hard to promote shit but tbh they do try, I’ll give them that.

Could be a combination of the two. Community team’s not getting people to spend their hard-earned gems. The discords dead, the Instagram is a mess and don’t even get me started on the subreddit.

But what can we take from this? Their promises of “we’re listening and passing on feedback!” Are you? Okay, if you were, you’re not now, so who is??

I asked in the official discord and my comment got deleted soooo… we LOVE being silenced.

These problems all come from the top. Simple research into employee welfare tells you management is shite. And this further cements it.

If you were debating on whether to mod your app or not, just do it. I can help you, just send me an ask. iPhone users, we’ve also figured out how to do it.

[bebx]

do you ever get comments on the things you write (!! love it btw!!) that are vaguely negative- not entirely bad but just enough to get you anxious and worried that you’ve done something wrong?

because i’m starting a little writing blog and i understand that smut isn’t for everyone and that’s all i have out right now but i’m not sure how to handle negativity yet,, it makes me doubt what i’ve put effort into and makes me feel sick in my stomach, even though there must be people out there that like the same things i do. i feel like,, guilty? and i’m hoping that’s just silly, maybe i am in the wrong eek

you got any advice for taking that on and starting up a blog for something you love on this scary-ass app lmao? <3 sorry, i’ve written quite a bit..

Thank you, anon! Okay, somehow I'm lucky enough not to have come across comments that are outright rude so far, but there are some in the past (like months ago? it's good that it rarely happens) that I supposed could've been worded a little... nicer? I mean it didn't make me anxious or worried, more like a little annoyed, but that was it. But I'd also like to clarify that I was told by several of my friends that I seemed to not give a f*ck about what people said about me in general, if they're bad things. So some negativity that should affect most people might just not affect me?

Which I know isn't always a good thing either, because most of the times where I should defend myself, I just didn't, because I kind of... didn't care.

But I know the point of your ask isn't about me. So I'm not gonna make it about me. 

Anyway, to response to your point about negativity, I know it's so much easier said than done, but my advice — to keep it as simple as possible — would be, "screw the haters". 

But I know things can be more complicated than "This person is being a hater. Screw them" situation. In this case, my advice would be to try to determine if the comment is outright rude or if it can be a constructive criticism. And it's entirely up to you which category it falls to. The same comment can be considered rude to one person, and constructive criticism to another. There really is no wrong answer. If the commenter claims they mean it as a suggestion to help you improve a part of your writing, but the comment comes out as rude to you, then it is rude, and you have every right to ignore, delete, block or be upset about it. 

Constructive criticism does not equal harassment, but if said comment makes the receiver feel more anxious/nervous/less confident about their work than it makes them see the part they could improve, then that is not constructive criticism. Always remember that no one knows your work better than you do.

And, again, I know it's so so much easier said than done, but if a person is being a dick and leaving negative feedback on your work, just... try not to pay it attention. Delete, block, ignore. I don't want to make this sound like an easy solution, because I know how discouraging a mean feedback can be, especially if it was left on a work you put so much dedication into (not saying a work that was written under shorter period of time is worth less). Most of the time, if it's something nasty/rude (it doesn't even have to be outright rude, but if it makes you anxious, then chances are the person who left it didn't have good intention), it was left by a troll. It sucks, yes, but there're always people who left negative comments on other people's work, not because the work is bad but because they — the commenters — are trolls, and they want to just piss you off, make you question yourself.

I promise you, what you put your effort into is worth it. It may not be for everybody, but there are always going to be people who love and appreciate your work. And you are never in the wrong for writing about what you enjoy, no matter what it's about: it can be smut, angst, whump, fluff, hurt-no-comfort, comedy, hurt/comfort. Anything. As long as it's something you enjoy writing. (And it's not wrong to only write about one specific genre you enjoy.) As someone who also writes, I know how much getting feedback/validation means, but you have to always remember that what matters the most isn't your readers or what they think about your work but you. You write for something you love, and you write for you.

As long as you write whatever you're passionate about, you are never in the wrong and your works will always be worth it, and people who share the same interest as you will find and read your works, and that should be the joy of writing.

Don't let internet trolls make you question your talent. Their comments say nothing about your writing, but it say a lot about what kind of person they are. And most of the time, trolls left negative stuff on people's work without even reading the work. Remember that they just want attention, but they're not worth your time. It takes only a few seconds to hit that delete and block buttons. Focus your energy on things you enjoy.

So go for that writing blog. You'll do great.

[foreverindreamlandd]

Bucky wanted to read her fanfictions and she always declined. So he begged and begged and begged... until she finally gives up and let him read one. 'Cause who could really say no to Bucky making puppy eyes?!

Let me know what you think about it

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Plus Size!Reader

WC: 1.5k (I am apparently incapable of writing a drabble)

A/N: Thank you again for another awesome request! I was basically cackling the whole time I wrote it. Want to read about how Bucky and this reader got together? Check out their origin story in my To Be Wanted series! Only warning in this one is the usual swearin’ like a sailor.

----

“See, this is why I always order Thai food. I can never do it justice.” You frown over your wok, mixing the noodles around with a wooden spoon hoping it will somehow make your creation taste better.

“I’m sure it tastes great, doll.” Bucky walks up next to you and grabs a noodle, tilting his head back as he drops it into his mouth.

His eye twitches almost imperceptibly and you groan.

“It’s good,” he coughs out, trying with all of his strength to regain his composure. “I think you just went a little too hard on the chili paste. I can feel my sinuses clearing up though, which is good, right?”

You roll your eyes. “Can you check the recipe on Pinterest again? I swear I put in the right amount.”

Bucky walks over and picks up your iPad. Right as he’s scrolling to find out if you should have used 2 tablespoons or 2 teaspoons of chili paste, a notification banner pops up and he accidently taps it, opening up your Tumblr app.

Omg! This fic is amazing! The way Bucky is there to support the reader. My heart completely melted! Your Bucky stories are amazing, Y/n! <3

Above the comment is a photo of him. It’s a shot from the news where he’s helping a civilian stand up after one of the attacks made by The Red Hand.

“Uh….love? What’s this?” He holds the iPad up to you and you shift your gaze over to him.

You drop the wooden spoon into the wok as all of the blood drains from your face. You’re frozen in place for a millisecond before you pounce on Bucky to grab the device from him. He’s never seen you move so quickly and it catches him off guard.

“Bucky give me the iPad right now,” you fling your arms toward it and he pulls it away, both amused and a bit concerned by your reaction.

“Wait, what is this? Is it something I should be worried about?”

You see a flicker of panic flash in his eyes and you stop flailing. You close your eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“No, I mean, I should be concerned because if you read that I’m probably going to combust and you’re going to dump me and run for the hills.” He furrows his brows in confusion and you slowly lift up your hand. “Can I please have that back before I have a mild panic attack?”

He stares at you, trying to gauge your emotions. All he can see is panic and sadness and it breaks his heart so he instantly gives in and hands you the iPad.

“Don’t worry about it, love. I trust you.” He leans forward to give you a chaste kiss.

You let out a pained groan against his lips and Bucky is once again confused.

“Ughhhh I hate hiding things from you.” You lock your iPad so the screen goes dark. “Okay, fine, I guess this conversation is happening. Remember when we first started dating and I, uh, mentioned I used to read and write stories about….us being a couple?”

Bucky nods, trying not to reveal any emotion to you that might make you spiral into a panic, and you continue.

“Well, that was one of those stories I wrote. I stopped looking on Tumblr basically as soon as I met you because it got all weird and meta and I got super uncomfy by the idea of reading fanfics - that’s what they’re called - about my new friend/now boyfriend Bucky Barnes. And then we started dating and I was all happy and shit and I totally forgot that those fics were still out there. Obviously I haven’t written any since then because that would be weird for...many, many reasons. Someone must have found an old one and commented on it. I’ll delete it. I’ll delete all of them. I swear. I’m so sorry, Bucky. I should have been more on top of this.”

Bucky stares at you, lips pursed and you grimace, afraid of the next words that are about to come out of his mouth.

This is so weird, Y/n. How could you do this?

No wonder you didn’t date anyone before me.

Obsessed much? (Okay, he probably wouldn’t say it like that but STILL).

No, what Bucky said next was much, much worse than what you could have imagined.

“Can I read one?”

Your mouth drops. Closes. Drops again. You blink rapidly.

“I’m sorry, I just hallucinated. What?”

Bucky points to your iPad, a sly grin forming on his face. “I want to read one of your stories.”

You take a step back from him, horror stricken as you pull the iPad closer to you as if you were protecting your collector’s edition of ‘Throne of Glass.’

“Absolutely not.”

Bucky steps forward and you step back. He chuckles. “Come onnn, doll. I want to know what your fantasies were about me before we got together.” He laughs harder as the look of horror on your face grows more manic.

“Bucky, I know you’re a super soldier and could probably punch me into the sun with your metal arm, but I promise I will fight to the death before I let you read one of these fics.”

You and Bucky continue this dance of him stepping forward and you stepping back until you feel your legs make contact with your couch and you fall back into a sitting position on its arm. Bucky uses this opportunity to tower over you, his arms resting on the couch so that you’re pinned between them.

Then, he pulls out the big guns.

His gaze softens, blue eyes shining into yours. His bottom lip puffs out and he gives you the most adorable, sexiest pout you’ve seen in your whole life.

“Please, love?” He says it with a slightly higher pitch, almost like a whine and it still sounds like honey to your ears. He even nudges your nose with his like a freaking sociopath.

Damn.

You close your eyes, let out a breath, then open them back up to him. “I hate you.”

His pout turns into a boyish grin and he gives you a quick kiss. “You love me.”

You groan. “Hopefully you still love me after this, Buck. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

You stand and open up your iPad, scrolling through your masterlist and finding what used to be one of your favorite fluff pieces. You begrudgingly hand it to Bucky and he sits on the couch.

Unable to sit still during this agonizing experience, you proceed to pace around your apartment like a crazy person and resort to cleaning the inside of your microwave which you haven’t done in a few months so it’s a good thing that Bucky is reading your fic so that you could get that out of the way. You probably won’t have a boyfriend in a few minutes but at least your microwave will be spotless.

You only steal a few glances at Bucky as he reads, mortified each time as you see his eyebrows move in every possible direction. Up, down, knit together, were they criss-crossed at one point?

Finally, after what feels like the longest ten minutes of your life, Bucky lets out a soft grunt, placing the iPad down on his lap. He looks up to you and you give him a weak smile.

“Alright, let me have it, Buck. Give me your worst. Be honest. Also, I love you.”

Bucky glances down at the iPad and then back at you.

“Well, I have a few questions.”

Your right eye twitches. “Hm?”

“Now that you’ve met me, do you still think my eyes are an all-consuming storm of blue?” You groan. He grins. “Or do you think my jawline was cut from marble created by the gods?”

This time, you breathe out a laugh and you walk over to sit on his lap. You take hold of his chin.

“Bucky, I don’t think I could ever come up with the right words to describe you. The real thing is quite literally a million times better than anything I’ve ever written.”

His eyebrows raise. “That is...probably the best compliment I’ve ever gotten in my whole damn life.” He leans forward and kisses you, and you sigh into the feeling of his mouth on yours, relief flooding through you.

You pull away, eyes skeptical. “So, you’re not thinking about how you can escape and never see my crazy ass again?”

“On the contrary, love, I’m thinking about how I can convince you to buy this gorgeous green dress you apparently wore as my wedding date. The one that showed off your cleavage in a way that made Bucky’s brain melt.”

The two of you burst out laughing and you lightly shove his chest. “Sure thing, Bucko. How about I work on the dress situation and you work on ordering us Thai food so that we don’t lose our taste buds from whatever the hell I just made.”

-----

Thank you for reading! Feel free to check out my other stuff here. :)

Taglist: @ceo-of-daichi @biiskuitx @forgetthisbull @eclipses-and-moondust @abcdefxkyou @jackiehollanderr @billionsofbeans @abitgryffindorky @lovelylostminds @mija-just-breathe @semlohkratz @bratty-longbottom-replies @carrotfantasimp @cremedelabrulee @ant1r3al1ty @th-e-mg@laura-moehrchen @emma-the-duck17 @sunnyjane4 @rosaline-black @parodsal000 @vicmc624 @abrunettefangirlnerd @officiallykuute @edityourwishingwell @mymindslabyrinth

***This was the original tag list for the To Be Wanted series. If you would like to be removed from the taglist for any other stories related to this series, feel free to DM me! And let me know if you would like to be *added* to the taglist for any other future stories featuring these two knuckleheads. :)

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Best Friend’s Brother - Chris Evans x Reader (Part 18)

Summary: You and Scott have been best friends ever since you were 10, meeting at summer camp. Being best friends with Scott means you know his family very well. Especially his older brother. After a failed attempt at dating Chris when you were 18, when you move to LA for a job will you and Chris grow close again? What would the world think? and most importantly what would Scott think?

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Angsts, tiny bit of fluff

Chris had prepped you on what it would be like when you got back to LA, but you were still shocked. As soon as you landed there were paps waiting for you. Shouting questions at the both of you. You kept your head down, trying to hide your face with a cap and sunglasses. Holding onto Chris’ hand tightly as he led you out of the airport and to the car that was waiting.

The original plan was that you would be dropped back off at your house since you had to go into work the next morning. That plan was scrapped when you saw the large crowd of paps waiting at your house. Chris told the driver to keep going and head straight to his house.

“Maybe it’s best that you stay with me until this dies down a bit since I have more security and privacy at mine” Chris says squeezing your hand reassuringly.

You just nodded your head, biting down on your lip anxiously. You hadn’t told Chris this, but your Twitter had been flooded with his ‘fans’ tweeting at you. Some were nice, others though were the exact opposite. Calling you a stalker and an attention grabber. Saying you weren’t deserving of Chris.

You had tried to ignore it, you eventually deleted the app off your phone and turned off Instagram comments. You knew this would happen eventually but because of all the lies told by the media the ammunition against you was worse.

“You okay?” Chris asks quietly squeezing your hand.

“Think so, just it’s a lot that’s all” you admit with a shaky breath.

“It’ll be fine everyone will move on, someone else’s scandal will eclipse ours and my team are looking into whoever that source was see if we can do something there” Chris tells you reassuringly.

“And I’ll be here for you whenever you need it, I got you into this mess least I can do is help you through it” Chris says making you chuckle.

“Thank you Chris” you say with a small smile.

You breath out a large sigh of relief when you were finally inside Chris’ house. You run your hands over your face tiredly as Chris pulls you into his arms hugging you tightly.

“It’ll be okay I promise, they’ll love you as much as I do soon enough” Chris tells you reassuringly stroking the back of your head.

“You seem exhausted why don’t you go relax, have a nap or something” Chris suggests moving to place his hand on your arms and looking down at you.

You shake your head rubbing your forehead “I wish I could, but I can’t I’ve got to get a few things ready for tomorrow” you sigh.

“Okay well you get that sorted and we’ll relax as soon as you’re done, sound good?” He asks with a small smile.

You nod your head in agreement reaching up to press a quick kiss to his lips before moving off to grab your laptop.

It felt like hours and you were still staring at your laptop trying to work. You had managed to get everything you needed for your lectures tomorrow ready, but you had an inbox full that needed dealing with.

“What are you doing now?” Chris asks leaning against the door frame.

“Um just trying to make a dent in my emails” you say forcing a smile as you turned to face him.

“I thought you weren’t officially back in the office until tomorrow morning” Chris asks walking over and placing hand on your shoulder.

“I’m not but I still wanna make a dent in it so it’s not too bad tomorrow ” you sigh.

“It’ll be fine no one will be expected you to answer them tonight so c’mon” Chris says closing your laptop.

“Chris I-“ you say trying to protest as he pulled you up from your seat.

“Nope, c’mon we’re gonna relax” he says with a playful smirk pulling you through the house towards the bedroom.

When he leads you into the bathroom you see that he’s run a bath full of bubbles, candles lit on the side.

“Chris” you mutter looking over at him to see him removing his sweatpants and top climbing into the bath.

“You gonna join me or what?” He asks with a smirk.

You couldn’t help but chuckle before quickly getting undressed and joining him. His arms wrap around you tightly as you leaned back against his chest. You feel his press a kiss to your shoulders.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” He asks quietly.

You let out a shaky breath as you feel the flood gates open. You drop your head into your hands as your body shook as you sobbed.

Chris held you tightly as you sobbed whispering soothing words in your ears until you calmed down enough to talk.

“I knew when the press found out it wouldn’t be nice, I didn’t expect it to be this bad” you whimper resting your head against him.

“It’ll get better I promise you, my team are chasing this up so we can get whoever that source is to retract what they said” Chris says reassuringly but you shake your head.

“It’s not just that, your fans hate me too” you sob.

You could feel Chris’ arms tense around your waist at you admission.

“What did they say?” He asks you.

“Same thing as the press that I don’t deserve you, that I’m an attention seeking whore” you cry shaking your head.

“Well anyone who says that is not a fan of mine, you are incredible, and I don’t think you are any of those things. If anything I don’t think I deserve you, not the other way round” Chris tells you kissing you on your shoulder.

“It just sucks, I try to ignore it I really do it’s just so loud at the moment and knowing that Scott isn’t by my side too doesn’t help” you sigh rubbing away some of your tears.

“It’ll get better I promise and in the meantime as hard as it is just hold your head up and show them that what they say doesn’t bother you because it isn’t true. The truth will come out and then we’ll be the ones laughing. Just treat them like a school bully, as soon as they don’t get any attention they’ll move on” Chris tells you resting his chin on top of your head.

“And Scott will come around soon, when you get back from work we can go over and try to talk to him” Chris says pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“Thank you, I don’t know what I’d do without you” you sigh running your hands across his arms.

“Well you wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with” he sighs distaste for himself clear in his voice.

You sit up turning as best as you could to face him.

“Don’t go blaming yourself, I want to be here without you not matter what, no matter what people say I’m not going anywhere because I love you Chris” you tell him cupping his cheeks getting him to look you in the eye.

“I love you too sweetheart” Chris smiles before pressing his lips to yours.

The next morning the first thing you did was have a meeting with your boss and HR. You were grateful that you needed a campus card to get into university buildings meaning you only had to work through the paps outside. The meeting was alright, you weren’t losing your job thankfully they just wanted to make sure you were okay and to offer support if needed. They even said campus security would help keep paps off campus.

When your first lecture started as soon as you walked in the entire lecture hall that had been full of whispers fell silent. You took a deep breath as you put your bag down and started getting everything ready. When you looked up you saw everyone’s eyes on you.

“Right okay, best address the elephant in the room” you sighs moving in front of the desk.

“Yes I am in a relationship with the actor Chris Evans, and I hope you guys know me well enough to know what everyone says isn’t true however if any of you have any questions. Ask away” you continue crossing your arms as you perch on the edge of the desk.

There was silence for a moment, you were just about to move onto the actual lecture when someone spoke.

“How long have you been dating?” Someone asks.

“It’s been a couple months now, but we knew each other beforehand” you answer.

“When did you meet?” Someone else asks.

“When I was 10 we both grew up in the same town, I became friends with his brother who then introduced me to him. We’ve been friends ever since” you explain hearing a few people hum in response.

“Is anything the media say true?” Another asks

“They got my name right, and where I work and that’s about it, everything else was false” you say, with every answer you gave you felt the weight on your shoulders lessening.

“What’s dodger like?” Someone asks making you and the class chuckle.

“A little rascal, he’s the stereotypical bouncy pup full of energy and just an adorable goofball” you chuckle smiling to yourself since that also easily described Chris’ personality

You answered a few more questions before starting the actual lecture. You could feel yourself smiling as you felt more relaxed and it didn’t feel like a lamb in the middle of a colosseum.

“That’s everything for today but I have one favour to ask you all” you say getting their attention as they started packing up.

“If you hear people gossiping set them straight for me, you guys have heard it from the houses mouth, so you know it’s true” you ask them all smiling when they all agree to it. A few people even stopped to give you some words of comfort as they left.

When lunch rolled around you saw a few text from Chris. Mostly saying how he missed you and how much he loved you.

Msg from Chris: how did you first lecture back go? xxx

Msg from (Y/N): it was great actually, let them ask questions so I could set the story straight, so we have at least 100 people are on our side now xxx

Msg from Chris: that’s brilliant! Glad you’re feeling better, if you can turn 100 angsty students on your side you can turn Scott on your side too xxx

Msg from (Y/N): hopefully, fingers crossed and everything. I’ll see you later xxx

The rest of the workday was actually fairly normal. Apart from all the questions you got from your co-workers, but they were actually really nice about it all. They were only slightly annoyed that you lied about not knowing about the mystery girl. When you left there were barely any paps too, the security had done a really good job at keeping them away.

You were actually in a pretty good mood when you got home to Chris. Who immediately enveloped you in a hug as soon as you stepped in the door. The two of you quickly set off to Scott’s house desperately hoping the good day would continue.

You felt okay right up until Chris knocked on the door a wave of nausea hit you. Chris squeezed your hand reassuringly, but you could see how nervous he also was.

You were slightly relieved when it was Steve who answered the door. At least he wouldn’t slam it in your face straight away.

“Oh hey guys, Scott is actually out at the moment” he tells you.

“Oh okay do you know how long he will be?” Chris says glancing around clearly aware that you could have been followed by paps.

Steve must have noticed this because he stepped aside to let the two of you in.

“No he was the on the phone with someone it sounded pretty heated and then said he was going out for a run” Steve explains as the three of you walk into the kitchen.

“Can I get you two a drink, tea, coffee, something stronger?” Steve asks making the two of you chuckle before saying you were fine.

“How is he?” You ask hesitantly.

Steve shrugs his shoulders “I don’t know we haven’t really talked about it since we came back, but I think he’s just hurt that you kept it from him for so long” Steve sighs.

“We never meant to hurt him, and we feel so bad he found out that way” you tell him shaking his head.

“I know, and I do kinda see why you did it. Scott told me about your history, and it made sense why you wanted to keep everything on the downlow while you found your feet” Steve explains and the both of you breathe a small sigh of relief. At least you only had to convince Scott now.

“I can see how much you clearly care about each other and he’ll see that too” Steve finishes making you smile.

“Thanks that means a lot really, hopefully this’ll all be fixed when Scott gets home” Chris smiles.

The three of you chatted while you all waited for Scott to return. It was fairly light-hearted considering the situation. That didn’t stop your heart from stopping when you heard the front door open.

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[johnsamericano]

𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥

Hi everyone! As promised, here’s one of the two most voted fic continuations. There will be more chapters to this story though I'm not sure how many yet. Thank you for reading!

warnings: sugar daddy jae, mentions of injuries and hospitals, language.

taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv

Sugar rush m.list.

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the quiet hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

The machine monitoring your father’s heartbeat was the only sound filling the hospital room, where your once healthy father laid unconscious, his perfect, chiseled cheeks adorned with cuts and bruises. Would they leave a mark?

Where did everything go wrong?

Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.

Your string of thoughts was cut off by a call from your aunt.

“Hello?” Your voice was raspy from not using it. There was no one to talk to in the quiet, hospital room but the nurses, who weren't especially keen on chatting.

“How’s your dad, sweetie?”

“They let him out of ICU, but he doesn't look good to me.” Your fingers traced the cuts in his chiseled cheeks that would soon turn into scars, ruining his perfect skin. Your eyes then diverted to his head, thoroughly covered in bandages to protect his damaged skull.

“Honey, I've got bad news...”

“They rejected the case, didn't they?”

“Not precisely.” She deeply inhaled before continuing. “It’s a tough case, almost impossible to win, nonetheless, they're willing to take it. But their fee is a little...”

“Expensive.”

“Yes.”

As expected from the best firm in town, they wouldn't take less than $8,000. Your bank account didn't have enough money to even cover half of it, and with your job at the convenience store, you'd only earn so much to cover your expenses.

“We can take the lawyer that the government provides us with, it would be free.”

“But then I'm sure we’d lose.” You groaned in frustration, using your free hand to rub your forehead. “Don’t worry, I'll find a way to get the money.”

“Why don't we just accept the compensation they're offering? It could pay for the hospital bills and you'd still have some left to pay for your tuition.”

“That would be like putting a price on my father's life. I don't want their money, I want them to make themselves responsible for what they've caused.” The sound of wheels approached the door of your father's room, signaling the nurse was outside with his meds. “It’s okay, Auntie, I'll take care of everything. You can go back home, I know my uncle isn't doing so well.”

“Are you sure, darling?” It was undeniable that she wanted to head back to her little ranch fat away from the hectic city life to take care of her sick husband, but still, her brother was laying down on a hospital bed, fighting for his life.

“Yes, I'm an adult, I'll find a way.”

“Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call me if you're having any difficulties. I'll be there in the blink of an eye.” She said before sending a kiss into the speaker, proceeding to hang up.

You sighed. It was never usual for you to ask for help, as you were an extremely prideful and independent person, and you doubted this time would be different.

“Don’t worry, dad. Everything will be alright.”

Three failed job interviews and one more to go. Your feet were killing you, the high heels covering them already worn out from walking to avoid taking the bus. Every penny counted, and as long as your legs worked, you weren't spending any more money than what was necessary.

You sat down in the waiting room of the company, massaging your neck to relieve some tension. College was becoming a burden. Maybe you'd take a semester off to focus on working, that is if someone wanted to hire an inexperienced student.

“Y/n, Y/l/n?”

“Here.” You darted up, gathering your belongings to enter the room on which your life almost literally depended.

You gave all the right answers, earning a polite ‘we’ll contact you’ in return. But you could see that they weren't convinced with your lack of experience, no company in their right mind would be.

As soon as you arrived at your apartment, you slid out of the uncomfortable pencil skirt, tucking yourself under the covers with your phone screen almost hitting your nose.

To take your mind off things, you decided to watch some videos. Halfway in, an ad popped up, interrupting the interior deco video you were watching.

A picture of a girl about your age hugging an older man was right in the middle of your screen. Written with fancy letters, the words ‘make your life simpler’ could be read, followed by what you guessed was the title of the app. Sugar rush.

Out of pure curiosity, your finger tapped at the small icon that led to the app store, absentmindedly clicking the download button. A few seconds later, an icon with the letters ‘SR’ was added to your home screen.

“Log in?” You murmured out loud, squinting your eyes to adjust your eyes to the bright, white homepage.

Just as you were about to click out, the phrase from the ad reappeared, stopping your finger from moving any further.

You could always delete your account if something went wrong, right? Nonetheless, you decided to use a false name, and that's how Melanie Kim’s profile was created. You left the circle of your profile picture empty for now, only filling the spaces that asked about your likes, dislikes, age, and all that stuff that people care about so much.

You knew what the app was for, but that didn't stop you from being surprised when a list of men and women of different ages greeted you. Right then, a small rectangle obstructed your sight, two buttons offering opposite things.

‘Pick the role you'd like to develop.’

Sugar daddy/mommy / Sugar baby.

Clearly, you didn’t have nor the money or the years to be the first, so you clicked the opposite button without giving it more thought.

‘Welcome. You've been registered as a sugar baby at Sugar rush. Meet thousands of men and women willing to finance you for free!’

You hummed.

‘As we're always looking to make our users’ experience better, we've developed Sugar Rush premium, a membership to meet the richest and hottest people in your surroundings. Get the premium version for only $5.95 a month. Click here to get Sugar Rush premium.’

Your finger pad was dangerously close to the blue button, almost grazing the screen of the phone. It was then when you were pulled out of your trance, blinking as if just then you'd realized what you were doing.

“I must be crazy.” You turned off your phone, not bothering to turn on an alarm for the next day. You had no interviews left. You had nowhere to go.

Waking up was getting harder with every passing day. Not being able to call your dad to go out for breakfast or even sending a simple good morning message hurt you deeply. You missed him. But seeing him laying down on a hospital bed, unable to do anything by himself, was even worse.

Ding

A notification filled the silence in your room.

‘Come back, you haven't finished setting up your account yet!’

You scoffed at your past self. What were you even thinking when you downloaded the app?

You simply turned off the phone before standing up to take a relaxing shower. As the water soaked up your tense body, your mind started wandering off back to the app. A million what-ifs filled your head, nonetheless, there was one that remained the most persistent.

‘What if this can pay for a lawyer?’

Your part-time job surely couldn't, and you had no one to assist you financially speaking. The whole idea of paying that ridiculous membership seemed more tempting as your fingers started getting wrinkly under the showerhead.

You decided to take some time to consider it, after all, you still had a week to give the lawyers an answer.

Hot soup seemed like a good option to comfort you, and thankfully, there was a store right in front of your place that claimed to sell the best soups in town.

It wasn't bad, but not nearly as good as the one your dad cooked when you were a kid. You sighed, wondering if you'd ever be able to eat it again. Just then, a woman about your age came into the shop, carrying a couple of bags where names of popular brands could be read. A pinch of jealousy made your heart stir as you glanced at yourself through the reflection in the glass at your side. You looked devastated, your skin pale and your cheekbones slightly sunken, a sign of the lack of rest and food you'd been getting.

Out of pure impulse, you pulled out your phone, clicked on the app you'd recently downloaded, and finally accepted the charges for a premium membership.

‘Welcome, new member of our wide community, click ok to get started!’

Well, no turning back now.

Right after pressing the blue letters with your thumb, you were presented with a list of potential prospects, some of them including pictures, some of them only including name and a brief description of what they were looking for. The minority included their ages, but most left the space blank.

A bunch of old men looking for a youthful, pretty woman to be by their sides, some of them even went as far as writing the weight and height their ideal partner should have. Of course, there were also some women in the look for young meat, but the number of men overpassed them.

About to exit the app in defeat, a profile caught your eye. His pale pink hair was parted, allowing his thick eyebrows to stand out. His high cheekbones made him look like a statue, the details in his face almost too perfect for a mere human. He must be the incarnation of a Greek God, you thought.

‘Jung Yoonoh. 41 years old. Owner of N & C.’

“Should I...?” You asked yourself in a voice lower than a whisper.

He has probably gotten hundreds of messages, so what would be the point of sending one yourself? Your eyes scanned the picture over and over again as the remains of your soup started getting cold.

He was probably the only acceptable man in the whole app, so why not give it a try?

You already spent five whole dollars on it, might as well make it worth the money.

‘Hi.’ Sent.

“Holy crap.” You breathed out, regretting every single action that led you to take such a stupid decision. “Ah!” You squeaked as three small dots appeared beside his profile picture, signaling he was writing a reply.

What if he rejected you right from the beginning? God, that would be so humiliating. His message stopped your train of thought.

‘Hi!’

Followed by:

‘How are you?’

Sweating like a pig, thank you for asking.

‘Fine. You?’ Read.

‘Thrilled. No one had messaged me since I created my account two weeks ago.’

‘How is that possible?’ You imprinted your thoughts on a message.

‘It’s hard to trust people nowadays. I guess people might think either my picture is photoshopped or I'm lying about my job.’

‘Their loss, ig.’ Read.

He was taking some time to answer. Had you said something inappropriate?

‘Hahaha.’

The conversation stopped there, as you didn't know how exactly to answer his message. But a few minutes later, another text from him popped up at your chat.

‘If you're okay with it, we can start talking about a possible arrangement.’

Already? You've known each other for like five minutes. But then again, arrangements were the whole purpose of the app.

‘Sure.’

‘May I ask your reasons for joining the app?’

‘I need urgent money, but my job doesn't pay nearly enough.’ You omitted the part of your agonizing father, he didn't need to know that. ‘And you?’

‘I need someone to be my partner at public spaces.’

‘Alright.’ Read.

‘Do you happen to have some free time tomorrow at lunchtime? I think it’d be better to meet first before making any decisions.’

‘Yeah, I'm free.’

‘Great, I’ll send you the address.’

You thought a day would be enough to prepare yourself, but time passed by quicker than usual, and soon enough, it was time to get ready for your meeting with Mr. Jung. He was only a few years younger than your father, and calling him by his first name wouldn't feel right.

Unsure if you should wear something formal, you threw on a beige (the color you'd agreed on wearing so it’d be easier to recognize each other) summer dress, pairing it with the gold hoops you'd inherited from your grandma to make it look more elegant.

The hardest part of your routine was makeup. Your sunken cheeks couldn't be covered, and only after a few layers of blush and highlighter, you could bring your skin back to life.

On your way to the cafe, you went through the things you'd say when you met him. It was your chance to get your father what he needed.

You stood at the entrance with wide, scared eyes, shyly scanning through the place to look for your date.

“Melanie?” A hand on your shoulder had you jolting. “I’m Jung Yoonoh, nice to meet you.”

What you saw after turning around was breathtaking. A handsome, healthy man, with the most beautiful pair of dimples.

“Nice to meet you.” You managed to blurt out without stuttering, extending your hand to make the greeting more formal. The fake name didn’t seem necessary anymore. “It’s actually y/n, I didn't want to use my real name.”

“I understand. Let’s take a seat.” He offered with a kind smile.

He left you seating at the terrace while he made your order, a latte, and a chocolate cookie. Your fingers played with your hoops anxiously, trying to regulate your breath.

“They’ll bring our food in just a sec.” He offered a warm smile. “Your dress is pretty.” Yoonoh said out of nowhere.

“Thank you.”

“I see you're not a chatty person.” You were about to object, but he started speaking again. “It's not a bad thing! I usually talk a lot, so it’s a nice way to balance things.”

You nodded, seemingly uncomfortable with the man sitting in front of you.

“So, uhm, this is my first time doing this, so I'm not really sure where to begin.” He pulled out a folded paper from the front pocket of his dressing pants. “It’s a bit creased, but I can always print another one. I brought it so you could take a look and let me know if you wanted to change anything. I don't mean to pressure you, but you said it was urgent, so...”

You read the paper under his attentive gaze, making sure not to miss a single word. Everything seemed correct, except...

“Six months?”

“Is that too much?” A small wrinkle formed between his eyebrows, a sign of deep concentration. “Okay, so let's do this instead.”

He took back the contract, pulling out a pen from the pocket in his dressing shirt to correct the original stipulations.

“Four months, and if by the end of them you don't absolutely hate me, we can extend the time. Deal?”

“Just one more thing.”

You cleared your throat, conscious that your following words might jeopardize the whole arrangement.

“Are you sure you want to make it official already?” You had to stop for a moment as the waiter left your orders on top of the wooden table. “I mean, it's not that I have a problem with it, but it's your money and maybe you'd like to give it a better thought.” You resumed.

“The fact that you're concerned about me proves I'm making the right choice. Now, tell me, how much would you like to receive as a weekly allowance?”

Would it be too reckless to ask him straight up for the $8,000?

“H-how much are you willing to give me?” You felt dirty, accepting a stranger’s money like that.

“Whatever you need.” His hand suddenly reached forward to yours, causing every ounce of blood in your body to rush to your face. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, I'm here to help you.” His voice tone dropped, acquiring an almost soothing feeling.

“I need eight thousand by Thursday, next week.” His eyes were wide open, mouth having difficulties remaining closed. “I-I know it's too much, but...”

“I can find a way to give you that money, but I'd like to know the reason why you need it. Just to make sure it's nothing illegal.”

You puffed your cheeks, trying to find an excuse good enough to justify the amount of money you were asking for.

“It isn’t illegal, is it?”

“No!” You retrieved your hand from below his, now embarrassed at the possibility of him having a bad image of you. “I need it for my father.”

“I suppose you don't want to talk about it.” He started at his palm, lips pressed in a thin life. “But when it comes to arrangements like this, we need to trust each other, alright?” You barely knew each other, yet, he demanded to know a very personal detail of your life. Not that he didn't have a good reason for wanting to know, it wasn't a particularly small amount of money.

“He had an accident at work...” You started, fearful of looking up to find pity in his eyes. “I need a lawyer to make his company legally responsible. They intend to throw it under the rug and pay a somewhat decent amount of money to make it go away. The firm I intend to hire is supposedly the best in town, probably my only chance of getting justice.”

“And why don't you just accept it? There's no guarantee that your lawyer will win the case.” You fisted the delicate fabric of your dress, eyes watering as you tried to hold back your anger.

“My father’s life is priceless, and if you think what I'm doing is a waste of money, then fine, we can both look for someone else to help us.” It sounded more aggressive than you'd first intended, but you meant every word that came out of your mouth.

Before you could even stand up, his slim fingers had already wrapped themselves around your wrist.

“I never said that.” He whispered with an almost sad tone. “Come on, sit down.”

He tugged at your arm the slightest, showing off his charming dimples once again.

“I’ll give you the money on one condition...” He raised one of his thick eyebrows. “I’ll go with you to see the lawyer.”

“Why...?”

“That’s my condition, take it or leave it.”

“Okay.”

The days before your meeting with your potential lawyer were nerve-wracking. You'd seen Yoonoh another time to sign the contract, which finally made your arrangement official.

You’d visit your father every day, always hoping he'd be sitting with his arms wide open, ready to hug you. But nothing had changed ever since he first came into that room.

“I’m here to see Mr. Kim.” The secretary's gaze lingered on Jaehyun a few seconds before he finally snapped out of it. “Y/n Y/l/n.”

“Just a second.” He opened his agenda and quickly found your appointment. With a warm smile, he guided you through the corridors of the building, all the way to the elevator. “It’s the only office on the last floor, I'll be at my desk if you need anything.”

Once again, he shot Jae an uneasy glance before the metal doors slid close.

“What was all that?” To be honest, you couldn't care less. But a small chat might calm your nerves and prevent you from throwing up all over the place.

“What do you mean?” He grinned, pressing the button to the top floor.

“You know what I mean.” You scoffed, annoyed at his evasive behavior.

“We just happen to know each other, nothing special.” Before the conversation could continue, a loud ding resonated through the metal cubicle. “Let’s go.” His hand found its place at the small of your back, pushing you towards the glass door. Through it, you could see a black-haired man reading a pile of documents, occasionally raising a photo to examine it with his gold-rimmed glasses supported at the bridge of his elegant nose.

Jaehyun extended his arm over your shoulder to knock on the door, earning an almost annoyed ‘come in’ from the man inside.

“Let’s go.” Once again invading your personal space, he reached for the doorknob with you trapped between his arms.

As soon as the door opened, the man raised his eyes from the documents he was checking.

“What are you doing here, Jung?”

“I knew something was off...” You murmured, loud enough for the man at your side to chuckle.

“I brought you a client, you should be happy.”

“Miss y/n, I suppose. Have a seat.” His demeanor completely changed while speaking directly to you. “I spoke with your aunt last week, she explained the details of the lawsuit, but I must say, it isn't an easy case.”

“I know that, but I've been told you're the best firm in town, I know I'll have more possibilities of winning if you're my lawyer.”

“Best firm in town my ass.”

“Be silent or I’ll kick you out of the building.”

That was enough for Yoonoh to zip his mouth. For a while at least.

“I suppose she also told you about our fee.” He pushed his glasses up using his thumb. “We’d also keep 25% of the lawsuit money assuming we win the case, is that okay with you?”

“Yes-”

“Okay, stop.”

“I’ll call security, Jung.”

“Look at me, y/n.” He squeezed your arms. “This clown is trying to scam you...” He pointed his finger at the lawyer without breaking eye contact. “You’d be spending loads of money for someone who isn't even confident in his abilities. It isn't worth it.”

“And I suppose you'd do better than me, then.” The black-haired man scoffed. “If that's the case, then you can both leave. I'm quite busy at the moment.” With a turn of his wrist, he signaled you to leave the room.

You were fuming, stomping out of the building with Jaehyun right behind you.

“I found a great restaurant nearby, we can go there and-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Calm down-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down when you just fucked up my only chance to give those bastards what they deserve.” The sun was starting to set, yellow light casting shadows over his tender cheeks.

“Can you listen to me for a second?”

“Are you laughing right now?” You bit your lip, hard, trying to hold back the tsunami of tears threatening to come out of your eyes. “Asshole.”

“Ouch.” He furrowed his eyebrows mockingly. Oh, how close you were to punch that pretty face of his. “Can I explain now?”

You remained silent, staring at the ground with the smallest frown between your eyebrows.

“How do you think I know Kim Doyoung?” Before even giving you a chance to answer, he continued. “That son of a bitch has been stealing my clients for ages.”

“Your clients...?”

“He isn't even that good of a lawyer compared to me.” He scoffed with fake arrogance.

“You're a lawyer?!” You slammed your palms into your face, whining at the newly acquired information. “Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?”

“Just wanted to swing by and annoy him a bit. Don't worry, I wasn't gonna let you accept his deal.” He winked playfully.

The sun was now hidden, the sky darkening as the moon rose to take its shift.

“Though I gotta say, I'm kinda offended I wasn't even an option. I'm a pretty great lawyer, you know?”

“Sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you if you join me for dinner. What do you say?”

As you walked into the darkness of the streets, his shoulder occasionally bumping yours, you wondered if meeting him was a casualty. Maybe the world was finally smiling at you.

[yandere-sins]

Idk If you have rules cuz I can't seem to find it but Osamu(Haikyuu) as mafia(if ur not comfy then you can ignore this part) who Kidnapped u and is obsessed(the "I'd rip out my heart for you" type of obsessed) who would literally do anything for you😋and puts you always first before anyone else🗿a soft yandere but will k!ll anyone who gets near you type so Osamu being possesive of you🤩

Nope! No rules, there aren’t enough people who care for them and I don’t want to stress about it anymore. If I don’t like a request, I just delete it. I prefer Yakuza over Mafia, hope you don’t mind! Thanks for requesting, enjoy ♥

»»———————— ♡ ————————««     

Even the careful Osamu couldn’t keep you from stirring in your sleep as he opened the door to the apartment. This was probably the first night ever you had been able to fall asleep in peace, and yet, you sat up while he tiptoed through the hallway towards the only room you two shared. Rubbing your eyes, you heard a soft gasp, making you look up.

“Didn’t mean to wake ya...” Osamu grumbled before stepping into the room fully, walking over to the mini-fridge he kept stocked with basic food like rice balls and ice cream in the freezer compartment. The light briefly illuminated his body, showing you a sight you didn’t want to see while he restocked some food in the fridge, either unaware or indifferent about his looks.

You looked away, biting your lips. It had all started out innocently enough, your father paying a Yakuza to keep you safe while there were some even worse guys after him. Even if the arrangement had been strange, especially after he - Osamu - moved into a small, one-room apartment with you, basically just sticking around and rarely leaving, by now, it was more than just a nightmare.

How long had it been since you last left the apartment? Almost a month now? Osamu took you for a walk once or twice, returning after mere ten minutes and stating it was too dangerous. However, whenever he did leave, he returned bloody and dirty. Frankly, you were too afraid to ask what happened, but the secrecy between you two wasn’t helping in soothing your mind.

In the beginning, you still had been hopeful that the matter would resolve quickly and you could go back to your normal life. But apparently, it just kept dragging on, Osamu only ever stating that it wasn’t over yet. Even your dad stopped responding to your messages, asking if he was okay, by now, and you were nothing but worried about him. Now, you just wondered how many more days you’d have to spend with this guy that you still considered to be a total stranger.

Gripping your blanket tightly, it took you a lot of courage to speak up, but the situation was awkward as it is, there was nothing you could do to mess it up more. “Are you okay?” you asked carefully, hoping you weren’t overstepping your boundaries. His hand stopped, and he glanced back over his shoulder at you, simply staring for a moment before turning back to finish his task.

“Yeah, just a rough night.”

“Then... are you hurt?” you continued, feeling relieved after hearing his casual answer.

“Why? Ya worried about me?” Only being able to see his side profile over his shoulder, you noticed him smile - presumably for the first time ever that you knew him. “I-I mean!” you stuttered, twiddling your thumbs as you felt flustered. It wasn’t actually that bad talking to him; he actually had a hint of a joke in his voice as he spoke with you, even if you only ever perceived him as a mean-looking fellow with a bad career choice.

“It would be bad if something happened and you were injured...”

A soft chuckle fell off his lips, and you presumed he must have been tired if you actually managed to make him laugh. Either that, or you had to admit he wasn’t half as bad as you thought him to be. Closing the fridge - and with it, the only light in the room - you heard him groan as he stood up. However, even if he tried, his footsteps were audible because of his muscular build, especially as they drew closer.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” he assured you, plopping down on your bed. “I got it all under control, promise.”

“If you say so...” Pulling in your legs, you made some space, prompting him to lean back, and the smell of blood and dirt made its way to your nose. “So... not your blood?”

There was a certain risk in asking this, but you were awake now and, for the first time, had a conversation with him. “Nope,” he casually admitted, and it brought back some of the fears you first had when he was introduced to you. Mainly that he had already become numb towards violence. “Hey...” Osamu tore you out of your thoughts quickly as he spoke up first, noticing your silence.

“Has anyone been bothering you lately? Talked to some bad eggs on your phone?”

Blinking a few times, you delayed your response, nervously glancing at your phone. It was true that after you had to go undercover, you had quite a few arguments with your boyfriend and friends. They wouldn’t understand why you’d ghost them and avoid their questions about your whereabouts. “Not really?” you mumbled, unsure if he’d be interested in that kind of complaint from you. After all, they were more or less just relationship problems, and you two weren’t close in any way.

“I see,” he curtly replied, silence falling between you two until he sighed, sitting up straight again. “After you fell asleep, there was a guy outside to room. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the knocks, but I guess you were tired for a change.”

Immediately, you tensed up. Worried about the sudden revelation about a visitor, you didn’t even mind his last comment, revealing he had been aware and watching you as you had struggled to sleep the last few weeks in his presence. “W-Who was it?” you questioned, scared of hearing that you had been found out and you’d have to leave soon and hide somewhere else.

“Don’t know him. He got very agitated when he saw me and tried to get into the apartment, but I couldn’t let him, of course.”

Ears peeking up, you almost jumped out of bed as you leaned forward, intrigued by what Osamu was telling you. “And? What happened?” you pushed for a continuation.

“Nothing special. Told him he can’t get in and to leave. But he was one persistent bastard, yelling weird stuff like he was your boyfriend and he loved you and should be able to see you. These things.”

“W-Wait! What do you mean it was my boyfriend? Why didn’t you tell me! I could have confirmed it! I’d really have liked... to see him...”

Shoulders slumping in disappointment, any fear of being found out was now turned into sadness, knowing you had been asleep while a vital piece of your life and of ‘normality’ had been so close. “Ridiculous, as if I could just let anyone come and claim he knew ya,” Osamu grumbled, and the heaviness of your situation returned back to you. Of course, he couldn’t allow the risk of someone hurting you after everything you two went through already.

“He did ask me to give you something, though,” Osamu seemed to suddenly remember, contemplatively. “What is it?” you inquired, hoping that maybe it really had been your boyfriend after all, and perhaps he brought you something to help you through these challenging times.

But instead, you were met with two fingers around your chin, pulling you in closely until you felt Osamu’s breath against your mouth. Much too late did you understand the intention, his lips kissing yours gently yet longingly. You felt an immediate gut-wrenching response, tearing away repulsed by the actions of your guard. Pushing him away, you rubbed off the feeling of his lips on yours with the back of your hand, spluttering, “What are you doing?!” while you tried not to feel sicker as the smell of iron reached your nose.

“Ya know,” Osamu continued, his tone indifferent, but you could hear the smile on his lips. “I’m just repaying my debt to him. There’s no ‘being too safe’, but I guess you really did matter a lot to him. He kept crying and telling me he loved ya.”

“Why didn’t you just wake me up to confirm it then?” By now, you felt the pain of your boyfriend, worried sick about you, and then faced with someone like Osamu as his only clue. “Are you kidding?” was all that the Yakuza responded. Getting up, he stretched audibly.

“I beat him to a pulp and took care of him and his phone with the tracking app.”

What?

“H-How could you...?!” was the only thing you could stutter.

“Yeah, he won’t bother you anymore. I know you two have been fighting lately.”

“Excuse me?”

Walking over to the entrance to the bath, Osamu flipped on the light before looking back at you. Dreadful splatters of blood were all over his face, even more than you had seen before. His knuckles seemed to be straight out of a horror movie, and the black clothes he wore had dark, firm spots on them.

And yet, he smiled at you affectionately.

“As if I’d let anyone put a frown on ya cute face, Babe. Doesn’t matter who, I’ll protect you from anyone trying to get close and hurt you. I told ya, didn’t I? I’ve got everything under control.”

With that, he entered the bath, and you heard the familiar sound of the shower. Confused but mostly worried, you threw back the blanket and hopped out of bed with unsteady feet, racing to the front door. Sliding off the door chain, you pushed the handle, expecting it to open, but it wouldn’t budge.

The faint sound of a chuckle echoed from the bathroom, the walls thin as paper, much to your dismay. You didn’t want to believe it; even more, you wanted to see it. See that what Osamu described didn’t happen to someone so dear to you. You wanted to know that everything was okay. Know that the man you shared this locked apartment with wasn’t some kind of maniac going around killing people on ‘your behalf’.

But when you looked at your phone, you saw a message from your boyfriend, saying he tracked you down and would be coming to get you now. It had been read before you, even replied to, but you didn’t remember ever seeing it or replying to it at all. Especially not when the last message eerily read:

<< Waiting for you (:

[h4nabi-archived]

Pity Party

a/n: This was a request from @lexy586​. I’m sooo sorry its late and for accidentally deleting the ask. But from what i remember, the sender wanted a fic about the reader being in either the baku or deku squad and the start to forget about them and then their birthday shows up. I changed it a little but not much so i hope you like it :))

∾ Bakusquad x Reader (platonic), Izuku Midoriya x Reader (platonic)

∾ little angst, fluff

∾ warnings: none

∾ 1497 words

8:30 PM

That's the time you had told everyone to show up to your dorm for your birthday.

But instead, you were lying face down on your bed in an empty room.

No one had shown up.

You didn't know why it got like this. One day, you were hanging out with the "bakusquad" and the next, you were just a thing of the past: no texts, no get-togethers, nothing. You were left all alone.

This wasn't something you weren't used to, though. If anything, by this point, it shouldn't even be a surprise to you.

Friend group after friend group, you were always left behind. Sometimes they'd have the decency to tell you straight up that you just "didn't fit in." But most of the time, it was a gradual process. and this was no different.

You could tell that everyone slowly forgot about you. It all started about a month ago when everyone was talking about a new movie they had seen. This was new news to you. Usually, Kaminari or Sero would text the group chat about any popular new film they wanted to see. But not this time.

"Oh, sorry, Y/N. I just assumed you would be busy that day. Next time I'll ask, promise," Sero said with a genuine smile.

At the time, it didn't particularly bother you. Hero training and all had been keeping you busy lately, so the mixup was excusable.

But these "mixups" became more frequent. "schedule conflicts" also became common when you tried to invite anyone out. Whether it was studying for a test or a sudden case of the cold, everyone seemed to have something better to be doing than hanging out with you.

You started to feel isolated at lunch, as well. Eventually, you had to move to Midoryia's table because it was all getting to be too much. No one batted an eye when you left. No one texted you to see if you were okay—nothing but radio silence.

It hurt being alone again. It hurt worse, knowing that you actually thought this time would be different at one point. After you had transferred to UA your second year, you didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms. But to your surprise, you were.

Kirishima had been the first to reach out to you. He was friendly, going out of his way to even ask if you wanted to sit with him and his friends at lunch. That's when you met everyone else. You instantly clicked with everyone. It took some time for Bakugou to warm up to the new addition, but indeed everyone seemed to enjoy your company.

You were invited everywhere with them: study dates, sneaky late night outings, movie marathons, everything. It felt good having such a close friend group, and you truly felt like it could work out.

Looking back, you could tell that you didn't really belong. The five of them had an already established bond, and you just couldn't compete. You stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone else was so much cooler and stronger than you, advancing with their quirks and overall popularity, while you were always left in the dust.

Maybe you were naive, missing all the signs that screamed that you didn't belong. Or perhaps you did see them but decided to ignore them. Who knows.

Going to the messenger app on your phone, you immediately went to your shared group chat. You knew you would see a response from anyone, but still, a small part of you had hope. But that hope was crushed when you looked and saw nothing—just the dozen other messages you had sent with no response.

you looked at the time on your phone. 12:45 AM, the numbers seemed to mock you as you stared down at them. Your vision became blurry as you threw your phone down on the floor. Then a tear fell. Then another. and another. all until you were sobbing in your pillow.

You cried and cried until you couldn't anymore. You started to get a migraine from all the crying. You felt crazy. It was your birthday. You were supposed to be happy—another year of life. And yet here you were in your dark dorm room, with tears staining your face. You felt pitiful.

You closed your eyes, trying to force yourself to sleep. And just as you were about to, a text notification sounded.

You didn't want to look. You wanted just to sleep and get this day over with. But soon enough, you were reaching to grab your phone off the floor.

You unlocked your phone and looked at the text.

From: Deku

Hey!

From: Deku

Happy Birthday Y/N!!!

You wiped your eyes and smiled at the texts.

You and Midoriya had grown closer since you moved to his table. You guys were the closest friends, but it was nice having at least one person still by your side.

From: You

thanks Midoriya :)))

Just as you were about to lock your phone, the texting indicator popped up on your screen. You waited for a response when suddenly the indicator disappeared. It didn't show up again, so with a huff, you locked your phone and threw it back on the floor.

You were alone again. You weren't sad anymore, which was good, but you were left with a sinking feeling in your heart in return. You turned on your side and faced the wall. You tried to make yourself comfortable so you could fall back asleep, but nothing seemed to work. The sleepy feeling has been whisked away, and now you were left staring at your blank wall.

You sighed and got out of your bed. Quickly slipping on a random hoodie and your slippers, you quietly made your way out of your room. Maybe a late-night snack was what you needed.

As you arrived at your destination, something made you stop in your tracks.

At one of the many dining tables sat Midoriya. His back was facing you so you couldn't see his face, but his slouched posture made him look tired. It made sense seeing as it was currently 1 AM. Next to him was a small slice of cake. Just looking at the desert made your eyes sting. Quickly you focused back on the boy and made your way over to him.

“Hey,” you said as you sat in the seat beside him. Izuku, stunned by your sudden appearance, jumped and almost fell out of his chair. After making sure he was alright, a small giggle escaped your lips.

"H-hey Y/N. What are you doing here?" He looked like he had seen a ghost by how shocked he was. His hands quickly grabbed the cake and moved it in an attempt to hide it.

The whole scene was very suspicious. Raising an eyebrow, you looked from the cake up to the freckled boy. from where he sat, the moonlight shone on him almost entirely. You could see the deep red blush that fused his cheeks and the way his eyes looked everywhere but you. It was cute if you were being honest.

“I should be asking you the same question,” you moved to point at the cake, “What’s that?”

"This? Oh, um, nothing. Just late-night cravings."

“Cravings? Really?”

"Yes." He was obviously lying. It was painted right on his face. Sensing your disbelief, Midoriya looked down and pushed the treat in front of you. He looked down at his lap and spilled the beans. "Actually, it's for you. You know, for your birthday."

You looked at the slice. It was a plain vanilla cake with white frosting. Your age in pretty, pink frosting was the only decoration. Even in its simplicity, the cake looked delicious. Your eyes started to sting, and before you knew it, you were crying again.

Midoriya immediately looked up when he heard you sniffle. What he didn't expect to see was the wide grin on your face. You reached over and pulled the boy into a tight hug, knocking the wind out of his lungs in the process. His arms made their way around you and gave you a small part in your back.

pulling away, you turned and looked at the cake again. "Thank you, Midoriya. I'm really thankful."

"It's the least I can do. We are friends, after all."

You guys were friends. Midoriya had always been nice to you. Checking on you when you first moved to his table suddenly, helping you with homework you’d usually ask bakugou to help you with, making you feel included in his group, and the list goes on and on. You weren’t alone. You had friends who cared.

Midoriya pulled out two plastic forks and handed it on to you. After you two said your thanks, you dig into the cake.

It might not have been what you initially planned, but you wouldn't have chosen to spend your birthday any other way than this.

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | Drabble 5

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, slight angst

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: Another little drabble! It's hard to give this couple up 🥺 this is also a scene that was basically deleted from the main series, so it's been given a time jump! I didn't want people to think it was a cliche moment (it kinda is) but...I think this gives some good clarity on how the MC has grown! Unedited as on mobile.

-

"Do you think your mom will like this?" You query, brows farrowing together as you turn the elegantly decorated plant pot around in your hands. It would match her current living room decor and she loved gardening.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah...why?" Hoseok asks with a distracted tone, his attention grabbed with the collection of fake plants. The two of you had come to a home decoration store as you wanted to redecorate your bedroom. He wasn't hugely interested in how it was done and you were pretty sure that he was here just to spend time with you.

Which was sweet and you loved that he was content to just be with you, but he wasn't being very helpful right now.

"...her birthday? It's next week, we're taking her out for dinner, remember?" He pauses for a moment before his lips turn into a circle.

"Oh yeah, shit. I need to book the table for that." Before you can say anything else, he's pulling out his phone and tapping away on it.

Sighing, you place the pot into the cart and begin to look with an eye for your bedroom. You wanted to inject more plants into the house but Kasumi just tried to eat real ones, so you were stuck with fake plants.

"How about C'est Bonne? Wait no, she doesn't like French food. Hmmm, Italian feels boring though. Do you think she'd like Thai, I think that'd be alright." Hoseok is muttering to himself as he scrolls and you smile affectionately.

To say he'd completely forgotten, you weren't surprised that he was throwing himself into it now.

"Hoseok?" For a moment, neither of you respond. You, because it wasn't your name and so you weren't conditioned to respond to it, and Hoseok because it wasn't your voice.

His head jerked up in confusion, gaze going to you first before looking around. The voice calls again from your left and you turn to see who it is, wondering who was calling out your husband's name.

What you didn't expect is for Hoseok's face to open in surprise, shocked recognition taking over his expression. Like, real shock and you're even more confused and intrigued.

"Yoona?" He asks, his tone slightly unsure and you realise it's obviously someone he once knew. You've heard him mention the name at some point, but you can't remember why you know it.

"It is you! Oh my god, it's so good to see you. How long has it been?" The woman in question, Yoona, smiles brightly and you observe that she's pretty. Very pretty with the kind of hair you see in commercials.

She's wearing plain black jeans that conform to her legs alongside a subtly flowered shirt. Her black pea coat tops it off with a matching deep purple scarf and beanie to cope with the colder weather.

"Err...a while." Hoseok laughs, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck and you recognise the awkward movement. He's a little uncomfortable and your stomach turns as you wonder if this is one of his hook ups.

Surprisingly, you'd never met one of them given how prolific he'd been. Though you did wonder how many of them had also been drunk and probably didn't remember him at all.

Still, you feel the urge to comfort him and move closer, resting your hand on his back in assurance. He straightens a little at the touch before relaxing into you, his arm coming to wrap around your shoulder and hugging you into him a little more strongly than you'd anticipated.

"Oh, Meeps this is Yoona, the girl in college who got me to sort my shit out?" Hoseok's brows rise as his voice turns dry before he looks back at Yoona. "This is Y/N, my wife."

Her eyes flick over to you and surprisingly enough, she doesn't give you a once over. You almost expected her to view you as some kind of threat or rival, but the reassuring smile she gives makes you realise how silly that would be.

"Really? Oh my god, Hoseok! I'm so happy for you, and for you, Y/N! I always knew he had the makings of a good partner, even if he couldn't see it. I'm glad you finally took my advice." Yoona says before reaching out to shake your hand politely.

Surprisingly, it's not nearly as awkward as you'd think to meet one of your husband's ex-flings. Especially one who'd had such an influence on his life.

"Erm, thank you. Hoseok's talk about you sometimes, thank you for helping him back then." You say shyly, feeling your stomach twist uncertainly as you take your hand back and play with your fingers.

Just like he always has, Hoseok instinctively knows when you're not comfortable and he reaches for one of your hands. 

"I've told her lots of things over the years," He grins before kissing your forehead. "My therapy was very good, I promise."

That's directed to Yoona who laughs sweetly and nods in appreciation.

"Good, good, I'm glad. Anyway, I've got to be going but...it was nice to see you! And I'm really happy that you've found someone. I'd love to get to know you better but I'm sure you're amazing. Gotta be to have captured this guy's attention." She smiles and gestures towards you, causing you to feel hot with embarrassment.

"Erm, thank you." You mutter, unsure of how to react. But you're surprisingly okay with her and don't feel any form of threat, even with her important history with Hoseok. It was clear there were no feelings between either of them and you genuinely felt that she was a good person.

Before either of you could say anything else, she said her goodbyes and headed towards the cashiers at the front of the store. There was a brief moment of silence as you both tried to compute what had happened and Hoseok recovered quicker than you did.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, his words laced with concern that matched the worry in his eyes. You knew why he was feeling like that - Yoona was beautiful, once upon a time he'd slept with her and she'd helped him realise how to move forward. Or at least take the steps there.

If this had happened in the first year of your relationship then you probably would feel disconcerted, unsure what to think about this blast from his past. But you weren't that girl anymore, and whilst you still had your anxieties, you had full and complete faith in Hoseok.

Plus, he'd been as blindsided by her as you were. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was nice to finally meet the famous Yoona, she seemed nice." You comment, slipping your arm through his and leaning against him as you both walked towards the bedroom section. Bring so close to him meant that you could practically feel him relax at your words.

"Good, good. I didn't...well I didn't know what to think, really. I was worried you'd be upset or something." Hoseok admits, trailing his hand down your coat sleeve until he can grasp your fingers between his own.

"No, I know all about your history and it was only a matter of time before we met someone. And like I said, she was sweet." There's still some uneasiness in his demeanour though and you squeeze his hand before gently poking the back of it with a finger.

The movement makes him smile and you feel relief at him looking a little happier.

"Seriously, I'm okay. Are you okay?" It was probably a big thing to accidentally meet up with such an important fling, but but could understand why he wasn't comfortable with it all.

That was a part of his past that he wasn't entirely happy with colliding with his very happy present. So you just held on to him as he worked through his feelings.

"Yeah...yeah I am. It was just weird to see her, you know? Never expected that." He let's his free hand trail over a soft, velvet cushion idly and you hum in contemplation.

"I get it. But don't fret over it, okay? I'm fine with it all and...well, it was nice to meet the woman who helped to bring the Hoseok I know to life. Or at least, started the process. Without her, we wouldn't be here."

Hoseok is silent as he considers that, his lips twisting before he licks at his lip ring and nods.

"Yeah, you're right. She's the one part of my past that I'm okay with you seeing in person. I should've thanked her…" Muttering, he sighs before shrugging with a lopsided smile.

"Oh well, let's carry on shopping. Your decorations await! And I need to finish booking that table...I'm actually thinking of maybe trying that Lebanese place…"

[missymurphy1985]

The Extra (part 9)

Warning - illness, mentions of death

Authors Note - I have personal experience of this horrific disease - I hope I don't upset anyone with it, but it's a topic very close to my heart.

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @peakyciills @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @ysmmsy @cloudofdisney @lauren-raines-x @namelesslosers @misscarolineshelby @screemqueen @cilleveryone @peaky-cillian @misselsbells06 @datewithgianni @heidimoreton

A month had passed since you'd deleted his number and blocked him. You were staring at the letter in your hand, shaking. You knew this day was coming, but you'd pushed it so far down that you had only truly thought about it when Cillian had told you he loved you.

You'd told Liane the truth. Why you couldn't commit to him, even though you desperately wanted to. Truth be told you'd fallen for him just as hard - and that's exactly why you'd pushed him away. It was bad enough you had to live with this, you couldn't force someone else to. She'd encouraged you to get tested - and you knew she was right. It was time you took your life in your hands once and for all. You'd spent too many years since your mother's and sister's untimely deaths burying it.

Picking up the phone, you dialled the number, heart pounding. The receptionist answered.

"Morning. My name is y/n y/l/n. I had some tests. I've had a letter to say the results are in?"

"Can I ask what the test was for?" The receptionist asked.

"My GP referred me. It's for the breast cancer gene. I'd like to know if I carry it."

"Let me check our records Miss Y/L/N. Yes, I have your results here. Would you be available to come in this afternoon? We've had a cancellation?"

"Can you not tell me over the phone?"

"I'm not allowed to, the doctor has requested to see you in person." Your heart lurched, that was never a good sign.

You immediately wanted to call Cillian, but remembered you didn't have his contact details any more. You called Liane instead. She would pick you up at 2pm and go with you to the appointment.

Sat in the waiting room, Liane held you hand to calm you. Your nerves were in tatters. This disease had already taken so much from you - your mum, your older sister, two cousins... You knew there was a strong chance it was going to take you, too. The doctor called you through.

"Your results are here y/n. And I'm pleased to inform you -"

"What?" You gasped. The doctor smiled and took your hands in hers.

"Y/n, you don't carry the gene. It isn't there - your chances of developing breast cancer are no higher than mine, or Joan Bloggs on the street. You're going to be okay." Even the doctor had tears in her eyes. Liane was gobsmacked. You just burst into tears.

"I'm not going to die?"

"Oh honey if I had the cure for that I'd be a millionaire!" She laughed, you did too. You felt like the world had just been lifted off your shoulders, taking a dark cloud with it. A dark cloud you'd been living with for nearly 10 years. The real reason you'd split with your ex. The reason you refused to get your breasts out for auditions. The real reason you backed away from a life in acting. You didn't see the point if you weren't going to be here for the long haul... But now?

Now you'd been given a new life. A new start. And your thrown away the best chance of happiness you'd ever had in one stupid click of a button.

Liane noticed your sadness in the car on the way home. You suddenly realised you weren't actually heading home though, you were on the M6 heading to Wolverhampton.

"Erm.. where are we going?" You asked, seeing the sign for Wolverhampton fly past.

"Road trip."

"Destination?"

"It's a surprise!! Do you trust me?"

"Always..."

"Then don't ask questions."

You rolled your eyes and figured you were probably en route to Bicester Village in Oxford. That was your happy place - a day of shopping, good food, few drinks in the evening... Before long though, your eyelids grew heavy. You always fell asleep on car journeys, this one was no different. Within ten minutes you were out cold.

You felt Liane nudge you gently, waking you. Opening your eyes, you looked around, expecting to see the car park. Instead you saw terraced houses, a green park, and a street sign with 'London Borough - Kilburn' on it.

"Why am I in London??" You asked. Liane shrugged her shoulders.

"Fancied a change - never been before! Just got on the motorway and drove. Been years since we've done that hasn't it! Just drove with no destination?" You grinned, remembering the random road trips you used to take years ago. You'd ended up all over the UK, even catching a ferry to Amsterdam one Friday night just because you were bored!

"So what's the plan?"

"Let's go explore!" She paid for the parking via an app on her phone and you both climbed out the car. The houses were all Victorian style and beautiful. The park was glorious - the sun shining on it beautifully. Liane suggested a picnic in the park first to line your stomachs, then cocktails.

"Aren't you driving us home later?"

"Yes - I'll be on the mocktails! Come on, let's go find food... There's loads of little deli places over there!"

Picnic done, it was cocktail time. Sadly, there didn't appear to be a cocktail bar anywhere near... But there was a nice looking pub over the road. Settling on a normal G&T, you both made your way over. Liane sent you inside to get the drinks while she sat in the beer garden out the back.

Heading outside with two G&Ts, you looked around for her but she was nowhere to be found. You quickly scanned inside again just to make sure you'd not missed her. Setting the drinks down on a bench outside, you waited. Must've gone to the toilet. Taking your phone out you sent her a text letting her know where you were.

Ten minutes passed - still no sign. You were worried now. A ping on your phone.

"For god's sake woman open your eyes and look in the corner!!" Liane... What the hell? You looked up and nearly dropped your phone. Sitting ten feet away from you, on his own... Holding his phone in his hand and staring at you the same way you were staring at him. In complete disbelief.

He looked back at his phone and shook his head. Both of you realising you'd been set up. Completely played.

He stood up, you were convinced he was going to leave but he didn't. He sat opposite you instead.

"Hey," he smiled.

"Hey..."

"Can I talk before you do?" He asked. You nodded.

"I know... I didn't... Fuck this makes so much more sense in my head..." He laughed.

"Can I talk instead?" He nodded. You took a deep breath and told him the truth. About your family. The deaths. The illness. The tests.. and the results.

"That's why I pushed you away. That's why I push everyone away. But you were the first one I pushed that I regretted... I regretted it so much because no one had ever made me feel as alive as you did. No one made me float on air like you did. No one made me forget about this cloud hanging over me like you did..."

"You thought I'd leave you if you had the gene?"

"My Dad left when my mom was diagnosed. He couldn't handle it so he bailed. Wasn't a great role model."

"Your dad's a dick. I'm not." His brutal, dead pan response made you laugh. In fact you didn't just laugh, you were in hysterics. He laughed with you, and took your hands in his.

"If I promise not to tell you I love you, will you let me see you?"

"No."

"Erm... Okay?"

"I want you to tell me you love me, if you mean it. Then I'll decide."

"Y/N... I. Love. You. I fucking love you. I adore you. I've had the most miserable four weeks of my life thanks to you!" He laughed.

"Yeah I'm sorry about that.."

"It's okay. You can make it up to me."

"You're giving me a second chance?"

"I never gave up on the first one. But this time, we take it slow. Get to know each other. I'll start by asking if I can take you out to dinner tonight?"

"I have nothing with me... All my stuff's at home..."

"Fair enough. Then we have two choices. You go shopping with Liane and get yourself something.. or go home and we can arrange to meet another time?"

"I'm already here, and shopping was on our to do list. Dinner tonight sounds lovely."

"Unblock my number. I'll text you the details later, okay?" He finished his drink and pulled his jacket on, quickly typing a text as you unblocked his number. If only you'd known it was that easy to get his contact details again... The message pinged through.

"Thank you..." You smiled reading it. He leaned over and kissed your cheek softly, before walking away. Glancing back, smiling, as he left the pub.

Liane was with you in seconds.

"You sneaky little shit, how did you do this??" You laughed.

"Anto contacted me last week, said he was sick of Cillian moping. We kinda worked together... Are you mad at me?"

"Not at all. Where's Anto?"

"Right here." Anto appeared out of nowhere and you threw your arms around him.

"Thank you. For everything?"

"No need to thank me. This was Liane's idea. Bit of a rush to sort once you'd got those results but luckily you live 3 hours away and you sleep like the dead!" He laughed. "Now get yourself gone - you have a date to prepare for!"

[rizahawkais]

Hi Nia! You're gifs are so pretty! Is it possible for you to show how you get your WandaVision gifs too look so clear and hd? And how do you do your colorings too? (specifically the wanda maximoff in episode 3 gifset ITS GORGEOUS) I'm new to giffing and all the tutorials are kind of old. It's okay if you don't want to though! I understand it may be time consuming.

omg no! never feel intimidated to ask!! i don’t mind at all!

so, i’m going to show you how i made and coloured this gif

mostly bc it’s the only gif in that set w text and i’m going to share my text settings too!

tutorial is below :)

WHAT KIND OF VIDEOS ARE BEST?

.mkv files (the bigger the better BUT i usually think anything above 5 gb is excessive and unnecessary for an episode of television BUT for a movie worth it) itunes downloads (logolesspro on twitter, hd-source on tumblr, live-action-raws on tumblr have some DEPENDING on what you’re looking for) (also, there’s a chance that if you search "show/movie hd download tumblr” you’ll find a tumblr with its itunes download available)

THAT IS IT NO OTHER TYPE OF FILES MAKE YOUR GIFS LOOK GOOD

- my suggestion is always if its new (like just came out the past month) t*rrent it! it’ll be downloaded quickly and .mkv files look the best! BUT if not check the sources above see who has the BIGGEST file if they even have what you’re looking for and then if not then you look to t*rrenting!!

here are the wandavision files i use so you can see!!

SCREENCAPPING

-if you have windows use potplayer! i have a mac so i can’t show you how to use it and it’s not available for me :( HOWEVER back when i had a windows potplayer was the best method in screencapping!!

-I HAVE A MAC! so i use mpv!! (go to mpv.io and follow the directions) BUT DON’T DOWNLOAD THE LATEST ONE (it has a bug that skips frames) try each before the latest one bc from what i heard different ones work differently for everyone!! and i don’t know which one i use (yikes!) THERE ISN’T THAT MANY I PROMISE AND IT’S WORTH IT BC MPV IS THE BEST (i used to use adapter but they didn’t take impressive screencaps in my opinion and it was evident in my gifs you can see it too! )

create a folder for your screencaps! and make sure to rmb the directory order! now we want to create a text file on our built in textedit app on mac! type up all this down below (i like jpg but you can replace jpg w png if you want) AND SAVE THE FILE AS mpv.conf THIS IS IMPORTANT SO DON’T FORGET IT! save it somewhere you’ll find easily and NEVER delete it until you don’t use mpv anymore

just in case you don’t know what to insert after, go to your screencaps folder

now you want to open mpv and go to the corner towards mpv -> preferences and they’ll tell you that there is no .conf file SO GO LOOK FOR THE TEXT FILE WE JUST MADE AND DRAG IT TO THE FOLDER THEY OPENED FOR US AFTER SAYING THERE IS NO .CONF FILE

(i learned all this from @kylos tutorial!! so if any of what i just said about setting up mpv makes NO SENSE to you check out their tutorial at kylos(.)tumblr(.)com/post/178497909311)

now we can screencap!

so let’s find the scene we want RIGHT BEFORE and MAKE SURE SUBTITLES ARE OFF

i pause and then press (option/alt + s) and then SCREENCAPS ARE BEING TAKEN!! and to end the screencaps being taken you once again press (option/alt + s)!!

now we want to delete the excess frames! and put it all into one folder!! DO NOT DELETE FRAMES IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT YOU WANT TO GIF!! WHEN YOU SKIP FRAMES IT WILL BE NOTICEABLE!!

MAKING THE GIF

this method isn’t used that much BUT I LOVE IT so this is how i put my frames in! first i check to see the size of my frames: 1920 x 1080

so i create a NEW file on photoshop with those dimensions w these settings

now i set my tool on photoshop to path selection tool bc if you have it set on smth like move tool or crop tool at the end you might end up moving or cropping frames you don’t want to!

ok so now we select ALL our frames and drag it on top of our new file on photoshop and the MOMENT we see our first frame in photoshop JUST KEEP CLICKING ENTER until all the frames are loaded!!

you can do file -> scripts -> load files into stack but it is WAYYY slower in my opinion!

now i crop out the excess BUT i don’t resize the gif yet! the dimensions wandavision is filmed in is 4:3 so i go to crop and set the settings to this:

MAKE SURE IT’S ON RATIO SO WE’RE PRESERVING THE ORIGINAL SIZE JUST CUTTING OFF THE BLACK EDGES!! We are going from 1920 x 1080 to 1440 x 1080 this is the dimensions after i cropped

WE ARE KEEPING THE QUALITY BY NOT CHANGING THE DIMENSIONS OF ANYTHING INSIDE !!

now we want to go to actions and create an action!! open up actions w one of these two depending on what your dash looks like!!

so we create an action with this button on the bottom of actions and we’re gonna title it making a gif and hit record!!

NOW LET’S GOOOOO!!

1. make sure you have timeline on your dash!

2. create frame animation (if you see create video timeline just click the arrow next to the button to see your other option which is frame animation!!)

3. now let’s meet our best friend!! the little bar in the top right corner that has all the commands for making our gifs and MAKE FRAMES FROM LAYERS

4. WE HAVE TO SHARPEN OUR GIFS NOW BUT TO DO THAT WE NEED TO CONVERT TO A SMART OBJECT SO NOW WE ARE GOING TO CONVERT TO VIDEO TIMELINE there are two ways: the button in the bottom left corner or the button in the top right corner w all the other commands!

5. select -> all layers DON’T MANUALLY SELECT THEM ALL BC THE ACTION WILL ONLY SELECT THAT SAME NUMBER OF FRAMES SO IF THERE ARE MORE FRAMES YOU WON’T GET THEM IN THE SMART OBJECT!!

6. filter -> convert for smart filters

7. NOW WE SHARPEN!! (filter -> sharpen -> smart sharpen) i sharpen twice!! first, make sure we are on legacy w more accurate and remove gaussian blue! the first sharpening will be 500% with 0.4 px radius. NOW SHARPEN AGAIN (filter -> sharpen -> smart sharpen) also w legacy, more accurate and remove gaussian blur BUT this time 10% with a 10.0 px radius!

8. it’s hd now!! so let’s flatten frames into clips!! go to the top right magic button again!! and you should see a pop up saying layers are being made

9. now we convert back to frame animation w either the bottom left button or our magic top right command center!

10. make frames from layers

11. select all frames w our magic command button

12. set the animation delay to 0.05 THAT IS THE BEST ONE ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS only use 0.06 when the character is moving really fast in the video itself and it makes the gif itself look awkward BUT NEVER GO ABOVE 0.06 it’ll look slow and laggy and we don’t want that and don’t go below 0.05 bc then it’ll be tooo fast and we don’t want that either!

13. now delete the very first frame on the timeline bc it is an oversharpened duplicate of the second frame! end the recording w this button!

this is what your action should look like expanded! if you made mistakes on the way and it shows up you can just click the specific step and press the trash can on the action tab to delete in from the order!!

NOW AFTER LOADING YOUR FRAMES AND CROPPING THE EDGES OF YOUR FRAMES IF YOU NEED TO JUST PLAY THE ACTION AND THEN YOUR GIF WILL BE MADE FOR YOU!!!!

now i delete some unnecessary frames in the beginning and end and this is what my gif looks like (the size was 46 mb and the limit is 10 mb so the dimensions of the gif are 540 x 405 to get it to 5 mb BUT I HAVEN’T CROPPED IT YET SO THIS IS ME CROPPING JUST TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE)

CROPPING THE GIF

in my opinion if you want your gif to look hd you shouldn’t crop before you sharpen!! i believe that if you crop before you sharpen you don’t allow photoshop to sharpen all the pixels whereas if you crop beforehand there is less to work with!!

dimensions is all up to you!! just make sure to go by tumblr rules!! 540 is the max width and if you want to make two gifs per row then my suggested width is 268 and for three gifs per row my suggested is 177 px! Just have the right width and the length can be whatever you want!!

now i’m going to crop my gif to 540 by 590!!

NOW THIS IS WHAT MY GIF LOOKS LIKE!

COLOURING BASICS

let me show you the best adjustment tools in my opinion and a brief explanation for what they do!!

brightness/contrast: pretty simple increase/decrease the brightness/contrast BUT one of my techniques for when i first start colouring a gif is i select all my frames and do nothing to the settings of the adjustment but i set the layer to screen LIKE THIS

curves: ik others use curves to change brightness/contrast w the squiggly thing BUT i like it to set a white point and black point, this is also a technique i use when i first start colouring a gif when screen doesn’t look good for me SO you use white point to select a pixel on the gif to set as the lightest color on the gif (setting the white point) and you use black point to select a pixel on the gif to set as the darkest colour on the gif (setting the black point) usually the white point makes it TOO bright and that’s why we use the black point to counter it and same goes for when i use screen with brightness/contrast, it gets too bright so i use black point to counter it below is the button for white point and the button for black point, respectively they are shaped as color picker tools

vibrance: generally, i never use this except for color p*rn sets but they work really well in making colors seem more strong

hue/saturation: like vibrance, i never use this except for color p*rn sets but this adjustment is to help change the colors or hue of a color for example: turn blue into purple or turn a blue into a little lighter shade of blue

color balance: I ALWAYS USE THIS!! except for in black and white gifs BUT THIS IS MY GO TO AND IF I DON’T USE IT MY GIFS ARE JUST BLAND i feel like color balance is what essentially balances the colors on your gif and adds dimension to it, it makes your gif go from looking way too yellow to a more golden neutral look and it is an essential adjustment in my opinion

channel mixer: i rarely use channel mixer BUT it is so so useful when you are working w a dark scene just play w the settings and all of a sudden all the blue in a dark scene will be a little more yellow and red and your scene will kind of just look brighter and more visible

selective color: THIS IS ALSO AN ESSENTIAL this helps SPECIFIC colors pop you’re working on a scene where there is too much red on someones face you use this tool to remove the magentaness from the yellow section OR when you feel someones face is TOO yellow and needs more blush you add more magenta in the yellow section of selective color

gradiant map: gradiant map is perfect when you’re lazy if you feel like your gif looks more neutral and you want some red in it but you don’t want to mess with any other adjustments just set a red to black gradiant on soft overlay with a very low opacity and BOOM slightly red but not too much red added!

NOW TO COLOR THE GIF!

today i have decided to start with a brightness layer set on screen

and this is what we got!

now that’s a little to bright and washed out in my opinion SOOOO to counteract it, i’m going to use my black point tool in curves and i’m going to select this point on the gif (it’s better to choose smth in the background and not smth that’s paid attention to such as monica’s hair or either of their eyelashes)

now my gif looks like this! the base color is complete!

now i think i need to balance all this yellow and red! SOOOO WE GONNA USE COLOR BALANCE!!

i think the best way to use color balance is to keep swinging the balancer until you see what you like and then keep going midtones i think i want more red and i don’t want a cyan midtone and then for shadows i think i want more cyan to counter the redness of the gif but highlights i don’t touch that much NOW HERE ARE MY SETTINGS SO YOU CAN SEE

and this is what my gif looks like

now you can stop here if you want but in my opinion i think the gif looks a lil too dead still SO IMMA USE SELECTIVE COLOR

i think there needs to be a lot lot more RED so i amp up the yellow magenta and black in the red! but i also think the yellows need to be LESS RED so i remove magenta from the yellow! and bc there’s some cyan and blue bc of monica and the flowers in the background im going to make the cyans more cyan and the blues a lil more black! i’m going to remove some yellows from the magenta!! and i add more black to the neutrals and black!! i think it’s always important to add more black to neutral and black bc it adds more depth to the gif by not just making it a bunch of bright colors and having dark colors to contrast to!! my settings are below!

and the result!

now let’s see everything together!

and the before and after!

I HOPE MY COLOURING EXPLANATION MADE SENSE!! if not you can always ask me more questions i don’t mind!!

ADDING SUBTITLES

we want to grab the text tool!

make a text box from anywhere in the middle from the left to right edge. this is so we can make sure our text is centered and will be in the same place for when we have sets w more than one gif w text!

type your text out and make sure you highlight the whole text so that all the settings apply to EACH character! you can find the alignments (for center) in the paragraph tab!

now lets right click on the text layer and go to blending options! add stroke and drop shadow!

now drag it to the desired height you would like and make sure to keep it in mind for when you have more than one subtitled gif in a set!

NOW TO MAKE SURE THE TEXT STAYS IN PLACE AND THE BLENDING STAYS YOU HAVE TO CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT!!

if you want to only have the text applied to certain frames instead of all frames, select the frames you don’t want by clicking the first frame in ur don’t want section ON THE TIMELINE and WHILST HOLDING SHIFT click the last frame of ur don’t want section and then toggle the eye switch next to the text layer

now you see the text

now you don’t

tip: use opacity to fade the text in and out!

the text is going to be on all my frames so i don’t need to toggle the eye but i just wanted to show you just in case!!

now here’s my FINAL RESULT

save for web (file -> export -> save for web) 

your gifs have to always be under 10 mb! so, if your WAYYY overboard YOU HAVE TO DELETE FRAMES! or you can divide the gif in two and have two gifs instead of one! however, if you plan on going the deleting frames route MAKE SURE YOU DELETE FROM THE BEGINNING OR END OF YOUR SELECTION i promise you that most of us won’t notice that your characters dialogue is being cut off BUT WE WILL NOTICE IF FRAMES ARE BEING SKIPPED so, don’t delete frames in the middle of ur gif!! idc how little you do it IT WILL RUIN YOUR GIF AND I SAY THIS FROM EXPERIENCE i would delete every fifth frame to cut down my gifs and that may seem like not that big of a deal BUT IT IS my gif looked choppy and poor so it is way better to cut from the end/beginning of the gif

ANOTHER LAST PIECE OF ADVICE in the bottom left of when the save for web menu shows up THERE’S A PREVIEW BUTTON click on it! it’ll show you your gif on your default browser and show you what it’ll look like once uploaded! this is perfect to check the speed of ur gif and the colouring and to notice if there’s a problem with your subtitles or maybe there’s an obvious jump in frames you never noticed before!! i always use preview bc the built-in photoshop viewer of ur gif shows the colors differently and the speed is NEVER ACURRATE!

I USED THESE SAVE SETTINGS!! many say to use selective pattern but i DISAGREE and i think these save settings are the ✨ best ✨

OK NOW THAT IS THE END OF THIS VERY LONG GIF TUTORIAL!! I HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED!! IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK I SINCERELY DON’T MIND!! JUST DON’T BE RUDE OR ANYTHING BC PPL HAVE BEEN RECENTLY :(

I WISH YOU ALL THE LUCK AND FUN IN YOUR GIFFING ADVENTURES !!