#once again giffing these bc no one else will

[jakeyjbae]

PARK JIHOON AT 2ND BLUE DRAGON SERIES AWARDS

[gordonsicedcoffee]

That is complete bullshit. I'd rather you break down and tell me that you hated me. At least there would be some passion in it.

MONICA POTTER as ALISON GORDON SAW (2004) dir. James Wan

[parfaitblogs]

risk ❀ s. reid x reader

in which you have the sweetest regular, and it’s probably too soon to tell him you love him!

pairing: spencer reid x barista!reader genre: fluff tags: s1 spencer. who rambles. biblically accurate career!reader sorry if some of the coffee talk makes no sense to you. reader makes all the first moves. y'all kiss (aww). written in timeskip sorta it's not crazy (like maybe a month). not proofread sorryyy (im not). word count: 2.2k a/n: first instalment of my spencer reid eras tour🙂‍↕️ season 1 spencer reid i freaking adore you. he's so cute. gif!! i thought gifs in this series could be cute lol. envisioned 1x10 spencer bc of his nightmares if that means anything. enjoyyy ily im off to work 🏃 

There are many reasons you come to work each morning. The money (an obvious one), your coworkers who usually make each day a little bit more bearable. And Spencer. A regular who had become a little notorious for having an odd��coffee order, that most of the store workers hated making. 

Except for you. 

It wasn't especially odd. But in a store that thrived on making the perfect cup of coffee, sometimes it meant remaking it three or four times because the shots didn't pour at the right amount of time, and recalibrating the machine was a hassle you all didn't want to deal with in the middle of the morning rush he usually came during. 

You had taken note of him the first few times he came in — always keeping to himself, flashing the most awkward smile you think you've ever seen on a human being, and ordering his old order (a large latte with as much sugar as you could fit in the cup). It was by the seventh time that had you thinking of him a little more often than just while you were at work. 

He looked a lot more exhausted than usual. His usually tame hair now loose and hanging over his face as he took a weary step towards the counter, fingers brushing strands away and tucking them behind his ears. 

"The latte, right?" you had asked him, and he had frozen, and you stood in fear of this not being the Spencer you thought he was, and you had just asked a total stranger about a coffee they've never ordered. 

But then he let out a nervous laugh, shaking his head. "Uh, no. Not today. Um—do you guys have a limit on how much coffee I can have?"

Your eyebrows furrowed. "No... we don't. I wouldn't recommend any more than like five shots in our largest size, though. It'd probably taste gross. But we can add as much as you need."

"Five's good. Yeah," he nodded his head, fingers wrapped tightly around the leather strap of his messenger bag. 

"Just... a five shot latte?" you clarified, and he froze again, shaking his head once more. 

"Do you recommend anything else? I—uh, I want it to be sweet enough still."

"I can do you a mocha?" you offered. "White chocolate mocha if you're looking for it to be even sweeter."

"I'll try that," he nodded his head, and out came his awkward smile, which had you smiling back just as awkwardly. 

Which was how he got to his current usual. It honestly became a test to ensure your coffee machines were actually running well, considering pulling five well-done espresso shots at once was no easy feat. And, again, most of your coworkers hated making his drink. 

Which was why it was palmed off to you. Every single morning without fail. And maybe in another universe you would join them in the hatred for this man's frustrating drink order. But then, in that universe, you wouldn't get to talk to him every morning (and slowly break him out of whatever shell he had locked himself up in). 

"I never asked," you began, staring at him over the top of the coffee machine while putting white chocolate fudge into the bottom of the cup. "Why did you change your order randomly?"

He parted his lips and his eyebrows creased together for a few seconds, as if he was deciding whether or not to tell you. You were kind of grateful he concluded on trusting you. 

"I wasn't really sleeping. When I asked about changing my order," he explained, hands letting go of the bag strap so he could talk with them. "Then I guess I just liked the taste of it? And it kept me awake. Which is a bonus."

"I can imagine it would," you nodded your head in agreement, flashing him a small smile, which he returned, bashfully. "Why weren't you sleeping?"

He went silent, and you almost cursed yourself for asking. Maybe you had gone too far. It was why, when you had begun to busy yourself with making his drink a little faster, you jumped when he spoke up again.

"I was getting these nightmares," he said, and your head lifted from the milk you were steaming. "Because of what I do for work."

"Law, right?" you asked, and he let out a small laugh, tucking hair behind his ear. 

"Sort of. I'm with the FBI."

"Oh, that's right," you replied, nodding your head in recognition. He had said that to you at some point in the earlier days when he first started coming in, because you had asked where he works so close by to be coming in as often as he did. "Can you tell me what part? Or is that confidential?"

"No, no, I can. I'm with the Behavioural Analysis Unit," when your face twisted into confusion, he added, "We use psychology to analyse serial killers and catch them. Well, not just serial killers, actually. But that's what we focus on."

"And it works?" you asked, eyebrows rising as you placed a lid atop his coffee, sliding it out on the pick-up section where he was standing by. His face fell slightly, and so you were quick to add, "Not—I didn't mean it like that. I just mean I'm shocked. That psychology is all you really need to catch a serial killer."

"It's not all we need. There's a lot of other elements that go into finding one. But our primary focus is how their brain works and we use behavioural science to figure that out. Actually, we used to be called the Behavioural Science Unit when it was first created."

He was too busy talking animatedly with his hands for him to have picked up his coffee, and you were too busy watching him with a smile to remind him it was ready. 

When he did reach for it, you could feel the familiar pang of disappointment that had started shooting through you every time he was picking up his coffee and leaving. A weird sensation that left you clawing at the walls of your brain to come up with something to say to keep him there. 

It was probably why you blurted out, "Are you seeing anyone?" Which was followed by stunned silence from him, and regretful silence from yourself. What a question. 

Slowly, he began to shake his head, his lips twitching into a confused frown. "No. I'm—I'm not." 

It shocked you a little. He wasn't jaw dropping, per se. But he was attractive. You had said it a few times to your coworkers whenever they asked why you talked to him so much — there was a running joke that you were already secretly dating him behind their backs. Not funny.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to..." you hesitated. "Go out for dinner? Maybe? I'm so sorry if I'm totally overstepping. In fact, I encourage you to say no, because this is a little weird. I'm so sorry," you rambled when you were met with only silence from him, wondering if you had weirded him out of the ability to talk. 

"With me?" he pushed out, his voice a little higher pitched than usual, and you nodded your head, because maybe he wasn't weirded out. Maybe you had just flustered him. You hoped so, at least.

"Yeah," you said. "Is that weird? Or is it okay? To ask that?"

"It's okay. Yeah. Yes. I would love—like to. I mean, that would be nice. Yeah," he stammered, and you smiled. 

"Here," you held your hand out and gestured for his coffee, taking it back and picking up a Sharpie to write your number atop the lid, before you slid it back to him. "I get off work at one. Call me?"

"I will," he nodded, eyes fixated on the number for a few seconds more, before he returned his eyes to you. "I will. Um—bye!" he took a step back, and you let out a loud laugh when he stumbled into a chair behind him. 

He was sheepish as he waved to you, bidding you another goodbye, the sound of the bell above the door ringing once, and then again when it fell shut. 

And you had, somehow, secured a date with Spencer.

Which turned into two dates. Then three. And then, with some weird stroke of luck and twist of fate, you were spending every evening you could at his apartment, and him at yours. 

But you were yet to kiss. 

Not by any particular reason. Really, nothing either of you did ever really called for a kiss. Which was as frustrating as it was understandable. Frustrating, because you felt like you were simply friends, who sometimes went out for dinner, and had feelings for each other. But he had told you very early on he'd never been with anyone before, let alone ever been on a date. Hence; understandable. 

But frustration was more overwhelming than you had thought, because you were on his couch, blanket draped over both of your bodies, as he read you a book — The Chameleon. A short story by Anton Chekhov (an author whom you were only barely familiar with). And yet, all you could think about was kissing him. 

In your defence, he was very kissable, as you stared at his lips while he spoke, your heart stuttering quite uncomfortably in your chest. You weren't sure what it was precisely about him that made him like that. Maybe it was the natural pout of his lips, or how they twitched in humour at the little jokes Chekhov had written into the book that only made sense in Russian, despite him attempting to translate it for you. 

Whatever it was, it was overriding your senses, and in true Spencer fashion, he hadn't noticed you weren't intently listening to his reading until he glanced down to catch a reaction to something he said. You caught as he closed the book and placed it off to the side, jostling you from your haze. 

"You don't like the book, do you?" he asked, and you were quick to shake your head. 

"No, I do," which was true. The parts you were actively listening to you enjoyed. "Sorry, I'm distracted."

"By what?" he shifted on the couch to face you.

You fell silent at that, the answer hanging on the tip of your tongue, unsure whether or not saying it could ruin things. You didn't think it would. "You."

"I'm distracting?" he asked, eyebrows creasing together and a confused frown pulling his lips down. 

Which confused you. "Yes?"

"I don't think I'm meant to be sorry for that," he said. "But I am."

"You shouldn't be," you breathed out with a small laugh. 

"Right," he nodded his head, laughing too, awkwardly. "How am I distracting?"

You studied his face for a few moments, which ended up being a pathetic excuse for a lip study, because you were fixated on them again, and you decided Spencer probably didn't even realise that that was what you were doing. 

"We haven't kissed yet," you told him, instead. 

"No. We haven't," he agreed. 

"Do you just not want to kiss me?" you asked.

He did that thing he does when he's thinking — furrowed eyebrows and parted lips, eyes blinking a few times, before he comes up with his response. 

"I just don't want you to be disappointed. I've never kissed anyone before."

"I concluded that," you answered. "I won't be disappointed."

"You might be," he mumbled, and his gaze averted from your own, which had another smile stretching across your lips. 

"Only one way to find out, right?"

He hesitated before nodding his head, lifting his eyes back up to look at you. It was then that you learned that, like everything else, you might have to make the first move on him. Again.

The thought made you laugh, and though he wanted to, he didn't get a chance to question why you were laughing, because your hands were on his face and you were pulling him into you, lips meeting his in a gentle kiss that elicited a surprised squeak from him. 

"You've gotta kiss me back," you murmured against his lips, and his response was a quiet 'oh'. 

But he was a fast learner, because soon after he was. Objectively, it wasn't the best kiss you've ever had in your life. But it got better by the second, and he was doing enough to make your heart stutter in your chest, his hands reaching up to cup your own face, palms and fingers covering the mass of your cheeks. 

His hands there provided him the ability to keep you there, and you had to pry them off your face so you were able to pull back for air, breaths coming out in short pants. Only for a short second, because he was chasing your lips again, and you laughed, before letting him kiss you again. And again. And again. 

Until both of you were out of air, and he was glassy-eyed and pink-lipped. Though, you were probably his mirror image of that.

And he smiled at you, crookedly. And you wondered if it was too soon to say you loved him. 

your reblogs and replies are always appreciated dearly ♡

[vex-jb]

Pick a pile sex with ur next partner💋

~hey there once your done check out the poll all the way at the bottom for a special treattttt !! ~

Pile 1 🐸

Pile 2 🐝

Pile 3 🎤

Scroll down and find ur pile before reading u can also choose by the gif

Pile 1 — King of Wands ~ 🐸

Next sexual partner

~ This could be someone that u already know specifically from the past 😭 this individual could have strong air or be a fire sign individual or air/water individual. This person if very much coming off large and in charge they could have a serious look or be intimidating they could have a piercing stare colored eyes. This person is very smart, Book smart. Tho they come of very fierce the way they approach u or feel towards u is more softer. U may have a special place in their heart or there’s potential for that to grow. This person wants to come back in ur life and have a new beginning. This person is feeling confident coming towards u. They may come towards u with an attitude of being more open minded carefree they feel pretty optimistic that things will go the way their planning 😂

How will sex be between u two?

lol I get when u guys get intimate with one another someone may finish quickly which will make the other party feel very disappointed 😂 the person who was left without finishing may want to go for another round almost begging enticing this person to start again. They may like seeing u beg or want them to go again seeing u want more from them, desiring them in that way will make them feel pretty good —in a cocky way lol. There will be another round or 2 this person will gather themself to give it too u better and I’m seeing the 2nd round will be wayy better both of u will be meshing will equally pleasing one another. I see some strong penetration (this person could be pretty girthy or u may see them as being big ) both of u will end up feeling equally pleased. At the end u two could feel like commitment would be a good idea bc of the strong intimacy u share and how it went so well or someone may think I’m not meeting anyone else fuck u like that 😭

**********finishing quick, couple rounds, thick/girthy, commitment, open minded, begging submission, blow job, mentally and physically finishing *******************✨✨✨

Pile 2~The Tower 🐝

Who will number 2 be having sex with?

~ 2 energies pick which one resonates

Group A: U guys have history with this person a lot of on and off again energy. Either this is or will be a fwb or situationship(3rdparty) .This situation is very emotionally charged and lot of cups are coming out. U could be dealing with a water sign specifically Pisces, Gemini, Aquarius Libra or cap.

Group B: this is someone who could have struggled with letting go of someone who they were married too or had a long term relationship with there could have been back and fourth but it only left them feeling worst not wanting to let go of what they invested in or the potential. This person could have been abandoned due to betrayal hence the 3rd party. This person could have been struggling to listen to themselves where they know that relationship isnt meant to last … you could potentially be there 2 of cups a new healthy relationship that the universe is giving to them. But what will they choose idk this isn’t a relationship reading but they will either grow tf up and not settle or be a loser and low ball themself 🙄

Okay the sex part 😁✨✨✨✨✨

The intimacy between the two of you could feel very comfortable familiar 🩵 both of you will feel safe with each other you guys will find each other very attractive in bed A LOT of sexual chemistry. I see kissing will be HOT and heavy u guys will be making outtt, tongue down each others throats lip biting sucking.

I see the masculine taking the lead at first and then u both will be equally pouring into each other 👀 the intimacy will feel very passionate. Strong indication of potential pregnancy coming out. **When sex is hot, emotionally charged, wild intense that’s when babies come into the picture 😳 so be very careful if ur not ready. Like im being so serious that ONE position and POOFF✨🌈🤰🏽single mother 😂 jk (dark humor) but anyways back to the sex reading. I see u both reciprocating so no one is going to feel unfinished. I see u guys wrapping up the session with a lot of light hearted energy laughing smiling enjoying each others company.

*********** water parks *cough cough* squirting, lots of liquid, healing, fun, releasing, body rhythm, music, could have sex in a unique place like not at home maybe outside next to the water beach mid day, spontaneous ************

Shieeeet ik the beginning didn’t sound good but id take the chance for some bomb sex 😭 stop it’s dry season in my life 🤧

Pile 3~ The high priestess 🎤

person could be a fixed sign or pisces. They will be self assured/ confident emotionally content within themself. They could be popular this person likes new experiences. An open minded individual in the sense that if there’s potential for a good outcome for them they will pursue it. So they weigh the profits before they run towards the next venture. This person sounds very business oriented lol. Once they make up their mind they charge after it. Very sharp minded could be older than u or mature for their age. An old soul?

What’s the intimacy gunna be like?

This person could set the tone before they act. They may like to show out a bit to try and impress u. U may find them very interesting they are showing up self controlled experienced and a giver pleaser sex wise. 😜🤸🏽‍♀️ this person could be quite larger than u like it’s giving ur petite and they are manly. This person may be a bit too self controlled not letting their fantasies get the best of them in bed. U may think this person isn’t turned on by u or find u devouring even though u know u have sex appeal but they think that attitude is the best way to keep u interested in them it’s just a mask 🙄 sex will be pretty smooth it’s giving traditional lol 😂😂😂 I think this person sees u as lavish someone to treat in a eloquent way ( I don’t know what other way to describe it but they don’t want to treat u like a whore lol) I see they see u as their ideal marriage partner like physically aesthetically meet there criteria. It may start a bit boring like ur trying to figure them out or bring down the persona but towards the end I see a passionate make out session. I think the masculine will get riled up and u may see a part of their hidden side slip through but they will reel it back in. Both of u will feel better at the end then the beginning.

*********** they like ur attitude they may like when ur disinterested they like the chase they like knowing they can break down those walls to be the man that brings out ur feminine**************

That’s all I got quick short too the point maybe I’ll make more explicit lengthy detailed pick a card piles in the future ??

~~~Comment Below !!! What would u like me to include or do better for future readings so u guys can enjoy ? 💕~~

[talaok]

Love your writing! Could we please do a cute pregnant reader x Pedro going to and at the SAG awards in honour of our boy winning! 🤍🙏🏼

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x pregnant!reader

a/n: this is how i found out he won btw. I'm so happy for him i cant even, I just love that fucking guy gosh ahhhh (as always this request skipped the line bc it wouldnt make sense in a month)

Gif credits: @tessas-thompson

"thank you" you told him as he emerged from underneath your bump after having slipped your shoes on for you.

Turns out that when you're 7 months and a half pregnant, the most basic tasks like putting on shoes become a two person job.

He only smiled, kissing your belly and then your lips before standing up, offering you a hand to do the same.

"Heels would have looked much better with this dress" you pouted, studying yourself in the mirror, 

You hated ballerinas, but again, you weren't really in the condition to wear anything else.

"You look stunning sugar" he promised, kissing the crown of your head

You couldn't help but snort.

As much as he told you so over and over, together with everyone else in your life... you still struggled to see it, especially now in this uncomfortable dress.

"I look like a stuffed turkey" you sighed "and my boobs are so much bigger than when I first tried this dress, now they look a move away from spilling out"

His eyes twinkled with kindness, with love as he placed his hands on your waist and turned you towards him, away from your reflection.

"You're beautiful sweetheart" he promised, one hand now stroking your cheek as your own hands went to his waist "You're sexy and gorgeous and so fucking hot that if Coco wasn't still here I would demonstrate just how much right here right now" he growled, not giving you time to answer before he kissed you, soft at first, and then once you whimpered, it was like a switch turned and he was fiery and passionate and his left hand trailed to your ass and-

"Pedro!" you scolded him quietly, eyeing Coco on the other side of the room.

"she's seen worse"

She had.

Nonetheless, he took a step back, returning his hand to your waist.

"Thank you" you murmured, looking up into his hazel eyes "and by they way, you look very beautiful too"

You could have sworn you saw red staining his cheeks 

"thank you baby"

You adjusted his shirt, as you got lost in your own mind.

There he was, you beautiful, talented, Emmy, golden globe and SAG award nominated husband, looking every bit as perfect as ever.

And just like that, tears pooled in your eyes

"what's wrong?" he asked, worried

"I just-" you sniffled, trying to fight the tears as your lips trembled "I-I'm so proud of you"

"aw sweetheart" he cooed, half laughing as he wrapped you into his arms.

He'd gotten used to it now, taking care of your over-emotional self was part of his daily routine.

"Y-you just" you cried "you worked so hard a-" another quiet sob "and n- now you're finally getting the recognition you deserve I-"

"I know baby, I know" he cooed, softly kissing the top of your head "thank you" he smiled, his fingers drawing soothing circles on your back "It means a lot to me too,"

"I love you" you murmured, finally raising your head to look at him

"I love you too honey" he kissed you, laughing softly as he pulled back to see tears still running down your cheeks "You're gonna cry the whole night, aren't you?"

"I made the makeup artist use only waterproof products" was your way of saying yes, yes I'm going to, and yes I've already planned ahead

He chuckled, kissing your forehead as his hands trailed to your bump, soft kicks hitting his palms.

"She's excited" he murmured

"She's proud of her daddy too" 

__ __ __

Pedro Pascal.

Pedro Pascal.

Pedro P-

Your husband. they had called your husband.

It was probably comical from the outside, seeing the shock on both your faces as you stared blankly at each other, the way your mouth gaped open, while he slapped a hand onto his, it was like- it was like time had stopped, and the word went completely quiet, until- until-

"oh my god" you breathed, throwing your arms around him and hugging him so tight it probably hurt

He didn't dare speak a word as you leaned away, landing a kiss on his mouth as you gripped his face 

"go" you laughed, grinning like an idiot as tears glimmered into your eyes "go" you urged again, this time, having him comply.

You watched every step, every move, until he was right in front of the microphone, his award in his hands.

"This is umh" he mumbled "This is wrong for a number of reasons-" 

he was in shock, his voice trembling, his eyes watery, but he kept going

"b-but thank you hbo, Bella Ramsey, Craig Mazin, Neil Drukman, Frannie, and -" A shaky sigh fled his mouth, as he chuckled to himself "jeez louise I'm making a fool of myself and my wife is gonna make so much fun of me for it and-"

All the sudden his eyes were on you, 

"my wife" he smiled, his smile brighter than the sun "I wanna thank my beautiful, amazing, intelligent, and perfect wife" he said "I love you y/n, I love you and our daughter more than anything in this world and if I'm here today- If I'm here today is mostly because of you" 

You were shaking from how hard you were crying, from how happy, ecstatic, and euphoric you were for him.

"You've made me the happiest man on this earth, you've made me a dad, you- you're my everything sweetheart" he beamed "so thank you"

He stopped a moment, as if realizing only now this had all really happened

"And now I'm gonna stop talking 'cause I need to get down there to kiss you and try to make you stop crying" he laughed, ending his speech

"thank you, everybody, really, thank you"

__ __ __ 

He did exactly as he said,

he held you tight as he kissed you like the world was gonna end tomorrow, like if he didn't he was gonna die

And when he leaned away- when he leaned away time stopped once again, but as he pressed his forehead to yours, as you lost yourself in each other's eyes, you remembered

"You said it was wrong" you said, both your hands holding his face "but it's not" you shook your head, watching his eyes water "you deserve this baby, you do"

"sweetheart-"

"no" you shut him off, your voice hoarse from the sobs, but it didn't matter, you wanted him to know, you needed him to know "No I need you to understand that you do baby" You smiled "that you worked your ass off and that you deserve every single inch of this award" you took a deep breath, steadying your voice as you looked at him, so many unspoken words traveling between you

"ok?" you asked, finally

"ok" he beamed, kissing you again "God I love you so much"

[cardansriddle]

Dance of Shadow and Desire - Tom Riddle x Fem!Reader

gif not mine

Summary: Once, they were friends—until his ambition turned him into the Dark Lord. Years later, he appears on her doorstep, bleeding and unrepentant, his obsession with her as fierce as his thirst for power. Caught between her lingering feelings and the monster he has become, she must decide between her feelings and letting him go.

warnings: angst with a happy(ish?) ending, dark tom but he's bbg. also older tom but he's not a snake yet dw. 3rd person POV,

A/N: I've always wanted to write something with older tom and this one has been sitting in my drafts for ages. i decided to post it bc why not! lmk what you guys think and if i should write more for older tom! (and before you ask, I'm sorry but not writing a part 2 for this)

༻♛༺

The rain drummed lightly against the windows as she sat in her worn armchair, a steaming cup of tea forgotten on the table beside her. The Daily Prophet lay open on her lap, the bold headline screaming of another attack.

The Dark Lord Strikes Again: Ministry Scrambles to Counter Riddle’s Forces.

Her chest tightened as she read the words, the familiar name sending a chill through her veins.

Riddle. Tom Riddle. And to think he had been her friend once.

She closed her eyes, and despite fighting it, memories reluctantly started to flood back. Late-night study sessions in the Hogwarts library, debates over spells and theories, and the way his sharp mind always seemed a step ahead of everyone else's. He had been ambitious, yes, she knew that, but there had been a charm to him, a warmth she had once believed was genuine.

They had been close, or at least as close as anyone could be to Tom. But as the years passed, she had watched him change. His ambition darkened, his charm became manipulation, and his thirst for power grew insatiable. 

She started heard whispers of his experiments, his fascination with immortality, and the growing fear he inspired in his peers he called friends. She had tried countless times to steer him away from his path, but he had brushed her off with a cold finality she would never forget. She had been helpless as she watched the boy she loved so dearly descend into madness. And thus, by the time they left Hogwarts, the distance between them had become a chasm.

And now, years later, here he was again, not in the flesh but in the headlines of a paper detailing his reign of terror. She folded the Prophet with a trembling hand, her heart heavy with a mix of anger, sadness, and a faint, unwelcome pang of longing for the friend she had lost.

She sighed, tossing the paper aside and wrapping her robe over her nightgown tighter, trying to get rid of the goosebumps on her skin. Though they had little to do with cold, and more to do with what she had just read.

She was startled out of her stupor by knocking on her door. It was urgent, sharp, and completely unexpected. Her eyes glanced at the clock above the fireplace, and her brows furrowed as she wondered who would dare show up unannounced past midnight at her door.

Her fingers immediately clutched the wand she had set at her table, and she stood, beginning to approach the door warily. She debated whether if she should even open the door, considering the hour, yet worried that one of her friends might have gotten in trouble, she twisted the doorknob.

When she opened it, the sight before her made her wonder if she was having a nightmare.

A figure in black stood on her doorstep, his robes soaked and clinging to his tall frame The crimson stains seeped through his clothes, smearing the pale skin of his hands and dripping from a gash across his temple. For a moment, the hood of his cloak obscured his face, but then he raised his head.

Those familiar features, now sharper and more menacing, stared back at her. His face had matured, losing the boyish charm she once knew, replaced by a cold, calculated intensity. But his eyes—those piercing, dark eyes—had not changed. They bore into her with a mix of exhaustion and something darker she dared not name.

She froze as if someone poured a bucket of ice over her head. It was him. She had been reading about him mere minutes ago, the feared Dark Lord whose name terrified the wizarding world, and now he stood at her doorstep as if summoned by her very thoughts.

The storm raged behind him and despite the obvious pain coursing through him due to his wounds, something in his gaze sharpened, his complete focus narrowing to her as though the rain, the blood, and his injuries were inconsequential.

“You…” Her voice faltered, and she tightened her grip on the doorframe. "How...what are you doing here?"

Tom leaned heavily against the doorframe, his hand gripping the edge for support. "Do you plan to let me bleed out on your doorstep?” he asked, his voice even deeper and colder than she remembered.

Swallowing her shock, she blinked a few times to confirm she was not hallucinating. Her gaze roved over his dark hair, plastered against his forehead and disheveled in a way that was so unlike the controlled and immaculate boy she recalled.

"Did you expect me to welcome you with open arms after...everything?" She breathed out incredulously, looking at him with wide eyes, trying, desperately yet vainly to ignore the strings being pulled taut at her heart just at the sight of him before her. “You have no right to be here,” she added, her voice trembling with anger.

His gaze sharpened, the intensity of his focus making her feel as though she was the only person in the world. Despite his injuries, his voice remained calm, unyielding. “I expected you to act with the practicality I know you possess.”

“Reason? You are unbelievable.” She scoffed, crossing her arms tightly. “The reasonable thing would be to turn you away and report you to the Aurors.”

“And yet,” he said, taking a deliberate step closer, though his movements were clearly labored, “you haven’t done that." As soon as the words left his mouth, a cough roughly racked through his chest and he swayed on his feet.

She faltered, her grip tightening on the doorframe. His words stung because they were true. She hated the way he always seemed to know exactly which string to pull. Every instinct screamed at her to shut the door. He was dangerous. He had become something monstrous, far removed from the ambitious boy she once knew at Hogwarts. But the sight of his blood and the faint tremor in his hand stirred something in her. 

The rain continued to pour around them, each drop a reminder of how absurd this situation was. His drooping eyelids were the only warning she got as he almost collapsed, and she flung her arms around his middle to catch him. Despite everything, she found that she could not let him bleed out in front of her eyes. Worse, she still cared about him.

"Do not think for a second this means I’ve forgiven you.” Her voice was tight with resignation as she helped him into her home. He didn’t fully collapse, though he looked like he might. Instead, he moved with deliberate slowness with her help until they reached her large couch by the fireplace.

A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips, even as he winced with pain. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She made sure he was fully situated before she busied herself fetching a potion and bandages, trying to ignore the weight of his gaze following her every move. She knew whatever had caused him this much harm would not be so simple to fix with mere Wiggenweld potion or basic healing charms.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she murmured quietly, setting the supplies on the table beside him. “Especially not like this.”

Tom gave a faint, humorless smile. “Life has a way of surprising us.”

She bit back a retort at that, deciding to focus on the task at hand instead. "Show me."

Tom did not need to be instructed twice, as he moved to peel away his robes in order to expose his wounded back. He kept trying to hold in the winces every time he moved, and against her better judgement, she reached to bat his hands away and instead do the job herself. She removed his robes first, putting it away carefully so his blood would not stain her furniture. Then, she began slowly peeling away his shirt that had stuck to his skin after being soaked in his blood for so long. He suppressed a shiver at the feel of her cold fingertips grazing his skin, and she inn turn suppressed her urge to let her eyes wonder over his shirtless form. She had far more important matters in her hand.

The gash across his back was long and bloody. She could immediately tell it was not a wound caused by any weapon, but by dark magic. The edges of it were jagged, charred black which was the first giveaway of its cause. It was deep, angry, and refusing to heal fully even as she muttered counter-curses under her breath.

“This will take time,” she murmured, her voice softer than she intended, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the fragile calm between them.

He didn’t reply, merely tilting his head to allow her better access. She could feel him watching her from the corner of his eye, even as she tried to focus. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pressed a cooling salve into the wound, but she forced herself to steady them.

Once the magic had been neutralized as much as she could manage, she began to wrap a bandage around his torso. His skin was pale, marred by other scars she hadn’t expected to see, each one a testament to the battles he had fought—and most likely won.

Her hands brushed against his sides as she secured the bandage, and she felt his muscles tense beneath her touch. She glanced up instinctively, though she could not see his face fully.

“You’re trembling,” he said, his voice low and almost… gentle.

“I’m not,” she lied, looking away quickly as heat crept into her cheeks.

He let out a faint hum of disbelief but said nothing further.

When she finished wrapping his torso, she moved to settle in front of him so she could focus on the gash on his temple. The blood had dried, crusting around the edges of the wound, and she carefully wiped it clean with a damp cloth. Her fingers brushed his hair back from his face, wet and unruly from the rain, and she noted absently how much longer it had grown since their school days.

He didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away, but he was watching her again—always watching. She could feel the weight of his gaze as she worked, the tension in the air thick enough to choke on.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked finally, her voice tight.

“Because you’re still the same,” he said quietly, his tone devoid of the usual bite she had come to expect from him.

She paused, her hand hovering above the wound. “And you’re not,” she replied, her words laced with both sadness and bitterness.

He smirked faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “No. I’m not.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and the faint patter of rain against the window. When she resumed cleaning the wound, his gaze didn’t waver. If anything, it intensified, as though he were trying to memorize every detail of her face.

“You could have not let me in,” he said suddenly, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.

“Yes, I could have." She replied simply, and wondered if perhaps she should have.

A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, though it was filled with something that felt dangerously close to regret. “You always did see more in me than anyone else,” he murmured, almost to himself.

Her hands stilled briefly, but she quickly resumed her work, unwilling to meet his gaze. “Maybe I was wrong.”

For the first time since he had arrived, he looked away.

Suddenly she was overcome with a burst of courage. "You can still stop this, you can—"

“I didn’t come here for a lecture.” He snapped.

“Then why did you come here?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and when he did, his words sent a chill down her spine. “Because you’re the only one I trust.”

Her hands stilled, the bandage halfway wrapped around his arm. “You trust me?” she repeated, disbelief coloring her tone. “After all these years?”

His gaze locked onto hers, intense and unyielding. “You’ve always been different,” he said, as though that explained everything. “You see the flaws, but you don’t flinch. You never did.”

She wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong. But the truth was, a part of her still saw the boy she once called a friend. And that part of her was why she hadn’t turned him away.

Her hands fell at her sides, and she tried to search his face but she could decipher what he was feeling. "Tom..."

It was as if the utter of his name was his last straw before he was undone. “Stop.” His voice was quiet but firm, and not for the first time, it carried something she couldn’t name. A plea, maybe, hidden beneath the layers of steel. “Nothing is going to deter me from my path.”

“Even if it means losing everything? Losing everyone?”

He tilted his head, studying her as though the answer should have been obvious. “I have never really had anyone or anything. Except you.”

Her throat tightened at his words, but she managed to croak out a reply. "And you lost me."

His eyes flashed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he leaned back in the couch, rested his head and closed his eyes. “Perhaps not,” he said finally. “But you’re here now.”

The weight of his words hung between them like a storm about to break. Before she could respond, he opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’ve watched you,” he admitted, his voice softer now, but no less intense. “For years, I’ve watched you. Wondering if one day you’d join me." He paused, "Hoping.”

She crossed her arms, holding his gaze. "You mean standing beside you while the world burns?"

His lips curved into a faint, humorless smile. "If that’s how you choose to see it."

"That's a lonely prospect." She retorted.

The flickering firelight cast shadows over his sharp features, making him seem both human and monstrous. "Lonely," he repeated, almost mockingly. "You think I don’t know what loneliness is?"

"I think you chose it," she said quietly.

Tom's eyes flashed, a dangerous spark of anger igniting in them. "I didn’t choose it," he hissed. "I embraced it. Because weakness is what binds people to one another. And I refused to be weak."

"Strength doesn’t mean shutting everyone out," she shot back. "It doesn’t mean destroying everything good in your life. You used to know that. At least I thought you did."

For a moment, she thought she saw something crack in his carefully composed mask. His voice lowered, almost a whisper and he chose to disregard her comment. "I told myself that you just needed time," he admitted. "But then I started hearing things. Rumors that you’d settled down, moved on. That you were happy." His gaze met hers, unflinching and intense. "Do you know what that did to me? The thought of someone else taking what I’d decided was mine? I was ready to kill, but then I found out the rumours were false."

She laughed, but it was hollow, her disbelief bleeding through. “Do you even hear yourself? That is not love."

His lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Call it what you want. It’s all I’ve ever had to offer.”

She shook her head. "But it's—"

“Me,” Tom interrupted. “It’s who I am. And you’ve always known that.”

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, as she tried to find her footing amidst the storm of his words. He wasn’t just offering her a place beside him—he was offering her the only version of himself he knew how to be. And for a shameful moment, she wondered if that was enough.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said finally, her voice breaking under the weight of her own plea. “You could still—”

“Still what?” he asked, his voice colder now. “Change? Turn back? Forget everything I’ve fought for?” His tone softened then, laced with something dangerously close to vulnerability, though his expression remained steely. “No matter what you say, I won’t stop. I can’t. Don’t you see?” His jaw tightened as though the words were difficult to force out. “You’re the only person I’ve ever had even the faintest semblance of care for—of love for.”

The word hung in the air between them, so foreign coming from his lips that she almost didn’t believe he’d said it. Her throat tightened, her body frozen under his piercing gaze.

“And if anyone,” he continued, his voice darkening, “anyone so much as thinks of taking you from me, I’ll kill them. You know I will.”

A shiver ran down her spine at the conviction in his words, the raw ferocity in his voice. She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “You don’t love me— you just want to keep me caged.”

His nostrils flared, his expression twisting in frustration. “Why don’t you understand?” His voice cracked, sharp and raw, and before she could react, his hands shot forward, grasping her face.

She gasped, the suddenness of the gesture sending her heart racing. His hands were cold against her skin, but his grip was firm, unyielding, as though he feared she might slip away. His dark eyes bore into hers, and for the first time, she saw something she couldn’t quite name in them—a mix of fury, desperation, and something heartbreakingly human.

“I would burn the whole world just to keep you warm,” he said, his voice a low growl that reverberated through her chest.

Her breath hitched, the words crashing into her like a tidal wave. She could no longer hold her tears, and was helpless as they trailed a wait trail down her cheeks.

She couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, trapped by the sheer force of his presence.

And then, with a gentleness that was almost cruel, he leaned in, his lips brushing against the tears streaking down her face. He wiped them away with his mouth, his touch at once tender and consuming, sending a shudder through her entire body.

“Tom…” she whispered, her voice breaking as his lips trailed down the curve of her cheek. She didn’t know if it was a plea or a warning, but the moment the word left her lips, he silenced her with his own.

The kiss wasn’t soft or tentative—it was desperate, fervent, as though he were trying to etch himself into her soul, to claim her in a way that words never could. His fingers tightened slightly on her face, pulling her closer, his breath hot and unrelenting against her skin.

She tried to resist, her mind screaming at her to pull away, to end this before it consumed her entirely. But her body betrayed her, melting into his as though it had been waiting for this moment, despite everything. Despite the pain. Despite the danger.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead resting against hers, her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps. His hands didn’t leave her face, his thumbs brushing over her skin in a way that made her heart ache.

Her voice cracked as she spoke. “When you’re healed, I’ll tell you to go.”

His hands stiffened slightly, his grip faltering for a brief second before it steadied again. "And I will come back again. And again."

She ignored his words. “For now,” she continued, her voice breaking under the weight of the moment, “I’ll let myself have this.”

She leaned into him, closing her eyes against the storm raging both outside and within her. For now, she allowed herself to relish the fleeting comfort of his touch, even as she knew it was a mistake. Because when the storm passed, when he was gone, she’d be left with nothing but the ashes of what once was—until he would come back to reignite it until she gives in.

༻♛༺

[jinstronaut]

jinstronaut 2024 gif recap !

back back back again. i gave myself a bit of a break this year (aka when jin came back) so it was easier to sift through my works from the later half of the year :')) tysm to @taehyunghobi @yooboobies @jkvjimin @cordiallyfuturedwight @raplinenthusiasts for the tag !!! let us... begin.....

january

fave: this seokjin he is so cutie pie angel face and got paid DUST and for WHAT

most popular: hobi for julia uwu makes sense look at how softie and cutie he is

february

fave: puppy eyed jin watching his band mates i'm going to Cry

most popular: on the literal last day of feb i dropped a jinkook a day out of my drafts and it popped off. this means they should be together again i don't make the rules

march

fave: confetti seokjin he is so etheral ;o;

most popular: happy birthday yoongi !!!!!!!! i miss him so much pls bring him back

april

fave: funky lil dancing man seokjin !!!! look at him GO !!!!!

most popular: stage mix boy with luv + seokjin uwu i lov lov lov this set i'm so happy it was received so well !! not a lot of my sets reach over 1k notes (:~)) so i'm glad this one did !!!

may

fave: spring day seokjin bc i am the no1 spring day and seokjin enthusiast u understand

most popular: home jimin for pat ♥♥ as they BOTH deserve bc jimin is the sweetiest and pat is the sweetiest therefore!!!!!!!!!!!!!

june

fave: pouty seokjin i want to SNUGGLE HIMM right now

most popular: DAY 547 JIN IS BACK I FINISHED MY SERIES WE DID IT WE SURVIVED LIFE WITHOUT SEOKJIN

july

fave: cutie pie taehyung uwu i lov lov lov He

most popular: boongi in green for kayla uwu the most us coded set i've ever made period

august

fave: singularity taehyung...... this set was SO HARD to color idk if y'all have seen this raw footage its insane... but i did my best for queen apryl uwu

most popular: black swan taehyung for apryl :~) this set is dangerous bc this man is dangerous i cannot Stand him

september:

fave: smooches from seokjin for kayla ofc uwu

most popular: [jk vc] HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAMJOON uwu i lov making bday sets for him i rly rly do

october:

fave: grape jinie for julia uwu he is simply immaculate

most popular: slow dancing taehyung !!!!! this blond heia rwas so cute i miss it so much pls consider doing it again for Me Personally thank u

november:

fave: friends taehyung.... this song took a hot second for me to listen to and once i did it was nonstop this song went triple platinum in my house

most popular: peek-a-boo jin for very normal and obvious reasons hehehhe........ B)

december (so far)

fave: trivia love namjoon for apryl !!! the start of my new series for my friends i'm so so excited to be able to make more once the holiday's are over uwu i rly hope u loved it my queen!!

most popular: happy birthday seokjin !!!!!!!!!!!! we're the same age again we did it just two 32 year olds doing life the best we can

i'm so sure all of these lovely people have been tagged already, so let me add to the list of people B)

@heybaetae @kimtaegis @taee @hvseoks

@rjshope @kookjinnies @sevencoloredstar @namchyoon

and anyone else who wants to participate. i'm very serious. ♥♥

tysm for another year full of ups and downs, bangtan reunion in 2025 let's fuckin Go.

[partycatty]

i am so desperate to top dark star!johnny he makes me so horny mad, like someone humble that son of a bitch. it so doesn’t fit him to be topped but 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

UGHHH UR SO ME FR!!!! LMFAOOAAO i love pathetic men!!!! i love projecting my kinks onto my fics — WHAAAT WHO SAID THAAAT????

for those unfamiliar with dark star!johnny

dark star!johnny cage > payback

you have had it up to HERE with the white man's utter nonsense.

warnings: you humble evil johnny sexually. 😀 no but fr this is nsfw, bratty johnny and he hates it, he says "stop" and "no" but we all know he's lying and he loves it (afab reader)

notes: i was so excited to write this i don't even think it's coherent i'm literally barking gnawing frothing foaming i crawled to my pc to boot up the game to make gifs of him for future use bc i know DAMN well i will come back to this clown

masterlist <3

i will microwave him.

part 1* / part 2* / part 4* / part 5* / part 6*

•lord have mercy where do i even begin.

•alright, so let's paint a picture here.

•dark star!johnny may have stupid amounts of money, but he's a fucking idiot. he didn't spend a single cent on you for christmas! he'd argue with you for hours, saying both "i am the gift!" and "i buy you enough shit the rest of the year and now you want more?"

•when you argue to the point of running out of new things to bring up, you decide to angrily drop the topic entirely and move on with life. that is, until you hear johnny's muffled voice call from you from upstairs as you begin to prep dinner several days after the holiday.

•"sweet cheeks, a hand would be nice!" he shouts, a suspiciously evident grin in his tone of voice. you roll your eyes as his persistent cocky nature, but your frown turns into a little gasp when you open the bedroom to your shared door.

•this absolute idiot is sitting face down ass up on your silk sheets, tied down nice and tight with a thick red ribbon. a bow rests on his neck and broad chest. The Coat is discarded on a chair beside the bed, but everything else is still on. he smushes his cheek against the sheets as he desperately tries and cranes his head to look at you.

•"heeeey babe," he'll meekly greet you, shimmying his shoulders. "i, uh. i was going to surprise you. but i kinda fell forward and couldn't get back up. it was supposed to be a sexy pose but i tied my arms down before anything else and i can't prop myself up."

•"you're a dumbass," you reply back with a frown, not entirely amused as much as he is. "you think this makes up for your fuckup?"

•"...yes?"

•"no! and you know what? i'm gonna fucking enjoy this whether you like it or not!" you sigh with exasperation, slapping his clothed ass pretty hard, the sound of contact echoing in your large bedroom. he lets out a whiny shout, trying to tug his hips away from you out of desperation and ending up flopping onto his back.

•"hey! not fucking funny. i hate when you do that," he'll complain with a scowl, but his protests are hard to take seriously when he flips over and reveals an angry boner throbbing against his pants.

•"yeah, that's why you have a raging hard-on," you reply with a dramatic groan, grabbing a handful of his thick shaft through his dress pants. he yelps again, twitching his hips upward as you feel his heartbeat through his cock. "i'm not helping you up, johnny. this is payback. for christmas."

•you climb on top of him, hovering your lips right above his in a sickeningly sweet way. johnny, like the needy whore he is, tries to lift his head up and capture your lips, but you cut the attempt short when you expertly undo his belt in a swift one-handed motion and squeeze his dick through his boxer briefs. his once puckered lips open to let out a deep, strained whine, and you feel a warm wetness in his pants as you milk the pre-cum from his tip with your grasp alone.

•ohhh he is in AGONY. ds!johnny literally HATES when he's not in control, and even though he feels his dick get impossibly harder, he's still writhing at the thought of not being the leader.

•"come on, dollface," he'll try to protest with furrowed brows, but you see the way he bites his bottom lip. "don't play mean. that's not how this was meant to go."

•you don't even reply to his annoyance, you just stick a finger between his neck and the ribbon around it, tugging it and sending a wave of pressure on the sides of his neck. his eyes involuntarily roll back as you temporarily choke him with his own doing.

•"you're gonna take it, aren't you? the torture?" you ask, palming him through his underwear and holding his face close to yours. his expression contorts instantly at your roughness. "how are you gonna fucking like it when i treat you like shit?"

•"you'll regret it," he groans out in an attempted threat, but it ends up sounding more breathy and gravely than intended. "you'll fucking regret crossing me like this."

•he's literally the one that had the genius idea to tie himself up. he's a Grade A idiot for putting himself in the situation to begin with. or maybe he likes it :)

•you hastily tug your own pants off, shaking your leg to throw them aside. once you're free of the fabric, you pull down johnny's pants too, since he hasn't got the ability to do it on his own. sure enough, his underwear is already definitely stained, and yours is getting there. the sight along made a wetness pool in your panties. something about such a cocky, annoying man finally being put in his place was starting to drive you a little wild as you straddle his hips.

•you shove your panties aside and settle them in the crack between you pussy and thighs, and return the gesture to your boyfriend by tugging his waistband down and unleashing his little jonathan (sorry). his pink, angry cock springs free and slaps against your tummy. you giggle.

•"ha, ha. very funny. untie me now," johnny whines again with a frustrated tone, but there's a hint of blush on his cheeks as he looks away from your body on top of his. his anger contorts into needy moans when you wrap your fingers around his dick, stroking at a medium pace and coating himself in his own precum. "ngh, fuck — stop it, i'm not fucking playing around — aah —"

•his back hopelessly arches as you lazily stroke his dick. when you decide he's hot and ready enough for the real thing after he turns into a blabbering mess, you hover above his dick and grab two fistfuls of the ribbons; one on his neck and one on his chest. his pretty lips part as he catches his breath from the sudden movement, eyes darting across your features.

•as he tries to make sense of your bold move, you sink down onto his throbbing cock and fully take him in your walls. he's unable to writhe and squirm as you hold him in place firmly. johnny's eyebrows knit together and he swiftly moves his head to the side, his sunglasses crooked and dropping on his hooked nose. when he finally gets the strength to look down at your pussy engulfing his length, he whines at the beautiful sight and involuntarily bucks up to relieve the strain. you immediately let out a little shout of discipline and pull his upper body toward you.

•"my pace or no pace," you warn through gritted teeth. "don't pull that shit again."

•"or what?" he replies with a cocky grin, his horniness absolutely dripping from his voice. "you don't scare me." as he tries to play right back, you slam yourself down on his cock again without warning, his tip kissing your cervix invitingly. his eyes widen and he yelps out pathetically before turning it into an angry groan. "you're such a fucking bitch. i hate you."

•he starts to spew more utter nonsense about hating you and you being a bitch as you start to actually ride him, for once at your own pace. he's typically fucking up into you but this time he's tied down and taking it like a good boy! you needed this, though, to let out your frustrations with him lately. it's incredibly funny that, yes, he could technically just start bucking his hips into you, but you take note that he's actually listening to your threat and allowing himself to be used. you remind yourself to ask him to top him more often. i doubt he'd say yes.

•your pace becomes a relentless combination of slamming his cock and grinding on it to stimulate your clit, and johnny has now turned into a whimpering mess. his perfect hair was sticking to his forehead and flying out in all directions, his sunglasses were just barely hanging onto the bridge of his nose. all the while, he's still sputtering complains about being used and begging you to stop, but they sound hungrier than disgusted. your deep moans drown out his whines and cries, and you frankly don't really care about how he feels.

•you've officially fucked him stupid. he can't even get a proper word out as he's now trying to literally break the ribbons and give him access to his hands, but he's so horny he can't find the strength he typically has.

•"b... stop — babe — 'm gonna cum if you — aah, oh you fucker —" johnny starts to twitch and whimper, thrashing his head side to side as he gets closer toward release. you don't really give a shit though, as you're now chasing your own orgasm as your grinding becomes increasingly uneven. you grab hold of his neck to stabilize yourself, and the coil in your core snaps, your body sending waves of blissful pleasure through your entire being. you're violently reminded of your boyfriend's impending load when he throws away all command you gave him and starts fucking up into your sensitive pussy, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he pathetically tries to get himself there, too.

•you're acutely familiar with how his cock throbs when he's about to cum, and you use this information to your advantage as you abruptly pull yourself up and away right as he shoots his load. he lets out a damn near cry for help as he makes a complete mess of himself. it shoots up high, painting his stomach and chest as his hips thrust into nothing.

•"YOU FUCKING —" he groans out, eyes clenched shut as his desperation makes him act out. "I WANTED TO CUM INSIDE. YOU KNOW THAT'S MY FAVORITE. AND YOU RUINED A PERFECTLY NICE SHIRT!"

•all you do is return to straddling his hips, sliding your panties back into place and catching your breath.

•"but you look better like this," you reply lowly, taking a flat palm and putting it on his stomach. "all tied down and fucked out. i could get used to it. besides, this was my gift, wasn't it?"

•as his head tilts back to regain his composure, you snap a quick photo of his cum-stained shirt, flushed expression, and weeping dick.

•"consider this payback," you chuckle, wiggling the photo in front of his eyes. "i might just post this everywhere if you don't get me anything for my birthday next."

•"delete that, you cunt," he hisses back, once again trying to free himself. "untie me now. fun's over."

•"nah, i'm good," you reply, your annoying boyfriend being restrained giving you a dangerous amount of confidence. "i think i'll just leave you here. not before cleaning up your cum with your coat, maybe."

•"DO NOT USE MY COAT. IT WAS EXPENSIVE."

[will80sbyers]

how are u so calm abt this 😭 teach me ur ways bc im consumed by byler doubt like i verbally said “we lost” when i read that leak 😭😭

For now I trust my eyes more than leaks without context! There's really too much stuff inside the show for me to believe it's not intentionally constructing Byler endgame, every single thing I know about television is pointing to that, the parallels don't make any sense if Mike is not queer, the one with Vickie is the most incriminating one because there's no reason for them to parallel Mike specifically to her if not because of byler... If they had only made the parallel between Robin and Will I could have accepted the idea that it was only because of Will having his crush but no they took Mike's dialogue and Vickie's dialogue and paralleled that too

They made countless romantic parallels between Byler and other romantic couples Mlven included in these parallels, why if it's only Will having a crush he's gonna get over with at the end to then date a NPC character??? Makes zero sense.

Plus all the things we found in the background, the queercoding around both Mike and Will, the closets open in the background, the interruption trope used for them, Mike looking at Will with the same exact expression he has when he looks at Eleven in season 1 right before he gets a crush on her...

There's just too much stuff for me to accept that it doesn't mean anything, and then remember when people for years said Will was gay because of the background stuff and the little moments and then it happened!? We are not crazy. They have put all of these things intentionally inside the show, they have written the story in a way that makes sense only if Mike and Will end up together at the end, they have done countless parallels with byler and other couples even outside the show like Byler and Benverly (I made a whole gifset about this, click on the GIFs!) or Laurie X Amy, etc etc

Even just the painting alone.

Multiple movies of the ones in the list of S4 had love triangles that were like the willelmike situation...

It would simply go against all logic and whatever happens I need to see it with my eyes, I can't rely on words on the streets, I said it once and I'll say it again the only way I'm giving up on Byler is if the Duffers themselves say it's not happening - no one else! And even if they say it I'll be probably watching the new season low-key hoping they were lying because it just doesn't make sense for byler to not happen in my brain at this point 🌈

[jgyllenhaalstannie]

☆All Nighter☆(Marc Spector x reader)

Summary- late night/early morning talk with Marc when he comes home to find you still up

Warnings- none I don't think? Just one curse but mainly fluff

A/n- when I started this it was 4:03, it's now 4:51 so that's my inspo ALSO GIF IS MINE!

A/n p2- dropping this bc now I'm obsessed w/ spiderman

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

'4:30 AM'

You were still up past your normally bed time.Bored out of your mind, hungry as hell, tired but can't seem to go to sleep, the list could go on. Your eyes stuck together as you blinked slowly, scrolling on your phone to tire yourself out. You weren't sure why you couldn't sleep but either way it felt like sleep was far away from where you were now. The hungry grew in your stomach as it cried out for some sort of food. Crawling out of your bed you slugged your way to the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal. 'No need for effort, this will just keep me up'

As you stood in the kitchen eating your cereal depressingly,you didn't the front door creek open and close. "Babe? What are you doing still up?" You jumped at the sudden voice near you, nearly choking on your food. It was your boyfriend Marc,wearing some torn clothes and a baseball cap. He looked extremely exhausted. "Jesus Christ Marc, you scared me." He removed his cap and hung it near the door. He watched you continue eating after the quick scare and leaned on the table in front of you. "Why are you up at almost 5AM? You're usually sleep by now." Usually you're greeting to him at this time was your sleeping face pressed into the pillow with and arm being moved from the sheets to his waist in bed. "I don't even know, couldn't seem to fall asleep even though I feel like I can pass out at any second." Marc sighed and stood next to you, taking the spoon out of your hand and stealing a bite from you. You were too tired to even care. You just wanted to finally get that feeling of sleep taking over your body.

"You're lucky you don't have work tomorrow or else you'd be fucked"

"I do have work"

Marc's eyes widen as he rushed over to take the cereal from you. "Why in the world are you up at this hour when you have work tomorrow.Are you ok? Something wrong?" You could tell he was a little pissed but concerned. "I'm fine I swear, I said I just can't seem to fall asleep. No big deal." It was a big deal. You could feel yourself go insane with nothing to do when you can't do the main thing you want to do. Sleep. You knew you had to work tomorrow early and continued shoveling the cereal in your mouth. Marc took the bowl from your hands and set it on the table. Placing his hands on your arms, he looked at you with a concerned face, almost like a dad about to discipline his kid. "Here's what we're gonna do, ok? We're gonna get you some water, and we're gonna lay right in that bed, no matter how long it takes you to go to sleep." You rolled your eyes at his demands but you knew that's what you really wanted. Still holding onto you, he walked you over to the side of the bed and sat you down, then rushed to get you some water.

You tried to glare at him through your heavy eyelids but they fell back shut. Slowly drinking your water, Marc went to dispose of the cereal and cut off the lights. He slid into the bed with you and snaked his arms around you. "Time for bed sleepyhead." You tried to laugh at his nickname but all you could muster was a small smile. Laying down once again, you turned to face Marc and watched him admire your tired face. "Here, cmon" he pulled you closer and placed you on his chest "Tomorrow morning, you're gonna call your job and say you can't make it. You're gonna say something came up and you'll be back the next day." Too tired to object, you simply nodded and nuzzled your face into his chest. Marc smiled slightly a kissed the top of your head as you both drifted off to sleep at last. Maybe all you needed was some cuddles and cereal.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

[manlikeazi]

hellooo I have a lil request tingy ting I was wondering if it could be something where aj is on stream (like for the streaming weeknd beta squad did) and the reader calls him and like flirts with him while he's on stream (Reade didn't know he was streaming) and he like get flustered and like confused to why reader is flirting bc they're just friends

anyway love you and you're stories😘

Gaming, Teasing, and Flirting - Aj Shabeel

Aj gets an unexpected call from Y/N, which quickly turns into playful flirting that catches him off guard. As the chat goes wild with teasing comments, Aj struggles to keep his cool while wondering if there's something more behind their banter.

Masterlist

Aj, along with the Beta Squad has temporary moved in to some house they rented for the weekend for their streaming weekend. Once they arrived to the house, everyone is buzzing with excitement as they started to pitch in for everyone's room decoration ideas including their friends.

They started off with each one decorating their own room that reflects their personality and unique styles. The rooms were being outfitted with custom backdrops, LED lights, and creative props to make the weekend's streams feel extra special. The house quickly became a vibrant mix of personality, with each corner designed to be the perfect setting for their online shenanigans.

AJ had always enjoyed streaming, his setup was flawless, the lights on his gaming desk casting a soft glow, and his chat was buzzing with excitement. He was in the middle of a gaming session, casually chatting with his fans, answering questions, and cracking jokes as his screen with gameplay.

As the Beta Squad weekend stream rolled on, his chat was flooded with comments, gifs, and memes as everyone was enjoying the chaos. Aj sat on his gaming chair after going over Niko's room. He checked his phone and glanced momentarily at his lockscreen notification where he felt his phone buzz and check that the caller ID was you.

AJ froze for a second, surprised by the sudden call from you. You two had been friends for a while, always chatting about random things, laughing over jokes, and occasionally hanging out but calling each other on phone weren't both of your thing.

"Y/N is calling chat. Should I answer it?" Aj asked as he looked at the messages in the stream. A bunch of flowing messages saying yes and even winning the yes option in the poll.

Although maintaining nonchalance as if it's normal for him to do it, Aj answered your call infront of the stream.

"Yo, what's up?" He spoke casually, hoping to keep things normal.

"Hey Aj! I was just thinking about you, and y'know... wondering what you're up to?" You said, your voice smooth and playful.

AJ's heart skipped a beat. The moment he heard your voice, it was like everything else faded out. Your tone was warm, teasing, and way too flirty for just a casual chat. He blinked, his mind momentarily going blank. He laughed nervously, scrambling to get a hold of himself.

"Errm.. y'know.. streaming. Just chillin" Aj said, keeping his voice cool and nonchalant. Leaning on his gaming chair, while swaying it left and right.

"Yo, Aj acting all shy?!"

"Is Y/N really flirting with Ajjj?!?!?!?"

"I KNEW something was really going on between them"

"I badly wanna see stream Aj edits again!!!"

Aj tried to ignore the chat, but your voice threw him off. The playful tone was messing with his head. Aj mentally shook himself as he tried to put his playful persona as he inhaled and exhaled.

"How's the game going? I see you lot are still trash at it" You said, teasing with a laugh.

"I'm actually carrying right now. How's everything going with you? You miss me or something?" Aj said with a smirk on his face, reading what the chat has been saying.

You know he's just messing around, but you can't help yourself, maybe it's the fact that his chat is full of people watching, or maybe it's just the playful energy you two share. Either way, you decide to match his on screen flirting.

"Honestly, I do miss you" You said casually.

"It's been a while since we hung out. Maybe we should fix that sometime soon. Just the two of us?" You added, feeling yourself smiling at the thought. It's a good advantage that no one could see your reaction right now.

"Nahhhh Y/N is really flirting with our boy Ajjj"

"Can't lie, they make a good couple still"

"DID ANYONE SEE HOW FLUSTERED AJ IS WHILE TALKING TO Y/N"

"AJ MOVE, IT'S MY TURN NOW!!!"

Aj blinks, his fingers freezing on the controller. There's a slight pause before he responds. For a moment, you wonder if maybe you've crossed a line. But then he laughs it off but except this time, the laugh sounds a little nervous. He knew to himself that you were watching his live and enjoying his reaction right now.

"Uh, you... yeah, I mean, we could do that sometime" He says, though his words sound a bit hesitant.

You watch him on screen, his hands fumbling with his controller now as his gaze keeps shifting between the chat and the game. He's definitely flustered, but not in the way you expected. It's like he's trying to figure out why your words are hitting him differently now, and it's honestly kind of cute.

"I mean, I'm always down for something... but I wasn't exactly expecting you to, uh, suggest that on stream" Aj added, rambling on his stream. His eyes darting toward the camera for a split second before quickly looking away. The slight pink on his cheeks is hard to miss, even through the glow of his gaming setup.

The chat is on fire now and everyone's noticed the shift in the mood between you two. The comments are flying by so fast, it's hard for either of you to keep up, but you can feel the playful pressure building as AJ glances over at the screen again, his face a mix of amusement and something else, it's either confusion or maybe curiosity.

AJ runs a hand through his hair, still looking flustered and unsure how to act in front of the live audience. His viewers are loving the awkward energy, sending in super chats and comments, teasing him about how flustered he looks.

"Watch Niko's next upload titled 'how I tricked Aj Shabeel into thinking that Y/N is flirting with him"

  "This is actually violating"

"Chunkz said Aj lost his mind talking to Y/N"

    "Aj forgot to speak english for a second lmaoooo" 

The chat was spamming with messages, AJ's screen flooding with new comments faster than he could process. He couldn't focus on the game anymore, not with the playful tension building between him and you. Every time his eyes flicked back to the screen, the chat seemed to be getting more and more hyped. The teasing from his viewers only made him more self-conscious, but part of him, deep down couldn't deny that he was enjoying it.

"I just enjoy messing with you. I'm not saying you like me or anything" You let the sentence hang in the air, your playful smile evident even through the phone.

"Bruh, I'm shipping them hard rn"

"Can someone explain why Aj is acting like he's on a date right now instead of playing a game?"

"They're so obviously flirting"

"HAHAHA, Aj is so flustered. I'm crying"

"Nah, nah, stop with that. You're just trying to mess with me" Aj said with a smile while he shifts continuously in his chair, shaking his head while reading the chat.

"Why's everyone acting like I'm the one blushing here?" Aj said jokingly, shifting again in his seat.

"Aj is LOWKEY loving this, look at him"

"Someone tell Aj to stop acting like he's not blushing"

"Watch Aj start making rat noises because he's flustered"

"Yeah, totally messing with you" You said with a small chuckle.

"But honestly, if you weren't acting so cute about it, I wouldn't be having so much fun" You added, your voice a little lower now.

"What cute? I'm not cute, I'm handsome" Aj said, as usual, taking compliments in his own way. 

"Okay, okay, 'handsome,' my bad" You teased with a laugh.

"But seriously though, you've got a charm that's hard to ignore" You added.

"You're all just trying to mess with me. I'm here to game, okay?" Aj said, trying to regain some control, his eyes darting back to the camera, avoiding direct eye contact as he tried to maintain his composure.

"Someone tell Aj to stop playing hard to get"

"MY MAN AJ IS TWEAAAKINGG"

"Y/N GOT AJ IN A CHOKEHOLD LMAOOO"

" Y/N, you know you're distracting me right now, right?" Aj said as he leaned back in his chair again, pretending to compose himself even though his expression betrayed his nerves.

"I know, I'm really good at distracting, if you haven't noticed yet" You said.

For a brief moment, AJ looked straight into the camera, trying to muster up some confidence, though the pink tinge in his cheeks made it hard for him to look anything but flustered.

"Definitely not distracted. Look, I'm focusing on the game" Aj said, his character didn't even moved an inch since you called.

The chat exploded into more laughter and playful teasing, feeding off the awkwardness between you two. One person even made a meme of Aj's face mid-fluster, and the chat immediately adopted it as their new reaction image.

"Well, maybe when you finally stop pretending to be all 'focused,' we can hang out. Just you and me. No distractions" You said.

AJ swallowed hard. The playful banter was one thing, but now you were leaving him no escape. His mind raced, torn between keeping up the act for the chat and just being honest about how you made him feel. He wasn't used to feeling like this, especially in front of so many people.

"Yeah, we can figure that out sometime" Aj said, his voice a little softer this time.

"Well, it was fun messing with you Aj. I'll let you get back to your game. I wouldn't want to distract you too much" You said, your voice warm again.

"Yeah... yeah, sure, you can go now" Aj said, though he didn't sound nearly as confident as he normally would.

With that, you hung up, leaving AJ to gather his thoughts. He blinked at the screen, still feeling the aftermath of the conversation. He glanced at the chat again, which was flooding with comments and memes.

- bonus -

"Okay, okay" Aj said, running a hand through his hair, trying to get back on track. He glanced at the screen where his character had just stood still for the past few minutes.

"Y'all know I was totally focused on the game. 100%. No distractions at all" Aj added.

The chat didn't let up. If anything, it got worse. The comments flooded in even faster.

"Y/N really out here making Aj act like this"

"Yeah sure Aj, just keep telling yourself that"

"Aj, you officially got Y/N'd 💀"

"You just got hit with the Y/N curse 😭"

"Seriously, I don't know what y'all are talking about. I'm here to game. No one's got me flustered. Not at all" Aj said with a small smile tugging at his lips as he focused on the game.

The chat was relentless now, everyone piling on the playful comments and Aj couldn't help but smile despite himself. He couldn't quite explain why, but the whole situation, this teasing, the banter, and even that strange little shift between you and him it felt... good.

"Y'all really wanna see me sweat this game, or you just wanna keep violating me over this Y/N stuff? Lemme know" Aj said, trying to get back into the game.

Aj shook his head with a grin, his hands back on the controller as he tried to focus. But even as he played, his mind kept drifting back to that call. 

As the stream continued, Aj couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between you two. Not just because of the playful banter, but maybe because... well, maybe it was something more. Something he was going to have to figure out.

For now, he had a game to win and with a chat full of viewers who were definitely not going to let him forget this anytime soon.

- end -

helloo lovelies, what's up? I'm honestly trying to get back into writing but failing to do so because of my tight schedule lauu me.

I hope y'all have an amazing day and absolute love and guidance.

As I said everytime, send in some request and ideas!!

[wavyskies]

please please please ive always wanted to be a a part of editblr but idk how to even start like with the coloring and the editing so a tutorial or any tips would be greatly appreciated i really want to start making grahlpgics and rentrys but i just don't know how 😞

also i love your stuff !

Heyyyya! So, first of all, I unfortunately don't use PSDs which is most likely what you've been seein everywhere. I'd suggest askin someone else about those bc I dunno 😭

BUT! I can show you how I color mine using photopea.

There's a search (magnifying glass) icon, and you search up "gradient map." For me there are two options, the correct one will gateway to this:

Then, just for practice, here's a color pallette to practice with. For me, it's easier to copy the lightest color first then the darkest one last because you start off with the darkest usually when putting them into the gradient map.

Hex codes for this: 400E2B A61439 018868 FE5C43 FEB17D

(Note: you can find lots of great color pallettes on Pinterest, and add as many colors as you want. It will just be easier with less!)

So now that you have your colors, you press on the gradient map. These two things circles are what you press, the square part of the gradient comes first and then the second thing circled will be accessible.

Once you press it, you can paste your hex code in here:

Then repeat this with the other colors, going down the gradient line as you do!

Here's what the gradient map should look like:

Ofc, when you aren't just practicing, you can order or however you want.

Again, I would ask someone abt PSDs because this isn't the most efficient 😔

Now, for tips on editing. I've gotten asked for a lotta tutorials but they're too hard for me to manage so I'll squeeze some answers into here.

1. For resources, there are a lot on Tumblr. However! You can search up "rentry resources" on Pinterest, and there will be pins that you can click that will take you to plenty of resources. However, if it says to credit when using a resource, obviously do that lmao 😭

2. When it comes to gif graphics, ezgif.com is a go-to. When it comes to putting already moving gifs into a frame and not wanting a background, I usually use the "remove background" feature that can be located after pressing "effects" on the home screen. Now, I wanna make this VERY clear before we continue: color in the background/around your frame before putting the gif behind it. Make sure!!! Make sure that the background is a UNIQUE color compared to the actual graphic. If it isn't, the background remover will remove parts of the actual graphic.

This is where you'll put the color of what you want to be REMOVED from the graphic. You might have to play around with it for a bit though.

As for making the gif graphic that goes into this, I use inshot personally. Since the canvas won't always fit and inshots default background is black, I say try to aim for a black background to remove. If not, make sure that the graphic will fit so that it covers the entire canvas.

Example/walkthrough:

4. You can always make differences if you dislike your graphic. It's okay to take a while and go back, and even restart. You'll see a lotta people here talk about how some ways are easier than others, but honestly just play around because you might find things better for yourself compared to others.

5. When starting out on Editblr, I'd suggest NOT immediately beginning with having requests open. It can make it start out as stressful and drive you away from it. Begin with just making graphics for yourself or of things YOU'RE passionate about. Editing should be more about your enjoyment than having something shiny to show off, y'know? (That was cheesy asf)

ANYWAYS! I HAAAATE EXPLAINING THINGS! (Because I'm bad at it lmao, not in general, you're all good dw❤ /p.) Even I can't decipher what I've said here, but to be fair I wrote this during a meltdown so I get an A for effort.

Also, if you make a promo post, PLEASE TAG ME!!! /NF!!! I'll be more than happy to follow you 😮

[yesloulou]

Do u have any tips/tutorial how to make gifs so smooth if there's movement? Mine are always choppy and weird :(

Hi anon, ty for sending this ask. I'm sooo honored!! (and plz don't call your gifs choppy or weird i have a feeling they're very lovely 😌)

✨ Gif Tutorial: making movements in ur gifs as smooth as possible✨ (updated)

↳ aka: speed management in gif making

Remember to always source your content responsibly!! Process in this tutorial is simply what works best for me. Every creator has their own preferences and imo there is no right or wrong. We should always make content in the way we enjoy 🤍 Outline: 1. Remove duplicate frames 2. Repair missing frames 3. Speed management in Photoshop 4. Smoother slomo using Video Frame Interpolation

1. Remove duplicate frames

Obviously, if there're duplicate frames in a video, our gifs will end up with lil lags here and there (since some frames get more screen time than others). Although the dup frames are likely barely observable once compiled into gifs, imo this is what makes the difference between smooth and butter smooth. the two daniel gifs above (guy with big brown eyes, if ur not from our fandom 🤍) can hopefully showcase this difference**.

**technical explanation for this that you can totally skip: the persistence of human vision is approx. 0.1s, ie everything we see stay on our retina for this amount of time. since gifs refresh faster than this (eg. 0.04s on every frame for a 25 fps gif), we usually can't pinpoint exactly which frame is a duplicate just by looking at a gif. however. by definition, a duplicate frame will slow down a gif, by making it pause longer than it should. as a result, a movement during this lil chunk of time will move less pixels than your brain would've expected. and this is where we perceive the not-so-smoothness.

ok, now that we've established that we don't like duplicate frames -- I know it's common practice to handle this by looking for an optimal output frame rate to offset the dupes. to me this feels chancy. bc it's a process where you don't have control over exactly which frames to keep or discard. Personally, I prefer making sure my videos are dupe free before everything else. (Again, this is just what works for me. Everybody has their own process and imo there is no right or wrong :)

To remove duplicate frames, the first thing I do with a clip is to play the first few seconds frame by frame to see which one of the following scenarios it falls into:

a. no duplicate frames ↳ best case scenario! congrats!! plz proceed directly to step 2 b. there is a duplicated frame once in a while ↳ This happens most often with (but not limited to) videos from social medias ↳ Reason behind this is frame rate conversion. For instance, instagram/tiktok has a default frame rate of 30 fps. However, many media sources (eg. no brakes, sharl's vlogs) produce at 25 fps. When these videos are uploaded, instagram/tiktok convert them from 25 to 30 fps by duplicating 1 frame every 5 frames, hence twitchiness in gifs when slowed down. ↳ Solution: in photoshop, go through the clip frame by frame, delete dupes manually (recommended) ↳ Alternative solution: use duplicate frames remover softwares (see next bullet point) c. almost every frame has duplicates ↳ This will almost always** be the case with screen record. ↳ What not to do: When there are many duplicates, we may be tempted to use photoshop's 'import 1 out of every n frames' function. this is not ideal bc, the dupes are rarely uniformly distributed. you could end up losing frames you don't want to lose (resulting in choppy gifs) or end up with dup frames still in the mix (resulting in laggy gifs) or, most likely: both. ↳ A better way: is to import all frames into photoshop, adjust the output frame rate to offset the dupes (here is a good tutorial on this) Pros: efficiency; yields decent results in most cases. Cons: again, in my experience this is a process where you don't have precise control over the frames. Therefore runs the same (albeit smaller) risks as the method above. It can also limit how much you can slow down a gif, and generally doesn't work well if the target frame rate (of the clip you're trying to gif) exceeds your computer's recording rate**. **More on this statement: when target rate is comfortably lower than recording rate (~ 55 fps for many), chances are most to all frames will be captured. It is therefore more tolerating towards skipping a unique frame from time to time. However, when target rate (i.e. anything 60 fps) nears or exceeds recording rate, you will be dealing with dup frames as well as missing ones. Using the method above can therefore subject you to the possibility of losing two unique frames in a row, making the gifs noticeably choppy. ↳ Solution: we always have the option to trim dupes by hand in photoshop. But in this case, it can be time consuming, even with keyboard shortcuts. as a result, here is where we can really use a: ↳ Dup remover software: google search 'dup frame remover software' will give you several options and tutorials (here a plug-in for after effects). i've heard good things about some of these but unfortunately can't give recommendations (they do cost money sooo i wrote my own)

Demonstration:

This is a frame-by-frame animation of an ad Charles did for apm. It was produced at 25 fps & uploaded to socmed where the default is 30 fps. You can see that: i. With screen recording, every frame has an unpredictable amount of duplicates. ii. Original clip from instagram has 1 dup frame every 5 frames. iii. After deduplication, the movement becomes lag free and continuous.

2. Repair missing frames

At this point, our video clip is (hopefully) free of duplicate frames, which makes our gifs lag-free (yayy!!). At the same time, we don't want choppiness in our gifs either. Choppiness in a gif is usually caused by missing key (unique) frames. To check if there is any, replay the clip, look out for the sudden jumps/fast forwards in movements. Three possible scenarios:

a. no missing frames ↳ best case scenario! congrats!! plz proceed directly to step 3 b. a lot of missing frames ↳ This is usually the case if the target frame rate (of the clip you want to gif) exceeds the screen recording frame rate. ↳ Solution, imo: (surprise!) is to leave things be. Reason is that something like this would be quite tedious to fix, but not that noticeable if made into a gif that's fast enough ↳ Alternative solution: Record at 120 fps c. occasional missing frames If a video clip misses frames, but not a lot, chances are it's only gonna happen very occasionally, i.e. 1 or 2 occurrences in total. A frame-miss in this case is usually due to either the screen recording skipping a frame by mistake, or that the original video misses frames/contains bad frames to begin with. ↳ Solution (for screen recordings): record again, find missing frame (chances are it will be captured on a second try), insert frame back into original timeline in PS ↳ Solution (if video misses frames or contains bad frames to begin with): Let's talk about ✨ VFI ✨. VFI (Video Frame Interpolation) is the process of synthesizing in-between images from a given set of images. It can increase videos' frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), achieve smoother slomos, and by definition, also help with missing/bad frames. There are many software products that let you use VFI by simply dragging videos into the app and clicking 'export'. Afterwards, all we need to do is to find the missing frame generated by the app & insert it back into the original timeline in PS (ahh technology). For more info on VFI, see "4. Smoother slomo". ↳ Note that VFI processed footages will likely differ slightly from the originals in terms of colors & lightings. This may be tuned out using clipping masks (allow a group of adjustment layers to only apply to one frame/layer, keyboard shortcut: Command+Opt+G)

3. Speed Management in Photoshop (✨ updated ✨)

At this point, our clip is without dupe or missing frames (or at least as close as can be). Whether you dodged the first 2 steps like a breeze or freshly emerged victorious from photoshop covered in blood to get here, good news is, things will be very straightforward for this point on. congrats!!!

🎉🎊🎉

As mentioned before, in terms of smoothness, our clip is now in ideal shape. The important thing is to keep it this way throughout the rest of the process. My workflow looks something like this:

Open file, crop, resize, sharpen, color, export gif, reopen gif in photoshop (which won't compromise quality), assign frame delay, export finalized gif

If you're used to finding a comfortable frame delay or speed/duration combo at the beginning, this process might feel unnatural. But it's so so so so important to leave the speed related settings alone until right before exporting. Here's why:

By not converting frames with modified delays into timelines with fps, we avoid having to give our finished product a frame rate (which photoshop timelines have to specify). This is crucial bc, there is no such a thing as frame rates in gifs. According to the syntax of GIF89a (the current '.gif' format, screenshot below), gifs control their speeds through (and only through) how much time to wait in between frames, aka delay time. Our process above does exactly that. It compiles frames directly into gifs, and avoids expressing frame delays (a gif concept) through frame rates (a photoshop concept), a conversion where dupe frames and missing frames come from**. In other words, using frame delays to control speed is simply more natural to a gif's syntax. **Why would this conversion cause dupe frames? ↳ On paper, frame delays should translate into frame rates seamlessly (i.e. 1 second ÷ 0.06s per frame = 16.67 fps). In reality, photoshop does not support direct translations like this. When converting frame animations into timelines, PS defaults outputs to 30 fps, regardless of frame delays. This disagreement between frame rates is where dupe frames come from. ↳ Some examples: i. Consider a frame animation where frame delay = 0.04s (25 fps), to convert it into a timeline defaulted at 30 fps, 5 out of every 25 frames will be 'duplicated' by photoshop (30-25=5) ii. Now, consider a frame delay = 0.06s (16.67 fps roughly 17 fps), to convert it into a timeline defaulted at 30 fps, 13 out of every 17 frames will be 'duplicated' by photoshop (30-17=13) ↳ (the 'duplicated' was in quotes bc photoshop achieves this thru assigning a frame roughly twice it's original screen time instead of actually adding another) ↳ (afaik, currently there's no way of changing the default 30 fps as long as u start with frame animations. If anyone does know how please let me know 😳) **Why would this conversion cause missing frames? ↳ This happens when one tries to reverse the harm done by photoshop in prev step by changing the 30 fps frame rate back to what it's supposed to be (using function 'Set Timeline Frame Rate') ↳ Let's use the last example again. As mentioned, to go from 16.67 fps to 30 fps, 13 out of every 17 frames will receive roughly twice its original screen time (0.033s * 2 ≈ 0.07s). On the other hand, 4 out of every 17 frames' screen time will remain the same (0.03s). to go from 30 fps back to 16.67 fps, photoshop resamples frames from its 30 fps timeline in 0.06s intervals. As a result, any frame with screen time less than 0.06s runs the risk of 'slipping through the cracks', namely ones whose screen time remained 0.03s ↳ (gifs require frame delays to be rounded to the nearest hundredth of a second) ** What if I open the file as video object, instead of importing as frames? ↳ Indeed, when opening as video object (i.e. command+o instead of command+i), photoshop inherits its frame rate as is. We would then have the option to manipulate it's speed by right-click ➡️ adjusting the percentage (of how much to speed up or slow down). ↳ Here, if we slow down a gif without changing its frame rate, we risk introducing duplicate frames into the result (since frame rate is now higher than needed). If we slow down a gif and lowered the frame rate, but the math didn't check out, we also risk losing unique frames (frame rate not high enough). The same (opposite) goes for speeding things up. Therefore the best and easiest approach is, again, leaving speed related settings alone until right before exporting.

(the block of GIF89a syntax responsible for graphic control:)

Ok in hindsight this probably isn't exactly like. the most straightforward thing ever but the execution part is very much so 😳 here goes:

1. Open file in PS via Command + O note the (25 fps) on bottom left

without changing speed, duration, or frame rate: 2. Trim ✂️ 3. Crop 4. Resize 5. Sharpen 6. Color

(Updated!!!) 6. Export gif, and then reopen it in Photoshop **Compare to the original method (timeline into smart object, smart object back into frames), the updated method has the following benefits: i. Avoid lowering gif quality by converting into smart objects ii. Reopening gif into frames and reassign frame delay saves time (bc less steps) and won't hurt the quality at all (bc no image processing required)

7. Assign Frame Delay (i usually go with original frame delay + 0.01s) 8. Export ✨

Tada!! Speed = managed!!

This ad actually came out last December where I was aware of like, maybe 5% of what's in this post. Here is what my original gif looks like. I'd say what we have rn is a big improvement :)

Now, imo there are situations where it simply makes more sense to start with frame animations (imported using command + i). For instance: when we need to remove duplicate frames by hand, when there is a missing frame/bad frame that needs to be repaired, etc. My workflow would then look like this:

1. Command + i 2. (do things to frames) 3. Set frame delay to 0.03s 4. Convert to video timeline 5. (the rest will look exactly like the workflow above)

This works bc when frame delay is set to 0.03s, photoshop will treat your video timeline as a "natural" 30 fps timeline and leave your frames alone. Therefore maintains its uniform speed.

4. Smoother Slomo using Video Frame Interpolation

As mentioned above, VFI (Video Frame Interpolation) is the process of synthesizing in-between images from a given set of images. It can increase videos' frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), hence smoother slomos. There are many software products that let you use interpolation by simply dragging videos into the app and clicking 'export'. I've had very good experiences with Topaz and After Effects.

Let's talk about After Effects first. If you have Photoshop, chances are you have AE as well. To use AE's Keyframe Interpolation:

i. Import ii. Set speed to half iii. Click square twice until you see lil arrow iv. Export

Topaz is a production grade video enhancing software. It's capable of enhancing frame rates (i.e. 30 fps to 60 fps), increasing resolutions (i.e. 540p to 4K/2160p) and more. Unlike AE who uses only the two neighboring key frames to generate an in-between frame, Topaz takes the whole sequence into account, hence better reliability. It's also more user friendly than AE imo.

Here is a before-and-after interpolation using Topaz.

That's all 🎉🎉🎉

To sum up: remove dupe frames (if any), repair missing frames (if any), use and only use frame delay to control speed, and software enhance frame rate if needed.

This post got way longer and more technical than I had planned and I honestly have no idea where all this stuff came from lol. But it was really fun and I hope you'll find it helpful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Have fun moving-picture making!!

[sakasakiii]

hi!!! how long does an average panel of one of your comics take??

i love your work so much!! it got me into silmblr hehe

HI NONNIE!!! thank u sooooso much for checking in and for ur lovely ask! it means a lot to hear that my silly ol scribbles were what introduced u to the glorious landscape that is the tolkien fandom! on tumblr no less!! i hope you stay a real long time, and have a blast while you're at it 💖💖

now onto your question! that's some good food for thought uhhhh i can try to estimate?? its been a while but i shld have some rough ideas abt each that i can share! the time frame each comic/panel takes is highly dependent on WHAT kind of comic it is. i hv two kinds of comics I usually do: 1) full-length, and 2) goofy/4koma.

i have a few full-length comics laying about in my archive, but my most recent one/best example is Ghosts which was around uh.... 7 pages excluding the bonus panels! in terms of the process, i usually divide it into 5 stages:

Drafting: this is either the fastest stage OR the slowest depending entirely whether i know what im doing LMAO,, if i have a set idea for what i want to happen, i might get drafts done in a few hours, but if i flounder, it can take a few days 🤔

Lineart: relatively simple enough once i hv the draft down, so id say anything ranging from an hour to half a day if theres nothing else going on irl

Block colouring (main actors): there are DEFINITELY easier and more professional ways to do this with mass-selection and the lasso fill/bucket tool, but idk how to do that on SAI (my art program) so i colour everything by hand HAHA which makes the process longer.... half a day to a day?

Shading: THE WORST!!! definintely my least favourite bc i find it tedious due to all the details/prettification of elves that i am legally obliged to pour into this stage 😭😭 as a result, it can take days!!!

Background + Lighting + Final Rendering: similar to the previous stage haha it just depends on how much effort i wanna put into the final product looking nice. roughly a few days? it kind of meshes with stage 4 anyways haha

just for fun, i hope this process gif for page 6 can illustrate that 👇

these are just rough estimates, bc all in all, the time it takes so finish a page is really dependent on how free I am hahaha. Also, I usually work on full-length comics like Ghost which have more than one page all at once, which means I drafted all 7 pages at once, then did the lineart for all 7 pages at once, coloured at once, shaded rendered bla bla bla 😚 iirc, i think it took me 11 days in total to finish Ghosts before the end of June last year!

For goofy/4-koma, its usually just one page with less detailed/more cartoonish/chibi character styles so it takes a day or two days at most! again, it all boils down to how free i am hehe

YEAH SORRY THIS ENDED UP BEING AN INFO DUMP but thank you so much again for asking and letting me ramble! <3 i ended up having a lot of fun looking back on my drafts n thinking back on my processes.... theres defininitely room for improvement, but thats another worry for another day heheh 😎

[giowritess]

fortnight [3]

gif by @dameronscopilot

pairing | Benny Miller x female!reader [Grace Stratford]summary | you somehow end up pretending to be Benny's girlfriend for two whole weeks. is your heart going to survive that? probably not. warnings | making out? not sure that counts as a warning. curse words. benny miller is a warning himself word count | 1,5k author's note | this part is entirely dedicated to @murphys-guidelines bc i really loved the words they said <3 also, thank you for 400 followers!!! things are slowly (finally) starting to get steamy!! i don't know why, but i've started to imagine Grace as Andy Herrera on Station 19 season 5 (curly, dark-red hair), if anyone'd like a visual. as always, english isn't my first language and this wasn't proofread. enjoy! part two | masterlist | main masterlist

The moment Benny left the room, Maddie flooded you with questions that you replied as best as you could. To be honest, you didn't have that many answers for yourself, either. After you finally managed to dodge her inquiry of what conversation he was talking about—you loved her like a sister, but you weren't ready to divulge certain details yet—, you both enjoyed the rest of the day by the pool with the rest of the girls while the boys went fishing.

The whole time you were there, either laying on the chair or going for a swim, you felt Sam's eyes on you, glaring. A smirk played on your lips, even though it was just for show. If she was already jealous, Benny would need only snap his fingers once and she'd crawl back to him. That thought alone made you want to gag. Shit, you didn't want them to get back together, and you wanted to kick yourself in the gut for even suggesting it in the first place. You had to remember yourself he wasn't yours—he was just pretending to be.

So you made your best not to think about him the whole day, forcing your mind to think about anything else, even about take-off procedures. But you failed. Just when you thought you won, he came back to plague your thoughts—even during your shower, which you had to switch to the coldest temperature when you started to imagine him, shirtless, his golden chest glistening with sweat. 

Evening had already set when the boys finally got back, bringing the so eagerly waited fish for dinner. You didn't know shit about fishing, so you had no idea which kind of fish it was, happily waiting for dinner. And the moment you set eyes on Benny, shit. He was looking exactly like you pictured him, his chest glowing and slick with sweat from the activities of the day. He caught your eye from throughout the room and winked at you, smirking, and you felt your cheeks heating up and looked away—but then you remembered as far as everyone was concerned, he was your boyfriend. No one would find it weird. So you decided you were going to enjoy this perk of being Benny's girlfriend and downright ogled him whenever you could. Who knew when you'd have the same opportunity again, right? So, as he worked in the kitchen with the boys, doing only god knows what, you sipped your beer and enjoyed the show of his arms, his abs, his neck, everything. You could feel your fingers itching— you wanted so desperately to get your hands on him. Unfortunately, your show was cut short when he said he was taking a shower. The moment you saw him taking a step towards you, smirk still in his face, you backed away.

“I swear to God you'll lose your balls if you touch me all sweaty like this,” you wasted no time in telling him.

He rolled his eyes. “Dramatic.”

You thought you were clear, but the moment you tried to make your way past him, he grabbed you by the waist and planted some very wet kisses all over your face, his chest glued to yours, until you pushed him away, squeaking.

“You’re so dead!”

He only laughed as he vanished, escaping from your grasp. You couldn't deny that, even though he left you all stinky, there was a smile on your lips that only got bigger when you saw that your ex was watching intently. 

“Stratford!” Luke called out. “Wanna play some cards?”

“You mean, do I wanna kick everyone's ass? Hell yeah,” you replied, tossing your empty beer in the trash bin and grabbing another from the fridge, making your way towards the living room where they were all headed.

After winning four rounds in a row, they were all eager to get rid of you at the game table. You faked a yawn.

“I'm tired of winning,” you said, making them boo, and you laughed.

Even though you weren't that close with that many people, you were having a great time. Everyone was really nice, good to talk to, and you had no problem striking a conversation with anyone—that was, anyone that wasn't Sam, your ex and his new girlfriend.

Maddie started to play in your spot, so you sat on the couch quietly watching.

“Heard you're in the family now,” Will said, slipping in next to you. There was a suspicious smirk on his lips. “Finally.”

What? You raised an eyebrow, about to ask him what the fuck he meant with that, but then Benny showed up and all thoughts ceased to exist in your head. You smelled his addictive cologne before you felt his giant arms wrapping around your body, tugging you closer until your back hit his chest, making you sit between his open legs. His right hand stood at your sides, lightly grazing your thigh, while his left hand started to slowly creep its way upward your body and you felt your breath hitch. You weren't sure you could even speak, could even string two coherent sentences together. And then, to make matters even worse, his lips made contact with the skin on your neck while his hand gently pushed your hair out of the way.

“Benny,” you managed to croak out, your voice a thin whisper, “what are you doing?”

“Practicing.”

And that was it. You were putty in his hands. His hands that were doing an excellent work of massaging your skin, tracing circles on your shoulder and on your thigh, the sensations so good that, combined with the way he was kissing and nibbling at your neck, made the entire room fade away and made you want to moan out loud. His big, strong hands that you knew just how well they could take you apart, piece by piece, and then put you back together again. His touch on your thigh turned a bit more stronger as he sucked on your pulse point, and you automatically leaned to give him more access. You felt his chuckle against your skin, his warm breath and his cologne enveloping you in a cozy embrace, and you closed your eyes, enjoying the feeling of him on you and drawing out all the sounds around.

It was so, so good. So good to the point that it almost felt real.

That thought made your eyes pop open, awareness seeping into you like a bucket of cold water being thrown at your head that you were on a couch, in a room filled with friends, and all this, whatever it was that was happening, was a farce. It wasn't real. Nothing about it was. 

But then it was as if someone had tapped on your shoulder. It wasn't real. That was exactly the point. You both knew it wasn't real, so why the fuck couldn't you enjoy this hellhole you'd put yourself in? You hated yourself. That seemed the only logical, possible explanation as to why on earth you would willingly subject yourself to this, to the worst possible kind of torture. What a way to kill yourself.

Grace Stratford, cause of death: heart gave out because her fake boyfriend was too hot to handle. Among other things, like, a) he gave excellent kisses, b) very skilled fingers (and tongue), etc.

You forced yourself to relax against his chest so he wouldn't realize just how much your thoughts were spiraling, and you felt his arms wrap themselves even more tight around you. Being honest to God, it was funny. It was as if you were out of your own body and could see inside your head, could see the gears working at full speed and the thoughts piling one on top of another, and then derailing like a runaway train. It also felt as if you had a tiny angel and a tiny devil sitting at each of your shoulders, both feeding you conflicting thoughts. Honestly, you didn't have a clue what to do. Proper girlfriends enjoyed their boyfriend's PDAs, but there was nothing proper about you, about Benny, or about this fake relationship. There was nothing proper on what you felt for him, either.

Fuck. Yep, you definitely hated yourself.

You wanted to laugh. Just earlier you’d decided to enjoy the perks of being his fake girlfriend, enjoying the opportunity to ogle him. But now, when it got a little too real…

You had to make a choice. To let go, enjoy and make the most of this hellhole-situation, or not. You knew the price would be heavy on your heart, and you still weren't so sure that you wanted to pay it. And you didn't want to decide just yet, so you ended up taking the coward's way out. You fled to the kitchen, running out of Benny's lap faster than your legs could carry you when someone asked for help.

That night you made sure to go to bed before him just so you wouldn't have to face him and talk. Yeah, you knew that put you at the top position of the cowards’ leaderboard. Couldn't help yourself. It was easier to run away, so you pretended to be fast asleep when he went to sleep next to you.

Of course that didn't stop you from waking up wrapped around Benny's sculpture-made, hot and near naked body.

by @reveriesources

➜ part four

[vodika-vibes]

Heyoo!

I have a request, it’s a bit of a long gif so if ya don’t get to it or don’t wanna do it, it’s fine lol.

Anyways, my idea / request / prompt / Echo x Fem!Reader goes like this, kinda, feel free to take liberties

Echo, now I feel like he would be a nervous kinda guy when it comes to having a crush. Like, he just doesn’t know what to say and overthinks absolutely everything, and can’t rly take a hint. Before he got blown up, there was a girl, who he has a liiiitle crush on n such, (idk you can make her a mechanic, doctor, bartender, whatever idm)

And they were rly good “friends” n such r something, aaaand some time after he joins TBB he visits the old place where he used to reside with the other guys in the domino squad (I forget where *sob*) And she’s is surprisingly still there. Heartfelt angsty ?kinda? Maybe reunion yadayadaydada and a bit after that and after catching up, probably a day or two later they pick up hints that they like each other and eventually confess n StUfF, aaand ya, then he has to go back with TBB and they be sad, he invites her to join but she is hesitant, and bc the other squad members don’t even know her she ends up saying no- aaaaand ya-

( 💀 omg i don’t even know anymore )

Idk it’s a very weird prompt, I’m making this up as I go, so feel free to pick and choose, take or add, whatever u wanna do

Again if u don’t wanna do it that is perfectly fine, just a thought. Love your work! <33

I Dream Of Forever

Summary: Summary: You’ve been a bartender on Rishi since you were old enough to take orders correctly. Echo was a Clone Trooper turned ARC Trooper stationed on Rishi who was a little more than friends with you. You legitimately believe he’s dead. But when a group of clones land on Rishi, you come face to face with the man you hoped would be your forever.

Pairing: TBB Echo x F!Reader

Word Count: 2201

Warnings: Some suggestive moments, but nothing detailed

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: I thing I got the general vibe you want, but if I didn't please let me know and I'll do something else.

You’ve been a bartender at the same bar on Rishi since you were ten years old. Your parents had debts to the bar owner, and they sold you to make up for it. Well, you and your siblings.

You’re the lucky one.

Your…owner? Guardian? Whatever he is, he treats you like a beloved granddaughter. He buys you clothes and food and allows you to go to school…and until you reached the age of majority at 18, you only had to work four hours a night four days a week. 

He even paid for you to go to college, and he pays you well enough that you have your own home here on Rishi.

You’re lucky.

Your older brother, you know, ended up becoming a gladiator in the Outer Rim, and last you heard he’s an enforcer for the Hutt Cartel. Your older sister, however, became a drug runner for a Spice Cartel and last you heard she’s moving from rehab center to rehab center.

You’re lucky.

Maybe if you repeat it often enough, you’ll believe it.

All things considered, Rishi isn’t the worst place to spend your life. The area you live in is warm and bright and right on the water. Not to mention you’ve got several friends here that you would miss if you left…or if the Empire decides to actually deal with the pirate problem.

You’re not worried though.

The Republic’s war with the Separatists barely touched Rishi afterall, aside from having a single watch station that has been abandoned for years now.

And you don’t expect that the Empire will push too much.

Your gaze drifts from the food stall that you’re visiting, lingering on the small, almost overgrown, old Republic comm station. Once upon there had been five men stationed there. Hevy, Droidbait, Cutup, Fives, and Echo.

While you had some concerns as to how the pirates of Rishi would react to obvious soldiers spending time in their bars…people were surprisingly okay with them. More than one of them getting an offer to join different crews.

A small smile lifts your lips at the memory of your boys laughingly turning down offers of pirate crew memberships.

The Dominos had been Rishi’s, more so than the Republics, and people raged when they heard that they died.

First when Droidbait and Cutup died, and then later when they heard that Hevy was killed on Kamino. And then even later when Echo was blown up, and then Fives was killed-

Fives’ death was kind of the final straw for Rishi. 

Even now, the Pirates of Rishi are more than happy to raid imperial vessels, in honor of their Dominos.

You step around a group of Mercs, all of whom have dominoes tattooed on their hands, and start to meander your way back to your home. You miss them. All of them.

But, if you’re going to be honest, you probably miss Echo the most.

He was a lot like his brothers, loud and boisterous, and always ready with a joke or a quip, or to finish a joke that his twin set up. He was always the first to greet you with a grin, and the last to say goodbye at the end of the night.

But, unlike his brothers, he flirted with you a little shyly, as though he wasn’t sure what he was doing.

It was charming and sweet, and you found yourself smitten with him. 

He didn’t, quite, get over his shyness with you even after the first time you invited him into your home with tempting kisses. He was still a little shy even after the tenth time you invited him into your home, and your bed, with teasing touches and adoring kisses.

You wanted forever with him, and you thought, hoped, that he wanted the same.

And then he left, and you never heard from him again.

You suppose, in a way, it makes sense. Why would a soldier want to slum it with a bartender who’s technically a slave.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

After all, you still dream of forever with Echo. Only now, your dreams are definitely castles in the air.

After all, dead men don’t get happily ever afters.

“We need to land somewhere,” Tech says to his brothers, a frown on his face, “The damage to the ship is…far too severe for me to repair without landing.”

“Where can we land, though?” Wrecker asks, “It’s not like there are a large number of places that will accept us.”

Echo eyes the star map speculatively, “I…may have an idea.” He offers, as his gaze lands on a specific planet. A bright smile dances across your memory, and a loving laugh echoes in his ears.

He’s a kriffing fool.

Hopefully she won’t turn him away.

“Well?” Hunter prompts when Echo doesn’t continue right away.

“I think we should go to Rishi.” Echo says slowly.

“Rishi!” Tech sputters.

“That’s a pirate planet, Echo.” Hunter says, “They won’t react well-”

“Do you have a better idea?” Echo asks.

The room falls silent for a moment, and then Tech sighs, “It is up to you, Hunter. Rishi is the closest planet we can land on.”

Hunter pushes his hand through his hair, “Fine. Do it.”

An hour later, the Marauder lands on an open pad, and no one comes to the ship to speak to them. “Is this…normal?” Tech asks.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Echo replies with a shrug, “We should probably not wear our armor here,” He adds. He’s already changed into civilian attire, and he’s somewhat anxiously rubbing his arm just over where his scomp is attached. 

“Why?”

“Because our armor screams ‘clones’ and I’m not sure how the pirates will react to seeing clones now.” Echo replies dryly, “I’ve heard rumors of Rishi based Pirates raiding Republic and Imperial transports lately.”

Hunter agrees that it’s a reasonable precaution, and they all hurriedly change into civilian attire, before they get off the ship, with Omega clinging to Wrecker’s hand. And then, almost as one, they turn to Echo.

Echo sighs and rubs the back of his head, and then he turns and heads deeper into the city.

Some things have changed, new people, new stalls, but most everything else is the same. He pauses in front of a specific bar, and peers in, his dark eyes scanning the faces of the bartenders for a moment, before he motions for his brothers to follow him some more.

“Are you lookin’ for someone?” Wrecker asks.

“Yeah. Someone who, hopefully, won’t be too angry at me and will be willing to help.” Echo says.

“A friend?” Omega asks.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Echo leads them away from the shops and docks, and over to a row of apartments. He scans the buildings for a moment, before he turns and heads to one of the smaller buildings, and he stops in front of a plain door, with flower boxes in the windows.

His lips curl up in a small smile, Fives made those flower boxes early one morning when he was hyped up on Caf. They were crooked and lopsided, but it looks like she kept them. Though it looks like she painted them. “Wait here.” Echo says to his siblings, before he walks over to the door, and he knocks twice.

“Just a moment!” Her voice comes from the other side of the door, and Echo doesn’t fight his smile.

She sounds exactly the same. 

Stars, please don’t let her be too mad.

The door slides open, “Yes? Can I help yo-” She stops mid-sentence when she sees who’s standing there, “...Echo?”

“You grew your hair out,” Echo replies, a small smile lifting his lips, “It looks good. You look amazing. I’m sure you have a question or twenty, cyar’ika-”

Echo’s not able to finish his sentence as she flings her arms around him and crashes her lips against his. His arms fold tightly around her and he immediately kisses her back, and it’s almost as if no time has passed at all. 

If he focuses, he can almost hear Fives wolf-whistling and hear Cutup making lewd comments.

And then reality snaps back into place when he hears Tech’s dry voice, “Ah. That kind of friend.”

Echo carefully pulls back, and reaches up to gently cup her cheek, using his thumb to brush a tear away, “I’m sorry for not comming you, cyar’ika.”

She shakes her head, “We were told that you died.” She whispers, “Fives said…” She trailed off, “And then Fives died, and, kriff, the death of the last Domino started a war between the pirates of Rishi and the Republic/Empire, why would you bring them here?”

“Our ship is damaged-” Echo started.

“Get in. In. All of you!” She drags Echo into her home, and she doesn’t shut the door until Hunter is in the apartment as well. “Honestly Echo,” She rounds on him, “If you commed I would have told you to go literally anywhere else.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d answer.” Echo replies.

There are pictures of her with Echo, and with the rest of the dominoes on the walls. There are also pictures of her with a large, scarred man. And of her with a too slender woman.

“What do you need? I can probably get most of the materials sent to your ship.” She says.

“I have a list.” Tech offers as he hands her his datapad.

She copies it and sends the list to several of her friends, “Alright, you should have most, if not all, of what you need by the morning.”

“Are we in danger here?”

“On Rishi specifically? No. Not so long as you don’t draw attention to yourself.” She replies, “I’d offer to let you spend the night, but I don’t have much room.”

“We can stay on the ship,” Tech replies.

“Echo, are you going to stay here?” Omega asks.

Echo doesn’t take his gaze off of his cyar’ika, “If I’m allowed?”

“I’ve never turned you away before.” She counters.

Echo smiles at her, “Do you remember the way back to the docks?”

“I remember.” Tech says, “Come on.”

The door opens, and then closes again, leaving Echo alone with his cyar’ika.

She smiles at him, soft and warm and slow, “You used to be shyer about public displays of affection.”

“I used to have legs and two hands too,” Echo replies, it's a weak joke, but a joke all the same. “I’m so sorry I never commed you.” He says after a moment, “I thought…it felt cruel, reaching out to you when I couldn’t actually touch you.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

“Echo. I forgive you.” She walks over to him and she kisses him as if no time has passed at all, all loving and soft and sweet.

She’s always been unfairly tempting. Her lips and her touch encourage him to stay and enjoy what she’s offering. And Echo has always been helpless to deny her. 

He’s not surprised when he falls into her bed, her lips needy against his.

Later, much later, they’re lounging in her bed, and Echo is trailing his lips across her bare shoulder.

“Cyar’ika,” He murmurs against her shoulder, “Come with me.”

“Come with you where?” She asks, her voice light and dreamy.

“On the Marauder. Away from Rishi. I’ll protect you-”

She turns and looks at him, her smile so sad, “You know I can’t.”

“You deserve so much better than being a slave for your parents' debts,” Echo whispers.

She rolls so that she’s facing him properly, “Echo, your brothers don’t know me. And if I had to guess, your ship is pretty small. Me going with you isn’t fair to them.”

“You deserve more.” Echo repeats.

“I don’t like life is about what we deserve,” She replies, as she reaches up to cup his face, “So, in the morning, you’re going to return to your ship, to your brothers…and you’re going to leave Rishi. And you’re going to go back to not comming me, and it’s just how it’s going to be.”

“No.”

“Echo.” She sighs his name, and he shifts so he’s looking right in her eyes.

“No.” He repeats, “I’ve given up so much. My body, my batchmates, my twin. I’m not giving you up. Let me be greedy. Just about this one thing.”

She sighs again, but she looks touched. “How about…a deal?”

“What kind of deal?”

“My contract with my…owner is coming to an end. At the end of the year, I’ll have made enough to pay off my parents' tab with him.” She says softly, “On that day, I will comm you and come to where you are. No matter where you might be.”

“Do you promise?”

She laughs softly, “Echo, I’ve been dreaming of forever with you since the first day we met. Now that I have the chance to have it, it would take an act of god to stop me.”

Echo crashes his lips against hers, “I want forever too,” He breathes against her lips, “So we have a deal.”

She smiles at him, “I love you, Echo.”

He blinks at her, momentarily surprised, and then he laughs and kisses her deeply, “I love you too.”