#red red red I just thought of like…the perfect comparison for how I imagine their relationship

[buckyalpine]

Okay okay, that Wakanda Bucky imagine was soooooo hella cute 🥺❤️

Would you do a continuation of it where they live happily in the hut and maybe with some smuuuuut ? 🙊 The idea of him in that Hut, all cozy and romantic is not leaving my mind

WAKANDA BUCKY? YES, I will gladly give you more (this can be read as a standalone) There's something about Bucky in Wakanda that's just so soft and comforting to me. That sweet baby with his goats, just living in peace for the first time ever in a place where no one can hurt him. It's also the first place where he can just be himself without the pressure of worrying about anything else.

Just you and him.

He's just so in love with you; his words can only do so much. He wants to make you feel good in the most intimate way possible. He wants to physically give you what words won't translate.

He's nervous though.

He knows you love him for all of his imperfections; there's no doubt you adore every single bit of him. He has no reason to worry about what you'd think.

But this beautiful sweet boy is shy anyway.

Too shy to tell you he wants to make love. Too shy to slip his hands onto your bare skin even though he knows you wouldn't stop him. Too shy to even insinuate he wants more. Ever since you've moved into his hut, he'd wanted you closer. You cuddle every night and he loves the feel of your soft body nuzzled right by his side but its just not enough. He always tells you he loves you and how much you mean to him but it doesn't compare to the way he wants to just melt into you.

He manages to hold his tongue until one night when he just can't anymore. He's cuddled up on your chest while you both lay in his cot and he feels so safe and loved. He wants you now, more than ever. He doesn't even want to take you apart and wreck you; he just wants to love on you softly but he's not even sure if he can, I mean he only has one arm-

"What is it Buck" You whisper, carding your fingers softly through his locks, pushing back the few strands that fell from his half tied hair. "What you thinking about" you let your finger trace over his features, smoothing the crease between his brows that he makes when he's deep in thought. He blushes at you catching his mind in action, blinking with wide eyes before chewing his lip.

"I-

"What is it sweet boy" You continue to let your fingers gently dance over his face and the action makes him purr, leaning for more of your touch.

"I want you"

"You have me baby" You whisper, your heart beating a little faster wondering if he was implying what you were thinking, what you'd been wanting and craving for ages-

"No angel, I want you" He says in earnest hoping you'd understand, "I just-I'm not sure how" He looks down at himself, now afraid to meet your eyes. How could he make you feel good if he only had so much to work with. "I want to make you feel good"

He hesitantly lets his hand slide along your hip up to your waist and slipping under your shirt. The feeling of your bare skin is already so addicting, he starts to work at taking your clothes off as soon as you nod with a needy please. He finds you so unbearably gorgeous when you're naked on his bed and at one point he thinks that might be enough.

Your bare form is everything to him and he'd do anything to worship your more sacred places.

He'd be such a precious baby when it comes to you undressing him. The pink on his cheeks spreads to his ears and he can't help but gush at the way you kiss every scar and freckle on his skin when you let his robe drop to the floor.

"You're perfect" You whisper and he shakes his head because he's nothing in comparison to you. Not with all those angry red lines scattered across his chest, scars covering most of his skin.

"Not like you angel, I'm not-

"You are. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are soldier, how perfect and strong your body is" You don't let him argue, a gasp slipping past his lips when you wrap your hand around his length and start to pump. He's about to protest again because this is about you but he has no idea how long you've been waiting to do this for him.

"Please Bucky" You softly beg and he's an absolute goner when you wrap your hand around his aching length. Just when he thinks it couldn't get any better; your warm soft palm stroking him up and down, you tell him how beautiful and perfect he is and he swears he could cry.

"Look at how pretty you are baby" You coo, perched between his spread legs, leaning over to suckle the tip, humming at the taste, "Can't believe you hid this all from me for so long baby"

"Another-fuck sweets-another night, God I'll cum-you gotta stop" He whines as you release with a pop, your lips covered in his slick. He pulls you to lie down beside him, thinking about all the times he imagined making love to you. Looking into your eyes, letting his body cage you from the rest of the world, just you and him and nothing else.

But it wasn't easy with 1 arm.

"M'sorry baby, I-" Bucky stuttered, feeling unsteady as he hovered above you.

"Lay down for me" You cut off his rambling with a kiss to his lips before letting his head fall against the pillow. "Just wanna feel you Jamie, be close to you" You moan, rubbing your now dripping pussy all over his cock. "Want you inside me"

"Put my cock in you angel" Bucky's feral side made an appearance while he held his length letting you line up with the tip, the both of you gasping at the feeling of him finally pushing into you. "Fuck babydoll, wanted this so bad"

"oh fuck" You threw your head back at the feeling, all the pieces inside you coming together as you sank all the way down making you feel complete. "You feel so good inside me Bucky" You whined, grinding and rocking yourself on his thick length, feeling him in your belly.

"C'mere angel, please" He begged, reaching for you and pulling you causing you to fall onto his chest. He planted his feet and started to thrust up making you cry out. "Wanted to make love to you baby, I-fuck I love you so much, wanna make you feel so good"

"Feels-so-good-hng" You whimpered between thrusts, nipping and sucking bruises onto his neck while he held onto you tightly with his arm. "I'm-so close-

"I'll make you feel good" Bucky groaned, pushing you back up and slipping his hand between your bodies while you leaned back and held onto his thighs. You cried out as he found your clit, moaning louder with you and he toyed with your pussy.

"That feel good baby?" He panted, letting his thumb rub your clit in fast circles, your silky soft bud throbbing against the digit, "You look so pretty with my cock in you angel, cum for me, cum for me pretty girl"

It didn't take long for you to shatter around him, and Bucky followed right behind. He nearly sobbed as you collapse against his chest while he pumped you full of his load, not bothering to pull out long after his cock softened. Cuddling with you with his spent cock warm in your soaked pussy was his favorite part of the night. Nothing was more intimate than the both of you so closely connected, whispering sweet nothings while tangled under the soft sheets, the both of you falling asleep in the warm, cozy air of the hut.

[lucysarah-c]

Thinking about Levi being this amazing lover who leaves you breathless is great, amazing, perfect. Love it.

Then why does my mind tend to wander so much to Levi being sexually frustrated? Like this man closed up in the scouts after being taken out of the underground, stuck with a bunch of other guys in the barracks. Levi cherishes his privacy; he may have been young when he left the underground, but there's no way he's going to be jerking off under some thin blanket with the stink of mothballs while the others sleep. Then he finally gets his own room, his own office, bathroom, everything, but... he's so overwhelmed with work that he hardly has time to think about anything else.

He knows he's the one who reprimands the cadets if they are being hormonal little shits. But then some nights he simply can't help it. Hand on the slippery tiles, gripping it in vain as he bites his bottom lip and his hand works relentlessly on his cock. Squeezing it in all the right spots, playing with his own balls the way he knows drives him crazy. Some nights he gets off more than twice, but it's not the same. His mind replays vivid memories from the humid, dark dead ends of the underground city. With rushed quickies and the passionate recklessness of youth. No, his hand even pales in comparison to the memory of having his dick milked dry by some warm, slippery cunt.

Then, that's when you come into his thoughts. He simply can't stop thinking about you; he feels like he's a teenager all over again, and he hates it. He wets his sheets like a pre-teen having dreams. He brews you a tea that you softly blow on because it's too hot, and he simply can't help but imagine your gorgeous lips so close to his dick, smiling mischievously but not touching him. Your body in the harness only fuels wild thoughts of how he would tie you up, force you into position, snap those belts against your skin until it's boiling red.

And perhaps, just perhaps... the real reason why he asks for a blow job before he ravages you in bed is eagerness under the guise of dominance. He's scared of not lasting long enough if he doesn't finish once, perhaps making himself look like a fool and cumming as soon as he finally feels the welcoming heat of your velvet walls.

But Levi would never admit it, of course not.

Tags!: @nube55 @justkon @notgoodforlife @nmlkys @humanitys-strongest-bamf @quillinhand @thoreeo @darkstarlight82 @i-literally-cant-with-this @angelofthorr @aomi04 @levisbrat25 @fxnnyackerman @secretmoneybearvoid @s0meb0dy-0nce-t0ld-me @trashblackrainbow @l3visthighs @@hum4n-wr3ckag3 @hannieslovebot @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @flxrartsstuff @starrylevi @rithty @mariaace @ackrmntea @emilyyyy-08 @levisfavoriteteashop @katestrophes @katharinasdiaryy @ackermanswifee Wanna join my tag list? Here!

[thedensworld]

I need your fluff scoups please🥺

Time for the Rose | C.Sc

Pairing: Scoups x Readera

Genre: Fluff, established relationship

Summary: you found out how he always got you flower at the perfect time.

Not only are you dating at the perfect time, but you are also dating the perfect man. Seungcheol loves giving you flowers ever since he discovered your secret fondness for them. It was during his first visit to your place when he noticed a bouquet of fresh flowers laying on your kitchen countertop. His mind immediately raced, wondering, "Who's the guy brave enough to give you flowers?" Especially when he thought he had made it clear to everyone that you were his.

"I got those myself after work," you explained, noticing the puzzled look on his face.

Seungcheol tilted his head, still uncertain. "You got them?" he asked, seeking confirmation. You nodded enthusiastically, taking the bouquet and showing it to him.

"Isn't it pretty? I usually get roses, but they were sold out. So daisies are my second choice," you said with a bright smile.

Seungcheol smiled back, charmed by your excitement over the flowers. To him, they paled in comparison to your beauty. In his eyes, you were the most beautiful thing in the room.

From that moment on, Seungcheol made it a point to bring you flowers regularly. It became his way of showing his affection and making sure that the sight of fresh blooms never left your kitchen countertop.

He loves seeing the flowers he gives you sit in vases around your house. Sometimes they are red, pink, or white. You always say that the kind doesn't matter, but he knows you love it every time he hands you red roses. The smile on your face that reaches your eyes, the sound of your laughter every time he shows up from afar with a bouquet in his hand—these are the moments he cherishes the most.

Oh, how he loves those moments. He makes sure to keep them forever, capturing each one in his heart like a precious photograph.

Besides that, Seungcheol loves that you get flowers for other people, a fact that makes him fall even harder for you. It was lunchtime when he picked you up from work to have lunch together. On the way back to the office, you asked him to stop at the flower shop.

"Didn't I get you some flowers just a few days ago, love?" he asked, worried that maybe he was forgetting something.

You nodded with a smile. "These are for Minji. It's her birthday today."

Seungcheol watched as your smile grew wider the moment you entered the flower shop. Your eyes closed with every breath you took, savoring the scent of the flowers. He couldn't help but look at your face closely, feeling grateful to be the man standing beside you with your arm linked to his.

Seeing you this happy over something so simple made his heart swell with love. He couldn't imagine anyone else being in his place, sharing these precious moments with you.

"What do you want to get for her?" he asked, his mouth drawing closer to your ear, a habit he had whenever he spoke to you.

You turned your head to him, your eyes sparkling. "I was thinking of getting yellow roses, but everything looks so pretty here," you said, your mouth pouting in a way that Seungcheol found utterly adorable.

"Why do you like flowers so much?" Seungcheol finally asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"They're pretty," you said simply. "And they have meaning. You know I love things that are subtle and symbolic."

Seungcheol nodded. You always had a penchant for the symbolic, for gestures that spoke volumes without needing words. It was one of the many things he adored about you.

"Like yellow roses for friendship, sunflowers to show adoration, and irises to show faith and hope," you continued.

Seungcheol smiled, his thoughts drifting to your favorite flower. "How about red and white roses?" he asked.

You pondered for a moment before selecting yellow lilies and white daisies for Minji and asking the staff to arrange them into a bouquet. You shifted your attention back to him and smiled. "Love and purity."

Seungcheol shook his head in disbelief, guiding you out of the store. Though he prided himself on his masculinity, he found himself considering learning about flowers just for you. Every time he saw the joy they brought to your face, he knew it was worth it.

*

You finally visited Seungcheol's office after a long time. He had sent you a text earlier saying he would be busy today and couldn’t pick you up for lunch. However, you asked if it would be okay to visit him instead, and his response was ecstatic. Seungcheol just loved having you around.

Seungcheol waited for you in front of the elevator, a wide smile spreading across his face as soon as he saw your figure revealed by the opening doors. He immediately took everything from your hands, the lunch you brought for the two of you, as he walked you to his office. His staff mostly knew who you were by now. Seungcheol had made it clear that he was dating someone amazing and had proudly introduced you to everyone. They seemed to enjoy the sight of their boss looking completely smitten every time you visited.

Once inside his office, Seungcheol set the lunch down on his desk and turned to you, his eyes filled with affection. "I’m so glad you came," he said, pulling you into a warm embrace.

You two were conversing comfortably as you savored the lunch you brought. You asked him about the job that had kept him busy, and he explained it to you in detail. While talking, your eyes wandered around his office and landed on something that piqued your interest. A single red rose sat in a vase on his desk.

"You have a rose in your office?" you asked excitedly.

He nodded with a smile. "That's your flower."

You didn't understand, so you asked, "What do you mean, my flower?"

"I always take one of your flowers and take care of it just like you do, so I know when it's time to get you another one," he explained.

Your body felt like it had stopped working. That's how he knew how long they would last.

Everything made sense now. He always seemed to know the perfect time to get you a bouquet of flowers—always exactly a day before your current ones began to wilt. Typically, your flowers would last 10 days to two weeks, but sometimes they withered sooner. Yet, Seungcheol always had another bouquet ready, as if he had been with you, watching over the flowers together.

You smiled, feeling a rush of warmth and affection. "You really pay attention to everything, don't you?"

He shrugged with a modest grin. "I just want to make sure you always have something beautiful to look at."

You reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you, Seungcheol. For everything."

He leaned in, "anything for you," he murmured, his voice filled with sincerity.

You looked him in the eyes, your gaze full of adoration, and you couldn't help but pull him closer and kiss him right away. He seemed flustered and mumbled, "We're at my office, love," but you didn't care. You loved him so much and felt an urgent need to let him know.

"I love you, babe," you whispered, smiling as your palm rested on his cheek, caressing it slowly.

Seungcheol closed his eyes as his smile grew wider. "Fuck it, I love you too, love," he said before grabbing the nape of your neck and pulling you in for a kiss.

A kiss at lunchtime in his office.

Seungcheol was glad he had installed blinds in his office two weeks ago.

[courtingchaos]

Nectarine

Eddie Munson x Fem Reader

Warnings: Talk of body parts in a sexy way. Comparison of the female body to fruit, implied white/light-skinned reader due to analogy/prose. I had this very particular phrase stuck in my head and it comes across as that. Uh, I just really like how it reads so that’s why I’m putting a warning here because I didn’t want to take it out.

A/N: I’ve hung on to this for like two months now because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post it but I was rereading it tonight and I forgot how much I like writing from Eddie’s perspective. So also have this thing too.

18+ NSFW No Minors

He’s never been jealous of fruit before.

Never had the urge to rip a nectarine out of someone’s hand and huck it right into the pool for making him feel like this. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the spectacle since you bit into it, that first bite crunching through the mottled white and red flesh. You’d come out from the kitchen of Steve’s house with it already wedged between your teeth while you balanced pizzas in your hands and he’d shot right up to help. You’d laughed around the mouthful and when he’d taken the boxes you pulled the fruit away from your lips, the sound of you sucking up the spit that had dribbled against them making him almost burst.

There’s something suggestive in the way the colors meld on the skin. The deep red giving under your teeth to reveal the pale flesh, juices rushing your fingers and down your chin. He watches you laugh and jump when some of it drips down onto your chest and he watches you try to wipe it away while keeping your top in place.

He’d been stock still, leaned over the pizzas and it’s Dustin elbowing him that makes him realize he was for real staring, mouth agape and fingers clenched around greasy cardboard. You’ve been too busy laughing it up with Robin to notice him going absolutely insane.

“Dude get the fuck out of the way.” Dustin says under his breath and Eddie just slaps the back of his head.

“Language, asshole.” The ensuing shove and slap fight makes Eddie forget for a brief moment the erotic fruit imagery happening on one of Steve’s parents matching loungers. He lets Dustin win when he goes for Eddie’s hair and gets to run off with his pizza instead.

Eddie can hear the light edge of your laughter and another crunch when you bite through another not-so-ripe part of the nectarine and it sends him right into the pool. He knows he can hover by the edge and keep his interest hidden but also still remain conversational so he does a soft somersault into the deep end. Swims for the side you’re seated on and breaches the water as you decide to lean forward to dig through your big pool bag. Cleavage stares him down and he furiously rubs at his eyes and bitches about the chlorine content to cover the tears he’s sure are streaming down his face. There’s a rivulet of shine along the top of one breast, dipping right down the middle and he imagines running his tongue along it. Chasing that line of sweetness to the inside of your swim top to make you giggle like Robin does with her dumb jokes.

Another bite, more red disappearing to reveal pale pale pale. He wants to peel back that stupid coverup you have wrapped around your waist to reveal your pale thighs. He could rip it back with his teeth too, pull it clean off your body so he could revel in the softness of them. They’d give under his teeth and he’d be so careful leaving only the most perfect love bites.

“Eddie?”

His attention snaps to Robin where she stares at him with concern on her brow. “What?”

“I asked if you ate?”

“I will!” He whines at her and she catches his quick glance at you. Her mouth falls open slightly and he gives her a death glare, a warning to back off he’ll do it himself.

“Dustin’s gonna eat that whole pizza if you aren’t careful.” Robin sings at him and she gets up, tossing a wink his way.

“Not hungry?” You ask him through another bite and he catches a hint of deep pink under the pale. His thoughts race towards the unreachable, the warm pink hidden between your thighs and he wonders if the color is the same.

“Uh” his toes barely graze the bottom of the pool, his arms keeping him clutched to the side and floating “not for Pizza, no.”

Your giggle makes your nose scrunch under your big sunglasses and you hold your hand out, offending fruit held out at eye level for him. “Want a bite?”

The ever suffering sigh he suppresses rivals the eye roll he stops in its tracks. Of course he wants a bite. He wants to fit his teeth in the grooves you left there, taste your spit with the nectar and-

There’s no recovering from the show he’d give everyone if he got out of the water now so he just pulls himself even closer to the tiles. Squeezes his eyes shut tightly, tilts his head and shakes it quick. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Can I get you anything? Steve’s got a bunch of stuff in the house.” You scoot forward and that wrap inches up your legs and splits open to reveal one long calf.

“Could you get me another beer?” He says it a little too quick.

“Totally!”

He watches your hips sway the thin fabric around when you walk up towards the house and maybe he doesn’t hate it so much when it clings to your clammy skin. The swell of your hip holds the door open for Nancy and Eddie wishes it was his head pressed into your side.

He begins to wonder if it’s possible to be too horny.

There’s a jet of water at the back of his head suddenly and he turns to see Lucas holding a water gun.

“Quit sulking.” He jokes and Robin elbows him like she’s gotten him in on a secret.

You’ve obviously gotten distracted inside and he’s fine with that. Gave him time to calm down and roll his tongue back into his mouth after he obliterated Lucas and Robin in the water gun battle. He floats on his back under the midday sun, arms hooked over a float, positive he’s burning but too comfortable to care. The laughter at the other end of the pool is his white noise to drift off to until he feels a shift in the water and he’s being spun ever so slowly to face the steps in the shallow end.

“Sorry, I was talking to Max.” You come into view slowly, a smirk directed down at him while he blinks under his sunglasses.

“Thought you got lost in the mansion.”

You scoff and hold his beer up so he can see it. He lets out a small ‘oh!’ and holds out a hand for it. “Thank you.” He’s still spinning with lazy momentum so he only catches the tail end of your gaze before he takes a sip and almost gives himself a nosebleed. The rim of the bottle is sweet like a stone fruit and when he thrashes around to stand up in the water you’ve already made your way back to dry land.

The sky is painted in purples and blues and when the lightning bugs come out everyone wants the fire pit lit. Steve obliges, ever the host, and the ‘adults’ are left to yell at the ‘kids’ about not wasting all the marshmallows by throwing them at each other.

This close to fall the nights get cooler and you still haven’t put on anymore clothes. Eddie has been watching from his side of the pool, his safety barrier that Robin commented on.

“You’ll never get her from all the way over here, amigo.”

“I’m trying to not embarrass myself, hombre.”

From his post by the deep end he can see you shiver and try to wrap your thin coverup over your shoulders to no avail. Nancy offers her sweater and you roll your eyes and laugh, an obvious gesture between the two of you where you point out her tiny frame. Steve is in the middle of suggesting a blanket when Eddie jumps up from his lounge and yells about a flannel in his van.

“You don’t have to go all the way out front for me!” You holler after him and he waves you off. When he comes back he’s in his own hoodie, his old button up slung over his arm.

“See? No big deal.” He hands it over to you. “I needed my ho-oodie anyways.” He stutters hard when you stand to push your arms through and he can see your nipples pushing against your frankly too small swim top. The swell of your breast disappear from sight, along with the most important thing he’s seen all day when you tuck the flannel around you.

“Thank you so much, can’t believe I forgot real clothes.” You laugh and Eddie laughs and from behind him he can hear Robin laugh and his sandal covered foot reaches back and connects with her shin. You take the stack of graham crackers that Mike offers you before you pause and bury your nose into the crook of the elbow of his shirt. “Did you wear this recently?”

“M-me? Uh, I don’t-I mean-”

“It smells really good.”

Eddie laughs again and Robin yanks the back of his hoodie until he sits hard next to her in one of the plastic chairs.

“You sound like a moron.” She mimics his laugh while spearing a marshmallow.

“I don’t sound like that at all.” Eddie mirrors her movements. “I told you I didn’t want to embarrass myself.”

“Well you’re doing a stellar job.” She gives him a sarcastic thumbs up and Eddie decides to just sit and listen. He roasts his marshmallow to a crisp, the s’mores he makes turning into a runny mess that he shoves in his mouth too fast. He can see Robin and Steve share a look and before he can reach over to give Robin a shove, your gentle hand is in his face.

“You got a little….” Your index finger runs along the side of his cheek, puffed out with half chewed s’mores, to wipe off the smear of chocolate there. “There you go.” A smile while you hold your finger in front of him and surely you don’t expect him to lick your finger.

His eyes glance nervously between your face and your proffered finger and never once do you waver. Is that a hint of a dare he catches in your look? Could he inch his tongue out to lap at the pad of your finger? One long lick and he could suck the whole thing into his mouth and really cause a scene out here in the encroaching dark.

A yelp makes both of you jump, a tussle breaking out between the boys and Eddie breathes a sigh of relief knowing every eye was not on him taking the longest pause of his life. You wipe your finger off on a towel and he mourns the loss of an opportunity to taste you again. That brief flavor that lingered on his beer still branded into his mind, the idea of you stealing a sip on the way out to him to deliver it making him grin. Payment in the form of a kiss to glass, at least that’s how he was looking at it.

From his side he can feel two pairs of eyes burning into his skull but he refuses to look at the Wonder Twins and their big dopey eyes they’re probably giving him. Instead he grabs another handful of marshmallows and sets to roasting them, loftily avoiding any questions that might get directed his way.

The night ends late and it ends with the only other available ride being asleep on his couch, face smooshed into Robins shoulder.

“You can see if you can squeeze in with Nancy? But she’s got all the kids.” She whispers at you while Eddie lingers by the door. He’s already said his goodbyes but stopped when he heard you ask about a lift home.

“Uh, well…”

“You can see if you can still catch Eddie.” Robin’s voice sparkles with the ‘sudden’ idea. “I didn’t hear his van yet so he’s probably still out front.” There’s a light snore from Steve that you both giggle at and Eddie tries to open the door as quietly possible.

“Do you think he’d mind?”

“Who Eddie? No, he’d love to. Always trying to help out.”

Eddie rolls his eyes when he gets out in the front step. Could she lay it on thicker? He’s grateful for her slight meddling though when he hears the door open again and your quiet “oh!”

“You haven’t left yet!” You jog to his van where he’s just unlocked the door to lean in on his seat so he can act like he didn’t just hear your predicament.

“No, what’s up?”

“Would you mind dropping me off? I’m a little out of the way but I can pay you for gas.” You start to dig around in your big tote bag and he reaches over to still your hand.

“Don’t worry about it, I got you.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” He hops in so he can reach over and unlock your door, and you run around the front of his van.

“I really appreciate it Eddie.” Your movement inside brushes up the smell of woodsmoke off of his borrowed flannel and your sunscreen and he hopes the scent stays in his van long after you leave.

“It’s really not a big deal.” He tries to be smooth with his exit, one hand on the back of your seat while he reverses into the road. “More than happy to help.” He flashes you a smile and his grip almost slips on his steering wheel when he catches the heavy stare aimed at him. He swallows thickly and averts his eyes to the road, the silence settling between you two not uncomfortable but certainly weighted.

“Eddie?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you gonna keep ignoring me now that I’m in your car?”

He’s happy there’s a red light he was already stopping for because he almost jams his foot through the firewall. “What?!”

Your laugh glitters in the dark cab and he can’t tear his eyes off you.

“You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“No I haven’t. I helped you with the pizzas and I was talking to you in the pool.” He shakes his head at you. “You got me a beer!”

“Yeah and when I first showed you made a beeline for the kitchen.”

“I was…busy.”

“I’m sure.” Your smile is conspiratorial and he wishes he knew what you were thinking. “Do you know I went shopping for this bathing suit with Robin?” You tap his knee and point at the now green light before the cars behind him start honking.

“No.”

“Yeah, I went with her because we’d been talking you see.”

“As you girls are wont to do.”

“Hush, I’m not done. Anyways, we went shopping and she told me the funniest little thing. Really a coincidence.” The playful tone of your voice makes him vibrate with anticipation. “I’d already told her about my stupid little crush and she’s not very good a keeping secrets, not like that anyways.” He can see you leaning over to rifle through your bag, a scrap piece of paper and a pen held in your lap a moment later. “Really I thought she’d spill to you first but it seems I caught her on a good day.” You reach over and tuck the now folded piece of paper into his hoodie pocket and stay leaned in, face inches from his own. “But I picked it out for you. Did you like it?”

Did he like it.

Does he breathe? Does he blink? You’ve just uttered the words he’s been longing to hear for weeks now. For you. He wasn’t crazy and all of Robin and Steve’s elbowing was just bullying on their part. He tries to keep his breathing under control and spots your street sign in time to use as a distraction. “Uh, yeah it looks great.” He turns into your neighborhood and dials his music down and still can’t look over at your indulgent grin.

“Is that why you were hiding in the pool?”

“…maybe.”

“Oh that’s cute.” You’ve got a curl of his wrapped around your index finger, slowly spiraling it up till you brush his ear and he’s going to crumble to dust. Somehow he makes the turn onto your street while you’re breath tinted with beer and something sweet sweeps over his cheek. “Eddie?” Sugar could drip off of your words and he’d stick his tongue out for every last drop.

“Yeah?”

“I think you should look in your pocket.”

He jams his hand into his hoodie and pulls out the note now crumpled in his sweaty fist just as he pulls up to the front of your house. You don’t move while he unfolds it, his hair slowly unraveling from your finger. It’s your number and a little heart at the end, an ‘X O’ just under that.

“You wanna ask me out?”

It’s gum he realizes, that sweetness that floods his senses. So fruit and beer and gum and spit is what’ll kill him.

“Yeah I-I really do.” Later he’ll kick himself for how pathetic he sounds here but for now the deep smile you give him is all that matters. You let his hair go and grab your stuff to hop out of his van and he watches you walk around the front like it’s his own personal show.

“How’s Friday night sound? I get off work at 7.” When you lean on his rolled down window he gets a clear shot of cleavage between his flannel (that’s now yours, he’s never taking that back). His mouth waters and his eyes shoot back up to your face that tells him he’s been caught.

“I can do that.” He could also climb out of his window and maul you too if you wanted that.

“Cool.”

“I can pick you up at 8?”

You nod as you walk backwards towards the front steps of your house. “I’ll be ready.” The light flicks from the inside, someone keen to get you in. “You figure out dinner, I’ll just bring the legs again, deal?” You lift one behind you when you cross over the threshold, one last smile shot at him and it’s a bullseye right through his frontal lobe.

[damnedrainbows]

“Tea too hot, my dear? I’m sure if you wait it’ll cool down. No need to conjure a small blizzard over your cup.” It’s said in jest of course, because he always loves watching her at work. The ice crystals that circle the rim are as cold as the woman who wields them, and yet even in the tundra of her heart, there’s a small niche of warmth, that she reserves only for the two in her life.

He watches the fading crystals, talons curled to feel the mist as they evaporate. Was it for the better? He feels it was so. They’re together by circumstance and obligation, a Goetis law to sire an heir, of which they have. They’ve grown beyond that though, haven’t they? He still remembers the embitterment of them both, in their first days of knowing each other. Betrothal meant they had no choice, and it didn’t fuel the desire to want to be cordial, knowing their fates were sealed together. But he’d gotten to knowing her, the real Stella beyond the visage of ice. In time, he’d melted the ice queen’s heart…and he supposed she did something to his as well.

So instead of answering, an impish smile is given behind his own cup, and a talon flicks one of the floating snowflakes towards her face. “There’s somewhere I wish to take you. Is your schedule free for tonight?” She’ll get her answer then.

@damnedrainbows asked: “After love, no one is what they were before. “ (STOLAS FOR STELLA)

deathless ♚ sentence meme || 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖊𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌

"Isn't that a massive understatement?" Stella scoffed softly in amusement, swiveling her tea as a small, icy cloud danced about above the cup and shook a small pour of snowflakes down, little puffs of steam rising with impact. "You've metamorphosed me as though you possessed me, darling. That's no small feat."

Stolas broke inside of her and changed such.. fundamental aspects, enforced by parentals and sharpened by her brother. Not everything changed, but he was like a star existing in a cold system, melting the ice around his radiance and softening parts of her that would only be snug for both himself and their Via. Perhaps there was just a little compassion for others, the smallest form, but it was very hard-earned. "I certainly hope if I changed you, it was for the better."

There was a sudden halt in her content mood, and a quiet, worried glance in the corner of her eye to her husband at her side. Was it?

[callahanisms]

burnt out passions

because i watched the red shoes and this idea just popped into my head.

tashi duncan they can never make me hate you. i am a tashi duncan defender until i die. (sorry art)

character: tashi duncan

context: stanford. 2007 - 2008.

you and tashi understood one thing: passion was everything.

your lives revolved around your passions. for her, it was the sport of tennis. and for you, it was the dance of ballet.

your step-father was quite rich, bringing you and your parental figure out of poverty. it was through him that you started going to tennis matches. and you were a fan of tashi duncan.

she was meant to be a star. she was meant to go far. she was meant to have that grand slam career title that most, if not all, tennis players envied.

you always admired her from afar. but when you walked into class on your first day of class in your freshman year, you were not expecting to see tashi duncan.

the class was your typical writing 101 class, the kind that was meant to prepare students on research and how to write. within the class were workshops. after all, part of making a good essay was to proofread and have everything peer reviewed.

"you have a great voice."

your paper was dumped in front of you. there were barely any corrections on it. just a lot of underlining and side notes. looking up, you saw the woman that was tashi duncan.

"thanks." you hand her paper over to her.

tashi flips through it. she sees a lot of doodles on her paper that express your annotations through speech and thought bubbles.

"i also thought your voice was great. your passion for tennis really comes through. although i think having seen you play enhanced the reading experience."

"so...you've seen me play?" she crosses her arms over her chest.

"my step-father loves tennis."

"fun. i learned some new things in your paper. you really like ballet?"

"ideally i'd like to be professional. but who knows how stable that is." in comparison to being a famous tennis player. "which is why i'm here. to get a degree in...something."

tashi glances down. you're wearing red shoes. "so...do you wear red because of the movie you mentioned?"

"maybe. it's been a thing since i was a kid."

a small smile begins to curl on her face. "you wanna get lunch?"

"so you do ballet? do your feet ever hurt?"

"all the time." your feet hurt just thinking about dancing again. "i can't imagine my life without ballet."

"i can relate to that." she lifts her cup up and you gently tap your own against hers.

"you should come to the show. we're having one near the end of the semester."

"so soon? we just got here."

"i need to train. keep my muscles flexible and ready."

"you should try tennis. you might actually be really good at it." ballet took a ton of control and coordination. tennis would be a perfect sport for you. or, at least, a decent fit.

"i tried. i'm terrible at hitting balls with a racket."

"who said you had to be good?"

"i would like to think that if i'm playing with tashi duncan...at least i should be mediocre."

you became one of tashi's favorite people to hang out with. and you were also her favorite gym partner. your schedules just lined up perfectly.

every time you guys went to work out, you would lead the stretches beforehand.

sometimes, you guys would visit the dance studio and you would teach her some basic moves. when your finger tips grazed her arm, she would shudder. you were careful when touching her and asked her all the time if you could hold her waist.

"you don't need to ask (y/n)! we're friends." tashi has that soft look in her eyes. she always looked at you with those eyes.

"still!" you say. "don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"you won't! you could never."

you took a deep breath when she said that, trying to ignore the heat beginning to swirl in your body. your body so close to hers. her smile. her smooth skin. her voice. and her smelled.

she always smelled divine.

tashi never knew ballet could be so intense.

she came with art to the show, holding a bouquet of flowers. you had been working hard and she wanted to make sure your efforts were acknowledged and received by her.

you moved with such precision and fluidity. she swore you turned into a blur.

your body was nimble. and that outfit...well, she could see your body. she had a boyfriend. but you were right there and a lot more present than patrick, who was currently on tour.

she has to push the thoughts aside, not noticing the fact that art sees the way she looks at you.

"you were fucking amazing!"

you were surprised when you feel just how hard she hugs you. she squeezes almost a little too tight.

and yet, you accept it. you lean into it and savor her touch.

"thanks for coming tashi. i saw you in the crowd."

finally, tashi lets you go. she takes the flowers from art. you could feel your face heat up. "t-tashi...you didn't have to."

"nonsense!" she playfully hits your arm. "you worked hard. remember that breakdown you had?" a small laugh leaves you when thinking about it.

it happened at the dance studio in the gym. you guys were stretching and all the emotions from midterms, finals projects, and your upcoming lead role came crashing down.

"you deserve it. you were amazing. if you're not hired when you get out of college..." she shakes her head. but she cannot stop grinning.

you bought flowers for tashi. it was the first game of the season. her and art have been training for this. and you were excited to see her play not as a spectator, but as her friend!

earlier during the week, you had convened with art to try to pick out which bought to get her and exactly how big.

when you got there though, it was just art. you were expecting to see another white boy. and you sit on art's right. "so...what happened to patrick?"

you wanted to see for yourself who tashi duncan's boyfriend was. who exactly managed to bag tashi duncan? you wanted to meet him. not that you were jealous...

but you were.

art leans back in the seat. "he's not coming. him and tashi had a fight."

you frown and continue holding the flowers. "...he sounds like an ass."

"tell me about it."

when tashi tore her acl on the court, you swore you could feel the pain in your own leg. a sort of phantom feeling.

you were frozen, trying to determine if what you saw truly happened.

art was quicker than you, rushing down and even jumping over the net.

you're walking to the infirmary room when you can hear the argument.

"out! out!"

"listen-" says the guy with messy dark hair. he looks disheveled. and like shit.

"patrick get the fuck out of here!"

you've never heard art yell. ever. he never even raised his voice.

patrick seems defeated and he abides by them, leaving. his eyes meet yours. "nice flowers." he notices the card attached to a string.

For the best tennis player I know: TASHI ♡

"have fun. now's your chance too. but you should know. art's restless."

you clench your jaw and walk past him. art was right. he was an ass.

tashi glances at the door when your head pops in. she doesn't say anything, but her shoulders slouch a little bit. you take it as a sign to come in and walk over to her side.

she looks at the flowers and at the card attached to the string. "i don't deserve those."

"if anyone deserves flowers...it's you." you could feel your eyes tearing up. you feel her pain. you understand her frustration. and most importantly, you feel her devastation.

tashi takes the flowers from your hands, her fingers touching your own. she takes a deep breath and inhales their scent. it was nice. you chose a good bouquet.

little did you know that it was the death of her career. and you had brought flowers to her funeral.

your next role was a challenging one. it had you straining your legs every day while you trained, trying to get your tempo right. nothing seemed to work though.

the stress of midterms also didn't help. you had a lot of work on your plate. many papers, almost too many exams. you didn't sleep much. you couldn't sleep.

tashi felt some guilt towards you helping her. you were taking time out of your own day to get her back into shape.

you were her cheerleader. you believed that she could heal and return to the court. you helped her with her exercises, woke up early to go to her room and help her stretch.

her frustration continued to boil over when she couldn't do the things she wanted to do.

not only was she a failure, but she was also letting you down.

"are you disappointed in me?"

you look at her as you stretch her leg for her. it was bent beneath you and you're careful when adding the pressure. she's staring up at the ceiling.

it was still dark outside.

"i could never be disappointed in you."

"don't bullshit me (y/n)."

"i mean it tashi. i could never be disappointed in you." she looks at you. there are tears threatening to spill.

"...i'm afraid my only skill is hitting a ball with a racket." and that without it, she was nothing. you didn't need her to voice it. you could see it in her eyes, in her posture, in her demeanor.

"no. it is not. you're tashi motherfucking duncan. you're smart, you're gorgeous, and you're ambitious. you can write! you're great at organizing! you give awesome advice! and most importantly, you get shit done. if anything tries to stop you, you find a way around it. and you see to it that you have a way to participate."

her heart skips a beat.

"you're kissing my ass." a smile cracks on her face.

you wanted to tell her that you loved her. it threatened to spill from your tongue.

"i would love to."

tashi laughs, covering her face with her hands. she takes the opportunity to wipe away her tears as you pull her leg back into a resting position.

"today's dress rehearsal, right?" she sits up as you stand and grab some of the bottles of gatorade you put in her fridge to keep cold.

"yeah. you don't have to come if you're not up for it."

tashi gently rubs her knee before looking up at you. "i could use the time to rest."

"is art coming?"

tashi purses her lips. "art and i...aren't really talking anymore..."

you frown. "i'm sorry to hear that." you decide not to ask or push it. but part of you felt elated that he was gone. it always felt like a crowd with you and tashi. and art.

while working out and practicing earlier, you decided to ignore the throbbing pain in your hip. when tashi asks if you want to come with her for a break, you tell her that you wanted to keep training. you were close to nailing it.

you were perhaps overconfident when it came time to dress rehearsal.

at the climax of the shower, the music surging, your heart beating, your costume flaring out, you hear a loud pop. and when you land, you hear another pop.

it seemed that fate decided to fuck with you that night.

the pain in your right side was nearly unbearable.

tashi recognized that cry of pain. she heard it when she went to bed, when she reflected upon her life at night. she rises out of her seat, getting over to the stage as fast as possible.

you overexerted yourself, tearing your achilles and your labrum. at the very least, it would take you out of your role currently. at the worst, it would inhibit your movements for the rest of your life.

tashi was with you the whole time. you could only stare blankly at the x-rays.

without knowing, you're leaning towards her. until your head is against her body. she puts an arm around you, keeping you close in silent understanding.

you heard a knock at your door. ever since your injury, you had barely come out of your room, only for class and to eat to spend your dining dollars.

you groan, sitting up and carefully getting off the bed. you use your crutches and open the door. "tashi...it's late..."

tashi holds a bag of snacks and drinks. "you look like shit."

"that's because i feel like shit."

you guys were kind of matching. her in her brace and you in your splint.

you move aside to let her in and she closes the door for you. "i bought all your favorites." she says, putting the drinks into the fridge to keep them cold. she sets the bag of snacks down on your desk.

tashi watches you go back to your bed and set your crutches aside. you try your best to get onto the bed using your upper body strength, but your arms were failing you.

she walks over and gently lifts you up at your thighs while you push yourself up with your arms. it works, and you're able to sit on the mattress topped by a mattress topper.

"can't even...get on my fucking bed!" you grit your teeth. and you didn't have the strength to adjust the height of your bed either.

tashi frowns. "there's no shame in needing help." you showed her that.

"i know. i just..." you lick your lips, looking at her. "i wish i took that break. i wouldn't be in this position if i did." you sniffle.

tashi's eyes glance down at your lips before going back up. "i spend too much time worrying about the what ifs."

"i shouldn't. it's...stupid."

there's a comfortable silence between the two of you. you look at tashi. the way her hair frames her face. her big brown eyes. her lips that you desperately wanted to taste. she was still gorgeous even dressed down in her stanford sweater and athletic shorts.

she leans forward, her kiss soft and gentle.

your hand goes to rest on her neck, kissing her back.

tashi kisses you harder, her mouth moving in hungry motions. you match her pace, kissing her with just as much hunger.

you let her push you down onto the mattress so she could be on top. her hands begin to trail down your body, finding the end of your sweater. she slides her hand beneath, feeling your cool skin.

you pull away, your breathing heavy. "are you sure?" you didn't understand why tashi duncan would want to kiss you of all people. even if you wanted to kiss her.

"i'm sure." she kisses you again and you moan against her lips, letting her tongue slide past your lips and dance with your tongue.

[oneinterests]

my thoughts on the Edge of sleep show! Full series spoilers ahead!!! :)

(i should have live-blogged the whole series since i just binged it but oh well)

all of the people who died waking up with red triangle eyes surprised me, but Katie appearing out of the water made me so sad. it’s so fucked and i know dave’s going to suffer if we get another season.

god i want a season two right now, that was so good!!!

i do want to say my only nitpick is that i don’t like the elephant monster being in the shape of a man, only because when i listened to the podcast- i imagined a creature like the Ancient psychic tandem war elephant from adventure time haha. but i do understand the cgi for doing something like that would probably be impossible to make look good. this would have been perfect for an animated show, i can only imagine how cool the effects could be.

(now i need to draw scenes from the show and podcast lmao)

also, i loved all of the characters so much, and i think the way they were acting was pretty realistic? And i love how each characters introductions kind of foreshadow how they act during their sleep deprivation: Dave falling asleep and snapping himself awake in the beginning, Mateo staying awake and not looking tired and being ready to go out and party, Linda working a full shift and not complaining or asking for a break at all, and Katie who took sleeping pills and was probably a minute from falling asleep before being saved by Dave.

Katie was doomed from the beginning and it makes me so sad, i loved her and Dave very much.

i also absolutely love the whole cosmic horror of the whale and the elephant. the way they did Dave’s dream was really cool, but i still kinda remember how they described it in the podcast and i wish they could have done something similar-

(This is what i remember from it anyway, i did listen to the podcast like four years ago so. if i get something wrong that’s why lol)

Dave falls asleep and wakes up in a desert. he’s walking along the dunes and he’s so thirsty. literally dying for water. a being (??) appears and offers him a glass of water and when he’s about to drink it, he looks into the glass and sees a raging ocean. dark waves crashing and the screams of thousands maybe millions of people being swept in the water. he refuses to drink it (or hesitates to drink it?) and then he wakes up.

it’s such a cool image, i should relisten to the podcast soon and do a comparison :D

[thewritersaddictions]

Drabbles: Resident Evil 4- New Years Kiss

Ada Wong

Ada doesn’t have time for random holidays and celebratory parties. She’s got time for only a few things and that’s working under Wesker and you. So when one night when the both of you are laid up in bed you ask her the question you’ve been putting off. “Ada?” She hums has her nimble fingers thread through your hair. You feel timid and shy even asking, but swallow the fear down and pick up your voice. “Can we celebrate the holidays this year?” You ask looking anywhere but her beautiful face.

The silence is all around the room as you wait for an answer. Adas thoughts race in her mind, she knew you would eventually ask. To want to celebrate the holidays to be thankful during Thanksgiving; jolly during Christmas, and ecstatic for the new year and all it may bring. But she was almost hoping you would wait until the new year, give her more time to decide what she was going to say to you. How she would react. Your eyes lead in a more innocent child-like way. There’s no malicious intent behind your sugar coated smile. The silence consumes you, and your panic flares under your smile. “Or we don’t have to… don’t worry about it Ada. We can forget I ever said anything.” You stammer out as you shift uncomfortably in Adas arms. She’s quick to quiet your stammering self down and pull you somehow closer to her side of the bed.

“Don’t be so quick to think the silence means no, my dear. You’ve got to give me a second to think about what you’re asking.” Always with the right words and just the perfect time. You hum against her and wait for her words to fall on your perked up ears. “Yes we can celebrate. Under one circumstance, that for every holiday and birthday you stay just as you are. Innocent and perfect.” You chuckle at her words. You are far more innocent in comparison to your Ada who lays beside you. A moment passes and you’re nodding your head in agreement and before you know it you’re sweeper up into her arms her lips gently pressed against yours. As the two of you meld together in a perfect sort of way. Moans lost in the middle of the both of you as you whisper gentle “I love yous” to each other. Then Ada is making a rather large promise one that might be broken the next time Wesker comes calling; “I promise every holiday we spend together will be like no other. Because I love you forever Y/n.”

Albert Wesker

The best Secretary of the Year award goes to you. Albert knows this, but showing it is a more arduous task. He could say "thank you" every day to you and still wouldn't cut it for the amount of bullshit you deal with for him daily. It wouldn't dare match how you've dealt with more than a few angry people in your time at the office or how perfect you are in every imaginable way. So why in god's name was Albert so stuck on you? You were his private secretary and worked with me day in and day out. Honestly, in the last few years, the two of you have gotten mighty close with each other.

There's no New Year party to be heard of through the ample office space, so there's reason for you to stay late the second night into the new year. Working on the first bit of steam you've got left from the holidays with family and friends. You're hunched over your desk, your head nearly shoved deep into your computer screen. Typing out another memo when you hear your boss's footsteps. You aren't sure what's awaiting you, but you keep working until his cologne fills the air around you, forcing you to look up at the blue-eyed, blonde-haired stud before you. "I see you're still here, Y/n." He says calmly. You nod, unable to think of a quip or something snarky to reply back with.

"I know we said no gifts, but I got you something anyway." Your cheeks grow red and hot with blush as you thank your earlier self for grabbing a present for your boss. You hurriedly take your fingers from the clicky keyboard and shift to grab the present stuffed away under your desk; when you come back up, Albert is more than surprised to see that you, too, hadn't followed the rules of your agreement. "You can open your gift first to Mr. Wesker." Your voice is like honey in his ears, and he wants to hear you say his name, not Mr. Wesker, whenever you see him in the hallways or when you come into his office. He wants other things, too. You hand the little holiday bag to him and when yor hands brush in the most nonitmate way your breath hitches and he hears it. He swallows down his pride and take to openign the gift instead. Albert pulls out a beautiful desk name plate. In comparison to Alberts old one this is ten times better. A whole soild peice of glass that has his name etched into it with a simple boss written under neath his name. He can't help but smile with pride as his thumb runs over the etched letters.

"I know you probably have everything you want, or you can buy everything, so I thought I would grab you something that might need replacing." You say sweetly as you try to look up at the tall, brooding man before you. He smirked, placing the item back into the bag, and then Alber grabbed your wrist, pulled your hand close to his lip, and pressed a fine-lipped kiss into your hand. Your cheeks have never felt so damn hot before, and without a second to conceal how you're feeling. Albert has you on your feet, pulling you up from the seat around the table and into his arms. Strong arms hold you close to his frame as one hand holds your back for support, and the other lands gently on your cheek. Knuckles rubbing paths through your burning cheeks. Albert doesn't have to ask permission to kiss you gently because your eyes already say yes. Partially begging him to let you have all of him. His lips aren't chapped, nor are they full. They are perfect, perfect slotting into yours with ease. Your lips taste of Bert's bees chapstick, and even if it tastes horrible, it's you, so Albert sucks it up. When the need for air consumes you both, and you have to release your hold on each other, you quickly realize how much your gift doesn't compare to Alberts. "Guess my gift doesn't match up." You joke. He only shakes his head.

Leon S. Kennedy (This is in slight conjunction with Day 22 Holly Jolly)

Leon has been keeping his promises better nowadays. He stays more often than not, choosing to get out of the confines of the government hold. He goes to work in a better way; he stays in the country and stays in the same state as you most of the time. He is barely ever late for dinner and always there for a date night. Take your dog Apollo out; he has been trained to do paw. The sadness that once consumed the house overall has been stuffed away in the dark corners where no one dares take a step.

Everything is perfect in your eyes, but Leon is a do-gooder, a try-harder type of person. He wants to be better for you, try harder for you, and be the best he can be because he knows he can be. He hates knowing that for so long; he made you cry yourself to sleep, but he doesn't mind sharing the bed with you and your puppy. He doesn't mind waking up to you instead of going for hours on only a few hours of sleep while trying his best to come home to you. The holidays are different after Christmas. He wants to do better by you, so for the new year, he sets all his phones, pagers, and equipment far under the pile of growing clothes inside your shared closet. He just wants one night of peace, and he's ensured he'll get it.

He sets you on your way to visit with your friends and mother for the day while he prepares things in the apartment. Some streamers fill the space above Leon's head. Freshly baked cookies that he knows if he doesn't get off the hot pans will get stuck, fussin' at him about the leftover crumbs. Little paper glasses that are spaced in the following year's numbers. He feels like a fool with the glasses on his face as he walks around the kitchen, grabbing two flutes from the cabinet and an unopened glass of champagne. He's got a special surprise for the new year and hopes you haven't found out about it. The box itches in his pocket, waiting for your return.

You return with two bags filled with food from your mother's, pressing a chaste kiss to Leon's cheek and patting Apollo's head before dragging yourself towards the kitchen to drop the leftovers off into the fridge. "You wanna watch the ball drop?" Leon's voice carries into the apartment as you walk in with a cookie shoved into your mouth, and you nod. You snuggle up against his side underneath the blanket. The clock is ticking, and before you know it, Leon is rushing off to grab the flute of champagne for a good glass for the start of the new year. "He pours quickly as the people and you start to count down to the new year. Your eyes are so set on the tv that you dont notice your boyfriend kneel down on one knee pop the black box open and wait for your gaze to be back on him.

The flute shatters on the floor, and then you cry, scream, and kiss his sweet lips. Groaning, you mutter a sweet yes into the kiss. The red-tinted chapstick leaves prints on his face, but he still slips the ring onto your finger. Care two shits less about the new year or the shattered glass until he remembers you have a clumsy dog, and he matches your personality. So, you better get the mess cleaned up before you've got glass in the bottom of your foot. You stare at the ring and snap a few shots at your friends and then your mother. It's a very good start to a new year for both of you.

Completed on: 12/24/23

Posted on: 01/04/24

Resi 4-

[stepswordsen]

【Magi】 Judar and JuAli 🐈‍⬛🖤 ❤️ 💛

JuAli WIP doodles 🖤 ❤️ 💛

Quick doodles before I head back to my assignments

Been a while since I drew Judar and Alibaba together… I missed them!!! I hope to draw them more~

You can see the rest under the cut~

I wasn't sure if I should post my sketches here since they're so messy but I thought I might as well

I'll copy paste my old rambles too since I have more to add this time

2024 vs. 2022

(2024)

Comparison (2022 ~ 2023)

(2024)

Comparison (November 2022)

For the kissy one:

Wasn't sure which one I liked more tbh

1st one fits more...

Though for the 2nd one, I think Judar looks more efforted ADHSHDHSH

Since I excel at drawing meow meow mf charas

3rd one I drew in November 2022. The expressions are still cute in this one so I still like it, but my brush strokes improved a lot since then

For the hanfu Judar one:

Recent versions (+ the old one from 2022)

I've been playing around with the eyes~ I like these ones best. The eyes are bigger in the 1st one, and the others have them a bit smaller. The 1st one has a more innocent look. The 2nd has more slitted eyes and a "seductive" look?

Judar has sharp (tsurime) eyes and rings in his eyes, which are really fun to draw hehe 🤗

I'll redraw the hair soon! I just drew it quickly in like 5 minutes. It's finals season for me. I'm not fully free from this semester so I'm still quite busy, but you'll probably see small doodles from me 🙏

I'm definitely seeing art improvement (improvement in brush strokes and anatomy and proportions)

Ohtaka deliberately draws hatched lines near Judar's eyes to represent his eyeshadow 🤭 ❤️

I drew the hair quickly, so I didn't pay much attention to the shapes of the hair spikes so it's not as soft. But even with the quick doodle, the hair has better weight now. Once I get to refine things properly, I'll actually pay attention to the way his hair spikes are drawn.

I was recently rereading my old dialogue scripts from my JuAli AU and revamping them! I doodled Judar and Alibaba SO much in 2022. It's the Fire/Ice duality and Black Cat x Golden Retriever ship dynamic 🖤💛🐈‍⬛🐕

I wanna draw JuAli again soon and redraw my old doodles. JuAli is my main Magi ship so ofc I wanna draw lots of them~ I haven't gotten the time yet, but I want to draw my ships like AliHaku, SinJa, and KouMor eventually, too 🙏✨

Inspiration

Based on this black and red (Judar colours) hanfu I got~

Judar rambles

I originally drew Judar wearing hanfu in 2022! Still one of my personal fave doodles ❤️ Judar is my fave (no one is surprised, I have the most obvious predictable tastes in the world LMAO). A meow meow mf perfect for my tastes.

Judar fits perfectly into the highly specific Sen-core niche that my top faves all tend to fall under - Meow meow mf. C*nty sen-core bastard cat who's violent, threatens people, and ok with murder. Bloodthirsty. Monochrome aesthetic colour palette.

Manga Judar has red eyeliner (?) and anime Judar has purple eyeshadow? Both are good, but I like Judar with red eyeliner since black and red are his theme colours! 🖤❤️ I like how the colours pop, the contrast against his design, and how it matches his red eyes.

In my HCs, Judar wears a type of hanfu called Ruqun (襦裙). Ru (襦) is the cross-collared top of a hanfu, and the wrap-around skirt is called Qun (裙). The coat jacket is called Da Xiu Shan (大袖衫).

I want him to wear black, white, red, gold, hanfu & hanfu earrings, with red eyeliner and black painted nails 🤗

I still need to pick my headcanon hanfu earrings for Judar... I imagine they'd be gold with red accessories.

I just have to refine the eyes, redraw the hair and hanfu, and then start doing the lineart for it! I love the expression tbh

Additional rambles

I miss my sons, I wanna draw my HC designs of JuAli (with Judar wearing hanfu and Alibaba with tanner skin, wearing traditional Arabic clothes), as a fix-it for the obvious colourism going on in Magi's character designs of SWANA and South Asian inspired characters

I bought black and red hanfu back in 2023. I based my Judar hanfu doodles on it 🥺❤️ It's in Judar colours. Black red and white 🖤❤️🤍 I'm so HAPPY to get something that reminds me of my fave 🥰🤭❤️✨ I got it from the Hanfu Story~ They have such a large selection of hanfu and they're all so gorgeous~

Basically Judar themed hanfu~ I love traditional clothes, so it's my dream to collect them! Now I can use it as refs to draw him with the poses and lighting I want teehee. Hanfu & huafu look GORGEOUS to me. I also have Việt Phục like áo dài and áo tấc~

The colours are amazing!! I love black and red combo 😭💖 It's way too easy to fall into the fashion hole and collecting traditional clothes but I definitely want more in the future!

Magi: Ch. 110 - 111, Ch. 196 - 197, Ch. 239, Ch. 288

I love how Ohtaka stylizes and draws the shape of Judar's hair and braids. It's so clever how she simplifies the shapes. It just looks so good. It looks galaxy/tornado shaped… I love how the hatched lines above his eyes in Ohtaka's inking represents his eyeliner... ❤️

Judar's expressions from Ch. 110 - 111 are so unhinged… The Ch. 288 omake Judar is iconic. Fucking crazy ass LMAO 😭😂 Love you tho! 💞🫶

I'll be honest. I've thought about changing my PFP to this Judar again from the Magi omakes, like I thought of doing it as an April Fool's joke before, but I feel like no one would bat an eye cuz of how my faves are like LMFAO

Sen-core faves: Murderous, bloodthirsty, violent (or at the very least, has a disposition for violence), MAY eat people and/or their innards 🙌

JuAli core ship posts

And while you're at it, have the meme edit of them I made (1st image)

Anyways I made the 1st image's meme edit myself <33

Alibaba with tanner skin has such great visual contrast against his earrings~

I also wanna commission arts of JuAli at one point but I'd want to do it with my headcanon designs of them (Judar wearing hanfu and Alibaba with tanner skin wearing traditional Arabic clothes)

Art rambles

When I sketch, I draw out the expressions and decide which ones looks best (I either do it once or a few ~ several times) depending on whether I'm satisfied with it. I like the two most recent 2024 versions I showed~ The old ones are still nice... But I prefer the recent versions, because I think it shows how my art style and proportions improved.

These sketches are super messy right now so when I get the time I'll refine them more! It's just to make it consistent with my current style. I'm a little insecure about my sketches, so I prefer to keep most of them on priv for mutuals.

Since I'm not really a fan of the idea of my sketches/WIPs getting posted around when I'm bound to fix/refine/improve on them later when I get the chance to refine them. Though thankfully with my 2022+ lining style, my sketches look more "aesthetically nice" or "post worthy" to me...

Perhaps in the future... I do genuinely like my art style and I'm very happy with my art improvement, but I want to keep growing as an artist first. I want to reach the point where I manage to become more technically skilled and confident about my works (even my sketches)

Though since I posted the rest of the sketches under the cut, feel free to reblog them if you want!

[fairlyabookie]

Roses

Author's note: back to our regularly scheduled spooky time

Content warning: implied death

Riddle takes a breath, letting out of his present anxieties. He opens his eyes to a table full of roses, neatly picked and trimmed for the occasion. All he needed was some time to assort these flowers to his desire. 

White roses, a symbol of innocence, signified Riddle’s approach to this profound change in his life. Lasting friendships from his childhood were a taste of what filial love was; friends sharing a common interest as they shared special moments together with warm smiles and banter. Riddle thought of Trey and Che’nya, his childhood friends who gifted him the present of sweetness and warmth for the time in his life. 

Red roses, a symbol of passion, symbolized a transformational period in Riddle’s life: a romantic relationship with [Reader]. To say “I love you” to someone besides his own Mom was something he couldn’t forget - from the way their eyes lit up upon him saying such words, to a bright smile thanking Riddle and exchanging the same words he had spoken just moments ago. His world turned upside down that day. 

His love bloomed like a rose, blooming beautifully from a budding friendship to something he couldn’t imagine. He remembered how the world stopped for just him and [Reader], how vibrant the roses were from the gardens as a strange sensation set his heart ablaze. Red roses, the same exact roses that he saw his beloved carry on the day of their union, their dress pale in comparison to the white roses in the gardens. 

The boy nimbly arranges the flowers, careful not to prick himself as he places each one of them into a vase, a cluster of red and white. He takes another breath, one that comes out roughly, his eyes glassing over with sorrow. As if to hold himself together, he presses his lips against his ring finger, where a gold band glints in the light. This was enough to ease Riddle to a quiet calm, his emotions in check for now.

“Are you ready, Riddle?” 

Soft taps sound against the door, following a muffled voice. The man clears his throat as he collects the vase. 

“Of course.” 

The door opens to reveal a somber Trey and Che’nya. In the feline’s hands, a picture-perfect portrait of [Reader] smiles at Riddle. His heart aches, an unbearable pain that comes second to his love for them. He swallows yet another bout of tears, his fingers trembling on the vase. 

“Let’s go.” 

He urges, walking side by side with Trey and Che’nya.

[not-poignant]

hi pia how are you? im not a native english speaker and wanted to ask you, when you wrote that caleb is negging faber its not like flirting but manipulation? 😅 i tried looking up the definition. im rereading utr (my fav spin-off i am eagerly waiting for) and would an example of negging be when caleb comments on faber looking like an omega? i thought it was more him talking out loud tbh. or is it when he says about fabers sex toy, one that he didnt give up on? 😂 i really like him haha

Hi anon!

Yes! Your example is spot on - re: commenting on Faber looking like an omega. I'll give you (and others) some more examples, because I think it's definitely worth talking about in general!

I really like Caleb, but he doesn't always speak to Faber very encouragingly in Underline the Red, and some examples are here. He often gives back-handed compliments - things that make Faber feel 'lesser' while making it seem like a compliment at the same time.

It would be like if a guy said something like 'wow that's such a weird laugh, it's so brave of you to laugh like that in public.' It's not really a compliment.

While Caleb doesn't go that far, exactly, he definitely says some things that put Faber in an insecure headspace and keep him there:

‘You taste great,’ Caleb said. ‘But fine, shower then. You’re a prissy little thing, aren’t you?’ Faber had heard far worse his whole life. ‘Yes, I am.’

This happens early on, and Faber takes it as an insult that 'slides off him' (i.e. had heard far worse means he doesn't think it's great, but it's also not going to turn him off). Prissy is not a good thing to be called in general! It's a term for someone who is uptight, and annoyingly fussy - and usually effeminate in nature).

‘It’s pretty. That blond red, I like it. Pretty like all of you. It’s so easy to imagine you’re an omega.’ Faber didn’t tense, but the words slid through him uneasily. Was that what Caleb was doing? He couldn’t find an omega, so he settled for a slighter, leaner beta?

This - Caleb has no reason to bring up omegas as often as he does, and Faber already knows that alphas prefer omegas (and Caleb makes it clear that he prefers omegas). So he's already making it seem like in order to get through sleeping with Faber, he's going to pretend he is one -> This makes it sound like he's not really wanting to accept Faber for who he is.

He could say anything: 'I'm so excited to sleep with a beta' or 'it's my first time, you'll have to help me' or 'You're so pretty' but he adds on a little sting right at the end - it's so easy to imagine you're something you're not.

This kind of 'negging' implies that Faber isn't good enough as he is, while also praising him for being close to it.

And from Faber's reaction, we see he doesn't like it, and it makes him very insecure.

‘Your ass gives a whole new meaning to the word tight,’ Caleb said, sounding a little impatient. ‘It really is much easier with omegas.’ It was a criticism that Faber wasn’t prepared to handle...

Complaining/being impatient on this, and comparing Faber to omegas in an unfavourable way, while also using the compliment of 'tight' is another example of a back-handed compliment. It's not being 'tight' that Faber notices here, it's being told that sex for Caleb is easier with omegas.

There's a couple of other examples - Caleb complaining that it's going to take 'so long' to work open Faber (in comparison to omegas) etc. so the constant 'I'm comparing you to omegas and you're not always measuring up' is happening in the background.

Now don't get me wrong, Caleb also just straight up praises him! He calls him perfect, he actually says a lot of very complimentary stuff. But it's a lot harder to take those comments at face value, when some of his comments have been quite back-handed, or been the kind of compliments that aren't really just straightforward compliments.

This is combined with the fact that Faber wants to be an omega, and feels very insecure about not being one, so all those veiled kind of 'this is harder for me because you're not an omega' compliments hit Faber really hard. He's just pretty good at masking it!

I also think Caleb does some of this on purpose. I think while he's very nurturing with omegas, Faber's not an omega as far as he's concerned, he doesn't have to be as nice and attentive as he normally would for a one night stand.

Caleb and Faber have great chemistry, but they also have some stuff to work out between them. Caleb starts from a position of valuing Faber less because he's a beta, and Faber starts from a position of not valuing himself much, and so taking all of that very much to heart.

We'll see more of how this plays out in future chapters! But for all that their chemistry in the bedroom is really magical (like they are definitely a hot couple!), their relationship as it starts to unfold definitely has some areas that need communication.

They're one of my favourite pairings and the reason I've actually stopped posting chapters is so that when their story is ready (because it properly picks up after Underline the Black), I won't have to put it in hiatus during a really angsty part!! And I can write it more steadily :D

[asterjennifer]

Gifted Crystal

Stolas meets Blitz at the office to give him the Asmodean Crystal.

Pt. 2 (Pt.1)

Once he took a deep breath of the rather stagnant air inside the building, he placed his hand against the entrance.

The Prince watched the contrast of his black hand against the grey door of the IMP company. Somehow he never noticed just how big it was in comparison to the surroundings of IMP City. And although he's so much taller, he felt oh-so small today....

Red eyes roaming over the logo Blitzo must've drawn himself, he couldn't help but give a tiny smile. The thought of him sitting at the desk with pen in his hand, trying to find the perfect logo for his business, was a warming imagination. He knew that Blitzo liked to draw sometimes, he'd seen some of his works as pictures on his phone when gazing over. He wasn't particularly talented, but the drawings had almost as much beauty as the Imp himself.

After he shook his head free from the dreams circling — which, honestly, just wanted to delay the moment, he instead took the rest courage and pushed the door open.

Inside, the both Imps working for him seemed to train their aiming skills. There's also his adopted daughter, Stolas needed a brief second to remember her name. Loona was it. She held up a printed picture of a couple disguised men. It looked like they just robbed a bank of some sort by the masks on their faces. Everything was red in these walls today.

Soon eyes darted over at him — immediately making his entire body uncomfortable in the formal clothes. Especially the cape turned unbearable within seconds. Unsure steps brought him into the room, meeting the eyes of the female Imp.

“Is Blitz in his office?” He asked, silently clearing his throat.

The woman exchanged a quick look with her partner before nodding, pointing her finger towards the end of the room at the door. “Yeah, he's in his office.”

He thanked her and passed them with even quieter steps. Now the whole place felt as if the air was thicker than fire. But Stolas forced himself to ignore everything other than his mission, the one thing he's been repeating over and over inside his head since last night.

Due to Blitz being naturally unpredictable, Stolas had a difficult time figuring out which scenario or reaction he should prepare for. Would he grab the Crystal and shove him right out of the door? Would he first try denying the gift in fears it's somehow a scheme on his part? What if he thought it's just to get rid of him forever? Then again, that seemed like something only the Prince worried about.

He knocked politely, then he heard the voice that managed to make his heart beat out of his chest. “What you want??”

“I swear, Moxxie, if you fucked up and ruined my new chairs I will f—” Blitz sat on his desk.

Yet the strong voice died inside his throat when looking up into the face he's been avoiding like the plague. Stolas scanned nothing much in his face other than brief shock, surprise and then slight discomfort in the way the corner of his mouth pulled up. That's a common expression of him, or maybe it's just the common face he wore when he's around him. The thought caused Stolas to squeeze the box tighter between his hands.

These yellow eyes he adored searched the room instinctively, perhaps to find an escape of some sort? An excuse to tell the Prince he's busy once again? He preferred that argument of having no time available. It had increased over the months as well, that he's so busy he couldn't text much, leave alone meet up for one reason or another. Stolas did his best swallowing the lump that blocked his throat. Doing his best keeping his own face straight.

“Hello Blitz,” He said formally. “I hope I don't disturb you as much, but there's something...”

“Ahh, Stolas, you— uh, you have a real bad timing coming in this early. I need the book around evening a last time before holiday, also why you show up in person-”

Blitz basically jumped off his chair, already rambling with that uncertainty underneath the usual confident tone. Stolas' eyes narrowed because of it — it only happened when he's talking to him, he hasn't heard him talk that way to his employees or daughter before. Another indicator of discomfort that he had been ignoring for his own selfish reasons? Surely that's the case. Just how much did he push Blitz into a corner without ever coming to realize? So embarrassing. So shameful.

Stolas lifted his hand, waving it fast and awkwardly. “No, no it's none of that... Well, it's also about the book. But primarily it's...”

Say it, he thought in a hectic manner. Feeling the pulse start to pump through his veins. It's worse inside his chest. He's been having stings for a good while now, but this one was uncommon. The fact he's seeing Blitz's concerned face, showing a bit of the enormous amount of worry over what he'd might planned doing to him, he felt like some kind of monster. Was it justified?

Either way, he reached up to pull his hat closer to his face. Holding out the box. “Here, this will be of advantage for your business.”

Blitz's eyebrows frowned together. Not trusting this in the slightest, he slowly but surely moved backwards. Suddenly a horrible premonition filled his bones with a cold shudder.

“I swear if this is is a sex toy I'll beat your feathered ass.”

“It's none of that, I promise! It's— This is an Asmodean Crystal.” He quickly declined the bad idea Blitz had.

A thick silence filled the air, none of the two moved for a good moment. But Blitz fell back against the desk, pressing a hand over his eyes when laughing out loud.

“Hah! You got me,” He casually pointed his finger at the Prince. “I almost believed your bullshit just now. Just tell me what you want already instead of fussing around my workplace.”

Unsure how to convince him otherwise, Stolas opened the box himself and pulled out the Crystal to hold it up. Blitz's face dropped out of the blue into something that he couldn't quite identify, he had such a rigid face. Again, he said it's for him to use. That it's for his business.

On the other side, Blitz couldn't tell if his mind exploded with everything at once or nothing at all, leaving it completely empty seeing that Crystal being held inside the hand of the Prince. Who, now a little more nervous, made the box fly with magic in order to pull out the ID card holding Blitz's name.

“You can use it from hell,” He spoke surprisingly calm. “Like the book, it allows you access in both directions when being in a different world. However, it also can assist you with a human disguise. But only you since it's your Crystal. I've had no room asking for two more. But I'm certain your employees will be fine dressing up.”

While he explained, he let the item and card fly over to Blitz. Simultaneously placing the box onto the office table. Stolas couldn't ignore the deep heartburn after finally letting go the control he owned over the person he truly came to love. That pain felt undescribable, no feeling came close to the one scratching from his head to toe. His shoulders tensed up as he looked into the corner. Somehow he knew if he kept seeing Blitz's eyes, he might start tearing up.

“Therefore you will not be in need of my book anymore.” He pressed the tips of his fingers against his chest. “Our arrangement is officially over now. I'd like the book back, of course.”

His hands formed into fists unconsciously. Blitz's brows frowned so deep it must've been painful. On the other side of the room, he couldn't start to even comprehend what just happened. But there's a familiar tightness raising into his throat, burning like he's about to throw up acid on the floor. Was this…?

A flash of his sister appeared in front of his eyes. “I never wanna see you! Ever!” She screamed at him. “Next time you wanna find me Blitzo, don't!”

“A selfish Imp in the sheets and just as bad in the streets,” Veronica echoed with enough venom to poison his brain. “A selfish heartbreaking freak..!”

“You're going to die alone, Blitzo.”

Hadn't he just repaired a fraction of his damage with Fizz? He's been communicating with him and although the timing could've been a better one, it helped so much letting go of past misunderstandings and undeserved hatred. Hadn't he just made up and felt a hint of relief, dear saying it, happiness within his soul? What backlash hit his chest just now that he worried for a moment he'd black out.

The Crystal inside his hand shook and even if he would've liked to make it stop, he wasn't sure where that tremor even came from. However, there's a push in the back of his head that made him roll his eyes depsite the lack of control over his body.

“You could've given that the whole time, could you??” He said, going louder with each word.

Stolas' eyes widened. “I- I needed to ask permission from Asmodeus for it.”

A flame caught fire in the every inch of the Imp, clawing at the Crystal while the anger piled up until it bubbles up the surface. His sharp teeth gritted against each other before lashing out.

“You could've just given me this stupid fucking Crystal and none of the bullshit that happened would've happened!” His hands shot forward.

His shoulders now rose up high. “Is that how you fuck with people!? And now what — You're just gonna go get a new toy?”

Confused by the reaction, Stolas shook his head. Blitz slammed the Crystal to the wooden surface before storming to his safe where the book was being stored. The Prince couldn't find words at all since Blitz kept complaining loudly. Reminding him of Stella — just for a short, brief millisecond. It scared him. Blitz threw the thick metal door open against the wall behind.

“Well good luck finding another fucking Idiot, because I don't even know who would be so damn stupid agreeing to your bullshit.” So close to trip over his own feet, he pressed the book to Stolas' chest.

Baring his teeth with a shadow over his face, he gave him the same look he'd given to Verosika the day she'd caught him at the horse riding lessons. The day they fought in public and officially broke up afterwards. Not that the situation was the same, however, it felt suspiciously similar to that past event that still occasionally came visiting him in his dreams.

The fear roaming through the Prince got replaced by disappointment when watching how Blitz did the one thing he'd been terrified of receiving. That resentment forced out all over the place by the hand of himself, yet he couldn't turn back time to try it differently. As much as he wanted. This was reality and he might be a Goetia, but he was no time travelling God.

That accusation hurt the most when thinking about it, the fact Blitz really believed he's just simply going to move along getting an new Imp, or plaything, showed the nonexistent trust Blitz actually held for him this whole time. Texts of apology, attempts of making up by doing normal things like watching a series, skipping Full Moons, there's no thing in all of Hell that would have helped overpowering his status. That one problem blocking the pathway for something serious between them.

Stolas placed the book underneath his coat, failing at the eye contact and instead fumbling with his hands, keeping his focus there. “I do not plan that. We can... still meet if you like.”

“Just get out of my fucking office already, I have no nerves for this right now. I'm at work still, damn it!”

Figuring that this was the maximum he's able to offer or do, Stolas nodded. “Very well. Until we meet again, Blitz.” With that, he left the building.

Never once turning around or gifting the other people a look, he couldn't bear the thought of being seen this broken down. He knew exactly what his face said to the outside world and he wanted to ensure that it would seek as little attention as possible.

The door to his office room closed softly, so very calm and slowly that it was an eternity to Blitz. He waited, continuing to lean against the desk as his legs shook too hard. Eavesdropping his employees go dead silent, going back to their doings a few seconds afterwards. He heard Loona sigh and Moxxie reload the weapon again. He heard cars outside the building drive by, he could perceive every single sound around him.

His face turned to the side. Finding that Crystal lay there obediently, waiting for him to use it instead of the book that's now gone. Gone. Where did the sounds go? He wasn't able to hear a single thing right after. As if deaf from birth, as if someone tore his eardrums. The burning taste on his tongue now reached his consciousness to announce the panic attack he's having.

Blitz caught his body just before falling down to the ground, breathing heavily albeit without a sound coming out. His eyes ran over the floor, back forth, back forth and again. What just happened? What did he just do? What did that damned Owl just do to him?

His fingers twitched when reaching up his cheeks, they're completely wet and he didn't realize until that moment. Of course he knew what just happened and the exact implication of that gift.

Stolas could've given him that Crystal from the very beginning. But he didn't because he liked having Blitz as his little Imp. Fucking royal asshole had been playing pretend the whole time, he must have been. Why else would he give him the Crystal now? But then a conclusion hit Blitz and his uneven breathing stopped altogether. The last time he'd been in contact with Stolas was... the day he got hospitalized.

Both his hands landed on the desk, weak like never before. And while he tried to not throw up — he noticed that this was their last interaction before needing rest to recover. He almost died and Blitz knew he was invited for a visit, Stolas outright asked him to come. But like normally, he declined and assumed he can just brush it over. Stolas wasn't invincible as he first assumed and settled down with though. Did he finally cross that line? Breaking that patience fassade which he couldn't escape from?

His body slacked down at the table with his hand coming up to cover his eyes. Why was he crying again? It's been an arrangement since day one and that never changed throughout their history together, Blitz had confirmed it firmly after the incident at Ozzie's. It's business, that's all. So why was he that shook up over something he clearly shouldn't care about? It's not like wanted to, it's not like he was too dumb to understand. It's more about refusing acknowledgement than living in delusions.

But that's what broken people do, right? He asked himself bitterly. His wet face lifted up slightly, only enough to look at the office door. “Fuck…”

Fuck that good feeling. This feeling of recovery was beaten into the ground with a single gesture. Fizz was his childhood friend, he could repair this as it's been a big misunderstanding. But this? Stolas? The noble Goetia Prince? Yeah, sure, like he's going to remember Blitz's name in a few weeks. He's done and therefore they were done without discussion. That's how this worked, after all. Royals aren't approachable. Blitz knew that from the start and should've stick with it. Goddamn it.

Exhausted due to these heavy tears, Blitz used the remaining strength in his system to go behind the desk. He opened the drawer in rapid motion, the gift that's already wrapped bouncing against it. The wrapping paper wasn't good, the edges stood up and the cuts weren't clean. It looked ugly and worthless. Blitz hissed through his teeth then.

He picked it up and immediately threw it into the trashcan beside his desk before leaving through the backdoor for a break.

The card saying “Merry Christmas. From Blitz to Stolas.” hung down in the dark of the empty office now. Remaining there considering he wouldn't need it tonight. After all, he was not going anywhere.

[sonic-love-island-official]

Shadow (Bio/Character design ramble)

Behold, my sweet baby. Boy, do I have a lot to say about him. And some things I want to say about him can't really be incorporated fully into the fic, so what better place to infodump than here ?

Info under the cut x

Shadow is a 28 year old ex-G.U.N. agent. He was 'born' within the ARK, but moved to Westopolis later in life to rediscover his (then lost) identity. He joins Rouge on the Island with the intention of being her moral support.

Being a more reserved character, Shadow arrives full of scepticism, but with an indescribable, intricate set of standards. Shadow is the kind of man who knows exactly what he wants from a partner and a life going forward. He is stubborn to deviate from his plan of settling down and hoping to raise a family with someone who doesn't make him feel uncomfortable in his own skin. Normally on edge or awkward, Shadow typically struggles to interact with new people, but once he becomes comfortable with someone, he lets his true colours shine (both to his benefit and detriment). He can be gentle, deeply caring, passionate, even. However, he can also be sly, sharp-witted and harsh at times. Regardless of how anyone perceives him, Shadow's strong sense of identity drives him to pursue what he wants to have in his future. But having something entails having something to lose…

External design choices !! (visual appearance - incl. formation of base sim, references taken, makeup choices, fashion style… etc.)

You will never know how much time I spent trying to perfect this man 😭 Again, I immediately took inspiration from his Sonic Adventure 2 character design because he is both so striking in appearance but also has this soft cuteness (which initially did not make it into his sim version, until later modding the game). Along with Rouge, for Shadow I had a distinctive creative vision and although I can never make a sim exactly how I imagine them in my head, Shadow's design came close enough that I can't complain too much.

The real tough thing with Shadow came down to translation. Shadow has incredibly sharp/angular features that replicating it accurately in the sims would destroy any realistic appeal for his character in a more human form. So, my compromise was to do the best I could, while still keeping Shadow's features relatively human enough so he wouldn't look like he crawled out of a nightmare. Of course, I chose to keep the angle of his eyes and brows, but softened the degree to something still recognisable and so it didn't warp any of his other facial features. I kept the red colour of his eyes too. I could have went down a more realistic route, but I just thought it was so iconic of his character that without them, he'd just look weird. Same can be said for his makeup, actually. I gave him a simple black liner that runs from the top lash line, into the bottom and through his waterline, pairing that with a subtle red eyeshadow that mimics the red, triangular accent in the outer corners of his eyes (looking at sim Shadow without either of those is jarring, believe me). His nose I made a little pointed, characteristic of all the male hedgehogs. As for everything else ? It was purely up to my interpretation and working within the limitations of the game.

I couldn't get anything that was similar to Shadow's upturned quills, so I went for a hairstyle with a little bit of volume, just so there was enough resemblance. The hair I used was from the Supernatural pack (which is notorious for ugly CAS items, in my opinion) and surprisingly I don't hate it as much as when I first picked it. The red streaks are in his hair, but a little muted in comparison to the reference pictures, due to the fact it looked ridiculously bad when I tried the accurate, bright red streaks. I also wanted Shadow's sharp features to carry through into the base structure of his face, hence why he has a more squared jawline than what is seen on some of the other characters. He used to have more prominent cheekbones, but that that feature was softened out significantly after the modding (again, another 'for the best' situation). Overall, Shadow version 1 (pre-mod) wasn't all that attractive but once we got that visual overhaul for all the characters, he looks quite Pretty (I call him 'babygirl Shadow' due to his softer features). His skin tone evened out heaps better than before and looks quite lovely in-game (4th screenshot) but looks off when taking model photos in Stylist for the gallery </3

Over time, I've come to really appreciate Shadow's sim version !! He portrays everything I wanted him to be. Displaying a lot of his iconic features, while also representing my further, more abstract intentions for his character. Occasionally he makes expressions that do make him look a little older than the other characters and depending on who he's with, he can look the total opposite and look sweet, gentle and youthful. Other times he looks straight up creepy and all of these things blend so well for his character to an extent where it's both joyful and comical to witness. Nevertheless, I adore him, could you tell ;-;

*I forgot to mention here that although Shadow's sim does not have many tattoos (again, the selection we're given in TS3 is horrific and impossible to work with), he does in the AU. The red triangle designs on his forearms and calves are carried over (except they're not solid, rather more detailed with fluid lines and coils), his/the symbol of the Black Arms adorns his chest and creeps up to his neck and he has a small flower tattoo in memory of Maria <3

Shadow's fashion falls under three categories:

Stereotypical 'bad boy' outfits (leather jackets, boots, torn up jeans etc.)

Outfits typical of the show (plain t-shirts, baggy pants, chains, sneakers)

Outfits I personally think Shadow would pick and feel/seem comfortable wearing (tidy button-ups, dress pants/straight leg jeans)

They're pretty interchangeable throughout the series but the idea is that Shadow morphs to the expectation of being a Love Island contestant and wears things to fit that, but over the course of the series, gradually drops the act and becomes more himself. In any case, it gives a lot of variety and opportunity to try different clothing styles on Shadow and that in itself is fun to play with. Sometimes we even surprise ourselves seeing what items actually suit Shadow and which don't.

Internal design choices !! (personality, characteristics, psychology)

I am such a nit-pick when it comes to how Shadow is characterised in both official Sonic media and in fanworks. The two things that annoy me most is:

He's stuck in this constant loop of reliving his trauma, finding a sense of closure and learning/moving on from it. Repeatedly. He learns these beautiful, relatable life lessons and then. Forgets it. And has to do it all over again. For no real reason. (06 made that annoyance seem not as bad, seeing as Shadow had moved forward in his life but still kept to his ideals… but of course, they had to go and ruin that for him, didn't they 😒 Leading into my next point-)

He's reduced down to Edgy and Has No Friends

I am so so sick of seeing both of these things ?? So, I'm mostly just serving myself by helping Shadow along in this AU to be neither of these things because it doesn't at all fit the premise of the series. Most of the characters are a wild blend of their portrayals throughout Sonic media, so shitty Shadow pops up on occasion (for justifiable reasons, though) but primarily I've cherry-picked his better portrayals to represent him in the series, like the more introverted, soft-spoken Shadow from SA2 and Heroes, as well as the more level-headed, matured Shadow seen in 06. Of course, I don't write all of Shadow's moments in the series, as this fic is co-written alongside my sister, but my best efforts go towards representing Shadow in a way that makes him seem like Just A Guy.

Shadow enters the fic in a completely different stage in life. He's put his past behind him and is looking towards a brighter future. Naturally, he hasn't let his past go entirely and more so made a sense of peace with it. Here and there, there are a few blips where that is not the case and shows some of his old wounds haven't fully healed, but that's to add the ✨realism✨. The idea for Shadow is that he was once in a far worse state than when he entered the Island, but he isn't perfect. He has his own arc to go through, but for once it's fairly disjointed from his canon-typical baggage.

Simply enough, I want to allow Shadow the opportunity to develop connections — to make new friends (Rouge is his one pre-established friend), to express love. He has so much potential to be soft and kind and selfless and loving, without being locked behind bars of Edge and past horrors. As an introvert, he expresses things in his own subtle way that isn't easily understood by everyone, but he's constantly making the effort to show he cares for the people important to him.

Fun facts / trivia :

Shadow is older than Sonic by three years in this AU purely due to the fact that Shadow's character is more lore-heavy than Sonic's. Additionally, they're both at different stages in life, shown by their behaviour and actions and that, I feel, should also be realistically represented in the ages given to them. There is so much discourse surrounding Shadow's 'age' (now retconned) and it's exhaustingg.

Shadow's time in the Villa reveals some interesting themes around social relationships, such as making/maintaining friendships as an adult (a topic I find incredibly real and unique to this project)

I couldn't fit this anywhere else, and it might be a little self-serving but I allude to the fact that Shadow is on the aro/ace spectrum, which is a wild contradiction from the expectations of the show. We've also kept the genders of his previous partners vague-ish. Firstly due to the Twitter Takeovers, where Shadow has never expressed a gender preference (I think that's correct ?) and that's a detail I wanted to remain loyal to. Secondly, I didn't want to tie him down to any specific gender preference ?? I thought it banging just to leave it as is, because it does give some moments within the series an extra impact. Nevertheless, Shadow specifically doesn't experience sexual attraction and rarely/infrequently experiences romantic attraction. Alas, there seems to be this mutual consensus that Shadow's a bit of a horn monster and… funnily enough, I agree with that too- So AU Shadow's sexuality is incredibly layered and somehow it all still makes logical sense :)

There is a lot of Shadow's lore that transferred to the AU in a creative/slightly more realistic way, but I can't talk about it here, else this post will be longer than what it already is

[geonppangi]

boys planet trainees as seventeen songs pt. 1

this is mostly based on how well they fit the concept, but also if i think the song would be a good fit for them based on their skills! to make things more interesting i’ll be excluding the songs that have already been covered on the show (so no home, aju nice, or hot)

trauma - ricky

i think one thing that a lot of people comment on is how ricky has a softer voice

in comparison to other rappers on the show like keita, his delivery isn’t as sharp if that makes sense

which is perfectly fine! each voice fits a different part and i think that ricky’s voice would work really well in trauma

it’s not about the big things but about expressing emotion and thoughts through simple but charismatic rapping

i’d love to see ricky write his own lyrics about his experience on boys planet a la limousine

and also most of the video is just them sitting in different sets and rapping while looking cool

which may not sound very difficult, but it’s actually quite hard to be engaging while also looking like you’re just chilling

and honestly i think ricky’s facial expressions and mannerisms would really suit this song

like there are some people who just look good even if they’re not doing much you know?

i just think this is such a good concept for him

24h - kim jiwoong

to be honest, i think that this one is pretty self explanatory lmfao

it’s a sexy concept for our resident sexy boy

and i think dark red (and navy blue) are just his colours yknow?

i can already imagine him doing the low 24 hour line and i think it would be perfection

to be honest, i love seeing jiwoong try new concepts out, like he did an amazing job with say my name

but i think in terms of what suits him the best, definitely a concept like 24h

world - seo won

ahhhhhhhhhh i think this would be so so good for seo won!!!!!

like the sparkly outfits, the shining lights

and i love seo won when he smiles and a really cute and upbeat concept just suits him so well!

he would also be so good during the chorus like i know that my boy can sing, even if mnet likes to pretend that he doesn’t exist

fallin flower - sung hanbin

ahhhhh i had to think really long and hard about who i should give fallin flower to and what song i should give to sung hanbin

i think there are so many synchronized arm movements in fallin flower and the dance is very delicate and elegant

it’s a song that’s very near and dear to my heart and i think that shanbin would be able to do the concept justice

not only is he our favourite flower boy but he also specializes in tutting and waacking, both of which require precise arm movements

so i think that pulling off fallin flower would be effortless for him

also ngl i feel like he would look really good in pink but maybe that’s just me

mansae - kim gyuvin

THIS SONG FEELS SO GYUVIN

like it’s just a fun and cheerful song

a little bit on the goofy side

and we’ve all seen enough behind the scenes videos to know that gyuvin would totally nail this concept

i think he also has a really youthful look to him so the high school setting also works

also i just really want to see him do the choreo for the chorus

darl+ing - kim taerae

AFTER MAN IN LOVE I HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WITH TAERAE SMILING WHILE HE’S SINGING

he just has such a wholesome smile

and i think that darl+ing is such a cute song

like taerae would be so sweet while performing and i think he would really shine in a vocal heavy song!!!!

left and right - haruto

maybe it’s because of his zoom outfit but haruto has always come off as a little sporty? to me

and he has a lot of energy and the dance skills to match

so i think left and right would be such a good fit for him!

like he has a really good groove to his dancing that really suits the chorus

and i just know that he would eat up the rapa

adore u - kum junhyeon

okay yes, adore u has had some questionable outfit and editing choices

but who better than kum junhyeon to really make that his own

gang was probably one of my favourite performances this season just because of the personality that they brought to the show

also you definitely need energy for this song and junhyeon has more than enough of that

cheers - keita

honestly i think that left and right could also work for keita (especially the rap part)

but i also think he would do so well in cheers, especially with hoshi’s part

so far his rapping has been fairly fast and doesn’t give him that much room to be more experimental with his delivery

but i think cheers will be good for that

also i feel like he would just rock the big hat yknow

honourable mention goes to back it up which would suit his current rap style perfectly

however there’s no video so i’m not really sure about the concept

call call call - park hanbin

okay law phanbin with the scar changed me

like fundamentally as a person i have been changed

but honestly he does so many different concepts it’s a little crazy

i think call call call would be so fun for him, especially since the concept of the song is on the wackier side

like his facial expressions would be so good in this

and there are 3 main outfit concepts at the beginning and he would suit all of them

also he would look very cool on a motorcycle i’m just saying

part 2 here

[arctimon]

New Pals from Paldea - A BH6/Pokemon Thread

So you might remember that I did another Pokemon post in regards to the Big Hero 6 team a while ago.  Since that one did relatively well (in my standards), I figured I might as well do an updated thread for the new Scarlet/Violet games.

By the way, the designs in this game are some of the best that I’ve ever seen in a Pokemon game, and I’ve been playing them since Red/Blue.

(Goes to show you how old I am, right?)

And we’re going to start with probably the most perfect one of all:

1.) Honey Lemon - Tinkaton

Sometimes you just find two pictures that go perfectly together, and you don’t really need an explanation.

There’s really no other type that Honey Lemon fits into better than Fairy, and the thought of HL getting mad and having Tinkaton swinging a giant hammer fills me with joy.

I’m still trying to find a shiny one in my game, but it doesn’t want to show up in a mass outbreak for some reason.  I could breed for one, but I need a foreign Ditto for Masuda breeding, and I don’t have the time for that.

2.) Baymax - Maushold

The pic I used had Minimax in it, and that was an unintentional side-effect just because I needed this picture sideways.

Also, Tandemaus/Maushold have a signature move called Tidy Up, and this seems like something that Aunt Cass would abuse to no end.

Can’t have Spikes or Stealth Rocks up around the Lucky Cat Cafe.

3.) Hiro & Captain Cutie - Palafin Zero and Palafin Hero

Now you’re probably thinking “Why is this Hiro and not Fred?”  Well, I like the idea of giving the Hero Pokemon to the leader of the team.  Plus, Palafin is OP in his Hero form, just like Hiro is in his Captain Cutie form.

Plus, it’s purple in its Shiny form, which is perfect again for Hiro.

You know how I know this?

Oh...no reason.

4.) Go Go - Cyclizar

Another obvious one, and I’m sure Go Go would love at have Miraidon as well, since it’s more futuristic for her tastes.  Special mention also goes to Varoom (the Steel/Poison engine Pokemon), which I’m sure Go Go would ride around with just like the Team Star captains.

Just don’t dress up like Mela.  The boots are way too big.

5.) Wasabi - Tatsugiri & Dondozo

This one is more of a headcanon thing, since I have Wasabi working at a sushi restaurant in my stories.  Plus, giving him a giant Water/Dragon that can basically Shell Smash without any downsize is my way of giving him the long straw.

6.) Fred - Armarouge/Ceruledge

The two new Pokemon evolving from Charcadet with armor items go to the guy with the armor/costume.  I know that, like above, giving him Palafin would be the easy way out.  I also know that he would totally cosplay as these two if he could.

...At the same time.

7.) Nemona Karmi - Pawmot

@iamaddictedtocoffee​ doesn’t seem to care for the particular comparisons between Karmi and Nemona, but I can’t unsee them.  And how perfect would it be for Karmi to get a cute, Electric/Fighting Pika-clone?

With Iron Man-like repulsor hands, apparently.

You should totally get Scarlet/Violet if you haven’t already; they’re easily the best games I’ve played in a while.  In the meantime, try not to imagine HL whirling around with a giant hammer made out of her purse.

Maybe Hiro can make one for her...

[wingedvictor]

JUNG JAEHYUN  23  CISMALE  HE/HIM — ; where do you get your inspiration, NAM MINJUN ? you’re so DRIVEN , i can’t help but think of MUSEUM DATES, OLD RECORDS AND SHATTERED STATUES when i hear your name. your friends tell me you can be EVASIVE sometimes. i guess it’s understandable given the circumstances. besides , i can’t even imagine how stressful SCULPTURE classes must be — not to mention you’re also in THE RED AND GREEN CLUB, HOWLITES (CAPTAIN) AND MISS TATE (BASS) ! you’re a LOCAL , right ? yeah, i thought so. either way , welcome to mugunghwa ! 

hey! it's dean here with nam minjun — a sculpture arts major, newly appointed captain of the male soccer team, and bassist of miss tate—though you might know him better as the one who always came second to son jisoo. he’s much like the misunderstood villain you’d read about in books, the kind you’d be drawn to if perfect golden boys (cough jisoo cough) are too boring for you. that, or you’re a masochist who romanticises pain. if you'd like to plot, give this post a like and i’ll drop you a message! i also have discord, if that’s what you prefer.

BACKGROUND:

born and bred in mugunghwa; he can't decide if he loves or hates this place.

put simply, he feels like a big fish in a small pond. on one hand, he likes being at the very top of the hierarchy, but on the other, he feels suffocated.

the only child to the nams. you’d think he’d be coddled and cherished like their finest treasure, but somehow, they still had a way to make him feel like he was never good enough.

he's known jisoo ever since they were kids (or babies, to be exact). their parents were always close (at least, on the surface) and have been rivals since they were younger.

naturally, this rivalry carried on to their children. all hell broke loose when they both gave birth to sons in the same year.

he can't remember a time in his life not being to compared to jisoo. everything, from their academics, artistic abilities, athleticism, height, to even the kind of girls they brought home, was a measure of their success.

he had always felt like a tool, used to extend his parents' sense of self-worth. they needed him to win, for them to win.

at some point, he grew to desire everything jisoo wanted, even if didn't really want it himself. growing up, it felt like everything jisoo had was what he needed to have too. if not, he would be inferior and god forbid he was anything but that.

he has a complicated relationship with jisoo. kind of like how he feels about mugunghwa—a love-hate relationship.

sometimes, he wishes jisoo never existed so he didn't have to compete with him, to feel like he’s not good enough all his life, but there are days when things are different.

on those days, he feels like jisoo is a brother he never had, days when he is actually relieved jisoo was around to make this town feel a little less lonely.

that's when he starts feeling bad for always competing with him, for never truly being happy for his accomplishments—for not being a good friend. because a good friend wouldn’t secretly wish you’ll fuck up, right?

but then jisoo beats him again and the cycle repeats, again and again.

just like how complex their friendship was, minjun’s reaction to jisoo’s passing is no different. some days he feels sad, then relieved, then angry, then everything all at once.

he's sad to lose a friend he's known since forever; a part of his identity he's never been allowed to break away from, but he's also relieved that jisoo was no longer in his way, that all those years of constant comparisons finally came to an end.

but most of all, he's angry, that even in death, he is still reminded of how he is second to jisoo, that none of the things he has now truly belongs to him—that he’ll never get to beat jisoo with his own merits.

jisoo’s death was not just a loss of a friend and competitor, but a sense of self; a benchmark he’s had his entire life.

PERSONALITY:

taciturn and elusive, but not forgettable.

the aloof boy that acts like a wallflower, but is really the kind you find yourself getting curious about.

hard to approach, probably not the friendliest face in the hallway.

doesn't really talk to people outside his circle. (though i’d really love for some unexpected connections!)

some might even think he’s stuck-up, that he thinks he’s better than others. (partially true. he actually doubts himself a lot, he’s just antisocial and doesn’t bother trying. also had a friend (jisoo) all his life so he never had to try either.)

very driven and hardworking. set on perfecting his craft.

maybe it’s because he tries so hard in art and sports that he seems nonchalant in every other aspect, like his social life.

is also frustratingly cryptic, an enigma that is hard to decipher even if you’ve known him all your life.

thinks a lot, which is both his vice and virtue.

romanticises a lot of things. particularly people. tends to fall in love with the idea of someone and not who they really are.

kind of toxic. he doesn’t like things (or people) that are easy to get, because he’s so accustomed to not getting what he wants with ease, to wanting the things that don’t belong to him.

has a lot of buried anger and resentment towards his parents and jisoo that is reflected in his art; is otherwise bad at expressing it.

inner child needs healing, tbh.

AT MUGUNGHWA:

sculpture arts major: wasn’t always a sculpture artist. when he was younger, he had also pursued painting alongside jisoo, just because his parents wanted him to. it wasn’t until he starting traveling around europe and got exposed to sculpture art did he realise it was something he enjoyed more. definitely helps that he’s also better at it and no longer has to live in jisoo’s shadow, at least for art.

part of the red and green club: truthfully, he likes that he is part of this club. he knows that it’s something his parents brag about, one of the few things he’s earned their validation for. his jewelled accessory is a pair of cufflinks.

took jisoo's place as captain of the howlites: frankly didn't even want to be captain that bad, he just wanted it because jisoo was running for it. and he has to have everything jisoo has. now that he has it, he's starting to realise that it wasn't as great as he made it out to be—not that he'd ever admit any of this.

plays the bass in miss tate: the one thing he has that was not tied to jisoo. his parents didn't like that he was in a rock band (they considered it uncouth and a waste of time) but it’s precisely why he pursued it, because he needed an escape from their constant comparisons. he needed a part of him entirely to himself, with no way of being compared to perfect little jisoo.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

someone jisoo liked but couldn’t have? maybe jisoo told him about his crush and complained about how hard it was to get their attention. (though we'd have to check with the admin if it interferes with the plot!) this could've sparked minjun’s interest and he ends up wanting them too, though he doesn’t know if he actually likes them or if he only wanted them because jisoo did. toxic, push and pull type of relationship where they can’t tell how he really feels about them. fwb/more than friends less than lovers type shit.

on the contrary, someone that likes him and is always there for him. probably one of the sweetest people in his life (someone who is actually good for him) but he’s a toxic mfer who wants what he can’t have. he knows he can have them so he doesn’t treasure them but he still sticks around because they make him feel wanted, like he’s good enough for once. one word: angst.

someone very different from him (probably someone who is free spirited and wants to leave mugunghwa). someone he actually likes talking to, whose opinions he wants to hear. he might not agree but he enjoys the discourse; a breath of fresh air in his suffocating environment.

escape in human form, someone that has no connection to the keepers/the red and green club, or the life he’s always known in mugunghwa, someone who he can forget everything around. preferably someone who didn’t know jisoo personally and never got to compare them.

male soccer team members who don’t think he’s worthy of the captain position, that he only got it because of his prestige, not because he’s a good leader (they’re probably right). they either think of jisoo as their only captain and doesn’t acknowledge minjun as one, or they hate that the position was always between them, because they’re keepers and come from influential families.